Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Cough, cough..." It was strange; I had been coughing non-stop since I woke up this morning.
It was already late spring, yet I still felt cold. Shivering, I resigned myself to going back inside to grab a coat before stepping out. As I did, I spotted Xiao Quanzi sweeping the yard. It felt odd not having Yun Ying around.
When Xiao Quanzi saw me, he looked puzzled and said, "Master, why is your face so pale? Did you catch a chill last night?"
Not at all; I had covered myself well. Could it be that I kicked off the blankets in my sleep? But Yun Ying had served me for so long and never mentioned anything about me tossing and turning at night. In fact, I usually slept very quietly, often without even a sound of breathing.
Just as I was pondering this, Xiao Bai nudged against me. As usual, he quickly found a comfortable position and seemed ready to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, his white fur began to change color, turning a light pink. Startled, he looked up at me with eyes full of concern. My heart sank; how could this be? Had I been poisoned?
Old Buddy had once told me that Xiao Bai was an Ancient Divine Beast and possessed unique abilities. His Divine Power allowed him to sense danger and toxins nearby. If his master was poisoned, his white fur would gradually turn red—the deeper the red, the more severe the poisoning. If it turned blackish-red, that meant there was no hope left. Seeing his fur take on a faint red hue sent a chill through me. When had I been poisoned? No wonder I had felt dizzy and feverish all night, slept poorly, and now had a headache and felt weak with this incessant cough.
I began to think back on what I had eaten and drunk from yesterday until today.
There hadn't been anything unusual; Xiao Quanzi, the Emperor, and I had all eaten the same meals. I had personally cooked for us yesterday, and the Emperor even praised my cooking afterward, saying he would join me for another meal today. Wait—Yun Ying had also brought over lotus seed soup and Yaya had sent some desserts. They were all people close to me; naturally, I hadn’t suspected anything and consumed everything without hesitation. Could it be...? No way!
Remembering the flicker of avoidance in Yun Ying's eyes caused my heart to ache; I didn’t want to dwell on it any longer.
I shook my head and looked at Xiao Quanzi's worried expression. Without saying a word, I quietly held Xiao Bai close and returned to my inner chamber. Sitting on the bed, I began to circulate my energy to expel the poison.
"Ugh—" A mouthful of black blood splattered onto the floor as dizziness washed over me. If I could just hold on a bit longer, the poison should be expelled soon enough. Whoever poisoned me hadn’t used much toxin; its potency wasn’t great. However, if this continued happening repeatedly, my life would be in jeopardy.
Just as I prepared to force out the last remnants of poison, a voice came from outside: "Servant pays respects to Your Majesty."
I was startled; the residual poison surged throughout my body all at once. A mouthful of blood surged up my throat but was swallowed back down forcefully. Hurriedly, I got up and put on my coat.
Stepping out of the inner chamber, I saw Sima Rui approaching in his golden double-dragon robe from afar. Wiping away the traces of blood from my lips, I greeted him with a bright smile as if nothing were wrong: "Your Majesty, this servant greets you."
He came closer and supported me gently. "Consort, please rise."
As I stood up, I noticed how strong the sunlight was today; it made my head spin slightly. He saw my pale complexion and quickly asked with concern, "Firefly, are you feeling unwell? Let me call for the imperial physician."
I grasped his hand firmly: "Your Majesty, there's no need for that. This servant just ran a bit too hurriedly." The identity of the poisoner was still uncertain to me; besides, I didn’t want to harm those two individuals anyway. The poison was nearly cleared from my system now; there was no need to pursue it further.
"Is that so? Don't overexert yourself then. You can take the day off from your duties and join me for lunch in the Imperial Hall." He brushed his fingers across my face; though his expression remained calm, there was genuine concern in his eyes. Was he finally starting to care about Xie Weiying?
"Don't—" Although my head was growing heavier, I didn't want to miss the moments spent with him, especially in that small room where he sat quietly watching me cook, radiating a sense of peace. I didn't want to lose that.
I took a deep breath, using my internal energy to flush some color into my cheeks, and smiled. "Your Majesty, I really am fine." I playfully glanced at him and added in a teasing tone, "I want to cook for you myself." That's how those women flirted, right? Didn't they say men couldn't resist a woman's charm? I wondered if it would work.
"This—" he hesitated, "but you—"
"Come on." I grabbed his hand and led him toward the small kitchen in Jiu Nian Xuan.
As soon as I took a step, dizziness washed over me. I shook my head vigorously, trying to dispel the discomfort, and tilted my head back with a bright smile to ease his worries.
White Radish, Carrot, greens, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, scallions... I reached out to grab them, but everything around me began to blur and fade. My mind unconsciously guided the knife in a rhythmic motion. But in the next moment, with a thud, I collapsed to the ground, completely unaware.
When I slightly opened my eyes, a beam of light pierced through, forcing me to blink repeatedly. My long eyelashes fluttered like wings, casting shadows—a strange sensation. If it weren't for the pain in my chest, I would have thought today was a sunny day and felt quite joyful. But—
After lying on the bed for a while in the serene silence of the empty room, I realized no one had come to check on me since I woke up. Lying there quietly made me feel as if everything in the world had drifted away; it was just me. My body ached and was immobile; all I could do was take deep breaths and appreciate this moment of stillness.
After lying there for some time, my fading thoughts suddenly returned. I remembered that before I fainted, I was preparing to cook for Brother Sima and had been interrupted while expelling poison. It must have entered my meridians; however, it wasn't serious—such minor poison wouldn't take my life.
I cautiously moved my body until I felt somewhat adjusted and then attempted to sit up. My stomach growled with hunger; I needed food and water. Yet the entire courtyard felt shrouded in silence as if something were covering it—I guessed no one was around to help me.
I propped myself up but suddenly lost strength in my left elbow and tipped toward the edge of the bed as if about to fall to the ground. I closed my eyes and resigned myself to waiting for the expected pain from hitting the floor. However, after what felt like an eternity without any pain, I instead found myself falling into a soft embrace.
"Have you had enough?"
A teasing voice came from above me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Sima Rui looking at me with a smile for the first time—no trace of imperial arrogance or nobility; he looked like an ordinary man.
I quickly withdrew from his embrace but ended up tipping over again toward the ground due to my stiff body.
He let out a soft sigh. "Why are you so troublesome? Just lie down quietly; if you want to get up, you can call for help."
I looked at him with a hint of grievance. "I've been awake for quite some time now, but no one has come by. And I—" Just then, my stomach growled loudly again. My face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm hungry and want some water."
He looked at my flushed face and smiled, "Bring in the servants."
A few palace attendants entered and respectfully said, "Your servant is here." It was then that I realized I was no longer in the Jiu Nian Xuan but in the Imperial Hall.
"Bring in the prepared meal."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As I struggled to swallow, Sima Rui suddenly turned to me, tightly embracing me with concern. "Consort, you scared me to death. Thankfully, you have awakened."
Seeing his haggard face made my heart ache. How could someone who loved cleanliness so much let his beard grow like this?
I nestled comfortably in his arms and asked, "Your Majesty, how long have I been unconscious?"
He held my arms tightly, trembling slightly. "Three days, a full three days." It was during these three days that he realized how important I was to him. He thought he could ignore it, thought it didn’t matter, but he found himself increasingly entrapped.
Feeling his concern warmed my heart, and I smiled. "I'm fine now. I must have caught a chill at night; my health has always been poor, so it flared up severely."
A cold smile suddenly appeared on Sima Rui's lips. How could a simple chill nearly take her life? He would find out who was responsible.
Yet, holding the innocent woman in his arms, he still spoke gently. "You need to rest more. I will have the imperial physician help you recover."
I closed my eyes and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." I couldn't allow myself to become too immersed in this. The emperor's embrace was not something someone like me could cling to.
After resting for a few days in the Imperial Hall, I returned to the Jiu Nian Xuan. This incident was buried under my intentional concealment and faded away without further discussion. Everyone only knew that my health was fragile and did not suspect anything about poisoning.
During my recovery in the Jiu Nian Xuan, rewards kept pouring in. Looking at the gold and jewels, I simply had Xiao Quanzi casually collect them and place them in a small storage room in the Jiu Nian Xuan that wasn’t used for anything else. That room was already filled with treasures of equal value. Little Seven had arranged for these to be secretly sent to me after learning of my identity, fearing that I might be bullied in the palace due to lack of wealth. Since Jun Jin monopolized business within the palace, his people were everywhere; they were sent by Little Seven to protect me. In truth, I didn’t need protection; even if someone wanted to harm me, if I wasn’t willing, how could I easily fall for it?
Sima Rui would come to see me every day after court adjourned; after having dinner with me, he would leave while reminding me to take good care of myself. I also began working diligently on my comic, preparing for publication and starting all necessary processes.
"The Affairs of Women in the Harem." What a fitting theme! There were plenty of free materials right around me.
During this time, many people came to see me, but I avoided them all. I wasn't sure what I was trying to escape from. Perhaps—there were hardly any who genuinely came to visit me. Most were merely following the Emperor's changing attitude towards me. I had no mood to deal with such matters.
However, an unexpected guest arrived, one I couldn't possibly turn away: Sima Shao.
Upon seeing me, he arrogantly declared, "The Crown Prince came to see if you were dead." His expression was awkward. He must have gathered quite a bit of courage to come here.
I ignored his brusque tone and sincerely replied, "Thank you for your concern."
"What?!" he exclaimed. "The Crown Prince wouldn't care about you; don't get the wrong idea." He turned his head away, avoiding my smiling gaze.
"I know," I chuckled lightly, not wanting to engage him further.
"The Crown Prince didn't expect that you, a Court Lady, would be—" he asked in surprise.
I replied calmly, "I am just a lowly servant; how could the Crown Prince notice me?"
"Well, that's true. You speak coarsely and behave coarsely. You're nothing like the other consorts," he nodded in agreement.
I burst into laughter. "What the Crown Prince says is right. I have much to learn." This boy really had the audacity to say such things.
Suddenly, he looked at a card I had set aside with curiosity and asked, "What's that?" He walked over to take a closer look.
I smiled; he truly had an eye for quality. The cards I had hurriedly made that morning had caught his attention. I followed him and explained, "These are cards used for a gambling pastime."
He gazed at the various beautiful figures I had drawn on the cards with astonishment and exclaimed, "They're very exquisite. How do you play?"
I pulled him over to the large table in the living room and said, "Come, I'll teach you how to play."
"By the way," I thought for a moment; we needed three people to play. I waved over to Xiao Quanzi, who was standing by with his head down: "Xiao Quanzi, come here and join us."
Seeing me call him over, Xiao Quanzi shook his head vigorously in fear and refused to approach. Ever since that incident when this Little Benefactor kicked him, he had become extremely afraid of Sima Shao.
Sima Shao seemed to realize it was his fault and impatiently said, "Come here, the Crown Prince said he won't hit you anymore."
Xiao Quanzi hesitated.
Little Benefactor shouted at him, "If you don't come over, be careful of the Crown Prince—" Before he could finish, Xiao Quanzi hurried over.
After explaining the rules to them, I thought about the three of us and decided we could only play Landlord. Since we were going to play, there had to be rewards and punishments. The loser not only had to stick on paper notes but also had to drink a cup of water. So, the palace maids and eunuchs who came with Little Benefactor were called to boil water.
Watching the two Brats with their faces covered in paper notes and constantly running to the restroom, I struggled to hold back my laughter, nearly gasping for breath. However, I maintained a serious demeanor and earnestly educated the reluctant Little Benefactor that one must accept defeat gracefully; otherwise, he wouldn't be allowed to play anymore. Seeing him unwilling yet compelled to stick on the note made me want to burst out laughing.
The afternoon passed joyfully like this.
Little Benefactor left reluctantly, gazing longingly at the cards.
I smiled and said, "If the Crown Prince likes it, I can draw another one in his likeness as a gift."
His eyes sparkled with excitement, a smile washing over his face as his lips unconsciously curled up. Yet he still replied ungraciously, "If you insist on giving it to the Crown Prince, then he will reluctantly accept it."
Comment 0 Comment Count