Chapter 104
The clepsydra ticked past the third watch, the candlelight in Changle Palace was flickering in the night wind, and the footsteps of the eunuch on duty outside the palace faded away. Only then did Ji Zelan loosen her grip on the brocade handkerchief.
But before she could catch her breath, the palace door was suddenly pushed open, and Ji Ke walked straight in with a cold look on his face. The assassins behind him slammed a stack of secret letters on the table, and the sound was particularly harsh in the silent night.
Ji Zelan's hand holding the teacup trembled violently, and the warm tea splashed onto her plain cuffs, leaving a small wet mark.
She pretended to be calm, looked up at the gloomy Ji Ke, and her voice trembled slightly: "Father came to the palace late at night, bringing these things with him. Is there something important he wants to tell me?"
Ji Ke ignored her temptation and reached out to pull out a yellowed piece of paper from the secret letter. Although the handwriting on it was a little blurry, it was enough to make out the content clearly.
He handed the paper to Ji Zelan, his eyes as cold as ice: "I'm saying, why do you want a bastard to sit on the throne? You should know that he is not of royal blood at all."
The candlelight reflected on Ji Zelan's face, and her eyes instantly dodged, her fingertips tightly gripping the carvings on the table.
After a moment, she raised her head, a look of grievance and anger on her face, and her voice rose slightly: "What do you mean, father? I don't understand! How can you say such words to insult me and the dignity of the royal family?"
"Insult?" Ji Ke scoffed, taking a step forward and approaching Ji Zelan. "Is there any greater insult in this palace than confusing the royal bloodline? You hid it from everyone and pushed a child of unknown origin to the throne. Aren't you afraid that your secret will be exposed and your entire clan will be implicated?"
"He's not from an unknown background!" Ji Zelan stood up suddenly, her chest heaving violently, her tone hysterical. "That child was born after ten months of pregnancy and great suffering. He is of legitimate royal blood! How could you, father, believe other people's rumors and slander me like this!"
Ji Ke looked at her pretending to be tough, and the coldness in his eyes became even stronger.
He stood up, straightened his official uniform, and spoke with a warning, "Since you insist on doing this, you must take great pains to ensure that everyone in the palace believes it. If the secret is ever revealed, it won't just be you who perishes."
After saying that, Ji Ke turned around and was about to leave. But after taking two steps, Ji Zelan's voice suddenly came from behind him, with a hint of unquestionable majesty: "Prime Minister, sit down. Did I tell you to leave?"
Ji Ke paused, his face filled with disbelief. He slowly turned around and looked at Ji Zelan, who was sitting upright on the couch. Her face was no longer showing the panic and grievance she had just shown. Her expression was terrifyingly calm, as if she wasn't the one who had lost her composure just now.
"What is your Majesty doing?" Ji Ke's tone was filled with dissatisfaction.
Ji Zelan did not answer, but slowly asked: "Prime Minister, do you think you can always be safe and sound?"
"Are you threatening me, Madam?" Ji Ke frowned, his tone instantly cold. He had never expected that the woman he had single-handedly supported would dare to speak to him in such a tone.
Ji Zelan stood up slowly and walked towards Ji Ke. Her skirt swept across the ground, making a slight sound.
When she reached Ji Ke, she stopped, raised her head, and said word by word, "I have no other choice. Doesn't the Prime Minister always hold my life and death in his hands? If it weren't for you, how could I, the daughter of a prostitute who grew up in a brothel and didn't even know who my father was, sit on the noble position of queen? You are my benefactor."
Her voice was soft, but like a needle, piercing Ji Ke's heart.
Before Ji Ke could react, Ji Zelan continued, "But precisely because of this, I also hold your life and death in my hands, don't I? You dare to let a woman of such a shameful background become queen. Isn't this an even greater insult to the royal family than confusing bloodlines? If this matter gets out, does the Prime Minister think you can still keep your position and the lives of the entire Ji family?"
"Shut up!" Ji Ke's face turned red instantly as he felt the pain. He shouted harshly.
He stretched out his hand, as if wanting to teach Ji Zelan a lesson, but his hand stopped in mid-air. He knew that what Ji Zelan said was the truth, and this was a handle that he could never erase.
Ji Zelan looked at his out-of-control appearance and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
She reached out her hand and gently stroked the crane pattern embroidered on Ji Ke's official uniform. The touch of her fingertips was delicate and cool.
She leaned close to Ji Ke's ear, lowering her voice even more, yet still carrying a strong threat: "So, Father, if anything happens to me, you can't escape, right? We are now on the same boat."
The flickering candlelight stretched the two people's shadows long, casting them on the cold palace walls. It was like a silent game, and no one could escape easily.
——
The ambergris curled around in the gilded Boshan furnace, making the candlelight in the East Palace even dimmer.
As soon as Eunuch Ma's shadow disappeared behind the vermilion lacquer door, Zhao Yan'er slowly walked forward holding a gold-painted lacquer tray. Her plain palace skirt swept across the gold brick floor, as silently as a falling willow leaf.
Li Yin's eyes were still glued to the open scroll until he heard the soft sound of a porcelain bowl colliding with a lacquer plate. He raised his eyes, his gaze still filled with the air of a scholar. His casual question was tinged with his usual aloofness: "It's so late, what's the matter?"
Zhao Yan'er's hand hanging by her side quietly clenched the silk handkerchief, her fingertips almost digging into her palm.
She looked at the man's angular profile. His eyes, once bright as stars to others, now reflected only the afterglow of candlelight. A wave of disappointment washed over her. She deliberately tilted her head, her tone tentative, "Are you disappointed? Is this not the person you wanted to see?"
The sound of a book gently closing broke the silence. Li Yin raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing across his dark eyes. He pushed the book to the corner of the desk and said, "No, I'm just a little surprised." He tapped the desk with his fingertips, a habit he had when his mind was agitated.
"Actually, I've been feeling very conflicted lately." Zhao Yan'er forced a smile on her lips, the candlelight casting tiny shadows on her eyelashes.
"Because of the state marriage?" Li Yin hit the nail on the head, but his tone did not reveal his emotions.
These words were like a needle, piercing Zhao Yan'er's forced calm. She looked up into his bottomless eyes and said in a voice so soft it sounded like a sigh, "I know who your Highness loves."
The ambergris in the hall seemed to suddenly solidify. Li Yin's fingertips paused on the table, silent as a cast iron statue. Zhao Yan'er smiled upon seeing this, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "You say you only want the position of Crown Princess and to be a support for the family, but in your heart you want more. Aren't you too greedy?"
Before Li Yin could speak, she lowered her eyes, her tone filled with a resolute determination: "I still want to be loyal to my heart. Although I am not the one Your Highness has in mind, I will stay and be your helper, helping you secure your position as Crown Prince. I will always be by your side."
Li Yin's thin lips curled up slightly, but he said nothing. It wasn't until he raised his eyes and gestured that Zhao Yan'er suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit and nodded hurriedly to the maid behind her.
"Your Highness, this is the tranquilizing soup newly prepared by the Imperial Hospital. You have been reviewing memorials for days, so it's time to take a break." Zhao Yan'er took the medicine bowl handed back by the palace maid, and the coolness of the porcelain wall came through her fingertips.
She watched Li Yin raise his hand to take it. As the edge of the bowl was about to touch his lips, her heart suddenly tightened and she almost blurted out, "Wait, Your Highness, don't drink it yet!"
But it was too late. Li Yin had already swallowed a mouthful of the medicine, the warm liquid sliding down his throat with a faint taste of bitter almonds.
He looked up in confusion and was about to ask a question when he saw Zhao Yan'er suddenly raise her left hand. The silver gem-inlaid ring, which was usually warm and smooth, now looked as if it had been stained by ink. It was completely dark and even the gem had lost its luster.
"This is..." Before Li Yin finished his words, he suddenly felt a burning pain in his throat, as if a ball of fire was spreading along his esophagus.
He suddenly covered his chest with his hands, his knuckles turned white due to the force, and his breathing suddenly became rapid. Every breath he took felt like inhaling tiny pieces of ice, cutting his lungs and causing pain.
The candlelight flickered violently before his eyes, and Zhao Yan'er's figure gradually became blurred. He could only hear her sobbing cries, but he couldn't make out the words. Li Yin tried to stand up by supporting himself on the table, but his limbs suddenly went limp, as if his strength had been drained away.
He looked at his hands in disbelief, his fingertips began to tremble slightly, his vision went dark, the sounds in his ears became farther and farther away, leaving only an increasingly heavy feeling of suffocation in his chest.
"Who is it..." He squeezed out two words with difficulty, a fishy and sweet taste surged in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted out without warning on the bright yellow dragon-patterned brocade, like a red plum blossom that suddenly bloomed.
Zhao Yan'er rushed over and supported his shaky body. He could feel the coldness and violent trembling of her fingertips. The blackened ring poked his arm, so sharp that it stung.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
