Chapter 21 (Revised)
The moon hangs in the middle of the sky and the night is quiet.
In the darkness where the moonlight could not reach, the tall red walls looked even more terrifying.
Chu He stood on a high wooden stool and held up Chu Miaomiao with all her strength. Although Chu Miaomiao, who was at the top, stretched out her arms and tried hard to climb to the eaves of the wall, she was still a little bit short.
"A little higher, I'll almost reach it."
Seeing the eaves of the wall slipping away from his fingertips again, Chu Miaomiao couldn't help but become anxious.
Chu He gritted her teeth, probably trying with all her might, her facial features beginning to contort: "...I really tried harder!"
"It's within reach!"
Chu Miaomiao grabbed the eaves of the wall with both hands, and jumped over with the strength of her arms, waist and abdomen.
Chu Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief after landing safely on the soft grass.
Fortunately, there is a small hill built on the wall of the East Palace to make a rockery for viewing, otherwise, if you climb over such a high palace wall, you will probably break your legs.
"Princess, are you okay?" Chu He's concerned voice came from the other side of the wall.
"I'm fine. Just wait here for me."
"good."
Chu Miaomiao stood up, brushed off the dust on her body, and walked towards Wei Zhen's bedroom.
She had been studying with him in the East Palace for quite some time, and had a good understanding of its terrain. Following the route she remembered, she followed the moonlight's guidance to the bedroom.
Just as she was passing by the wing rooms where the palace maids lived, she heard a conversation between several palace maids inside.
"The Saint sealed the Eastern Palace and placed Your Highness under house arrest. He must be truly angry."
"That's right. I've never seen the Saint so angry with Your Highness. I heard he even threw the memorial in Your Highness's face."
"Alas, I don't know why."
"I heard it was for Princess Pingyang."
Chu Miaomiao paused, put her ear close to the table and listened carefully to the night conversation inside.
"Why?" a palace maid asked curiously.
"I heard it was to avenge Princess Pingyang or something."
Chu Miaomiao, who was eavesdropping outside the wall, paused for a moment.
"Instead of worrying about what the Saint is angry about, it's better to worry about whether you'll be implicated." A relatively older voice sounded, "If you keep talking about these things without restraint, and the Housekeeper hears them one day, you'll lose your tongue."
Perhaps because they were worried about their fate or their tongues, the palace maids who had just been chatting with each other fell silent.
Chu Miaomiao, with a complicated heart, continued to move towards the bedroom.
Although Wei Zhen was under house arrest at this time, the guards of the Eastern Palace did not relax at all. Chu Miaomiao had been carefully avoiding the palace servants and guards who were patrolling with lanterns all the way, and finally arrived outside Wei Zhen's bedroom.
The spring night was still chilly, but Chu Miaomiao was sweating profusely from nervousness. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathed a sigh of relief, and then gently knocked on the back window of the bedroom.
"Your Highness."
Inside the bedroom, Wei Zhen hadn't fallen asleep yet. In the darkness, vision was limited, but hearing became acute. Even the slightest sound would be amplified infinitely in the stillness.
When he heard the noise coming from the back window, he sat up in bed. He seemed to be unable to believe his ears. When he heard the second "Your Highness" he realized that it was not his hallucination.
Wei Zhen immediately walked to the back window, opened it and faced Chu Miaomiao.
The cold wind in the middle of the night broke into the open window, but could not penetrate Wei Zhen's heart.
The moment he saw Chu Miaomiao, a warm current surged from the bottom of his heart, warming his limbs and his heart.
Chu Miaomiao seemed to possess a magical power. When Wei Zhen faced her, all his anxiety and uneasiness vanished in that instant. It was like a person struggling in the rolling waves, finally grabbing a raft and seeing the hope of life.
Seeing Wei Zhen looking dazed, Chu Miaomiao spread out her five fingers and waved them in front of his eyes: "Your Highness, it's very cold. Can you let me in first?"
She relaxed now and suddenly felt herself wrapped in cold air. The alternation of heat and cold was a little overwhelming for her.
"Oh," Wei Zhen came to his senses and quickly stepped aside, saying softly, "Come in first."
Chu Miaomiao jumped in through the window.
"Why are you here?"
Wei Zhen's expression couldn't be seen in the dim light, but his voice sounded soft and gentle, a stark contrast to his previous coldness.
Chu Miaomiao sat in front of the fireplace, with her head lowered, and remained silent for a long time.
Wei Zhen was not in a hurry. He sat next to her on the floor with her.
What to say?
Chu Miaomiao herself had no idea.
When she was refused entry to the Eastern Palace by the ruthless guards, she knew that Wei Zhen must have done something wrong to anger the saint.
Regardless of whether she had any friendship with him, even if they did, it was all unpleasant memories. Wei Zhen still considered her an enemy because of Xiao Hei, so she should have been laughing heartily at Wei Zhen's misfortune, but instead she felt so bad.
She was restless all night. Chu He said, if you are worried, just go and check quietly. Then she suddenly realized that her feeling was "worry".
For the first time, she worried about someone other than her eldest brother.
Wei Zhen was the heir apparent, and the position of Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace seemed dangerous. The Sage could appoint him Crown Prince, but naturally, he could also dethrone him. Could Wei Zhen withstand the Sage's wrath? Would he be frantic and anxious right now? Could he need information from the outside world? She could help, too.
So Chu Miaomiao got carried away and, driven by an irresistible impulse, took the risk to meet Wei Zhen.
She originally wanted to ask if there was anything she could help with, but after hearing the conversation among the palace maids, she realized that it was her fault that Wei Zhen was under house arrest.
Chu Miaomiao felt a lump in her throat.
Jiang Yingyue and the others guessed correctly. The unfortunate experiences of Bai Xiaochen and others were all related to Wei Zhen.
She was almost used to being looked down upon and mocked. It only lasted a short while, but she would soon get over it.
As a playboy, it is inevitable that he will be despised by others.
So she quickly put aside the unpleasantness of the plum blossom viewing banquet that day. But what she herself did not remember, someone else remembered.
Chu Miaomiao suddenly thought of the lanterns she had received during the Lantern Festival, and the picturesque landscape of Pingzhou on them. They were the thoughtful details painted by the person who had sent them, and she felt joy at finally being seen.
It turns out - it turns out that she is valued.
A tear slid down Chu Miaomiao's cheek.
Chu Miaomiao blinked habitually, and another tear rolled down.
"Hey, what's wrong..." Chu Miaomiao hurriedly wiped the tears from her face, forced a smile and wanted to say something joking to change the subject, but the tears would not stop.
Wei Zhen didn't say anything. He held Chu Miaomiao's hands as she wiped her tears and slowly lowered them. As Chu Miaomiao looked away, he gently wiped away her tears.
"I, I have a handkerchief on me, I can do it myself."
"Don't move."
Chu Miaomiao pretended to fumble with the handkerchief, trying to avoid him. Wei Zhen's voice, though soft, carried a tone that brooked no refusal. Chu Miaomiao paused, stopping her movements and letting Wei Zhen wipe her tears.
After a while, Wei Zhen saw that Chu Miaomiao seemed to have calmed down, and asked again: "You haven't told me why you came here yet."
"Ah..." Chu Miaomiao sniffed and said, "I came here to see a joke."
Wei Zhen looked at her with a half-smile: "You're crying while watching a joke."
"That's because the fire was too hot, and it smoked out."
Wei Zhen smiled and said, "That's just specious talk."
Chu Miaomiao was anxious: "I already said it's not true!"
"If you're worried about me, you might as well just say it." Wei Zhen's lips were raised and never lowered.
Chu Miaomiao scoffed, "You're being sentimental."
Wei Zhen looked at Chu Miaomiao, his eyes filled with tenderness, and he unconsciously followed her words and said, "Yeah. I was just being sentimental."
Chu Miaomiao: “…”
"I," Chu Miaomiao hesitated and said, "I heard that you were under house arrest because of me."
Wei Zhen's eyes were stern, then softened again, and he said "hmm" softly.
"Actually, I don't mind." Chu Miaomiao whispered, "You don't have to do this for me. It will not only displease the Saint, but also easily make enemies, which is not good for you either."
"It's a lie."
"No, it's all true."
"You cried that day."
Chu Miaomiao was surprised: "Ah? You, you saw it?" She was very sure that she had found an empty corner at that time.
"You and I are only separated by a wall," Wei Zhen said, "and your eyes were severely red and swollen when you left Prince Yu's mansion."
Chu Miaomiao remained silent, feeling a mixture of emotions. She hadn't expected Wei Zhen to notice even such a detail.
"I previously had Yu Kang warn Bai Xiaochen that if he leaked any information about you being at Yiheju, he would bear the consequences. Those who break their promises must pay the price.
Bai Xiaoyan knew other people's secrets, but instead of considering other people's reputation, she deliberately spread them out, which is also unforgivable.
Cheng Si'an exposed this matter in public just to ruin your reputation. Her intentions are malicious. It would be disrespectful to her to have any sympathy for such a person.
Jiang Qiyue is not clear-headed and is being exploited. Leaving the capital will also be beneficial for her."
Wei Zhen's tone was calm, but his words were filled with ruthlessness: "People who don't know how to use their tongues, and who can't control their tongues, naturally can't use their tongues either."
"You are abusing lynching."
Wei Zhen looked directly at Chu Miaomiao: "They are trying to kill you with public opinion. Isn't that also a form of lynching?"
"Then, then aren't you afraid that these families will become enemies with you?"
Wei Zhen smiled. "The Anchang Marquis's Mansion is in decline and powerless to fight me. The Imperial College's Chief Academician has been submitted for corruption and dereliction of duty. The evidence is irrefutable, and his dismissal from office is certain. Jiang Weiqiu, the second son of the Jiang family's eldest son, is my right-hand man. Moreover, Jiang Qiyue escaped unscathed from this, so the Jiang family will naturally not bear a grudge against me."
"But you're under house arrest by the Saint now!" Chu Miaomiao stood up and said anxiously, "You did all this just to vent your anger, but in the end, won't you be the one who suffers? Aren't you afraid that the Saint will destroy you in a rage?"
Wei Zhen paused and said honestly, "I'm afraid."
"Then why are you still doing this? What are you trying to achieve by doing this?!"
Chu Miaomiao has always believed that everyone in this world has a purpose for doing anything. Only when there is a purpose will there be motivation to do something.
But what Wei Zhen did put him in danger. What was he trying to achieve?
"you."
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