Chapter 293: Confrontation under the Begonia Tree, Heartache
The parrot in the corridor suddenly flapped its wings and let out a shrill scream, as if it was panicked by the stagnant air.
Yongqi's hand remained on the door, his fingertips pressed against the cool wood. He could clearly feel the suppressed anger within, like a red-hot iron, burning his fingertips through the door, making them numb. His Adam's apple rolled, and he tried to speak several times, but the sob in his throat blocked it back.
In the main room, Xiaoyanzi took a third deep breath, finally suppressing the nausea that surged in her. She bent down to pick up her cloak, her fingertips gripping the soft satin, forcing several wrinkles into the fabric. Her eyes in the bronze mirror were as cold as ice, yet her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the turmoil within her.
"Princess," Mingyue whispered, "perhaps there's a misunderstanding?" Even so, she herself felt a lack of confidence. The three words "Hehuan Powder" were like a poisonous thorn, piercing anyone's heart with pain.
Xiaoyanzi didn't respond, simply raising her hand to smooth her damp hair. A drop of water dripped onto her collar, leaving a small, dark stain, as cold as ice. She turned and walked toward the door, each step shrouded in silence, the sound of her soles rubbing against the carpet distinctly evident in the empty room.
“Squeak—”
The moment the door was opened, the wind from the corridor rushed in with crabapple petals, splashing all over the faces of the two people.
Yongqi subconsciously took a half step back, bumping into the porch pillar with a dull thud. He looked up at Xiaoyanzi at the door, his lips trembling, and for a moment he forgot what to say. The coldness in her eyes was like the water of a late autumn lake, freezing his heart—there was no longer the usual playfulness, no longer the coquettish anger of a quarrel, only a bottomless disappointment.
Xiaoyanzi's eyes swept across his clenched knuckles, his reddened eyes, and finally settled on the round python patch on his chest, a symbol of his princely status. She suddenly remembered his wedding day, when he had also worn a similar navy blue uniform, smiling as he lifted her, now clad in a phoenix crown and bridal robe, from the saddle, saying, "I'll protect you from now on."
It felt like something was biting her heart, and the pain made her gasp.
"What is your Highness still doing here?" she asked first, her voice as calm as a frozen lake. "The concubine in the west courtyard is probably still waiting for your Highness to return home and drink some sobering soup."
"Xiaoyanzi!" Yongqi raised his head suddenly, took half a step forward in a hurry, and almost tripped over the threshold. "It's not what you think! I..."
"What do I think?" Xiaoyanzi interrupted him with a raised eyebrow, a sneer on her lips. "Do you think you drank the drugged wedding wine and hugged another woman and called out my name? Or do you think Chen Zhihua was so scheming that she even resorted to such despicable means?"
Her voice was low, but every word was like an icicle, piercing Yongqi's face until it paled. He opened his mouth, but the words of defense, "I didn't know," "I was tricked," turned into pale nonsense. The facts were the facts—he drank that glass of wine, he lost his composure, and he hurt her.
"I..." Yongqi rubbed his hands, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I really didn't know there was something in the wine! If I had known, even if the Empress Dowager was angry, I would never have touched that glass of wine!" He leaned forward, trying to hold her hand. "Xiaoyanzi, please believe me!"
Xiaoyanzi took a step back, avoiding his touch. Her movement was light, but it was like an invisible wall that instantly separated the two of them.
"Believe?" She repeated the word, as if she had heard something funny. "Yongqi, what do you want me to believe? Believe that you must have recognized the wrong person after drinking the drug? Or believe that Chen Zhihua was deliberately plotting this, and you didn't even notice it?"
She raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the west courtyard, her fingertips trembling slightly from the force. "The marks on her neck, her 'thoughtful' breakfast this morning, and this drugged wedding wine... all of this, how can I believe it?"
Yongqi was speechless, his hands hanging down as he stood there, like a child who had done something wrong. Sunlight filtered through the crabapple branches, falling on his face. The flickering light and shadows were filled with helplessness and guilt. He knew he was tongue-tied, but now he realized he couldn't even come up with a decent excuse.
In the corridor, little Dengzi and little Zhuozi hunched their necks, hoping to hide in a pillar. Little Bug squatted on the ground, drawing circles and muttering, "Wow, boom, boom, that thunder is so loud..." Little Mosquito quickly covered his mouth, but couldn't help but steal glances at the two men confronting each other, stamping his feet anxiously.
"I'll give you an explanation." Yongqi suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but full of unquestionable determination. "Xiaoyanzi, wait for me."
Xiaoyanzi saw the earnestness in his eyes, and a tiny crack seemed to appear on the frozen surface of her heart. But it was instantly frozen by an even colder chill—explanation? How to explain? The wine had been drunk, the absurdity of that night had already happened, and the scars on her heart were already formed. Could a simple "explanation" erase them all?
She suddenly laughed, a hint of self-mockery in her voice: "There's no need to explain. The prince is the Rong prince, and having three wives and four concubines is normal. Concubine Jin has the means, and it's her ability to keep the prince's heart."
"I didn't!" Yongqi was so anxious that veins on his forehead were throbbing. "You've always been the only one in my heart! That night I..."
"That's enough!" Xiaoyanzi interrupted him suddenly, her eyes finally red, "Stop talking!"
She didn't want to hear the details of that night, didn't want to know how he had entangled with Chen Zhihua under the influence of drugs. Just thinking about those scenes was like cutting flesh with a blunt knife, the pain was so severe that she couldn't breathe.
A gust of wind blew by, and crabapple petals fell, clinging to their hair and shoulders. Xiaoyanzi raised her hand to brush away the petals that had fallen on her sleeve, and her fingertips felt a cool dampness - without knowing when, a light rain had begun to fall.
"Mingyue, Caixia." She turned and looked into the room, her voice returning to calm. "Pack your things. I'll take you back to the palace tomorrow morning."
"princess……"
"Go." Xiaoyanzi didn't look back, but just waved her hand.
Yongqi looked at her straight back, like a stubborn poplar tree, standing alone in the drizzle. He knew that it was useless to say anything at this moment. The crack had already opened, deep enough to reveal the bone.
He silently took two steps back and stood by the crabapple tree on the porch, watching the drizzle wet the blossoms. The petals, knocked down by the rain, spread across the bluestone slabs like a layer of crushed rouge, a dazzling red.
Little Dengzi came over secretly and handed over a handkerchief: "Your Highness, wipe the sweat off your face."
Yongqi didn't answer. He just stared at the door that had closed again, and said in a voice so low it sounded like a sigh, "Go find out who the gossiping maid in the west courtyard is."
Little Dengzi was stunned for a moment, then he understood and nodded quickly: "Yes!"
The raindrops grew denser and denser, forming a lingering web that enveloped the crabapple tree in the east courtyard, the tightly closed door, and the lonely figure in the corridor in a hazy mist.
Inside the room, Xiaoyanzi slid down to the floor, her back against the door. Her cape slipped from her shoulders, but she didn't have the energy to pick it up. The sound of rain outside the window was like countless needles, piercing the softest part of her heart.
She raised her hand and pressed it against her belly. There was no sign of pregnancy, but she felt like she was going to have a child. If she had a child, would it stop all the gossip? Would it bring some warmth to this cold palace?
But now... she looked at her empty wrist, where she should have worn the jade pendant given by Yongqi, but she took it off this morning and threw it into the deepest part of the makeup box.
Once something is broken, it can never be put back together.
Amid the sound of rain, laughter could be faintly heard from the direction of the west courtyard, but when one listened carefully, it was gone. All that was left was the sound of crabapple petals swelling in the rain, sticky and like an insoluble sorrow.
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