The night had deepened, and in the sleeping quarters of the Third Prince, a lamp was kept lit. With each gust of wind, the candle cast a flickering shadow.
Winding and andering, sotis bright, sotis dim.
By the sickbed, the man as graceful as jade propped himself up against the headboard, clasping a seemingly aged book in his hand.
Long fingers flipped through the pages, distinct lashes cast shadows, and with a light tremble, they bore a trace of pale frailty.
Kneeling beside the bed was a Black-clothed Man.
The Black-clothed Man’s face was obscured as he cupped his fists in his hands
"Master, the person who pushed you into the pond today was sent by the Second Prince."
As these words fell, the person on the bed continued to leaf through his book, without a mont’s pause.
Only after a long while did he finally speak in a gentle and llow tone
"The poisonous insect within the Second elder brother’s body has been docile for so long, it has indeed made the elder brother complacent."
Hearing about the poisonous insect from his master, the Black-clothed Man seed to think of sothing and involuntarily swallowed hard.
He imdiately inquired
"Does the master an..."
"Let him breathe; let him wait in dire straits for Eldest Brother to join him, so that he has company on the way."
The words were spoken with a cool calmness, yet the sa pale and delicate countenance made them chilling to the bone.
But the Black-clothed Man, evidently well accustod to this
"Yes"
The next second he vanished from view, as if no one had ever been there in the entire sleeping chamber.
Xuanyuan Yonghao continued to leisurely browse through his book, with the candlelight casting a profile of pale frailty.
Upon reading sothing amusing, his lips curved slightly in a cold smile, still as beautiful as ever.
In the following five days, Xuanyuan Yonghao remained bedridden with illness.
According to the Imperial Physician, the Third Prince’s constitution was inherently weak.
Having fallen into the water in the raw chill of late autumn, his body invaded by cold, he needed proper rest to recover, or he risked developing a chronic illness.
During these five days, Chunhua Qiushi were the two who diligently attended to the Third Prince’s side.
As a result, aside from wiping tables and chair, and arranging the vases, there was not much else to do.
In her free ti, she had finished reading the dozen or so palace novels about the deep palace’s scheming and power struggles that Xiao Hua had found for her.
Just as she was reading, an urgent knocking suddenly ca from the door.
"Su Yan, are you there?"
It was Chunhua’s voice.
Su Yan stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.
Seeing Chunhua out of breath and anxious, she asked in confusion
"What’s the matter?"
Chunhua wiped the sweat from her forehead
"The Third Prince wants to see you, hurry over."
Su Yan was puzzled
"The Third Prince wants to see ?"
Chunhua was urgent
"Alas, there’s no ti to explain, you must hurry."
As she spoke, she took Su Yan by the hand and hastened their pace.
Upon arriving at the Third Prince’s sleeping quarters, they coincidentally witnessed a palace maid being dragged out in disarray, her clothes dishevelled and body shivering.
Observing the scene, Su Yan, having read many tales of palace intrigue, imdiately thought of the phrase, "seduction failed."
At that ti, Qiu Shi was kneeling at the entrance of the sleeping chamber, her face ashen as if resigned to death.
Chunhua gently pushed Su Yan and handed the bowl of dicinal soup, respectfully held by a Maid standing nearby, to her.
"Hurry in, make sure His Highness takes the dicine."
She instructed carefully, only relaxing once she saw Su Yan nod and step inside.
Crossing into the sleeping chamber, a scent of ambergris wafted through her nostrils.
Unlike the trepidation outside, the atmosphere within was serene and peaceful, as if this sanctuary could never be disturbed by any external strife.
On the bed, Xuanyuan Yonghao leaned against the pillow, garbed in a clean set of white silk robes.
User Comments
0 comments from readers