Chapter 103
The carved wooden window was half-closed, cutting the warm afternoon sun into tiny golden flakes that fell on the hem of Ji Zelan's moon-white skirt embroidered with dark patterns.
There was a faint scent of incense floating in the air, mixed with the faint sound of stringed instruments coming from downstairs. It should have been a place of intoxication, but because of the coldness around her, it became a little colder.
Ji Zelan's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the teacup. The lustrous white porcelain glaze made her knuckles look even more pale. The news that Eunuch Zhang had spent three days to find out was now like a string of fine needles, piercing her heart.
Ji Zeming actually fostered the child in this "Yihonglou". After many twists and turns, she finally returned here. She was born here, and now her daughter is fostered here.
A faint sneer appeared at the corner of her lips, so quick that it seemed like an illusion. When she raised her eyes again, her face had regained the dignity and self-possession that a queen should have.
The woman sitting on the pearwood chair opposite was over forty years old. She only had a plain silver hairpin in her hair, but it could not hide the charm of her youth.
The tenderness between her eyebrows and eyes, even in her plain clothes and skirt now, one can tell that she was once the person who could make the young men in Yihonglou spend a fortune.
The woman clasped her hands on her knees, and when her eyes fell on Ji Zelan's face, there was a hint of cautious burning in them, as if she was afraid of disturbing some treasure.
"Have you been feeling well lately, Madam?" Her voice was extremely soft, trembling with a barely perceptible tremor. "The other day I heard from the sisters in the building that there's a new young master in the palace. Mother has always thought that it would be nice to have someone who understands your needs and cares for you during your confinement. It's all my fault for being useless and not being able to... not be there to take care of you."
"Take care of?" Ji Zelan interrupted her abruptly, her voice suddenly cold, and the teacup was tapped lightly by her fingertips. "When have we ever had the feeling of 'taking care of' each other? Besides,"
Her eyes suddenly became sharp, like a knife tempered with ice. "My mother passed away young. Who did you just mention as 'mother'? Consider your own status before you speak."
The woman's face paled instantly. She hurriedly stood up and curtsied, her skirt scraping against the ground. "I made a slip of the tongue. I deserve death!"
She rested her forehead against the cold ground, her voice clearly flustered, "I beg Your Majesty to forgive me, I was confused for a moment and said something stupid."
Ji Zelan looked at her back lying on the ground, her fingertips tightening slightly, pressing the tip of her finger against the cold edge of the teacup, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart. After a moment of silence, she said lightly: "Get up. I didn't come here today to discuss this with you."
The woman then dared to stand up slowly, lowered her head and dared not look at her again, just stood respectfully aside.
"Where is the child?" Ji Zelan glanced at the antique display cabinet in the room, on which were placed a few worthless porcelain vases, which were obviously deliberately arranged to look simple. There was a bit of uncontrollable impatience in her tone.
The woman was stunned for a moment, then looked up blankly, her eyes full of confusion. "Madam... what child are you talking about? There has never been a child living in this Yihonglou."
"The child you adopted earlier," Ji Zelan patiently explained, her fingertips tapping gently on the table, each tapping like a tap on the woman's heart. "He's about three months old, with a small mole under his left eye. Ji Zeming will send someone to deliver fifty taels of silver every month for you to take care of him."
The woman suddenly realized, but her eyes immediately became more suspicious. She looked at Ji Zelan tentatively and lowered her voice: "What does your Majesty want to do with that child?"
Ji Zelan raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and his gaze fell on the woman's face with an undisguised warning.
The woman's heart skipped a beat, as if she suddenly remembered something. Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she hurriedly raised her hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief, and her voice changed its tone: "Could it be... Could it be that the child is... No way? How could this be... I didn't even notice it before..."
Ji Zelan looked at her panic-stricken appearance, with a trace of undisguised disgust in her eyes. It was no wonder that Ji Zeming dared to leave the child here since she was so impatient. He must have thought that she would not amount to anything.
She didn't want to argue with her about this, so she just asked coldly, "Don't worry about what it is, just tell me, where is the child now?"
The woman finally came to her senses, her face still pale. She gathered herself and stammered, "Liu'er had been keeping the child until now, in the small room in the backyard. But... a mere half an hour ago, a servant in a blue brocade robe arrived, claiming to be from the palace. He flashed a badge and said he was... following orders from the palace to take the child away. Liu'er wanted to ask more questions, but the servant was adamant. He simply said no one could afford to delay the noble's business, and then he left with the child in his arms."
"What?" Ji Zelan straightened up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh sound on the ground. The dignity on her face shattered in an instant, and her eyes were full of disbelief and frustration. Her fingers were tightly clenched on the tablecloth, and her knuckles turned white due to the force. The anger and anxiety in her heart intertwined, making it almost impossible for her to control her emotions.
——
With Sun Xing and Xu Jiang executed and imprisoned, the two major scourges in the court were finally eliminated, and Li Yin's tense brow finally relaxed. Earlier, Mr. Chashan had passed on the news that "Wei Dao had awakened," and he had been worried about him. Today, with some free time, he traveled lightly to Wei Dao's residence.
The house was filled with the faint scent of mugwort, which dispelled the disease.
Weidao leaned against the headboard of the bed covered with soft cushions. Although his face was still a little pale from his illness, his eyes were clear.
Seeing Li Yin coming in, he struggled to stand up and salute. Li Yin quickly stepped forward, held his shoulder, and said softly: "No need to be polite. You are still weak. Just lie down." After that, he took the warm medicine from the servant and personally brought it to Wei Dao.
Weidao took the medicine bowl with both hands. His fingertips touched the warmth of the bowl's edge, and his heart was beating fast. He even felt a little flattered and embarrassed.
He lowered his eyes and sipped the medicine in small sips. Bitterness spread on the tip of his tongue, but he dared not complain at all.
Li Yin sat down on the stool beside the bed, his eyes fell on his slightly thin shoulders, and asked with concern: "Does the wound still hurt now?"
Wei Dao swallowed the last mouthful of medicine and handed the empty bowl back, his voice as light as a feather: "Your Highness, the pain is gone."
Li Yin took the bowl and handed it to the attendant. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed his sleeves and he said casually, "Why did you sleep for so long?"
The hand hanging by his side curled up slightly, a hint of red appeared on the tip of his ear, and he whispered, "Maybe... maybe I'm too embarrassed to see His Highness." He almost made a mistake that day, and although he finally turned back, he always felt that he had let down Li Yin's trust.
Li Yin heard this and a faint smile played on his lips. His voice was so gentle that it could melt the winter ice: "Didn't you not make the move in the end? Besides, I am grateful to have you come back to my side like this."
Wei Dao's heart leaped, the joy threatening to burst forth. He quickly lowered his head, hiding the glint in his eyes, and remained silent. After a moment, he added softly, "That guy... comes to see me occasionally."
Little did they know that the guy was only separated from them by a wall.
After hearing this, Li Yin just chuckled, picked up an orange from the fruit plate, peeled off the orange peel with his fingertips deftly, and handed a crystal clear orange segment to Wei Dao's lips.
"Once everything in the court is settled, we will meet often, just like before." His eyes were blazing with hope for the future. "We will always be fine. Such a day is not far away."
Weidao opened his mouth and took the orange segments. The sweet juice spread in his mouth, overcoming the lingering bitterness of the medicine. He looked up at Li Yin, his eyes full of longing, and his voice was filled with cautious anticipation: "If that really happens... can we get together again and have a glass of good wine?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yin nodded slowly, and the smile in his eyes deepened. The smile was full of understanding and agreement, which made Weidao feel more at ease.
After leaving Weidao's residence, Li Yin took a carriage back to the palace. Halfway through the journey, he saw Ji Zeming standing by the road in a blue shirt.
I don't know when it started, but a vague barrier had grown between the two of us, perhaps a difference in status, perhaps a difference in perspective. But when we met again today, that barrier seemed to have been quietly worn away by time, and the distance of the past was no longer there.
Li Yin asked the driver to stop the car, got off and walked side by side with Ji Zeming.
As dusk deepened, the setting sun cast long shadows on their faces. Ji Zeming was the first to break the silence, his voice tinged with nostalgia: "When I was young, I always envied Your Highness. Back then, I felt that no matter how high an official's rank, they were ultimately subjects, bound by their duties and not free to rest."
Li Yin listened, smiled helplessly, and looked towards the distant horizon: "But you don't know, it is precisely because I am in this position that I long for friends who treat me sincerely, without having to worry about the difference between the monarch and the minister."
Ji Zeming paused, turned around and looked at Li Yin with a serious expression: "But the monarch and his subjects are destined to never become true friends. The difference in status is like a chasm that cannot be crossed."
Li Yin met his gaze, frowning slightly, and asked, "So, this is our ending? You, me, and Wei Dao, are all going to be trapped in our respective positions, drifting further and further apart?"
A trace of regret flashed across Ji Zeming's eyes, and he smiled helplessly, "Your Highness, whether you believe it or not, my late father always wanted to shed his status as the eldest son of the Ji family and become a leisurely person. But in the end, he couldn't resist the arrangement of fate and had to shoulder the burden of the family."
Li Yin stared at the setting sun, its afterglow casting a shadow on his face, adding a touch of loneliness. He nodded slowly, his tone filled with understanding, "I believe it. If I could easily give up this identity and responsibility, I would have let it go long ago. But some things are unavoidable, and I must do what I must do."
Ji Zeming took a step forward and patted Li Yin on the shoulder. His gesture carried a familiarity, a gesture of encouragement from childhood. His eyes were firm: "Then do what you think is right. Don't hesitate."
Li Yin looked at him, his eyes full of complexity: "I'm just afraid... I'm afraid that I'll hurt you in the end."
Ji Zeming shrugged, a carefree smile on his face, but a subtle heaviness lingered deep in his eyes. "Your Highness, rest assured. I will do my utmost to protect my family. So, no matter what choices we make in the future, there is no need to feel guilty. Your Highness, you are doing this for the country, and I am doing this for the honor of our family. This is our respective fates, and we cannot escape it."
The setting sun completely sank into the horizon, and night began to cover the earth. The two stood side by side in the twilight, their figures dyed with a warm halo by the last ray of afterglow, but the heaviness of fate in their hearts quietly spread in the air.
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