Chapter 161 Xiao Qi is no longer around
The night was serene, so quiet that even the rustling of leaves in the woods on both sides of the street could be clearly heard.
On the street, Jiang Xue turned slightly, and her eyes filled with sorrow looked deeply into the eyes of the purple-clothed young man behind her under the mask, as if waiting for him to say something.
The wind blew the silk ribbon that tied the jade pendant around Jiang Xue's waist. In just a moment, the silk ribbon was either blown off by the wind or it was already loose, and the jade pendant fell straight onto the bluestone floor. With a slight "clang", Jiang Xue was startled. She immediately squatted down and reached out to pick up the jade pendant. She trembled, turned it over and over for a long time, and then held the broken jade pendant tightly in her hand as if it were a treasure.
Jing Ye looked at the thin and petite figure squatting on the ground indifferently, and suddenly said coldly:
"No matter how tightly you hold on, it will be difficult to keep it intact even if it breaks into pieces."
Jiang Xue just held the broken jade tightly, blood dripping slowly from her fist. She stared at it intently, as if she had lost the sense of pain.
She lowered her head and spoke after a while, her voice choked and broken.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Jing Ye raised his head slightly and took a deep breath. There seemed to be a rolling heat wave in his throat. He swallowed it with all his strength and said lightly:
"Princess Changle is joking."
"I don't understand what you are saying. Have you ever been so mean to me?"
"Aqi..." Jiang Xue called out softly.
"Xiao Qi is dead," Jing Ye said, his voice neither happy nor sad, "Even if he didn't die at your hands as the princess wished, he would have died in Qingzhou a long time ago."
"There is no Xiao Qi in this world anymore."
"I'm so sorry, Princess. I can't even begin to explain myself in this life."
Jiang Xue understood, but he was unwilling to admit it.
To him, Xiao Qi is now nothing more than a past that has been completely obliterated in this world.
He won't admit it.
The last glimmer of hope in Jiang Xue's heart suddenly disappeared.
Xiao Qi said this back then.
If she abandoned him one day, he would never look back.
What's more...
She even tried to kill him.
If it were her, even if she suffered all kinds of hardships and was reborn in blood, she would never forgive Jiang Xue for her past.
Jiang Xue suddenly laughed softly, then stood up in a daze and walked forward with her head lowered.
The broken edges of the jade in his hand pierced deeply into his palm, and blood occasionally dripped onto the ground, like a bunch of blooming red chrysanthemums.
Jiang Xue never looked back, but walked slowly, step by step, towards the Gu Mansion.
Suddenly, the sound of a rooster crowing came from nowhere. The night was gradually fading away, and in the inky blue sky, the fish belly white morning light slowly rose from the east.
Jiang Xue didn't remember how she walked all the way to the street where Gu's mansion was located. She just felt that her legs were as heavy as lead.
She turned around slowly, and Jing Ye was not following her.
She forced a self-deprecating laugh, then suddenly walked to the corner of the street, squatted down in a daze, buried her head in her knees, and suddenly burst into tears in grief.
Xiao Qi is no longer here.
There is no Aqi in this world anymore.
It has been a long time since I felt such pain, Jiang Xue thought. The last time I felt such pain was when my eldest brother passed away. It was during the many dark nights after the news of Xiao Qi's death came.
Her internal organs seemed to be squeezed together, especially her heart, which seemed to be rubbed and squeezed by a pair of large hands. In the end, she couldn't breathe.
Her consciousness became increasingly hazy, and in the blur, she seemed to see the corner of a dark purple robe.
Her eyes were blurred and she subconsciously reached out to grab the robe, but in the next moment, she fell into complete darkness and lost consciousness.
When Jiang Xue woke up, she was covered with a fluffy and clean brocade quilt, and in front of her was a gilded tent ceiling with green cloud gauze pendants. She wanted to stretch out her hands to prop herself up, but when her hands touched the mattress under her, she felt a piercing pain and she subconsciously cried out in pain.
"hiss--"
"Ah! How come Your Highness is awake?"
A low shout came from the head of the bed. Jiang Xue turned her head and found a person lying outside the bed. He had sat up and was looking at her. It was Fu Dong.
Jiang Xue frowned and asked, "When did I come back?"
Hearing her hoarse voice, Fu Dong quickly gathered the gauze curtain, stood up, walked to the table, poured her a full cup of warm water, brought it to the bedside, and swiftly took the two soft pillows on the side of the bed. He helped Jiang Xue up with one hand and put the pillows behind her with the other hand.
Fu Dong picked up the teacup and brought it to Jiang Xue, saying, "Your Highness, drink some water. Xiaochun mixed it with honey."
When Jiang Xue saw the water in front of her, she felt unbearable thirst. She took the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
"I'm asking you," Jiang Xue asked doubtfully, "When did I come back and how did I come back?"
Fudong frowned slightly, and said hesitantly: "Your Highness, Your Highness said that Miss Biao came back in the middle of the night, but you were nowhere to be found. Xiaochun and I waited until almost dawn last night, but you still didn't come back, so we were so anxious that we sent people to look for you."
"How did I get back?" Jiang Xue asked again.
Fu Dong stammered, "The guards went out to look for you and came back..."
Seeing her unable to evade his gaze, Jiang Xue said seriously, "Tell the truth."
"It's... it's the King Ruichong of the Gan Kingdom," Fudong muttered, "When it was almost dawn, the people Xiaochun and I sent out hadn't found you yet, and we were as anxious as ants on a hot pot. We wanted to go out and look for you ourselves, but we were afraid of attracting the attention of the front yard.
Later, I heard Xianglu come to report that there was a candle burning in your room, so I hurried over and saw Prince Rui Chong. "
Jiang Xue lowered her eyes and said calmly: "Did Jing Ye send me back......"
It was him. The figure she saw in a trance last night was definitely him.
Did he actually follow her secretly last night?
Why...
Why do you still treat her so well even though everything has been made clear?
"Well," Fu Dong bit his lip and nodded slightly, saying, "Although he was the one who sent His Highness back, he repeatedly overstepped his boundaries, not only entering His Highness's boudoir, but also hugging her..."
"Okay," Jiang Xue interrupted softly, then turned to look out the window. Seeing that the sky was already bright, she hurriedly asked, "What time is it?"
"It's just past the hour of dawn," Fu Dong said worriedly, "Your Highness has only slept for two hours. I'll let down the veil. Can Your Highness sleep a little longer?"
Jiang Xue shook her head and said, "I have something important to do today. Help me up and wash up for me."
Fu Dong placed his hand under Jiang Xue's palm, his face showing worry, and said, "Your Highness, what happened to this hand? How come this pair of hands is so injured when you come back?"
Jiang Xue had a flash of thought and said hurriedly: "My jade..."
Her eyes suddenly fell on the wooden table beside the bed, and she saw the broken jade tablet lying quietly on it, with dried blood stains on the jade body and the silk ribbon tied with it.
"It was this thing that hurt His Highness." Fu Dong said indignantly, "I will take it out and throw it away. It is a sinister thing of unknown origin. It will be an eyesore for His Highness to keep it."
"No," Jiang Xue said softly, "Let's find a skilled craftsman to see if it can be restored to its original state."
She sighed slightly and said, "If it doesn't work, ask the craftsmen to wrap it with gold wire and inlay it. It must be repaired."
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