frightfiction Chapter 661 Recovery
Chapter 661 Recovery
Lan Qingwu remained motionless within the icy jade coffin, his expression calm and serene. Emperor Shenwu gazed at Lan Qingwu through the icy jade and lost himself in thought. He slowly bent down and gently kissed the icy jade coffin, a few tears dripping onto it. "Weak..."
Afterwards, Concubine Jiang came to Qianzheng Hall to report things to Emperor Shenwu. As the year was coming to an end, because of the passing of Empress Zhaoyi, Emperor Shenwu cancelled all banquet arrangements for this year and only retained the ceremony of ancestor worship. After Concubine Jiang reported one by one, the hall fell into silence, and the silence lasted longer and longer. Concubine Jiang was in a state of anxiety. Ever since the death of Empress Zhaoyi, she had been in guilt and anxiety, especially when facing Emperor Shenwu, whose black hair had turned half white, her heart felt like it was being fried in oil.
Finally, the indifferent voice of Emperor Shenwu rang out: "Noble Consort Jiang, when Empress Zhaoyi was still alive, she once said that she wanted me to promote you to Imperial Noble Consort. What do you think?"
Concubine Jiang broke out in a cold sweat. Her legs gave way and she knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I dare not accept this grace! Jin'er was saved by the Empress' grace, and I will never do anything to harm His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Your Majesty, please advise me! I only pray that Jin'er can be safe and sound. I absolutely do not want him to be caught in this whirlpool!"
Emperor Shenwu looked at Concubine Jiang, and the faint glance from his phoenix eyes made Concubine Jiang feel like needles were pricking her whole body.
After a few moments, Emperor Shenwu finally spoke: "Alright! I understand, please step back!"
When Concubine Jiang walked out of the Qianzheng Hall, she was shocked to find that the lining of her back was soaked with cold sweat. When the cool wind blew, her whole body felt as if it was immersed in ice water.
As the Hundred Days drew closer, the Emperor Shenwu became increasingly restless and silent. He began to sleepless all day and all night, and had to stay by Lan Qingwu's side day and night. Once, the Crown Prince reached the door of the bedroom in the main hall of Qianzheng Palace. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, he immediately stopped, turned around and stood by the door. The Crown Prince tilted his head slightly to look into the bedroom, only to see his father bending over and expressing his feelings to his mother in the ice jade coffin: "Ruo Ruo, can I go and see you off myself? I'm worried, and I don't want to leave you. I don't want you to be alone... Ruo Ruo, I'll tell you a secret. The moment you left me, my eyes lost all color! Now I can only see black and white! I dare not tell anyone else, this is the emperor's weakness. I can only tell you! Do you still remember the day we met a year ago?"
Emperor Shenwu's big hand gently stroked Lan Qingwu through the ice jade, as if she was still looking back at him gently. His expression was trance, as if he was lost in the memories of his youth.
The young Emperor Shenwu was mature and taciturn. Perhaps he could see other colors when he was a child, but since he could remember, he could only see black and white.
After meeting Lan Qingwu, the Emperor Shenwu would relax more and more each time he visited her Little Peach Garden. He found that this girl, a few years his junior, was surprisingly easy to talk to: they could discuss poetry and music, painting and playing the zither, chess and calligraphy, always able to follow his lead and even offer her own insights. Whenever Lan Qingwu sang or danced, the young Emperor Shenwu would feel more relaxed than ever before.
This went on for a whole year. The two of them sat on the trunk of the big peach tree, leisurely admiring the beauty of the small peach orchard. Lan Qingwu finished humming a song and then described the beauty of the small peach orchard in spring to the young boy Yun Heng. Her voice was slightly clear and sweet, and it was like a poem she was telling herself: "On the red dusty road, I saw flowers blooming, a touch of light pink softened my heart. The drizzle was gentle and moist, General Yun, the pink peach blossoms were wet by the spring rain, the color was even more delicate. They were close together, filling the branches. Looking out, the mountain flowers were in full bloom, the flowers were clustered together, pink like clouds, white like ice, it was really beautiful."
"Peach blossoms, pink as butterflies, gently drift down. A gentle breeze blows, bringing the delicate fragrance of peach blossoms to your face, refreshing and comfortable. Blowing along with the wind are some peach petals and one or two fully blossomed flowers. Birds sing joyfully on the branches, butterflies dance among the blossoms, and the blossoms on the tree compete for beauty, each one more magnificent than the last. Look at this one, beautiful; look at that one, also beautiful. The peach blossom stamens are as if drunk, their faces as bright as clouds, and the clear sky as pearls. Look at the wind making the peach trees rustle, and petals fall one after another, just like the legendary "petal rain"!"
"General Yun, pick up the scattered petals and scatter them higher! How beautiful! Look at that butterfly flying into the yellow stamens. It's actually blue-green. Butterflies are so playful!"
"Young General Yun..."
Lan Qingwu described the beautiful scenery around him, sentence by sentence, not knowing where to start. Little by little, Yun Heng's eyes miraculously regained color. Yun Heng noticed it immediately, and in shock, he turned his head to look at Lan Qingwu, who was still in a daze.