"Princess, please stop crying. I beg you, please stop crying. If you continue to cry like this, not only will the young prince be woken up by your crying, but your eyes will also be ruined."
In the dead of night, the anxious voice of the maid Jinlan, sounding as if she were about to cry, slowly drifted from inside the house.
After a rather unpleasant conversation with Mei Zhixuan in the palace, Xuan Yuan Yue indeed returned to her beloved son's room.
As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't hold back any longer and rushed over to lie down on the edge of the bed where the child was fast asleep. Looking at the chubby, pink, innocent little face, she burst into tears.
It was already past midnight, but Xuan Yuan Yue hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. The dishes she usually liked on the table inside the room had gone cold, been reheated, reheated, and then gone cold again. She had no idea how many times the maid on night watch outside had secretly taken them out to reheat them.
The weather grew colder at night, and the northwest wind howled outside. No matter how Ren Jinlan tried to comfort her, she remained silent for a long time, overcome with grief.
One of them was the only true friend I had ever trusted in my life; the other was the soulmate I had longed for, the one I had gone through so much trouble to entrust my entire life to.
But now, she never expected that they would become a double-edged sword to her, stabbing her heart cruelly and heartlessly, causing her unbearable pain, making her unable to breathe, making her unable to live or die, and leaving her bewildered and unsure of where to go from here in her life.
Only tears of sorrow flowed uncontrollably from her eyes, like beads from a broken string.
Standing beside her, Jinlan looked at her mistress, who had once been so proud and noble. Even when she came to this foreign land and the harem where everyone was like a wolf, she gradually lost her nature and kept compromising and giving in. But she had never felt so lost and sad since she was a child. Her heart was broken!
Not wanting to add to her mistress's sorrow, yet unable to alleviate her own anguish, she could only secretly turn her face away, intending to weep. Suddenly, she noticed snow falling softly outside the window, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's snowing!"
Upon further thought, Jinlan's lips suddenly curved into a faint smile as she turned to Xuanyuan Yue by the bedside and said, "I've heard that Dongning Kingdom rarely sees snowfall, even once in a century. Last year, the first year the princess married into this land, not a single snowflake fell. I never imagined that this second year would see snowfall so early. I remember that from childhood to adulthood, the princess has always loved admiring snow. How about I accompany the princess for a walk in the courtyard?"
Finally, Xuan Yuan Yue managed to compose herself and got up, agreeing to Jin Lan's request.
The two then put on the thick cloaks and capes they had prepared for winter. Jinlan carefully adjusted and covered Xuanyuan Yue's hood, then lit a palace lantern to light their way before they stepped out the door together.
As soon as she stepped outside, Xuan Yuan Yue looked up and was stunned by the heavy snowflakes swirling in the air.
She couldn't help but slowly walk down the steps, reaching out a hand to catch a few crystal-clear white snowflakes, watching with delight as they quietly melted away in her palm.
When I was young, I was so captivated by the beautiful scenery outside the palace window. But what exactly turned me into the person I am today?
She utterly despises her current indecisive state and her gradual loss of self.
Seeing the relentless snow falling everywhere, she recalled her conversation with Mei Zhixuan earlier. Both conversations had been so disheartening to each other. Who would accompany her through the long, lonely years to come?
Suddenly, she seemed to understand something, and murmured to herself, "If all encounters between people are preordained in a past life, and can only be bittersweet, then should I try to accept this fact, accept her..."
As she pondered and observed, her brow, which had been furrowed for who knows how long, suddenly relaxed. She slowly closed her eyes, seemingly enjoying the moment, and said, "Jinlan, listen..."
She closed her eyes, imagining that the snow would never stop. For some reason, tears silently streamed down her face again.
"Why is the princess crying again?" Jinlan asked, puzzled.
Xuan Yuan Yue said, "Jin Lan, do you still remember that year when Yun'er boldly advised the Emperor to plead for me, and was punished by the Emperor to kneel at the gate of Feng Hua Palace for a whole day and night?"
Jinlan could never forget the events that shook the entire Western Qin court back then.
Recalling all the memories she had of the past in Xiqin, every little detail, tears immediately blurred her vision. But when she thought that Yi Shangyun had betrayed her master, Jinlan felt so angry that she gritted her teeth and started cursing loudly.
"Serves her right! I still think the Emperor didn't punish that wretch enough back then! It's a shame the princess stayed up all night trying to help her. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have asked Prince Qin to save her. To find her in Bei Lie, Prince Qin has already... That woman, she's a jinx, whoever gets involved with her is doomed!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue fell silent. Only the faint traces on her face, indistinguishable whether from melting snowflakes or tears, shimmered under the dim light of the ever-burning lamp in the courtyard…
Little did they know that their conversation was overheard by Yi Shangyun, who was also suffering from insomnia.
At that moment, she was sitting on the wall of the small garden next door, quietly enjoying the snow all by herself.
He was still dressed as a man, wearing a dark blue cloak, staring intently at the master and servant in the neighboring courtyard. On the surface, he seemed calm, but inside, his heart was churning with turmoil.
The words "King of Qin" had long since become, for her, the most deadly poison or the deepest wound. Yet, she could never accept that it was the very man before her, his own father, who had orchestrated the death of the person she loved so dearly.
"Your Highness died unjustly. If Yun'er doesn't avenge you and let the world know the despicable behavior of that high and mighty, yet heartless, dog emperor, what's the point of Yun'er living on like this?"
As she spoke bitterly, she slowly reached into a lining of her cloak and pulled out a letter. Unfolding it, she silently read: "Though we are at opposite ends of the earth, my heart will forever be bound to Yue..."
As soon as he finished reading, he suddenly tore it to shreds with both hands, piece by piece, while a self-mocking smile seemed to remain on his face.
Just then, her two maids, Qiaolan and Qiaohui, who seemed to have been searching for her for a long time, finally caught a glimpse of her.
Upon seeing it from afar, Qiaolan's heart skipped a beat. She stopped and exclaimed in a mix of nervousness and astonishment, "Good heavens!"
He quickened his pace to approach him, saying as he went, "Young Master, why did you climb so high?! It's the middle of the night and it's pitch black, didn't you even turn on a light? What if you fall and get hurt? If His Highness the Third Prince blames us, we'll all be in deep trouble! Hurry..."
Perhaps it was too dark at night, because it wasn't until they quickly reached Yi Shangyun's feet that they saw Yi Shangyun putting a finger to his lips and making a shushing gesture towards the two of them: "Shh, shh, shh..."
"What's wrong with the young master?" Qiaohui asked, puzzled.
"Shh, shh, shh..." Yi Shangyun continued to make shushing gestures towards the two of them.
Upon seeing this, the two maids quickly raised their lanterns high and shone them around, but found nothing amiss.
Just as the two were puzzled, a shout came from the neighboring courtyard: "Who dares to climb over the wall and eavesdrop on my lady's conversation? Come out now!"
Instantly, the two maids stared wide-eyed at Yi Shangyun in astonishment, realizing why she hadn't dared to make a sound.
Yi Shangyun glared hatefully at Qiaolan and Qiaohui, then turned around and, with a "whoosh," seemingly without anyone noticing, leaped down from the wall and went up to Xuan Yuan Yue, who was looking on in astonishment, and bowed to her, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
Xuanyuan Yue, having only heard her voice, seemed to have already identified the person in front of her. She simply stared at her lowered face without moving, lost in thought.
Before she could speak, the maid Jinlan, seeing her mistress's dazed expression, quickly lit a lamp to look at her. As soon as she could see clearly, she said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, in the middle of the night, I thought it was a thief! Turns out it's the 'benefactor' from next door!"
After saying that, he didn't forget to give her a cold "humph" before turning his face away, as if he disdained to look at her again.
Yi Shangyun was momentarily at a loss for words, but then, noticing the falling snow, a thought struck him and he said, "Your Majesty, I was just inside the house when I saw the snow falling outside the window, so I came out to take a look, and that's why..."
Jinlan immediately became angry upon hearing this, and turned back to look at her, her face contorted with irritation, saying, "My benefactor also saw the snow falling? Since you saw the snow falling, didn't it remind you of anything?"
Yi Shangyun didn't react for a moment, so she repeated after her with a blank look, "You saw the snow falling, what does it remind you of?"
Jinlan glared at her and said, "Hmph... Let me remind my benefactor. For example, I remember someone who was once forced to kneel in the snow, which kept our princess awake all night. We had to find a way to bring her reinforcements, which saved her worthless life."
Upon hearing this, Qi Liaoyi only murmured a word of praise: "Your Majesty is truly kind-hearted..."
Upon hearing this, Jinlan could no longer contain the anger that had been simmering within her all day. She immediately launched into a tirade, "Yishangyun, my princess treated you so well! Aren't you afraid of retribution for this? Even now, you still refuse to admit your true identity? If I had known this would happen, I should have let you freeze to death that very night you were forced to kneel, so you wouldn't be flaunting yourself everywhere, making a fool of yourself, being ungrateful, fickle, and stealing another woman's husband..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com