No pop-up ads, so refreshing! Thanks for your support! Sounds good to me ^_^... Chapter 113

  My fingers, gliding over the smooth silk, flipping purple and shaking red, one stitch at a time, are all the unattainable honors of the world, yet they ultimately become desolate and beautiful.

  Suddenly, that bright red cheongsam dress burst into my line of sight, with golden phoenixes embroidered on the hem, flapping their wings as if about to take flight.

  At a glance, it can be seen that the material of this red dress is far different from the other dresses in the sandalwood box.

  After all, this piece of red satin was the best fabric that could be found in Ye City.

  I recall that day, I was wearing this red dress, outside the city gate of Ye City, personally seeing him off with a cup of wine. His long and powerful fingers grasped my hand, and he said two words to me: Wait for me.

  I recall that day, the cold wind was biting, snowflakes danced in the sky, and I wore this same red dress. Standing under the vast gray sky of the north, I saw him on horseback with his white armor and feathered helmet, his demeanor stunning the world.

  The blood on my neck dripped drop by drop onto the snowy ground, and his hand holding "Zhuan Po" pointed directly at Dong Di.

  That bygone era, as if separated from this world, can never return again.

  "Your Highness?" The painter's opinion made me stare blankly at the red skirt in my hand, and I couldn't help but call out to him with some caution.

  I came back to myself and smiled: "This one will do."

  All past things are like yesterday's dead, whether it is Ning Yufei or Murong Qing, they should have a clear end.

  Xun Yun and Hua Yi were extremely efficient in their work and soon had me dressed and ready.

  I gaze at myself in the copper mirror, wearing a long red peony satin skirt that trails on the ground, with lightly wrapped silk gauze and golden threads on my arms, white jade pendants hanging from my waist, swaying with each step, double buns adorned with a hairpin shaped like a phoenix, no plum blossoms, but instead nine phoenixes inlaid with gold, slanting across the hairpin.

  Xun Yun held the "Surging Waves Ancient Zither", silently following behind me. Perhaps it was from when I put on this magnificent attire, or perhaps it was from when I let her wear the "Surging Waves" zither, unlike the expected joy and astonishment in the painting, she had never spoken a word, with hesitation and uncertainty in her eyes, as if she might speak up to stop me from entering the palace at any moment.

  However, she ultimately didn't say anything and just silently followed behind me, perhaps because in her heart, illusions and hopes still existed.

  All the way to the Zi Jing Palace, entering from the Cheng Tian Zheng Gate, only then did I learn that the crown prince's coronation ceremony had already ended. At this moment, except for the emperor who had returned to the Ding Qian Palace due to poor health, Nan Cheng Yao and all the civil and military officials were attending a banquet in the Qing He Hall.

  The eunuchs and palace maids saw me, although their faces were different, they still respectfully led me in the direction of the Qinghe Hall.

  The Clear and Peaceful Palace was just ahead, but suddenly a slender figure appeared around the corner in front. It was Consort Qing, dressed in bright yellow imperial attire, walking away from the direction of the Clear and Peaceful Palace.

  Her face was tinged with a subtle smile and regret. Originally, she should have been by the emperor's side as he was ill, but she didn't want to miss the most important moment in her loved one's life, so she found some excuse to stay behind. However, she couldn't linger for long.

  She saw me, first slightly stunned, a sharp hatred flashed quickly in her eyes, but soon hid under the gentle smile.

  She walked towards me with a gentle pace, slightly curving the corners of her lips as she spoke: "Isn't it said that the Third Princess, oh no, now I should be calling you Crown Princess, the Crown Princess's new niece, who has been bedridden with illness, yet still managed to struggle out of bed to attend the Crown Prince's coronation banquet. Truly, you know how to prioritize."

  I smiled back at her: "Your Highness is overpraising me, I've never thought about understanding the bigger picture, anyway no matter what happens, there's always Your Highness to take care of it for me, as long as I do what I want to do, that's enough, just like today, I came because I wanted to come."

  Laughing in front of someone who is trying to hurt you is infinitely more useful than crying.

  As expected, Queen Qing's expression changed, but her lips still carried a smile as she instructed the palace maid behind her and Xun Yun behind me: "You all go down first, I have not seen the Crown Prince's Consort for a long time, we need to talk about some personal matters."

  Since she said so, Xun Yun and the palace maids could only stand far away.

  The Empress Dowager smiled on the surface, but her soft and gentle voice was laced with an unspoken ferocity: "The Crown Princess is indeed formidable. Even someone in the heavenly prison can be rescued, don't tell me you don't know who the new husband of Princess Qi Yue Tian Lian is."

  "How could it be? I certainly knew, for this, I even thanked you many times, Your Highness." I returned her a bright smile: "Since the princess knows, but endures in silence and doesn't speak out, probably also thought that relying only on me, a weak woman, there's no way to rescue him."

  "You!" The expression on Empress Qing's face suddenly changed.

  And I've also lost interest in being polite, so I spoke directly: "Whether you're trying to threaten me or force me into something, it's all useless. The crown prince's life and death are probably a hundred times more important to you than they are to me. And as for me, since I don't even care about my own life, how could I possibly care about his?"

  I am unwilling to reason with her again, and indifferently passed by the shocked and hateful Qingfei, walking straight towards the main gate of the Clear Harmony Palace.

  Xunyun panted as she ran up to me, staring fixedly at my eyes: "What exactly does the princess want to do?"

  However, it was too late, and the eunuch's voice echoed loudly: "The Crown Prince's consort has arrived—"

  I smiled faintly and reached out to take the "Surging Waves" from Xun Yun's hand.

  She hesitated at first, and I didn't force it, so we were stuck for a while. After all, the setting wasn't right, she could only let go, almost begging me with her eyes as she said in a low voice: "Your Highness, Qiu Yun asks you not to hurt His Highness again..."

  "How could I? I just wanted to play a tune for him." With a faint smile, I held "Surging Waves" and slowly walked into the Clear Harmony Palace.

  I didn't look at everyone's expression, but just smiled: "Willingly compose a song to congratulate the crown prince on his great joy."

  His Majesty is not present, Nan Chengyao sits on the main seat, looking at me deeply.

  Perhaps it was because of my unexpected arrival, or perhaps it was because of my attire, his dark eyes were unfathomable, with a hint of expectation, yet more so, was the self-restrained fear.

  He hesitated as if he wanted to get up, but I didn't give him the time. I walked straight over, sat down with my zither, and then that piece "Surprise Goose", flowed out from my fingertips.

  It seems like a very long time ago, also here, this "surging waves", also this tune "startled swan".

  I don't want to think about anything, I just immerse myself in all my emotions, with the tip of my finger gathering all my heart's strength, drawing out one after another watery musical notes.

  When the last vibration solidified, the room was silent, and I didn't wait for their reaction, I condensed my energy and rose above the zither, flipping my sleeves and folding my waist, rapidly spinning and transforming into "Zhaoying", a stunningly beautiful figure.

  "One dance shines with the shadow, radiant as a divine archer shooting at the nine suns, delicate as a dragon flying and dancing, coming like thunder gathering anger, stopping like the Yangtze River and the ocean condensing light, floating and turning like light snow swirling, gentle and sending off like a roaming dragon startling geese..."

  I almost danced this "Zhaoying" with all my passion, every move was like in a dream, turning and spinning.

  "...When her skirt sweeps sideways, it's like the morning clouds about to give birth; when her sleeves flutter down, it's like a lotus leaf gently swaying. All who behold her are enchanted and forget to awaken, heaven and earth long being subdued by her..."

  I remembered the sentence on the painting album, actually since that day I saw it, privately, I also practiced alone, after all this dance is so beautiful, so beautiful that it's almost illusory, just like Ning Yuqing's identity, so unreal.

  I just didn't expect that the first time I would dance this whole piece through, would be in such a situation.

  In the silent and deserted hall, I slowly raised my face.

  This one move exhausted almost all of my mental energy, I forced myself to steady my body, and with a faint smile, I walked towards Nan Chengyue on the main seat with lotus steps.

  His eyes, dark as night, had a layer of remoteness and daze in the depths, he stared at me fixedly, motionless.

  The curve of my lips deepened, and I quickened my pace slightly. Just as I was about to speak, a sudden dizziness struck me, and I felt a blackness before my eyes. My body had no strength to support itself, and I fell softly to the ground.

  However, the expected pain did not come. I opened my eyes to meet his gaze, which was filled with hidden tension and worry. I smiled slightly and let myself lean into his warm and firm embrace.

  "Brother Yao."

  I heard my own voice, so soft, so gentle, as if afraid of shattering a distant and unreal dream.

  I felt him trembling uncontrollably as he held my arm, with a complex mix of shock, repression, infatuation, sorrow, tenderness, and fear swirling in the depths of his dark eyes.

  In this dark and complex emotional state, I seem to have no way of finding surprise. When everything settles, only a heart-wrenching deep pain and despair are left, filling the entire world.

  Wanting to speak, words churned in his throat, but were shattered by a fit of uncontrollable coughing, and his consciousness gradually became blurred.

  "Cough...cough...cough..."

  It was so painful that I could hardly breathe, and my internal organs seemed to be coughed up. However, I still desperately tried to maintain my consciousness, struggling to say the fragmented words completely.

  "Don't say anymore! Imperial physician, quickly summon the imperial physician, hurry and invite Chun Yu Yi!"

  I looked at the unbearable shock and fear on his face, as well as in his eyes, he held my arm so tightly that it was trembling.

  "I..."

  Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaned in and kissed me fiercely on the lips, with such intensity, such desperation, such despair.

  Kissing someone's lips, can it block her unspoken determination?

  Holding it tightly in his arms, he threw away the cracks, treating it as a small piece of celadon tile, not wanting to bother with anything else. Is that right? Can this avoid the jade from shattering?

  I was completely unable to push him away, and could only weakly let him kiss me, until the sweet and bitter smell in my throat couldn't be suppressed anymore, and finally stained each other.

  He was like a sudden awakening, releasing me, staring at my bright lip color, and the world was left with only silence and despair, cold as ice.

  The resplendent Seiryoden Hall was as if it had extinguished all its lights in an instant.

  He seemed to be carrying a fearful intention, his slow-moving hand stretched out, wanting to wipe away the warm redness on my lips. His fingers were trembling, almost convulsing.

  I took a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled again, and exhaled once more, steadying my breathing. I involuntarily curled up the corners of my lips, which wasn't like me at all. Yet, in that final moment, the words that came out were beyond even my own control——

  "I... will never... forgive you... until I die..."

  A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye and wet someone's clothes. (Still remembering the shocking swan's reflection in the mirror (harem).../7/7517/)

  Still remember the shocking swan's reflection (harem)