Palace maid Shuoning

(One)

A cold wind, carrying shards of snow, swept across the desolate hills of the eastern suburbs.

With his last remaining strength, Jiang Shuoning made his way to the thatched hut.

She pushed open the door, and the wind and snow rushed in. After she went inside, she closed the door behind her, shutting out the howling wind from outside.

She placed the bundle in her arms on the bed; her ten fingers were already frozen, bluish-purple, and stiff, her blood vessels almost stagnant.

He rubbed his palms repeatedly until his fingertips slowly regained some sensation, then moved to the charcoal stove in the corner of the room.

Then, she knelt down, patiently lit the fire, and added dry charcoal little by little.

The faint flames slowly flickered, gently dispelling the chill that lingered in the room.

Once the fire in the stove was burning steadily, Jiang Shuoning propped himself up and returned to the bedside.

The plain-colored dress she was wearing was already soaked with blood seeping from her wounds. The dried bloodstains had hardened and clumped together, and the damp, cold fabric clung tightly to her skin.

Every movement caused throbbing pain in the wound, making him look utterly pathetic.

Her eyes were lowered, her expression calm, without a trace of sorrow.

Slowly removing the blood-stained clothes, the wound on his chest was revealed, the flesh torn and the scar gruesome.

The purplish-blue bruises on his cheeks had not yet faded, and the cracks on his lips were still oozing faint red blood droplets intermittently.

From head to toe, there wasn't a single spot that was completely undamaged.

She reached out and untied the bundle, taking out the small white porcelain bottle containing the medicine.

Her fingertips trembled slightly uncontrollably as she tilted the bottle, the hemostatic powder falling into her palm.

Without hesitation, she pressed the powder directly onto the open wound.

The next instant, a searing pain, as if tearing flesh apart, exploded and spread along the meridians to every part of the body.

Coupled with the exhaustion and anxiety left in her body after the drug addiction subsided, the two waves of suffering swept over her at once with such force that they almost knocked her to the ground.

Jiang Shuoning could no longer hold back, and a suppressed groan escaped from his throat.

His shoulders trembled violently, his back stretched into a straight, stiff arc, and his fingernails dug deeply into the bed.

The pain was real.

The pain of tearing flesh, the agonizing pain in the heart, and the lingering emptiness and anxiety of drug addiction lurking in the blood.

Layer upon layer of suffering piled up, crushing her frail body as if it would crush her at any moment.

After a long while, the sharp pain subsided slightly.

She bit her cracked and bleeding lips, took the prepared coarse cotton cloth, and carefully and steadily wrapped it around her chest, bandaging the wound properly.

After doing all this, all the strength she had accumulated was drained away. She could no longer hold on, her body swayed, and she collapsed onto the bed.

The only thing in the room was a charcoal stove, with a single ember flickering. The room was cold and desolate, and the room was covered in sores.

Once the tightness and pain in my chest subsided slightly and my breathing became more stable.

Jiang Shuoning forced herself to put her clothes back on. She leaned against the wall and staggered out of the bedroom, heading towards the kitchen on the side.

The kitchen was cold, with empty stoves and pots, and the air was thick with chill.

She lifted the heavy lid of the rice jar, and fortunately, a small amount of old rice remained at the bottom.

On the earthen platform in the corner, there were a few withered radishes and cabbages.

She silently rolled up her sleeves and rekindled the fire. The flames flickered, spreading a faint warmth.

In two hours, a new wave of excruciating addiction will strike.

She had to eat her fill and conserve her strength to grit her teeth and endure the next torment that felt like madness.

Half an hour slowly passed.

Jiang Shuoning sat at the bamboo table, head bowed, eating. Her stomach had been empty for a long time, so she ate quickly, finishing three bowls of rice and the two plates of light vegetarian dishes on the table.

She lifted the corner of her sleeve, wiped away the rice grains remaining on the corner of her lips, picked up the bowls and plates, went to the kitchen, and carefully washed them clean.

As dusk gradually fell, the distant rolling hills slowly sank into the dim darkness.

She walked back to her bedroom, turned around and locked the heavy door bolt, then struggled to drag a heavy wooden chair over and braced it against the door before raising her hand to blow out the oil lamp.

She took off her shoes and socks, curled up in the thin quilt, and wrapped herself tightly in it.

The room was completely dark and silent.

She stared at the wooden beam with her eyes wide open, quietly awaiting the onset of the agonizing, soul-crushing addiction.

There were only twelve pills in that vermilion medicine bottle.

Every one you eat reduces the number of available ones.

She could no longer take the medicine so easily. This time, she was determined to tough it out.

Once she gets through this ordeal, she will go find Ye Wan and settle all scores.

(two)

On the other hand, Huo Xiao's three-day period of self-reflection had finally come to an end.

For the past three days, he has been confined to the Huo residence. His parents have been taking turns summoning him to their side to admonish him, nagging and criticizing him relentlessly, making his head throb and his mind restless.

Huo Shanshan has always been mischievous, and these past few days she has been wandering around outside, her whereabouts elusive and nowhere to be seen.

The two elders, having nowhere else to vent their anger, unleashed it all on Huo Xiao alone.

Unwilling to remain in the mansion to receive further instruction, he used the excuse of having official business to quickly walk out of the Huo mansion gate.

Zhan Qing followed beside him, walking down the bluestone steps in front of the door, and reported in a low voice:

"My lord, the prince has been going to the East Palace and the Xie residence every day for the past few days to argue and entangle, and he seems to be insane."

The Prince's manpower and our own have searched everywhere, but so far we haven't found a trace of the concubine.

Huo Xiao abruptly stopped, standing rooted to the spot. He looked up at the deep night sky, his brow furrowed, and muttered to himself:

"Did Ye Wan move her to another place to hide her, or did she find an opportunity to escape on her own?"

If she intends to avoid everyone, where can she find refuge?

Zhan Qing turned her head to look at Huo Xiao, whose expression was somber, then pondered deeply before speaking softly:

"To put it optimistically, perhaps Consort Wan only punished her and then sent her out of the palace."

But the concubine knew the whole city was searching for her. Now that she had escaped, why wouldn't she show herself? Instead, she chose to hide alone and flee to another place.

Upon hearing these words, Huo Xiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood the crux of the matter.

He immediately ordered Zhan Qing beside him in a deep voice, "Prepare the horses! Follow me to that thatched hut in the eastern suburbs at once!"

Meanwhile, outside the Xie residence.

Bao Zhong stepped out of the Xie residence gate, with Xia Kun following closely behind him.

He closed his eyes tightly, forcibly suppressing the anger surging within him, and turned to look at Xia Kun, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm:

"What? I've been holding back for three whole days, planning to find a place to drink and relax, and Guard Xia insists on staying by my side every step of the way?"

Xia Kun smiled faintly and replied calmly:

"Your subordinate dared not stop you, sir. However, for the past three days, the lady has been weeping in her room all day long, and you have not gone to inquire about her at all."

Besides, Miss has gone to the Prince's residence; doesn't Your Excellency intend to bring her back to your residence?

Bao Zhong scoffed, his tone cold and hard:

"The women in the inner quarters are crying and wailing, which is nothing but trouble for themselves. I have no time to comfort or advise them."

My adopted daughter is always stubborn; she insisted on staying in the Prince's mansion, so let her be.

As soon as he finished speaking, Baozhong flicked his sleeve and walked straight ahead.

Xia Kun stood there, watching him leave, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression, as if he were deep in thought.

Bao Zhong walked ahead alone for a while, then glanced back and saw Xia Kun turn around and return to the Xie residence.

His feigned nonchalance vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed tightly.

For the past three nights, he has been unable to sleep, constantly worried about Jiang Shuoning's safety and whereabouts.

He stopped, calmed down, and carefully weighed the pros and cons.

If the Crown Prince used Ye Wan to get rid of Shuo Ning, his purpose was to drive Zhou Zhengyin insane and out of control, thereby eliminating this prince who posed a threat to the throne.

wrong.

The Crown Prince is known for his composure and prudence; he would never take such a risky move.

Zhou Zhengyin is deeply favored by the emperor and has a solid foundation. If he is forced into a desperate situation, he will do anything to fight to the death.

If that's the case, this situation will not benefit the Crown Prince in the slightest.

So, was Ye Wan's act of harming others her own initiative and private action, or was there another motive behind it?

Thinking of this, Bao Zhong suddenly remembered that Huo Xiao's term of office had just ended and he was leaving the mansion today.

He couldn't be sure if Huo Xiao would be waiting for him in the thatched hut.

But he had to get there and try.

Both he and Huo Xiao needed to find Shuoning as soon as possible; they couldn't afford to waste a single moment.

However, it was inconvenient for him to return to the Xie residence to retrieve his horse at this moment. If he went back, he would easily be entangled by Xia Kun and Xiao Die, making it difficult to escape.

So he found a horseman on the street nearby, hired a horse, mounted it, and galloped off toward the city gate.