Chapter 65 He Enters My Dream with a Thousand Lamps (Part 1) Perhaps she could…
“The vision impairment is only temporary,” Xiao Mo interrupted her, his tone certain. “The incense mist is not poisonous; it’s merely to confuse the eyes for easier action. The effects will wear off once the medicine wears off. As for the chains…”
He paused, then said, "You were the one who tried to burn this place down first, so I had to take precautions."
"Why did I burn this place down? Why did I flee?" Ye Yixiang hissed. "Should I be grateful to the Prime Minister for capturing me here and isolating me from the world?"
“Isolation from the world is sometimes safer than being in the center of a whirlpool.” Xiao Mo’s voice deepened, and he seemed to take a half-step closer to her. Ye Yixiang could feel his presence approaching, carrying the scent of medicine and an indescribable pressure.
“You know the situation in the palace better than I do. Although the Empress Dowager is gone, the repercussions are still ongoing; the new emperor’s foundation is not yet stable, and all sides are eyeing him covetously; moreover, there are spies from the Northern Barbarians lurking in the shadows, who may even be colluding with the inner court… If you stay there, you will be the target of everyone’s ire.”
"So you took it upon yourself to 'rescue' me?" Ye Yixiang sneered. "In this way? Xiao Mo, are you really saving me, or... do you have other motives?"
In the darkness, she could almost feel his gaze fixed upon her. After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his voice as soft as a sigh, yet every word struck her heart:
What if I said... both?
This frank, almost cruel answer made her momentarily forget her anger; she simply stood frozen in place, her empty eyes seemingly frozen in the darkness.
Both? Saving her, and... plotting against her?
Xiao Mo didn't explain further. Footsteps sounded, and he left, leaving behind a calm instruction: "Someone will bring some food over in a little while."
The days that followed seemed to sink into even deeper darkness.
Two meals a day were still delivered by Shen Mo's maid.
The food was more refined than before, with even stewed minced meat and seasonal vegetables, but Ye Yixiang could barely eat it.
The heavy, cold iron chains on her wrists reminded her of her imprisonment with every movement.
The boundless darkness devoured his will.
At first, she forced herself to stay awake, trying to calculate the time from the intervals between meal deliveries and the occasional sounds of wind and birdsong outside the door, in order to maintain a sliver of clarity.
But gradually, that taut string began to loosen.
The darkness was too long, the silence too heavy, and the unknown fear, like icy water, crept up from all directions, engulfing her. She began to lose track of whether she was awake or asleep, and the boundary between reality and memory became blurred.
Some images that she had deliberately buried for a long time began to surge up uncontrollably, their clarity terrifying.
It was six years ago, the day Chang'an fell.
It wasn't a legend from a storybook; it was a bloody and brutal hell she personally experienced.
Before my eyes, I seemed to see flames shooting into the sky again, turning half the night sky a menacing orange-red. Thick smoke billowed, mixed with the crackling of burning wood and the deafening roar of collapsing houses.
My ears were filled with a cacophony of sounds, a chaotic jumble of noises:
Through the crack in the side gate of the mansion, she saw a woman dressed in dirty brocade tightly holding a baby huddled against the wall, the baby's cries sharp and urgent.
"Shh...Baby, don't cry, don't cry..." The woman's trembling soothing voice came to an abrupt halt. A gleaming blade flashed down diagonally, and after a muffled thud, the baby's increasingly piercing cries were finally crushed by the horse's hooves.
"Has this household been thoroughly searched? His Highness has ordered that anyone who resists should be treated as a traitor."
"Boss, it seems there are still officials from the previous dynasty hiding in the courtyards to the west..."
"Who cares what official rank they are? His Highness said this street must be 'cleared' before dawn. Be quick, kill anyone who's breathing!"
"Yun Rao, don't be afraid, don't make a sound..." Her mother's voice was close to her ear, weak and gentle with despair.
Then, heavy footsteps stopped outside the door. The door was kicked open roughly.
Firelight shone through the gaps in the bed curtains, casting swaying shadows.
A rough, hoarse male voice rang out, filled with the exhilaration of a victor: "Search! Search thoroughly! Leave no one alive!"
"Join the army! There seems to be some movement over here!"
The footsteps approached the canopy bed. The mother's body stiffened instantly.
Ye Yixiang suddenly curled up, covering her ears tightly with her hands, as if that could shut out the approaching footsteps. The cold iron chains rattled with her movements, and the abrasions on her wrists stung, but nothing compared to the overwhelming fear deep in her memory.
"No...please...don't kill my mother..." she murmured unconsciously, her voice trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cold cheeks without warning.
"Miss Ye!"
Xiao Mo's voice rang out, carrying a rare hint of urgency.
He clearly hadn't expected to see this.
The woman, who always maintained a facade of composure and was always prickly, was now cowering in the corner like a frightened cub, trembling all over, tears streaming down her face, and uttering broken pleas.
He felt a sharp, unfamiliar clench in his heart. He strode forward, disregarding the boundaries between men and women, and bent down to pull her into his arms from the cold ground.
"It's alright, it's all in the past." He reassured softly, his voice gentle to the point that he himself didn't even realize. "The war will never break out again. Now that the country is unified and peace reigns, those things... will never happen again."
His embrace wasn't warm; in fact, it carried the slight chill of the night breeze from outside. But it was solid, isolating her from the cold ground and the imagined clashes of swords. Ye Yixiang shivered in his arms, and strangely, the overwhelming fear subsided slightly, while the remaining tears surged even more fiercely.
Xiao Mo felt the slight trembling and gradually calming breathing of the person in his arms, and his heart was slightly relieved, but anger immediately rose. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping like an icy blade across the maid standing with her head bowed at the door and the guards in the shadows.
"Is this how you've 'taken care' of her these past few days?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the oppressive aura of someone accustomed to a high position, sending chills down one's spine. "How could she have become like this?!"
Yun Yi bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Master, we dare not neglect our duties. However... the 'calming powder' you instructed us to add to the porridge has caused Miss Ye to barely eat anything these past few days. The remaining poison from 'Meng Dai Xiang' already requires medication to slowly remove it, but now that the medicine is not working and her mind is not at peace, it has... stirred up her old fears."
Xiao Mo frowned. He had indeed ordered the addition of a mild calming drug to her meals, intending to help her calm her mind and avoid the torment of being imprisoned in darkness, but he had not expected her to resist so strongly.
Ye Yixiang in his arms gradually stopped crying, only sobbing slightly. Her face was pressed against the fabric of his chest, and she suddenly caught a faint but familiar scent, a clear and calming fragrance of ebony.
It was the incense that Chu Huaili usually used.
Xiao Mo entered the palace today. And he stayed for quite a while, which is why the incense has so clearly permeated his official robes.
This realization was like a ray of light, piercing through her chaotic fear. She closed her eyes, gently rubbing her cheek against the intricate embroidery of his official robes on his chest. The cool silk, the fine, solid embroidery… it was undoubtedly the Prime Minister's court attire.
A thought, faint yet tenacious, emerged.
Since he was so concerned about her condition, he even rushed over without changing out of his official robes...
Perhaps she could leave something behind for him.
A trace, a clue.
Hopefully... Chu Huaili will notice.
Seeing that she had stopped crying, Xiao Mo wanted to release her to check the injury on her wrist. But as soon as he made a move, her arms, which were bound by iron chains, timidly wrapped around his waist.
Then, a weak voice with a heavy nasal tone sounded muffledly in his chest:
"Don't go... I'm scared."
Xiao Mo's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment. This sudden dependence and tenderness was completely different from the Ye Yixiang he knew, who was stubborn and prickly even when she was blind.
He looked down and could only see the top of her dark hair and her slightly trembling shoulders. A deep, hardened corner of his heart seemed to be gently touched by this extreme vulnerability.
"I'm not leaving," he heard himself say, his voice surprisingly gentle. He sat up straight again and let her lean against him.
Ye Yixiang's heart tightened. She raised her wrist, which was chafed and bleeding from the iron chains, and wrapped it around his neck as if seeking a sense of security.
This action caused her blood-stained inner wrist to inadvertently brush against the back of his collar, repeating this several times until she could smell the faint scent of blood clinging to the silk fabric. Only then did she feel slightly relieved and bury her face in his shoulder.
"I haven't seen you for several days," she said softly, her voice still trembling with sobs and a hint of grievance. "Where have you been?"
Only by showing weakness could she lower his guard. Her heart pounded like a drum; she didn't know if this crude trick would fool him. But at this moment, it was the only glimmer of hope she could grasp in the darkness.
Xiao Mo remained silent for a moment, then gently patted her back, as if comforting a frightened child.
"In the palace, I share His Majesty's burdens," he replied, his voice softening slightly. "Reports of floods in Jiangnan are piling up, and there are signs of instability in the north as well. The affairs of the court are numerous and complicated."
He felt the body in his arms move slightly. "Eat something, okay?" he urged. "Otherwise, your body won't be able to take it, and old ailments and new injuries will flare up at the same time, making it even harder to recover."
Ye Yixiang nodded gently on his shoulder, her gesture incredibly obedient. "Then...when are you going again?"
"I'll be leaving soon." Xiao Mo paused, then added, "If my servants hadn't urgently reported that you hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days, I wouldn't be rushing back now."
“Then you should go quickly,” she said, lifting her face, her empty eyes straining to reach his voice, her tone a forced, sensible strength. “I’ll just eat my food properly. Don’t… don’t delay our business.”
As Xiao Mo gazed into her unfocused, beautiful eyes, a strange, tender feeling welled up inside him again. He raised his hand and gently stroked her loose, long hair, his fingertips brushing against the cool, smooth strands.
Ye Yixiang stiffened, almost instinctively wanting to dodge, but she forcibly restrained herself, even tilting her head slightly and rubbing her palm against his in a welcoming manner.
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Author's Note: Due to health reasons, I am hospitalized. This is the last chapter of my draft. If I am not discharged tomorrow and cannot maintain daily updates and return to the original every other day update schedule, please forgive me.
A huge thank you to all the readers who have been following along! You are my motivation to keep going! [kissing emojis]
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