Chapter 24
Zhao Heng felt so uncomfortable that her ten toes curled tightly, and she moved her foot back like a zombie about to enter the door, then turned around.
"The door," Li Wenjian's voice came again.
Zhao Heng could only turn her head to the side, reaching out her arm to hook the door handle.
She held her breath, her heart racing, feeling like she was about to faint from the heat.
After a while, Li Wenjian walked out in a neat attire.
Although his clothes were tidy, the scene just now left an impression in Zhao Heng's mind... She lowered her head deeply, her dark eyes staring at the tip of her shoes, with the corner of her eye glancing outside the corridor.
"Fei Yu said you were in a meeting, so he asked me to wait for you in the East Pavilion. I didn't mean to peek at you..." Zhao Heng felt that this moment was even harder to bear than before, hoping he would quickly ask her why she had come so she could relieve this awkward situation.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince never disappointed her. He immediately asked, "What brings you here?"
"I came to ask if Your Highness could have someone prepare some paper money for me. Tomorrow is my grandmother's death anniversary."
Li Wenjian nodded, "I will have Jing Lin send it to you."
Zhao Heng thanked him with a slight bend of her knees and then turned to leave.
Dressed in plain green clothes, she walked in the spring breeze, her slender figure resembling a light petal. Her steps were like petals swirling in the wind, hurried and disordered.
Li Wenjian coldly called out, "Fei Yu."
The young man appeared quickly upon hearing the call, asking, "What orders do you have, Your Highness?"
Li Wenjian gave him a chilly glance, making Fei Yu feel a chill down his spine, beginning to ponder where he had gone wrong.
"Go and take ten canes," the Crown Prince said sternly.
Li Wenjian had a habit of giving orders without explanation, and Fei Yu scratched his head as he left, unable to figure out what mistake he had made.
He began to miss Mu Gui, at least he could remind himself what he had done wrong.
*
The next morning, Jing Lin brought the paper money and candles.
The sky was ominously dark and seemed like it was going to rain.
This spring is always shrouded in dark clouds, the air damp with moisture.
As evening approached, the rain finally fell gently and persistently.
Just as night fell, Lin Mama carried a bamboo basket and reminded Lian Zhou, "Don't forget to bring the master's cloak. It's raining outside, and we don't want it to get wet."
Lian Zhou double-checked everything she was carrying to make sure nothing was forgotten before they set off.
"Be careful on the path," Lin Mama softly instructed Zhao Heng and Lian Zhou, "Qingliang Hall is secluded and has been deserted for a long time, so it's not very easy to walk through."
Zhao Heng looked at the towering eaves of Qingliang Hall in the darkness and pulled her cloak closer, covering most of her face, "Let's go to the back."
Lin Mama, who was familiar with Qingliang Hall from Li Wenjian studying there in the past, walked and shared stories with Zhao Heng along the way.
When they reached the courtyard where a tricolor peony tree used to grow outside Li Wenjian's study, Zhao Heng softly said, "I have only seen pink peonies, never tricolor ones."
"They say it was a tribute from Lingnan, not found in the Central Plains." Lin Mama said regretfully, "When the Crown Prince moved to the East Palace, they said that peony tree couldn't be moved, so it's unsure if it's still alive."
Zhao Heng smiled, "Go take a look, if it's still alive, find a way to move it to the Eastern Palace."
She then instructed Lian Zhou, "Accompany Lin Mama."
Lin Mama hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and refused, "The master's matter is more important. We'll come back to see the peony another day."
With a light smile, Zhao Heng said, "I grew up in a village and walking at night is nothing new to me.
Lin Mama rarely goes out, so go ahead. I'll wait for you here after burning the paper."
Lin Mama looked at Zhao Heng's calm and composed demeanor.
They say a gentle voice is the deadliest weapon, and hearing her soothing words softened Lin Mama's heart. She no longer insisted and led Lian Zhou to the second courtyard. Lian Zhou, who had spent less time in the Eastern Palace than Zhao Heng, marveled at everything she saw, asking Lin Mama questions incessantly.
Lin Mama, without any pretense, answered them all. As they spoke, they came across the robust peony tree, its branches stretching out and swaying in the wind, showered by the raindrops.
"Oh my, it's still alive." Lin Mama looked up at the blossoming branches in amazement.
Lian Zhou also found it surprising, "It's been nearly five or six years, neglected and unattended, yet it still thrives."
On the palace road separated by a wall, Li Wenjian and Liang Xingyan were walking slowly.
"I remember, Your Highness used to live in Qingliang Hall," Liang Xingyan remarked as he looked at the slightly dilapidated golden roof inside the wall.
Since moving to the Eastern Palace, Li Wenjian had hardly returned.
He was always busy, with never-ending government affairs. Even in times of heartache and sorrow, he had to make time amidst his busyness, let alone revisiting old places.
On the night he was poisoned, he sensed something was amiss. The person who poisoned him not only knew his whereabouts but also had a malicious intent. If anything had happened to him and Wei Wanyu, it would not only confirm the accusations of insulting the Prince of Yue but also damage the relations between Yue and Dongliu.
Therefore, he sent Wei Wanyu away first, mustered his strength to escape Lihua Terrace, and returned to the once-familiar Qingliang Hall.
Walking in the night, Li Wenjian looked up at the palace lanterns through the raindrops.
He couldn't quite explain why he chose to return to the Eastern Palace through this secluded path, as most of the time, he preferred a more convenient route used by the palace servants.
As he was about to respond to Liang Xingyan, he suddenly heard a familiar scream from inside the wall.
Liang Xingyan frowned, "What is that sound?"
Turning around, he saw the person next to him swiftly striding towards the direction of the palace gate. Somewhat surprised, he immediately commanded the guards with lanterns to follow.
"This place has been deserted for years, there shouldn't be anyone here."
"It sounds like someone crying."
The guard whispered.
When Li Wenjian arrived, he saw a small figure sitting on the ground in the courtyard, quietly weeping.
"Zhao Heng?" He tentatively called out.
The guards arrived shortly after, illuminating the courtyard with their lanterns.
Zhao Heng looked up at Li Wenjian, tears glistening on her face, eyes filled with tears, and a gaze as delicate as a peony after the rain, fragile and unbreakable.
Her gaze seemed scattered for a moment, as if she hadn't expected him to be there, before weakly calling out to him, "Your Highness."
She rarely displayed such vulnerability, causing a sudden pang in Li Wenjian's chest.
He stepped forward quickly, supporting her, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Heng buried her head in Li Wenjian's chest, gripping his clothes tightly, her voice trembling with sobs. Li Wenjian hesitated for a moment before reaching out to embrace her, patting her gently on her slightly trembling back, his voice hoarse, "Take your time, what happened?"
"I was burning paper here for my grandmother when suddenly a white figure flashed by." Zhao Heng cried softly, her voice filled with trembling, but each word was pronounced clearly, "I looked up and saw my grandmother..."
"I wanted to chase after her, but the ground was slippery, and I slipped, and then her shadow disappeared."
"My lord." Lin Mama rushed back upon hearing the urgent cry, seeing Zhao Heng sitting on the ground, feeling guilty, "I shouldn't have left you alone. Are you hurt?"
Zhao Heng slowly turned her head, tears filling her eyes as she looked at Lin Mama, forcing back her emotions, "I'm fine."
"You're bleeding!" Lin Mama, holding a lantern, inspected Zhao Heng's ankle and saw a cut with blood trickling down her snowy feet, staining her green skirt like blooming red plum blossoms.
She instinctively pulled back her foot, murmuring softly, "I accidentally scraped it on some gravel when I fell. It's nothing serious."
Li Wenjian held her ankle gently, examining her wound. Lianzhou pulled out a silk cloth and crouched down, her voice trembling, "Let's bandage it to stop the bleeding."
However, Li Wenjian took the silk cloth and carefully wrapped it around Zhao Heng's ankle, covering the wound with meticulous care. As he worked, Zhao Heng couldn't help but let out a sharp intake of breath, her eyelashes fluttering lightly.
It hurt.
After a simple bandaging, Li Wenjian bent down, lifted Zhao Heng and carried her out of Qingliang Hall. Zhao Heng suddenly felt weightless, clinging to his neck in a panic, her eyes lowered, unable to meet Li Wenjian's gaze just inches away.
Back in Changqiu Hall, Lian Zhou, holding back tears, prepared a hot bath for Zhao Heng and applied medicine to her wound.
"You got caught in the rain today, I'll bring you a bowl of hot ginger tea later to drive away the cold." Lian Zhou's eyes were red as she massaged Zhao Heng's back and spoke softly.
Bing Tou came in with the clothes Zhao Heng would wear later and heard Zhao Heng's trembling voice as she said, "I really saw her. She was standing under the eaves smiling at me, but when I went to chase her, she disappeared. Lian Zhou, could it be that she couldn't bear to part with me, so her spirit followed me into the palace?"
Lian Zhou choked back her tears, trying to control herself as she said, "Don't overthink it. After a bath and a good night's sleep, you'll feel better."
"Bing Tou, did you check if the ginger tea is ready?" Lianzhou asked.
There was no response for a moment, and she turned to see Bing Tou standing by the shelf where the basin was placed, lost in thought.
"Bing Tou!" she raised her voice suddenly.
"Erm, yes, yes." Bing Tou snapped out of her reverie and hurriedly left the bathing area.
Lian Zhou muttered, "What's wrong with Bing Tou? She's been distracted these days."
Zhao Heng remained silent, lying back against the wall of the tub, gently closing her eyes.
After the bath, Lian Zhou carefully applied medicine to Zhao Heng's ankle before helping her back to her room.
As she pushed the door open, she saw Li Wenjian standing with his back to her at the desk.
Zhao Heng, usually composed, felt a lump in her throat as she looked at his broad back, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She walked over, her voice soft, "Your Highness."
Li Wenjian turned around, took a seat, and smiled at Zhao Heng, asking, "Is the wound treated well?"
Unable to meet his gaze, Zhao Heng lowered her eyes and nodded faintly.
"Sit."
She slowly sat on the soft couch, feeling a bit anxious for some reason.
Li Wenjian raised an eyebrow, glanced at her, then picked up a cup from the table, taking a sip of tea as he asked, "Did it hurt when you injured yourself?"
Startled, Zhao Heng stood up, trying to maintain her composure, her hands tightly clasped in her sleeves. Furrowing her brows, she softly retorted, "Your Highness, what are you talking about?"
Li Wenjian chuckled, set the empty cup aside, and smashed it, picking up a shard and gesturing on his hand, "You fell from behind, yet your wound is so clean. Why is that?"
A jolt ran through Zhao Heng's heart, her spine tingling. Clutching her sleeve, she lowered her head.
She hadn't expected Li Wenjian to be so observant, noticing even these small details.
How would she handle this?
Li Wenjian looked at Zhao Heng. Standing before him in her nightclothes, she appeared unsure, her hands hanging at the sides of her pants, fingers slender and white as if bathed in a soft light, softly pinching the folds of her pants.
The memory of those hands wrapping around his neck, fingertips grazing over his neck, the tingling sensation faintly recounted.