Tentacles
Inside the Forbidden City at midnight, all was silent. The heavy, dark night hung over the imperial city, thick and still. The only noise that could be called disturbance was the slight rustling of the armor worn by the Imperial Guards on patrol.
While the city lights went out, candles burned eternally in Yuande Palace, their flickering light casting an incongruous warm yellow glow over the room.
When Jie Xiangsi woke up from her coma, everything was pitch black and she was still not fully conscious. She subconsciously thought that there were no lights on in the room, and her hands began to grope around.
Is anyone there...?
But the next second, her fingertips touched a piece of cool, silky fabric. Her body's instincts beat her thoughts, and she instantly withdrew her hand.
At the same time, memories of the time before he fell into a coma flooded his mind in an instant—the well water with its unique fragrance, the fight at Xiangguo Temple, and that pill that melted in his mouth.
She can no longer see or hear.
Suddenly, Jie Xiangsi's heart began to beat faster involuntarily.
Since the other party went to such lengths to deprive her of her senses, as if afraid she would discover her identity, then the owner of the fabric that her fingertips had just touched could only be that behind-the-scenes woman hidden in the harem.
As if sensing her thoughts, the person in front of her stepped lightly on the hem of Jie Xiangsi's dress, which was hanging on the ground.
A figure slowly approached with an oppressive aura, its warm breath carrying an intoxicating fragrance. Jie Xiangsi subconsciously held her breath, curled up, and retreated, trying to distance herself from the person who was getting closer and closer.
Unexpectedly, the next second, her hand, which was hanging by her side, was tightly gripped by a large hand. The force was immense, even carrying a hint of deliberate cruelty, tearing open the wound that had just begun to heal, and a faint smell of blood spread out.
"hiss--"
A sharp pain instantly spread throughout her body, and Jie Xiangsi couldn't help but frown slightly. Then, she tightened her grip on the five fingers of the hand she was holding, and with her other hand, she forcefully pried open the clenched fist, one finger at a time.
The finger bones were forcibly stretched, producing a slight, teeth-grinding "crack" sound.
Jie Xiangsi lowered her eyelashes, concealing the dark look in her eyes.
The hand that was gripping hers had long, slender joints, but it wasn't delicate; it had a rough texture, as if it were covered with a thick layer of calluses.
Those marks were left by years of wielding sharp blades and enduring countless trials.
These are definitely not a woman's hands!
It's a sword shadow!
Slightly raising her eyes, Jie Xiangsi's empty gaze stared straight ahead, and the image of Dao Ying's youthful yet utterly wicked smile gradually appeared in her mind.
Dao Ying... is he really that close to this lady?
Before she could finish her thought, the next moment, a slight itch came from her palm, which she was forced to open. The fingertips were cool and delicate, yet carried an undeniable strength.
Jie Xiangsi's fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly. She tightened her wrist, trying to avoid the third hand, but was instead held firmly by two other hands, which choked her more and more, leaving her unable to move forward or backward.
After a slight itch, there was a light touch between her fingertips and palm. Jie Xiangsi's eyes widened slightly—it was a third person using their fingers as a pen to write on her palm.
Sensing the unhurried strokes of the newcomer, Jie Xiangsi tried her best to calm herself down, forcing herself to suppress the fear rising in her heart. She focused all her senses on the palm, trying her best to distinguish each stroke.
"I have long admired Miss Xiao's name. I heard that Miss Xiao used to be bright and flamboyant, attracting the hearts of many young men in the capital. But now that I have met her, I am somewhat disappointed."
Jie Xiangsi's eyelids twitched slightly. How could this person be so certain of her true identity? Who... exactly is she?
Composing herself, she took the other person's hand in return. Sensing something, Jie Xiangsi paused slightly—this hand was perfectly proportioned and incredibly delicate, except for the slightly rough skin on the fingertips.
After a moment of silence, Jie Xiangsi quickly reached out and wrote rapidly in the other person's palm.
"—Has Your Highness fallen out of favor and gone mad? Didn't Miss Xiao Yan die on the night of the first snow?"
Since the other party has been straightforward, why should she continue to play games?
For some reason, Jie Xiangsi suddenly felt the person in front of her breathe erratically for a moment, like a short, sharp laugh, devoid of coldness but full of mockery. Immediately afterward, she felt a slight itch on her palm again.
"It's not that she's fallen out of favor, but Miss Xiao knows very well whether her surname is 'Xiao' or 'Xie'."
Translating this sentence, Jie Xiangsi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was in turmoil, her mind racing with thoughts.
Since she said "it's not that I've fallen out of favor."
That means that during this period, the empress's status in the palace did indeed decline somewhat, but only slightly, and it did not cause her much harm. At worst, it was just gossip among the palace servants, which did not affect her foundation.
Few people in the world doubted her identity. She only knew of Zhou Yanzhi and Zhao Liuyi, who was far away in Danzhou. However, they only suspected her and could not directly connect her with Xiao Yan. Moreover, they would never publicize this matter.
But this person... seemed certain that she was Xiao Yan, or rather, she captured her because of her identity as Xiao Yan.
Since that's the case, whether she admits it or not, in their eyes, she can only be "Xiao Yan," and must remain "Xiao Yan." At this moment, further discussion would only make her a laughingstock for the enemy.
Thinking of this, Jie Xiangsi's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She made up her mind and reached out to write in the palm of the newcomer's hand—"Your Majesty, did you bring me here just to tell me these things? You might as well speak frankly, what is the matter?"
Suddenly, someone pressed hard on the wound on Jie Xiangsi's wrist, and a sudden sharp pain made her instinctively gasp.
Gritting her teeth, Jie Xiangsi suddenly raised her head, her gaze coldly "staring" at the void. Without a doubt, this was the work of that mad dog-like Dao Ying.
It was an incredibly childish tactic, but he was an excellent and dutiful dog.
The person in front of her paused for a moment, as if amused by Dao Ying's actions. Immediately afterward, a light but firm pressure moved across Jie Xiangsi's palm again.
"Miss Xiao is intelligent. I didn't bring you here to torture you, of course. Miss Xiao, stay here obediently; your life will be of great use..."
After translating the last few words, Jie Xiangsi's brow furrowed even more.
A great use?! What?! What great use is this person?! What scheme are they going to use her for? Who is she targeting? Zhou Yanzhi?! Or Xiao Jiangsheng?! Or...?
My thoughts are still unclear.
The next second, Jie Xiangsi felt a familiar dull pain in her shoulder and neck, and she fainted again.
...
I don't know how much time passed.
"Pat-pat...pat-pat..."
A faint, almost imperceptible vibration emanated from the cold gold brick, gradually fading from near to far, until it was completely undetectable. The woman lying on the ground slightly twitched her eyelids, and then a pair of utterly empty eyes were revealed.
Once you've been knocked unconscious by them unexpectedly, you absolutely cannot let it happen a second time.
Jie Xiangsi swallowed hard, swallowing back the blood that was about to spill from her mouth. Waves of sharp pain came from the wound on the tip of her tongue, forcing her to stay awake time and time again.
Frowning, Jie Xiangsi unconsciously rubbed her fingertips. After a moment of silence, she pressed down hard on her fingertips, a sharp pain shooting through her, but it vanished in an instant.
Soft and delicate, these are the hands of an ordinary young lady.
Then, Xie Xiangsi lowered her eyes slightly. Knowing that she could no longer see, she still lowered her head as usual, her gaze falling on a small patch of ground in front of her.
Because of her frail health since childhood, Jie Xiangsi didn't study music theory much, and therefore her fingertips never developed calluses from practicing musical instruments.
But the person from before was different. That person had calluses on their fingertips, but only on the fingertips of their left hand.
Since it's her left hand and the calluses are so clearly distributed, then she must be learning... the pipa!
At this thought, Xie Xiangsi's mind flashed like lightning across the night sky, countless fragments of memory rapidly appearing, colliding, and piecing together.
The calluses on the woman's left hand were noticeably thicker than those on her right. In other words, compared to the average girl who played the pipa, the calluses on her left hand were far too thick. This was not something that could be achieved overnight; it must have been the result of years of extremely frequent practice.
If that's the case, then she must have played the pipa often. However, in my memory, none of the women of marriageable age entered the palace, and none of the women who did enter the palace had ever heard of any of the ladies in the palace liking to play the pipa.
Who could this noble lady from the capital who has already entered the palace and loves playing the pipa be?
...
The bright moon hangs high, reflecting not only the sorrow of longing within the palace walls, but also the Dali Temple outside.
"What?!" Xiao Jiangsheng jumped up from his chair, knocking over the teacup beside him without even realizing it. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed shock and anger. "Song Baiyu?! How could he know Yan Yan's true identity?!"
Zhou Yanzhi's expression was equally grim. He shook his head, his voice dry: "I don't know."
He took a deep breath, trying to dispel the sudden feeling of suffocation. Then, as if remembering something, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly said, "Wait, that day at the Danzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion, in the chaos, did my cousin... in her haste, call you 'brother'?"
These words, like a thunderclap, exploded in the silent room.
Xiao Jiangsheng's tall figure swayed almost imperceptibly, and his face instantly turned even more unpleasant than Zhou Yanzhi's.
A heavy silence settled over them, like a boulder weighing on their hearts. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "In the midst of the chaos, I think I heard Yan Yan calling me."
In an instant, their eyes met, and they both saw the same horror and coldness in each other's eyes.
If Song Baiyu had been nearby at the time, if his ever-watchful eyes had happened to catch that fatal sound...
Thus, all the seeds of misfortune were sown at that moment.
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