Chapter 34 The Palace Walls and Springtime Scenery Bewitch Hearts (Part 3) The Left Wise King's Bed...
Ye Yixiang seemed to pause for a moment, then raised her eyes, shook her head slightly at Nie Zhaoxue, and even slightly curved the corners of her lips on her pale face.
That smile was so faint, so fleeting, yet it pierced Chu Huaili's heart like a fine needle, catching him completely off guard.
His gaze was almost unable to leave her. He saw her, taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, quietly push a few delicate pastries from the table toward Wuluozhu, who was standing behind her. Wuluozhu tacitly accepted them, carefully wrapped them in a clean white cloth, and tucked them into her sleeve. Such subtle care, such careful thoughtfulness, was not for him.
He looked at her profile with her head bowed and eyes lowered, and at the barely perceptible gentleness she showed to others. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, aching and throbbing, making it almost hard to breathe.
The image of the girl who would wait for him to return from gathering herbs by the simple stove five years ago flashed through my mind. I remembered her undisguised dependence and pure joy when she heard his footsteps. Her clear smile was like the warm winter sun, blooming only for him.
Now, those eyes that once held so many stars are filled with boundless silence, devoid of any warmth that once belonged to him. And she readily bestows that remaining tenderness upon others.
It was him. He had personally shut himself out of her world, pushing her into this biting cold.
An impulse that almost overwhelmed his reason surged in his chest. He wanted to immediately clear away everyone in his way, walk up to her, forcefully wipe away the frost between her brows, destroy the icy wall separating them, and lay bare all his unavoidable hardships and all his deeply buried emotions before her.
That scorching gaze, almost piercing through her, made Ye Yixiang feel a tightness in her chest, almost suffocating her.
Just as she turned around, Nie Huaizhang's deep voice came from behind her. It wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the sound of the music: "These days I've been preoccupied with trivial matters. If there has been any inadequacy in my hospitality, I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
There seemed to be a momentary, almost imperceptible pause in the entire banquet. Everyone knew that Governor Nie was busy with official duties, and for him to apologize to the Princess in public like this seemed a little too formal, even... intimate.
Princess Chonghua paused slightly, her fingers holding the wine cup, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing to her at this moment. She looked up and met Nie Huaizhang's eyes, which were always as steady as mountains, but now seemed to contain some indescribable complex emotions: concern, apology, and a hint of restrained...tenderness?
In an instant, she regained her composure, a polite and aloof smile returning to her lips as she picked up her wine cup: "Lord Nie, you flatter me. It was my sudden visit that caused you, Danzhi, so much trouble."
The pronunciation of the courtesy name "Danzhi" was extremely soft, almost drowned out by the music, yet it tickled the heart like a feather.
Nie Huaizhang's gaze fell on the clear wine in her hand, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. He suddenly reached out, with an undeniable force, and gently covered her hand holding the cup, enveloping her fingertips, and slowly took the wine from her hand.
"Alcohol is strong and harmful to the body." His voice was even lower, carrying an undeniable insistence, yet also containing a hint of barely perceptible tenderness. "Your Highness's health is of utmost importance. Tea can be substituted for alcohol."
As he spoke, he picked up the warm teapot with his other hand and poured her a cup of tea, filling it about seven-tenths full, before pushing the white jade teacup toward her. His movements were fluid and natural, as if it were the natural course of action, yet there was a fleeting pause as his fingertips left the cup.
The princess lowered her eyes, gazing at the steaming tea before her. Her long eyelashes cast a soft shadow beneath her eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions within. She didn't immediately touch the tea; only the fingertips of her hand, resting on her lap, curled slightly.
The surrounding gazes swept over him subtly, carrying a mixture of inquiry and understanding. Nie Huaizhang, however, had already regained his composure, as if his earlier overstepping concern was merely a misperception on everyone's part, and instead began exchanging pleasantries with the Western Xia envoy sitting next to him.
Ye Yixiang took in the whole scene. It turned out that even in this arena full of scheming and cold-blooded power struggles, there was not complete ruthlessness.
She didn't linger any longer and silently disappeared into the darkness outside the palace.
Stepping out of the noisy hall, the cool evening breeze brushed against her burning cheeks and ears. She took a deep breath of the crisp air, wanting nothing more than to return to the side courtyard as soon as possible and end this exhausting farce.
However, at the corner of the corridor leading to the side courtyard, a tall figure blocked her way.
Geshulin leaned against the vermilion pillar, his posture relaxed, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.
He shed the flamboyant facade he wore at the banquet, and his deep eyes, under the cool moonlight, appeared exceptionally open and sharp, like a hawk locking onto its prey on the grassland.
“Princess Ningxiao.” He spoke, his voice unlike the effeminate one he had at the banquet, carrying the undisguised frankness unique to men of the Northern Di, “Just now at the banquet, I saw that the princess looked depressed, with a sorrow between her brows. Is there something troubling you, something you can’t shake off?”
Ye Yixiang paused, raised her cool eyes, and looked at him warily.
Geshu Lin, however, did not take it to heart. Instead, he took a step forward, his gaze lingering unabashedly on her stunningly beautiful yet fragile face with pure admiration: "My younger brother, Geshu Che. Oh right, his name in the Southern Dynasty is Lu Qingyuan."
"I do not deny that although he is a powerful and ruthless figure, his actions are unpredictable, cunning, and vicious, making him unworthy of your icy beauty. As for Chu Huaili..."
He chuckled softly, a laugh tinged with worldly wisdom and merciless sarcasm. “He’s too burdened with worries, too concerned with the nation and its people, and with the imperial power and the state in his heart. He can’t give you the purity and honesty you want.”
"A woman like you should stand in the most expansive world of the grasslands, galloping freely on horseback, letting the wind blow away your sorrows, rather than being confined to this courtyard, spending your days pondering people's hearts and secretly grieving."
His words were direct to the point of being rude, stripping away all pretense, yet strangely carrying a wild and untamed frankness. Ye Yixiang's heart trembled slightly, as if her deepest thoughts had been exposed, but she still kept her lips tightly pressed together and remained silent.
“If one day you grow weary of this Southern Dynasty,” Geshu Lin’s gaze burned like a blazing flame, his words clear and resounding, “the gates of my Northern Di royal court will be open for you. A place will always be reserved for you on Geshu Lin’s bed.” This was no longer an implication, but a declaration laced with predatory intent.
"No need for care or worry."
A voice, filled with suppressed, terrifying rage, suddenly rang out from behind him, like a cold wind in the dead of winter.
Chu Huaili strode over, his dark blue robes fluttering in the night wind, the chilling aura emanating from him almost freezing the surrounding air. He grabbed Ye Yixiang's wrist with such force that she couldn't break free, holding her firmly to his side, his sharp, knife-like gaze piercing directly at Ge Shulin.
"Is that so?" Ge Shulin raised an eyebrow, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, he gave Ye Yixiang a meaningful look, as if to say, "You see, he is so domineering and tyrannical, never considering your wishes." Then, he gracefully bowed, his demeanor composed. "In that case, I will not disturb you two any longer. Princess, remember my words."
After saying that, he smiled meaningfully, turned around and left leisurely, as if he had just completed a leisurely moonlit stroll, leaving behind a tense and deadly silence that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
Under the corridor, only Chu Huaili and Ye Yixiang remained. The moonlight stretched their shadows long, intertwining them like an inextricable fate.
He still gripped her wrist tightly, his strength not loosening at all, but instead pulling her even closer, close enough to feel the breaths of each other, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes, which were churning with raging anger and a complex mix of emotions.
"What did he say to you?" Chu Huaili's voice was low and hoarse, as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, carrying a hint of urgency that even he himself was unaware of. That urgency stemmed from Geshu Lin's naked covetousness, and even more so from her cold silence at this moment. "'Leave a place on the bed'? A'Rao, when did you become so familiar with this Northern Barbarian?! Do you even know who he is?!"
Ye Yixiang felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her wrist, but her face remained expressionless, as if the pain was not being inflicted upon her.
She simply looked back at him calmly with her clear, cold eyes, like a secluded spring in a cold mountain. Her gaze was empty and devoid of warmth, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
"What does the General think he can say to me?" she asked, her voice indifferent and flat, like icicles frozen under the eaves, each word clear yet like needles tempered with ice, piercing Chu Huaili's heart with fine, dense, and precise precision. "Or rather, on what basis does the General question me now?"
"Is it Yan Qing? Or is it Chu Huaili, the Southern Dynasty general who used me as bait to lure out Lu Qingyuan and meticulously planned every step of the way?"
With each word she spoke, Chu Huaili's face visibly paled a little more, and the grip on her wrist loosened unconsciously due to the surging pain and helplessness in his heart.
“Arao…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to explain, “It’s not what you think. I have my reasons, I…”
"Your predicament?" Ye Yixiang repeated the two words softly, as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world. A faint smile suddenly bloomed on her lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes. Instead, it made her pale face look even more fragile, like glass that could shatter at any moment. "Your predicament is to use me, deceive me, and watch me like a fool, sinking in the lies you have woven, even... even harboring delusions, right?"
She jerked her hand back forcefully, revealing a clear, glaring red mark on her fair wrist. She staggered back a step, quickly distancing herself from him.
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