CH 62

The Story of Sleeping Beauty (The Fate of the Crown Prince)

Unlike the outside, which is filled with the scent of medicine, the air in the dark room of the Imperial Medical Academy was heavy with the smell of sickness and the pungent aroma of blood.

Originally used to process medicinal herbs, the room had been cleared out and prepared for the convenience of the Imperial Doctors to take care of the person who is in a coma, which is Ming Qin, after being poisoned.

The solid wooden floor was covered with various bottles and jars, and stacks of ancient medical books were leaning against the walls. On a black stone slab, lay a woman with a dead gray complexion. Her limbs were tightly shackled by iron chains that were as thick as three fingers, rendering her immobile.

Ming Qin, who was lying on the bed, was struggling and gasping from time to time, like a wild beast that had been chained and driven mad, trying to break free from her restraints.

The skin that rubbed against the shackles was bruised and swollen, displaying a purplish hue due to her great strength. Even though thick ointment had been applied to the areas where the skin was broken and bleeding, they were still slightly ulcerated due to constant rubbing.

There were several scabbed wounds on her bare arms, which didn’t look like sword wounds, but more like the marks left by deeply scraping off the skin with five fingers.

Ming Qin’s brows were tightly furrowed, and a white cloth was stuffed into her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue to death. Her whole body was covered in cold sweat, mixed with tears and saliva, making her soaked.

Although she couldn’t speak, the painful wailing from the depths of her throat continued unabated.

Sometimes, she would suppress a low, muffled groan with her throat, and other times, she would gnash her teeth but still produce a broken and pitiful howl. It was like a wildly out-of-tune piano, every note revealing the bone-chilling agony that the woman was going through.

When Song Shu Qing led Murong Yan into the room, this was the scene they saw.

“She… has been poisoned for a month and a half.” Leaning against the doorframe, Song Shu Qing hugged herself and said sorrowfully, “We are trying every day to relieve her pain.”

“…Ah Qin?”

Looking at the person in front of her who seemed to be drained of all energy, Murong Yan couldn’t believe that she was the powerful, cheerful shadow guard who always had a bright smile.

How could this be? How could her Ah Qin become like this?

“She can’t hear you talking… She can’t hear, see, smell or taste, and can’t perceive the outside world.” Song Shu Qing looked down at the person who she tried her best to protect but still couldn’t recover, with a painful expression. “All she has now is pain.”

“Ah Qin didn’t have pain sensitivity before.”

This world is truly ironic.

“Why did this happen… why? Ah Qin…” Murong Yan dared not blink, even though her vision was gradually blurred, she still wanted to see everything clearly in front of her.

She walked forward in a daze, intending to hold Ming Qin’s withered fingers, but was stopped by Song Shu Qing.

“Qin Qin can’t feel anything now, she might accidentally hurt you…” Song Shu Qing pulled up her sleeve and revealed deep claw marks on her fingers, with a bitter smile. “Who would have thought that even in a coma, Qin Qin would be so strong.”

Every time she helped Qin Qin take her medicine or feed her porridge, she would often be accidentally injured by her wild struggles.

“Wang Wei… Doctor Wang is still working hard to develop an antidote, but even if the detoxification is successful, there is no guarantee that she will fully recover.” Song Shu Qing swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she watched Ming Qin, who was forcibly gagged with a cloth and struggling intensely.

“Now… Qin Qin just wants to die…”

She looked mournful.

“It’s all my fault, all my fault, Ah Qin…” Murong Yan muttered, trembling all over. “Ah Qin… what should I do with you? What should I do with you?”

Originally, she thought she had made thorough preparations.

If Ah Qin survived, it would be great, and she would live with her.

If unfortunately, Ah Qin had already passed away, she would also slit her own throat and follow her to the underworld.

Murong Yan lowered her head, hands resting on the edge of the bed, and slowly squatted down with weak legs. Tears gathered in her eyes, and a sour ache filled her nostrils. As feelings of self-blame and guilt exploded in her chest, large tears rolled down one by one, leaving her feeling like she had lost her soul.

But…

The current state of being half alive and half dead, in such unbearable pain, made her crave for release with every breath she took.

What should she do? How should she make a decision?

The world spun around her and the woman fell to her knees, struggling for breath. The golden hairpin in her bun fell to the ground with a piercing sound, its sharpness glistening in the light, tempting Murong Yan to take it in her hand.

She pondered as if making a fateful decision.

Watching her beloved lying in bed, suffering and moaning in agony as if being eaten by hungry ghosts, Murong Yan was full of grief, wishing to stab her in the heart in the next second to end her pain, and then stab herself in the chest to accompany her on the journey.

This astonishing idea began to spread wildly in Murong Yan’s heart, with tears still on her cheeks, but her originally sorrowful expression had turned into determination.

Ah Qin… don’t be afraid.

It won’t hurt anymore.

I’ll be with you.

I won’t let you be alone.

Never.

As Murong Yan was about to lift her arm, Song Shu Qing suddenly spoke up, “Princess, have you heard of the fairy tale story of Sleeping Beauty?”

“Sleeping Beauty?” Murong Yan repeated, still somewhat puzzled, clutching the hairpin tightly in her hand.

“Yes, Sleeping Beauty,” Song Shu Qing said calmly, even though she saw the weapon in the woman’s hand, “It’s a story of someone who falls into a deep sleep but awakens again upon the call of their loved one.”

She crouched down and took out a handkerchief from her pocket, handing it to Murong Yan. “In addition to the antidote developed by the Imperial Doctor, Qin Qin’s life also depends on her own desire to survive.”

With a subtle move, Song Shu Qing took the gold hairpin from Murong Yan’s hand and asked, “Princess, are you willing to become the one who ignites Qin Qin’s will to live again in her dreams?”

The originally quiet and eerie dungeon emitted the creaking sound of the iron door opening.

Several jailers carrying oil lamps shouted and lifted Murong Xiao, who was curled up in a corner, and roughly escorted him out of the cell, throwing the weak man into a carriage.

The carriage slowly drove out of the palace walls. After some time, it stopped at a barn. When Murong Xiao was lifted out of the carriage, he saw Song Shu Qing and Xu Jun standing outside in the snow.

“You bitch!”

Although Murong Xiao did not know Xu Jun, he could not forget the woman who had tortured him with extreme methods. His hand without nails was still throbbing in pain. “You despicable, low-born dog!”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re right, you’re the best and the noblest.”

With a long nail piercing through her hair, Song Shu Qing yawned and scratched her ear with her pinky finger.

“As a soon-to-be fossil that will be infamous for eternity, can’t you come up with some more pleasant last words? Like something along the lines of ‘May I never be born into the royal family again.’ That would make for a more dramatic TV adaptation.”

“Senior Sister Song, should we inform the historian about what you just said?” Xu Jun, who was standing nearby, tilted his head with some uncertainty.

“No need, no need. I was just joking. There’s no need to give this garbage person too much screen time in a TV drama.”

With a casual wave of her hand, Song Shu Qing walked towards Murong Xiao with a sinister smile on her face. “Today is your execution day. Unfortunately, Princess Chongwen has other matters to attend to and doesn’t want to bother with you at all. So she entrusted me to handle you in her stead.”

“Sister, that’s impossible.” Murong Xiao widened his eyes, his composure shaken for the first time. He turned his head, searching frantically for the figure he longed to see. “No, Sister will come to see me…”

“Oh dear, Princess Chongwen’s heart is already filled with other things, she doesn’t care about you anymore.” Song Shu Qing placed her hand behind her back and looked at the panicked man in front of her. “Don’t blame me, I really don’t want to see you at all.”

She gestured to the guards behind the man and then turned around to enter the barn.

“But don’t be too sad. At least your fate is decided by Princess Chongwen herself, from your punishment to your burial place.” The woman walked away, pretending to console him as she went. “From before your death to after your death, even the place of your burial, all of it is designated by Princess Chongwen.”

Although Princess Chongwen’s “burying bones and ashes, never to be reincarnated” sounded vague, as diligent as she was, she would find a way.

“Senior Sister Song, they are ready,” Xu Jun said as he watched the guards strip Murong Xiao and tie him to a wooden stake in the shape of a character ‘大’ (meaning “big” or “great”), with his back facing upwards.

The woman nodded. “According to the investigation by the shadow guards, there have been a total of 23 women who were carried out of the Eastern Palace after being brought in standing, and their cause of death varied greatly, from scalp tearing to lower body piercing to internal organ rupture caused by heavy blows… Hmm, truly diverse.”

With a disgusted look on her face, Song Shu Qing looked down at the man as if he were a piece of filth. “Tsk, your taste is really terrible. You should have been sent for chemical castration. It’s a pity that Wang Wei’s abilities are limited.”

“How dare you! What do you want to do to me?!” Murong Xiao looked up at the woman standing beside him, his face alert.

“Before you enter hell, I want you to experience what you have done to others.” Song Shu Qing opened the jade bottle in her arms and poured the foul-smelling liquid all over Murong Xiao body.

“I hope you’ll have fun playing later, after all, you like it so much, don’t you?”

Just before leaving the barn, Song Shu Qing suddenly remembered something and turned back. “Remember to grit your teeth and don’t die too quickly. This is only the first step.”

The iron door slammed shut. Just as Murong Xiao was puzzled, he heard the rapid breathing of an animal next to his ear.

The side door slowly opened, revealing a giant bull the size of five men. Its eyes were red, its neck veins bulging, and its strong front legs restlessly pacing the ground.

As it saw the man in front of it and smelled the strong odor coming from his body, it tightly wound nerves snapped, and it pounced towards the wooden stake.

Outside the barn, hearing the screams coming from inside, along with the low roars of the bull, Song Shu Qing calmly turned the jade bottle in her hand and said to Xu Jun beside her, “By the way, have you eaten yet?”

Xu Jun, listening to the agonizing cries of the man inside and sweating coldly, subconsciously crossed his legs and said, “No, Senior Sister Song told me not to eat yesterday, so I haven’t. Is there something wrong?”

“No,” Song Shu Qing said, calculating the time in her mind. “It might get a bit messy later, I’m worried you might vomit.”

“After all, it’s still early in the day, and we have plenty of time.”