Il arrive souvent des choses désagréables

Chapitre 5

Although I am blind, the thought of two grown men undressing in front of me filled me with shame and indignation. The little thief, who had been muttering incessantly, suddenly fell silent. Then I heard the monster's voice, still slightly clenched through his teeth.

"Ozu! Turn your head around!"

This is outrageous! I grit my teeth in anger. How dare they be so shameless in front of me! They deserve to be torn to pieces!

The rain continued, and I was dragged into a confined space. The sedan chair was replaced by a horse-drawn carriage, and the wheels rolled along. Gradually, the sounds of people and vendors rose and fell, as if I had entered a bustling market. I was dizzy from the shaking and gradually felt hungry. I could vaguely smell the aroma of food, which made me feel even more miserable.

The carriage finally stopped, and someone came up to greet us.

"Mr. Cheng, have you and Miss Xiaojin returned? The master is waiting in the hall."

The car shook, most likely because someone jumped out; the sound was crisp and clear—it was that little thief.

"We arrived last night, but there's a curfew in the city tonight, so we had to stay outside the city for the night. What a bummer."

The other person laughed, "Miss Ozu seems quite happy, what's wrong with her?"

It turned out to be a woman... I'm shocked.

Voice change, body change, gender change—there are so many monsters in this world.

...

Hai: Peace, I won't abandon this project... I promise with three fingers.

Ping An: Fine, I've already figured out how to trap and kill you. You just stay here and guard this trap. (Hands on hips, laughing)

Narrator: ...They really are mother and daughter...

Chapter 15

The carriage stopped in a quiet place, and someone pulled me out again. I was dragged forward, unable to see, so I had to rely on my ears. It was hateful that there was silence all around, not a single human voice. The person dragging me moved lightly, like a ghost, landing without a sound. I tried very hard to hear, and eventually I felt angry.

It's all the fault of these treacherous officials. They've made me overuse my ears lately, and I haven't had a chance to look in the mirror. I wonder if they'll stretch out like a rabbit's and cause some kind of aftereffects.

The rain had stopped, and there was a fragrance of flowers. My face went numb; I didn't know what had fallen on me. The person holding me didn't care and walked straight ahead. I heard the sound of a door opening and closing, very heavy, like a stone sliding door. I'm not just guessing, but I remember hearing this sound when the lowest level door opened and closed once when I went to the imperial mausoleum with my father and brother to pay respects to our ancestors. It's a sound that's always been very clear to me.

I was incredibly itchy when suddenly someone plucked the thing away. I opened my eyes in surprise, and to my astonishment, everything became bright and I could see again.

Standing before me was a tall, thin man, holding a white flower in his hand, which he had probably taken from my face. He stood in a stone passageway, with lamps on both sides illuminating the surroundings. I turned to look at the person holding me, and it was the monster surnamed Cheng.

There was a voice above him; it was him speaking to another person, his expression indifferent.

"Lord Li, she will see you."

The man was scrutinizing me closely, as if he thought the light wasn't bright enough. He even lowered his head to get closer to me. He had an extremely refined face, and he spoke in a very scholarly manner.

"I have long admired Princess Ping'an's name, but unfortunately she has been kept in the deep palace for so many years and I have never had the chance to meet her. Today, I have the opportunity to see her beautiful face, how could I miss it? Your Highness, Princess, don't you agree?"

Judging from the man's tone, he was actually an official. However, I have been frightened too many times lately and am now completely unmoved. In short, there are a whole bunch of traitors and villains. I am like a tiger fallen into the plains, bullied by dogs. There is no point in saying more. After listening, I just straightened my face and looked to the side.

He wasn't annoyed at all. He just walked side by side with the man surnamed Cheng towards the door at the end of the passageway, glancing at my face every now and then with great interest.

In the end, it was the monster surnamed Cheng who couldn't hold back any longer. He glanced at him with a cold expression and asked, "Lord Li, what exactly are you looking at?"

I wanted to ask the same question. Even if I am a woman of unparalleled beauty, I have suffered for so long and have become disheveled. What is there left to look at? Besides, since I am an official, I should know that looking directly at the royal family is a capital offense. At the very least, my eyes should be gouged out.

Before the man surnamed Li could answer, the passageway came to an end, the stone door slid open, and a cacophony of noise erupted from it. Inside was a stone chamber, extremely spacious, densely packed with people of all shapes and sizes, some dressed in strange attire, speaking in loud, boisterous voices—it was quite a lively scene.

The stone door slid open with little noise, and then someone suddenly shouted, "They're here!"

All the loud conversations stopped immediately, and everyone turned their gaze away from the two men, fixing it directly on me.

Although the man surnamed Li had also been staring at me, he was a refined man and his gaze wasn't too blatant. But most of the people in this group had ferocious faces, staring at me as if they wanted to devour me. I felt a chill in my heart, but I didn't want to show weakness. So I opened my eyes and stared back at them, pretending to stare back at each of them, but I focused all my attention on the darkest corner, pretending that I didn't see anything.

There were lights in the stone chamber, but the space was too large and there were too many people, so there were always some corners that were dark. As I looked around, I suddenly felt a pair of familiar eyes staring straight at me in the darkness, never leaving my brow.

I don't know how long it has been since I ate. I'm so hungry that I feel dizzy and my vision is blurry. I've felt anger, fear, and shame before, but this one glance suddenly makes me feel sad and then I feel a surge of sorrow. My eyes are sore and I don't want to turn my eyes back to look at it again.

Actually, I'm afraid to. There are some things that I know I'll be disappointed with, so I don't want to verify them.

It's truly heartbreaking to think about. I've only been separated from Jifeng for a day, and I'm already having hallucinations. Only now do I realize what it's like to miss someone—to imagine them by my side every single moment.

~~ ...

Hai: My motivation for updating is to see handsome guys...

Chapter 16

Once the thought started, I couldn't stop it. Everything around me became distant and blurry. I could hear someone speaking, it sounded like Lord Li.

“She’s fainted again, Chengping. Put her down. Holding her like this will make it hard for her to catch her breath.”

My head was tilting back uncontrollably, and that's when I realized I was dizzy. It's better to be dizzy; once I'm out of it, I won't have so many worries, and at least I won't feel hungry.

I don't know how long I was unconscious. Gradually, I heard noises all around me, which annoyed me, but I didn't even have the strength to cover my ears. Later, the noises got closer and closer to my ears, as if they were trying to drill into my brain. I finally couldn't bear it anymore, opened my eyes, and wanted to get angry and shout, "Which audacious dog slave is this?" But what came into view was not the golden bed curtains and dragon and phoenix carvings that I was familiar with. It was a simple stone room with just a bed and a table. My hands and feet were tied and I was thrown onto the bed. There were voices outside. The stone door was half open. The voices seemed to be near and far, indistinct, but they were never-ending.

I sighed; it wasn't a dream after all.

Someone outside was speaking in a low voice. I caught a few words, but they were all within the imperial palace. They were startling. The stone door moved and someone slipped in. I didn't know who it was. I just didn't want anyone to know that I was awake. My eyelids twitched, but I closed them again, pretending to continue being unconscious.

Someone spoke; the voice was familiar—it was Ozu, who could switch between male and female forms.

"Hey, she's still unconscious. Big brother, I told you not to seal her acupoints. This princess is too weak. She's been unconscious for so long. What are we going to do with all this food? Throw it away?"

I panicked when I heard this, but I didn't dare to open my eyes immediately. Just as I was hesitating, a force came down on my body. It was that monster, pointing at me with his finger.

I am a princess, with such a delicate body, yet this scoundrel has been using me as a punching bag. I am filled with rage and can no longer pretend to be unconscious. I glare at him and shout.

"You dare! Don't touch me again, or I'll have your hands chopped off."

He listened without expression, but Xiao Jin next to me laughed again, grinning as he came closer to me. "You're so fierce, what man would like you? Be good." He then reached out and patted my head, as if I were a puppy.

After hearing that, I wanted to kick her, but I longed for freedom, and talking was a waste of energy, so I could only kill her with my eyes.

Ozu was dressed as a woman, all in green. The light in the stone chamber was dim, and her standing there reminded me of a certain plant in the courtyard, lush and green.

She scrutinized me very carefully, looking me up and down without missing a single detail, as meticulous as that Lord Li. After she finished looking me over, she turned to Chengping and said, "Brother, when I talk like this in a couple of days, remember not to hate me. That won't be me."

Her words seemed out of the blue, but they struck me as alarming. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but Chengping lowered her head and looked at me as she spoke, “I checked your pulse earlier. Your qi and blood are insufficient, and your internal heat is excessive. If you don’t eat, you might faint again at any time. But the food is here. Whether you eat it or not is up to you.”

I could already smell the food. I turned my head and saw several small dishes and a bowl of white rice on the tray. Normally, I wouldn't even glance at these simple foods, but now I was so hungry that the smell made my mouth water. I moved my body and felt angry again.

"Monster, how am I supposed to eat this?"

He was bending over when he heard this, and suddenly straightened up, turned around and walked out. That unprincipled Xiao Jin immediately followed. I called out again, "Hey, hey!"

He turned back in front of the stone gate, his voice icy, and said, "Will the monster answer you?" Then he pulled Xiaojin out, and the stone gate slammed shut, this time completely tight, leaving no gaps.

The stone chamber was deathly silent. I stared at the plate of food, struggling with a profound sense of unease.

Eat, my hands and feet are tied, am I really supposed to play the role of a puppy? Where is the royal dignity? If I don't eat, I'm really hungry, I'm going to starve to death, what use is royal dignity then?

Actually, most of my thoughts weren't on the food. What Xiao Jin had said earlier was still echoing in my ears: these people had ever-changing appearances and sometimes did inexplicable things. Thinking back to the old imperial physician's inexplicable transformation, the more I thought about it, the more alarmed I became, but I couldn't make sense of it at all.

The food was still in front of me, swaying slightly. Food can't move on its own. I knew I was going to faint again, but I didn't resist at all.

I can see it but can't eat it, I can hear it but can't understand it, what's the point of me staying awake? I might as well just faint.

I had already struggled to sit up, and now, with my back against the cold stone wall, I felt myself slowly sliding down. But suddenly, there was nothing behind me, and I lost my balance and fell backward.

The feeling of being suspended in mid-air was so intense that, although I was on the verge of fainting, I couldn't help but want to scream. But suddenly, someone caught me with both hands in the darkness. The force of my fall was so strong that he spun half a circle in the air to dissipate some of the force and prevent me from bearing too much of the impact.

I strained to keep my eyes open. There was a sliver of light overhead, shining through the hole I had just fallen into, but it vanished in an instant, and everything sank back into darkness.

But that ray of light was enough for me to see who was holding me, and I was immediately satisfied. I was so happy that I burst into tears.

I usually hate crying, but I couldn't help but cry when I saw the monsoon. It's really unbecoming of a royal.

Ji Feng reached out in the darkness and gently wiped my face, wiping away my snot and tears. He paused for a moment before speaking, his voice low as he called my name.

"Safety."

Chapter 17

He doesn't call me princess, he calls me "Ping An". My name is noble, and only my father and brother in the palace call me by my given name, but I am happy that Ji Feng calls me that. How nice it is that he calls me Ping An.

Beneath the stone chamber lay a hidden world, with a winding, long passageway leading to who-knows-where. I lay on Ji Feng's body. We had only been apart for a day, but it had been a long and arduous time. Before, each day felt like an eternity, and seeing him again felt like a lifetime had passed. So many words welled up in my mouth, but in the end, only a short sentence came out.

"Monsoon, I'm hungry."

He had been walking briskly forward, but suddenly stopped.

Actually, the passageway was pitch black. Even after a long time of getting used to it, I still felt like my vision was blurry. But he walked steadily all the way, as if it were bright daytime all around. The monsoon is the monsoon. It made me blindly worship him again.

"Are you very hungry? Can you bear it a little longer? We'll be fine once we get out of here. I'll find you something to eat." His voice rang in my ears. The passageway was clearly empty, but for some reason, he lowered his voice so much. His lips seemed to be right next to my ear, and his breath brushed against me, creating an unusually warm sensation.

I was actually so hungry that I had no strength left. It felt so good to be held by him, and I felt satisfied and happy. I didn't really mind that there was nothing to eat. I thought I should go back to sleep. He started walking forward again, and his pace seemed to have quickened a lot. He even said something.

"Ping An, don't sleep, I want to talk to you."

I was surprised. How did he know I was going to sleep? But Ji Feng is usually quiet and rarely takes the initiative to chat with me, so how could I miss the opportunity? Thinking about it, I used my newly freed hands to hook my arms around his neck. If there's nothing to eat, a little bit of coquetry will do.

I couldn't see clearly in the darkness, but when I touched his face, my hand brushed over his eyebrows and eyes. I couldn't help but slow down and trace his features carefully. He must have blinked, his eyelashes brushing against my palm, making me feel a slight tingling sensation.

"Ji Feng, that big, idiotic guy from Mexico, did you beat him?" I readily agreed and began to speak, still thinking about the previous duel, and started asking him questions without much thought.

"Hmm." He was sparing with his words.

I breathed a sigh of relief, half happy and half annoyed. I was happy that Ji Feng was indeed powerful and must have beaten the Mo Kingdom envoy to a pulp in the palace. I was annoyed because he was the one who suggested speaking, but his answer to my question was so brief. How could I continue? The topic was over. My mind was a little confused, and I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I had to tell the truth.

"Monsoon, I'm a little cold."

He hugged me tighter, and this time his sentence was longer: "It's a bit cold here because it never sees sunlight, but it will be fine soon."

"You're walking so fast, do you know the way?" I could hear the wind rushing past my ears, and I knew he was walking faster and faster, but I didn't feel scared at all, only safe.

He seemed to glance down at me again, but then answered with something unrelated, "Princess, don't you want to ask me how I knew where you were?"

I was drowsy and longed for light so I could see his face, just like when I was kidnapped from the palace. Thinking of him in the darkness felt like having light.

How did he know I was there? Is there anything to ask? He's already here, that's enough.

"No, Monsoon, are you going to tell me? Let's go outside and talk about it. It's cold here. Let's talk about something interesting instead."

He didn't speak for a moment. I was afraid I was dizzy again and hadn't heard him. In a daze, I asked one word, "Hmm?"