Chapter 50

In the princess's mansion.

The princess was dressing herself in front of the mirror, and the bronze mirror reflected a haggard but still beautiful face.

She unconsciously stroked the sachet around her waist, which was the coming-of-age gift Jiang Jiang gave her three years ago.

Thinking of the tragedy of the third princess and Concubine Rou, and thinking of every little detail of his daily interactions with Jiang Jiang, a sudden pang of bitterness welled up in his chest.

She is luckier than her third sister and Concubine Rou, as she can be with her beloved.

However, as a member of the royal family, one cannot decide on one's own marriage.

She was afraid that one day the emperor would suddenly arrange a marriage for her.

She doesn't want to get married, she wants to be with Jiang Jiang!

"Princess, someone is coming from the palace!"

The servant came hurriedly to report.

The princess' heart skipped a beat and she didn't care about anything else and hurried to greet him.

"Your Majesty's order!"

The princess knelt on the ground to receive the order, her lowered eyes hiding the deep fear in them.

When the princess learned that the emperor had summoned her into the palace, she became even more terrified.

Could it be that the emperor is going to arrange a marriage for her?

While changing her clothes, the princess's fingers couldn't stop shaking.

Jiang Jiang silently tied her belt, and her fingertips accidentally brushed the skin on the back of the princess' neck, causing both of them to shudder.

The person in the mirror was dressed in formal attire, his pale face forced to remain calm, but only his slightly trembling lips revealed his inner fear.

"Princess, don't be afraid. What if..." Jiang Jiang tried to comfort her, "What if His Majesty finds a good match for you? Then you will have your own happiness in the future!"

After hearing what Jiang Jiang said, the princess's face turned even paler.

She doesn't want to get married! She...

The princess looked at Jiang Jiang with a complicated expression.

When Jiang Jiang saw the princess's expression, he didn't know what he had said wrong and was about to kneel down to apologize.

"Let's go." The princess didn't say anything else and turned around. The hem of her skirt swept across the back of Jiang Jiang's hand, like a cloud about to drift away.

Jiang Jiang hurriedly chased after her and draped a fox fur coat over her shoulders, his fingers deliberately lingering for a moment longer when tying the belt.

The moment the curtain of the sedan chair was lowered, the princess couldn't help but tear up.

She clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and couldn't help but look through the gap in the sedan window at Jiang Jiang who was following her outside the sedan.

When they arrived at the palace gate, the princess got out of the sedan chair and walked, with only her personal maid Jiang Jiang following behind her.

Looking at the deep palace passage, the princess suddenly felt that it was like a bloody mouth, waiting to devour her alive.

The white marble steps outside the imperial study were icy cold.

The princess's footsteps lingered on the third stone step, then she suddenly retracted them.

She looked back and saw Jiang Jiang standing under the steps. Her thin figure swayed in the cold wind, like a reed that could be broken by the wind at any time.

Because there were many people staring at him in the palace, Jiang Jiang stood respectfully with his head down and did not look around, so naturally he did not see the princess looking back.

The princess took a deep breath and finally stepped onto the stairs.

It seemed like another world inside the door, warm as spring.

The air was filled with smoke, and the tall furnace kept emitting smoke. The strange smell of sulfur mixed with burning metal rushed straight into the nose.

Fine beads of sweat instantly oozed out of the princess's forehead and slid down her temples, but she didn't dare wipe them away. Her eyes passed through the swirling green smoke and fell on the bright yellow figure on the throne.

"Your son pays homage to His Majesty, Father." She knelt down, her forehead touching the warm carpet.

"Get up quickly!" The voice was vicissitudes of life, with a hint of weakness, and the tone was deliberately prolonged, as if deliberately creating a kind attitude.

The princess stood up as she was told and finally saw the emperor clearly.

The person sitting on the dragon throne is no longer the tall and majestic father in memory. Now his temples are covered with frost, his eye sockets are sunken, and he looks very old.

But the emperor's eyes were shining with brilliance, and when they fell on her, she trembled subconsciously.

She suppressed the urge to turn and run, digging her nails deep into her palms as she forced a respectful smile. "It's been a long time since we last met. Father, please take care of your health. Only when your health is good will it be a blessing for you and the people."

The emperor waved his hand, as if he wanted to call her name, but the words were stuck on the tip of his tongue, and a trace of confusion flashed across his cloudy eyes.

The old eunuch standing by immediately stepped forward and lowered his voice to remind, "Your Majesty, it's the Fifth Princess, her name is Yuebai."

"Oh, Yuebai, Yuebai..." The emperor suddenly realized and raised his hand to nod at the brocade cushion below him, "Come and sit closer to me."

The princess thanked him and moved over as he said.

Only then did she notice that behind the huge rosewood screen next to the imperial desk, there was a shadowy figure of a middle-aged man standing.

Her heart sank suddenly, her fingertips felt cold, and she wondered if this person was a minister.

And the emperor summoned her here to arrange a marriage for the descendant of this minister.

She clenched her sleeves tightly, her heart in turmoil, but she didn't dare show any of it on her face.

The emperor began to chatter about his former concubine, talking about the little things he could remember about their time together in the palace.

The princess lowered her head and listened, but she was still on high alert, fearing that the emperor would mention marriage in the next second.

"Yue Bai!" The emperor had little patience. After recounting those memories, he hurriedly changed the subject, his voice filled with only heavy longing. "I have received a great joyful event today! It concerns the country, and it concerns me... and you."

He turned his eyes to the screen, "Pharmacist Lin, come and talk to the Fifth Princess."

The middle-aged man behind the screen moved, walked out slowly, and bowed slightly.

His voice was calm, yet faintly tinged with a hint of despair. "Reporting to the Fifth Princess, Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune and inspiration. I have used the divine stone as the foundation, dragon blood as the supplement, and secret ancient methods. I have exhausted all my efforts and finally refined the elixir..."

As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized rosewood box from his arms and opened it carefully.

Pharmacist Lin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and a trace of pity flashed across the princess's eyes. "If you can withstand its power, you can cure your chronic illness, regain your youth, and prolong your life...all in the blink of an eye." After he finished speaking, he lowered his eyelids and said no more.

The emperor rubbed his hands excitedly, his cheeks flushed with a sickly red. "Yue Bai! I've thought about it over and over again, and this kind of immortal fate can only be shared by blood relatives! You are my most beloved daughter, and I held you in my arms when you were a child!..."

He stared at the princess intently, a mad flame burning in his heart. "If it works, I will definitely reward you handsomely! Wealth and honor, honorable titles, whatever you choose!"

The princess was a little dazed as she looked at the pills in the brocade box.

She is the emperor's favorite daughter, how ironic.

She was not stupid and understood what the emperor meant.

She had heard rumors in the palace about drug testers, stories of people bleeding from all seven orifices, their skin ripping apart, and dying wailing in extreme pain...

Without exception, no one who tried the drug survived.

Now, facing the emperor's aggressive gaze, she had to try the medicine.

But she was unwilling to just...

She slid down from the brocade cushion, fell heavily to her knees on the carpet, and her forehead touched the ground again, "Father!"

Her voice trembled slightly with extreme fear and desperate determination, "I am willing to share your worries, Father! This is my duty, I dare not ask for any reward!"

Joy immediately flashed in the emperor's eyes.

"But I have a favor to ask of you!" She raised her head and looked directly at the emperor.

The emperor was a little impatient, but he still asked patiently, "Just tell me!"

The princess gritted her teeth, and Jiang Jiang's figure appeared in her mind.

She thought, what if, what if she survived, why couldn't she use this to seek benefits for herself!

"Your Majesty, I only ask one thing! I beg Your Majesty to grant me the right to choose my own marriage!"

The princess kowtowed deeply again as she spoke.

There was a moment of dead silence in the hall.

The excitement on the emperor's face froze, and then a trace of offended gloom flashed across his face.

He stared at his daughter kneeling on the ground, but after only a moment's thought, he waved his hand and said in a voice of indifference, "Alright, it's just a small matter, nothing to worry about. Get up and take your medicine."

"Thank you, father, for your grace!" The princess kowtowed deeply, and when she raised her head again, her face was calm.

She stood up and took out the pill from the brocade box.

Pharmacist Lin's hand holding the brocade box trembled slightly. He avoided the princess's gaze. There seemed to be an indescribable compassion in the depths of his eyes.

She held the pill in both hands, and could only hear her own heartbeat like a drum, and Jiang Jiang's gentle smile in her mind.

That smile was her only warmth in this cold world and the whole meaning of her life.

For this smile, for the vague dream of being together forever, she is willing to gamble her life!

The pill was brought to his lips and swallowed with difficulty.

The chief eunuch kindly brought tea.

Soon, there was a burning heat that felt like burning all the internal organs!

The hot current rushed down the throat violently like magma, and wherever it passed, the blood vessels seemed to be broken!

The princess's eyes suddenly went dark and her body shook violently.

She gritted her teeth and swallowed back the fishy and sweet taste that rushed into her throat. However, veins on her forehead bulged and cold sweat poured out like a waterfall, instantly soaking her inner clothes.

She tried her best to stay standing and not fall, her eyes fixed on the throne.

The severe pain was like countless red-hot steel needles suddenly exploding from deep within his internal organs.

The princess couldn't bear it anymore and knelt on the ground.

Her back suddenly arched and an untuned roar came out of her throat.

Every inch of her bones seemed to be breaking, as if an invisible giant hand was tearing her body apart frantically, crushing it into pieces.

She subconsciously fell to the ground and rolled over. Her expensive palace dress was soaked with cold sweat and stains, and the pearls and jade on her head were scattered all over the ground.

However, the person on the dragon throne just looked down indifferently, with only a fanatical scrutiny of the reaction of the elixir in his eyes.

The pain overwhelmed her again and again, then retreated briefly, leaving behind a deeper feeling of suffocation.

She was numb from the pain, her mind was becoming increasingly blurry, and she could only feel a sticky warmth slowly flowing out of her face.

Finally, darkness struck, and her curled up body suddenly loosened and fell heavily on the cold floor tiles, without a sound.

…

Consciousness is like a lonely boat sinking into the dark deep sea, with no light, no direction, only endless silence.

The princess found that it was dark all around.

She wondered if she was dead.

It’s better to die, at least you don’t have to worry anymore.

Fortunately, fortunately she kept her composure and did not express her feelings to Jiang Jiang.

She got hold of Jiang Jiang's indenture contract and burned it early on.

Normally, she also likes to reward Jiang Jiang with things.

With so many good things, you can exchange them for a lot of gold and silver.

The princess took a deep breath.

She could even imagine that Jiang Jiang would pawn these things in the future, which would be enough to buy a small courtyard outside the palace and live a stable life.

Maybe you will meet an honest and kind man, have children, and live a peaceful and happy life...

But as soon as this thought came to mind, a sharp feeling of pain suddenly filled my heart, like being pricked by countless fine needles.

She sighed deeply, wondering why she couldn't find peace even after death. Why did she still worry about the world?

In the midst of this frustration and sadness, a faint but extremely familiar voice penetrated the thick darkness and reached her ears.

The suppressed and broken, heart-wrenching despair, the crying sounds are very familiar!

It’s Jiang Jiang!

She began to get anxious, and it was then that she realized that she couldn't move at all.

She wanted to shout, wanted to tell her that she was here, asked Jiang Jiang not to cry, wanted to run over and hug Jiang Jiang in her arms!

But she tried for a long time and still couldn't move.

She finally realized with horror that she seemed to be trapped in her own body!

She felt her surroundings and felt as if she was lying in a narrow, long space.

The air was filled with the strong scent of incense and candles.

There were sporadic footsteps outside, and a few vague and perfunctory words of condolence floated by.

Only Jiang Jiang's crying was clear as if it was exploding beside his ears.

The crying sounded like suppressed sobs at first, and gradually turned into heart-wrenching grief. Each cry was like a blunt knife repeatedly cutting into the princess's consciousness.

She could hear every bit of despair in the crying, every choking of breath, and every echo of heartbreak.

The crying made her feel more painful than taking the elixir, and she was almost in pain.

Suddenly, the crying stopped, replaced by a dull sound.

"Jiang Jiang!"

She screamed in her mind.

Imagining the cold scene of Jiang Jiang fainting on the ground with no one to support her, she was completely overwhelmed by a huge sense of grief and powerlessness.

Time loses its meaning in the torment of silence and despair.

…

After an unknown amount of time, a heavy and choppy friction sound was heard, as if a huge object was moving slowly.

Then, there was the dull sound of wood biting tightly against wood.

She suddenly realized that it was the sound of the coffin lid closing!

Then came the sound of pounding.

After a while, it became quiet.

Trapped in a small space, she was enveloped by endless darkness.

Soon, she felt her body being lifted up.

Through the coffin, funeral music and the sound of cars running over could be heard from outside.

When the car stopped and she realized where she had arrived, she felt a surge of fear and despair, almost overwhelming her remaining consciousness.

She screamed silently, using all her willpower to roar, "I'm still alive! I can hear you! I can feel you! Let me out! Let me out!!"

However, this cry only echoed in her own consciousness, and no one could hear it.