Song Ting subconsciously clenched her fists. The burning sensation left by Chu Huaixu still seemed to linger on her skin, yet it inexplicably made her feel empty.
"My lord, do you want it?"
Chu Huaixu stood up, Song Ting's blood staining his lips.
Red blood, pale skin.
Like a seductive ghost, she makes people willingly offer their lives.
“Let me cut Zhang Bingzhi into a thousand pieces, and I will hand myself over to you, sir.”
He leaned in close, getting very close to Song Ting, their lips almost touching the man's ear.
In a seductive voice, he whispered, "Then you can do whatever you want to me."
Song Ting's eyes suddenly trembled, and she almost bit her teeth to suppress the surging emotions in her heart.
He kissed Chu Huaixu's lips with heavy breath: "It's a deal."
Chu Huaixu's beautiful peach blossom eyes curved slightly, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips: "It's a deal, of course."
His fingertips touched Song Ting's heart, and the smile on his lips gradually widened:
"I hope you won't disappoint me this time. Otherwise, you'll be useless to me."
This was the third day since the Empress Dowager's carriage set off; it would arrive in Luoyang in two more days.
After making this promise, the two blew out the candles and went to bed.
There was only one bed in the room, which Chu Huaixu occupied, while Song Ting sat with her arms crossed, leaning against the bed. This had been the case every night for the past few nights.
Several times, Chu Huaixu was awakened by nightmares, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the man beside his bed.
In the blood-red darkness, this figure inexplicably had a calming effect, allowing Chu Huaixu to break free from the entanglement of dozens of dead spirits and return to the mortal world.
—This was like a joke to Chu Huaixu, who actually had to rely on his enemy to return to the human world.
That same night, Chu Huaixu was trapped in that dream again, unable to break free for a long time.
He saw a child named Xiaoshan being stabbed in the heart with a large knife, saw his mother commit suicide in front of him, and watched dozens of people die tragically under the executioner's cold blade.
Such scenes have appeared in his dreams countless times over the past few years, and each time he has been powerless to do anything about it.
"Mingyu, Mingyu...it's alright, wake up, it's alright..."
A familiar voice pierced through the layers of nightmares, waking Chu Huaixu from his recurring nightmares. He opened his eyes and met Song Ting's worried gaze.
Chu Huaixu was still disoriented, vaguely thinking he was still dreaming. He reached out and tightly gripped the man's collar, his eyes red as he questioned him:
"Song Ting, why did you lie to me..."
"It hurts so much... It hurts so much, Song Ting..."
Song Ting's whole body stiffened.
That look in his eyes, that tone of voice—it was exactly the same as it was back then.
That night, he received the imperial decree and led people to search the Duan Prince's mansion. Young Master Chu, who had been poisoned with bone-softening powder, was standing in front of him with his arms twisted.
Dressed in white, now stained with dust and blood, his hair disheveled at his sides, the handsome young immortal had fallen from the high clouds, looking utterly disheveled.
He seemed unable to accept such a huge change, and even less willing to believe that the one who betrayed him was the little beggar he had taken in and who followed him around all day.
They were so close, they were still expressing their love for each other during the day, how could everything have changed so drastically in the blink of an eye?
So, with red eyes, he innocently and awkwardly asked the man holding the sharp blade:
"Song Ting, why did you lie to me... It hurts so much..."
Memories stained with blood and tears overlapped with reality, and the face of the bewildered young nobleman from back then merged with that of Chu Huaixu before him.
One is the young master of the Duan Prince's mansion who has never suffered hardship, and the other is the young master Huaiyue who has gone through many trials and tribulations to finally stand before him.
Each one is his Chu Huaixu.
It is what his heart desires.
It was the sore spot he clung to in his midnight dreams, a place he dared not touch.
Song Ting kissed the man's wet face, clenching her fists tightly: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Mingyu..."
"My lord... Lord Song..." Just then, someone gently knocked on Song Ting's door, their voice urgent, "My lord, are you asleep?"
The person in her arms was still unconscious, and Song Ting had no mind to pay attention to anyone else. She impatiently forced out a single word towards the door:
"roll."
Normally, the guard would not dare to disobey Song Ting's orders, but the situation was urgent and he could not hesitate.
"Please forgive me, sir, but there is a situation I have no choice but to report."
"Song Ting, it hurts... Why don't you just die... Go die..."
Song Ting held the person in her arms, her brows furrowed, her tone even more impatient: "Speak."
"The eldest princess has passed away."
Song Ting was startled: "What did you say?"
The guard, trembling with fear, repeated, "The Princess has passed away. The Empress Dowager has been awakened, and the Grand Secretary is already in the main hall, waiting for you, sir."
The Empress Dowager was on her way to Baima Temple to pray for good weather, peace, and prosperity for the country. However, this tragedy occurred on her way to Baima Temple, and the one who died was none other than the reigning princess.
If this news gets out, you can imagine the huge uproar it will cause.
Song Ting stared intently at Chu Huaixu in his arms. His face was pale, his body was soaked in cold sweat, and his fingers were digging into his palms so hard they were almost digging into his flesh.
How could Song Ting possibly leave Chu Huaixu like this?
"Go and tell them that I understand, but please ask the Empress Dowager and the Grand Secretary to wait a moment, I—"
"Go ahead."
Chu Huaixu woke up at this moment, breathing heavily as he pulled away from Song Ting's embrace, his moist eyes drooping.
"The princess of the Dayan Dynasty has died, and you, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are telling the Empress Dowager to wait? Do you want to die sooner?"
Song Ting frowned deeply: "Mingyu."
“Go, I’m fine now. You have to stay alive, your life is mine,” Chu Huaixu said. “You can’t die until you help me avenge myself.”
The eldest princess accidentally fell into the pond in the palace.
When the princess's maidservant discovered that her mistress was missing and came out to look for her, she saw a figure floating in the pond, whose attire and appearance resembled that of the princess.
The palace maid immediately summoned the night patrol guards, who pulled the person out of the water and found it was the missing princess.
"...This is outrageous! You two, as the princess's personal maids, actually let her go out alone."
"To have someone disappear for several hours without anyone noticing is truly a heinous crime!"
The usually benevolent Empress Dowager flew into a rage, "Guards, drag these two girls out and beat them to death!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please spare us! It's not that we didn't want to follow the princess, but the princess wouldn't let us! Please, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, see the truth!"
The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, causing her hair ornaments to sway unsteadily.
"Nonsense! The princess has already left, so there's no way to verify anything. Naturally, you two girls can just spout nonsense!"
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