Chapter 313 I'm Sorry for Her
As the wooden door opened, Liu Yuetang stepped in holding Xue Ji's hand.
The room was dimly lit. In the feeble light, Su Nanqing could be seen curled up on the old couch, half of her body sunk in the blackened bedding.
In the dim light, the burn on her right arm looked particularly hideous and horrific. Her skin was like a rag that had been burned by fire, curled up layer by layer. On the red flesh, there were strings of translucent blisters, densely packed on her arm. Some of the blisters were burst and oozing blood, and the sticky liquid flowed down her arm, emitting a foul smell.
Liu Yuetang walked closer step by step until she stopped in front of Su Nanqing.
Su Nanqing's face was as pale as paper, with a few strands of sweaty hair stuck to her forehead. Hearing the noise, her tightly furrowed brows came closer together and she slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing that it was Liu Yuetang, she was not surprised at all. Instead, she tried to put on a smile: "You are here..."
Her tone was calm, just like when Liu Yuetang came to her in the afternoon to drink tea and chat. She also smiled and held her hand, saying, "My sister is here."
Seeing that she was conscious, Liu Yuetang knew that the detoxification pills were working.
After leaving Zichen Palace last night, she asked Xueji to give Su Nanqing the nightmare-relieving medicine.
Sometimes, dying in a daze is actually a relief.
Let her stay awake, let her remember everything in the past clearly, suffer the burning pain every day, and count the remaining hours of her life with her own eyes. This is the most painful way to die.
Liu Yuetang looked at her calmly.
Until now, she still couldn't believe it. Su Nanqing hated herself so much and couldn't believe that she had lit the fire with her own hands that day.
Su Nanqing looked up at the beautiful Liu Yuetang, just like... when she first entered the palace.
When I first saw her, I thought she was so beautiful.
Now, several years have passed, and it is still as beautiful as ever.
"Do you regret it?" Su Nanqing smiled.
"I regret... I borrowed my dress to help me get selected."
Liu Yuetang did not answer, but asked: "Do you regret it?"
The smile on Su Nanqing's face froze for a moment.
"Regret?" She repeated the word softly, and said thoughtfully, "Liu Yuetang, I thought about it all night last night."
"Thinking of us going through the selection together, learning the rules together, picking flowers and brewing wine together, and talking under the moonlight while making tea. Back then, you treated me sincerely, and I was also open-hearted to you. I'm afraid there aren't many pairs of sisters in the palace who support each other like this."
Her gentle voice paused slightly, and she looked at Liu Yuetang with a blank look of disappointment. "I've thought about this for a long time. What was the wrong step? Why did you and I end up like this today?"
"Later... I figured it out..."
Her eyes were misty. "Perhaps it's been since Auntie and Bai'er left that I've felt uneasy. I've been worried about everything, like I'm insane."
"Maybe I valued you too much, always hoping that your heart towards me would be as sincere as mine towards you. But in the end, I saw clearly that your heart has never been lowered, and you have always been a layer of distance between you and me. I blame you... I blame you for having a heart like stone, which I can't warm no matter how hard I try."
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke the last few words.
Liu Yuetang's heart was shaken, but she remained motionless, saying coldly, "This is the inner palace. If I were truly defenseless against you, would I still be standing here in peace? I'm afraid I would have become a wandering ghost long ago."
"No..." Su Nanqing shook his head.
"Whether you believe it or not, I still want to tell you that that night was my final test of you. The pot of wine I brought was mixed with a wake-up drug. If you drank it, the drug wouldn't be able to enter your body."
She took a breath, the pain from her arm injury causing sweat to seep from her forehead. "I originally thought that if you were willing to drink, it would mean you believed in me and still treated me like a sister. I would drink this farewell wine with you, then return to the palace and hang myself. But..."
At this point, she suddenly laughed softly, her laughter shrouded in the sweetness of blood foam: "You didn't drink it, you didn't drink a single sip. I really hoped that you would drink that glass of wine, so that I would know that the person I truly care about, she also truly cares about me."
"But you still disappointed me..."
After she finished speaking, she slowly closed her eyes and tears fell involuntarily.
Liu Yuetang clenched her palms, looking down at the dying person on the bed. "Su Nanqing, you keep saying that I'm sorry for your sincerity, but what about you? If you truly regarded me as a sister, you wouldn't easily believe the provocations of others. You wouldn't use a raging fire or a cup of poisoned wine to test me."
"This kind of sincerity is too terrifying. I'm afraid no one in the harem would dare to accept it."
Su Nanqing opened her eyes, her eyes filled with sadness. "There's no point in saying this now. I know I've let you down. If you want to take my life, go ahead."
She raised her chin.
Liu Yuetang smiled coldly, and the hairpins on her temples swayed slightly, "Take your life?"
"I did not come here today to kill you. I will follow the Emperor's wishes and let you suffer pain and torture every day in this dark place. This is the greatest punishment for you."
Su Nanqing smiled bitterly. Yes... death was the easiest relief for her.
Now she is imprisoned in this cold palace, guarded day and night, and never leaves her side, just to prevent her from committing suicide.
The emperor said that he would burn her flesh to ashes and make her suffer the pain of hell before he would allow himself to die.
Well... She was already covered in wounds, so why would she care about this little bit of physical pain?
But... she was afraid that her aunt would be sad if she saw her in the afterlife.
Liu Yuetang looked at her like this, feeling mixed emotions. She swallowed many words and turned away.
Su Nanqing suddenly called out to her, her tearful eyes fixed on Liu Yuetang's back: "Sister! If there is an afterlife, and you and I are no longer within the palace walls, will you still be willing to be sisters with me?"
Liu Yuetang didn't say anything, as if she didn't hear anything. She held Xue Ji's hand and walked outside.
As he watched the beautiful figure disappear into the distance, Su Nanqing's face grew paler.
Just at this moment, the figure suddenly stopped.
Su Nanqing raised his eyes again and looked over with hope on his face.
I only heard her say calmly: "In the next life, you and I won't have to meet again."
Su Nanqing's nose suddenly felt sore, her throat choked and she couldn't speak. Tears flowed down the corners of her eyes like a flood, soaking her clothes.
The moment the palace door closed completely, she could no longer hold on and fell onto the bed.
Outside the hall, Liu Yuetang staggered down the stairs, seemingly powerless, and leaned on Xue Ji.
Xue Ji quickly supported Liu Yuetang, "My Lady...what happened to you?"
Liu Yuetang looked ahead, her vision becoming increasingly blurry. "I hope she... won't meet someone as cold-hearted as me in her next life. Perhaps... she'll find a sisterhood."
Looking back on the past, it seemed... except for the time when she helped Su Nanqing in the beginning, it was Su Nanqing who was silently giving and maintaining this sisterhood from beginning to end.
Whenever she is in danger, she is always the first to step forward.
But what about me? When Sister Su encountered danger, I would always weigh the pros and cons and always think of my own safety first.
She felt sorry for her.
I can't forgive you, but I'm sorry.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
