Chapter 216 Drawing Warmth from Her
Narcissus gently called to Emperor Zhaoheng, and her voice carried into the sweltering palace on the cool breeze.
As the nights grew colder, Narcissus went out wearing a thick, plush fox fur coat. The long fur framed her cheeks, making her complexion appear even more rosy. Whether it was from the heat or the rouge, a faint blush shone through her delicate skin.
The best red charcoal was burning in the Qianqing Palace. The charcoal brazier with the elephant head and kui dragon pattern was full. The charcoal was burning red, but it did not produce a single wisp of smoke or a single spark.
A wave of heat washed over her, and Narcissus took off her white fox fur coat and handed it to the palace maid serving her, revealing the soft, begonia-red silk skirt she was wearing underneath.
That splash of red was even more vibrant than the red emanating from her skin, so intense that Emperor Zhaoheng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from her.
“Your Majesty,” Shui Xian said softly, gently placing the white jade bowl on the table, “I have prepared a calming soup. Please have some while it’s hot.”
Emperor Zhaoheng did not speak, but simply looked at her.
As Shui Xian approached, she neither inquired about court affairs nor mentioned the turmoil of the day.
She went around behind him and first gently mentioned the children. At the same time, her soft fingertips touched his tense shoulders and gently massaged them with just the right amount of force.
Later, Narcissus fell silent, and her hand moved to his temple. As she pressed, the warm fragrance from her sleeve wafted into Emperor Zhaoheng's nostrils.
The hall was quiet and still, with only the gentle pressing of her fingertips and their soft breathing.
After a long while, Narcissus finally spoke softly, her voice like a clear spring soothing his restless heart:
"Your Majesty, the matter of having offspring is ordained by Heaven and cannot be forced."
"You are a wise ruler. The country is stable and the people are loyal. This is the most important thing."
She paused, her tone becoming even softer, as she spoke of a topic that Emperor Zhaoheng found most taboo. However, Emperor Zhaoheng did not interrupt her; he simply opened his long-closed eyes.
His eyes were dark and deep, and Narcissus's soft voice sounded in his ear.
"Your eternal peace, tranquility, and harmony... and I, your humble servant, will always be with you."
The immense weight that had been pressing on Emperor Zhaoheng's heart all day was quietly melted away by the warmth of her words.
Emperor Zhaoheng reached out and grasped her hand that was massaging his forehead.
The next moment, the man exerted a little force on his hand, and the narcissus obediently followed his strength and came to the front.
Emperor Zhaoheng reached out and pulled her into his arms. She sat on his lap, and the delicate, soft hem of her skirt gave him a comfortable touch, just like her, soothing the wrinkles in his heart.
He buried his face in the hollow of her neck, which exuded a delicate fragrance, and took a deep breath, as if trying to draw strength and warmth from her.
"Xian'er..."
Emperor Zhaoheng called her name in a low, hoarse voice, a rare hint of tenderness in his tone.
This attachment to narcissus was so intense that even Emperor Zhaoheng himself could hardly perceive it during that brief moment.
He seemed to sigh, "Only you... only when you are by my side do I feel at peace."
Narcissus nestled obediently in his arms, feeling the man's burning body temperature and his undisguised dependence on her.
This is why Shui Xian preferred to temporarily put aside her pursuit of the Empress and her entourage; she saw Emperor Zhaoheng's vulnerability at that moment.
What she did was nothing more than the simplest thing... taking advantage of a weakness.
This relationship, from the very beginning, was a illusory palace constructed by Shui Xian through calculation, waiting for Emperor Zhao Heng to lower all his imperial guard and enter.
Narcissus knew that once she had his heart firmly in her grasp, even if she wasn't the empress, she could still obtain the highest and most powerful power in the world to use at her disposal.
In the imperial harem, one must first plot with one's heart.
Emperor Zhaoheng lifted her chin with his hand. Looking into Shuixian's clear, spring-like eyes, he felt an indescribable sense of peace and contentment.
He kissed her, and before they knew it, the curtains had fallen behind them. Emperor Zhaoheng embraced her and strode into the inner chamber, exploring its depths...
——
Consort Lin was moved out of Jingcheng Palace. Consort Wan thought she was unlucky and took it upon herself to move her to an old palace room in a remote corner of the inner palace.
The palace walls were mottled, and the weeds in the courtyard grew wildly because no one had tended to them for a long time.
The palace room where Consort Lin was located was perpetually dark and filled with a damp, musty smell.
The brief, nouveau riche air that once filled the East Annex of Jingcheng Palace has vanished here; only suffocating despair remains on both the walls and the floor.
Now that the Empress Dowager is in power, she has rigorously renovated the Imperial Household Department.
Although Consort Lin had fallen on hard times and was relegated to a corner of the harem by the emperor, the Imperial Household Department still provided her with the usual allowance.
However, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Having tasted delicacies before, even simple meals now taste bland.
Lin Ying lay down for half a day and calmed down a bit, no longer as crazy as before.
But once she calmed down, all her madness turned into resentment.
She vented all her resentment and bitterness on Xiaoduo, the only one who stayed by her side and suffered with her.
"Useless! You can't even adjust the water temperature properly... Are you trying to freeze me to death?!"
Lin grabbed a worn-out pillow from beside her pillow and smashed it hard against Xiao Duo, who was carefully trying to wipe her hands and feet.
Xiao Duo didn't dare to dodge and took the hit head-on, her forehead instantly turning red.
She bit her lower lip, silently picked up the pillow and put it away, then continued wringing out the cloth, her voice low and hoarse with barely concealed sorrow: "This servant will go and get some more hot water..."
"Get lost! Just looking at you annoys me!"
Consort Lin kicked Xiao Duo hard in the leg, yelling, "It's all your fault! It's all because of you treacherous servants who betray your masters for personal gain!"
Her voice was hoarse, and it sounded like she was not only scolding Xiaoduo.
"If it weren't for you... if you hadn't taken out that damn dregs of medicine, how could I have ended up in this state?! My wealth... all ruined! All ruined!"
She cried out hysterically, and seemed somewhat insane.
The residual effects of the fake pearl herbs in her body were still subtly affecting her mind, making her more irritable and easily angered than ordinary people, and causing her thoughts to become chaotic.
Despite the pain in her legs and the bitterness in her heart, Xiao Duo persisted in wiping Lin's hands and feet, then went to organize the food sent by the Imperial Household Department, trying to find something that Consort Lin could eat.
Looking at Lin Daying's current appearance, she recalled the young lady who, though sensitive and timid, would occasionally show her a gentle smile, and tears streamed down her face.
Such beatings and scoldings have become commonplace since we moved in.
Xiao Duo's body was covered with new and old wounds, a mixture of bruises and purple.
That day, for some unknown reason, Lin Ying once again went berserk, overturning the hot water that Xiao Duo had painstakingly prepared, pointing her finger at her nose and cursing her fiercely with foul and unbearable language.
Looking at her distorted face and listening to the words that were completely out of character, Xiao Duo finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She fell to her knees with a thud, rushing forward to hug Lin Daying's wildly flailing arms. Looking up at her tear-streaked, bruised face, she cried out:
"My lady! Miss! Wake up!"
"Look at yourself, look here! Cui Zi and Physician Xu conspired to give you a potent drug... They ruined your health! They used you, used you as a pawn to harm the Imperial Noble Consort!"
"If things go wrong, we'll push you out to take the blame! Don't you understand? This servant... this servant can't just stand by and watch you go on like this, watch you be completely ruined by them!"
She cried her heart out, trying to use the most straightforward words to wake this person who was indulging in false glory and insane resentment.
Perhaps it was Xiao Duo's crying that was too sorrowful, or perhaps it was the names "Cui Zi" and "Doctor Xu" that triggered Lin Ying's confused memories.
Her struggling movements paused for a moment, and her eyes showed a moment of confusion.
Seeing this, Xiaoduo seemed to grasp a glimmer of hope. She tightly gripped Lin Daying's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably, trying to awaken her with the warmest memories of the past:
“Miss…have you forgotten? Before we entered the palace, when we were at home…you sat by the window embroidering, and I was fanning you.”
"You said that the people in the palace are treacherous. We don't ask for great wealth or status, nor do we compete for those illusory favors. We only ask that the two of us can live peacefully and support each other in this deep palace..."
Xiao Duo's voice, thick with nasal tone, described a girl's simple and small wish that had long since faded into the distance, yet had once truly existed.
"You said...you said the sugar figurines outside were prettier, more interesting than the pastries in the palace...You weren't like this before! How could you become like this...Waaaaah..."
The stark contrast between those insignificant yet genuinely warm memories of the past and the current dilapidated, cold, and despairing reality is too great.
It hurt so much that she didn't want to wake up. A glimmer of clarity appeared in Lin Daying's eyes, which then turned into a deeper and more complete breakdown!
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Lin Daying's eyes widened suddenly, bloodshot from within.
She felt as if the sharpest knife had pierced her heart, and she let out a piercing scream!
"Stop saying that! It's all over now! Everything is irreversible!!"
She was almost frantic, and suddenly pushed away Xiaoduo, who was clinging to her arm and sobbing about the past!
Xiao Duo was already kneeling, exhausted both physically and mentally, how could she withstand this crazy push?
She gasped in surprise and fell backward uncontrollably.
Xiao Duo's head slammed hard against the sharp corner of the old wooden table behind her!
A muffled thud resounded particularly clearly in the silent, dilapidated palace.
Before Xiaoduo could even let out a complete cry of pain, her chapped lips trembled slightly, and her body slumped to the ground.
Crimson blood gushed from the back of her head, spreading rapidly across the ground like spilled ink.
Blood stained her disheveled hair and the cold bricks beneath her.
Xiao Duo's eyes were open, her pupils still glistening with tears and her eagerness to wake Lin Daying.
However, those eyes had lost all their luster and remained motionless.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment...
Lin remained frozen in place, still in the shoving position. When she saw the bloodstains on the ground, the madness on her face froze inch by inch.
Her stiff gaze fell on Xiaoduo, who lay motionless on the ground, and on the ever-expanding pool of blood. It was as if she had just realized what she had done.
"Little...Little Duo?"
She tentatively called out, her voice trembling slightly.
There was no response.
Lin Ying's legs went weak, and she almost crawled over, her hands trembling as she wanted to touch Xiao Duo, but she didn't dare.
"Xiaoduo! Xiaoduo, wake up! Look at me... look at me!"
She hugged Xiaoduo's still-warm body and burst into tears like a wounded wild animal, her tears mingling with the dust that had somehow gotten on her face.
"I was wrong... I didn't mean to... Xiaoduo, I was wrong..."
"Wake up, you can yell at me, you can hit me... just don't leave me alone... I'm scared... I really know I was wrong..."
She shook Xiaoduo's body vigorously, as if that would wake her up.
However, the person in her arms showed no further reaction, and those once clear eyes, which always looked at her with concern, had lost their light forever.
Blood stained Lin Daying's tattered dress, the sticky texture and strong stench of blood constantly reminding her of...
The last and only person in the world who, no matter how she treated him, always treated her sincerely and was willing to go to the abyss with her, was killed by her own hands.
Irreversible despair, like the endless darkness of this deep palace, completely engulfed her.
"ah!!!"
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