Chapter 106: Domineering White Moonlight 25 Have you had enough fun?
I have walked this road from the Qinzheng Hall to the Yinyue Pavilion at least a hundred times, but it feels especially long tonight. The dark and deep palace road seems to have no end.
Xie Jingchuan coughed lightly a few times and kept rubbing his forehead, trying to dispel the fatigue. The strong feeling of uneasiness was like a sharp thorn, repeatedly stabbing in his drowsy mind.
Mo Wen looked at his face and kept urging him, "Faster, faster."
Finally, the emperor's procession stopped in front of the Yinyue Pavilion, breaking the tranquility of the late night.
Xie Jingchuan couldn't wait for the palace servants to stop the carriage completely, so he waved away Mo Wen who was trying to support him and staggered out.
The medicinal effect of the bowl of pear soup was still paralyzing his mind. The world was slowly spinning and blurring before his eyes, burning with an inexplicable uneasiness in his chest.
Xie Jingchuan pushed open the palace door.
"Ali?"
His voice echoed in the empty temple, carrying a hint of anticipation that he himself was not aware of.
Maybe she was just asleep, or maybe that uneasiness was just his damned suspicion.
However, no one responded to him.
There was deathly silence in the hall.
He stumbled towards the bedroom. The palace maids of Yinyue Pavilion were kneeling on the ground, their heads bowed deeply on the ground, not daring to raise them.
Mingshuang's face was even paler. After she came back from the imperial garden, she found that the princess was no longer in the palace, and she knew that she did not believe her.
Although she was sad, she still secretly hoped that the princess could really escape, and she would do her best to help the princess keep this shocking secret.
But she never expected that His Majesty would notice it so quickly.
Xie Jingchuan tore the bead curtain of the bedroom apart, and the jade beads fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
On the bed where the two of them used to sleep together, the quilt was neatly folded, without a trace of anyone having slept there.
On the dressing table, all the jewels, hairpins and rings that he had sent every day were there, shining with a cold luster under the suddenly lit candlelight.
Everything is there.
Only she was missing.
Xie Jingchuan suddenly froze in place, the drowsiness brought on by the drug receded like a tide, leaving only an extremely sharp clarity.
His eyes swept across every corner of the hall frantically, as if trying to pull out a hidden figure from the dead silence.
But no.
Not anywhere.
"Very good..." A very light laugh escaped from his throat, as if something was completely shattered.
Xie Jingchuan turned around very slowly, his voice frighteningly calm: "Where's she?"
Lan Xin was trembling with fear: "Tonight... Ming Shuang is on guard. I don't know where the Majesty has gone..."
Ming Shuang's figure trembled as she lay on the ground. She forced herself to reply, "Your Majesty, this servant... has been on guard outside all night and has not seen the Majesty come out. I don't know why this happened..."
"I don't know?" Xie Jingchuan repeated these two words without any fluctuation in his tone.
The next second, there was a loud "bang" and the half-person-high enameled vase next to it was knocked to the ground, and fragments flew everywhere in an instant.
"Don't know?!" Xie Jingchuan finally tore off his calm mask, revealing his scarlet and crazy inner self.
Because of the drug and rage, his eyes were red and veins on his forehead were bulging. "My queen disappeared right under your noses! And you told me I didn't know?!"
"Everyone, take them all away." He ordered in a cold voice, no longer giving any kind glances.
All the palace maids in Yinyue Pavilion were dragged away. Xie Jingchuan suddenly raised his eyes and swept across the restrictions hidden throughout the hall. His rage suddenly subsided.
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, but his eyes became extremely deep, staring at the palace door, which was even more frightening.
He understood.
He understood everything.
The pear soup I made myself over the past few days, the sudden mellowness, everything was planned.
She's not missing.
She escaped.
On the eve of their wedding, when he was immersed in the beautiful dream she had woven and thought he could finally be happy, she carefully planned a brilliant betrayal and escape.
The pain in his body and heart was unbearable. Xie Jingchuan bent down deeply, as if he could hear the sound of his blood gradually turning cold and solidifying.
It turns out that the heart can really hurt to this extent.
It is more deadly and unforgettable than any sword wound.
All his expectations, the remaining warmth from last night, and his ridiculous fantasies about the future were shattered at this moment.
She threw him away without any regret, like throwing away an insignificant and easily obtainable object.
How sad, how ridiculous, and how stupid.
Xie Jingchuan slowly stood up straight, all the emotions on his face faded away, leaving only bottomless coldness and deathly silence.
"Pass the order down."
"Seal off the nine gates, even if it means digging three feet into the ground, we must get the queen..."
He paused, swallowed the blood in his throat, and his eyes were filled with the madness of destroying himself and others.
"Please come back to me."
The entire palace was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, with only the crackling of candlelight illuminating his lifeless profile, like an Asura crawling out of hell.
*
Ali rushed all the way, and used the shadow escape technique to avoid the patrolling imperial guards several times. Finally, Xihua Gate appeared in her sight.
The guards here had been transferred away by Chen Yizi. Ali passed through the palace gate smoothly and found a carriage hidden in the shadow of the palace wall.
Her eyes lit up, but as she approached, she silently gripped the dagger she carried with her, her whole body tense.
The curtain was drawn aside, revealing a man sitting in the pitch-black carriage. Ali was instantly startled and immediately pulled out a dagger, holding it against the man's neck. He said in a deep voice, "Who are you?!"
"Miss Ali, it's me, Uncle Tan."
A-li looked carefully and saw that it was indeed Uncle Tan. He let him go as if it was a false alarm: "A-li was the one who offended me."
Uncle Tan didn't care much: "Miss, you'd better be cautious. Ah Tan asked me to pick you up and leave the city. She is waiting for us outside the city."
Ali was stunned: "We?"
Uncle Tan got out of the car and quickly drove away: "Time is tight, let's talk while we walk."
"Atan and I have agreed to move away from the capital, a place of trouble. We will take you with us so that we can take care of you."
"Don't worry, A'tan cast a spell on this carriage, they can't track your scent."
Ali lifted a corner of the curtain and said, "It's me who has implicated you."
Beijing is Uncle Tan’s hometown. He and his wife have lived here for decades. All their efforts and memories are rooted here. How can they bear to let it go?
Uncle Tan smiled and said, "What's the point of being involved or not? Ah Tan treats you as his younger sister, so you are my younger sister as well."
"Uncle Tan, I have never left the capital, and I have let Ah Tan stay with me in this city for so long. Now it's my turn to accompany her for a walk."
Ali pursed his lips, his eyes slightly red. "Madam and Uncle Tan are so kind. Ali will remember this and will definitely repay you in the future."
The sound of horse hooves clattered along the street. The city gate was right before her eyes, and the sleeping imperial city was getting farther and farther away from her.
Ali was lying by the window, with an inexplicable emotion in his eyes.
She was really leaving, completely separating from Xie Jingchuan, who had spent more than ten years with her.
Suddenly, the towering imperial city was filled with flames shooting up into the sky. Even from such a distance, the dull thunderous sounds of the imperial guards running and the faint commands as they assembled still penetrated the night and struck her eardrums.
Ali and Uncle Tan froze for a moment, with only the sound of their hearts beating wildly in their chests.
"drive!"
Uncle Tan suddenly raised his whip, whipping it in the air with a sharp sound, and it landed heavily on the horse's back.
The horse felt pain, raised its hooves and let out a long, shrill neigh, pulling the carriage at an even faster speed, rushing madly towards the dark city gate.
Ali's heart was in a knot and his hands were shaking.
With the sound of the city gate closing loudly behind them, the carriage rushed out at the last moment and ran at high speed on the official road outside the city.
There was silence in the car, and the world seemed to be divided into two parts.
Ali was already sweating profusely, and he collapsed to the ground as if he had survived a disaster.
She escaped.
The carriage galloped forward without stopping until it stopped in the woods twenty miles away, where Madam Tan was waiting for them.
Ali jumped out of the car and saw several carriages behind Madam Tan, each with a driver, and he couldn't help but become alert.
Seeing this, Lady Tan patted her hand soothingly and said, "Don't be afraid. Those are just puppets I created. We have been in the capital for decades, and a carriage can't carry all the things we have."
As she spoke, she looked at Ali's thin face again, feeling distressed: "How did you become so thin?"
Ali's nose felt sore, but he tried not to cry: "I'm fine, but Xie Jingchuan seems to have noticed that I'm missing. If we go on the road together, I'm afraid you will be implicated."
Madam Tan nodded. "I've just noticed some unusual activity in the city. With the three of us and so many carriages on the road together, we're really too big a target. It's better for us to split up and act accordingly."
She raised her sleeves and transformed several puppets that looked exactly like Ali: "These puppets will go in a different direction from you, disrupting their sight."
Then, she tapped A-Li's brow with her fingertips and said, "This is a concealing technique. It can conceal the evil spirit in you."
Ali nodded seriously and wrote down everything she told him.
Although she was reluctant to let her go, Madam Tan still sent her to the carriage and stuffed a bag of silver into her pocket: "Little A-li, you must take care of yourself. The mountains are high and the waters are long. We will meet again if we are destined to."
"Thank you, my lady. We will definitely meet again in the future."
Ali hugged Tan Niangzi tightly, and stood up amid her constant scolding and urging. He took one last look at them, whipped his horse and set off, never looking back.
*
Ali and Shen Li's homes are both in the south, but she did not go towards home, but chose to go west.
After living in the palace for more than ten years, Ali suddenly left and didn't know where to go or who to find. He could only keep moving forward.
The world is so big that there seems to be no place for her.
Along the way, Ali hid here and there and brushed shoulders with pursuers several times. Even with a weak demonic power protecting his body, his body had reached its limit.
After running for who knows how long, the horses were extremely tired. They were now hundreds of miles away from the capital, and gradually they could no longer see any trace of the pursuers.
Ali's heart was always hanging, and he dared not relax.
But things went against her wishes. She encountered a rainstorm that night and was soaked. She finally found an inn to stay in. She locked the door, but developed a high fever late at night.
It was pouring rain outside the window, the sky was dark, and only a dim oil lamp was lit in the house, casting a hazy glow on the humid air.
Ali was lying on the cold bed, wrapped in a rough and dry quilt.
Her whole body was burning hot, and every breath she took was hot, but at the same time she felt extremely cold, her teeth were chattering uncontrollably, and her consciousness was already blurred.
"Water...water..." Her cracked lips moved, making a weak sound.
In a trance, someone gently lifted up her weak body, a strong arm supported her back, and warm water with a hint of sweetness was carefully fed to her lips.
Ali moved his dry lips and swallowed greedily. The cool water flowed through his burning throat, bringing a moment of indescribable relief.
But the next moment, the cup was taken away mercilessly.
Ali turned his head to look for it, but couldn't find it. The uncomfortable feeling came to his heart again.
She closed her eyes, but a few tears unconsciously fell from the corners of her red eyes and slid into her sweaty hair.
A slightly cool hand wiped the tears from her face and put the glass of water to her lips again.
Seeing her drink eagerly, the hand placed on the thin skin on her neck, soothing it very gently.
This gentle touch dragged Ali into a deeper and more profound dream.
She dreamed that she was still in the palace, when the late emperor had not yet passed away and all the things that followed had not happened yet.
As usual, she stared at the homework assigned by Master Yao with a headache. Xie Jingchuan sat beside her with a book in his hands, explaining it to her in a gentle voice.
The boy and girl snuggled together by the window, basking in the bright spring sunshine, not knowing what sorrow felt like.
She was drowsy from listening and suddenly stood up and tried to run away, but someone grabbed her wrist tightly.
She turned around and saw Xie Jingchuan still looking at her gently: "Where do you want to escape to, Ali?"
She was speechless, and when he wasn't paying attention, she broke free and ran out of the library. However, she found that no matter how she ran, she was always circling in the library, and whenever she turned around, Xie Jingchuan was always following her closely.
This dream is bizarre, sometimes sweet, sometimes depressing.
She ran and ran, her body growing heavier until she fell completely into darkness.
I don’t know how long it took, but the fatal dizziness gradually subsided.
Ali's eyelashes trembled as he struggled to open them a little.
Her high fever had just subsided, but her vision was still blurry and she could only vaguely see a person sitting beside the bed.
Who is it?
Ali tried hard to focus his vision.
The first thing that caught her eye was a hand resting on her knee, with distinct joints, slender and strong, which she had seen many times before.
With a loud "boom", a thunder exploded in her head, and all the pain and confusion were instantly wiped out.
Her pupils suddenly constricted and moved upwards in fear.
Xie Jingchuan was sitting on the edge of the bed, still wearing the dark uniform. He didn't look at her, but tilted his head slightly, looking at the continuous drizzle outside the window. His profile looked particularly cold and hard in the dim light.
As if noticing her gaze, he slowly turned back.
Their eyes met.
There was no anger or sadness in his eyes, only bone-chilling coldness and calmness, which seemed particularly suffocating amid the sound of rain outside the window.
Looking at her face filled with horror, Xie Jingchuan spoke for a long time before he opened his thin lips and said, "Have you had enough fun?"
"When you've had enough fun, just follow me back, okay?"
*
When I returned to that magnificent cage, everything seemed to have never changed, yet everything was different.
The Hidden Moon Pavilion still looked the same as before I left, only more luxurious. The palace maids with new faces stood with their heads bowed, more nervous than before.
Ali, who had a high fever that did not subside, was sent back here. She was extremely weak and her face was as pale as a piece of transparent porcelain that would break at the slightest touch.
Xie Jingchuan personally carried her back to the hall and dismissed everyone.
The heavy palace door slowly closed, making a heart-pounding thud.
He walked up to her, looking down at her who was so weak that she could barely sit still, and said calmly, "The freedom outside the palace is not suitable for my A-li. Look, in just a few days, you have become so haggard."
His voice was low and steady, yet it carried a heavy sense of oppression: "Being by my side is the safest and most suitable place for Ali."
Xie Jingchuan stood up and clapped his hands lightly.
Mo Wen lowered his head, holding a silver plate covered with bright yellow satin. He walked over quietly and quickly, knelt down, and raised the silver plate high above his head.
On the silver plate was a thin chain made of pure gold.
The chain was exquisitely crafted, with each link interlocking. One end of the chain was connected to an equally exquisite anklet, and the inner wall was wrapped with velvet. The whole chain was not thick or heavy.
Ali looked at Xie Jingchuan in shock and subconsciously retracted her foot, but he grabbed it in advance and held her slender ankle with his cold hand.
His movements were not rough, but they were filled with a creepy concentration.
"Xie Jingchuan, you can't do this..." Ali finally made a hoarse and weak resistance, shaking his head continuously.
Xie Jingchuan seemed not to hear. He picked up the anklet, and slowly and carefully, as if he was putting a precious piece of jewelry on her, he fastened the gold ring on her pale ankle with his own hands.
There was a light "click" sound, and the sound of the lock closing was clear and particularly harsh in the hall.
The cold touch pressed against Ali's skin, and the many restrictions hidden within it made her tremble violently.
Xie Jingchuan let go of her, stood up, and looked down at his work.
The thin chain hung from her ankle, and the other end was firmly locked to the heavy bedpost. She could not walk out of the palace door within the radius.
That way, she would never run away again.
At Xie Jingchuan's signal, Lan Xin and the unfamiliar palace maid pushed the door open and prepared to undress her and wash her.
But Ali refused to let them touch him: "Where's Mingshuang? Let her in."
Lan Xin and the palace maid knelt down together, not daring to speak.
Xie Jingchuan nonchalantly smoothed the wrinkles on his cuffs and said calmly, "From now on, Lan Xin and Qiu He will serve you."
Ali was stunned and looked at him in disbelief, trying to discern the expression on his face: "...What did you do to Mingshuang?"
Xie Jingchuan saw her eyes turn red instantly, and he couldn't help but move closer, leaning over to look into her eyes: "A-Li, what do you think I will do?"
Ali's eyes trembled, tears streaming down his face: "You...you killed her?"
Xie Jingchuan did not deny it. He raised his hand to wipe her tears, as if he didn't understand why she would rather cry for a lowly palace maid than stay with him obediently.
The string of emotion suddenly snapped at this moment. Ali slammed his hand away and said in a shrill voice: "Why? Why did you do this?!"
Xie Jingchuan didn't answer her. He just grabbed her struggling hands and pressed her onto the bed. "A-Li, I won't pursue the matter of how you escaped from the palace. As long as you behave in the future, I promise not to touch anyone else."
His voice was not loud, but it made Ali stop for a moment.
She no longer struggled or resisted, but her tears flowed more and more violently.
Xie Jingchuan turned his eyes away and pretended to stand up, but Ali seemed to say something.
He didn't hear clearly, so he leaned over again and heard what Ali said clearly: "Xie Jingchuan, you really deserve to die."
Suddenly, I felt a chill around my waist, and something warm slowly flowed out of it, staining their clothes and the bed red.
Ali gripped the dagger tightly and stabbed Xie Jingchuan's waist with all his strength.
The scene before them frightened Mo Wen and the others to death. They screamed and tried to move forward, but Xie Jingchuan stopped them, "Get out! Get out!"
"Your Majesty!" Mo Wen's voice was trembling badly. He stood there and didn't dare to move forward.
Xie Jingchuan endured the severe pain in his waist and repeated: "Everyone, get out of here. Don't you understand?!"
The palace servants retreated in embarrassment, and they were the only two left in the hall.
Xie Jingchuan slowly wrapped her hand, which had turned white from exertion, snatched the dagger from her, and pulled it out without blinking, splashing blood on Ali's face.
Ali was breathing heavily, staring at his every move, and the gold chain on his feet made a rattling sound.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead due to the severe pain. Xie Jingchuan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask her why, but he didn't say it in the end.
The cloth on the embroidery shed beside the bed slipped off, revealing the veil that symbolized perfection and the completion of the ceremony. The dragon and phoenix embroidered by Ali herself on it were lifelike and extremely gorgeous.
But at this moment, in his eyes, it became the most glaring mockery.
Xie Jingchuan breathed heavily as he walked over step by step and used a blood-stained dagger to cut the exquisite dragon and phoenix veil in half.
The golden thread broke, and the severed dragon and phoenix twisted and hung in the stagnant air.
He covered the bleeding wound and chuckled, "Even if we die, we will die together, okay?"
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