Chapter 20 [20]
【20】/First release
Apart from the words "Let me go", no other sound came from behind the carved stone wall.
Despite this, Lu Zhiwan also matched the short cry with a corresponding figure - Empress Dowager Gu.
When this guess came to his mind, Lu Zhiwan was shocked himself. Why would the empress dowager be in such a secluded and deserted corner?
I must have heard it wrong, which led to cognitive bias.
Yes, that must be it.
She told herself this, but a voice echoed in her heart, like a devil's whisper: "Did you really hear it wrong? There are only a few women you are familiar with in the harem. This voice is clearly Queen Mother Gu. You didn't hear it wrong."
As the devil finished speaking, reason jumped out to refute: "So what if it is, so what if it isn't, do you really have to go up to see it? The more you know in the harem, the faster you die. Lu Zhiwan, why are you still standing there? Hurry back and pretend nothing happened."
Lu Zhiwan's expression froze, and he hurriedly retreated. He'd only taken half a step when the demon whispered again, "Empress Dowager Gu is the star of tonight's birthday banquet. She's not in the main hall accepting everyone's congratulations, but is appearing in a place like this. Aren't you really curious at all? Who is she meeting, and who is she asking to be released? Is she in danger, or... is there some affair going on deep within the palace?"
Two voices were pulling at each other in her mind. Lu Zhiwan was struggling for a while, but finally her reason overcame her damn curiosity, and she decided to retreat first.
I never thought that when I turned around, there was nothing behind me, and there was no trace of Xia He.
Lu Zhiwan: “???”
Where is Xia He? She is so big, but what about Xia He?
Are there really ghosts?
Just as the thought came to her mind, a gust of cold wind blew through the corridor, chilling and chilling, as if an icy ghost hand was wrapped around her neck, causing goose bumps to appear on Lu Zhiwan's delicate skin. She clenched her fingers and tentatively called out to both sides, "Xia He?"
The gray night was silent and lonely, with only the tassels of the palace lanterns swaying gently in the wind.
Lu Zhiwan's heart sank even more, and he raised his voice slightly and spoke again: "Xia---mm!"
Before she uttered a syllable, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her, covered her mouth, and pulled her to the side.
Through the thin fabric of her summer shirt, her shoulder blades collided with a chest as solid as a wall, causing a dull pain. She ignored the pain and raised her elbows to struggle, but the person behind her was too tall, and his strong arms were firmly across her chest, encircling her in his embrace, making her unable to move at all.
"I knew it! Curiosity killed the cat. I'm dying. I'm going to be murdered to silence me! Help me."
Lu Zhiwan's face turned pale, and her heart was beating very fast, hitting her eardrums again and again with a "dong dong dong" sound, and she felt extremely regretful.
"Lu Zhiwan, you idiot, I'm going to kill you. Why did you take a walk when you were full? Now your life is about to be lost, and you're not satisfied! The Imperial Palace is not a place for a rookie like you to wander around!"
"Have you told her where this person who suddenly appeared came from? Is it any use kneeling down and begging for mercy now?"
"Mmm..." She tried to make a sound, but the hand covering her mouth was too tight, and she could only make a series of meaningless groans.
It wasn't until the initial tension wore off that she realized belatedly that the fragrance from the man's palm was somewhat familiar—
"It seems to be... the ambergris commonly used by the Dog Emperor?"
Just as the thought was about to come to mind, a male voice slowly came from above my head: "Not too stupid."
The deep voice was filled with a hint of teasing.
Lu Zhiwan's originally tense heartstrings relaxed at the sound of this familiar voice. While the joy of surviving the disaster came over him, he also felt a surge of anger and grievance at being teased.
"Xiao Jingting, you bastard, I'm going to kill you! Are you crazy pretending to be a ghost and scaring people in the middle of the night?"
"Luckily I don't have a heart disease, otherwise I would be so scared that I wouldn't let you go even if I turned into a ghost. I would climb up your window every day and dance on your bedside!"
"OK."
A soft laugh was heard beside my ear, as faint as the wind blowing by.
Lu Zhiwan was stunned, his mind a little stuck: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what are you talking about?"
The person behind her lowered his head, his high nose carelessly brushing against the back of her neck, the warmth of his breath brushing against that sensitive, delicate skin: "Did I say yes? You heard wrongly."
"He didn't say anything? And that sound just now...was it the wind, a ghost, or was it just an illusion caused by her being too nervous?"
Before Lu Zhiwan could figure it out, his mouth was covered again.
Under her astonished gaze, Xiao Jingting quickly pulled her behind the tall red pillar, and with his arms around her, he held her tightly between his chest and the wall.
Lu Zhiwan was stunned by this sudden wall-dong. Just as she was about to ask, she met the man's dark eyes.
"Don't make any noise." He said in a deep voice.
In the dark night, his eyes were exceptionally bright, with a cold glow that was captivating.
Lu Zhiwan was mesmerized, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He blinked twice to indicate that he understood.
Only then did Xiao Jingting let go of her mouth.
Neither of them said anything, and the surroundings became exceptionally quiet for a moment. The only sounds could be heard: the wind, the chirping of insects, the faint sound of stringed instruments coming from the main hall, and the exceptionally clear sound of Lu Zhiwan's heartbeat.
Bang, bang, bang, bang—
"I'm dying! Why is my heart beating so fast? Is it really because he scared me that my heart is sick?"
"He's so close, I feel like I can't breathe... So what is he hiding from now?"
Just as I was wondering, two footsteps of varying heaviness were heard.
Like a badger smelling a melon, Lu Zhiwan's eyes lit up. Here it comes, the melon is here.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Jingting was protecting her, she felt inexplicably at ease, so she became bolder, quietly tiptoed, rested her head on the man's chest, and tried to look out from his arms.
Seeing her peeking out like a thief, Xiao Jingting frowned. Just as he was about to grab her back, he heard a series of inner voices rushing into his ears like a flood.
"Goodness, it's really Queen Mother Gu! I told you, I didn't hear it wrong."
"But who is that man behind her? Is there such a high-ranking eunuch in the harem? Oh, it's so dark out here, I can't even see his face clearly."
"Wait, why do I look like I've seen this robe somewhere before...?"
"What the hell? It's the King of Liaodong! What is he doing! Old man, take your hands off me! How can you hold the Queen Mother's sleeve? She's your sister-in-law!"
"But looking at the Empress Dowager's expression, it seems like they have... a special relationship."
"Huh? How can the damn emperor be so calm? Even though the Queen Mother isn't his biological mother, if the Queen Mother and the prince were to have a late-night private meeting, engaging in some taunting, it would surely be a royal scandal if word got out. Why isn't he stepping in to stop it now? Does he have other plans?"
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiwan finally shifted his attention to the man in front of him.
I looked up and met his eyes again.
Somehow, Lu Zhiwan felt an indescribable strange feeling in her heart. She felt as if he knew what she was thinking and could predict her behavior every time.
Pursing her lips, she turned her face away uncomfortably.
Until the two footsteps outside the wall gradually faded away, she stretched her neck and glanced, but there was no other figure by the stone wall at the corner.
"Finally, I'm leaving."
Feeling relieved, Lu Zhiwan pushed Xiao Jingting's arm and said, "Your Majesty, they've left." "Let me go now, you're leaning so close that my breasts are about to be crushed."
“…”
Xiao Jingting lowered his eyes and looked at her for a moment, but finally said nothing. He let go of her hand and took two steps back.
As the distance between them widened, Lu Zhiwan's vision became much brighter. She lowered her head to adjust her dress, and only straightened up after making sure that there was nothing wrong.
In the dim light of the palace lanterns at the corridor, a tall and graceful man was seen, with his back to the gray sky. His angular face looked even more profound. Although his face did not show much expression, his whole body exuded an awe-inspiring majesty that could resist all demons and monsters in the world.
Is this the aura of the emperor?
Lu Zhiwan didn't want to stare at him for too long, so he glanced at him twice before quickly lowering his gaze and getting down to business: "Your Majesty, why are you here?"
"I should ask you this." Xiao Jingting looked at her: "Why are you here?"
"I ate too much last night, so I thought I'd take a walk to help digest it."
Who would have thought that just taking a casual walk, he would run into something like this? Lu Zhiwan didn't know whether to say that he was unlucky or extremely unlucky tonight.
Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly took two steps forward: "Your Majesty, my maid Xia He is missing. Have you seen her?"
"It's amazing that you still remember that little maid at this time."
He said calmly, a sharp flash in his narrow eyes as he looked at Lu Zhiwan: "You are a clay Buddha yourself, and you still think about others?"
Lu Zhiwan's expression froze. What did he mean?
"He's talking about me, a clay Buddha. Is he trying to silence me? That's right, if word gets out about the Queen Mother and the Prince of Liaodong's late-night secret meeting, it would be a serious matter. To be safe, we must eliminate all witnesses and evidence, leaving no trace..."
The more Lu Zhiwan thought about it, the more panicked she became, especially when Xiao Jingting squinted his eyes and looked at people, he really looked like an old fox with evil intentions.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This concubine did not intend to do anything wrong tonight. I stumbled upon this place by mistake..." She bowed her head and apologized, her voice hoarse. "I swear to heaven that I will not reveal a single word about what happened today. If I break my promise, I will... be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"
After she finished her solemn oath, seeing that the man in front of her was still indifferent, Lu Zhiwan's face turned pale.
Just as she was thinking, "Why not rush up to him and hug him and cry? He seems to be quite receptive to this. If it doesn't work, I can just kneel down and hug his thighs and cry," before she could even shed two tears, she was hit on the forehead.
She cried out in pain and looked up to see Xiao Jingting with a dark face, looking very unhappy.
Unhappy? Did she say something that offended him? Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but reflect, and was hit on the forehead again: "Your maid has been sent back to Lifeng Palace."
"Really?" Lu Zhiwan didn't care that her head was being used as a wooden fish. She raised her little face and smiled brightly and flatteringly: "I have always known that Your Majesty is the most kind-hearted person in the world."
"Slippery."
Xiao Jingting sneered and slowly withdrew his hand: "You'd better remember the oath you just made, otherwise you will bear the consequences."
"Of course, of course." Lu Zhiwan agreed repeatedly, nodding his head as fast as a chick pecking at rice.
"Even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare tell anyone about this. If I did, even if the Emperor didn't take action, the Gu family and the King of Liaodong would definitely not let me go. Only a fool would do something so offensive."
Seeing that she was speaking her mind this time, Xiao Jingting completely suppressed his murderous intent. He adjusted his robe sleeves slightly and glanced at the drooping dark head. "Why are you still standing there?"
Lu Zhiwan was slightly startled and looked up.
Xiao Jingting grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side. His low voice showed no emotion: "It's been so long since we left the banquet. It's time to go back."
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