Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 2

Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 2

The night was deep, and the distant, muffled thuds of the night watchman's clapper echoed as the Prince Kang's residence fell into a deep slumber.

The outlines of the eaves and brackets lost their daytime majesty under the cool moonlight, and patrolling soldiers occasionally walked by inside the walls.

In the east wing of the Crown Prince's residence, there was a beechwood couch against the wall, covered with an indigo coarse cloth quilt. Beside the couch was a square loom, with a tall tin lamp on the loom, the flame of which flickered gently.

Today, Granny Chen accompanied the young master to find the step-princess, which was exhausting for her. She couldn't sleep well on the couch.

As the full moon moved past its zenith, a sliver of moonlight slanted in through the crack in the open window. She was covered in sweat and groaned in pain.

thirsty!

So thirsty!

It felt like her throat was stuffed with dried sand, and every time she swallowed, it hurt. She tried to sit up, propping herself up on her elbows... but a strange, unsteady feeling came from her right wrist.

It's neither numbness nor pain.

It's so empty!

Granny Chen opened her sleepy eyes and raised her right hand in the dim light... There was nothing on her wrist...

A smooth cross-section wrapped in cloth, the white cloth soaked with blood, and sticky liquid seeping from the edges.

Granny Chen's mind went blank. She raised her left hand in a daze, revealing a bare, blood-soaked cloth.

She finally realized what was happening, opened her mouth to scream, but a metallic taste rose in her throat, and she managed to squeeze out a hoarse gasp.

He tried to shout again, his neck veins bulging, but he couldn't utter a single sound.

how so?

Granny Chen tried to lift the blanket, and her two bare arms waved comically in the air.

She tried to brace herself against the edge of the bed with her elbows, but her body felt limp as if she had no bones, and she fell back down as soon as she lifted her upper body.

The mattress was soaked; it was impossible to tell whether it was blood or incontinent urine.

We can't give up now!

Granny Chen tried again, and finally her feet touched the cold ground. She stood up and swayed.

She stumbled toward the door, her severed wrist swinging helplessly at her side. She tried to push against it with her shoulder, but the door wouldn't budge. She tried to ram it with her body, but it still wouldn't move.

It's locked from the outside!

Granny Chen used all her strength to bang on the door, each time harder than the last.

The door panel made a dull "thump-thump" sound, like a drum being struck under a quilt.

She slid to the ground, silently calling for help, over and over again, but even she couldn't hear herself clearly.

We can't let the blood keep flowing like this!

She will die!

She got up again, stumbled towards the stool, kicked it over with a bang, and held her breath to listen to the sounds outside.

Why is no one here?

What about the soldiers on night patrol?

Granny Chen cried in desperation, and with all her might, she lunged at the door again, frantically pounding and rubbing her severed wrist against the door, leaving behind messy bloodstains.

She lost her balance and slid to her side, lying on her side by the door, her face pressed against the cold door panel.

From this angle, she could see a sliver of light coming through the crack in the door.

The lanterns under the eaves were still lit, but no one noticed the noise coming from the side room.

Granny Chen stared wide-eyed at the beam of light, blood flowing from her wounds, soaking her sleeves and slowly spreading across the floor tiles, life leaving her body with each drop of blood.

The field of vision began to darken... the light became increasingly blurry...

At 3:45 AM, the sky was still dark and gloomy, with a slight bluish tinge of crab shell showing through the clouds in the east.

The maid, Chun Tao, moved with light and quick steps, walking along the familiar corridor to the door of Granny Chen's room.

According to custom, the nanny should be called to help prepare for the young master's morning activities.

The door was tightly shut, and there were no lights inside; the silence was somewhat eerie.

Granny Chen was always alert; there should have been some commotion inside the house by now.

"Granny Chen?"

Chun Tao called softly in a low voice, but there was no answer from inside the door.

"Granny Chen, the time has come."

She raised her voice slightly and pushed the door, but felt something blocking it from behind, so she could only push it open a crack.

A sweet, fishy, ​​and sticky smell wafted out from the crack, and Chun Tao's heart sank.

"Granny Chen...open the door!"

She looked flustered, her voice trembling as she whispered, pushing the door open with her shoulder.

Dim light shone through the crack in the door, outlining a human figure curled up inside the threshold.

Granny Chen lay on her side on the ground, surrounded by blood, her eyes wide open, her expression twisted, staring at Chun Tao outside the door in pain and despair…

"ah!!!"

Chun Tao's scream shattered the dawn silence of the Kang Prince's Mansion. She staggered backward and ran out without caring about the pain.

Driven by instinct, she ran wildly toward the light and people, stumbling along the corridor and nearly bumping into someone.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, Granny Chen, she..."

Chun Tao opened and closed her mouth for a long time, but when she saw that the young master was only knee-high, she swallowed the rest of her sentence and looked helplessly at the head maid, Feng Cha.

"What is it?" Zhao Yuankai asked with a stern face. "Speak!"

He was awakened early in the morning by a woman's scream, which frightened him so much that he wet the bed. He was determined to severely punish the culprit.

Looking at the young prince's childish face, Chun Tao couldn't bring herself to speak, and pointed a trembling finger at the side room.

"Your Highness, please allow this old servant to go and take a look!"

Feng Cha bent down and leaned close to Zhao Yuankai's ear, whispering his request. After Zhao Yuankai nodded, Feng Cha quickly walked towards the side room.

At the same time, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard, and the soldiers on night patrol rushed over to check the situation.

They were clad in armor, their swords drawn half an inch from their sheaths, reflecting a cold, gleaming light under the lanterns.

The captain, a dark-skinned and robust man with sharp, eagle-like eyes, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the prince was unharmed and greeted him respectfully.

His gaze then swept over Chuntao, who was trembling like a leaf, and he noticed dark red stains on her skirt and shoes. His thick eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"Seal off the courtyard gates! All roads along the route! No unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach!"

With a wave of his hand and a loud voice, he walked a few steps to Chun Tao and looked down at her.

Where did the incident occur?

"In...the side room..."

Chuntao shrank into a ball, her teeth chattering, and broken syllables squeezed out from between her teeth.

The soldiers exuded a chilling aura, forcing Zhao Yuankai to take a small step back. His face grew even uglier, and his gaze darted around, lost in thought.

What brings you here?

A steady voice came from the courtyard gate, and the crowd parted to both sides like a tide, as Zhao Yunkang walked slowly in.

His face betrayed no emotion as he surveyed the entire scene, his gaze settling on the prince. He frowned as he listened to the soldiers' brief report.

"The princess didn't come?"

"They're here!"

A faint, bitter medicinal scent wafted in on the breeze, and Yun Yixia walked in from the outer room, curtsying slightly.

"Your Highness, I heard screams and commotion, so I came to see what was happening!"

Her brows were slightly furrowed, her demeanor impeccable, and her almond-shaped eyes were as calm and still as an ancient well.

"What perfect timing!"

"Your Highness, what has happened?"

"you do not know?"

"Should I know?"

Their eyes met in mid-air. Zhao Yunkang scrutinized Yun Yixia, whose eyes were clear as she looked back at him calmly.

Her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, like butterfly wings skimming across still water, before returning to their previous calm.

"So... what happened?"

Yun Yixia looked around, but no one spoke. She didn't press the matter and waited quietly to the side, like an outsider.

As dawn broke, a wind picked up, causing the lanterns to sway wildly, and the light and shadow flickered on everyone's faces.

"Your Highness!" the soldier reported. "Granny Chen's wrists were both severed, and she died from excessive blood loss. No trace of a second person was found in the side room."

"Your Highness...would you like to come with me to see it?"

Zhao Yunkang met Yun Yixia's surprised gaze, subconsciously pursed his lips, seemingly also feeling that it was inappropriate, and walked towards the side room without waiting for a reply.

His dark cloak drew a deep, solemn arc as he turned, followed closely by his guards, their steps precise and restrained.

The air was filled with the frost formed from the lingering dew of the night, and when inhaled, it felt icy cold.

Yun Yixia stood there, the morning breeze outlining her slender figure, and she quietly watched his departing back.

His figure, wrapped in a wide robe and cloak, was robust and upright, with broad shoulders and a steady stride.

He walked around the pillars, the morning breeze lifting a corner of his cloak before it fell back down, his figure gradually receding into the distance and disappearing from sight.

Yun Yixia withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and her long eyelashes cast two faint shadows on her fair cheeks.

"Did you kill Granny Chen?"

The boy stood a few steps away from Yun Yixia by a pillar, his height barely exceeding the base of the vermilion-lacquered pillar.

Zhao Yuankai tilted his head back, his chubby little face drooping down, his chin round, like a freshly steamed white peach.

A pair of extremely dark and large eyes stared unblinkingly at Yun Yixia.

"no!"

Yun Yixia didn't hesitate for a second, her eyes looking down with arrogance, her back straight, exuding righteousness.

"Do you dare swear on your parents' lives?"

"Oh!"

Yun Yixia met the boy's wary and disgusted gaze and sneered.

"If I am willing to swear an oath, what will you do?"

“Since you are the Princess Consort of Kang, I will respect you as my mother.”

She walked step by step to the boy's side, bent down slightly to get closer to him, their eyes met, neither willing to give way.

"You are the heir apparent of the Prince of Kang."

I believe you are a man of your word!

"Heaven is above, earth is below!"

I, Yun Yixia, hereby swear.

I didn't kill Granny Chen!

If there is even half a lie, may my parents be blind, unable to speak, and deaf, suffering the most excruciating pain imaginable, tossing and turning in their beds, unable to live, unable to die!

Yun Yixia's words were like poisoned ice spikes, striking everyone's ears hard and making them feel uneasy.

"In life, they suffered the torment of maggots gnawing at their bones. After death, they were not allowed to have a complete body. Their souls were forever condemned to the blood pool hell of the underworld, where they were subjected to the punishment of having molten copper poured into their mouths and iron plows used to plough their tongues."

Working day and night!

May they never be reincarnated!

Her voice maintained a gentle and mild tone throughout, carrying a destructive pleasure and decisiveness.

"I swear this oath!"

If I break this oath, may I be forsaken by gods and men, condemned by heaven and earth, and suffer this calamity forever, never to be overthrown!

The vow was uttered, and the courtyard fell into a deathly silence; even the wind stopped.

"Prince Kang, are you satisfied now?"

Yun Yixia straightened up, calm and composed, as if she had no idea how terrifying her words were.

"I'm...satisfied!"

Zhao Yuankai's dark, grape-like eyes flickered and avoided her gaze, his chubby little hands nervously clutching his sleeves.

"When you see your father later, please tell him for me." Yun Yixia smiled slightly. "I'm going back now!"

"By what...yes!"

Zhao Yuankai bowed reluctantly, pouting unhappily, his eyes constantly drifting towards the tall figure in the corridor.

Behind the corridor, the edge of the dark cloak blended into the deep darkness of the corridor. Zhao Yunkang didn't look at his son; his gaze followed that straight back.

The oath was too poisonous... How could she dare to say it?

Yun Yixia loosely pulled her hood back, revealing her perfectly styled black hair bun. A simple jade hairpin was inserted diagonally, its tip shimmering white, trembling slightly among her dark hair with each step she took.

The wide cloak accentuated her narrow shoulders and slender waist as she walked, her steps light and graceful.

The wind seemed to change direction, fluttering the hem of the cloak and revealing a corner of the dark blue skirt underneath.

A few sycamore leaves, wilted by the frost, were lifted by the breeze as Yun Yixia passed by, tumbled twice, and then fell helplessly back to the ground.

"Prince Kang, are you satisfied now?"

Zhao Yunkang walked to Zhao Yuankai's side, glanced at his son with his eyes down, and left without waiting for a reply.

The dark cloak once again drew a heavy arc as she lifted her foot and walked out, her footsteps fading steadily into the distance, leaving behind the unwilling and sullen young prince.