Chapter 350: Whispering in the Warm Room, Shocking News from Another World
The chilling, decaying air of Huaiyin Courtyard seemed to still cling to the corner of Yongqi's moon-white robe. He clutched the tiny indigo fiber, his knuckles white with the strain, as if grasping the cold tongue of a venomous snake. With the force of suppressed thunder, he scurried through the corridors, heading straight for the East Courtyard. E Min's tentacles had penetrated into the abandoned corners of the palace, perhaps even encroaching on the former site of Taiping Lake! This realization filled him with a rage and anxiety that threatened to burst forth. Xiaoyanzi had just given birth, her body was frail, and her young son was still in swaddling clothes... Any hint of a threat must be extinguished immediately!
As soon as he stepped into the outer room of the warm room in the east courtyard, Yongqi's hurried footsteps suddenly stopped.
In the inner room of the warm room, morning light filtered through the crimson screens, spreading softly. The air was filled with the faint aroma of medicine and the delicate scent of milk from a sleeping child. Little Swallow wasn't lying down as he had left her. Instead, she leaned against a large apricot-yellow brocade pillow, covered by a thick quilt. Her face remained pale, but her eyes were remarkably clear. Seated on an embroidered cushion beside her bed was Emperor Qianlong, dressed in bright yellow formal attire, a subtle solemnity between his brows.
"...Don't worry, Father." Xiaoyanzi's voice was weak and hoarse, typical of postpartum women, yet it revealed a strange sense of calmness and relief. "Yongqi has gone to Huaiyin Courtyard personally. No matter how deeply Emin, that venomous snake, hides its tail, it will eventually come out."
Qianlong nodded slightly, his well-maintained fingers unconsciously stroking the jade ring on his thumb. His gaze fell deeply on Xiaoyanzi's face. "You have suffered. This fire, and that black shadow... I have ordered the Sticking Rod Department to thoroughly investigate Xilin Gioro Mansion and Taiping Lake. Qingfeng Pavilion..." He paused, his voice lowered. "Did you understand the secret code on the map?"
Xiaoyanzi nodded softly, her fingertips instinctively tracing the belly beneath the brocade quilt. There, once nurtured the child who never came, now only emptiness and hidden pain remained. She looked up at Qianlong, her large eyes, once filled with a carefree light, now shrouded in the complexities and emotions of two lifetimes. "I see. Snake-Eye Water... Father Emperor, sometimes I feel like so many things in this life are different...different from 'the last.'" She finally used a vague yet pointed word, in front of the only person who knew all her secrets.
Qianlong's eyes suddenly focused, their sharp, hawk-like gaze sweeping across Eunuch Su and Mingyue Caixia, who stood at the entrance to the warm room. They immediately held their breath, lowered their heads, and retreated to a further corner, ensuring that no one could overhear the emperor's daughter's whispers. Instantly, the only sound in the warm room was the youngest son's long, subtle breathing.
Xiaoyanzi paid no heed to the others' retreat. Her gaze passed over Qianlong, as if piercing the mists of time and space. Her voice carried the gentleness and contentment of someone who had survived a catastrophe. "In my last life... I was clueless, like a headless fly, bruised and bloodied. I lost so much... my parents, my brother... I almost forgot who I was. But this life..." Her lips curved into a weak, yet incredibly genuine smile. Her gaze fell on the young child sleeping soundly in the cradle, and as if through the wall, she saw Mianrui and Mianxin sleeping peacefully with their wet nurse. "I have parents and a brother who protects me by my side. I have Yongqi who treats me with sincerity. I also have Rui'er, Xin'er, and this little one..." She gently patted the quilt. "Although I almost died again this time... I am content. Truly, Father Huang, in this life... I am very happy."
Her voice was low, but each word was clear, carrying the insight and gratitude of someone who had experienced many vicissitudes of life. This "happiness" was a treasure she had fought for two lifetimes to grasp, and it was her confidence to resist all conspiracies and tricks.
Qianlong listened quietly, the lines of his majestic face softening slightly. He looked at this "daughter" before him, the one who had once infuriated, amused, and distressed him, and saw the quiet light in her eyes, nurtured by family love and a stable life, a glimmer of emotion he had never seen in his previous life. He felt a mixture of relief, sorrow, and a belated, heavy responsibility to protect her. He reached out, carrying the weight of an emperor and the rare warmth of a father, and gently stroked Xiaoyanzi's hair, which had fallen to the pillow. His movements were a little awkward, but they were filled with deep care.
"Silly girl..." Qianlong's voice was low and gentle, filled with an indescribable emotion. "I'm... very pleased that you think this way. All the things in your past life are like passing clouds and smoke. In this life, you have the Fang family, Xiao Jian, Yongqi, my protection, and these children... This blessing is earned by yourselves. As for those evil spirits..." His eyes suddenly turned fierce, and the pressure of the emperor instantly spread. "Your husband and I will sweep them away for you! Just rest assured and take care of yourself. Keep your body strong for me and watch the children grow up."
Xiaoyanzi's eyes warmed slightly as she nodded vigorously, uttering a nasal "hmm." This promise from the emperor, a tacit understanding from a past life, soothed her frightened heart better than any panacea.
However, this tender and affectionate conversation that touched upon the secrets of two lives was heard word for word like thunder in Yongqi's ears as he stood by the pearl curtain outside the warm room!
He stood frozen in place as if under a spell of immobilization, and all the blood in his body seemed to solidify and flow backwards in an instant!
"Previous life"?
"Confused and bruised and bleeding"?
"Lost my parents and brother"?
"I almost forgot who I am"?
"In this life...I am very happy"?
And that complex and emotional "silly girl" that the Emperor called out to him, and the line "All that happened in my past life is like a passing cloud"?!
Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yongqi's heart hard! The indigo fiber in his hand had already fallen to the ground silently in his unconscious grip.
It wasn't that he hadn't had his doubts. Xiaoyanzi's almost prophetic avoidance of certain aspects of palace rules upon her arrival; her uncanny, almost paternal, trust and closeness towards certain people (like the Empress and Madam Rong); her unwavering yet compassionate concern for Ziwei's life; even the occasional look in her eyes that seemed too old for her age... These subtle differences had all caused a ripple in his heart, but they were easily masked by her radiant smile and her identity as "Miss Fang of Jiangnan."
He always thought that it was just her natural intelligence, or that the Fang family had taught her well, or... she really had a wonderful bond with the Emperor that went beyond the relationship between a monarch and his subject, and a father and his daughter.
But now, these few words heard through the curtain, like a lightning bolt tearing through the night sky, instantly illuminated all the ignored doubts! Connecting them into a shocking, incredible, yet... inexplicably fitting truth!
“Last life”… “This life”…
Could it be... could it be that his Little Swallow, his wife as bright as fire and as nimble as a swallow, was truly, as those bizarre stories said, reborn with... the memories of a past life?!
This thought was like a pour of icy water over Yongqi's head, sending a chill through his body. It was also like a raging fire burning his heart, causing a roaring in his head! He subconsciously took a step back, but his foot stepped on the fallen indigo fiber. The subtle touch brought him back to reality from his great shock.
In the warm room, Xiaoyanzi seemed to be whispering something to Qianlong, her voice soft and gentle. Qianlong's steady, soothing voice rang out again, saying, "I will take care of Emin's affairs. Don't worry."
Yongqi inhaled sharply, his heart pounding so hard it threatened to shatter his ribs. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, using the sharp pain to force himself to calm down. He couldn't go in! Not now! Shock, confusion, heartache, disbelief—a swirling mix of emotions—surfaced on his face, ultimately dissolving into a deep, ocean-like solemnity.
He took one last, deep, complex look at the falling bead curtain, as if to see through it, the wife within, possessing a soul from two lives. Then, as quietly as he had come, he turned and exited the outer room of the warm room, walking heavily towards the study. Each step was a tidal wave that overturned his understanding.
The strand of indigo fiber he had stepped on lay alone on the cold tile floor, unnoticed. Meanwhile, a storm of secrets from two lifetimes had already stirred within Prince Rong's heart, stirring up enormous waves.
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