Torture
Incense wafts through the side hall of the Qianqing Palace.
Shen Ruoqing tidied her hair in front of the mirror. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a smile. Her pale yellow palace dress made her even more radiant. She carefully took out a delicate porcelain bottle from her sleeve and sprinkled the powder inside into the teapot. Her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness.
Just as she picked up the tea tray, preparing to take it to the main hall, a hoarse, weak, yet coldly mocking voice sounded from behind her: "Su Jing has practiced martial arts since childhood, and ordinary sleeping pills have very little effect on him... cough... so little of yours is practically useless..."
Shen Ruoqing was so startled that her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the tea tray. She turned around abruptly and saw Chu Yiran standing silently in the shadows of the palace gate. He was so thin that he was emaciated, and his wide, plain robe hung loosely on his body. His face was as pale as paper, and only his eyes, sunken in their sockets, were like two dry wells, cold and devoid of any warmth. He leaned against the door frame, as if even standing required a great deal of effort.
Still shaken, Shen Ruoqing recognized him. A flash of embarrassment and annoyance at being seen through crossed her face, but it quickly turned into a contemptuous and mocking sneer: "You're not dead yet?"
In the past, such provocation would have already provoked Chu Yiran's retaliation, but now his eyelashes trembled slightly, and a pale, empty smile appeared on his lips as he mocked himself, "Yes... how come I... am not dead yet..."
He stopped looking at her, as if staying even a moment longer would be a waste of energy, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Shen Ruoqing suddenly called out to him.
Chu Yiran did not stop walking, as if he had not heard.
Shen Ruoqing parted her red lips slightly and uttered the most fatal question: "You have been proficient in divination since childhood and can see through the secrets of heaven... Have you never doubted why you divined 'great fortune' during the Battle of Mobei?"
Chu Yiran abruptly stopped, his eyes, which had been like dry wells, finally focused again. He turned around and stared intently at Shen Ruoqing: "What do you mean?"
Shen Ruoqing slowly took out an object from her sleeve—a tortoise shell with slightly damaged edges and a dark color, still covered with some yellow sand.
“My father has a few useful people in the army. Does this look familiar? Someone risked their life to bring it back from that mountain of corpses and sea of blood.” She chuckled, using her well-maintained fingernails to carefully scrape out a tiny, almost invisible powder from a tiny crack in the tortoise shell.
She showed Chu Yiran the powder on her fingertip, her tone flippant yet each word like a venomous needle: "Does the Imperial Advisor recognize this? It's top-quality magnetite powder. Tsk tsk, that day it wasn't some auspicious omen at all. It was my good cousin, our Emperor, who personally designed it, using magnetite to influence the position of the tortoise shell, which is how you divined that 'extremely auspicious' hexagram..."
She admired Chu Yiran's suddenly tense back and clenched fists, shrugged, and said, "What a pity, he's the emperor, the Son of Heaven. How could the Son of Heaven make a mistake? So, the blame for the defeat in the Northern Desert and the innocent souls of 30,000 soldiers naturally fall on you. A sorcerer who brings disaster to the country, what a great title, isn't it?"
Chu Yiran suddenly stepped forward and snatched the broken tortoise shell. The image of Su Jing's hand brushing against the table when he was doing divination in the cave flashed through his mind.
His fingers gripped the cold nail plate so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if he were about to crush it. He stared at the crack on the nail plate where powder remained, his body trembling uncontrollably.
So that's how it is!
He suddenly raised his head, his deep-set eyes bloodshot, staring straight at Shen Ruoqing.
Shen Ruoqing felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and subconsciously took a half step back, forcing herself to maintain her composure: "You... what are you going to do?"
Chu Yiran closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, his breath trembling with a broken sound. When he opened his eyes again, the turbulent waves within seemed to have been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a chilling stillness.
He slowly reached into the inner pocket of his plain-colored robe and pulled out a small, wrapped pill. The pill was dark brown and inconspicuous.
“I grew up at Taixu Temple,” his voice was terribly hoarse, each word sounding like sandpaper scraping his throat, “I not only learned Qimen Dunjia… but also had some knowledge of medicine.”
He handed the small pill to Shen Ruoqing, his movements stiff as a puppet: "This... is potent enough... colorless and odorless, enough... to achieve your wish."
Shen Ruoqing looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty, then at the pill, and did not immediately take it: "Why...why are you helping me?"
Chu Yiran twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Help you?" He repeated the two words, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, filled with endless sarcasm, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to Shen Ruoqing or to himself.
He didn't explain, but simply placed the pills on the table beside him and turned to leave.
"Don't be stupid... take it yourself." Chu Yiran's back was as desolate as the last withered leaf in autumn. He left behind a final, cold, hoarse reminder, "You take it... he won't drink it... it's best to have a servant do it."
After saying that, he didn't linger for a moment, dragging his frail, sickly body that looked like it might fall apart at any moment, and left step by step.
——
The following morning, in the Golden Palace, civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment at the empty dragon throne. His Majesty was diligent in his duties, never late for the morning court session, let alone absent.
The ministers were discussing among themselves in the hall. Shen Ji, with a furrowed brow, stepped forward, bowed, and spoke with just the right amount of concern: "Your Majesty is always diligent. Why is he so late today? Is it because you are unwell? We, your subjects, should go and visit you to show our concern."
Several ministers who were on good terms with Shen Ji echoed his sentiments and, after a few words, rushed to the Qianqing Palace.
As soon as the group stepped into the palace courtyard, before the guards could even announce their arrival, a sharp, terrified scream suddenly came from the direction of the west wing hall—
What happened?
Shen Ji spoke with an anxious and exaggerated tone, leading the way to the west side hall.
The palace doors were ajar, and through the crack, all the arriving ministers could clearly see what was happening inside.
On the dragon bed, Su Jingming's yellow nightgown was disheveled, revealing his muscular chest. He was propping himself up, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and sudden rage. Beside him, Shen Ruoqing was tightly wrapped in a brocade quilt, her hair disheveled, weeping with her face covered, her cries filled with shame, indignation, and helplessness.
Shen Ji rushed forward and threw himself before the bed. Seeing the scene before him, he pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his voice filled with grief and indignation: "Ruoqing! My daughter! What...what has happened?! Your Majesty! How...how is my daughter supposed to face the world now?!"
Shen Ruoqing only cried louder and more pitifully.
Censor Zheng Qin said loudly, "Your Majesty! I have heard that Your Majesty was engaged to the daughter of Prime Minister Shen in your early years. Prime Minister Shen has worked hard for the country and devoted himself to the cause. His daughter is gentle and virtuous. Now... things have come to this point. Why doesn't Your Majesty go with the flow and make it a good match!"
These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the officials behind him. Some were taken aback, some suddenly realized, and others immediately stepped forward to echo his sentiments—
"Yes, Your Majesty! This is a match made in heaven!"
"Miss Shen's family background and character are more than qualified to be the empress!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Prime Minister Shen!"
...
In an instant, congratulatory voices filled the side hall. Many people even exchanged glances, feeling a sense of relief that "His Majesty has finally returned to the right path" and "His Majesty does like women after all."
Su Jing's eyes were sharp as knives, slowly sweeping across the faces of everyone present, and finally, his gaze suddenly fixed on a person in the corner of the courtyard.
Chu Yiran was dressed in a plain robe, his figure still so thin that a gust of wind could blow him away, his face pale and translucent. He stood there quietly, as if he had been watching for a long time, or as if he had just arrived. His once sincere and bright eyes were now like a bottomless, icy pool, reflecting the absurd and bustling scene before him.
Su Jing felt as if his heart had been pierced. He stared intently at Chu Yiran, his voice unusually low and cold due to the immense emotions he was suppressing, even trembling slightly: "Imperial Preceptor—"
All eyes instantly focused on the pale, thin figure in the corner.
Su Jing asked, enunciating each word clearly, almost through gritted teeth, "What is your opinion on this matter?"
In an instant, all was silent. Under the gaze of countless eyes, Chu Yiran slowly stepped forward, his movements somewhat hesitant, yet remarkably steady. He bowed deeply towards the dragon throne, his wide robe sleeves drooping down, concealing all his emotions.
When he looked up again, his face was expressionless, utterly indifferent. His voice, hoarse yet crystal clear, echoed throughout the palace: "Your subject is pleased to see it succeed..."
"May Your Majesty and Miss Shen enjoy a long and happy marriage, and live in harmony."
Every word was like a cold file, relentlessly scraping at Su Jing's heart.
"Get out of here, all of you!" Su Jing suddenly stood up from the couch, his bright yellow nightgown becoming even more disheveled with his movement. "Everyone, get out now!"
Su Jing's fury terrified the ministers who had just been offering their congratulations. They quickly withdrew from the side hall and disappeared in an instant.
Su Jing suddenly looked at Shen Ruoqing, who was still sobbing on the bed: "And you! Get out of here too!"
Startled by the undisguised murderous intent in his eyes, Shen Ruoqing shuddered and, no longer caring about acting, hurriedly grabbed her outer robe, tumbled off the bed in a disheveled state, and staggered away.
After everyone left, Su Jing grabbed Chu Yiran's wrist with such force that he almost crushed his bones: "Why did you say such a thing?"
He tried desperately to explain, stammering, "It was Shen Ruoqing! She drugged me with some kind of drug, I was unconscious all night, and I didn't touch her at all—"
"I know." Chu Yiran's voice rang out calmly, interrupting Su Jing's anxious explanation. He slowly raised his eyes and, word by word, clearly threw the cruelest truth at Su Jing, "I was the one who drugged her."
Su Jing felt as if struck by lightning, and abruptly released his grip on his hand: "...Why?"
A faint, mocking smile appeared on Chu Yiran's face as he slowly took out the tortoise shell, its edges tattered and covered in the sand of the northern desert, from his sleeve.
When the tortoise shell appeared before Su Jing's eyes, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.
"Your Majesty, why is this?" Chu Yiran's voice was light, yet it carried a heavy weight of mockery and despair. "Why did I divine that 'great fortune' before the Battle of Mobei?"
Su Jing's lips trembled, all his composure crumbling in that instant. He rushed forward in a panic, trying to grab Chu Yiran's hand: "Aran... I was wrong! I was too selfish, I only wanted to press my advantage... I just wanted to boost morale, I didn't think about what would happen later..."
"You didn't expect that?" Chu Yiran abruptly interrupted him, her voice rising sharply as she hurled the tortoise shell at Su Jing. "Su Jing! It was your greed and recklessness that led you astray! It was your disregard for human life! You schemed against people's hearts, and even more so, you schemed against human lives! My father was right—"
Chu Yiran's body trembled violently with excitement, each word seeming to be vomited from his heart and lungs, "I truly regret it! I wish I had never met you in this life!"
Su Jing looked dejected, his voice carrying the last vestige of futile struggle: "Aran... I really... I just want to fulfill our past wishes as soon as possible, to create a peaceful and prosperous world, so that you and I can..."
"What do you and I wish for?" Chu Yiran sneered. "What I wish for has always been peace and tranquility for the country and its people. I, Chu Yiran, am willing to build a small business on my own merits. I do not seek titles or high positions. I only wish to stand upright beside my parents and family, to see the country safe and sound, and the world peaceful and prosperous... It's that simple."
“But you’re different, Su Jing.” He slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with utter understanding and despair. “You’re an ungrateful wolf. You’re bloodthirsty, you’re obsessed with killing and conquest, you have endless desires and ambitions! Do you still remember your original aspirations?”
Chu Yiran looked at him and suddenly chuckled very softly, a laugh filled with endless sorrow and mockery: "Now, my senior brother is dead, my parents and brothers are all gone... Su Jing, I have nothing left to give you... Only this life is left... Let me go, or kill me, choose one."
Su Jing's face was ashen, and he said in a strained voice, "Aran, we... can't go back, can we?"
"You just asked me why I drugged Shen Ruoqing?" Chu Yiran stared at Su Jing, each word clear and distinct, carrying an almost cruel sense of satisfaction. "Su Jing, now that things have come to this, your pain is my pleasure..."
Having said that, he straightened his back and didn't look at Su Jing again.
However, at the moment she turned around, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
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