Chapter 319 Climbing into bed
Last night, when Emperor Zhaoheng rode back to the main hall of the temporary palace, it was already midnight.
The horse's hooves shattered the moonlight, leaving rapid hoofprints on the silent palace path. He dismounted, tossed the reins to the approaching guards, and strode into the imperial study.
The study door slammed shut behind him.
Feng Shunxiang finally caught up with the emperor and returned to the palace. As soon as he entered the imperial study, he saw the emperor standing with his back to the door in front of the desk, his black cloak still damp with night dew and cold air.
He did not light a lamp; the moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing him in a cold, silvery glow.
The study was eerily quiet.
Feng Shunxiang held his breath and carefully lit the candle.
The candlelight flickered, gradually dispelling the darkness and illuminating the tall figure standing before the desk.
Emperor Zhaoheng remained standing, without moving.
His gaze fell on the desk.
There lay an unread memorial, with a red ink brush resting on it, everything in perfect order, just as it had been when he left.
It was as if the argument just now was a nightmare.
But he knew it wasn't true.
The words that Narcissus said while kneeling on the ground still echoed in his ears.
"Your Majesty, I wish to leave the palace..."
Emperor Zhaoheng slowly reached out and picked up the vermilion brush.
The penholder is made of fine sandalwood, which feels warm and smooth to the touch.
He gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white, and the veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible.
Then......
"Crack".
The crisp snapping sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent study.
The vermilion brush broke in two in his hand.
Sharp splinters pierced his palm, and blood quickly seeped out, dripping down his slender fingers. One drop, two drops, landed on the open memorial, spreading into a small, glaring red patch.
Feng Shunxiang knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty! Your hand!"
Emperor Zhaoheng, however, seemed oblivious.
He looked down at his bleeding hand, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
After a long while, he slowly let go of her hand.
The broken vermilion brush fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"Feng Shunxiang".
He spoke, his voice terribly hoarse.
"Your servant is here."
"Go and summon the commander of the secret guards."
A moment later, the commander of the secret guards, dressed in black, appeared silently in the study and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhaoheng did not turn around, but only gazed at the night outside the window.
"Send more men to guard the Queen's courtyard in the Hunting Grounds. With visible and hidden sentries, three layers of protection, not even a fly is allowed to get in."
He paused, then added in an extremely low voice.
"If there is even the slightest mistake, I will bring my head upon myself."
The commander of the secret guards trembled: "Yes!"
The figure disappeared, and the study returned to silence.
Emperor Zhaoheng then slowly turned around, walked to the window, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The wound on his palm was still bleeding, but he couldn't feel the pain.
The real pain is in my chest.
In the place where she stabbed him with her own hands.
——
Back to today, after returning to the palace, the first thing Narcissus did was pick up the paper and pen on her dressing table.
The paper is white, and the pen tip is dipped in ink.
She hesitated for a moment, then put pen to paper.
The handwriting is neat and legible, consisting of only one short line:
"My mind is made up, don't worry, sister."
After she finished writing, she folded the letter and put it into a plain white envelope. There was no sealing wax on the seal; it was simply folded.
"Tinglu," she called softly.
Tinglu, who was waiting outside, immediately came in: "Your Majesty."
"Give this letter to Shui Xiu."
Narcissus handed over the letter, saying, "Be sure to deliver it to her personally, and do not let it pass through anyone else."
Tinglu took the letter, her heart aching as she touched the Empress's cold fingers: "Your Majesty..."
"Go."
Narcissus interrupted her, her voice very soft, "I'm tired."
Tinglu bowed and withdrew.
After Narcissus returned to the palace, the atmosphere inside was noticeably different.
Emperor Zhaoheng rose as usual and held the morning court session.
His words and actions were impeccable.
He remained the same dignified and composed emperor.
They just never mentioned the Empress.
It was as if the person he cherished so dearly had never existed.
Whispers quietly spread throughout the palace.
"Have you heard? The Emperor rode back alone a few days ago, leaving the Empress behind at the hunting grounds. She only returned by carriage this morning!"
"More than that! The Emperor hasn't asked about the Empress even once these past few days, which shows he's completely furious."
"This is going to be quite a show. The Empress has fallen out of favor while pregnant; what will happen after she gives birth..."
The whispers were low, yet like the cold winter wind, they seeped in everywhere.
The Qianqing Palace, where Narcissus now resides, is unusually quiet.
She stayed indoors, only instructing the palace servants to prepare a light breakfast. Afterwards, she would read books and embroider in the warm pavilion, focusing on her pregnancy.
It was as if the rumors and gossip outside had nothing to do with her.
"Your Majesty."
During the midday break, Tinglu whispered, "When I went to get something just now, I found that there were quite a few unfamiliar faces outside our courtyard."
Narcissus raised her eyes.
Tinglu's voice was even lower: "Although they were dressed in the clothes of ordinary guards, their steps were steady and their eyes were sharp, unlike ordinary guards. Moreover... they have almost surrounded our courtyard like an iron barrel, with guards both in the open and in the shadows."
Narcissus was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Are they the Emperor's secret guards?"
"It looks like it to me."
Tinglu nodded, "Your Majesty, the Emperor..."
"I understand." Narcissus interrupted her, lowered her eyes again, and continued embroidering the little garment in her hands.
That's for the unborn child, "don't worry about it."
Hearing Lu hesitate, then stopped, and ultimately said nothing more.
Narcissus bowed her head as she embroidered flowers, her fingertips trembling slightly.
He increased the number of secret guards.
Triple protection, as solid as an iron barrel.
Are you afraid she'll run away?
Narcissus didn't know.
All she knew was that this impenetrable protection, instead of making her feel at ease, made her feel even more suffocated.
Like a carefully protected canary, whose owner fears it will fly away, so they build a more ornate, even more sturdy, cage.
But even the most magnificent cage is still a cage.
This cold war lasted for three full days.
On the third night, Emperor Zhaoheng was still reviewing memorials in his study.
The candles burned until the third watch of the night, and most of the memorials on the desk had already been reviewed.
He put down the vermilion brush, rubbed his temples, and looked utterly exhausted.
He has barely slept these past few days.
When I close my eyes, I see Narcissus kneeling on the ground, saying she wants to leave.
He felt heartbroken, angry, and confused.
Deep within his heart lies a fear that even he himself is unwilling to acknowledge.
I'm afraid she really will leave.
Just then, a soft knock sounded on the door.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not raise his eyes, but simply said, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a fragrance of perfume wafted in.
Emperor Zhaoheng frowned slightly.
This fragrance is too strong, too vulgar; it's not the elegant styrax scent found on narcissus.
He paused for a moment, then slowly raised his eyes.
The maid who entered was wearing a light pink palace dress with sleeves slightly shorter than those of ordinary palace maids, revealing her slender wrists.
She was holding a tray with a bowl of soup on it, which was steaming hot.
The palace maid's voice was soft and sweet, with a deliberate touch of cloying sweetness, "Your Majesty, it's late. I've prepared a refreshing soup; would you like some?"
As she spoke, she swayed her hips as she approached, placing the tray on the desk. She leaned forward intentionally or unintentionally, her collar slightly open, revealing her fair neck and collarbone.
Emperor Zhaoheng's expression gradually turned cold.
He didn't speak, he just stared at the palace maid.
The palace maid felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, but remembering that the Empress had fallen out of favor and this was her chance, she mustered her courage, picked up the soup bowl, and said in a sweet voice:
"Your Majesty, the soup is still warm. This servant will serve you..."
As she spoke, she reached out to touch Emperor Zhaoheng's arm.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch his sleeve, Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly stood up!
The movement was so fast that it created a gust of wind, and the memorials on the desk were swept to the ground with a clattering sound.
He didn't look at the palace maid, nor did he get angry.
He simply strode to the study door and flung it open.
Outside the door, Feng Shunxiang was standing with his hands at his sides. Hearing the noise, he looked up and met Emperor Zhaoheng's cold gaze, and immediately froze.
"Feng Shunxiang".
Emperor Zhaoheng spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a chill, "What evil spirit has entered my study?"
Feng Shunxiang followed his gaze into the study, where the palace maid stood frozen in place, her face deathly pale.
Feng Shunxiang was terrified and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant deserves to die!"
"This maidservant has corrupted the palace and harbors wicked intentions."
Emperor Zhaoheng interrupted him, his voice not loud, but clearly carried throughout the entire corridor, "Immediately expel him from the palace and never employ him again."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling palace servants:
"Anyone who recommends or condones this maid shall be flogged thirty times and demoted to the Ministry of Labor Service."
After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
The only sounds were the palace maid's whimpering as she collapsed to the ground and Feng Shunxiang's kowtows as he begged for forgiveness.
Emperor Zhaoheng strode away from the imperial study, which was filled with cheap fragrances.
——
The truth will out eventually; or perhaps it was intentional, because the news quickly spread throughout the entire harem.
All the whispers and gloating came to an abrupt end at that moment.
Everyone finally understood that even if the Emperor and Empress were in a cold war, it was by no means an opportunity for others to take advantage of the situation.
The Empress's position remained unshakeable.
The Emperor's heart still only has room for one person.
In the secluded courtyard, Narcissus quickly learned of this matter.
As Tinglu reported in a low voice, she carefully observed the Empress's expression.
Narcissus listened quietly, her hand pausing briefly with the embroidery needle before continuing to stitch.
After a long silence, she whispered, "I understand."
His "devotion" was, in her eyes at this moment, nothing more than a more solid cage.
He used this method to declare her uniqueness, but he also used it to trap her even more tightly.
The freedom she desires will likely always be an incomprehensible luxury in his eyes...
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