Chapter 32
Outside Yongshang Palace, the stars and the moon were silent. Yue Mingming stood in the shadows, taking deep breaths silently facing the high walls.
She was waiting for Li Pingru's signal.
They had agreed in advance that Li Pingru would go to the front of the palace and pretend to visit to attract the attention of the Qilin Guards, while Yue Mingming would take advantage of the chaos to climb over the wall.
Soon there was a noise, mixed with women's crying, which was particularly clear in the silent palace.
Don’t miss this opportunity!
Yue Mingming tightened the bag on her back and without hesitation, she jumped up against the wall. Her movements were not very elegant, but fortunately, the palace wall chosen by Li Pingru for her was slightly lower than the surrounding ones. Just when she was about to run out of breath, she managed to grab the top of the wall.
His palm was scratched and it hurt like fire, but Yue Mingming didn't care about it. He steadied his body and quietly landed in the yard the next moment.
What she saw was a scene she had not expected - the garden had been abandoned for years, with weeds growing among the broken tiles and ruins, and even the wind was three points colder than other places.
Yue Mingming shuddered slightly, quickly hid himself in the weeds, and moved towards the hall.
The hall was deserted, devoid of any signs of life. Fortunately, there were no palace servants on duty. A few nearly extinguished candles flickered, creating a spooky atmosphere. There was no charcoal basin to be seen.
Yue Mingming couldn't imagine that Zhao Congyun was actually imprisoned in such a place! Not to mention that he was a patient, even a good person would be scared to death!
She quickened her pace and finally found Zhao Congyun in the only lighted room in the back hall.
He lay motionless in the middle of the bed, his face pale and quiet, his body covered by a thin quilt, and no sign of his chest rising or falling.
Yue Mingming's heart suddenly sank, and he walked over with weak hands and feet. He didn't let out a long breath until he felt his shallow breathing.
She opened the bundle and dissolved a Lingxi Pill in water as Uncle Dong instructed, added several other medicinal herbs, gently helped Zhao Congyun up, and tried to feed him the medicine.
Zhao Congyun seemed to have regained some consciousness. He frowned and muttered something. Yue Mingming didn't hear clearly, but he saw his pale lips closing tighter and tighter, and he was obviously very resistant.
"Zhao Congyun...it's me! Can you hear me?" Yue Mingming leaned close to his ear and called out.
Zhao Congyun's eyelashes twitched, reacting to her words. Yue Mingming was delighted: "You have to drink the medicine! Cooperate with me, okay?"
Zhao Congyun's breathing suddenly became rapid, as if he was in pain, or as if he was anxiously looking for something. His forehead was soon wet with cold sweat. Yue Mingming was frightened and panicked. Seeing that the medicine would not go in and the symptoms suddenly worsened, she could only hold his hand and said in a tearful voice, "Hey, hey... don't scare me... If you die, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost!"
This inexplicable threat seemed to work. Zhao Congyun's cold hand tried to shake her hand back, but the strength was so weak that Yue Mingming almost thought she was hallucinating.
His breathing gradually stabilized, and he uttered a few words in a weak voice. This time, Yue Mingming moved closer and heard them clearly.
"Don't cry... Don't be afraid..."
Yue Mingming's heart clenched violently. She squeezed his palm hard and said, "I'm here, don't be afraid! Drink the medicine, and let's go back to the palace together."
Zhao Congyun still had his eyes closed, but his lips cooperated by opening slightly. However, after just two sips, his brows furrowed again, and his head tilted to one side in resistance.
"...It's too bitter." A hint of criticism could be heard in the almost inaudible voice.
Yue Mingming was stunned for a moment, then he started to laugh.
She grabbed her bag and searched for it for a long time. Fortunately, she had taken a small jar of osmanthus honey with her before leaving. She thought that the days of confinement must be bitter, and he might need a little sweetness.
I didn't expect it to come in handy at this moment.
Yue Mingming finally coaxed him into drinking the entire bowl of medicine, and only then did he feel relieved. Zhao Congyun quickly fell into a deep sleep, his hands losing strength, but he didn't let go.
Yue Mingming wanted to go out and check out the situation at Yongshang Palace, but he couldn't bear to let go. His hands were too cold.
She curled up on the edge of the bed, thinking silently as she listened to his steady breathing, and ended up falling asleep in a very unprofessional way.
*
Yue Mingming slept very uncomfortably that night.
When she opened her eyes, she even forgot where she was. It was pitch black all around her. The candle had burned out long ago, and the faint light from the sky seeped in, making the room even more chaotic.
Yue Mingming felt someone was staring at her.
She looked around blankly, and realized belatedly that she was covered with a quilt. Zhao Congyun, who had been lying down, had stood up at some point and was leaning on the other side of the bed, staring at her intently.
"You...you're awake?" Yue Mingming's tone was surprised, but also a little uncertain.
Zhao Congyun is really creepy.
His dark pupils were fixed on her, and his eyes were filled with an expression she could not read. There was no joy of escaping death, nor was there curiosity about her appearance in Yongshang Palace. He didn't know how long he sat there looking at her, like a pale and fragile sculpture, with only the obsession on his face before his soul was pulled out.
"How do you feel now?" Yue Mingming pulled off the quilt with a guilty conscience and handed it over clumsily, trying to cover Zhao Congyun.
He brushed her hand away rudely.
The person who had tried to comfort her and held her hand even when he was sick seemed like a dream Yue Mingming had.
The quilt fell awkwardly between the two of them, becoming an abandoned and useless object in the cold room.
"…What's wrong with you?"
"…What are you doing here?"
They both spoke at the same time, and there was another silence.
It was Yue Mingming who gave in first and told him the whole plan of delivering medicine to the palace.
Zhao Congyun didn't thank him. After waiting for a while, he asked coldly, "Do you find it fun to play with me over and over again? Now you're pretending to care about my life or death. What's wrong? Are you regretting it again? It's a pity that I'm already a prisoner and don't have what you need..."
Yue Mingming wanted to apologize, but Zhao Congyun's sarcastic attitude hurt her. She wanted to retort, but when she saw Zhao Congyun's haggard face, she swallowed her words back silently.
"No, you don't have to pity me!" Zhao Congyun saw through her hesitation and spoke each word angrily with clenched teeth.
Yue Mingming suppressed her anger and didn't slap the words "ungrateful" in his face. She clutched the corner of the quilt tightly, and her fingertips turned white.
I'll tolerate you one more time... for the last time!
Zhao Congyun, however, seemed to be under pressure. He racked his brains and chose a cruel word to say: "I thought I was smart, but I didn't expect to fall into your hands... Who did you learn this trick of playing hard to get from? Didn't you also use Li Si in this way, and control him completely? No wonder he fought for you, and was still devoted to you even after you got married..."
He said too much in one breath and couldn't help panting, but he still asked sarcastically in a hoarse voice: "I'm more stupid than him, and more gullible than him, right?"
Yue Mingming looked at the cold sweat dripping down his forehead and his increasingly paranoid gaze, and said quietly, "Are you crazy from the fever?"
"I'm more awake than ever."
"Really?" Yue Mingming looked at him and smiled faintly: "Do you know... the way you doubt me really looks like the emperor. You two are indeed brothers."
Zhao Congyun's breath was choked.
"Okay, whatever you think." Yue Mingming felt that any explanation at this moment would be enough to make her cry. She didn't want to cry now.
"...You admit it?" Zhao Congyun couldn't tell whether he was satisfied or disappointed. He just felt a chill. He turned his body slightly and tried to hold on to the edge of the bed, but he had no strength in his hands and slid down a few inches along the edge of the bed.
Yue Mingming saw it all, silently pulled over the bundle, dissolved another pill, and handed it over along with the honey: "This medicine needs to be taken three times in a row. Now is the second one. I'll leave after you finish it... Seeing that you are full of energy and have the energy to curse, you can do the rest by yourself, is that okay?"
Zhao Congyun didn't answer.
He didn't even have the strength to lift his hands now. He was afraid that if he moved even a little, he would not be able to hold on any longer.
Yue Mingming had no idea of this and thought he was still angry, so his tone hardened: "If you don't eat, you're courting death... If you don't want to live, you have to wait until you get out of here before you die. A whole bunch of people in the palace have been implicated by you, and Uncle Dong is still running around for you at his age, so don't bring harm to others!"
Zhao Congyun's breathing became heavier, his eyes lowered, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"You don't want to drink, right?" Yue Mingming bit his lip, his voice trembling with anger: "Don't worry! I'll leave now and won't stay here to bother you!"
She put the medicine bowl down heavily and stood up to leave.
Zhao Congyun suddenly spoke, his voice no longer as cold as before, revealing obvious weakness: "It will be dawn soon, where are you going?"
"None of your business! Mind your own business!"
"Yes... I don't learn my lesson and meddle in other people's business." Zhao Congyun closed his eyes and said self-deprecatingly, "I was afraid that the Qilin Guards would shoot you like a hedgehog and you wouldn't let me go even after you became a ghost."
...Yue Mingming paused. It turned out that he was not dreaming. He clearly heard everything.
She turned around and met his complex and fiery gaze, and took half a step back as if possessed by some unknown force. She thought bitterly that every time they parted, they would have a big fight, leaving behind terrible memories and endless regrets.
"...I'm sorry." Yue Mingming was not used to apologizing, and this sentence came out with great difficulty.
She tried to convince herself to say goodbye properly this time.
Zhao Congyun's eyes moved when he heard the words, and his dark pupils instantly stirred up waves. The grievance that was almost overflowing made Yue Mingming unable to move.
Just as Zhao Congyun was about to speak, they both heard footsteps outside the hall and the unique metallic sound of armor coming towards this room.
Yue Mingming's hair stood on end. She looked around, the entire room in full view, with no escape possible. She instinctively tried to run out, but Zhao Congyun somehow found the strength to grab her wrist tightly, pulling her into his arms and whispering, "Come up!"
Yue Mingming immediately understood what he meant and did not refuse. He grabbed the bag and got inside the bed. Zhao Congyun quickly hid the medicine bowl and shook the quilt to cover both of them.
The quilt was already thin enough for one person, and now with Yue Mingming hidden inside, it was a bit too much. Fortunately, the room was dim, and Zhao Congyun was tall. He lay on his side with his head facing inward, pressing Yue Mingming tightly against his chest. At first glance, there was no flaw.
At least when Meng Xun, the commander of the Qilin Guard, walked into the room, he didn't notice anything unusual.
He held the food box in his hand, silently sized up Zhao Congyun's back, and tentatively said, "Your Highness... I'm here to bring you breakfast."
Seeing that Zhao Congyun didn't move or speak, he bravely took another step forward. Just as he was about to reach the bed, Zhao Congyun suddenly shouted, "How dare you!"
Meng Xun shuddered with fear and quickly stepped back: "I am concerned about your Highness... I did not mean to offend you."
Zhao Congyun sneered, "Are you here to see if I'm dead? Thanks to the Queen, I'm still alive. There's no need for you to worry about me. Put the food box on the table and go back and report!"
Meng Xun lowered his head reluctantly: "Yes."
He always felt that Zhao Congyun's voice had a kind of bluffing and bravado. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at the bed. Zhao Congyun's back seemed to be stiffer than usual.
Are you trying to be stubborn...but are you about to give up?
Meng Xun's eyes gleamed, and the corners of his lips curled up. It was time to ask the Empress for credit...
Yue Mingming didn't dare to breathe, and huddled in Zhao Congyun's arms, listening to the footsteps getting farther and farther away. Only when the hall returned to silence did he silently breathe a sigh of relief.
"...Is he gone?" she asked quietly.
Zhao Congyun's chest trembled and he responded in a deep voice.
The voice was so close to her that Yue Mingming realized that the two of them were still hugging each other. She hurriedly tried to break free: "Um... I'll go down now..."
Zhao Congyun not only didn't let go, but hugged her tighter, buried his head in her shoulder, and said in a muffled voice: "Why do you want to give up... I really don't understand, what do you want?"
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