Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Your Majesty, the maidservant of Xie Jieyu has sent word that she has been unwell these past few days and cannot attend to you."
Upon hearing this, Sima Rui let out a cold laugh. "It's been a month, and her health is still 'unwell,' huh?" By the end, his teeth were clenched in frustration. Gao Lu, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety for that reckless woman.
It seemed that the utterly useless Fourth Young Lady would not be able to meet the master's expectations. He truly could not understand the master's intentions; from the very beginning, that disappointing Young Master had completely disregarded the master's orders. Gao Lu instinctively tightened his fists. Should he tell her the truth? The master had instructed him to remain silent, but given the current situation, it was clear that the master's position in court was at risk...
"Leave," came the emperor's icy voice.
Gao Lu shivered and respectfully withdrew.
"Chen Wen."
A shadow flickered in the dark corner and immediately knelt before him. "Master."
"Have you found out anything?"
"Xie De Fei indeed has a connection with him. There is nothing suspicious on Jieyu's side; she has been keeping to herself lately and rarely interacts with others, not even her aunt. However—" Chen Wen produced a document and handed it to Sima Rui. "This is something I inadvertently intercepted."
Sima Rui examined the document in his hand, his gaze growing colder. He had hoped that Xie De Fei's recent poisoning attempt would reveal something, yet she remained unharmed! They were indeed in cahoots, but why didn't she use this opportunity to stage a performance instead of—
Sima Rui furrowed his brow; this was the one thing he had been unable to comprehend over the past month.
That old fox must be plotting something.
"You may leave now. Proceed with everything in secret. Do not alert the enemy."
Chen Wen nodded and was about to withdraw when Sima Rui suddenly asked in a low voice, "Is there still no news from him?"
"Your subordinate is incompetent. The Jun Jin Villa seems to have already noticed the existence of the secret door and has been sealing it off very well. Moreover, aside from the Vermilion Bird King, no one knows the true appearance of Jin Shao. I cannot be certain if Jin Shao is indeed him. Please forgive me, Master."
Sima Rui wearily waved his hand. "You may leave. I am going to the Memory Pavilion." A sudden glint of cold light flashed in his eyes. "Those who trespass will be killed without mercy."
Chen Wen did not doubt it and respectfully withdrew. Ever since Jin Gongzi disappeared, every time the Master heard any news about Jin Gongzi, he would go to the Memory Pavilion to drown his sorrows. He would stay there for an entire day. No one knew what was inside the Memory Pavilion because those who had entered and seen it were all dead, and they all died by the Master's sword. Each time the Master returned, expressionless and dragging a bloodied body behind him, Chen Wen felt a chill that rendered him almost immobile. That cold, desolate expression was enough to keep Chen Wen awake for days; whenever he closed his eyes, he would see those lifeless eyes.
Chen Wen gazed at the sky he hadn't seen in a long time. Those within the secret door could not see the light; they hid in the shadows, and anyone could potentially be a member of the secret door. The secret door had always been low-key, lurking within the entire world's framework. However, unexpectedly, in order to find that Jin Gongzi, the Master had mobilized the forces of the secret door on a large scale, violating its principles and gradually making its existence known to the world. What kind of person could Jin Gongzi be that made the Master so obsessed?
Sima Rui looked despondently at the wall covered with his images and murmured, "Little Jin, where are you?"
As long as it did not concern An Jin, Sima Rui treated everyone as a tool for his own use. Just like back then, if it weren't for Little Jin, Dan Yi's power would have long been under his control; how could it have developed so rapidly now, falling into someone else's hands?
Just like Xie Weiying—thinking of her made Sima Rui's heart tremble slightly, but it was quickly overshadowed by cruelty. He had initially thought he could use her to uncover the influence of the Xie Family and Xie De Fei in the palace and eliminate them after she was poisoned. Yet she did not die and remained tight-lipped about everything. Everyone in the palace only knew that she had always been frail. At first, even he had nearly been deceived by her. Gradually he realized she was merely a pawn sent by an old fox; for some reason, Sima Rui initially held some hope that she was unrelated to this matter. If she truly had been poisoned this time and he could cure her, it would indicate that she was not aligned with them. But her poison had been resolved; he wasted his trust on her!
This letter had already explained everything! She had been deceiving him from start to finish!
During this month of recuperation, I focused on my comic creation, working tirelessly day and night without rest or food, feeling as though time moved too slowly. In truth, there was no rush; I just wanted to avoid thinking too much while busy!
Chen Anyuan—I arranged for Gao Lu to give him a position as an imperial physician dedicated solely to me. During his time in the palace, he began working on detoxifying my residual poisons and thoroughly healing my old ailments to prevent any unnecessary harm while concealing his own medical skills to avoid suspicion.
I told him, "In Jun Jin, you can do whatever you like; save all living beings—that is your compensation." Those medical institutions had begun preparations years ago; now they served as gifts for him joining our big family in Jun Jin. After all, having left Xie Manor, he had nowhere else to go. I took in these homeless individuals who were just like me; from now on, Jun Jin would be their home.
This month I stayed behind closed doors and repeatedly declined invitations from the Emperor to visit his chambers. I knew he would be angry and suspicious; however, I did not want to face someone who had exploited me without leaving any remnants behind—even risking my life.
At night, just as I was about to take a bath and get a good night's sleep, suddenly a figure flashed out from behind the screen and appeared before me.
I was startled for a moment, but quickly regained my composure. This Gao Lu always did things like this. I lightly patted my chest and said, "What are you doing? Don't you know that scaring someone can kill them?"
Gao Lu's expression remained unchanged as he respectfully replied, "Young Master." He then handed me a sealed letter.
I took it and glanced at it casually before saying, "You can leave now. I need to take a bath."
"Young Master," I turned to look at him in response. It was rare to see a hint of hesitation on his face, but after a moment of determination, he said, "Young Master cannot continue like this."
I looked at him, signaling him to continue.
"You have let down the Master's good intentions," he said coldly.
I snorted softly. If it weren't for the fact that he had to listen to me because of our old ties, he probably wouldn't be so respectful.
"Does Young Master really think that the Master designed to send you into the palace just to use you?"
I gave him a look that questioned whether it wasn't so.
"The Master sent Young Master into the palace so that you could take revenge yourself."
"Revenge?!" I finally snapped out of my daze. "What revenge?" I asked him.
He continued, "The Master originally didn't want me to say anything, but Old Servant couldn't bear to see Young Master neglecting himself like this. Doesn't Young Master ever doubt the strange circumstances surrounding your mother's death? Although you were young back then, you should still have some memories."
I stared at him in confusion—my mother?! Xie Weiying's mother. How could I possibly remember? The young Xie Weiying had already died long before I attached myself to her body.
"The Master couldn't bear to send the Young Master into the palace," he sighed. "At first, the Master wanted to send the Second Miss into the palace, but considering that she was completely infatuated with Su Xunnan and had even lost her virtue, along with the fact that she is the child of Madam, he naturally wouldn't harm her mother. There’s an old story behind this. Back then, the Master fell in love with Ruan Ruan and vowed to love her for life, refusing to take any concubines for her sake. However, after the Young Master was born, Madam conspired with the Master's sister, Consort Xie, to assassinate Ruan Ruan. Although the Master knew the truth at that time, he had no choice but to pretend he didn't know anything because the economic support of the Xie Family relied entirely on Madam's family. Consort Xie was also favored and living in luxury, so the Master could only hide for over a decade, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. He has always neglected the Young Master, actually just to protect him from harm. Yet unexpectedly, the Young Master still almost fell victim. After that, the Master began to think about letting the Young Master grow up and take revenge himself. In fact, the true purpose of sending the Young Master into the palace was not to assist Xie De Fei in ascending to a higher position but to replace her and take that position."
I was stunned. Me? Ascend to a higher position! It sounded like a mirage—
Wait a minute, I voiced my confusion: "Xie De Fei is my father's sister; why would she help Madam kill my mother?" Forgive me for discussing this with an air of detachment; after all, I wasn't Xie Weiying and had no special feelings for that unseen mother. So it turned out that the Head of the Family's purpose in sending me into the palace was to avenge his beloved woman. I had been wondering why Xie De Fei would poison me; it was because she feared I was sent by the Head of the Family for revenge! I had thought it was an order from the Emperor—
"Well, this is something that Young Master doesn't need to know." He seemed unwilling to discuss this topic further. "Now that Young Master knows the truth, please be sure to compete for favor and replace Xie De Fei. As long as Xie De Fei falls, Madam will no longer be a threat. The Master has already arranged everything."
I scoffed; he could have moved against Xie De Fei long ago but instead wanted me to replace her. He must still be more concerned about not having a backing in the palace. So he had hidden for so many years, knowing full well that it was Xie De Fei who killed his beloved woman yet still endured because he had no choice but to rely on Xie De Fei's influence in the harem to maintain balance among the Four Great Families in court.
In the end, what men value most is still power.
"I understand now; you may leave."
"Everything depends on Young Master," he said as he looked at me deeply.
Since I resided in this body, I also had the right to finish what she should have done.
Xie De Fei? Hmph, I sneered.
Comment 0 Comment Count