The Death of the Longevity Tortoise (Part 1)
Zhiwei paused, instinctively wanting to quietly retreat.
"Hey! Where are you hiding? Your head is showing."
"Or are you shy? Have you never seen a beauty sunbathing before?" Wan Zhen'er's voice was lazy, with a slightly hoarse nasal tone from just waking up.
She stretched out a slender, dazzlingly white index finger and poked the turtle's smooth shell with a hint of mockery: "Little Ah Shou, a silly goose has invaded our territory."
Knowing that his whereabouts had been exposed, he had no choice but to slowly step forward and bow in greeting.
"Greetings, Consort. I have no intention of disturbing Your Highness's peace. This servant came from the back gate of Jingfang Garden, and did not expect..."
"Okay, okay." Wan Zhen'er interrupted Zhiwei, turned her head, and her bright and beautiful face showed only the languor of someone who had eaten and drunk their fill.
She waved her hand and said, "The only good thing about this godforsaken place is its 'peace and quiet,' which is something no one can really talk about."
Wan Zhen'er pointed to the opposite bank of the pond, where the outline of a tall building under construction could be vaguely seen.
“Look, over there, that’s your Crown Prince’s ‘new Eastern Palace’.”
"The former crown prince was defeated and retreated to the Eastern Palace. Seeing that the situation was irreversible, he simply set fire to the palace and perished with it."
"You don't know, the palaces are all burning like big charcoal, and they're still hammering and fixing things endlessly, giving me a headache. I don't want to live there."
Wan Zhen'er's eyes revealed a strong sense of disgust without any restraint.
Zhiwei looked surprised: "Didn't you say that the reconstruction in Kyoto was already complete? That's why His Majesty had the time to hold the coronation ceremony."
Zhiwei remembered that Zhu Mingyu had spent many months working on this matter, and finally, when it was accomplished, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if a place was unintentionally overlooked, Zhu Liji's Eastern Palace should not be forgotten.
Moreover, even though the Eastern Palace has not been fully renovated, they can move back to the Zhu residence first. Otherwise, the noise during the renovation will be quite loud. Zhiwei remembers that Cheng Yuzhi and Zhu Sheng entered the palace together with Zhu Liji.
“This is not simple. Some people can’t even wait for the repairs to be completed. They can’t wait to take over and make sure everything is settled.” Wan Zhen’er saw the confusion in Zhiwei’s eyes. “It’s also a pity for the Crown Princess and the little grandson. They insisted on going with her, and their quality of life has declined.”
"Fortunately, I was smart. Seeing that the Eastern Palace did not have any extra courtyards, I asked to move to the other side of the river. Although it is a bit remote, the environment is better and I can no longer see that black-faced monster."
In the past, Zhiwei would have nodded vigorously, praising Wan Zhen'er's choice of words. However, at this moment, she frowned slightly and repeated, "Has the dust settled?"
Zhu Liji's status as crown prince was established long ago through an imperial edict, so there was no need for further confirmation.
Seeing Zhiwei's expression, Wan Zhen'er looked like she knew everything: "Outsiders think he gets everything he wants, but in reality, including the Emperor, how many people completely favor and trust him?"
“When he makes a big mistake, who knows how many people will step on him, and perhaps then it will be your turn to become the Crown Princess.”
The affair between Zhiwei and Zhu Mingyu was no secret. Although Wan Zhen'er rarely left her home, she had ears and knew that the person in front of her was likely to be Zhu Mingyu's future queen.
But how did the princess become the crown princess? Such words are not something the current crown prince's concubine should say.
Zhiwei broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself that Wan Zhen'er was truly audacious.
Wan Zhen'er, as if on the same wavelength, raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't care about the position of concubine."
“He used his connections with the Wan family to ask for my hand in marriage, but he didn’t care about me at all. He rarely came to visit me after I entered the family. What he cared about was that the Wan family had some influence in the court and could speak on his behalf.”
"But this suits me just the way I am. The farther away Zhu Liji is from me, the better. Out of sight, out of mind! He's so gloomy all the time, making the whole mansion feel suffocating. Who would want to serve him? It's much more comfortable here. You can't see a single living person for miles around."
Wan Zhen'er sat down again, picked up a few small stones, and skipped them across the water.
That skipping was really good; it skipped seven or eight in a row. You can't do that without experience.
Zhiwei glanced at Wan Zhen'er's palm, which had many small calluses that didn't match her status.
Zhiwei's eyes flickered.
Wan Zhen'er's blatant and outrageous remarks unexpectedly struck a chord with Zhiwei.
She too was "pushed" in by an invisible force, passively drawn into this vortex of power.
Although one was forced into marginalization and the other chose to do so voluntarily, their yearning for "peace" and "freedom" was remarkably similar!
This unexpected agreement quietly melted away much of the barrier in Zhiwei's heart caused by their different identities.
“Your Majesty is right. The palace is noisy and peaceful.” Zhi smiled and followed Wan Zhen’er’s words, her gaze falling on the equally leisurely black jade turtle. “This turtle is called Ashou? It looks quite intelligent and is a lucky one.”
Mentioning Ah Shou, Wan Zhen'er's almond-shaped eyes immediately brightened.
She reached out and picked up a crystal-clear hibiscus cake from a delicate little dish with gold and colorful decorations on the low table next to her. She broke off a small piece and held it to Ah Shou's mouth: "That's right, Ah Shou is my little darling."
"Was it a gift from someone very important?"
"Yes! A very important person."
Wan Zhen'er's tone was doting, much lighter than when she talked about Zhu Liji. She watched Ashou nibble on the crumbs of pastries, and she chatted idly with Zhiwei.
Her topics were whimsical: she pretended to have a headache to avoid banquets but was discovered by the sharp-eyed Cheng Yuzhi; the stubborn maid Siyu treated her as strictly as a tutor... she would even ramble on for a long time about a bowl of bird's nest soup in the small kitchen that had a little less rock sugar.
Wan Zhen'er gently stroked Ah Shou's tortoise shell and murmured to herself.
She only cared about the comfort of the moment, and her words occasionally revealed a kind of profound wisdom that made Zhiwei's tense nerves, which had been strained by the accidental intrusion, completely relax.
Despite their vastly different social statuses, the two people seemed like old friends who had met by chance in this quiet, undisturbed courtyard, creating an unexpectedly relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
Zhiwei also briefly shared some of her insights on compiling ancient recipe books, which Wan Zhen'er listened to with great interest, occasionally letting out giggles.
The setting sun casts its slant, the last petals of red petals about to fall, and before I knew it, it was getting late.
If they didn't go back soon, Shao Zhao and Shao Yang would probably panic. Zhi Wei couldn't stay any longer, so she said goodbye to Wan Zhen'er.
Before leaving, Wan Zhen'er called out to Zhiwei, "From now on, you don't need to call me Concubine. Just call me Zhen'er in private."
Zhi smiled and agreed, knowing that the two had become friends.
But this brief peace, like a fragile glass cup, shatters at the slightest touch.
——
A few days later, on a sweltering and oppressive afternoon, the air was as thick as solidified grease, and there wasn't a breath of wind.
Zhiwei sat in the courtyard of Jingfangyuan, with the tattered copy of "Lingnan Culinary Treasures" that she had finally managed to find in the old warehouse spread out in front of her. She was comparing and analyzing the ancient sauce recipe for "spicy crab".
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting shimmering spots of light on the pages of the book.
The back door suddenly moved.
"Ah—Your Majesty! Your Majesty, look! Ah Shou! Ah Shou, what's wrong with him?!"
Suddenly, a scream, shrill and distorted, came from outside the window, and there was a rustling sound.
Zhiwei's heart pounded, and the ancient scroll in his hand fell to the ground.
She suddenly stood up, pushed aside her chair, and rushed toward the back door.
"Hurry up, let's go find the imperial physician. Ah Shou, hang in there!"
Wan Zhen'er was no longer the languid and carefree beauty; she walked hurriedly, her face showing great anxiety.
Ah Shou was held in her arms, foaming at the mouth, his tiny claws flailing haphazardly and weakly in the air.
"Ah Shou! Ah Shou, look at me! Don't scare me! Waaah... Ah Shou!" Overwhelmed with fear, Wan Zhen'er became incoherent, her hands gripping the turtle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Si Yu, hurry! Go faster!"
Upon seeing this, Zhiwei quickly summoned Shaoyang, who was familiar with the palace, to lead Wanzhen'er to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Siyu was pacing anxiously to the side, but Zhiwei calmed her down and tried to find out the reason.
"It was the Imperial Kitchen that delivered the almond sweet soup. Since the concubine lives far away, the Imperial Kitchen sends someone to deliver meals to her every day."
"Sometimes the concubine wouldn't eat herself, so she would feed it to Ah Shou, but... not long after, Ah Shou... it became like this!"
"Almond soup?" Zhiwei's heart sank.
"Is there any leftover food? I'd like to take a look."
“Yes, yes…” Siyu replied, but before she could finish her sentence, Ashou in Wanzhen’er’s arms suddenly convulsed even more violently.
Ashou's slender neck stretched upwards unnaturally, and after a very faint "ho" like a sigh, he fell completely silent.
"Ah Shou!" After a startled cry, Wan Zhen'er almost collapsed from exhaustion. Si Yu quickly rushed forward to help her up and caught her.
Zhiwei frowned and carefully took Ashou from Wanzhen'er's stiff and cold embrace.
She leaned close to Ah Shou's slightly open mouth and sniffed carefully. A faint sweet almond scent mixed with another... extremely faint, indescribable bitter smell entered her nostrils.
These symptoms... are definitely not ordinary!
Zhiwei suddenly looked up, called Shao Zhao and Shao Yang, and the three of them, along with Siyu, escorted the dazed Wan Zhen'er back to the pavilion.
Upon arriving at the pavilion, one is greeted by a scene of utter disarray. The bamboo mats have been torn aside, the cushions are lying on the ground, and there are water stains left from the spilled almond soup on the tables.
Zhiwei glanced at the various parts of the pavilion out of the corner of his eye.
Suddenly, a tiny, almost imperceptible reflection flashed in the dim light.
The spot of light was extremely small, seemingly stuck in a gap in the bushes.
Zhiwei's heart skipped a beat.
Without making a sound, she handed the gradually cooling Ah Shou back to Wan Zhen'er's arms, then took out a plain handkerchief from her sleeve and bent down to reach into the bushes.
A touch of the fingertip and a pinch.
In the plain cloth in her palm, there was a small, cold, hard, and sharply defined object.
Zhiwei held her breath, staring intently at the object in the handkerchief—
It was a small earring with a reddish-gold lotus pattern.
The design is exquisite and luxurious, but it is definitely not the kind of jewelry that Wan Zhen'er would usually like.
Wan Zhen'er was still sobbing. Her whole body trembled violently as she looked down at her lifeless pet in her arms. Time seemed to stand still for her.
Zhiwei clenched the cold gold ornament in her palm, and a certain conjecture arose in her mind. She felt a cold chill spreading rapidly from the small gold ornament to her limbs and bones.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
