Chapter 59 The Pavilion Lost in the Mist, the Moon Lost in the River (Part 3) "Why are you shedding tears now..."
Her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, a dull ache spreading through her chest, and bittersweet emotions welled up inside her. She clenched her fists to maintain her composed demeanor, even managing a smile that returned to her lips: "Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch. I understand. Since His Majesty is busy, I will not disturb you any longer."
She turned around, her steps still dignified, her back straight. Only she knew how much strength it took to maintain that upright posture. Uluzhu followed silently behind, carrying the untouched food box.
Once outside the Xuanzheng Hall and with no one around, Wuluozhu timidly asked, "Your Majesty... does His Majesty... like that new Consort?" The girl's voice was full of unease.
Ye Yixiang didn't stop walking. Her gaze was fixed on the setting sun gradually sinking above the palace walls in the distance. A faint, weary smile appeared on her lips as she softly said, "Perhaps." She paused, as if speaking to Wuluozhu, yet also to herself, "True sincerity... is the most fleeting and elusive thing in this world. Especially the heart of an emperor."
"No, that won't happen!" Urozhu said hurriedly, "His Majesty treats the Empress so well, she must be the most important person in His Majesty's heart!"
“Silly girl,” Ye Yixiang turned around, gently patted the back of her hand, her smile not reaching her eyes, “You’re still young, there are many things… you don’t understand.”
Back in the warm pavilion, Chun Tan saw that the food box in her hand had been brought back untouched, and knew that something had gone wrong. Without asking any further questions, she simply whispered, "The kitchen has prepared a nourishing white fungus and snow pear soup. Would Your Highness like some?"
"You can share the food, I don't have much of an appetite." Ye Yixiang took off her outer robe and waved away all the servants. "I'm tired today, I want to be alone."
Summer days are long, and a faint gray-blue light still lingers on the horizon, but the room is already dim. She sits alone on the couch by the window, the scenes of the day churning uncontrollably in her mind—the glaring purse at Xiao Mo's waist, his enigmatic words, the heart-stopping encounter by Qujiang Pool, the sweet voices echoing from Xuanzheng Hall… In the end, they all coalesce into a heavy weariness and confusion that has nowhere to be dispelled.
After an unknown amount of time, a deliberately hushed voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Empress has already retired for the night..."
Before the words were even finished, the door was pushed open.
Ye Yixiang was startled and got up from the bed. Through the layers of light apricot silk curtains, she could vaguely see a tall and slender figure standing at the door, carrying the slight chill of the night dew and an undeniable sense of oppression.
"All of you, step back." Chu Huaili's voice rang out, deeper and colder than usual, leaving no room for argument.
The palace servants fell silent, quickly bowed, and withdrew, gently closing the door behind them.
Ye Yixiang composed herself, lifted the curtain, and stepped out. By the dim moonlight filtering through the window and the flickering candlelight still burning inside, she could see his face clearly.
He wasn't wearing a dragon robe, but only a dark purple casual outfit, his hair tied up with a golden crown. His face appeared somewhat blurry in the dim light, but his eyes, which were fixed on her, shone with an astonishing brightness, churning with intense emotions.
He suppressed his anger with all his might, like a frozen volcano, calm on the surface but churning with magma inside.
"Who did you see today," he began, each word dripping with icy chill, as if pulled from ice water.
Ye Yixiang's heartstrings tightened. He knew? Did he know about the secret meetings between the concubines and the Chanyu in the harem, or...?
She composed herself, lowered her eyes, and curtsied: "I was just taking a walk in the garden today and met a few palace maids tending to the flowers and trees. There was nothing special about it."
"Nothing special?" Chu Huaili scoffed, suddenly taking two steps closer. His tall stature instantly cast a shadow over her, and his chilling aura, a mixture of ebony and a faint scent of blood, was now incredibly aggressive. "Qujiang Pool, Zhaoshui Pavilion, the purse at Xiao Mo's waist—don't you think...it looks strangely familiar?"
Ye Yixiang's breath hitched, and she suddenly looked up, meeting his eyes with the almost bursting anger and the deeper sinister intent.
“Your Majesty…” she tried to explain.
"What a beautiful line, 'Spotted bamboo branches, tear-stained, conveying longing.' I thought you were feeling sorry for me fighting against the Empress Dowager, but today you're boating on the lake with him, chatting happily, is that right?"
Chu Huaili didn't give her a chance to speak, and took another step forward. The two were so close that she could feel his chest rising and falling slightly due to suppressed anger, and she could see the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
"You once told me that when you were young and still in your maiden's quarters, you thought that the young master of the Xiao family was gentle and refined, and learned, the dream man of countless noble ladies in Chang'an! I thought that someone had forced you to comply with that imperial decree! Now it seems that I was too foolish!"
His voice wasn't loud, it was even a little hoarse, but it contained disappointment and anger.
"Your Majesty misunderstands! I only met Prime Minister Xiao by chance today. He offered to escort me because the route was inconvenient. I had no other intentions! As for the purse..." she hurriedly explained, but she felt embarrassed because he brought up old conversations from their childhood.
"Misunderstanding? The writing on the edge of that purse is so illegible, it's clear it's a cherished item he holds and examines every day." Chu Huaili suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, the force so strong it made her wrist bones ache.
He lowered his head, his hot breath, carrying the strong smell of alcohol, spraying against her ear. His voice was hoarse, each word piercing her heart, "He has that imperial decree of marriage from the Empress Dowager, which should have been long gone, and has repeatedly hinted to me that he wants me to fulfill my 'promise' and grant you your wish. What does that even mean? Hmm?"
"Does he think that I, as the newly enthroned emperor, am not yet firmly established and cannot do anything to the Xiao family, or does he think that you still have a place for him in your heart, and therefore feel fearless?!"
He practically roared out his last few words, the anger he had been forcibly suppressing finally breaking through the ice and revealing the ferocious flames beneath.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at her, as if trying to see through her eyes into the deepest part of her heart to confirm whether there really was another man hiding there.
Ye Yixiang was startled by the terrifying emotions in his eyes and the pain in her wrist, and was even more shocked by the information revealed in his words.
Xiao Mo actually... used the imperial decree of marriage as a pretext? No wonder Chu Huaili was so furious! This is no longer just a matter of personal suspicion, but involves political maneuvering and imperial authority!
"I didn't..." She shook her head, her voice trembling with pain in her wrist and shock in her heart, "I have never had such thoughts, and I know nothing about Prime Minister Xiao..."
"You don't know?" Chu Huaili suddenly pulled her in front of him, and wrapped his other hand around her waist like an iron hoop, trapping her tightly in his arms.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and she could feel his heart pounding violently beneath his chest and the taut muscles under his clothes—a tremor that was a mixture of rage and extreme possessiveness.
"Then tell me, why did he cherish the embroidery patterns you wore when you were a young girl, and wear them close to his body? Why was he so concerned about you, even saying things like 'I'll take you away'? Why did he dare to threaten you with an imperial edict?!"
"Ye Yixiang, do you think I'm blind, or a fool?!"
His questions came like a sudden storm, leaving her dizzy and speechless.
Feelings of grievance, anger, and resistance to his brutality were mixed together with a hint of heartache and trembling that she herself was unwilling to admit, caused by his near-out-of-control behavior. These feelings quickly filled her eyes with tears.
"Since Your Majesty doesn't believe me, why confine me to this Qiwu Palace!" She was determined, looking up directly into his eyes burning with anger, her voice choked with sobs yet filled with stubbornness, "Your Majesty can accept Consort Zhao's company and comfort, so why question my innocent encounters with others! Is Your Majesty allowed to weigh the affairs of the court and expand your harem, but I am not allowed to speak a single word to anyone?!"
He stared into her tearful yet accusing eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing violently as if he were swallowing something extremely bitter. Those tears, far from extinguishing his anger, were like sparks thrown into a hot oil pan, instantly igniting a painful rage.
"Why are you shedding tears now?" His voice was terribly hoarse, each word seemingly ground from the depths of his chest, carrying an almost cruel coldness. "Later... you'll cry beneath me!"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly exerted force with his arms and lifted her up by the waist!
Caught off guard, Ye Yixiang gasped, "Chu Huaili! Are you crazy... Put me down!"
Her response was a sudden loss of weight, as she was mercilessly thrown onto the bed behind her, which was covered with thick brocade.
Although there was no pain, the force of the impact, the dizziness, and the fear brought by his completely out-of-control actions finally caused the tears that had been welling up in her eyes to roll down. Her forehead accidentally hit the intricate wood carvings on the bedpost, causing a dull pain.
"If you were to bear my child," he leaned in, placing his hands on either side of her ears, trapping her in a small space, his deep purple robes casting heavy shadows in the dim light.
He lowered his head, his hot, alcohol-laden breath hitting her face, his eyes filled with a terrifying stubbornness and a hint of madness consumed by jealousy. "Does Xiao Mo... still have the face to flaunt that lousy imperial edict in front of me? Hmm?"
A child? Ye Yixiang's heart skipped a beat, a cold clarity flashing through her chaotic thoughts—she and Lu Qingyuan… no, it should be Ge Shuche. Years of marriage without ever conceiving… perhaps, she was destined to have no children. This thought filled her heart with a desolate chill.
"Sizzle—"
A sharp tearing sound rang out, breaking her daze. A chill ran down her shoulder; he had ripped a hole in the thin fabric of her summer dress with his bare hands. Ye Yixiang snapped back to reality, hurriedly covering herself with her arms, her voice trembling: "Chu Huaili! Calm down!"
Chu Huaili seemed not to hear, his eyes bloodshot, and he abruptly pulled off the jade-inlaid gold belt from his waist. He grabbed her slender wrists with such force that there was no room for resistance, using the cold metal buckle to tightly bind her wrists together and press them above her head. The whole process was so fast that she didn't even have time to struggle.
"What?" His heavy body pressed down on her.
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Author's note: I don't call younger women "sister," they have a wild side.
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