Chapter 42
The night was like a piece of velvet soaked in ink, pressing heavily on the palace walls.
Luo Sanrong pulled his clothes together and walked forward aimlessly, stepping on the mottled moonlight on the blue bricks of the corridor.
The palace lanterns on the eaves were swaying gently in the night wind, and the dim light cast long, swaying shadows on the ground, as if someone was following them quietly in the dark.
These days, my heart feels like it's clogged with a ball of wet cotton wool, making me feel stuffy and uneasy. I have endless tasks to deal with during the day, and I can't sleep at night. I simply put on my clothes and go out for a walk, so that the cool night breeze can clear the air from my heart.
The leaves of the locust trees on both sides of the corridor rustled in the wind, and occasionally a few leaves swirled down and curled up silently at the feet.
As I was walking, I suddenly heard a burst of ghost howling coming from the front. The sound was unclear, as if someone was drunk.
Luo Sanrong paused and frowned involuntarily - there are strict rules in this palace, especially at night, even when walking one has to walk lightly, who would dare to shout like that?
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall and thin figure standing outside the vermilion lacquered gate of the Palace Maids' Hall not far away, shouting something at the gate.
The man was wearing a gray inner official's uniform, with the jade belt hanging crookedly around his waist. Looking at his back, he looked somewhat familiar.
Luo Sanrong lightened his steps and quietly moved forward a few steps. He took a closer look in the light coming from behind the pillars - wasn't it Eunuch Sun?
The last time I saw him, he was still full of vigor and smugness. But now, Eunuch Sun seemed like a completely different person.
The veins on his neck were taut, his face flushed red, and he was holding something in his hand, waving it hard towards the door of the maid's hall.
"I am Zhongzi, come out, come out quickly, come out!" His voice was sharp and hoarse, as if it had been sandpapered. Later, he actually started crying right at the door of the maid's hall.
He shouted so excitedly that he actually kicked the red-painted door. The muffled "bang" sound was particularly harsh in the silent night.
It was quiet inside the door, without even a sound of movement, as if everyone inside was fast asleep, or deliberately pretending to be deaf and dumb.
Seeing no response from inside, Eunuch Sun became even more furious. He took two steps forward and shouted through the door, "Come out quickly! Yuexi..."
Before the last syllable of the word "Xi" had fallen, Luo Sanrong rushed forward, covered Sun Neiguan's mouth, and dragged the drunken man to a secluded corner.
Yuexi curled up on a low couch against the wall, covered with a plain cotton quilt that had been washed so much that it looked pale. She was a light sleeper, and as soon as Sun Zhong's cry, like a broken gong, entered her eardrums, she suddenly opened her eyes.
There was still a hint of sleepiness on her eyelashes, but Yuexi had already sat up quietly like a civet cat.
The companions beside him breathed evenly. Some of them smacked their lips and turned over, but they did not wake up even when the quilt slipped off their shoulders. It was obvious that they were isolated from the noise outside the hall.
She walked barefoot on the slightly cool ground, her satin shoes placed beside the couch, but she didn't dare make any sound. She just tiptoed to the back of the vermilion lacquered wooden door.
Her knuckles pressed against the cool door, and Yuexi peered out through the crack. The lanterns in the corridor swayed in the wind, casting Sun Zhong's crazed shadow on the wall, flickering like a ghost.
She bit her lower lip and retracted her neck. The silver hairpin in her bun hurt her scalp, but her heart felt like a mess.
"Madman." Yue Xi cursed silently at the door, tasting a bit of bitterness on the tip of her tongue.
"Who?!" There was a hint of vigilance and panic in Eunuch Sun's voice as he was caught.
Eunuch Sun turned around suddenly and saw that the person coming was Luo Sanrong. A fierce light flashed in his eyes. Without thinking, he reached out his hand and accurately grabbed Luo Sanrong's neck.
Luo Sanrong was caught off guard. He felt his neck tighten and his breathing was instantly blocked.
She opened her eyes wide, fear and pain intertwined in them.
The originally fair face flushed at a speed visible to the naked eye and soon turned red.
She subconsciously raised her hands and tried to pry Sun Neiguan's hands apart. Her nails turned white from the effort, but Sun Neiguan's hands did not move at all. He locked her throat tightly, putting her in a desperate situation and making breathing increasingly difficult.
Sun Zhong said viciously, "Why are you following me? If you dare to touch Yue Xi, I will never let you go."
Luo Sanrong was already starting to feel short of breath, but she still tried to explain: "I'm just... a little worried about you, Eunuch Sun!" She hoped that Eunuch Sun could be more rational.
Sun Zhong sneered and said to Luo Sanrong, "Who's worried about who? You, disguised as a eunuch..."
Sun Zhong's voice was still echoing among the beams and pillars when he suddenly felt a force like an icy spike hitting his back.
The palm wind came too fast, with a sharp sound of tearing the air. Luo Sanrong didn't even see the movement clearly. He only heard a muffled groan from Sun Zhong's throat, and the whole person fell forward like a puppet with its bones pulled out.
The hand that was holding her throat suddenly loosened, and Luo Sanying staggered back two steps. Her chest felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock, and it was burning with pain.
She leaned against the cold pillar and gasped heavily, her lungs filled with dusty air and her vision went dark.
In his ears was the dull thud of Sun Zhong hitting the bluestone slab, and the crisp sound of something hard rolling down.
Luo Sanrong finally focused his distracted gaze as his fingertips stroked the purple marks on his neck.
In the shadow of the corridor, a dark figure stood quietly.
The man's right hand still maintained the posture after waving his palm, with his fingertips slightly bent. The hem of his black robe swayed gently in the evening breeze, and the silver-sheathed dagger hanging from his waist shone coldly in the twilight.
"Tail knife?" Luo Sanrong's voice was very hoarse, and he was in a daze as if he had survived a disaster.
The man turned around slowly, and the moonlight fell on his angular profile, with a high nose bridge and tightly pursed lips. It was Wei Dao.
His eyes swept over Sun Zhong lying on the ground, then looked at the wound on her neck, his brows furrowed slightly, "Are you okay?"
When Weidao saw Luo Sanying's red and swollen neck, he subconsciously reached out to touch it.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the warm skin, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone. He turned around abruptly and bumped into Li Yin's eyes, which were as deep as a cold pond.
With a "snap", Li Yin shook off his hand.
"What are you doing?" Wei Dao rubbed his red wrist, his tone full of confusion. If Li Yin hadn't moved quickly, his fingertips would have already touched the artery on the side of Luo San'er's neck.
Li Yin turned his face away, his Adam's apple rolled twice before he spoke stiffly: "It's okay as long as you're not dead."
Wei Dao was about to retort when he saw Li Yin's ears blushing slightly. He seemed to realize his words had been too harsh, so he cleared his throat and added, "How can a man be so visibly upset over such a minor injury?"
Luo Sanrong coughed softly twice, and her eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes: "I'm fine." There was a hint of weakness in her voice.
"Why are you here?"
Wei Dao glanced at Li Yin and wanted to say, "Your Highness saw that you hadn't returned for a long time, so he wanted to see what you were doing." However, this was what Wei Dao was thinking, and he didn't say it out loud. He just said evasively, "I was bored, so I came out for a walk and happened to see you..."
Li Yin glanced at Luo Sanrong, said nothing, turned around and walked slowly.
Weidao and Luo Sanrong looked at each other and followed tacitly.
Luo Sanrong was filled with unease and doubt. She glanced up at Li Yin in front of her, then stole a glance at the calm Wei Dao beside her. After much hesitation, she couldn't help but move closer to Wei Dao, bowed slightly, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Wei Dao, once you become a palace maid, can't you change your fate?"
After he finished speaking, he added, "I mean the eunuchs and palace maids."
Wei Dao lowered his eyes, his crow-feather eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes, covering up all the emotions in his eyes. He said in a flat voice: "It is impossible without His Highness's permission."
Li Yin, who was walking in front, turned around and said to Luo Sanrong, "This time, I can pretend I didn't hear anything. You don't have to worry about them."
Luo Sanrong was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was talking about Sun Zhong and Yue Xi. He asked tentatively, "Have you heard about this incident as well?"
Then he thought, even if Li Yin didn't know originally, after what happened tonight, he probably knew what happened in his heart. He murmured, "That's right, you were here when it happened tonight."
"Then Your Highness, do you have any ideas?" Luo Sanying asked in a hopeful tone.
Li Yin: "That's against etiquette."
Luo Sanrong: "Yes, indeed, that's what etiquette and law stipulate, but what's wrong with two hearts loving each other?"
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