Chapter 55 Chapter 55 I'm here.
Looking around, Qingqing suddenly remembered the desolation of the place.
Back then, I craved meat so much that I wanted to catch birds to eat. Who would have thought that what was clearly a desolate, bird-free place would become, a year later, the prison where Yan Dibai was held.
With mixed feelings, Qingqing found the main gate and saw two shadowy figures cast on the ground. She then realized that there were guards stationed there.
...This is bad. But since the new emperor is willing to let her wander around the palace freely, it can be considered as giving her a little bit of authority in a roundabout way.
Qingqing decided to give it a try.
The guards were idly staring at the wall when they heard a hesitant but clear voice ask, "May I ask, gentlemen, who are you guarding?"
The one on the left tilted his mouth and looked back. The girl who suddenly appeared had a serious expression and blinked her eyes. She looked quite pleasing to the eye and kind.
However, his gaze shifted downwards, landing on her slightly soiled prison clothes, and the meaning in his eyes suddenly became profound.
Upon seeing this, Qingqing said, "I am not a death row inmate. I just made a mistake a couple of days ago and was released today."
This has quite a history, which happened a couple of days ago.
Qingqing had worked in the palace for a while and was quite comfortable around other workers. So, although she wasn't sure what to do when speaking to these two, her tone didn't betray her timidity.
However, the two looked at each other and both smiled maliciously.
Qingqing's expression hardened; she could see the word "deliberate" in their interested gazes.
She smiled and said, "There's an old friend inside. I wanted to ask him how he is."
"So you're a gang of escaped thieves." One of them sneered, drawing his knife in a flash. "Orders from above: if you want to go in, you must leave something behind. Do you want an arm, or a leg? Or perhaps..."
He looked Qingqing up and down, his face showing disgust: "Looks bland and tasteless... never mind."
Suppressing the disgust of being lewdly stared at, Qingqing clenched her fists, but saw that their expressions didn't seem feigned. She couldn't help but take a few steps back, hesitating about what to do, when the dilapidated door opposite, its vermilion paint almost completely peeled off, creaked twice, letting out a weary sound from under the cracks.
"Brothers, the deposed emperor's food has been spilled. Would you two please go to the kitchen and ask for another serving?"
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared through the crack, staring intently at Qingqing.
Qingqing was stunned. That look in his eyes...Woxue?!
The guard spat at him unhappily, his eyes flashing as he let the phlegm fall in front of him. Wo Xue tried to amuse himself.
"You two are truly formidable. Once you get through this period, your promotions will be just around the corner!"
One of them stormed off, cursing angrily, leaving the other to guard the position. Wo Xue's voice rang out again:
"Brother, could you allow me to talk to this girl for a bit? I have some good stuff in my room, buried under my bricks. I won't tell that other brother; you can enjoy it all by yourself, okay?"
The man glanced at Qingqing, then at the crack in the door. He moved his feet with a stern face.
Qingqing rushed over, and Woxue wiped away the phlegm with a few leaves, then covered it with another. The girl pressed her face against his, her eyes filled with anxiety.
“Woxue”.
"..." Inside, Wo Xue suddenly looked away, seemingly annoyed:
"What are you doing here again? You're more trouble than you're worth. The situation is settled now, so whatever your intentions are, don't come back. Just stay and do your job properly."
He sneered, "You're more adept at social maneuvering than I thought."
Qingqing was stunned for a second by these sarcastic words. "Me, what's wrong with you?" She tried to look into Woxue's eyes, but the other party didn't give her a chance at all, instead grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it out.
She flinched, but not completely, and half her face got covered in ash. Wo Xue was furious:
"Look at you, living the good life, huh? But I've got my leg broken!"
Qingqing's breathing became heavy: "Wh...what?"
Wo Xue suddenly sighed.
"I know you're luckier than me."
"I'm just not reconciled."
Qingqing remained silent for a full quarter of an hour, then suddenly gritted her teeth and pounded on the door: "Who hit you! Tell me!"
The girl pounded her arms relentlessly, again and again, until the boy across the hall started to sob.
"Qingniang, what should we do?"
Large tears fell onto the threshold, freezing in place.
Wo Xue's muddy hand slipped through the crack in the door and gripped her sleeve tightly.
"It was the princess! The princess ordered me to be beaten! Does the princess really want His Majesty's life?!"
...
Wo Xue always felt that she had almost been able to leave the palace that day.
But he never expected to wait for his prey to come to him. He watched helplessly as Qingniang was knocked unconscious with the hilt of a knife, and the emaciated Emperor was dragged away by his precious hair. Woxue howled, begging the new Emperor to release the man, but the young man smiled warmly and vanished in the blink of an eye.
He thought he was going to settle scores later, but the fragrant breeze that followed made him stare wide-eyed in horror once again.
After the figure passed by, there was Yan Xifang, dressed in white mourning clothes. She looked at him, at her younger brother who was being humiliated at will, and there was a hint of pleasure on her face.
Even so, he still knelt down.
"Please spare His Majesty! Please spare His Majesty!"
He pleaded desperately, as if he were possessed. Ignoring the scorn and ridicule of the surrounding soldiers, he was met with Yan Xifang's unhurried, caressing manner as she stroked her newly painted red fingernails.
"Since you are so loyal, why don't you two take the blame for His Majesty?"
Wo Xue's kowtowing motion abruptly stopped, and the next moment, excruciating pain shot through his entire body from his right leg bone. He was in so much pain that he almost rolled around, but he couldn't withstand the roaring laughter of the crowd.
Wo Xue lay on the grass, her eyes unfocused.
…If Yang Liuqing had been punished in the same way, perhaps he wouldn't have been so indignant.
But just as the sword was about to fall, the new emperor intervened. He heard the new emperor gently persuade him: "Royal sister, this girl has helped me a lot in the past. Why don't you spare her this time for your brother's sake?"
Wo Xue's eyes trembled.
No, they won't agree, will they?
The princess disliked Yang Liuqing; she was just a maid, nothing more.
He has always been unable to tolerate others being better than himself; he is such a despicable person.
No, no!
However, it was as if she was deliberately saying it to him. Yan Xifang hesitated for only a few moments before agreeing.
The blue sky suddenly collapsed in his eyes.
Why?
Why?
He was devoted to serving His Majesty with unwavering loyalty, while Yang Liuqing, a lowly commoner who had only been in the palace for a year, seemed to have all the advantages, requiring no effort whatsoever. It was as if she was born to suffer, as if everyone was willingly giving her preferential treatment!
Wo Xue's tears flowed in blood. In the blink of an eye, His Majesty and he were loaded onto an oxcart and paraded through the streets into the palace, while the scornful people threw stones and horse manure at them along the way. Helplessly, he collapsed on the cart, crying as he used his own body to shield the unconscious His Majesty.
He didn't want to protect her, but he still rushed forward immediately.
Xu, he was a born lackey.
"Tyrant, deposed emperor, scoundrel..."
Countless magnified faces surged in, jostling and shouting as if they wanted to tear their flesh apart and chew it.
The maid who had been pardoned because of their past relationship stood before him unharmed, asking him naturally how he was doing.
How could one not resent it?
Tears streamed down Wo Xue's face as he gripped his sleeve with knuckles as tight as iron hooks. The humiliation and injustice of the past few days had left him physically and mentally exhausted, bringing him to the brink of collapse on several occasions.
Qingqing's heart swelled.
She had considered what would happen to Wo Xue and Yan Dibai, but she always clung to a sliver of hope that Yan Xifang and Feng An would temporarily refrain from taking action against the three of them for some benefit.
But she became an "exception".
Paraded through the streets, legs broken. King and slave, body and soul.
What did Yan Dibai look like and feel when he was thrown onto an oxcart and allowed to be smashed at will?
She grabbed his fingers and opened her mouth with difficulty: "I'll think of something."
"What can you do?" Wo Xue said, gripping her even tighter.
"This place is completely dark at night, infested with birds and rats. It's dilapidated, filthy, and moldy everywhere. What can you do here?"
She frowned deeply at the sight of such living conditions. "Where is His Majesty?"
Yan Dibai was pampered and spoiled. In winter, he burned charcoal day and night, and in summer, his house was piled high with icebergs. How could someone so precious and noble endure living in such a cluttered place?
Especially since his health is extremely poor. He's doing well in the spring, but what about later?
Wo Xue was still crying when she heard this and gave a bitter smile: "His Majesty is locked in his room alone. I can't go in, and he won't let me in either. On the first night I arrived, I deliberately slept next to him, but when I woke up, he made me go outside and I was soaked in the rain all day. I don't know how he has the strength. Since then, he hasn't allowed me to go in, and he won't respond when I call him. He hasn't touched his food today. I know he can't eat spoiled food, but he still has to eat, right? What can I do? What can I do? Qing Niang, what can you do?"
Qingqing stared at the door without saying a word.
After crying her heart out, Wo Xue knew that this was impossible. She said in a low voice, "You have a past with the new emperor, so you might as well go and serve him. He released you probably so that you would have to make a choice. Go back and report."
She quickly grabbed his fingers as he suddenly released them. "What are you saying? I was the one who volunteered to rescue His Majesty! I said I wouldn't let you bear the consequences alone!"
Wo Xue paused, and Qing Qing immediately repeated, "You believe me." Unexpectedly, he abruptly pulled his hand away, "Bullshit! I think you're their informant! Nothing good ever comes of running into you!"
Qingqing was nearly slammed against the door by his sudden force. Before she could explain, the returning guards, having finished their meal, asked, "Have you said enough?"
Wo Xue immediately smiled and thanked him. Qing Qing slowly stood up, and as soon as she looked up, she met his malicious eyes. She quickly walked to the side, pursed her lips, and looked at the yellowish soup and rice on the ground that Yan Dibai had left. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead.
Only when the guard looked over again did she lower her head and run away in small steps.
She walked slowly, yet it seemed fast nonetheless. Gradually, her white skirt billowed beneath the palace walls. Floating and floating, as expected, it drifted towards Xianning Palace.
Feng An has resolved a troublesome matter and is now drinking tea.
"Your Majesty, you have been kneeling for an hour and a half."
The hall was filled with a refreshing aroma of tea, a stark contrast to what it used to be. Feng An added fuel to the small stove, his expression shifting from a gentle, amiable demeanor to one of coldness and aloofness.
Perhaps all emperors are this fickle and cold-hearted. Feng An's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded.
Bi Shu then let the person in.
Qingqing knelt down obediently before Feng'an.
Bi Shu chuckled and covered her lips.
Feng An asked in a surprised tone, "Qing Niang, why kneel before me?"
Qingqing kowtowed and said, word by word, "This servant was blind and did not recognize Your Majesty's greatness. I have been disrespectful to Your Majesty. Please forgive me."
She's still very naive.
She didn't know that from the moment Feng An became emperor, she had to be subservient.
Today's events were likely a deliberate act on his part.
Qingqing accepts her fate.
Feng An did not smile; instead, he sighed.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're doing this for the late emperor, aren't you? Actually, if you wanted to leave now, I could let you go. I don't understand why you're so loyal to the emperor, but I admire people of pure heart."
His words abruptly stopped. Qingqing smiled; only now did she realize she didn't believe it.
However, Feng An stared intently at her, determined to pry a reason out of her.
Reasons sufficient to convince him.
He is very patient and can wait.
And what about the deposed emperor? Can he afford to wait?
Feng An liked to bet on things that were predictable, and sure enough, the girl on the ground looked up, her dark brown eyes looking at him clearly.
"I want to demand an explanation from him."
Feng An thought he had misheard, and his voice suddenly rose: "What?"
"He knew I had ulterior motives, yet he still promoted me from humble beginnings, only to abandon me overnight."
I want to ask him, why?
He had asked Feng An this question, Wo Xue had asked it, and Aunt Liu had asked it. She herself… had asked it too.
But she couldn't give a clear answer.
Why do they all ask her this?
The mission can be abandoned, and Yang Liuqing can leave. Yan Dibai's tyranny is a given fact, and his overthrow is what everyone wants.
Maybe... it's that volume of book.
Qingqing inexplicably thought of Miss Xue, whom she had met that morning. Miss Xue had traveled alone from Jizhou to the capital, enduring much hunger and hardship. When asked about it, she smiled broadly, even proudly brushing aside her suffering.
She was determined to find someone, but then she somehow ended up in the palace and told herself she would stop looking.
…Suddenly I regretted not talking to her then.
"In chaotic times, my fate is not entirely my own. If I leave, I may gain nothing. If I don't leave, I may also gain nothing. But I know I don't want to leave, and that is enough for me."
In this life, one must always have something to look forward to.
Once upon a time, girls in remote villages, with braids around their necks, would sweat profusely as they baked pancakes, offering self-righteous advice in the form of tired old sayings.
Feng An's face suddenly turned dark.
He disliked her intensely, and even knew what she was going to say next. He would recall that prophetic dream from that day, when she, with red eyes, uttered those words and then set the inner quarters ablaze.
His anger came abruptly, and his change of expression was so quick that Qingqing almost thought she had misread it.
Bi Shu Gang stepped forward in a panic, then covered her forehead in relief. The next second, she was back to normal, beaming with joy.
Qingqing was amazed.
"Qingniang is quite clever. No wonder you are hated by people."
Feng An stared at her tense face, feeling a sense of relief: "I'm starting to hate you now too."
He interlaced his fingers and got back to the main topic.
“One more person is not enough. If you wish, you can exchange with the servants.”
It means to replace the snow.
She unconsciously straightened up and accepted Feng An's conditions.
"My elder sister is still worried about the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal. Qingniang, you know what to do."
Qingqing agreed very quickly: "Yes."
"Alright." Feng An said with satisfaction, "However, you'll have to go through the formalities with my elder sister yourself."
He would receive at least fifty strokes of the cane, his skin torn and flesh ripped open. He shook his head:
“Qingniang saw it too; I have no real power.”
-
There was a sound of rain hitting the eaves.
The old house was no match for the broken tiles beside her. Yan Dibai opened her eyes in the cold rain, sniffed, and subconsciously reached for the unfinished powder next to her.
He twisted his five fingers on the ground, struggling for a long time, but only managed to scoop up a clump of wet, sticky soup.
"..."
Frustrated, he withdrew his hand and looked through his blurry eyes at the crack in the door where the rice bowl was placed.
Yan Dibai couldn't remember the exact time, but it was past mealtime.
Wo Xue hasn't knocked on the door yet; his dear sister probably hasn't sent anyone to deliver food.
It felt like going back to my childhood when I lacked food and clothing.
He closed his eyes; it was all spoiled food anyway, and he wouldn't eat it even if he came.
Yan Dibai writhed inch by inch, dodging the oncoming raindrops. He was still soaked. Without medicine, even the slightest breeze felt like being in a frozen wasteland.
The boy's body gradually trembled, and his jaw started to chatter.
My stomach started to feel hungry, my heart was racing, my whole body was unbearably itchy and numb, and my pupils started to bulge out – it was an attack.
Yan Dibai hurriedly changed direction and crawled to the crack in the door: "Woxue." He breathed heavily: "Woxue!"
No one answered.
No one answered again!
Yan Dibai was bewildered, suddenly panicked and at a loss. Pain and reason clashed, and he screamed like a madman: "Where are the people! Where are the people—!"
He panted heavily, using the last of his strength to pound on the door. Only a few hoarse, muffled thuds escaped his lips, as if mocking his tearful, pathetic state.
Yan Dibai collapsed at the foot of the door, one hand gripping the door frame tightly. His body gradually convulsed, his breath coming out like a dead fish out of water, and everything in front of him spun and twisted.
What we see today, is it the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or the hellish realm of Yama?
Suddenly, a soft Buddha's hand covered a part of my body.
It is divine power. Gentle and moistening, it heals without medicine.
Yan Dibai suddenly opened his eyes. The Pure Land?!
But... it was not the same as what he had previously perceived.
The boy, at a loss, tried to move away from the Buddha's hand. Unexpectedly, the hand emitted a clear, radiant voice, enveloped in a luminous glow. "Its vastness can bear all things, its breadth surpasses rivers and seas."
Incredibly gentle.
She said, "Your Majesty, I have arrived."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Their schemes and tricks brought her to his side. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-11-29 23:59:50 and 2023-12-04 23:59:19!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Aurora 1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: CoffeeCoffee, Moonrise 10 bottles; Huanmuji 2 bottles; SugarSugarSugarSugar, and Luelulu1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
