Chapter 35: The Viper in the Dark
The palace banquet ended and the night was deep.
On the carriage back to the palace, Song Qingyuan's fingertips unconsciously stroked the brocade box containing the "Pearl of the East China Sea".
The luminous pearls inlaid on the inner wall of the carriage shone warmly, but were far less dazzling than the one she shone in the palace today.
"You did very well today." Shen Yanzhi's voice rang out, breaking the silence. His eyes were deep, with a hint of inquiry, "But, those two lines of poetry..."
"Your Highness, are you asking if that was truly a random thought?" Song Qingyuan raised her eyes, meeting his gaze. A faint smile played at the corners of her mouth, and she asked in a nonsensical way, "Does Your Highness believe it?"
Shen Yanzhi looked at her deeply, without asking any further questions, but just held her slightly cold hand in his palm.
He said in a deep voice, "Whether you believe it or not is unimportant. What matters is that from tonight on, you will be the target of public criticism. Cui and Li Xinrui will not let this go." His thumb gently stroked the back of her hand, the rough touch bringing a strange sense of comfort. "From now on, be more careful in your actions."
"I understand." Song Qingyuan lowered her eyes, but her heart was cold.
She understood that Shen Yanzhi's concern was more out of the need to maintain the reputation of the palace and to keep him as a useful pawn. But she didn't care.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace. Shen Yanzhi went straight to the study. Song Qingyuan, carrying the reward, walked alone to his own Listening Snow Courtyard. The night wind blew through the corridor, swaying the lanterns. The light and shadow flickered on the bluestone slabs, giving off an eerie chill.
The closer she got to the yard, the more uneasy she felt.
It's too quiet.
At this time of day, her personal maid Yunzhu and several servants would always wait for her at the gate of her Tingxue Courtyard, holding lanterns. But tonight, the gate was deserted, with only a solitary lantern struggling in the wind.
Song Qingyuan's heart sank, and her fingers, gripping the brocade box, turned white from the strain. She hurried into the courtyard and called out, "Yunzhu? Where's Jingyu?"
There was no answer. Only the wind whistled through the courtyard.
A chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, and she almost stumbled towards the main room. The room was also empty, with the bedding neatly arranged, and no sign of her son Shen Jingyu.
"Where are the people! Where did all the people go?" Song Qingyuan's voice cracked for the first time, becoming sharp and rapid.
A little maid who was in charge of sweeping the floor came out trembling from the corner, knelt on the ground, and could not speak clearly: "Sister Yunzhu has not come back since she went out."
"Where is Jingyu?!" Song Qingyuan grabbed her collar, his eyes fierce as if he wanted to eat someone.
"In...in the woodshed in the backyard..."
"Bang!"
The brocade box that was highly praised by the emperor and envied by the entire court slipped from her hands.
Two huge, round East China Sea pearls rolled out, bounced on the cold ground, and finally stopped in a shadow, covered with dust and losing all their brilliance.
Song Qingyuan didn't care about anything anymore and rushed to the backyard like crazy.
The woodshed, which was usually used to store miscellaneous items, had long been abandoned and there was even a rusty copper lock hanging on the door.
At this moment, the lock was coldly locking her son's life.
"Break the door open for me! Quick!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes bloodshot.
The guards rushed over upon hearing the noise and slammed the rotten door open. A cold, damp, musty smell hit them in the face.
Song Qingyuan rushed in with her skirt lifted up, and in the dim corner, she saw the small figure.
Shen Jingyu curled up on the ground, soaked all over. He didn't know whether it was because of cold or fear, but his small body trembled like a fallen leaf in the wind.
His cheeks were abnormally flushed, his lips were frozen purple, his breathing was weak, and he didn't even have the strength to cry.
"Jingyu! Jingyu!" Song Qingyuan knelt on the ground and hugged his son tightly in his arms.
The thin body was terribly hot, and even through the wet and cold clothes, it still burned her heart like an iron.
"Mother..." Shen Jingyu opened his eyes weakly, called out, and then fainted again.
"Call the imperial physician! Go quickly!" Song Qingyuan held his son in his arms, staring blankly at the open door of the woodshed, his voice as cold as ice. "Bring Yunzhu back to me!"
Back in the house, the lights were on.
The imperial physician arrived quickly, administering acupuncture and prescribing medicine, sweating profusely. Finally, with a solemn expression, he replied, "My Lady Consort, the young master has caught a cold and been frightened. His fever won't subside. I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's turning into a stroke. If the fever doesn't subside tonight, his life is in danger."
Song Qingyuan's heart felt like it was being cut repeatedly with a blunt knife.
In Tingxue Courtyard, the charcoal fire burned red, but it could not dispel the bone-chilling cold in the house.
Song Qingyuan sat on the edge of the bed, motionless, like a lifeless jade sculpture.
She clutched a damp, cold cloth in her hand, wiping Shen Jingyu's scalding forehead and palms over and over again. The scorching heat seemed to burn away her sanity.
She didn't cry, and her eyes didn't even turn red.
The eyes that used to be full of water were now as silent as an ancient well with no bottom to be seen. Any emotion thrown into them would just sink silently.
The East China Sea Pearl picked up by the maid was placed in a brocade box on the dressing table with the lid open. The two pearls still shone brightly under the candlelight, as if silently mocking her glory in the daytime and her current embarrassment.
"Water," she said, her voice hoarse as if it had been sandpapered.
The little maid waiting by the side shuddered with fear and quickly brought warm water.
Song Qingyuan took the basin, without even looking at her, and coldly ordered: "The imperial physician's prescription cannot be interrupted for a moment. If the young master... all of you will be buried with him."
The sound was not loud, but it carried a bloody smell, which made all the servants in the room silent and even breathed lightly.
This is no longer the usually gentle and generous concubine, but a she-wolf whose reverse scale has been touched and who is ready to devour anyone at any time.
The palace's housekeeper hurried over and reported outside the door, "My Lady Concubine, the prince has ordered the palace sealed off and a thorough investigation into this matter. But... Miss Yunzhu is still nowhere to be found."
Song Qingyuan didn't turn around, but stared at his son's red face and whispered, "A living person won't disappear out of thin air. Dig three feet underground and find her for me."
As soon as she finished speaking, a shrill scream with a different pitch suddenly came from outside the yard!
"ah--!"
The sound pierced the silent night sky of the palace, carrying with it endless fear.
A night patrol guard tumbled into the courtyard, his face as pale as paper. He pointed in the direction of the west corner and spoke incoherently: "Well...well...in the abandoned well on the west wall, a man was fished out!"
Song Qingyuan's hand holding the cloth suddenly tightened, and his knuckles turned white.
She slowly stood up, gently placed the towel in the basin, and tucked in the corner of her son's quilt. The whole process was so slow that it seemed as if every movement was being disassembled.
Then she turned around and walked out step by step.
The abandoned well on the west wall is remote and desolate, with moss growing over the wellhead.
At this moment, the well was surrounded by guards, and the torches they held high illuminated this corner of the place as bright as day. Fear was on everyone's face.
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