Chapter 13 Chapter 13 The nightmare of father’s death.
Even when rubbing her skin repeatedly with bath beans, as soon as Ji Lian closed her eyes, the fingertips covered with sticky blood appeared in her mind the next moment.
No matter what I do, this horrifying image still lingers.
Ji Lian lifted the quilt and lay down. The quilt, pillow, and curtains used to block out light were all specially scented by the palace servants. The moment the quilt was lifted to her chest, a refreshing green lotus fragrance filled her nostrils. Only then did Ji Lian feel much better.
In a daze, Ji Lian dreamed again.
Unlike usual, he dreamed about a dream he had had before.
It was a dream he didn't want to relive because it contained the scene of his father's death.
Bang!
On a moonlit night, the entire Chunhe Hall was awakened by the loud noise.
A woman in a bright yellow dragon robe pushed open the door of Chunhe Hall with an angry look on her face. The scribes and ceremonial guards who had been following the emperor looked at each other in confusion, and after just a glance, they all lowered their heads and retreated to the corridor in tacit understanding.
Ji Lian's heart was in a knot at this moment.
He knew exactly what was going to happen next, and he wanted to stop it all, but he couldn't. He could only watch as the Queen Mother strode into the palace.
My father, who came from a family of entertainers, knew how to read people's expressions since he was young.
He could tell from the emperor's wrath just by listening to his footsteps. He immediately stopped his needlework, knelt on his knees, and touched his forehead to the ground. "I, your servant, did not know that Your Majesty was coming, and I was not able to go out to greet you. I deserve death."
Ever since the emperor listened to Yuan's advice and became obsessed with immortality, he allowed alchemists to enter the palace and started taking elixirs regularly every day. His temper became more irritable than before, and the people serving him had to work with their heads hanging on their necks all the time, trembling with fear that their heads would be separated from their necks at the next moment.
Murong Xin, who was previously favored by the emperor, had both his hands cut off at the wrists because he said something he shouldn't have said during a game of chess with the emperor. He has been in prison for five days now, and it's likely that news of his death from his injuries will be reported soon.
A huge shadow fell over my father.
My father couldn't help but tremble, "Your Majesty..."
The emperor put his hands behind his back, lowered his head and stared at his beloved, saying in a deep voice: "Raise your head and look at me."
My father looked up as he was told.
The emperor narrowed his eyes, carefully examining this peerless beauty who had moved the world with her dance. Beneath her captivating face, a long, white neck, so fragile and easily broken, could easily be crushed with a single squeeze from her.
She is gorgeous, with a flexible figure, a natural beauty.
"Do you know you're beautiful?"
My father replied in a trembling voice, "I don't know."
The emperor flicked his wide sleeves and sat on the beauty couch. My father also turned around and knelt facing the couch.
"That night at the palace banquet, your dance was so captivating that everyone in the room applauded and toasted, some even quoting the poem "Ode to the Goddess of Luo River" to praise you. I remember what the poem said: "She is graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a swimming dragon." Am I right?"
My father carefully chose his words and replied, "I only knew that I was dancing for the Emperor, and I didn't pay any attention to these words of praise."
"Is it because the Wang Xuanji you like is not among them that you don't care?" The emperor's eyes were cold.
These words were like a blast of cold water poured down on one's head in December, immediately bringing the atmosphere in the room to a low point.
Panic, confusion, suffocation, every word in this sentence was like a thunder, exploding violently in the sky.
My father's fingers tightened as he supported himself on the ground. His heart pounded in his chest. After a while, he raised his head and said firmly, "No."
He knew in his heart that the reason the emperor came here angrily to question him was related to the rumors circulating in the streets.
For some reason, this new romantic anecdote began to spread among the people.
It was said that in the previous dynasty, a group of beautiful courtesans were newly introduced. One night, a fire broke out in the string music building, where these courtesans rehearsed and rested. The palace servants outside saw the fire and cried out, "Fire! Fire! Fire!"
The Jinwu Guards, who happened to be in charge of patrolling the palace at night, saw this and immediately rushed in to rescue him.
Among this group of actors, there was a main dancer who was resting on the top floor of the building. When he woke up, he found himself trapped in thick smoke. Flames had licked the beams and pillars. He could not see and had no choice but to die in the fire.
But at this moment, there was a person in the Jinwu Guard who was not from a noble family, but a wanderer in the world. She was introduced into the Jinwu Guard by the eldest daughter of the Wang family of Donghai.
This person was called Wang Xuan. She had a handsome face, a sturdy figure like a pine tree, and superb martial arts skills. She was a top expert in the martial arts world. She was like a meteor, stepping on the eaves and corners, as agile as a dragon, and she seemed to fly directly to the top floor.
The Jinwu Guard didn't hesitate, put his arm around the main dancer's waist, and leaped down. Both of them landed safely on the ground.
A heroic woman saves a beautiful woman, and the story becomes a natural success.
Fallen flowers have meaning, flowing water is full of emotion.
The main dancer fell in love with this Jinwu Guard who had descended from the sky, and she thought about him day and night, and the Jinwu Guard also had intentions to follow her. Under the moonlight, the two of them secretly fell in love, and eventually, despite the strict palace rules, they fled the palace on a frosty and cold night, hiding in the mountains.
Such a romantic love story has always been loved by people.
Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. After being polished by common literati into novels and plays, storytellers in teahouses and taverns competed to recite them every day. Within a few months, the story was known to the whole city.
There is nothing wrong with the story itself, but the bad thing is that the characters in this story have prototypes.
At that time, there was indeed a Jinwu Guard who was a well-known figure in the martial arts world. Her name was Xuanji, also known as the Qiluo Blood Guanyin. Because of her beautiful appearance, she was also called Qiluo Lady.
During the journey, this person met Wang Zhuozhang, the eldest daughter of the Wang family of Langya. Later, due to many opportunities and because of his contribution in protecting Wang Zhuozhang, Wang Zhuozhang's mother, Wang Hengyan, the current General Zhenyuan, took her in as an adopted daughter and gave her the surname Wang.
Therefore, people in Jiankang City called him Wang Xuanji.
The fire in the story actually happened in the imperial palace, and Wang Xuanji actually rescued an actor from the top floor, who is now the man living in Chunhe Hall.
In this way, the main dancer in the story refers to the beloved, Wang Xuan of the Jinwu Guard is Wang Xuanji, and the Wang family of Donghai is the Wang family of Langya.
Apart from the different subsequent plot developments, the basic characters match.
With the help of someone with ulterior motives, this script, with a highly overlapping first half of the plot, finally reached the emperor's ears.
In the emperor's eyes, it was like a glaring green hat covering her head like a crown.
The shame of the romantic rumors, mixed with the embarrassment of having Wang Zhuozhang and Wang Hengyan publicly rejected her decrees at court today, made the emperor's anger seem to be at a boiling point and urgently needed to be vented.
——A few crashing sounds.
Everything on the small table fell to the ground, with cracking sounds coming one after another. Broken porcelain pieces were scattered all over the ground, and the bronze mirror was shattered into pieces.
The emperor leaned forward, swept his beloved's pale face with a vicious look, and clamped his jaw forcefully.
"No, or don't you dare?"
"No...I don't have it, and I dare not." The lover uttered six words with difficulty.
"Bitch, how dare you lie to me!"
The emperor slapped him hard, but his beloved didn't dare to cover his rapidly swollen cheek with his hands. He just lowered his head and knelt, not daring to even sob.
"Okay... okay... you guys are really good... one, two, three... you all deceived me!"
"You, the Wang Clan of Langya, are truly remarkable. Wang Hengyan is but a general, yet he dares to ride roughshod over me. Her two daughters are also excellent, one a biological daughter, the other an adopted daughter from the underworld. They are both excellent, very excellent..."
"I will definitely exterminate all of you, the Wang Clan of Langya. I will make Wang Hengwu watch with her own eyes as her two daughters die one after another."
Crazy laughter exploded in the hall. At this moment, all the suppressed madness broke out completely.
The lover looked at the emperor who looked like a madman, feeling timid but with nowhere to escape. He could only slowly move his body backwards, as if doing so could keep him away from this devil.
With a loud bang.
The beloved looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dagger glittering before him. A flash of cold light revealed the emperor's crazed eyes.
"Does my beloved servant know the story of Bigan digging out his heart to prove his guilt?"
The beloved was stunned, his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and he said with difficulty: "I know."
"The Xianbei tribe in the north are eyeing my Great Zhou with eager eyes. Recently, they sent envoys to propose marriage, saying they admire the elegance of the Central Plains and seek to marry a prince to establish a friendly relationship between the two nations. I believe this is a good idea. Without resorting to war, a simple marriage can maintain peace on the border. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty's judgment is excellent."
"But after looking around, I feel that our Lian'er is the most iconic. Why not send Lian'er over?"
The beloved's eyes widened, his voice trembling, he crawled over on his knees and grabbed the corner of the emperor's robe, "Your Majesty, Lian'er is only five years old!"
The emperor scoffed. "It's a shame my good intentions were refuted on the spot by the two traitorous ministers, Wang Hengyan and Wang Zhuozhang. They said this was just a policy of appeasement and a concession to the Di people. The only way to completely resolve the situation was to go to war. Those damned court officials also echoed their voices."
Her eyes were as fierce as an eagle's. "Aren't you loyal to me? Dig out your heart. If it's sincere, then I will believe it. Lian'er won't have to seek marriage. The Wang family will fight for me."
The beloved picked up the dagger tremblingly.
Blood, large amounts of blood soaked the clothes, dripped down the hem of the clothes onto the blue bricks, and soon soaked the ground.
The hall was as silent as a grave.
Ji Lian's knuckles were tensed as he clutched the quilt tightly, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
The large pool of blood on the ground pounced on him like a demon and bit him.
His head was buried deep in the pillow, and tears were already rolling silently from the corners of his eyes.
He wants to wake up, he really wants to wake up, who will save him?
No one would wake him up at this moment.
It was almost midnight, his voice was too weak, and the heavy curtains covered the sound. Moreover, he had passed the period of the poisonous insect attack, so Jiangzhu would not deliberately lift the curtains to disturb his rest.
The nightmare of his father's death finally receded like the tide, but before he could catch his breath on the pillow, he fell into another nightmare. He dreamed of the death of another person.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
There are hints in the text:
“Ji Lian couldn’t understand.
His dreams can reach the sky and he has never made a mistake.
He dreamed..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
