Chapter 101 Domineering White Moonlight 20 I gave you a chance
The person in the dream became the person in front of me, walking towards me step by step.
Xie Jingchuan almost forgot to breathe, staring at Ali without blinking. When she was a few steps away from him, he said, "You shouldn't have come."
Ali suddenly stopped, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water over his head, chilling him to the core.
Xie Jingchuan turned his face away, hiding the complex emotions in his eyes: "I... have arranged a way for you to leave the palace. You can go find Mo Wen--"
"I've already met him." Ali interrupted him.
Xie Jingchuan was stunned: "Then why don't you..." leave?
Ali stood there, his eyes etched with anger. "When will it be the Crown Prince's turn to decide whether I stay or go?"
Xie Jingchuan was startled and wanted to get up anxiously, but it only caused the wound on his back to split open again. He was covered in cold sweat and trembling with pain, but he couldn't utter a word.
Ali felt that he had lost his mind tonight and had come here on his own accord to suffer his anger.
She glared at Xie Jingchuan fiercely, then turned and left.
There were hurried footsteps behind them, and Xie Jingchuan strode out, but he only gently grasped her wrist, afraid of hurting her: "I said the wrong thing, don't go."
He lowered his brows, and his eyes, which were used to planning strategies in the court, now seemed to have been washed, wet and covered with a layer of obvious uneasiness and fragility.
"..." Ali had never been able to resist this kind of look from him, so after a few words of stubbornness, he softened.
Xie Jingchuan noticed this subtle change, his eyes trembled slightly, and he slowly hooked one of her fingers. Seeing that she did not resist, he slowly took her hand into his palm.
"It's getting dark outside and the dew is heavy. Let's go back to the hall, okay?" he asked in a gentle voice.
Ali was most susceptible to being stroked by others, so he nodded and followed Xie Jingchuan back.
Her steps were small, so when Xie Jingchuan walked side by side with her, he always slowed down his steps so that she would not fall behind and so that he could hear her words clearly at the first time.
But perhaps it was too much of a surprise tonight, Xie Jingchuan's pace was a little fast, and Ali turned his head to the side, just in time to see the blood oozing from his back.
So when Xie Jingchuan poured her tea and arranged the cushions, Ali took out all the ointments and powders he had on him and said, "I brought you some medicine for your wounds. Remember to use them."
Xie Jingchuan hurriedly sat down and curved his eyes when he saw this: "Thank you, Ali." But he didn't show any intention of moving.
He looked at A-Li with an apologetic look, his tone tinged with self-mockery: "The East Palace is short of everything right now. You can just drink some of this tea. If you don't like it, forget it."
"It's just a cup of tea, I'm not that particular." She replied nonchalantly.
Xie Jingchuan pursed his lips and said nothing.
The hall of the East Palace was filled with a lingering smell of blood, and Ali was now particularly sensitive to these smells.
In particular, the smell of blood is an extremely dangerous signal for these animals. Their natural enemies will take advantage of their injuries and bleeding, track them down by the smell, and kill them.
The intuition hidden deep in her soul kept clamoring. Ali took a few sips of coarse tea and finally couldn't help but said: "Why don't you apply the medicine now? If there is anything else you need, I can bring it with me next time. It will be convenient."
Xie Jingchuan was stunned: "Now?"
Ali nodded: "Yes, now."
Hearing this, Xie Jingchuan's expression was a little strange, like embarrassment and awkwardness.
He drank half a sip of tea and coughed: "My injuries are all on my back. I can't... touch them myself."
In the palace, caning was mostly done with solid hardwood, hitting the criminal's lower back and back until the skin was torn and blood was dripping.
These hardwoods are long and thick, heavier than ordinary sticks, and are soaked in water overnight before execution to make them tougher, less likely to slide when hitting the body, and more effective.
Xie Jingchuan was beaten with thirty sticks that day. When he was carried back to the East Palace, he was barely breathing and had one foot in the grave.
Afterwards, the Eastern Palace was sealed off, and Mo Wen only had time to hide some of the medicine in the Eastern Palace under Xie Jingchuan's bed before he was taken away.
After waking up from a coma, Xie Jingchuan was almost unable to move. He had to drag his sick body, reluctantly take some medicine, and bandage himself hastily, and he finally came back to life.
Ali suddenly froze, rubbing his fingertips on his sleeves: "How about I help you?"
Xie Jingchuan was silent for a moment, did not object, turned his back obediently, and slowly took off his shirt, revealing his messy back.
Ali let out a breath and knelt behind him, intending to remove the bandages that he had wrapped himself in a mess.
She walked around to the side of Xie Jingchuan, raised her hand and reached for the knot of the bandage on his abdomen. When her fingertips touched, Xie Jingchuan's thin abdomen suddenly trembled, and Ali was so scared that she suddenly retracted her hand.
Although there was still some distance between them, the heat from Xie Jingchuan's body seemed to spray directly on her face.
Ali suddenly didn't dare to look up, and his eyelashes kept trembling.
Xie Jingchuan was not in a better condition. He turned his head and his ears were red as if bleeding.
After a while, Ali managed to calm down and continued with his actions.
Although Xie Jingchuan was seriously injured and weak, the bandages on his back and waist were wrapped tightly. Ali couldn't break free, and was afraid of touching the unhealed wound, so he could only move slowly.
After so many days, the flesh and blood growing from some of the wounds had stuck to the bandages. A slight touch would tear off a piece of flesh. Xie Jingchuan broke out in cold sweats from the pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured it without making a sound.
Ali glanced at him and became a little gentler in his movements.
It took Ali a full half hour to apply medicine to all the wounds on Xie Jingchuan's body and wrap them with clean bandages again.
After doing all this, both of them were sweating profusely, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.
Thinking of sending the Buddha to the west, A Li went to the side hall to wash his face, then fetched a basin of water and placed it in front of Xie Jingchuan: "Wipe it too."
While Xie Jingchuan was drying himself, Ah Li took a few gulps of water and thought about what was missing from the Eastern Palace. "I asked the imperial physician before, and he said this medicine needs to be replaced every three days. I'll come here again after three days."
"Okay." Xie Jingchuan turned his back to her, wiping his shoulder with a handkerchief. Suddenly, he asked, "By the way, my father ordered the Eastern Palace to be confined, and the imperial guards outside are heavily guarded. How did you get in?"
Ah Li brought out the excuse he had prepared earlier: "It was the Empress Dowager who begged the Emperor to allow me to enter the Eastern Palace, but I cannot do so too frequently or others will notice."
Xie Jingchuan paused, his voice soft and unconcealed with heartache: "You must have also pleaded with the Empress Dowager, right?"
Ali didn't expect that he only noticed this, and the whole draft in his mind was stuffed in his throat, neither up nor down.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Xie Jingchuan lowered his eyes sadly and confirmed his guess.
There is no true family affection in the royal family. The Empress Dowager likes him, but because he is the son of her father, the crown prince, and the future heir to the State of Jin, no matter who is in this position, the Empress Dowager will show her kindness to him.
The Empress Dowager was not a soft-hearted person. If Ali had not begged her, she would not have been the one to enter the Eastern Palace.
In the end, he was the one who implicated her.
Xie Jingchuan fastened his clothes and said in a low voice, "It's late. You should go back."
Upon hearing this, Ali looked out the window. The moon was high in the sky and it was already late at night.
She stood up and said, "Mo Wen is now in the Ice Cellar Department. I will do my best to take care of him. If there are any changes in the court in the future, I will also bring you the news in time."
Xie Jingchuan shook his head, emphasizing each word: "You just need to take care of yourself and don't try to be stubborn."
"As for me," he chuckled, his expression calm, "it won't get any worse. The worst that can happen is death. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Ali couldn't help but frown, as if his heart was being pulled hard.
His indifferent look is completely different from the Xie Jingchuan who used to work hard to govern the country and take the country as his own responsibility.
Xie Jingchuan walked her to the palace gate. Ali looked back at his tired face and said softly, "Let's stop here. You need to rest more and walk less."
Xie Jingchuan agreed and reluctantly let go of her hand: "Then I'll watch you go."
Ali walked down the steps, looking back and waving at him every few steps, until his figure disappeared into the depths of the palace.
The glimmer in Xie Jingchuan's eyes was completely extinguished. Most of his body was hidden in the shadow of the eaves, and the expression on his face was indistinguishable.
*
After that night, Ali would go to the East Palace every three days to change the dressing for Xie Jingchuan and stay with him quietly for a while.
And every time she entered the East Palace, she could always see Xie Jingchuan waiting under the eaves from afar.
The time in the palace was long, and every moment Xie Jingchuan spent began with the appearance of Ali.
On the day when Ali was coming, Xie Jingchuan would always wait under the eaves early. When he was tired, he would sit on the steps until Ali appeared.
He seemed to have become a completely different person. The look he gave her was no longer as persistent as before, but always carried a hint of sadness and attachment, as if he treated every day as his last.
After a period of chaos in the previous dynasty, peace returned again.
There was no news about the elusive heir. Some said that His Majesty had secretly appointed a crown prince, but had not announced it to the world to prevent the heir from attracting too much attention too early. Others said that His Majesty had no intention of deposing the crown prince. However, not many people believed this statement, after all, the Eastern Palace was still under confinement.
Amidst the stagnant calm of the former dynasty's harem, the East Palace, which was regarded as an ominous place by the palace people, became the secret little world of Xie Jingchuan and A Li, where they spent a rare period of carefree time.
Xie Jingchuan's injuries had just healed a little, so he built a swing in the courtyard with his own hands, which was just enough for two people to sit on.
Every summer night when Ali came, the two of them would always swing leisurely on the swing, enjoying the breeze and cool air while chatting about random things.
Ali did not ask about the day when he angered the emperor, and Xie Jingchuan did not bring it up on his own initiative. It was like the secret of Kunning Palace, which was briefly discovered but could not be announced to the public immediately. It could only lie dormant for the time being, waiting for the opportunity, until the day when it could see the light of day.
Xie Jingchuan was seriously injured this time. The medicine brought by Ali could only heal the wounds on his skin, but his internal organs were seriously damaged. He had to recuperate for a long time and could not worry or overwork himself.
Ali learned to make medicinal food a few times, but Xie Jingchuan's expression went out of control as soon as he took a bite. In the end, she fed all these things to the flowers and plants in the courtyard.
During the few months of accompanying Xie Jingchuan, Ali keenly noticed that he would occasionally frown and cover his chest, as if enduring some pain, but when Ali asked, he just said nothing was wrong.
Ali thought about the love blood in his body and felt particularly uncomfortable.
In the blink of an eye, this year's summer is about to pass, and the night air is a little cooler. When Xie Jingchuan came out with a blanket, Ali was curled up on the swing reading a storybook.
He covered her with a thin blanket and sat down with his arms around her shoulders. Ali adjusted his posture and read the storybook in the book more attentively.
The sky was dotted with stars. Xie Jingchuan was lost in thought as he stared at them. "I've heard from the palace maids that my mother loved summer the most. She would always lie on the couch in the back hall and gaze at the stars."
No one dared to mention the old stories of Kunning Palace for a long time, but Xie Jingchuan was determined to investigate and still found out a lot.
Through the fragmentary words of the palace servants, he pieced together the image of his biological mother in his mind bit by bit.
During the days when the emperor favored the imperial concubine, this queen of noble birth disdained to compete for favor with others. She was full of heart and had her own pride, and never complained about herself.
Even though Kunning Palace had been deserted for a long time, she was always content and unperturbed by fame or disgrace. The lotus pond hidden among the reeds was built at that time.
If she had not become pregnant later, she might have lived a peaceful but stable life in the palace and would not have died with hatred due to the calculations of her husband.
While she was weeping for the death of a strange child, her own child, who had just been separated from her body, was being carefully held in the arms of his mother's murderer. They surrounded him, watching, looking, and laughing, and no wailing could be heard in Kunning Palace.
Xie Jingchuan felt a pain in his heart and couldn't help coughing a few times, and his face turned pale in an instant.
Ah Li put down the book and looked over, his eyes darting around his heart with worry. "I'll go and beg the Empress Dowager tomorrow to let her allow the imperial physician to come in and take your pulse."
Xie Jingchuan smiled and hugged her tighter: "Ali, if I die, you must leave here."
Ali put her hand into his palm and interlocked their fingers: "You won't die."
Xie Jingchuan raised his head and said softly, "Who can know about matters of life and death?"
Seeing him so emotional tonight, Ali remembered that tomorrow was the birthday of the late queen. He was now trapped here by the emperor's order, and the only relative he could miss was the late queen.
She broke free from Xie Jingchuan's arms, ran into the hall, and then ran back, holding a pot of fruit wine that she had brought three days ago.
"I can't come to accompany you tomorrow, so I have to get drunk with you tonight." Ali handed the wine jug to Xie Jingchuan with a heroic look.
Xie Jingchuan was not feeling well and could not drink strong liquor for the time being, so Ali specially picked out this kind of fruit wine for women to drink, which was sweet but not greasy.
Xie Jingchuan stared at her for a long time, his eyes filled with an expression she couldn't understand, and it took him a while to take the wine jug.
The two of them leaned against each other and drank slowly, and the small pot of wine was soon empty.
Ali licked her moist lips, feeling a little unsatisfied. However, Xie Jingchuan beside her leaned on her shoulder without her knowing when, with his eyes closed as if he was drunk.
"Xie Jingchuan? Xie Jingchuan?" Ali pushed him, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he raised his eyes very slowly.
In just a moment, Ali saw the tears in his eyes that had not yet disappeared.
She originally wanted to push his hand away, but it slowly dropped down, and finally turned into a silent sigh, carrying a heartache that she herself was not aware of.
Ali slowly stood up, helped Xie Jingchuan up, and walked towards the bedroom.
Although Xie Jingchuan was drunk, he tried his best not to let his weight fall on Ali and took the initiative to move towards the bed.
Ali was unable to react for a moment and was brought down to the couch by him, hitting her hard chest heavily.
Their eyes met, so close.
Ali lay in his arms with a blushing face and a pounding heart. He approached her with drunken eyes and pecked the corner of her lips like a dragonfly touching the water.
"Ali, you said that in the future..."
He didn't finish his words, and there was a broken light in his eyes.
Ali opened his lips to comfort him, but saw that he frowned in pain again, his hands tightly clutching the clothes on his chest, and his whole body curled up.
Ali suddenly panicked and wanted to go out to find the imperial physician, but Xie Jingchuan suddenly grabbed his wrist. After a dizzy spell, he pressed him under him.
The hall was extremely dark, but Xie Jingchuan's gaze was particularly hot. He swept across her flushed and hot face and caressed it lovingly for a few times.
As their breaths intertwined, an ambiguous atmosphere spread between the bed curtains.
Ali subconsciously pushed him: "You are drunk."
Xie Jingchuan sighed and whispered in her ear: "You know, I can drink more than that. I know exactly what I'm doing."
"What about you?" he asked, kissing her delicate neck with his lips.
The familiar hot breath sprayed on the sensitive ears, bringing a tingling and soft feeling. Ali sank into the cloud-soft quilt and looked up at the person above with wide eyes.
"...Xie Jingchuan?" Her voice trembled a little, and her hands, which were trying to push him away, touched the layers of bandages on his back in the darkness. She suddenly stopped and dared not move again.
Xie Jingchuan accurately captured the hesitation and softness in that moment, and saw the love and guilt in her eyes in the moonlight.
He leaned on both sides of her body, his black hair falling down and brushing against her cheeks, bringing a slight itch.
The drunkenness in his eyes seemed to dissipate a little, revealing a deeper undercurrent, as if he was still waiting for her answer.
The rapid heartbeats of the two echoed between the bed curtains. Ali lowered his eyes in panic for a long time, so long that time seemed to freeze.
Xie Jingchuan waited very patiently, but his hot palm unconsciously wandered around her waist, causing waves of tremors that made it almost impossible for her to think.
Finally, Ali raised his head slightly, and slowly loosened his hands that had been pushing against his chest, and tentatively put his arms around his neck.
This tiny movement instantly stirred up a surging wave in Xie Jingchuan's eyes.
The string that had been kept taut suddenly broke.
Xie Jingchuan lowered his head and kissed her slightly open lips, swallowing up any possibility of her saying no.
The kiss came overwhelmingly with an unmistakable sense of predation.
His whole body was tense, but his movements were slow. His nimble fingertips untied Ali's skirt one by one. The outer shirt, the skirt... the complicated clothes of the woman were peeled off layer by layer with amazing patience.
With every layer he untied, the temperature at his fingertips seemed to grow hotter.
When his body was exposed to the slightly cool air, Ali couldn't help but shiver.
Xie Jingchuan's kiss fell on her smooth and round shoulders, as gentle as a feather brushing.
Then, the second one landed on her collarbone with a hint of wet and hot sucking.
"Here..." He pressed against her skin and asked hoarsely, "Is it okay?"
Ali bit his lower lip and was unable to speak.
Xie Jingchuan was never one to passively wait for an answer. His gentle kisses gradually descended, igniting a small flame that gradually gathered into a raging fire. "Here?"
Ali's sanity had long been shattered and thrown far into the sky.
She inappropriately recalled the time when Xie Jingchuan had taught her to read. She hadn't understood and had been disloyal, refusing to cooperate properly. She had used such a nasty attitude that she hoped the gifted Crown Prince would quickly get bored and give up teaching her.
But to Ali's disappointment, Xie Jingchuan never gave up on her, this stupid student, and never thought of letting her go.
He would not glare at her like the Taifu, but would still speak in a gentle tone, explaining the contents of the book to her in greater detail, no matter how long it took, until she understood and was willing to respond to his questions.
There was a glint in Ali's eyes. From childhood to adulthood, Xie Jingchuan had always responded to her requests, but there were always palace rules that could not be crossed. He would not think that she was being unreasonable like others did, but would try his best to satisfy her in his own way.
Slowly, she wanted to escape, but couldn't bear to give up this exclusive tenderness.
The temperature rose suddenly, and Xie Jingchuan's forehead was wet with sweat. He tried his best to restrain himself and still stubbornly maintained this slow rhythm, watching her melt and lose control little by little.
The honey he brewed with his own hurt finally made her willingly stay in the love web he had woven.
One of the candles went out at some point, and the light in the hall became dimmer and more hazy.
Ali's consciousness was already fragmented. She was extremely tired and cried and made a fuss, asking Xie Jingchuan to let her go.
But he ignored her and pulled her hands, which were sliding down weakly and grabbing the quilt, back to his neck.
The night is still long.
*
Ali didn't know how long she had slept. She opened her eyes in a daze and saw the top of the curtain of her bed in Yinyue Pavilion.
Her body, which was almost torn apart, now felt only a slight soreness. She changed her clothes and closed her eyes again, waiting for consciousness to return.
The blushing memories of last night emerged, his gentle questions, the burning touch and the final almost crazy possession still lingered on her.
She patted her rosy cheeks and turned over while hugging the quilt.
As the strength in her limbs gradually recovered, Ali's thoughts also returned. She sat up suddenly and found that she had really returned to Yinyue Pavilion.
Was it Xie Jingchuan who sent her back?
How did he leave the East Palace?
Did the emperor order his release?
Countless questions popped up in her mind. She hurriedly got out of bed to confirm these things, but after taking a few steps, she realized something was wrong again.
This is not her Yinyue Pavilion.
Although he tried his best to restore the furnishings and layout, Ali could tell at a glance that this was not the Yinyue Pavilion.
She stopped in the hall, her heart suddenly beating violently.
Then, she saw densely packed dark golden runes floating on the surrounding walls, the ground, and even the dome. Those runes seemed to have life, flowing slowly in front of her eyes, emitting a heart-pounding and powerful force.
Ali's scalp went numb, and she ran barefoot towards the palace gate interwoven with runes. She raised her hands to gather the demonic power in her body, but she couldn't break through the restriction at all. Instead, she was violently bounced back and hit the table behind her heavily.
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, and the runes on the temple door turned slightly, opening silently to both sides.
Xie Jingchuan stood outside the door.
He was wearing the bright yellow official uniform of the crown prince, with an upright posture and a graceful demeanor. Seeing her fall to the ground, he immediately stepped forward to help her up, but was slapped in the face by Ali.
Xie Jingchuan's face, which was already pale, became even paler, but he still stubbornly picked her up and put her back on the bed regardless of her angry grabbing and hitting.
Ah Li wanted to kill him at this moment, his eyes reddened: "Why do you do this?"
Xie Jingchuan held her cold feet and tried to warm them with his slightly cold hands, but it was useless.
He was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes, a crazy and paranoid look flashing in his eyes: "I gave you a chance, and you came back on your own."
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