Chapter 4: A Visit. How could one marry someone like that?
"Princess!"
"ah--"
Screams erupted from the crowd. Before Jing Hui fainted, she saw Lu Songyuan's hand retracting his bow and arrow, and his cold, emotionless black eyes.
-
Nightmares kept recurring, and I was constantly on the rise and fall of life.
In my dream, I was still in the Imperial Garden on that day.
Jing Hui sometimes dreams that the Camel Wind Messenger slits her throat with a single stroke, and sometimes she dreams that she tries to run away but cannot, and is stabbed to death in the chaos.
Finally, I dreamt again of the scene where I confronted Lu Songyuan that day.
This time, the vast imperial garden was empty except for the two of them. Before shooting arrows, Lu Songyuan looked at Jing Hui and said, "In this life, I hate being threatened the most."
The arrow then flew from his hand, and Jing Hui was struck in the throat, waking him up completely in fright.
"don't want--!"
Jing Hui sat up abruptly, large beads of sweat dripping down her chin and into her collar, her chest heaving rapidly.
Jing Hui sat frozen for a moment, the light reflected from the vase by the window making her close her eyes briefly.
It was afternoon, and a sliver of sunlight peeked in through a crack in the window at the foot of the bed, warming Jing Hui's feet. Jing Hui shifted her feet.
I can still feel the temperature; I'm still alive.
Jing Hui's shoulders suddenly slumped down.
"Princess!"
Hearing the noise, Ayu rushed in from outside. She had clearly been crying, with two red and swollen eyes.
After entering, she knelt down beside Jing Hui's bed, looked at her pale face, and choked out, "Princess, you slept all day, but you've finally woken up. I was so worried. Thank goodness you're alright."
As she cried, Ah Yu started to hiccup.
"Pfft."
Jing Hui chuckled, gradually relaxing and leaning towards the headboard. "I'm fine... hiss—"
During the movement, I felt a sharp pain on the side of my neck.
"Princess, please be careful. The wound on your neck has just stopped bleeding."
Ayu quickly got up, placed soft pillows, and helped Jing Hui lie down. She stared at Jing Hui's slender neck with heartache.
Jing Hui reached out and touched it, feeling several layers of white gauze. "Will it leave a scar?"
"The messenger only had a very shallow cut and was fine."
Ah Yu said angrily, "But later, when General Lu shot an arrow, the messenger slashed his hand before he died, almost injuring... a vital spot. The imperial physician said that he might be left with a scar."
Her neck was so fragile. Jing Hui let out a long breath. She could still clearly remember the crisp and clean arrow that Lu Songyuan shot.
The arrow tip was no more than a foot from her ear, and the fletching grazed the hair at her temple.
If she had deviated even slightly, no, even by half a point, she would probably have lost her life.
Jing Hui shuddered as he recalled the way he shot the arrow.
This made her realize once again that the rumors were not unfounded; Lu Songyuan didn't care about her life at all, and was ruthless and cold-blooded to the extreme.
“Princess, how can you marry such a person?”
Ah Yu shed two tears and choked out, "From childhood to adulthood, even His Majesty has never been willing to harm you in the slightest. Last night, when His Majesty heard about this, he was so anxious that he vomited blood. After killing several people, he imprisoned the leader of the Tuofeng people for trial. After the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review interrogated him overnight, His Majesty ordered them to be executed by slow slicing and sent back to Tuofeng. He also summoned General Lu to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and gave him a good scolding. I heard that he is still begging His Majesty for forgiveness in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
"How is my father?" Jing Hui asked anxiously.
Ayu said, "With the imperial physician here, His Majesty is fine, so the princess can rest assured."
Jing Hui gave a soft "hmm" and lowered her head to look at the light on the quilt.
Ah Yu is right, how can anyone marry someone like that?
Her fear of Lu Songyuan was growing stronger, but the imperial decree had been issued, and as a legitimate princess, she could not simply run away from the marriage.
For a moment, Jing Hui was in a dilemma.
The little princess has always had a smooth life, and she once outwitted those old ministers in the court, but she stumbled when it came to marriage.
She leaned against the soft pillows, lost in thought for what seemed like an eternity, when the voice of a maidservant greeting her came from outside the door.
"This servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."
Emperor Jingwen came in person.
The servants left, and Jing Hui straightened up. She saw that Emperor Jingwen looked anxious. He strode over to the bedside, sat down, took Jing Hui's hand, and asked, "A-Zhu, are you feeling better?"
Upon seeing Emperor Jingwen, Jing Hui's grievances welled up from the bottom of her heart. She sniffed, leaned against Emperor Jingwen's chest, and after a long while, she softly called out, "Father."
Emperor Jingwen patted Jing Hui's back affectionately and comforted her softly, "Azhu, don't be afraid, your father is here."
Tears streamed down Jing Hui's face. He wiped them away lightly, and just as he was about to say something, he heard a few coughs from above.
"Father!"
Jing Hui quickly got up, took a handkerchief and handed it to Emperor Jingwen, looking at him with concern.
After a violent coughing fit, Emperor Jingwen covered his mouth and said, "Azhu, bring your father some water."
Jing Hui hurriedly turned around to get water from the bedside table. When he returned and handed it to Emperor Jingwen, Jing Hui vaguely saw blood on the handkerchief that the emperor had removed.
Jing Hui felt a sudden, overwhelming pang of sadness.
After Emperor Jingwen finished his water, he handed the cup to Ayu, who was standing beside him, and said to Jing Hui, "I heard about what happened in the Imperial Garden yesterday. Lu Songyuan is utterly despicable. How could I allow you to marry such a person? Tomorrow at court, I will publicly announce that the imperial decree for the marriage is null and void!"
Emperor Jingwen's words should have pleased Jing Hui.
But after a moment of silence, she asked Emperor Jingwen, "May I ask, Father, how did you punish Lu Songyuan?"
Emperor Jingwen was taken aback, then turned to look at the hall. His face was bathed in sunlight, making the side facing Jing Hui appear extremely dark.
"I hereby punish him by confining him to his room to reflect on his mistakes."
Jing Hui felt a sudden pang of sadness in her heart.
Last year, a prince's backer, relying on his age and high official position, maliciously brought up Jing Hui's marriage in court. Emperor Jingwen was furious on the spot and exiled the man.
Now that his beloved daughter has nearly lost her life, all he can do is confine that man to his quarters.
He had never been restrained like this before.
The room was silent. The sun pierced through the window frame. Jing Hui smiled and explained to Emperor Jingwen in a coquettish tone, "Father was not here at the time and does not know what happened. If it weren't for General Lu's arrow, I don't know what kind of injury I would have suffered. I am very grateful to him."
What kind of statement is this?
Emperor Jingwen coughed, his eyes filled with hesitation as he asked Jing Hui, "Is Azhu afraid he might do something to Father? You have nothing to fear, I am the Emperor..."
"Just as Father said, Father is the emperor, how could he dare to do anything?"
Jing Hui took Emperor Jingwen's arm, her tone deliberately lighthearted, "My daughter admires heroes, and to express her gratitude for being saved, she intends to marry General Lu. Father, you are overthinking it."
Emperor Jingwen looked on with disbelief. Jing Hui released her grip and said seriously, "My mind is made up. Does Father intend to disobey his daughter's wishes?"
Emperor Jingwen shook his head indulgently, "If these are your true feelings, how could your father not grant your wish?"
"Then thank you very much, Father!"
As soon as Jing Hui finished speaking, Ning Lu hurriedly walked in from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, Minister Shen of the Ministry of War has something to discuss with you."
"Father, go quickly."
State affairs cannot be delayed. Emperor Jingwen stood up, took a few steps, and then turned back to look at Jing Hui. "Azhu, think it over again. If you regret it before tomorrow's morning court, just send someone to find me. I only want you to be happy, and I don't want you to hate me in the future."
Jing Hui didn't know why the emperor suddenly said that. She looked up at the emperor and shook her head, saying, "Your subject will not. Father, please go quickly and take good care of yourself."
Emperor Jingwen's brow furrowed with worry. "I'll be leaving now. You can come find me anytime."
Jing Hui smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay."
As Emperor Jingwen's footsteps faded into the distance, the room returned to silence, with only tiny dust motes dancing merrily in the sunlight.
Although they seem to be wandering around freely, they are just like her, without a place to call home and unable to control their own destiny.
"Princess."
Ayu, standing nearby, stamped her feet anxiously and asked, "Why didn't the princess ask His Majesty to annul the engagement just now? This was the only chance."
Jing Hui shook his head, slid into the quilt, and said in a muffled voice, "My grandfather once said that those who hold high positions in a great nation must make sacrifices that are different from those of ordinary people. Today, I understand what it feels like when it happens to me."
"But marriage is a lifelong matter for a woman."
Ah Yu said, "Besides, if you marry out, you will definitely lose your chance to become the crown prince..."
"Losing something in one area may not be a bad thing. I never intended to compete with those princes for the position of crown prince; I just didn't want to disappoint my father."
Jing Hui pulled down the covers and looked at the shimmering pearl pendant on the ceiling, unsure whether she was comforting A Yu or encouraging herself.
She said loudly, "I am the legitimate princess, with my father and the entire royal family backing me up. I doubt Lu Songyuan would dare to really hurt me again. After the marriage, I will have plenty of ways to avenge yesterday! Alright, I'm sleepy, you can go out now."
After speaking, Jing Hui closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep instantly.
Ah Yu stood there stunned for a while, then sighed and quietly carried the teapot away.
The room fell completely silent. As soon as the door closed, a tear slid from the corner of the person on the bed, disappearing into their dark hair.
-
Having narrowly escaped death, Jing Hui thought he would never be able to sleep, but after crying for a while, he fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up until dusk.
After waking up, Ayu went to the kitchen to bring some food. Jinghui got out of bed and walked to the window to sit on the couch, eating while looking at the flowers blooming in the corridor.
After the meal, Ayu went to the small kitchen and made some glutinous rice dumplings that Jinghui liked. These dumplings were filled with jasmine honey and tasted delicious one bite at a time.
After Jing Hui finished the entire plate and listened to A Yu and several maids talk about folk tales for a long time, his mood finally improved. He then leaned against the window on the couch and read a book.
Later that evening, Zhang Lin, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, came to change Jing Hui's dressing.
Zhang Lin was over sixty years old and was nearing the age of retirement.
He was also the old imperial physician who had taken care of the Empress and Jing Hui in the past. Looking at the wound on Jing Hui's neck, his old eyes filled with tears, and he was also heartbroken.
While changing the dressing, Jing Hui picked up the bronze mirror in his hand and looked at the wound. The red and white flesh was turned inside out, and blood beads kept seeping out, which looked very horrifying.
Jing Hui's mood, which had just started to improve, plummeted to rock bottom in an instant. She lowered her eyes and remained silent.
After changing the dressing and giving some instructions, Zhang Lin left, wiping away his tears.
Night fell quietly, the lamp on the table dimmed, and Jing Hui sniffed.
She had slept too much during the day and was now unable to sleep. She wanted to read a little more to distract herself, so she instructed Ayu, "Ayu, bring another lamp."
"yes."
Ah Yu carried the lamp downstairs, and a moment later, she hurriedly came back in with the lamp and said, "Princess, someone has come from outside."
Jing Hui reached out and straightened the lamp that A Yu had placed askew, then looked up and laughed, "What's the rush? Is a deity coming to save me?"
"No, no! It was General Lu who was waiting at the palace gate with two lieutenants and two large boxes, saying they had come to apologize to the princess!"
Jing Hui's smile froze on his face, and his hand holding the scroll clenched tightly.
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