Chapter 50
Moonlight streamed in through the small attic window. Zhao Qinglan's arms were firmly wrapped around Zhao Fanghua's waist, his palms pressed against her thin nightgown, sending out the warmth of his body temperature.
When their eyes met, even the trembling of each other's eyelashes was clearly visible. Zhao Fanghua lowered her head slightly, and could smell the clean fragrance of the other person mixed with soapberry in her breath.
Just as she was about to shrink back, the force around her waist increased a bit, pressing her more tightly into his arms.
"Sister hasn't answered me yet." Zhao Qinglan asked in a low voice, his eyes as calm as water.
Zhao Fanghua took a deep breath and was about to speak——
A sudden "gurgle" sound broke the silence in the attic.
Zhao Fanghua was stunned. When she looked up, she saw that Zhao Qinglan's ears were turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He turned his face away suddenly, his neck flushed slightly, and the fingers around her waist unconsciously curled up and unclenched.
"Puchi." Zhao Fanghua couldn't help laughing and then burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Don't laugh!" Zhao Qinglan shouted in shame and anger, his Adam's apple rolling violently, and even the corners of his eyes were dyed red.
While wiping away the tears of laughter, she pointed out his embarrassment: "I remember that you were so busy staring at people at night that you didn't even drink a sip of water."
Zhao Qinglan simply buried his burning face in her shoulder, mumbling, "...Shut up."
Zhao Fanghua, however, felt playful and lightly scratched his red nose with her fingertips: "Are you afraid someone will poison you?"
He frowned but didn't hide. Instead, he sniffed her quietly when she pulled her hand away.
"Wait!" She nimbly broke free from his embrace, walked to the stairs, and smiled back, "But don't complain if it tastes bad."
After saying that, she hummed a tuneless little song and walked downstairs carrying the candlestick, leaving Zhao Qinglan alone facing the moonlight in the room, laughing softly.
Zhao Fanghua tiptoed into the kitchen. Moonlight leaked in through the window lattice, illuminating half a bowl of chicken and a small bowl of brown rice left over from dinner by the stove. It was obvious that Zhu Shuang had cooked extra food to entertain the distinguished guest, but unfortunately the distinguished guest didn't even touch his chopsticks.
She rolled up her sleeves and scooped a spoonful of lard into the pot. When the fat melted at the bottom of the pot, she poured the cold rice and meat in. The sound of the spatula stirring was particularly clear in the silent night.
Zhao Fanghua was busy adding firewood and watching the pot when a gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Little sister..."
Zhao Fanghua was so frightened that she nearly dropped the spatula from her hand. Turning around, she saw Chai Xingyuan standing by the door holding a candlestick, a dim halo flickering on his face.
She patted her chest hurriedly: "Brother, you scared me to death just now."
Chai Xingyuan approached with a smile, the candlelight flickering across the stove: "Did you get hungry last night?"
"Not yet..." She swallowed the words back, scratched her head and chuckled, "The chicken and mushroom stew that Mom made tonight is especially delicious. Hehe, I can't sleep well because I've been thinking about it..."
After Zhao Fanghua finished speaking, he quickly added more fire to the stove.
Chai Xingyuan, who was standing aside, watched Zhao Fanghua busying around, his expression hidden behind the candlestick and could not be seen clearly.
After a moment, he put down the candlestick, squatted down silently, took the firewood from Zhao Fanghua's hand, and added firewood skillfully.
Zhao Fanghua felt relieved. He brushed off the dust on his clothes and turned around to concentrate on stir-frying the rice in the wok. The aroma of oil mixed with the smell of crispy rice crust filled the kitchen.
No one noticed that in the attic, a pair of deep eyes were staring at the two people busy in the kitchen.
Moonlight passed over Zhao Qinglan's tightly pursed lips, and her slender knuckles were tightly clasped on the window frame.
When Zhao Fanghua returned to the attic with the steaming fried rice, Zhao Qinglan was already sitting upright on the small couch, as if he had never moved at all.
"Here!" She handed the bowl to him, "It's definitely not as good as the food in the palace. Just make do with it, or you'll really go hungry all night."
Zhao Qinglan stood motionless with his hands folded behind his back, his eyes slightly raised.
Zhao Fanghua pursed her lips, picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, took a mouthful of rice, chewed it vigorously and made an exaggerated swallowing motion, then stuffed the bowl into his arms again: "Look! It's not poisonous! Eat it if you like!"
Zhao Qinglan chuckled softly and tilted her head to look at her, her black hair falling from her shoulders: "Sister, feed me." As she spoke, she opened her mouth slightly, revealing a few white teeth, like a cunning kitten waiting to be fed.
Zhao Fanghua rolled his eyes inwardly, but still resigned himself to his fate and picked up a mouthful of rice and handed it over.
Just seeing him slowly holding the tip of the chopsticks in his mouth with his Adam's apple rolling, her ears felt inexplicably hot.
"Sister really cares about me." He swallowed his food, a cunning light flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Fanghua was about to retort when he suddenly felt dizzy.
Warm arms caught her falling body in time, and Zhao Qinglan gently laid her down on the thick mattress on the floor. As his fingertips brushed the strands of hair on her forehead, he turned his head to look in the direction of the dark corridor, a meaningful curve appeared at the corner of his lips, and then he also fell to her side.
There was only a tiny skylight high up in the cellar, letting in a faint light, and dust danced silently in the beam of light.
When Zhao Fanghua woke up, he felt a splitting headache. He struggled to get up, only to find that his hands and feet were tied tightly with rough hemp ropes.
Before she could even take in her surroundings, she spotted Zhao Qinglan, also tied up, lying beside her. She called out, "Is anyone there? Help!"
The wooden door creaked open, and Zhao Fanghua turned around with difficulty to look at the door. When she saw the face of the person coming in, her pupils suddenly contracted: "Mom?!"
Zhu Shuang approached with a bowl of water, her eyes filled with complex expressions. "I guess you should be awake by now. Are you hungry? Drink some water first. The meal is already being prepared..."
Zhao Fanghua turned her head away from the water Zhu Shuang offered her, puzzled: "Why did Mother tie us up? Do you know who he is? What did you put in our food?"
Zhao Fanghua had a lot of questions in his mind at once.
Zhu Shuang dodged Zhao Fanghua's burning gaze and said softly, "It's just a little knockout drug. It won't be a big deal."
Zhao Fanghua struggled to move a step towards Zhu Shuang: "Mom, do you know who he is? Let him go quickly, otherwise we-"
Zhu Shuang didn't say anything, but just stared at the water in the bowl in silence.
"You knew?!" Zhao Fanghua asked in disbelief, "When did you know?"
Zhu Shuang stared down at the water bowl, her voice so soft it sounded like a sigh, "Mother knew it the moment he stepped into the pharmacy."
After she finished speaking, she looked up at the shocked Zhao Fanghua and said word by word, "I also know that you are not an ordinary orphan, but the 'deceased' Princess."
Zhao Fanghua was struck by lightning, her mind blank. If she knew I was the eldest princess, why had she taken me in for a whole year? If she knew Zhao Qinglan was the emperor, how could she have dared to kidnap him?
No matter how many heads she has, they are not enough to chop off!
She tried hard to recall the original work, wondering if she had missed any key clues.
Or was it her destiny to suffer this misfortune and bring trouble to Zhao Qinglan? After all, in the original novel, Zhao Qinglan became a wise ruler and his name was recorded in history.
But that's not right. They knew Zhao Qinglan's identity and were obviously targeting Zhao Qinglan. She was the one implicated.
Zhao Fanghua quickly straightened her body, slowly moved her buttocks, and tried to move away from Zhao Qinglan.
The cellar door opened again, and Chai Xingyuan and his son walked in one after the other. Chai Xingyuan sat down leisurely on the wooden box opposite, while Chai Kangwen stood behind him with a bow.
Zhao Fanghua watched all this in confusion.
"Mother is truly kindhearted," Chai Xingyuan said with a caressed smile. For a moment, I mistook her for Zhao Qinglan.
Zhu Shuang quickly stood up and said awkwardly, "No, nothing happened."
Chai Xingyuan didn't care and continued, "After all, we've been together day and night for a year, it's normal to have feelings for each other, but mother, you can't let your emotions get the better of you."
Zhu Shuang hurried to Chai Xingyuan's side, rubbing her hands nervously, and said hesitantly, "No, no."
Zhao Fanghua looked at all this, his mind still confused.
"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Chai Xingyuan glanced at Zhao Qinglan who was still unconscious and asked.
Chai Kangwen said quickly: "He ate a lot, so he should wait a while. I'll pour some water on him to wake him up..."
As he spoke, Zhao Qinglan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he leisurely opened his eyes. He sat up straight and calmly, as if he were in his Yangxin Palace instead of a cellar.
Zhao Fanghua was on the verge of tears: "You were right not to eat it. It turns out someone really wanted to poison you, and I was indirectly an accomplice..."
"It's okay." Zhao Qinglan comforted softly, without any worry or fear.
"You still have the leisure to comfort others now." Chai Xingyuan said coldly.
"Why not?" Zhao Qinglan said slowly, "Chai Xingyuan, or should I call you—Zhao Jinghui."
Zhao Qinglan said, looking at the dumbfounded Zhao Fanghua: "In fact, we should call him Royal Brother."
"What?" Zhao Fanghua asked back with a frown.
She thought again and again. Whether in the original novel or when she traveled here, the late emperor had only one son, Zhao Qinglan. Could it be that Zhao Jinghui was replaced by Zhao Qinglan in a cat-for-animal substitution? But the ages didn't match.
Zhao Fanghua's mind was in a mess.
Zhao Qinglan looked at Zhao Jinghui and the other two and smiled slightly, "You two are really good-tempered. You are willing to be dogs for the enemy who killed your son."
"What?" This plot development almost made Zhao Fanghua's brain crash.
No, you are all speaking human language, why doesn’t she understand a word you say!
She had been in the Chai family for a whole year, so how come Zhao Qinglan knew everything she didn't know?
Could it be that Zhao Qinglan has been secretly observing her?
Damn it! A wave of anger mixed with grievance surged in my heart.
Zhao Fanghua clenched his fists, wishing he could give everyone present a set of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
It seems that everyone treats her like a fool!
But then I thought, since Zhao Qinglan was willing to take such a risk, he must have a backup plan...
She twisted her body quietly and moved back little by little. No matter how she thought about it, Zhao Qinglan's thigh was still thicker.
Zhao Qinglan took in all her little movements, and the corners of his lips rose slightly.
Instead, Zhao Jinghui looked back and forth between Zhao Fanghua and Zhao Qinglan, revealing an ambiguous smile: "I heard that your relationship is unusual..."
Zhao Qinglan smiled as he watched Zhao Fanghua's funny movements. He said calmly, "You designed Fanghua to fall off the cliff and hid her here for a whole year. Wasn't it just to lure me into your trap?"
Zhao Fanghua, who was struggling to move, suddenly froze and stared at the two of them in shock: "What?!"
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