Extra 2: The Road Back
Inside the majestic palace, the sunlight was already shining brightly with golden rays, warm and even scorching, but it could not dispel the cold air from the cold pond, nor could it bring back any warmth and vitality to the girl with her eyes closed.
Amidst the tender green grass, a young woman lay quietly, her hands folded on her stomach, eyes gently closed. She wore an exquisite, ornate dress dyed scarlet, her messy black hair, adorned with a pearly green accessory that threatened to fall off, cascading to the ground like splashed ink.
Peace...tranquility.
"Plop!" The people around her turned as pale as her in an instant, fell to their knees and kowtowed frantically, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
The fiery red hem of the dress floated past the edge of their lowered vision. The pupils of the people who were prostrating themselves and crying suddenly shrank. They suddenly raised their hands and covered their mouths tightly, not daring to make the slightest cry.
Rong Yejin walked past the crowd and stood beside the girl lying on the ground, looking down at her for a long time.
"Sir..." Someone, pale as a cadaver, knelt at his feet, uttering a faint, trembling sound. It was just a single sound, a plea, yet something else complex. His eyes were filled with pain, his lips moved for a long moment, but he could no longer utter a single word.
Rong Yejin sighed softly, raised his hand and waved, then turned around and walked away quietly.
Everyone around was startled, and they crawled towards the sleeping girl tremblingly, picked her up carefully and carried her away.
"Jiang Jingyuan!! Jiang Jingyuan——"
In the sunshine, in the distance, a young man in white clothes ran over, pushed through the crowd and rushed in.
"Stop him." Rong Yejin paused and said calmly.
Everyone immediately rushed to stop the young man, folding their arms to block him from the crowd. Tears were still on their faces as they tried to comfort him: "Your Highness, Your Highness, calm down!" "Your Highness, don't go!"
“Let me take a look at her!!!” Jiang Jingjian rushed forward, but was pushed out again and again, and then slammed into her again and again. He didn’t know who to address, but could only scream and cry like crazy, “Let me take another look at her! Let me take another look at her!! Let me pass——!!!”
Rong Yejin raised his hand and gently supported his forehead. He closed his eyes and said, "Hold it down." He let go of his hand, opened his eyes and glanced at him, "Where did you go before..."
The voice was neither cold nor hot, without any rebuke, but so powerless and speechless that it almost made one laugh.
Three or five people suddenly bent the man's hands behind his back, pressed his shoulders, and pinned him to the ground. Their pale faces were covered with sweat and tears, revealing the unsightly expression of someone about to cry but having to patiently comfort him. They said in sobbing voices, "Your Highness, Your Highness, please calm down." "Your Highness Jing Yuan is already like this, you are the only one left, please calm down!"
The young man in white knelt and crawled on the grass. He struggled frantically, his white clothes rolling in the mud and grass. In the crisp grass, his eyes were wide open with tears, and he cried and shouted non-stop:
"Let me-let me-let me see her again!!!"
"Let me see her, let me see her!!"
"Master Rong, Master Rong!" He shouted at the top of his voice, crying to Rong Yesin, "Master Rong, please let me see her again - please, let me see her again!!" He shouted until his voice was hoarse and he sobbed.
Rong Yejin frowned, closed his eyes, and waved his hand without saying a word. Everyone hurriedly grabbed the disheveled young man and dragged him out with gritted teeth.
Jiang Jingjian was still shouting from afar, calling "Lord Rong" and "Queen Mother" in the distance, and then calling out to the gods in heaven who were high above people's heads, praying to see them again.
His scream was sharp and shrill, yet hoarse and low, almost making no sound. It gradually weakened, and at a certain critical point, it suddenly broke out into an unprecedented roar.
Roar, yell, inhuman language, a meaningless roar that gets louder than the last, roar, roar, roar, yell.
The echoes shake the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers.
"Pa!" Rong Yejin finally couldn't help himself and quickly stepped forward to slap him. He lowered his head and stared coldly into his eyes, saying word by word, "This is the imperial palace, the palace of His Majesty and His Majesty. What are you screaming about?!"
Jiang Jingjian stopped crying instantly, raised his face, tears streaming from his red and swollen eyes, staring blankly at him, his mouth choking with sobs as he said, "I want to see Jiang Jingyuan... I want to see, Jiang Jingyuan..."
Hoarse voice.
"I want to see Jiang Jingyuan! I want to see Jiang Jingyuan! I want to see Jiang Jingyuan!!!" Suddenly he screamed and rushed forward again, but was hurriedly grabbed and stopped in place by the people behind him.
The people behind him held him tightly, hugged him, and with tears in their eyes, they could only choke back their words and say to him, "Your Highness, please calm down."
"I want to see Jiang Jingyuan..." He said it over and over again with numb eyes and tears in his eyes.
Rong Yejin slowly shook his head and said impatiently, "What's the point of crying?"
"I'm going to kill them! I'm going to kill them! I'm going to kill them!!" Jiang Jingjian suddenly struggled frantically among the grass and trees, crying and shouting.
Rong Yejin sighed, realizing he couldn't communicate with him, and said to everyone, "Take him back."
Everyone responded "yes" with tears in their eyes, and quickly dragged the person away with fierce hands.
Rong Yejin raised his foot and continued walking.
…………
In a magnificent palace.
On the cool white jade table, the familiar girl changed into a neat dress, combed her hair, lay flat on her stomach with her hands folded, closed her eyes, and was quiet.
Rong Yejin sat down on a chair nearby, looking at the gorgeous woman in red walking slowly beside the white jade platform in front of him. He sighed and said, "I'm afraid our prince will feel resentful..."
"That's something you need to consider." Rong Hou said indifferently without any reaction.
Rong Yejin smiled, "Your Majesty is right."
He looked again at the quiet figure of the young girl on the white jade table. She had been busy and exhausted for a long time, and now she was quiet. She seemed to be melancholy. Her eyebrows softened a little, and she said softly, "You can't let the Second Prince see this..."
If someone really discovered the horrifying bloody hole in his heart, he would really go crazy without caring about anything.
"Send it there." Rong Hou said calmly at last.
Rong Yejin gently closed his eyes, slowly stood up, and took a last deep look at the figure on the white jade table, then smiled and said:
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Rong family will present His Highness Jing Yuan with a magical instrument that will shine upon him for thousands and thousands of years."
Rong Hou said "hmm".
…………
at night.
The cold wind blew on his body. Jiang Jingjian gritted his teeth and shed tears. He trotted across the road and ran to the grass and gravel ground by the lake. He rushed towards the lake under the moon without caring about anything.
The people waiting in the darkness suddenly reached out, grabbed his arms and shoulders, and threw him back without mercy.
"Bang!!" Jiang Jingjian fell heavily on the gravel ground. He raised his eyes, his eyes seemed confused and numb.
In the darkness behind, tiny flashes of fire were rushing towards them.
The man hurriedly helped him up, looking him up and down nervously, "Your Highness, Your Highness, are you hurt?" Then, with a sad look in his eyes, he advised, "Your Highness, it's late, let's go back."
"Pump the water." Jiang Jingjian muttered with a dim look in his eyes. He was helped to his feet, his entire weight almost entirely leaning on the person next to him. He lowered his head slightly to one side and said softly in a hoarse voice, "Pump the water. I need to check the bottom of the pool."
The darkness was silent.
The person who blocked the way just said, "Send His Highness back to rest."
The people who were supporting Jiang Jingjian paused, their faces embarrassed, but they still exerted some strength in their hands, pulling him back and whispered, "Your Highness, we are going back."
"I want to see the bottom of the pool..." Jiang Jingjian said with his head lowered.
Everyone was quiet.
"I want to see the bottom of the pool!!" Jiang Jingjian suddenly raised his head, his face twisted and ferocious, angry and painful, and screamed, "I said I want to see the bottom of the pool! I said, pump the water! Pump the water—I want to see the bottom of the pool now!!!"
The darkness trembled and made a noise for a while, then fell into dead silence.
"Your Highness, it's late, let's go back." The people around said softly, exerted force with their hands, and dragged the man away regardless of anything.
Jiang Jingjian stopped screaming and just cried softly, mumbling: "Pump water..."
"Your Highness." Rong Yejin had come over at some point. Jiang Jingjian trembled for a moment, then looked up hopefully.
Rong Yejin stared into his eyes, his tone serious and somewhat chilling, and said, "This is His Majesty's palace."
Jiang Jingjian's pupils trembled, his whole body shivering, and he muttered unconsciously: "Pump water... bottom of the pool, I, I want to see, Jiang Jingyuan..."
"This is His Majesty's palace." Rong Yejin stared at him coldly and repeated slowly, enunciating each word.
Jiang Jingjian stopped talking.
"Send it back." Rong Yejin said to everyone.
Everyone responded in panic, pulling at each other's hands. Jiang Jingjian lowered his head and followed quietly and obediently.
…………
The next morning.
There was a storm in the capital of Yuan State. It was hidden, but people could vaguely sense that something was wrong.
In every mansion and palace, sad cries and shouts were carried by the wind, "Son, your parents are willing to be punished for you, how can you be so depressed, what do you want your parents to do... " "My son, you must not do anything stupid, your parents will go to the palace to apologize, it's all because your parents didn't teach you well..." The desolate voice lingered in the air.
At the home of the young students who study with me.
The adults covered their faces with handkerchiefs and sleeves in one hand and their hearts with the other. They couldn't breathe and their faces turned red. Their faces turned extremely red. When someone patted their backs, they instantly let out a "wow" and burst into tears.
They held their dying children in their arms, crying bitterly and heartbroken.
Frightened, she pulled the white silk from the beam and took the child away.
Unable to bear the pain, she gritted her teeth and insisted on letting the child be bound by the white silk, her face reddening. Then, crying loudly, she rushed over to rescue the child in a panic, holding him in her arms, crying and blaming herself in pain, yet also persuading him with determination...
At daybreak, they all entered the palace, threw themselves before the emperor, wept, and kowtowed. Those who had lost their children asked for punishment, while those who had children asked for their own lives in exchange for the lives of their own children.
Finally, the majestic emperor took a quick look with his old and turbid eyes and talked about the primary and secondary responsibilities. The useless ones who had been wanted to be dealt with for a long time were thrown away, while the useful ones were fined, handed over their power, and demoted.
In the dim palace.
Outside, wind and rain drifted in through the window lattice. Without lighting a lamp, only the hazy sunlight outside the window spread a gray haze in the hall.
Jiang Jingjian curled up in a ball beneath his blankets, his arms tightly clasping the embroidered dragon doll. His face was numb, his dark eyes hollow and lost, and he couldn't stop crying.
"Jiang, Jiang... Jiang Jingyuan... Jiang Jingyuan Jiang Jingyuan Jiang Jingyuan——"
"Jiang, Jingyuan, Jiang Jingyuan..."
The voice was hoarse and soft, unable to be heard outside the hall or penetrate the wind and rain of heaven and earth.
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