Night Talk
Lirong Courtyard was quiet and silent in the afternoon. The scattered sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows on the desk.
Zhao Fanghua hunched over the desk, bored, his chin supported by one hand, and the other hand twirling the brush in his hand, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed on the upper right corner of the desk, where a newly bound volume lay quietly. It was the storybook she and Zhao Qinglan had rewritten a few days ago. With just one glance, the scene of the two of them leaning on each other that night rushed into her mind. Zhao Fanghua's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly looked away.
She turned her head and looked at Peihuan who was waiting beside her, with a subtle hint of temptation in her tone: "Peihuan, do you have any brothers at home?"
Peihuan nodded and replied with a smile, "Your Highness, yes. When I entered the palace, my elder brother was in the process of seeking marriage, and my younger brother had just learned to walk."
"So... how do you siblings usually get along?" Zhao Fanghua paused, then added carefully, "Are you... particularly close?"
Peihuan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know what your Highness means by close. But my elder brother brought me up, and I've taken care of my younger brother almost myself since he was born. We eat, sleep, and work together. Does this count as the closeness your Highness means?"
Zhao Fanghua's eyes lit up slightly, and he couldn't wait to ask, "How do you do it?"
"We just eat and sleep together." Peihuan said naturally, as if this was the most common thing. "My family is poor. Your Highness may not know that my hometown only has a few thatched huts. My grandparents, my family, and my uncle's family all live together in one place."
Zhao Fanghua nodded gently. She remembered that her family was not well off when she was little, and it was common for the whole family to squeeze into one bed when visiting relatives during festivals.
so……
Perhaps there was nothing unusual about her and Zhao Qinglan's previous behavior, and it was just the intimacy between ordinary siblings?
She was just making a fuss and imagining things too much.
Her heart suddenly relaxed, and she immediately cheered up and said, "Okay, prepare the sedan chair and go to Wanhe Hall."
Peihuan quickly replied, "Your Highness, are you going to see the Emperor? Today is the autumn hunt, and the Emperor has already left for Lishan and is not in the palace."
"Autumn Hunt?!" Zhao Fanghua stood up suddenly, shocked. "Such a big thing, why didn't anyone tell me?"
Peihuan hurriedly apologized, "Eunuch Li came to deliver the message this morning. Seeing that Your Highness was still sleeping peacefully, he specifically instructed us not to disturb him. He only asked me to pass on the message after Your Highness woke up, so that Your Highness wouldn't make a wasted trip..." She quietly raised her eyes and saw Zhao Fanghua's panic-stricken expression. She couldn't help but ask softly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
At this moment, Zhao Fanghua's heart was already in turmoil.
She had almost forgotten the original novel's plot; she was a quick-thinking writer who'd read a chapter and forget it after a while, never delving into the details. But she had a deep impression of the "Autumn Hunt." It was this hunt that kicked off the struggle between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and was also the key moment when the original protagonist, Shen Xiujin, sided with the Emperor, won his appreciation, and gradually became his confidant.
But there was a problem: the autumn hunt was not on the right time! It was early!
Sure enough...from the moment she killed Shen Xiujin, the gears of fate have quietly turned in an unknown direction.
"Peihuan, tell them to get ready!" Zhao Fanghua no longer hesitated, his voice filled with undeniable urgency, "Take me to the autumn hunting area immediately!"
She had to go to the autumn hunt immediately, not only because Shen Xiujin's death had caused the plot to get out of control, but also because in that vague memory, Zhao Qinglan would be assassinated and seriously injured during the autumn hunt.
She couldn't let this happen!
Flags fluttered in the autumn hunting camp. Atop the central platform, a bright yellow canopy, the preserve of the royal family, fluttered in the wind. Beneath the platform, officials knelt according to their rank, and a solemn, murderous aura hung in the air.
When Zhao Fanghua was led to the camp by the guards, she quickly jumped off her horse, not even bothering to tidy up her messy dress, and stumbled towards the platform.
Zhao Qinglan, seated high on the throne, spotted from afar the familiar figure running recklessly towards him, hair disheveled and steps hurried. He couldn't help but frown. He had clearly told Li Xi not to come, so why would she rush over? Her pale face and frightened expression showed she wasn't there to watch the fun.
Zhao Qinglan was still lost in thought when Zhao Fanghua stumbled over to him. Her fluttering sleeve accidentally knocked over a crystal glass on the table, making a crisp "pop" sound.
"Your Majesty! Listen to me, there is danger..."
Before the word "danger" came out, a sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly rang out.
In a flash, a sharp arrow was heading towards Zhao Fanghua in front of him! His pupils suddenly shrank, and without thinking, he grabbed Zhao Fanghua in front of him and pulled her into his arms. In a flash, the arrow whizzed past her temples.
Zhao Fanghua was so frightened that his face turned pale and he screamed, "There's an assassin!"
"Protect the emperor!" The commander of the imperial guards roared, and the guards with swords rushed up like a tide in an instant, with their swords unsheathed, surrounding the two men in the center.
Zhao Fanghua was still in shock and had not even caught his breath when another strange thing happened!
A guard in the escort team had a cold glint in his eyes, and without warning, he turned the blade of the long sword in his hand and slashed straight at Zhao Qinglan's face!
Zhao Qinglan embraced Zhao Fanghua and quickly retreated, the blade barely glancing off the dragon robe.
However, another wave of arrows came, and he waved his sleeves to block it, but he saw a cold light coming from the side, heading straight for Zhao Fanghua in his arms!
At the critical moment, Zhao Qinglan didn't think twice and suddenly held Zhao Fanghua in his arms, using his arms to meet the attack!
Blood gushed out instantly, and the warm liquid splashed on Zhao Fanghua's horrified face.
She watched helplessly as the blood instantly dyed Zhao Qinglan's bright yellow sleeves red, her eyes went black, and she fainted.
Zhao Fanghua slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was the bright yellow bed curtains, with a night pearl on the top of the curtains emitting a soft glow.
She was stunned and a little dazed for a moment. Where was this?
Memories flooded back like a tide: the cold arrow that pierced the air from the Autumn Hunting platform, the terrifying scene of Zhao Qinglan pulling her into his arms without hesitation, blocking the knife with his arm, and finally the large pool of blood that caught her eye...
She was anxious and struggled to sit up, but the noise alarmed the people outside.
A bony hand gently parted the bed curtains, and Zhao Qinglan's face appeared at the intersection of light and shadow. There was a faint shadow of blue under his eyes, and his voice was low and hoarse: "Sister, are you feeling better now?"
"I'm fine..." Zhao Fanghua shook her head, her eyes immediately falling anxiously on his left arm hanging by his side. "How's your hand? Is it seriously injured?"
Zhao Qinglan glanced sideways and said calmly, "No problem."
After saying this, he deliberately moved his wrist as if to prove it.
"How can he be alright!" Zhao Fanghua suddenly became anxious, her voice rising a few notes, "He lost so much blood!"
Zhao Qinglan lowered her head and coughed softly, hiding the barely perceptible curve of her lips. Just then, a eunuch bowed and entered, carrying a medicine bowl. He took the bowl from the other person's hand naturally, blew on it a few times, took a sip to test the temperature, and then held it to her lips. "Sister, it's time to take your medicine."
Zhao Fanghua stared at the bowl of black medicine, frowned and shook his head repeatedly: "I'm not injured, I really don't need to drink the medicine."
Zhao Qinglan, however, simply leaned forward and sat on the edge of the couch. Her tone was gentle but unyielding: "Sister was frightened during the day, and she needed medicine to calm her nerves."
"But this looks so bitter..." Zhao Fanghua grabbed his sleeve and shook him gently, softening her voice and pleading, "Good Alan, I beg you, can you not drink it?"
Zhao Qinglan's Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, her eyes darkened, and her voice deepened, "Be good, sister. I'll feed you."
Seeing the medicine spoon was already handed to his lips, Zhao Fanghua knew that he could not escape, so he closed his eyes as if ready to die and swallowed it in one gulp.
Bitterness instantly spread throughout her mouth. She was about to complain with a gritted teeth when a candied fruit was stuffed into her mouth in time.
She chewed it subconsciously a few times, and a sweet and sour taste quickly dissipated the taste of the medicine.
"It won't be bitter this way," he whispered, his fingertips gently brushing the corner of her lips.
"Hmm..." Zhao Fanghua mumbled, mouthing the candied fruit, while looking around, "Where is this?"
"Wanhe Hall, my bedroom." Zhao Qinglan helped her lie down again and carefully tucked in the quilt for her.
"Why don't you take me back to Lirongyuan?"
"It's safer here." He said calmly.
Zhao Fanghua thought about it and nodded, but then turned her head to look at him and asked, "Then I'll sleep here, where will you sleep?"
"I can sleep in the outer side hall."
Zhao Fanghua looked at his tired face and remembered how he had blocked the knife for her during the day, and she suddenly felt guilty.
She suddenly moved inward, leaving most of the bed empty, patted the empty space next to her, and said naturally: "How about... you come up and sleep with me?"
Zhao Qinglan's pupils suddenly constricted, and his breathing instantly stopped. His Adam's apple rolled violently, and his voice was hoarse: "Sister... do you know what you're saying?"
"We are siblings, isn't it normal to sleep in the same bed?" Zhao Fanghua remembered what Peihuan said about family members sleeping in the same room, and also remembered that when she was a child, when she visited relatives, men, women, young and old also squeezed into the same bed. She just thought this was the most normal thing.
Seeing that he didn't move, she simply lifted the corner of the quilt, revealing the mattress underneath, and patted it again, "Come on up quickly, this bed is so big that it's no problem for two people to sleep on it."
Zhao Qinglan was silent for a long time before he finally, with a slightly stiff movement, lifted the quilt and lay down.
The two of them lay side by side on the bed, covered with the same quilt.
The woman's faint fragrance lingered around Zhao Qinglan, and his breathing gradually became heavy.
He suddenly spoke in a low voice, his voice tinged with nervousness: "If one day, Sister is no longer the eldest princess...will you blame me?"
Zhao Fanghua's heart suddenly rose, and she turned to look at him: "You want to demote me to a commoner?!"
"No..." His eyes were obscure in the dim light, "It's a more noble status... but perhaps, not as free as it is now..."
Zhao Fanghua's eyes lit up and he blurted out, "You want me to be the emperor?!"
Zhao Qinglan was silent for a moment, her voice filled with a hint of helpless indulgence: "...No."
"Oh..." She immediately lost interest, yawned, and muttered, "Is there anyone more noble than the eldest princess..."
"Of course there are..." he whispered, his fingertips gently brushing away a strand of hair that fell on her cheek, "For example, the Queen Mother..."
As he finished speaking, he only heard the sound of even breathing coming from beside him. She had already fallen into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.
In her sleep, she frowned uneasily, turned over unconsciously, and rubbed against his arms.
The sudden touch made Zhao Qinglan's whole body stiffen. He sat up almost instantly, quickly turned over and got off the bed, and fled.
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