Yuexian didn't seem to care about Yan Ning's cold expression. Anyone would be disheartened to see such a beautiful face reduced to this state. Her hand remained on Yan Ning's, and she said gently, "You kept calling out Lord He's name while you were ill. I've heard about your story before. Now that General Fucha is gone, the only one willing to risk his life to save you from the palace is probably him!"
After saying this, Yuexian, whose appearance showed signs of aging, lowered her eyes and sighed, "Women all over the world only think that the life of wealth and luxury in the Forbidden City is easy, but who knows how hard it is to endure the cold and desolate days under the palace walls!"
Yan Ning realized that Yue Xian's words were directed at her. She had no intention of living in the palace, which was why her appearance was ruined. It was likely that Yong Yan had not let anyone else know the reason for her disfigurement.
Knowing that he had harmed himself because he coveted her beauty, Yan Ning knew that Yong Yan could not allow such a scandal to spread. Yan Ning's expression turned cold. "Yan Ning has never envied the life of luxury within the high palace walls!"
Yuexian's face was startled and slightly embarrassed. After a moment, she immediately smiled and said, "You come from the Fucha family, so naturally other women can't compare to you!" A small jade porcelain bottle slipped from her sleeve and landed on the lotus-red Shu brocade quilt. The jade porcelain surface was as white as snow, reflecting the red plum blossoms on it, making it elegant and unique.
She smiled gently, "The Emperor Emeritus can't do without Lord He these days. He's even been summoned to the Yuanmingyuan to attend to him! An old palace maid named Feiyun in Jingyang Palace is now terminally ill. Such a trivial matter as her burial shouldn't be of concern to Lord He, but he understands the Emperor Emeritus's thoughts so well. He knows the Emperor Emeritus still cares for Consort Rong, and out of affection for her, Feiyun has also received his care. The Emperor is increasingly valuing Lord He!"
Watching Yuexian's bright yellow phoenix robe disappear into the distance, Yan Ning pondered her words. What was the connection between Heshen and Feiyun, and why did Yuexian tell her these trivial matters of the palace?
As autumn drew to a close, Yan Ning finally realized that He Shen intended to use Fei Yun's death to smuggle her out of the palace. Yan Ning's hand, hidden beneath the brocade quilt, tightly gripped a jade porcelain bottle. She didn't know what it was, but having known He Shen to such an extent, how could she not trust him?
After Yuexian left, while the palace maid was bringing the medicine, she swallowed the only pill in the jade porcelain bottle. But before the maid could bring in the medicine, she fainted on the bed.
At first, she felt nothing. After an unknown amount of time, she felt a series of swaying and bumping. She opened her eyes; it was pitch black, and the space was cramped, as if she were sleeping in a coffin. She groped around and touched someone's cold skin. Terror stuck in her throat, and her heart pounded.
By the time the coffin was opened and the light returned, a full day and night had passed.
Heshen lifted Yan Ning from the coffin. She struggled to open her eyes, which were not used to the sunlight, and it took her a long time to notice that they were in a burial ground on the outskirts of the city. Compared to the 'mass' burial ground, this place had mounds of earth and coffins. It was the final resting place for those servants who were favored by their masters but had no family.
On the vast, desolate land, there were only mounds of earth. Since those buried here had no family, there was no need to erect tombstones, and the masters would not come to pay their respects. Among them, a large coffin, which had exceeded the status of a servant, was being lowered into the ground; presumably, it was the one Yan Ning had just slept in.
Yan Ning glanced around, still shaken. The carriage couldn't reach the burial ground and had stopped in the distant woods, several hundred paces away. Perhaps due to the heavy yin energy, the trees here all appeared pale. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Heshen's neck. Heshen looked at her with his crescent-shaped eyes, a warmth radiating from them, and said in a low voice, "Everything in the Fucha Mansion is no longer your concern! And everything in the Forbidden City is even less your concern!"
Upon hearing the words "Fucha Mansion," Yan Ning lowered her eyes. She shouldn't have existed here in the first place; for over twenty years, she had been Fukang'an's woman, the wife of a general, and she was content.
Liu Quan personally drove the carriage slowly out of the burial grounds. Yan Ning looked at Heshen beside her and said worriedly, "You helped me leave the palace right under his nose. How can the Emperor let you off so easily!"
Heshen was in high spirits, his face no longer showing the sorrow and melancholy Yan Ning had displayed when she saw him before. He gave a slight smile, "Before Consort Rong passed away, she entrusted her two personal maids to the Emperor Emeritus. Now that the Emperor Emeritus is bedridden, I naturally take care of everything for him. Even if the Emperor still harbors doubts, once the coffins containing the two of you have left the Forbidden City, it's irreversible! The Emperor has been secretly keeping you in the palace, so what reason would he have to chase after you back! Besides, given your current appearance, the Emperor's only remaining desire is to bring you back!"
Yes, Yan Ning sighed inwardly. If it weren't for Heshen making her disfigure herself, the Emperor could have summoned her to the palace with a single imperial decree, without any pretext.
Seeing Heshen's gaze fixed on her face as usual, without regret or disdain, only the usual affection, she felt for the first time in a month that she wanted to cover the scar on her right cheek in front of others.
Heshen, however, still looked at her with eyes full of affection and said, "The Empress told me that you kept calling my name while you were ill. Whatever the reason, it proves that you also have me in your heart, doesn't it? I only met you later than Fukang'an, yet I lost to him in both body and soul. If there is an afterlife, I would gladly exchange my current wealth and glory for meeting you sooner!"
Yan Ning looked at He Shen with a guilty conscience. She told him that it was because she saw his home being raided, his death being imposed, and his family being exiled to Ningguta that she called his name with a guilty conscience while she was unconscious.
She lowered her eyes, recalling Heshen's dying words in her dream, "Yan Ning, if there is an afterlife, allow me to meet you before I live to be safe and sound, okay?"
For over twenty years, Heshen's feelings for her evolved from initial transactions to his wholehearted assistance in everything he did, yet she never reciprocated in the slightest. She was a time traveler from the Prince Gong's mansion, and should have met Heshen first, but instead, she met Fukang'an. Had she met Heshen first, she surely would have developed feelings for this meticulous man who planned everything for her.
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