Chapter 173 Chapter 173 At this moment, very cunning, very cute...
For a long time, no one spoke in the hall.
Emperor Jiaqing's face turned blue and then red, and then red and then blue again. His chest swelled up several times. Finally, he swallowed all the words back between his teeth without saying a single word.
Wang Maoxing could only look at the emperor's face and speak carefully:
"Recently, many Jurchen merchants have taken advantage of the chaos to enter the capital, plundering the people and causing chaos everywhere. The Feiyu Guards truly need to patrol closely. ... It's late now, and the Emperor's injuries have stabilized. Sir, please return home for now. You've recently suffered a severe loss of energy and blood, and the current situation is dire. You should take extra care of your health."
"That's right, that's right." Chang Zhong wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeves and bowed with a shameless face. "Our army has encountered several cases of Jurchens fighting on credit! We soldiers have to deal with them every time! Take this assassin away quickly and deal with him as needed!"
Li Xuanbai was playing with the tassel of the jade pendant at his waist, spinning it around his finger while strolling to the side of the dragon bed and sitting down next to Nan Qiongshuang.
Holding his shoulders, he looked at the gloomy-looking person with a cheerful face:
"Why aren't you talking, sir?"
Gu Huaijin didn't answer and put the items into the medicine box one by one.
Nan Qiongshuang looked at Emperor Jiaqing with trepidation.
Emperor Jiaqing panted heavily for a long moment, his face turned inward. When he turned back, the gloom on his face had vanished. He smiled and waved his hand, "I don't believe this assassin was sent by the Three Guards of Fuyu. I only trust you, sir. You asked the Jurchens to stay in Beijing for Prince Ding's safety. I only trust you in everything." He then said earnestly, "Please do not harbor any grudges against me."
Gu Huaijin said nothing. He felt it was not appropriate for him to stay here any longer tonight, so he stood up, carrying his medicine box, and saluted.
"The dragon is fine. I'll take my leave now."
Emperor Jiaqing looked at his lonely back without saying another word.
The figure in the black robe sank down the long steps step by step, gradually blending into the dark night and becoming indistinguishable.
Nan Qiong Shuang withdrew her gaze, her heart beating wildly as if it was hanging in the air.
Gu Huaijin's only reliance in this situation was the Jiaqing Emperor's trust and reliance. He gained power only when he delegated authority. If the Jiaqing Emperor ever abandoned him, he would be defenseless against both Chang and Li, and even surrendering would be a disaster.
He's already too deep in the game, and he doesn't know where to go.
"Alright, it's late, and the Emperor has only suffered minor injuries. Everyone, please don't waste time around him, lest he freak out again." Li Xuanbai tapped his arm and ordered, "The Imperial Physician will be on duty here. General Chang will leave the palace, Prime Minister Wang will return home, and Concubine Sheng can stay wherever she wants. As for you—"
He pointed his finger at her, right at the tip of her nose:
"Come to my Daming Palace and chat for a while."
*
Inside the Daming Palace, there is a vast sea of candles.
Li Xuanbai always liked brilliance and brightness. He placed several huge branch-shaped floor lamps in the hall. The candles spread from the ground all the way up to the walls. When the wind blew, the whole palace was filled with dancing candlelight.
Nan Qiong Shuang stood outside the threshold. Li Xuanbai naturally crossed the threshold. Seeing that she did not follow him, he turned back and urged her:
"Come in."
Wu Shun bent down and lowered his head to help her lift the bead curtain at the door.
In the dead of night, she, a concubine, actually went to the Regent's bedroom, and Li Xuanbai didn't even bother to avoid him. It was truly a mess, and no one cared about these subtle details anymore.
She followed him in nervously.
Ever since Gu Huaijin's suicide attempt, Li Xuanbai had been hiding the news and confining her to her room, and the two had been at odds for days. These days, even when they did meet, they'd just glance at each other and pass by, neither paying any attention to the other.
Today, he called her name to come to the bedroom to talk. Perhaps he wanted to come clean because he saw that his days of peace were numbered.
Regarding her, him, and Gu Huaijin. After so many years of entanglement, it was finally time to lay it all out.
As soon as she entered the hall and walked around the gold-painted landscape, flower and bird screen at the door, she saw that Li Xuanbai's hair had let down and his apricot-yellow robe had been taken off. A palace maid was helping him change his clothes. His grape purple silk pajamas were loose, and he didn't even try to avoid her.
She stood in the hall, so shocked that her breathing became tight.
He walked out calmly, and seeing her like this, he pulled her long hair out from her collar and said:
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you..." Why did you change into pajamas? Don't you have something to say?
Li Xuanbai laughed and said, "What time is it? Take a look for yourself. Who wouldn't sleep in the dead of night?"
"sleep".
These words made her temples throb.
Nan Qiong Shuang rarely felt so at a loss as to what to do, so she turned her eyes away, pretended to be calm, and went to sit next to the low table where she usually sat.
Li Xuanbai was still adjusting his sleeves, and didn't say anything for a while.
The hall was eerily quiet, with only the flickering of candlelight to be heard.
The silence was oppressive. She secretly glanced at him. He stood in the hall, slowly lighting a candle, his dark hair draped loosely over his shoulders. The sea of candlelight on the wall flickered, reflecting on his silk nightgown, making him shine brightly. He tilted his face and lowered his head, and somehow, he seemed to be vaguely sad, and the silence was lonely.
He is proud and arrogant, and everyone has to bow down before him, but he is very lonely.
She wondered if it was an illusion. Normally, he was always so decisive and unstoppable, but suddenly he lowered his eyes and let down his arrogant ponytail. She was not quite used to it.
He looks like a gorgeous yet lonely beauty.
"Why are you..." She suddenly found herself at a loss for words, catching sight of the sword he had casually placed across from the low table. "Your sword..." The scabbard was surprisingly plain, without a single ornament. "Why is the scabbard so plain? You've always been incredibly extravagant. What's wrong? Have you changed your ways?"
He glanced at her and realized she was looking at his sword. He placed the lit candle on the candlestick and took another one to light.
"A long time ago, I made a bet with someone and lost, so I gave the good one to someone else."
"other people?"
"A close friend."
She rarely saw him socializing with anyone. He was too talented and had a violent temper. The Tianshan Mountains were all male disciples, and he had few brothers. Did he also have a habit of betting and having fun?
She lowered her eyes worriedly, intending to say less.
Li Xuanbai leisurely lit the candles one by one and placed them on the branch-like candlesticks:
"I called you here today to ask you something."
The stone in her heart slowly sank into the water: "You say."
"Chang Da can't pretend anymore. The situation is about to change. The capital is in chaos. Who will you choose?"
She didn't dare to think about it. She closed her eyes in annoyance for a moment and just said:
"I am the emperor's concubine."
Li Xuanbai sneered with his back to her:
"Concubine? You know clearly whether you are a concubine or not."
"I don't want to get too involved in your affairs. My identity is fake. I'm here just to do my job. Once the order to close the net comes down and the job is done, I'll turn around and leave. Whoever rules the country has nothing to do with me."
"You want to leave." He smiled and turned around. "Can you leave? When the nest is overturned, where can you take shelter? Do you think that after you have entered this far, you can just leave?"
She didn't answer.
The purple pajamas made his fox eyes look even more enchanting.
He continued to laugh, "Then let me ask you, if the situation changes first and the order you're waiting for hasn't come down yet, among the three of us, who would you choose?"
After a moment of silence, she still answered:
"I told you, I am the emperor's concubine."
Li Xuanbai said nothing, just chuckled and played with the candle leisurely.
The silence in the hall was so terrifying that it made one's scalp tingle.
His little pigeon-blood red earrings shone brightly in the sea of candlelight.
"Alright. I asked you twice, and you gave the same answer each time. Let me be frank. Rather than choosing that lunatic, you chose the one with the surname Gu."
His eyebrows were pressed together, and the candlelight reflected the gleam of resentment in his eyes:
"Why?"
She didn't know how to answer for a moment, so she just remained silent.
"Why? Do you love him?" He laughed, hugged his shoulders, leaned lightly against the temple pillar, and bent one leg.
"What do you love about him? What does he understand about you? If you tell him about the things you did in the past, you can see how shocked, fearful, and disappointed he would be. Do you think he can tolerate that side of you?"
"Unfortunately, he took it seriously." She held the teacup and looked directly at him, reading each word carefully. "He knew it a long time ago, and he tolerated it."
"Tolerate it?" He sneered. That stubborn old good man, how could he tolerate all those things she did?
"He's just saying it. It's because he's having such a long separation and he's feeling overwhelmed that he dares to say such big words. Ask him again in ten years. You two are completely different, worlds apart. With your bad temper, you're still entangled with a womanizing man. I can't understand what you're doing."
She was actually speechless and turned her head away, not looking at him. "Who really understands you and truly accepts you? Can't you tell, Chu Jiaojiao?"
He tilted his neck as if he was confused and sneered:
"Can he really tolerate your temper? The first time we met on Tianshan Mountain, you stabbed me in the heart with a small dagger, and I was willing to tolerate you doing such a thing!" His voice suddenly dropped, "--Because you have the same temper as me, we are too similar. So--"
Nan Qiong Shuang interrupted, shaking her head, "I don't think we are that similar."
"No? No!" He grinned, his teeth clenched as he touched her body one by one. "The pearls on your head were given by me because I like them. You wore them all over your head because you like them, too."
"The coral bracelet on your hand was also given by me. You wear it because you like it."
"The patterns on our clothes are the same: twined branches and precious flowers! Why? Have we discussed this? It's simply because you and I are similar!"
"I just like the same ornaments—" She pulled her sleeve to cover the coral bracelet.
"Just the same ornaments?" He sneered even more.
"Then let me ask you, how much have you acted in front of me? You've acted in front of everyone in Tianshan, but have you ever acted for even a moment in front of me? From the first time we met on Tianshan, you haven't acted! For so many years, on Tianshan, only you and I know each other's true nature! We were young and affectionate, and we cared for each other. You were the only one in the crowd who understood me, and I understood you. With just one look, we knew what each other meant!"
"Even after returning to Luojing, you know exactly how I treat you. I can also guess what you're doing there. You and I are both extremely suspicious, but we both tacitly agree not to ask too many questions. We don't even know each other's true feelings, yet we're willing to trust each other. Who else would dare to give such trust to other people besides you and me?"
"Yes, I do believe you." Nan Qiong Shuang said, "But when it comes to love..."
"If you ask me, there's no question of love between you and that Gu guy." He flung his sleeves back, sauntered over with his hands on his hips, "What does he love about you? That you're weak? That you're pitiful? That he can't even say two words about love without tears streaming down his face?"
"What do I love about you?" He approached step by step, candlelight burning all over the wall, his arrogance almost intimidating. "For so many years, I just loved your arrogance, your meanness, your contempt for others, and your unscrupulousness like a lump of ice!"
"Why should I need you to hide anything from me? I just happen to like your worst side! You and I are so similar, yet you're leaving me behind to play with someone completely different. Chu Jiaojiao, that Gu guy kicked you in the head!"
She was shocked and angry, but she also realized that he actually loved her evil, and she felt a little like a close friend, her chest heaving up and down:
"But love isn't something you can force simply by looking alike. Rather, it's because we're so alike that it's impossible."
"We are both equally selfish and unfeeling. If we can't get what we want, we'll let it go in a flash. But you also know that we don't care because we can't get it, we forget quickly because we can't keep it, and we let go of everything because we've been abandoned by others!"
As soon as he said the word "abandon", tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
Accumulated in the eyelashes, with the candle sea as the backdrop, are two golden threads.
She was so shocked that she was speechless: "We, we are too pessimistic. We don't believe that we will be loved, and we are unwilling to compromise for love. Therefore, we will not give more for each other, just like the Bodhi Pavilion back then—"
"Seriously? 'Wouldn't do anything for each other', seriously?"
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of her, not even taking the mat, but sitting directly beside her with his knees bent, one hand supported behind her. Even the small teardrop mole under his eye was clearly visible in the dim light:
"Theatre troupe, cinnabar paste, token to leave the palace, oriental pearls, coral bracelets, hairpins, necklaces, and pearl flowers—I didn't give you anything you wanted! I only remember the Bodhi Pavilion back then!"
He placed his palm on her shoulder, pushing her backwards. She frantically scrambled for the low table, and he pushed her to the corner between the window and the low table. The fragrance of his perfume filled her nostrils, and the movement of his two handsome lips frightened her.
"Then let me ask you, I just put you under house arrest, and you were so angry when you saw me that you didn't even look up. But then Xu Wei came up behind me with his sword drawn, why did you remind me again?"
"We were attacked in the lantern array just now. You and I have been at odds for a long time. Everyone is only concerned about the safety of that crazy emperor. Why are you the only one grabbing my arm and calling my name?"
"What kind of temper do I have? You contradicted me like that, but I still tolerated you and even sent people to the cold palace to bring you fruits. Do you know what I said? If it were anyone else, ten heads would be enough to kill them!"
He was already very close, his straight nose right in front of her. She had never been so close to him before.
If it were that person, at this distance, they would kiss.
His breaths gushed over her philtrum, and behind him, a wall of flickering candlelight filled the room. His movements sent a chaotic cacophony of light and shadow through the hall, leaving only that small earring gleaming like a sweet poison.
He is very handsome, with fox eyes, petal-shaped lips, and a very handsome look.
"Let me ask you, what have I become to you over the years?"
He had never questioned anyone so earnestly before. With his temper, he would have just beaten them to death.
He forced her into a corner and was still the one at a disadvantage.
Nan Qiong Shuang felt cold all over and took two sluggish breaths.
"It's not love, it's..."
He moved closer, half-closing his eyes and tilting his lips, almost kissing the top of her lips.
Her heart was pounding:
"——He's a close friend."
"Who the hell wants to be your confidant!"
Suddenly there was a loud shout in the hall, and the candlelight in the hall flickered. Before Nan Qiong Shuang could react, she saw a sea-tiled ceiling with thousands of shadows in front of her. She was pushed to the carpet, a Persian velvet carpet with a Baoxiang flower pattern - in front of her was a furious man.
Li Xuanbai's long hair cascaded softly to both sides of her. He had a high nose and deep eye sockets, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow. With his back to the candle wall, the light and shadow on his face were deep and unpredictable. He slowly pushed her knees apart with one knee.
The air was thick as poison.
Nan Qiong Shuang was so shocked that her whole body was numb. How come it wasn't just Gu Huaijin, this guy was also going crazy for the word love. Why were all men like this?
She shuddered inwardly, pretending to be calm on the surface, and raised the corners of her mouth: "I say, think twice before you do anything."
Li Xuanbai rubbed his teeth and sneered, scratching her chin with an intimate threat:
"Why, do you really think I dare not force you?"
"Do you dare?" The person beneath him laughed, his eyes teasing and sharp as he glared at him. "Say it again, do you really dare? You know my personality—"
"You know perfectly well that my personality is just like yours. We are exactly alike. Can't you guess what the result will be if you force me?"
Li Xuanbai said nothing, his earrings swaying slightly with his heavy breathing, flickering so brightly that she was afraid and frightened.
His hair was long and slightly wavy. She hadn't figured it out for some reason.
She waited for his reply in fear.
Li Xuanbai's lips opened and closed, opened and closed again, his eyes were dark and turbid, his pupils narrowed again and again, and his breathing was so heavy that...she suspected that he was aroused.
Her heart felt dizzy and cold.
He wouldn't really want to be here...
Over the years, she had never been so helpless in the hands of a man. He was so aggressive and timid:
"Years of friendship are ruined in an instant. Don't force me."
a long time.
The candlelight behind him was bright, and his handsome face was sinister and ferocious. Finally, he slowly stood up.
It only stopped a few inches in front of her nose.
Heavy pressure.
"Then let me ask you, what does it mean to be a close friend?"
Seeing the opportunity, she hurriedly sat up, but he pushed her against the window corner without saying a word.
She looked up along the corner of his lips and into his eyes.
He smelled very good and both of them were panting.
In the candlelight, his shadow covered her entire body, and she felt as if she was being pressed down by a mountain of shadow, unable to move.
That incense may be a message of spring in the snow.
She suddenly felt that this moment was very cunning and scary.
"Confidant..." She still pretended to be calm, "What does confidant mean? Don't you understand?"
"Who between me and him understands you?" He only said six words.
She said, "You."
His long crow-feather eyelashes drooped lazily, and he enjoyed it in a solitary and arrogant manner.
She continued, "But so-called love doesn't necessarily require a confidant. I'm not one of those pedantic scholars, like Yu Boya, Zhong Ziqi, Jia Baoyu, and Lin Daiyu. I don't expect anyone to understand me, nor do I need anyone to."
"Huai Jin loves me, cherishes me, and tolerates me. I show him my worst side, and he accepts it."
"He loves me, but he doesn't use me to satisfy himself. Everything he does is for my own good."
She didn't know why she choked up when she said this:
"I've been loved by countless men, but he's the only one who loves me for my own good. So you don't have to tell me whether you understand or not. I'll just say this: if what Huai Jin went through happened to you, we'd definitely fight to the death, and there's no way we could forgive each other!"
"You mean, it doesn't matter that I understand you?"
"Yes!" she said in a clear and firm voice. "I don't need people to understand me. I need people to help me and tolerate me."
He seemed to have been hit on the head and was shattered to the ground.
All the anger and questions were stuck in my throat painfully.
Yes, the surname Gu is kind-hearted, and he cannot give the tolerance and fulfillment that he can.
After a long moment, he sneered and sat up straight.
She slowly sat up, and they sat side by side. He still looked indifferent, and she continued:
"So, you don't have to say anything like, 'He's just having a hard time dealing with himself after not seeing each other for so long.' Do I understand him, or do you? I do have a question for you - you've seen with your own eyes how Huai Jin has become because of me. With your personality, can you really love me without reservation?"
Li Xuanbai lowered his head and played with his sleeves, but suddenly stopped moving.
For a long time, his eyelashes pressed against his eyes, and he didn't even blink.
She said, "You say you love me now, but that's just because you can't get the love you want and you're just confused for a moment. If I really agree to it, you'll remember how heartless I am, how cunning I am, how hard to please, and how ungrateful I am. If he were a disciple of Tianshan, it would be fine, but as the regent of a country, how dare I keep someone like him by my side!"
Li Xuanbai was not annoyed, but smiled quietly after hearing it. He lowered his head for a while, and finally stood up and paced leisurely, smiling as he walked.
The hall was completely silent, with only his gentle laughter echoing in the air.
Nan Qiong Shuang didn't understand why he was laughing.
The candlelight flickered, and he walked around like a ghost, hands behind his back, in the bright light. Finally, with trembling hands, he grabbed a teacup beside him, moistened his throat, and hugged his shoulders, as if he was cold all over.
"How do you know I—"
The words were not yet finished.
There was a loud bang in the hall.
The echo resounded, the hall hummed, and the gilded screen of landscapes, flowers and birds at the door suddenly fell over. Amidst the sawdust and dust, stood a man in black clothes with wide sleeves.
Gu Huaijin stood in the dark shadows, his entire body seemingly engulfed by the darkness of the entrance, leaving only his snow-white face.
"Regent, that's not enough."
Half of Nan Qiong Shuang's three souls and seven spirits flew away.
Li Xuanbai leaned against the hall pillar with his legs bent, his laughter trembling more and more. He swallowed the bitter tea in his throat, and his voice seemed to be choked with sobs:
"Jump out, you lost the bet."
Gu Huaijin had already entered the hall and walked straight towards the person in the middle who was stunned and frantically recalling her thoughts. Without saying anything, he grabbed her wrist:
"She didn't choose you, so you didn't win."
Li Xuanbai played with the small earrings, feeling quite contented:
"Don't be so proud. You two are in love? How ridiculous. If you were in my position, you would be in cahoots with the enemy who destroyed our country!"
Nan Qiong Shuang suddenly felt the force on her wrist tighten by three points.
Gu Huaijin's figure was like a depressing and barren cliff.
Li Xuanbai held his forehead and smiled for a long while. Then he casually changed his legs and bent them, waving his purple sleeves like smoke that was blown away by the wind.
"Go away, all of you, go away quickly."
Gu Huaijin hurriedly led her out of the Daming Palace.
Before leaving, she turned around and looked at him one last time.
The brilliantly lit Daming Palace is filled with countless candles and shadows. But amidst these countless shadows, there is only one lonely figure.
He was still laughing and hugging his shoulders.
Somehow, she felt like he was crying.
——How could a man like him feel sad for a woman?
She turned her head and saw Gu Huaijin walking forward with his head down, his black robe fluttering like ink. She realized it belatedly.
Gu Huaijin was behind the screen, and Li Xuanbai had no intention of forcing her.
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