For the first few days of his confinement, Jiang Jingyue was still able to sit still. He nibbled on pastries and listened to the melodies of the zither coming from next door, leading a relaxed and carefree life. However, when nearly half of his confinement period had passed, the zither music from next door abruptly ceased.
Without the melodies, everything Jiang Jingyue ate seemed tasteless, and he felt an overwhelming discomfort throughout his body. At night, he even began to experience nightmares.
“Ah—!”
With a sharp scream, Jiang Jingyue abruptly sat up in his bed. In the darkness, he took deep breaths, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
“Young Master, what’s the matter, what happened?” As the door swung open, a woman named He Yue, her hair bun slightly disheveled and hastily clad in her robe, appeared in the doorway holding a candlestick.
Seeing the trembling figure on the bed, He Yue quickly stepped inside to light the tabletop candle. She approached the bed, attempting to console him. “It was just a nightmare. Everything is okay.”
Clasping his trembling shoulders and with a pale face, Jiang Jingyue stuttered, “Dead… all… dead… blood… blood everywhere…”
Upon hearing this, He Yue stiffened momentarily. Through choked sobs, he continued, “Mother… even Mother… She told me to run… but I couldn’t… something held me… I couldn’t move…”
“It’s… just a dream… only a dream…”
As she said these words, He Yue herself felt a suffocating sensation. She remembered… she remembered the decree to annihilate the entire family, and it was to be executed tonight…
She wanted to save the queen, but… but she could do nothing. If the emperor found out about her secret activities, the young master would also be killed.
The king and queen, over the years, had risked their lives to protect their young son. To ensure his safety, they raised him in unconventional ways. Their only child, the last hope of the King’s household, could be lost.
“Young Master… it’s okay… it’s okay. Once dawn arrives… everything will be alright.”
When daylight comes, there will be no more nightmares.
In the dimly lit room, the candlelight flickered gently and slowly, its deep red flame standing still, reminiscent of the cruel eyes of a beast lurking in the darkness.
That night, Jiang Jingyue had hardly slept, keeping his eyes open throughout. As dawn approached, he got out of bed. He wanted to plead with his Uncle Emperor to allow him to return home. He didn’t want to stay in the imperial palace; he longed to see his mother.
However, before he could leave his confined quarters, he received a royal decree from the Emperor. Written on that decree was a truth so devastating that it threatened to shatter his world.
His nightmare had come true.
“Sob… I want to go home, I want to go home… Mother… Sob…”
Early in the morning, just as Gu Weizhou opened his door, he heard sobs coming from the neighboring room. Accompanying those sobs was the sharp voice of a young eunuch.
“By the Emperor’s decree, the audacious assassins who attacked the king’s mansion might still be lurking within the imperial city. If the young prince returns to the mansion now, he might face grave danger. To preserve the royal bloodline, the young prince is strictly forbidden to step out of Qinfeng Hall for the time being…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Listening to this self-directed drama from next door, Gu Weizhou sarcastically quirked his lips, thinking of the proverbial saying, ‘discard the bow after the birds are shot, and boil the hound once the hare is caught.
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What a wonderful emperor indeed.
Listening to the heart-wrenching cries of the boy from the next room, coupled with the poignant consoling voice of a woman, Gu Weizhou couldn’t resist and took out his zither.
As his slender fingers plucked the strings, a surge of passionate music flowed out.
His fingers moved rapidly over the strings, creating a swift rhythmic melody. The music was intense and stirring, filled with grandeur. It was as if one could feel the oppressive atmosphere of warfare, with clashing swords and charging cavalry.
Through his tear-blurred vision, Jiang Jingyue seemed to see, amidst the battle cries and invisible blades on the battlefield, a lone man on horseback, holding a spear, descending like a god.
In an army of thousands, armed with just a spear, he dared to charge alone into enemy lines, fearless.
Suddenly, the tune shifted—like a gentle stream, soft and flowing, a melody of continuous beauty. It was as if a gentle smiling woman in palace attire was approaching with laughter.
On the battlefield, the man looked at his beloved woman approaching gracefully. His stern face, filled with the intent to kill, melted into deep affection.
Dismounting, he extended his hand with deep love in his eyes. The woman, with a soft smile, gently took his hand. She lifted her eyes to meet the gaze of the man she had loved all her life.
Under a beautiful sunset, they faced each other, hand in hand, closing their eyes and embracing tenderly.
Clasping his mouth tightly, through tear-filled eyes, Jiang Jingyue looked at the image of the two people etched into his life.
Seeing their embrace, witnessing them hand in hand, he couldn’t hold back his sobs any longer.
“Whimper… Father, Mother… whimper… don’t leave… don’t leave…”
Don’t leave, don’t leave me alone, don’t go, don’t go…
The intense emotions, combined with a sleepless night, made Jiang Jingyue dizzy. His eyes closed, and he collapsed.
“Young Prince!”
Gu Weizhou halted his music, casting a complex glance toward the wall. After a soft sigh, he turned and went back into his room.
In the indistinct twilight, Jiang Jingyue’s consciousness felt scattered. His whole body ached terribly. Both extreme cold and heat intertwined within him as if trying to tear him apart.
“How is the young prince?”
Casting a glance at the man on the bed, drenched in sweat, the imperial physician, also a member of the secret council, retorted, “What do you think, looking at him like this?”
Hearing this, He Yue turned her head and saw a person on the large bed, his face pale and twisted in pain.
In an instant, as if realizing something, her face turned pale and she trembled, saying, “Could it be… that medicine…?”
Hearing her mention such a sensitive topic, Imperial Physician Li Shun quickly glanced around to ensure they were alone. Only after confirming they were unobserved did he slightly relax. Then, with cold eyes, he said, “If you wish to die, don’t drag me down with you.”
He Yue didn’t bother with formalities. She grabbed Li Shun’s hand urgently and said, “It shouldn’t… it shouldn’t have acted so quickly!” The dosage of that medicine was reduced. How could it take effect so swiftly?
Frowning, and noting that they were still alone, Li Shun replied, “You’ve forgotten about the medicine you took from me the last time he fell ill.”
Upon hearing this, He Yue staggered, “That… those medicines also contained…?”
“Of course. The orders from above were to increase the dosage.” He cast a sidelong glance at the person on the bed, “It’s fortunate that the incident in the king’s mansion provides a suitable excuse now.”
With trembling lips and tears dripping from her eyes, He Yue choked, “How could His Majesty… how could he do this? This is the heir of the king, this concerns the entire king’s estate…”
Before she could continue, Li Shun swiftly covered her mouth, admonishing in a low voice, “Silence! Are these words something a mere palace maid like you can say?”
Pushing him away, He Yue cried out, “Li Shun, have you forgotten? Who saved your life back then? It was the King and the Queen! Without them, we would have been thrown into the river long ago. How could we have survived so long, how could…”
At her words, Li Shun’s lips quivered. Still, he suppressed the stirrings of his conscience, coldly saying, “This isn’t something we can choose not to do. It’s the Emperor’s decree.”
With a complex look at the unconscious person on the bed, he said, “If there’s anyone to blame… just blame him for being the legitimate son of King Shun.”
As he turned to leave, it seemed he remembered something. He pulled a vial from his sleeve, “This… will make his passing easier. You administer it.” Placing it on the table, he quickly departed.
Seeing the figure depart, He Yue suddenly collapsed onto the ground, her form distraught leaning against the bed. As she cried, she kept apologizing to Jiang Jingyue, who lay on the bed.
“Young master, I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect you… I’m so sorry…”
Jiang Jingyue, having heard every word of the conversation, felt not only physical pain but an even deeper anguish in his heart.
The Emperor, whom he had always wanted to serve faithfully; He Yue, whom he always believed had his best interests at heart; and the reputedly best physician, Doctor Li from the imperial medical clinic… all of them wanted him dead.
He wanted to speak, to tell her to leave, but he couldn’t utter a word. He wanted to lift his hand, to push her away, but he couldn’t move. What could he do in this state? In this vulnerable state where he was at the mercy of others, what could he possibly do?
Cold tears trickled from Jiang Jingyue’s eyes, dampening the porcelain pillow beneath his head.
Seeing the tears of the person on the bed, He Yue’s own tears intensified. Yet, as she continued crying, she seemed to recall something. Trembling, she drew a beautifully embroidered pouch from her waist — a pouch she had made not long ago.
Staring at the pouch, she alternated between tears and laughter, appearing almost mad.
My Queen, this is all a humble servant like me can do. All I can offer for the young master.
In his semi-conscious state, Jiang Jingyue felt something being shoved into his mouth, causing a burning sensation in his throat.
What was it? Poison, surely.
After drugging him for so long, was she planning to finish him off?
The sound of the door creaking shut echoed, plunging the room into pitch-black silence. Overwhelmed by the burning sensation, and feeling like he was about to vomit, Jiang Jingyue felt that his end was imminent, any second now.
But just when he thought he was about to fade silently into death, a blurred vision of a figure in white appeared before his fading eyes.
Picking up a red pill that had fallen onto the bed, Gu Weizhou held it up to his nose and sniffed, showing a hint of surprise.
How did she manage to get hold of this forbidden drug?
Glancing at the person on the bed, whose fate hung in the balance, and thinking that he hadn’t yet dealt with that Emperor who owed him, Gu Weizhou ultimately took out a pill he had formulated himself.
After dissolving it in a cup of clear water, he propped up the person on the bed, removed the undissolved red pill from the person’s mouth, and fed him the water containing the dissolved medicine.
After ensuring the person had drunk the entire dose, he took out the silver needles he always carried and administered acupuncture. Sensing that it was almost time for him to leave, Gu Weizhou intended to make his exit.
However…
Looking at the hand gripping tightly onto the jade pendant at his waist and refusing to let go, Gu Weizhou felt the urge to chop off that clutching hand.
[To save him, I even had to part with my jade pendant worth ten taels…]
[You give him ten taels today, he’ll repay you with a great favor tomorrow.]
[Number 001, when did you get into pyramid schemes?]
[What’s a pyramid scheme?]
[An organization that specializes in deceiving foolish people.]
Thinking for two seconds, [Are you implying that you’re a fool?]
[…]
Poor ml. Palace intrigue is so painful. Tyfc
Hahaha, fool Weizhou! Heh.
Also, the Jiang couple reuniting in death is a real tearjerker; fortunately I didn’t cry. Crying for Su Miao was only because I was unprepared… As long as I don’t think too much while reading, I won’t emphasize!
Thank you for the chapter!