Chapter 159 Chapter 159 "In the depths of the nine springs, I wish you peace from afar...
Nan Qiongshuang was stunned for a moment.
Qinglian and Yuanxiang were also caught off guard. They looked at each other and turned back to see her expression.
She was unsure whether this person was real or fake, and her arms were still resting on the carved railing of the chaise longue, without speaking or moving.
He looked at him coldly.
Zhang Du stood in her deep gaze, without any guilty feeling or avoidance, facing her gaze openly, and took out a small package from his lapel.
Hand it in front of her.
Nan Qiong Shuang lowered her eyes.
A light, flat package, wrapped in a piece of snow-white silk with plum blossoms embroidered on it.
When the silk appeared before her, she almost burst into tears, but managed to stop herself.
She didn't even have to recognize his handkerchief.
She knew that everything he carried with him was his without having to see it.
Everything has his breath.
A tear hung on her eyelashes, she bit her lips again and again between her teeth, slowly reached out her hand and took it.
She said in a nonchalant tone, "What else did he say to me?"
Zhang Du: “No more.”
She took off the white silk scarf outside, her expression was cold, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.
"Only one sentence."
Zhang Du bowed to her.
She was tearing the outer paper in her hands and listening.
"Mr. Gu had hoped to see you one last time. But he also anticipated that after this incident, the Regent would send his personal guards to place the Empress under house arrest, so he told you, 'Don't be embarrassed.'"
She bit her tongue, and there was already a hint of sweetness in her mouth.
"The master said, 'Don't be embarrassed, don't force it. Assess the situation and protect yourself wisely.'"
Be prudent and protect yourself.
He died over there, and told her to protect herself here.
She said, "Okay, go down."
Zhang Du saluted and strode forward. The sound of armor gradually faded away.
With a creak, the palace door closed.
The hall was so quiet that you could even hear the blood vessels beating beneath your skin.
Nan Qiongshuang looked at the paper package that had not yet been fully opened, and suddenly felt a fear of an uncertain future.
If she read what was inside, she really didn't know if she could continue acting.
She thought blankly for a moment, and finally said to the two maids serving beside the chaise longue:
"You two, with the same surname Gu, colluded with each other. Do you know what crime you will be convicted of if you are inside the gate?"
Her tone was too calm and too light, as if she was a female ghost, blowing out words in a sinister voice.
Qinglian and Yuanxiang were horrified when they heard this. They hunched their shoulders and lowered their heads: "Your servants..."
"The Rebirth Sect hates traitors the most." She was already at the end of her strength, and threatened shakily:
"You leaked my information to him, which is considered betrayal. ... I don't care what your reasons are, or what suffering you endured. You were supposed to be doing my work, but you were bribed by my prey midway. This kind of thing... I'll report it to the Judicial Records Department, and you two will die a horrible death. Not even the dogs in the mass grave... will bother to look at it."
"Your Majesty, your servants..." The two of them immediately knelt down with tears in their eyes, looking up at her eagerly, "We really shouldn't have done that, but we were saved by Mr. Gu at that time..."
"Just because I was saved by him, I can betray him." She smiled bitterly. She had been saved by Gu Huaijin countless times, but she had never betrayed him. "I was saved by him, and he persuaded me with his emotional appeal and reasoning, and my memory was hurt. So I easily listened to his words."
Her face was pale as she smiled. "Have you ever considered that I, Nan Qiong Shuang, am the most prominent figure in the Paradise Hall...? You're showing off your skills right under my nose... Are you tired of living?"
Qinglian lowered her head, shivered sadly, and said nothing.
Yuanxiang suddenly raised her face, her skin flushed red. "My Lady, if you're willing... if you're willing..." She didn't have the courage to say what she was willing to say, so she passed it over silently. "The two of us, until the day you redeem yourself, will only serve you and speak well of you. Even if those inside ask us anything, we won't tell you!"
Silence between the two parties was Yuanxiang's request and also her bargaining chip.
Nan Qiongshuang leaned on the chaise longue and looked at the person in front of her.
Yuanxiang was shaking uncontrollably, but her eyes were firm and bright. She was driven to the brink of treason and showed some extreme excitement.
She sneered.
He dared to ask her something like "No matter what they ask inside", perhaps this girl had already sensed something.
Well, she acted too out of control tonight, so it's normal for people to see something.
She said, "She's so smart, that's the best." Then she tilted her head to look at the back of Qinglian's head: "...She agreed, what about you?"
Qing Lian: "I dare not! I...even if you redeem me, I will not reveal a single word to anyone inside the sect!"
"A smart person, easy to talk to." She was weak and tired, her fingers circling the paper bag. "... Remember, if I redeem myself in the future, but because of something I say, I am caught by our sect again... No one will think it's a good idea. Remember?"
"Slaves, remember this! Remember this!"
Nan Qiong Shuang finally finished perfunctorily dealing with the two of them and waved her hand aside:
"Go down."
The two men retreated, and the hall became as quiet as a still pond.
She finally found the courage to open the small paper package.
Inside, there was a folded piece of paper and some heavy little things.
As soon as the hand tilted, the little things slid along and squeezed into the corner.
She ignored it and took out the paper and opened it.
He writes regular script in an elegant and neat manner.
Her stomach skipped a beat and her hands began to tremble.
Under the pale blue moonlight, the letter paper was slightly yellowed. It began with four words written in ink: "Shuang'er Ruwen."
"When Qingqing opened the letter, Jin's long-cherished wish was fulfilled."
"That night in the Orchid Pavilion, the jade tablet was stolen, and the entire mountain collapsed. I have always put you first, and I am overwhelmed with shame for causing this disaster. I have no face to live in such disgrace, so I seek to be released. I only ask that you please do not worry about me."
"What we did today should have been done earlier. However, when we parted at Hanxue Peak that year, I was heartbroken and unable to cope. I had to see you again, so I shamelessly lived for many years. Now that I meet you again, and you are well and happy, I can finally let go of this feeling and rest in peace in the underworld."
"I hope you will not grieve over Huai Jin's passing. Tian Shan fell at my hands, and it is only natural that I should have sacrificed my life for him. Huai Jin has also endured for a long time, both in public and private life, exhausting himself, heartbroken, sleepless nights, and it is difficult to continue. Sacrificing my life for the mountain today is my long-cherished wish. Only by passing away can I find liberation."
"The disaster at Tianshan was my fault, not yours, and I have never blamed you. Protecting Tianshan is my duty. I failed to do so, leading to the decline of our sect. I cannot blame others. Between you and me, it's just that you performed your duties better; there is no right or wrong. Huaijin was weak and gullible, and was defeated by the hands of the Wangsheng Sect. The winner is the king, and the loser is the bandit. I accept the loss."
"This is not your fault, please don't blame yourself."
"When I first met Qingqing beneath the Tianshan Mountains, I never regretted it. Qingqing pitied me, loved me, protected me, and saved me. Huaijin is deeply grateful. When Huaijin was punished, Qingqing rowed the boat down the river, her features elegant and beautiful, as gentle as water. Since then, because of Qingqing, I have come to understand what love is in this world. It is gratitude, not resentment, affection, not hatred. Even though we say goodbye today, even as a ghost in the underworld, I still miss Qingqing."
"You don't have to worry about me."
"From now on, I will bless you from the depths of the nine springs."
"Huai Jin's last work."
Nan Qiong Shuang lay on the chaise longue, her hands pressed tightly against her chest. Although she was on land, she felt as if she was drowning and was suffocating. She tried her best to draw air into her lungs.
Exhausted, she forced herself to take out the remaining small items from the package.
A ring. In the center was a shimmering, transparent bead, his natal bead.
A comb. The comb they had used to tie their hair together at the Qiqiao Festival before Lan Pavilion's night.
She was shaking so much that tears were streaming down her face.
The last thing was a thin, slender piece of wood.
She took it out.
In the moonlight, there are four red characters written in cinnabar:
"Half fate, half disaster."
On the second day, the Jin Ge guards still did not withdraw.
Guards were standing guard at all the doors of Handan Palace. Looking out the window, I saw a row of black-clad figures standing in a row at the bottom of the corridor, so tall that they almost touched the tassels under the lanterns.
Nan Qiong Shuang lay on the couch, staring at the sliver of sky outside the window.
The pitiful blue sky was covered by the bed curtains, screened by the carved windows, pressed by the eaves, and obscured by the backs of the golden-armed guards. In her eyes, it looked gray and powerless.
Outside the window, cicadas chirped loudly, and the leaves of flowers and plants swayed gently in the summer breeze.
The flowers, plants and trees are all as normal as ever.
She looked out the window, like a fish stranded in a puddle on the beach, longing for the sea.
A sleepless night. Very tired, but unable to sleep.
No news. Wu Dao hadn't returned to report. Qing Lian Yuan Xiang was imprisoned with her, unable to leave.
Zhang Du didn't give her any more news, and when he saw her again, he looked arrogant and impatient again.
However, even if there is news, Li Xuanbai will not allow it to be leaked into Handan Palace.
Even Zichen Palace never came to see her again.
She lay on the couch with her back facing up, looking dazed and dull.
She didn't know when, but lunch was delivered from outside the hall and placed right under her nose.
It was still a table full of fresh and rare delicacies, not diminished by her circumstances, and even more abundant.
Yuanxiang and Qinglian stood in front of the couch, and tried to persuade her worriedly for a long time.
She lightly got off the couch, walked to the table to get the wine jug and wine cup, lightly walked around the table full of delicacies, and got back on the couch.
She didn't drink alcohol originally, not even a drop, but she was afraid that if she drank, she would say something she shouldn't.
But right now, life would be too hard to bear without some wine.
She suddenly remembered that there was some leftover knockout drug in her sleeve. She mixed it with the wine, drank it in one gulp, and fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already late at night.
The lights in the hall were lit again.
The Handan Palace was still silent. Outside, chaos had probably broken out. She was confined alone in the palace, seemingly forgotten.
At this time, dinner was brought in from outside the hall. Because she woke up late, dinner was also delivered late.
The table was covered with dishes of delicacies from land and sea, and the light of a palace lantern flickered dimly in the corner. She grasped her ivory chopsticks, her mind wandering, lazy and unwilling to move.
The two maids kept urging her, "Madam, please eat a little more. You haven't eaten a single grain of rice since last night..."
She slammed her ivory chopsticks on the table and said, "I don't want to eat."
"Your Majesty..."
"These dishes were all ordered by the Regent, right?" She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting shadows in the dim light. "We've never had such delicious meals before. What's the matter? You've put me under house arrest, and you're so attentive to these insignificant things?"
Yuanxiang quickly turned around to look outside and raised her index finger to her lips:
"Your Majesty, please keep your voice down. There are only the Regent's men outside."
"The Prince Regent," she smiled. "So what if he heard me? Just call him over! You've locked me up here for no apparent reason, not letting me out or in. Even when the Emperor had a headache, you wouldn't let me see him! I don't know what excuse they've given me, what crime I've committed, or how long they plan to keep me locked up for!"
"Your Majesty..."
She gritted her teeth and laughed, "He sealed off my Handan Palace like that, without even saying a word, refusing to even show up to explain. He's imprisoned me here all by myself! Could it be that he imprisoned someone without even saying a word to me?! What palace rule did I break?!"
"Your Majesty...you..."
She grabbed the small wine cup on the table and threw it towards the door of the hall with all her strength. The small wine cup exploded with a snap and said, "Stop trying to persuade me!"
Qinglian Yuanxiang quickly knelt down and said yes.
She was so angry that she was panting. Her eyes were fixed on the two uneasy palace maids lying on the ground, but her ears were perked up, listening carefully to the noise outside.
Outside the carved silk partition door, rows of tall figures stood with their backs to the hall, solemn and silent.
Suddenly, a figure hurried out from the other side of the door where a shallow scratch was made by the fragments of the wine cup and ran to deliver a message.
Nan Qiongshuang was relieved and stared blankly at the delicious food on the table.
She simply couldn't imagine what was happening outside the palace.
If something really happened to him...
She couldn't think at all.
She held her forehead and pounded her temples.
Why is there still no news? I just asked Wu Dao to pass on a message.
If Yun Man Yue knew she was asking for help, he would definitely come to her aid. With Wu Dao's speed, it wouldn't take more than two hours to find Yun Man Yue; even if he could summon Yun Man Yue, it would probably take less than two hours.
All in all, she can leave the palace tonight no matter what.
She lay back down on the couch, forcing herself to rest more so as not to strain her spirit.
Mist Blade: "Nan Qiong Shuang."
She sat up suddenly and looked at the shadow that slowly emerged from the shadows.
"How about it?"
"I'll carry out your instructions." Wu Dao squatted beside her bed like a dog. "Unfortunately, it's unfortunate that Master Yun is busy with other errands right now. He can't find anyone and can't come here."
Nan Qiongshuang's face remained calm, and she scratched her palm with her hands at her side.
"I see." She raised an eyebrow. "It's okay. What's the news outside?"
My heart slowly hung in the air, as the sharp and unblinking guillotine was below.
"It's a mess, it's a mess." Wu Dao clung to her bedside and laughed:
"Won't the situation change drastically with the death of that guy surnamed Gu? Everyone has their own plans. The mad emperor keeps calling that old prince into the palace; he's seriously ill and near death. That Prince Ding has sent Chang Zhong to Shanhaiguan to mobilize troops, while he himself is in Beijing, guarding the three Fuyu guards, awaiting the next step. That kid surnamed Li is much more secretive. I haven't been to the palace these days, but I suspect he's also mobilizing troops from the capital."
Nan Qiong Shuang listened to the whole story from beginning to end with her mind swaying, but she didn't hear the words she had to hear, and her whole body felt numb.
"What do you mean by 'Gu's death'?" She finally understood something, and her dull eyes focused a little. "Gu's not dead yet?"
"No." Wu Dao smiled.
The clouds in her heart suddenly cleared up.
“But soon.”
Nan Qiongshuang felt cold all over.
"It's nothing serious, auntie. Don't you have a way? A way to deal with that man?" Wu Dao scratched his cheekbone. "You asked Lord Yun to come, didn't you just want to leave the palace? That's easy! I can take you out of the palace, right?"
Nan Qiong Shuang looked at Wu Dao's smug expression and was stunned by what she heard.
Such a simple method, why did she think of it just now? Is she stupid?
She said, "You're missing a hand, how can you help me leave the palace? The Regent's elite soldiers are all outside—" Her face was radiant, and she poked his nose with her index finger threateningly, "—If you dare to brag to me and expose my true identity, don't even think about your money, you can forget about your life!"
"I understand, of course I understand. It's just a small matter, this..."
"Greetings to the Regent."
Li Xuanbai's voice: "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
The guard outside said, "Your Majesty is fine."
With a creak, the palace door was pushed open.
When Nan Qiong Shuang turned around again, the figure beside the couch had disappeared.
The lights in the hall were dim, and she was in an uneasy mood. There were only two weak short candles lit in the palace, and they were dim and yellow.
Li Xuanbai stood under the large tassels, his unruly face looking particularly noble under the swaying light. His expression was gloomy. He lifted the hanging veil with one hand and met her eyes through everything in the room.
Neither of them spoke.
After a long while, he came closer and spoke first:
"I heard you were making a fuss. What are you making a fuss about?"
He didn't look at her, but just grabbed her teacup and took a sip of water.
She stared at him with red eyes, her chest heaving.
He glanced lightly at the round table outside where food was spread out, and sneered, "I heard they're on a hunger strike?"
Hunger strike?
She sneered, "I just haven't had an appetite lately."
Li Xuanbai snorted coldly, stood up, and walked towards the table in the hall where the dishes were placed. "Come here and have a good meal."
Nan Qiong Shuang was still lying on the couch, not moving.
Li Xuanbai half-lowered his eyes: "Come here."
This big Buddha has such a frighteningly unruly temper that even she is afraid of him.
She slowly got down from the floor and shuffled towards the table.
Li Xuanbai stood by the table, hands on his hips, looking around, and snorted, "You're such a jerk. I made a whole table of dishes just for you, and you didn't even touch a chopstick." He calmly picked up the ivory chopsticks she had placed on the bowl and said to Qinglian, "Tell someone to make some stir-fried shrimp, blanched choy sum, and corn with pine nuts. Send them over right away."
He sat down again and started eating the crab meat lion head on the table.
A distant voice was as soft as a mosquito: "Your Highness, those ivory chopsticks... were used by the Empress."
Li Xuanbai smiled and paused for a moment, still picking up the dishes, staring at Nan Qiongshuang, and slowly put the lion's head into his mouth.
Nan Qiong Shuang's eyebrows twitched.
Yuanxiang immediately lowered her head and stepped back, her legs went weak and she almost fell to her knees.
Li Xuanbai: "Today, the words between the king and the queen are like this: whoever has ears will not have a head."
Qinglian Yuanxiang knelt on the ground in panic: "I understand."
He waved his hand and said, "Get out of here!" Then he said, "Zhang Du."
Zhang Du walked into the hall with a stern expression and bowed.
"All Jin Ge guards must retreat outside the courtyard and guard the gate. No one is allowed to approach."
Zhang Du accepted the order, saluted solemnly, and strode out of the hall.
He asked lazily, "Why do you have no appetite? Is it because you heard that something happened to that man, or because I have banned him, or is it because you are worried about the emperor's headache?"
She simply asked, "How is he?"
Li Xuanbai hated it most that she cared about another man even though he was right in front of her, so he sneered.
Her eyes were red: "I asked you how he is!"
Li Xuanbai played with his earrings and squinted at her.
"I'm asking you, why are you locking me up? On what grounds do you have to detain me? You're so brazenly sending troops to detain me. Aren't you afraid of rumors spreading that you and I have an affair?"
"Rumors?" Li Xuanbai shook his legs. "I've never been afraid of rumors."
"If you're not afraid, then shouldn't I be too? You're the regent, and I'm the concubine! Rumors are everywhere. You hold the power, but I'm in the hands of the emperor. I don't know how I'll be tortured!"
Li Xuanbai laughed. "If I wanted to protect you, who could possibly harm you? Chu Jiaojiao, you're not blind to the situation. You know I'm the one with the greatest chance of success in this situation of two tigers on one mountain. Yet, you're so smart, yet you don't know which side to side with? Why do you keep ignoring me for a guy named Gu? Look at how you acted in Zichen Palace yesterday!"
The more he spoke, the colder his tone became. He slammed his ivory chopsticks on the table.
"Look at how flustered you were yesterday! You lost all your soul! You knew that lunatic was with Mao Linyan, yet you lost your composure like that! Is that man that important to you?! If I hadn't covered it up for you, that lunatic would have heard all that shit you said to him. Would you still be alive to question me in Handan Palace?"
She was immediately speechless and gasped in embarrassment.
"Even I was kept in the dark." Li Xuanbai smiled coldly, stood up, and walked in front of her, looking down at her with his arms crossed. "You kept telling me that there was nothing between you and him, that's why I protected you so much. If I hadn't seen you like that with my own eyes, I would have really believed that you had nothing to do with him!"
She laughed when she heard it. "Why, you look like a man who has caught an adulterer and is here to punish him."
After hearing this, Li Xuanbai didn't get angry but laughed instead, tilting his head and looking down at her nonchalantly.
Nan Qiong Shuang neither dodged nor avoided - it was really strange, she knew Li Xuanbai's temper best, but at the moment she just wanted to contradict him, and it would be best if she could just anger him to death.
He smiled and said, "Let me ask you, what is your relationship with him, and what is your relationship with me?"
Nan Qiongshuang found it more and more amusing. Did he really want to ask her for a title, the regent?
She had so many men, two of whom could be called her first wives. But no matter how she ranked them, she couldn't place him, Li Xuanbai.
She didn't answer, but smiled: "What do you think?"
Li Xuanbai: "Since you're so in love with him, you're actually trying to hook me up with him too. What's going on? Are you trying to use me for your own benefit?"
"No." She squinted her eyes and spoke softly, "I can't hide away."
Li Xuanbai couldn't believe it.
She still smiled: "Don't forget who is chasing whom."
"On Mount Tianshan, you were the one chasing me. Coming down from Mount Tianshan, you were the one chasing me. Did I force you? Did I seduce you? Did I drug you? No. Who's holding on to who?"
She smiled contemptuously, extended her index finger, and gently stroked his chin—her unique, disdainful intimacy, her tone as light as a mountain spirit:
"You chased me, showed me your affection, and yet you still blamed me for using you. Regent, there is no such thing as a beautiful heart that doesn't come at a price."
"Since you understand this principle," he punched the round table, causing the dishes to clink, "how come you still rely on me while being attentive to others?!"
"Don't be angry, cousin," she said, "Who promised me that I would love you if you did all this?"
She smiled with her eyes curved, twirling her hair across her chest. "You've helped me so much, but I don't like you. Can you blame me? You should look for the reasons within yourself."
"Chu Jiaojiao." Li Xuanbai laughed in anger. He had never been played with like this before in his life. "Don't you want to live anymore?"
"Yes, I don't want to live anymore." Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Didn't I tell you? My life is short. Why are you provoking a desperate criminal? Even if you want to kill my nine clansmen, I don't have nine clansmen to kill for you. We are all bloodthirsty warriors, who would be afraid of death?"
"Okay, okay. You want to die, right? Very good." He picked up a small wine cup on the table and cracked it in his palm with a click. Wine immediately gushed out of it. He slowly opened his palm, revealing a bloody porcelain shard embedded in his flesh. He held it out to her and said, "I'll give you an intact body. Don't you love him? Die the same way he did. Slit your wrists!"
Nan Qiongshuang took it and turned over her wrist without saying a word.
Li Xuanbai had no time to stop it. Just as she focused her eyes, the white porcelain piece was already stuck upright on her wrist.
His head buzzed.
"Okay, okay. You little bastard—" He grinned, clamped her other hand that was exerting force downwards, and called out: "—Call the imperial physician!"
Nan Qiong Shuang said nothing, breathing rapidly, but was determined to fight him head-on.
Li Xuanbai put his fist to his lips, sneered, nodded, and swore, "You want to die, and he wants to die too. If I don't help this star-crossed couple, I'd be committing a sin."
After saying this, he gritted his teeth, trembled slightly, and paced around in circles hurriedly, as if he was very busy.
Nan Qiong Shuang stiffened her neck and waited for his decision, refusing to give in.
The look on her face showed that the two of them had such a tacit understanding, how could Li Xuanbai not understand.
It's not that she doesn't know his temper, she just insists on doing it even though she knows it's wrong.
Li Xuanbai almost broke his teeth.
Finally, he smiled cruelly and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth:
"You little bastard, you're really spoiled."
"Want to die? It's not that easy." "Go to Jingsixuan to treat your injuries while accompanying that crazy woman."
The imperial physician arrived. He waved his hand and stepped over the threshold:
"Come here, take Concubine Zhen to Jingsi Pavilion!"
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