Chapter 71 It was him! "Does he treat you like a younger sister?!"
After Gu Xi and Zhu Yin returned to Weiyang Palace, Gu Xi went to Bihe Garden alone, carrying her zither.
In winter, the Bihe Garden is desolate and lonely, devoid of the sounds of insects, birds, or frogs. Only the withered lotus leaves in the pond, covered in snow, stand on the ice, occasionally rustling with tiny ice shards as the wind blows.
Afraid of slipping, Gu Xi carefully stepped into the pavilion. Just as she put down her zither, snow suddenly began to fall.
She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, stepped out of the pavilion, and looked up to greet the first snowflake. As the chill settled, her eyelashes fluttered, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
After the snow had seeped into his collar, Gu Xicai returned to the pavilion.
She shook the snow off her clothes, sat down at the zither, and peered around. The flute player hadn't appeared for a long time. She had come here several times since returning to the palace, but hadn't encountered him. She wondered if he would come tonight.
Fingertips landed on the strings, and the music danced with the white fluff. Icicles on the lotus stems quietly cracked, together playing a winter symphony.
Suddenly, the sound of a flute drifted from afar, mingling with the zither music inside the pavilion, blending together as beautifully as winter snow clinging to plum branches and dew clinging to lotus leaves.
Gu Xi suddenly looked up and saw a person and a xiao (a type of Chinese flute) approaching through the wind and snow in the distance. The sound of the xiao grew closer and closer, and so did the person. Her heart couldn't help but tremble, and the music of the zither began to become more passionate, proclaiming the excitement and anticipation in her heart.
The music gradually faded away when the man had walked a few steps away and could see his face clearly in the daylight.
It was him.
Those narrow phoenix eyes, that mountain-like nose, that cold and stern jaw—they were so familiar, so familiar that she had pictured them in her mind a thousand times over.
It turned out that the soulmate she had been searching for was none other than Xiao Heng.
At this moment, she felt neither sorrow nor joy, only a sense of loss.
Only the vibration of the zither strings remained in the world, and soon the lingering sound dissipated in the wind and snow.
They were separated by a mere foot, one inside the pavilion and the other outside, with the swirling snowflakes lying between them. Their hearts seemed to be separated by a thousand mountains, unable to draw even a fraction closer.
As Xiao Heng watched the light in Gu Xi's eyes gradually fade, leaving only calm, he suddenly tightened his grip on Xiao Guan's hand, his eyes filled with frost.
Gu Xi remained seated, but he strode to her side, raised his hand to grip her chin, and looked down at her: "Are you disappointed?" He tightened his grip, his gaze piercing, "Who did you want? Bai Xingzhi? Or Xiao Che?"
Gu Xi let him pinch her without saying a word, her eyes remaining calm and undisturbed.
The calmer she was, the more panicked and angry Xiao Heng became. He suddenly released Gu Xi, grabbed her wrist, pulled her up from the bench, and dragged her toward Weiyang Palace.
Gu Xi stumbled behind him. The road was so slippery that she stumbled and bumped into him, her nose stinging and her eyes reddening, but she still didn't utter a sound.
Xiao Heng suddenly stopped and turned to face her.
He stared at her slightly reddened eyes and asked through gritted teeth, "You were exchanging glances with Xiao Che in front of so many people, as if I were dead?"
He didn't want her to come because he didn't want the two of them to see each other.
Now, not only have they met, but they've also been exchanging glances right in front of him. Their tacit understanding is so strong that he can't help but praise them!
Gu Xi glared at him angrily, "Don't talk nonsense! That's my brother Che!"
He knew perfectly well that the two of them had grown up together, and not only did he misunderstand him and Bai Xingzhi, but he also spoke of her and Xiao Che like that!
Xiao Heng mimicked her call out in a sinister tone, "Brother Che, Brother Che," and then roared, "Does he even consider you his sister?!"
Gu Xi was furious. "Shut up!"
Xiao Heng stared intently at her, then suddenly turned around and dragged her into the room. He forcefully ripped off her cloak and threw it to the ground, causing them to fall onto the bed together.
He reached out to kiss her, but Gu Xi didn't resist. She just pursed her lips tightly, bit her teeth hard, and even pressed her tongue against her teeth, refusing his advances.
Sensing her resistance, Xiao Heng sneered, "What? You don't want to?"
The next moment, he pressed his thumb firmly against the soft part of her chin, lifting his fingertip slightly upwards, causing her tightly clenched teeth to loosen involuntarily. His lips and tongue seized the opportunity to press close, prying open her teeth and forcefully sucking on her tongue, giving her no chance to breathe.
Gu Xi was out of breath and tried to push him away with both hands, but he ignored her and did not budge no matter how she pushed him.
His palm gradually moved downwards, causing her to tremble slightly, before he slowly released her lips.
Suddenly regaining her breath, Gu Xi's chest heaved violently, her skin flushed crimson. She bit her lip hard, trying not to make any shameful sounds, and her stubborn eyes were veiled with tears.
Xiao Heng continued his actions, forcefully suppressing her, while his other hand gripped both of her wrists. He watched her with a leisurely air, the lust in his eyes burning ever brighter.
Gu Xi was so ashamed and indignant by his gaze that she couldn't move. She could only shout angrily, "Stop looking!" But her voice was weak and powerless.
Xiao Heng's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Which part of me haven't I seen?" He finished speaking with a muffled groan. In that intimate moment, Xiao Heng felt the panic in his heart subside slightly.
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of jealousy and anger. "Gu Xi, tell me, what is it about me that I lack compared to him?"
Gu Xi turned her head to the side, not wanting to pay him any attention.
He turned her head back.
"Speak!" Xiao Heng growled, his voice hoarse.
"What did you say!" Gu Xi retorted angrily.
"I have a question for you!"
"It's not as good as anywhere else!" Gu Xi roared, then immediately regretted it. She didn't know who he was asking, but she was afraid he would hurt them.
Fortunately, his damned male pride made him temporarily forget about this, and he was eager to prove himself.
Xiao Heng laughed angrily, "What a fine excuse of being inferior in every way!" He said viciously, "Tonight I'll show you who's inferior to whom!"
Xiao Heng brutally attacked her, but Gu Xi neither dodged nor avoided him. She simply endured it silently with slightly red eyes, no longer begging for pity. The more she did this, the greater the panic in Xiao Heng's heart became.
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Xi was so exhausted that she could no longer keep her eyes open. Xiao Heng then held her tightly and fell into a deep sleep, murmuring, "Gu Xi, what should I do with you?"
When Gu Xi woke up the next day, she was momentarily stunned, but she didn't let herself dwell on it for too long. She quickly cheered up and got up to eat.
Some time ago, when she was still favored by the emperor, she and Yun Ke set up a school to teach the palace maids pharmacology and medicine. Perhaps seeing another possibility in Yun Ke, these palace maids were very eager to learn, and even though she has now fallen out of favor, they still take time every day to come to the school.
Yun Ke has become quite busy lately. Because she is a woman, the concubines with hidden illnesses also like to seek her treatment, and Yun Ke has thus received their care, so her days at the Imperial Hospital are going fairly well.
Now that Gu Xijian has some free time, he has taken on more school affairs and compiles the daily lessons into a book at night, hoping to benefit future generations.
At the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), Gu Xi put down her pen and was preparing to go to bed when Xiao Heng arrived.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Gu Xi bowed slightly, her manners impeccable.
Xiao Heng paused, frowning as he looked at her. "I told you you don't need to go through these formalities."
Gu Xi smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Your Majesty, I dare not."
Xiao Heng stared intently at her, dragged her to the bed, and held her tightly in his arms.
Gu Xi let him hold her, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
That night, she had a dream. In her dream, she fell off a cliff and landed in a small valley, covered in wounds. A man rescued her, and she sobbed in his arms. When she woke up, they were staying in a small house in the valley. The man stayed by her side every moment, carefully protecting her, his eyes filled with undisguised love. She pretended not to see it, but his gaze was too intense to ignore.
Gu Xi strained to make out the man's face, and murmured in her sleep, "Young Master Bai..."
The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet night. The arms encircling her tightened suddenly. Xiao Heng stared at the top of her head, the warmth in his eyes completely gone, leaving only a chilling coldness.
Gu Xi was still deeply immersed in that dream, which became clearer and clearer. She suddenly opened her eyes and woke up from the dream. What she saw was Xiao Heng's eyes, which were as cold as a deep pool.
She didn't care about anything else, and shivering, she got out of bed and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
No, no, it's just a dream, it's not real... But why is this dream so vivid, so vivid as if it really happened? Could it be her lost memories?
Gu Xi was in a state of confusion and didn't even know when Xiao Heng left.
For the next few days, she would see those images whenever she closed her eyes. She forced herself not to sleep, but she still remembered everything.
Why did God treat her like this? How will she face Yao Yao in the future?
She suddenly remembered the complicated look in Yao Yao's eyes when she came to see her that time. Did Yao Yao already know?
And what about Bai Xingzhi, who saved her life many times and took care of her without leaving her side during the days when she was blind and had amnesia? Is she going to kill him?
Gu Xi was tormented by guilt, unable to eat anything, and even when she did, she would vomit it up, her face growing paler and paler.
Zhu Yin couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she called Yun Ke over, hoping Yun Ke could prescribe some medicine for Gu Xi to help her recover.
Yun Ke placed three fingers on Gu Xi's wrist pulse, concentrating intently to examine it. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and her face lit up with joy: "Your Majesty, this is...this is a pregnancy pulse!"
"What did you say?!" Gu Xi sat up in shock upon hearing this, her voice trembling.
Her hand trembled slightly as she touched her pulse, and it took a long time for her fingertips to calm down.
She closed her eyes, slowly lowered her hand, her eyes showing no joy, only a fleeting panic, and then only emptiness.
Yun Ke and Zhu Yin looked at Gu Xi with worried expressions.
Gu Xi hugged her knees, buried her head in them, and fell into despair.
Why did she have a child?
When did it come about?
That day, after visiting Bai Xingzhi in prison, he treated her so badly that she forgot to take her medicine.
This child came at the wrong time; Xiao Heng now despises her and will not like her child.
She won't live much longer. After she dies, the child will have no one to protect him and will have a very difficult time in the palace.
What should she do?
After a long pause, Gu Xicai looked up and said to Yun Ke in a hoarse voice, "Yun Ke, please keep this a secret for me... Just pretend you don't know anything, and that I didn't come to see you today."
Yun Ke hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
She knew what Gu Xi was worried about. Looking at her thin face, she felt a pang of heartache. If her brother saw her like this, he would be heartbroken too.
But there was nothing she could do.
-----------------------
Author's Note: This chapter has been revised, and I'm thinking of revising the next one too, but I haven't decided how yet. November 3, 2025 (mark)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com