Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Thirty-nine,
Lychee

“Your Majesty, this aromatic certainly contains a drug easy to induce abortion.”

Once the old imperial doctor finished speaking, He Heng nodded his head, and he took a glance at Empress Liu, then waved his hand at the imperial doctor without any expression, “You’re done here, withdraw.”

Each aromatic used to fumigate the clothes in the palace was distributed by the royal garments division according to one’s position, and since Jiang Ni was pregnant, He Heng even especially instructed the garment division to pay heed, but did not think that it would slip through in the end.

“Your Majesty, they found this in the Han Yuan Palace.” He Heng received it, it was a small bag of aromatics, the smell was the exact same as the one used in Jiang Ni’s clothes.

Empress Liu pursed her lips and stood to one side, and when she heard this, she hurriedly knelt down, but her face was still considered calm. She paused, then said, “Your Majesty, even if this one was more muddled, why would [I] put the aromatic my own palace? Furthermore, since Sister Jiang has entered the palace, this one has always taken care of her very much, Sister Jiang is much younger than this one, this one has always cared for her, why would [I] do such a thing? Please investigate clearly, your Majesty.”

“Rise, Empress.” He Heng did not get angry, he lifted Empress Liu up as usual, and did not question her on that matter regarding the aromatic. Empress Liu secretly let out a breath, and heard He Heng nonchalantly say, “Lan Yi, bring her Majesty back to the palace.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.” Empress Liu hesitated for an instant, she seemed to still want to say something, but He Heng already turned around and no longer looked at her. Empress Liu unbearably froze and went in a daze for a while, and seeing how He Heng still did not listen to her, she then bowed, and went back with the help of Lan Yi.

He Heng stood by the door watching Empress Liu’s deep-blue dress, and after a long while, he slowly took back his gaze like he had aged ten years, then sighed, “Sun De Lu, pass on myzh words.”

❀

“Don’t worry, my Lady, his Majesty will believe it.” Lan Yi massaged Empress Liu’s shoulders, and comforted her. In the past, Empress Liu had also cleaned up a few consorts who had big ambitions after being pregnant with the dragon[1] too. Logically speaking, this kind of tactic in the palace was also tradition in the various generations of the dynasties, by closing one eye, it would pass, but this time, her eyelids constantly jumped very strongly, and also felt uneasy inside. Though He Heng did not say anything, she always felt unsteady, and stood anxiously in the room for a good while, but still said, “Lan Yi, you go call Yang’er into the palace.”

“Yes.” Lan Yi nodded her head, she went out of the bedchambers, and after a while, she came back with eyebrows knitted and reported, “My Lady, this servant is afraid it is no good this time, there are guards all over the entrance, this servant asked, they said it was his Majesty’s decree, to let my Lady rest in the palace.”

Empress Liu’s face went pale, she gripped her palace dress embedded with gold threading, and with a shaking voice, “Are they…… house arresting mebg?”

“Relax, my Lady, though that drug is said to look fierce, it won’t take lives. After two days when Consort Jiang gets much better, his Majesty would calm his anger.”

“This is not about calming anger.” Empress Liu looked at Lan Yi, her luxurious and heavy palace dress had a few pitiful wrinkles from her clutching, she completely unfeelingly looked at the tiles in the palace, and said blankly, “His Majesty probably…… does not believe mebg anymore.”

“My Lady……” Lan Yi froze, Empress Liu continued speaking, “In this half a year, his Majesty has been much more indifferent towards me. Then again, which of the imperial family would be love-struck, Ibg also……”

Empress Liu paused, her eyes went dark, and smiled in ridicule, “However…… want to flip mebg over with just this? This is far from enough. Ibg have running things for many years, Ibg cannot possibly fold under the hands of a lowly dancer.”

❀

“Currently, the one who the duke can rely on is only his Highness the Crown Prince, we can only go in from here.” De Qing spoke until his mouth and tongue went dry, he took up a teacup and drank a mouthful, and dampened his throat.

Xiao Zuo nodded his head, his eyes were all hazy and unclear inside, while his heart was surging with indescribable feelings, making him not dare to look directly in De Qing’s eyes, he only pretended to nonchalantly lower his head.

After a while, he slightly knitted his eyebrows, and lightly said with some hesitation, unknown if he was asking De Qing or he was muttering to himself, “Is…… this really possible?”

“Duke.”

Xiao Zuo seemed like he was scalded by De Qing’s gaze, he took back his gaze, like he had spent a lot of strength to resolve, and said.

“I will go to the crown prince residence tomorrow.” Xiao Zuo paused for a moment, and knitted his eyebrows like he was vexed, “But, a while ago, I had been avoiding and not seeing him for a long while, I’m afraid his Highness would not be willing to see me.”

De Qing finished all the tea in his cup, then refilled another, and shook his head, “The duke is simple lost as the one concerned.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Zuo hung his eyes down, he poured a cup of wine for himself, the fingers stroked the edge of the cup, as though bearing a sliver of hope and luck, and went in a daze, then saw Zi Wan bring in a food box smiling, “Duke, the crown prince residence sent this, hurry and open it to see.”

Xiao Zuo took it in slight surprise, but faced with De Qing’s leisurely expression beside him, he could not say what kind of experience it was for the time being. He lightly opened the lid of the food box, inside was some fresh and tender lychee bearing some beads of water, each and every one was round and full, and all looked excellent.

Lychee was considered a delicacy only the royalty experienced in Jin, but in Nan Liang, there was actually not enough time for it. Nan Liang only had some small provinces in its southernmost region growing lychee, but because the air was not warm or humid enough, compared with Ling Nan’s lychee, the sensation and appearance was not enough to compare. Even as one as noble as a prince, Xiao Zuo only had lychee during the new year to admire, that taste was refreshingly sweet, making people constantly want to savour it.

“It is lychee, it looks very delicious.” Zi Wan swallowed her saliva, and spoke up merrily. Xiao Zuo’s heart was all warm, yet he still had to pretend to put on a cold look, and waved his hand, “Bring it to my room.”

“Aye.” Zi Wan hurriedly answered, Xiao Zuo then also followed her into the room.

Zi Wan placed the lychee inside the food box into a white porcelain bowl, then lifted the food box about to go out, but got called by Xiao Zuo, “Leave the food box here.”

There was only one layer to that food box, the outside was engraved very delicately, Xiao Zuo carefully studied it blankly for a moment, then suddenly saw some round object in the layer of leaves cushioning the bottom. He stood up and took it out, it was a refined small little box, shaped simply and elegantly, letting out a faint fragrance. The top of the box was covered with a paper slip, Xiao Zuo reached out and picked it up.

“The bed is cold and the blankets are frosty, [making me] miss thee so.”

It was He Xuan’s handwriting. Between the precious and beautiful strokes, one could even smell the scent of pine on the good ink. The inside of the box was an unused balm, smooth like jade, and was all rich to the touch.

Xiao Zuo vacantly looked at that balm, the low panting and his own indescribably unbearable feelings that night intermingled in the mind and flashed by, like two wild beasts who crossed horns with each other and were not willing to surrender to one another, directly ripping him apart to the point his head bled out. After a long time, he seemed like he laughed at this absurd thought he budded, and the sliver of deep affection in his face gradually froze over.

Xiao Zuo reached out, his fingers stroked by that line of small words, to him, to him…… Xiao Zuo closed his eyes, bunched the paper slip in his hands, then placed it on the candle pedestal.