Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Yuwen Rui looks completely calm, seeming to not realise the wrong idea his words have given others. I think for a bit, feeling that I really shouldn’t be so oblivious to the timing like him, and so I say to him: “Cousin, it’s hot, let it cool first.”

Yuwen Rui actually didn’t insist, placing the bowl down on the table before saying to Yuwen Yi: “Father, have you gone to see his majesty?”

Yuwen Yi furrows his thick brows, saying: “Encountered that old guy, Li Qiao, at the palace entrance, he said his majesty is currently being treated by the imperial physician, mustn’t be disturbed by outsiders. Rui brat, is his majesty’s injury very serious?”

Yuwen Rui pours Yuwen Yi a cup of tea, then pours himself one, “Where the arrow hit is not a vital spot, what’s deadly is the poison on the arrow. Divine Physician Xue said this poison is an extremely mysterious poison passed down from the Miao Tribe, should an antidote be concocted in time for his majesty to take, naturally, there will be no worries, but the antidote has yet to be concocted as of now, only able to use herbal supplements to delay the poison in his majesty’s body for now. Right now, it’s all down to whether his majesty can hold out until the time comes.”

Yuwen Rui is extremely calm as he says all this, unlike all those other ministers I’ve seen, who are greatly anxious and completely masked in sadness whenever Father Emperor gets injured. The matter of Father Emperor’s injury seems to have no effect on him, or perhaps, this person has already grown accustomed to hiding all his thoughts under that placid handsome face, so that no one can possibly know.

Yuwen Yi sighs upon hearing this, “Now that his majesty is lying unconscious, afraid that there is a lot of unrest within the imperial court, Rui-er, you must pay more attention.”

Yuwen Rui lightly takes a sip of the tea, long and fine eyes looking down, as he slowly says: “I will certainly be doing all an official can.”

Yuwen Yi’s expression lightens a little, then casts a look at Ling Miao Er, saying: “Miao Er, say, isn’t Rui brat growing more and more like your Aunt Zhen?”

Ling Miao Er smiles, “Gentleman is elegantly refined and handsome in appearance, of course he looks more like Aunt Zhen. But his body of wisdom and plotting, is definitely taken after Uncle Yi.”

Yuwen Yi heartily laughs out loud, the smile spreading into his eyes, “Good girl, these words truly are pleasant to hear.” He suddenly looks disappointed again, “Just that Zhen-er left early, unable to see how Rui-er has grown……”

Dark gloom flickers across Yuwen Rui’s brown orbs, then hooking his lips up, he says to the two: “Father, Miao Er, afraid you two have yet to rest after rushing all the way here. I’ve instructed people to prepare a room for you two, tomorrow night, we shall welcome you and help wash off the dust (a welcoming meal).”

Yuwen Yi says: “En, several days of rushing along the way, Miao Er should also be tired.” He says to me: “Lan lass, you take good care of your body, I’ll come and visit you again tomorrow.”

I obediently nod, “Take care Eldest Uncle, take care Sister Miao, take care Eldest Cousin.”

Yuwen Rui’s fox eyes slightly narrows, then laughingly says: “Father, Miao Er, allow me to walk you out.”

I mentally do a ‘shoo’ gesture, what do you mean walk them out, you just leave with them.”

After Yuwen Rui and Yuwen Yi, as well as Ling Miao Er leave, the room quietens down, I stick out my ear to listen for any movements, only after confirming there is no noise, do I attempt to use my uninjured hand to prop up my body, slowly getting off the bed. When my feet touch the ground, I could only feel like I’m stepping on a floor of cotton, its softness also making me soften.

I take big breaths of air, after my legs recover some strength, I slowly head towards the table. These short few steps, in an exaggerated way of speaking, is more tiring than climbing up the stairs to the tenth floor, so that once I reach the table, I heavily land my butt on the chair, the shock bringing slight pain to my arm.

I sprawl over the table top, taking a moment to clear my mind, obediently now, being a patient sure is hard.

After regulating my breathing, I was about demonically claw over the bowl, just that, as I was practically about to touch the bowl, the doors were pushed open, followed by Yuwen Rui’s frosty voice sounding.

“What are you doing.”

I instantly pull back my hand, unworthily, speaking in an particularly gentle voice: “Seeing if the medicine has cooled yet.”

After saying this, I angrily shout at myself for backing down, really, I should be sitting up straight and loudly say: I’m drinking my medicine!

But what would the consequences of such words be?

I once again back down as I think, forget it, I’m a patient right now, I need not commit to standing up for myself.

Yuwen Rui comes up to my side and sits down, that handsome face still carrying an indifferent expression, “Has the medicine cooled yet, then?”

I rub my own fingers, “En, pretty much, can drink now.”

Yuwen Rui rests half his face in one hand, emotions unclear in those long and fine eyes as he looks at me, “Aren’t you going to drink?”

I’m pleasantly surprised, dare I say, this guy’s words from before were just said to fool his father and Ling Miao Er ah. I drag over the medicine bowl and lower my head to take a sip, then expressionlessly chug it all down in one go, until all that was left were the residues of the herbs.

The aftertaste spreads in my mouth, “So bitter.”

When I raise my head, Yuwen Rui was very intently watching me with no signs of looking away, I think for a moment and ask: “Cousin, do you want to drink it too?” You’re also injured? Or is it an illness you have?

Yuwen Rui lazily blinks, traces of temptation flowing out from his eyes. His long and slender index finger reaches out to wipe the corner of my lips, then sends it to his own lips and licks it, lowly saying: “En, very bitter indeed.”

I turn and pour myself a cup of tea to rinse my mouth, secretly thinking to myself, this guy is definitely longing for spring (the opposite sex).

The next night, Yuwen Rui sets up a welcoming banquet for Yuwen Yi, as I couldn’t go due to my injury, I sent Xi Xi over to offer a gift in my place. And so, when night falls, I send all the palace maids out, then get dressed and sneakily slip out.

The place I’m heading to is not difficult to guess, of course it is the palace hall Father Emperor spoke of to me that day, Zhao Feng Hall.

Zhao Feng Hall (Hall of the Morning-Rising Phoenix), as the name suggests, this is the residential hall of the empress. Father Emperor’s empress has only ever been one from beginning to end, and that is my deceased Mother Empress, Yuwen Rou

My Mother Empress died at childbirth after giving birth to Imperial Sister and I, the I who was a newborn at the time could not open my eyes, naturally missing the one chance I could ever get to see her. I had only come to know – just from listening to my uncles and the palace maids’ occasional chatting – that my Mother Empress is just as her name, an utmost gentle person. (柔 / Róu means soft/tender/gentle).

Mother Empress married Father Emperor – who was the crown prince at the time – at the age of sixteen, then accompanied him through a time of the most hardships and difficulties. After Father Emperor ascended the throne, Mother Empress undoubtedly became Yun Mi’s most honourable woman, gentle and magnanimous as she stayed by Father Emperor’s side.

My Mother Empress had presumably loved Father Emperor, if not, why would she persevere in giving birth to two children for him, in the end, losing her life. But what about Father Emperor, does he love Mother Empress?

If one was to say he loves her, then why have Imperial Sister and I never heard him speak of Mother Empress’ matters.

If one was to say he doesn’t love her, then why did he never appoint another empress.

Also, who is the Nan-er he speaks of?

I deeply sympathise with this deceased mother, just because the one she married is the emperor, hence whether loved or unloved, it is still a luxury.

Zhao Feng Hall is already empty with no one here, after Mother Empress’ passing, there have only been palace maids dutifully cleaning it all the time, hence seeing no signs of dust. I hold up my skirt as I nimbly head to the room Father Emperor spoke of, after pushing the doors open, I directly run to that third chair.

This chair looks the same as all the others, with nothing particularly special about it, no matter who it is, no one would ever have thought the emperor had actually hidden something in its leg.

I look at the third chair, met with a problem, the chair I have already found, but how am I to break the leg? I smack my own forehead, so stupid ah, I should have prepared a cleaver, how convenient would it have been to directly chop down at it.

I walk in circles on that spot, I don’t have cleaver right now, what am I supposed to do?

I overturn the chair and strongly stamp at the leg, very good, it’s extremely firm. I once again walk in circles around the room, unable to find any hammer sort of thing, and get frustrated.

The candle slowly burns, slightly yellow light illuminating the table, I suddenly see the lower area of the table that has hollow patterns carved into it, lips slowly hooking up.

Got it.

I drag the chair over to the table, attentively comparing the size of the chair leg to the gaps between the patterns, after finding a suitable gap, I stick the chair leg into the gap with difficulty, then drag over another chair to help me get on the chair that is hanging in mid-air, and without concerning myself with anything else, my entire body weighs down on it.

With a look of seriousness, I think to myself that I am indeed a smart one.

Time quietly flows by, and I too, am quietly waiting for the moment the chair leg cannot hold my weight anymore and breaks. But could it be that I’m too light? Causing no results after almost half an hour?

I dejectedly rest my chin in hand, then try kicking my foot off the ground and then abruptly jump up and sit down again, but the chair is still unmoved.

Ai~.

I let out a sigh, I don’t stop working hard as I continue repeating this action, after however many dozens of times of jumping onto the seat, the chair leg finally makes a sound and breaks, I reacted quickly in grabbing the other chair besides me, and jump down. Looking at that broken chair leg, I am deeply pleased, indeed, mankind is intelligent ah.

After the chair leg was broken off, it can be seen that the inside of the leg is hollow, if not, it wouldn’t have been so easily broken from me sitting on it. From the hollow leg, I take out a small cylinder container, then from the cylinder container, two things pour out.

One seems to be a sheepskin sort of thing, incomplete but has many lines drawn on it. I stare at that sheepskin for a long time, finally concluding that this should be that treasure map Meng Shao Jue was finding. I shrug my shoulder, who would have known, this thing that he had been fighting for, would actually fall into my hands now, perhaps they wouldn’t have even known, Father Emperor would actually tell me the whereabouts of this thing.

I carefully place the treasure map inside my clothing, then look at the other object.

That is a piece of white paper, perhaps due to being kept for too long, it has already started to yellow. I very carefully spread it open, but only see a sentence on it.

It writes: “[Older] Brother, how about taking me out of the palace to play tomorrow?”

Signed by Nan-er.

I look at this piece of note, dumbfounded, heart feeling like thousands of huge waves has been set off.

Nan-er, the Nan-er Father Emperor spoke off, the Nan-er on this piece of note, I think, I know who it is.

At first, I kept trying to recall whether Father Emperor’s back palace has a consort with the character ‘Nan’ in their name, but had only forgotten that Father Emperor had a younger sister that died from illness at the age of fifteen, and her name is precisely An Nan Ling.

I don’t think an ordinary relationship between brother and sister would make him do such a thing.

Father Emperor placed his sister’s personally written note together with the treasure map that is being fought for by the three kingdoms.

When Father Emperor had been bewitched by that bewitching scent, the name he had been calling out is his own sister’s.

The one Father Emperor loves, is his biological sister.

I bitterly smile at the note in hand, look at this, turns out he is so infatuated, just that the one he is infatuated in, should not, cannot, and must not be.

I suddenly feel my heart run cold, why have I come to know another secret, not to mention, the deepest secret that belongs to an emperor.

I soullessly return to my own palace hall, just that as soon as I enter my room, I notice something weird about the room, the air faintly filled with the smell of alcohol.

I try quietly calling out: “Cousin?”

No one answers.

My nerves tenses, just as I wanted to open the doors and leave, I was tightly held from behind.

That person’s hot lips tenderly kiss my ear, hot and wet tongue occasionally licking my skin, followed by the familiar cold voice that carries an unfamiliar drunkenness, huskily whispering next to my ear: “Ah-Lan, where are you, trying to run off to now?”