Jinwei joins hands in rebirth: villains can also eat at the table

Chapter 313 The Truth

Inside the Baohua Hall, candlelight flickered and incense curled.

Hai Lan was wearing plain clothes, with her eyebrows lowered and her slender fingers slowly twisting the Buddhist beads. She knelt in front of the Buddha statue, muttering to herself, and was reciting scriptures devoutly for Yongqi.

Suddenly, she opened her red lips, breaking the silence.

"Who is she?"

These words were asked to Yan Wan who was standing beside him.

In Hailan's heart, she was always thinking about the woman who died in mysterious circumstances and sacrificed herself for her son.

During these days, she secretly investigated the woman's background from many sources - that woman was clearly not Hu Yunjiao!

This matter was like a thorn hidden in the dark, which made Hailan full of doubts. She didn't care about the peace of chanting scriptures, but just wanted to pry out some truth from Yanwan.

"She? Yes, not Hu Yunjiao, but actually Tian Grandma's daughter, Tian Yuner."

Yanwan was also wearing a plain dress. The silver-grey dress had no embroidery, only the dark patterns of auspicious clouds glowed faintly under the candlelight.

"A few years ago, Grandma Tian's family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat. They couldn't make ends meet, and they cried miserably in front of me. I felt sorry for them, so I asked Yongqi to look after them. Who would have thought that Yongqi would actually take a fancy to this girl? They met and fell in love. Yongqi racked his brains and went through a lot of trouble to find Hu Yunjiao's identity, just so he could keep her by his side."

When Yan Wan heard Hai Lan's question, she did not show any surprise, but instead helped her answer it calmly.

She knew in her heart that this matter could not be concealed anyway, and from the beginning, she had no intention of hiding it from Hailan.

Hailan listened quietly, and her heart, which was originally as calm as still water, seemed to be hit by a sudden stone, and ripples appeared.

She subconsciously frowned and glanced sideways at Yan Wan, her eyes full of suspicion and scrutiny.

"Huh, are you that kind?"

Yan Wan seemed to be completely unaware of Hai Lan's gaze. She just stared at the solemn Buddha statue in front of her, with her hands folded in front of her, and continued to speak calmly.

"Hai Lan, you've probably always thought I was deliberately trying to harm Yongqi, haven't you? Putting aside the fact that I have no past or present grudges against Yongqi, just consider Yongqi's leg injury, which he sustained when he risked his life to save the Emperor. You know how critical the situation was. Even the slightest mistake could have meant the Emperor's death. As a prince, Yongqi is high in line to the throne, and the most outstanding prince in the Emperor's sight, making him very likely to succeed..."

"I've worked in this palace for so many years, and I've never done anything that would lose money. How could I rashly do something so dangerous that it could cost me my head and my entire family?"

As she spoke, she paused slightly, her gaze still fixed on the Buddha statue, waiting for Hailan's response.

"But Yongqi's is gone, and you are the one who benefits the most."

Hai Lan said this in a cold voice, still not believing that she could be so kind and willing to do good for Yong Qi sincerely.

"This path was clearly chosen by Yongqi himself, but have you ever carefully considered who forced him into this desperate situation? It wasn't anyone else, it was the Emperor."

Yan Wan narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint light flickered in her eyes, and her voice tone unconsciously rose a few degrees, breaking the solemn silence in Baohua Hall.

"That night, the fire raged fiercely, burning half the sky red. Yongqi risked his life to rush into the flames and rescued the emperor unharmed. But who could have predicted that from then on, the emperor would be possessed by an evil spirit, suffering from nightmares. His dreams recurred to the fire, and he absurdly believed that Yongqi had set the fire. As the human heart is, once suspicion is sown, there is no turning back."

"The Emperor has become increasingly distant from Yongqi. During such a grand Southern Tour, everyone else went with him, leaving Yongqi behind, leaving him as a forgotten minister."

When Yan Wan said this, she paused slightly, her eyes fixed on Hai Lan, a cold arc appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she pressed forward step by step.

"Do you know why the Emperor suddenly became so warm and friendly towards Yongqi after returning from his southern tour?"

She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"It was because the Emperor indulged his lustful desires during his southern tour that he completely ruined his body. His dragon body was severely weakened, his vital energy severely depleted, and he could no longer conceive an heir. Only then did he realize that he still had a good son who could be of great use! Even the Empress, who only gave a few more words of advice to the Emperor to take care of his health, touched the reverse scale, was deposed and banished to the cold palace, suffering misery. Hailan, Hailan, how could you be so confused, always unable to distinguish between friend and foe? I admit that I am ambitious. Who in this deep palace doesn't want to climb the ladder? But the culprit who caused all your suffering and this tragedy was not me at all, but the one who sits high above, firmly on the throne!"

Yanwan's breath was as fragrant as orchid, and the warm air brushed past Hailan's ears, but every word she said was like ice chips, slowly seeping into her heart.

These words were like a poisonous python spitting out its tongue, winding up and wrapping around Hailan little by little, making her chest feel stuffy, her breathing rapid, and she almost suffocated and fainted.

"How...how could..."

Hailan's face was pale, her lips trembled, she stammered out a few words, and her body was shaky.

Yongqi, why are you so stupid?

Thinking of how hard Yongqi had worked for the emperor recently, she felt heartbroken.

"Hmph, do you know what the Emperor decided when Yongqi's life was hanging by a thread?"

"Yongqi's leg injury was horrific. The wound had festering and rotted to the bone. The imperial physicians knelt on the ground, pleading that there was no rush to set the bones. The safest approach was to treat the wound first and save his life. They could find a good opportunity to reconnect the broken bones later. Although the leg would be disabled, at least his life could be saved. Unfortunately... the emperor was obsessed with the royal family's reputation and would rather have a cold, intact corpse for show than accept a lame son..."

After saying that, Yan Wan stood up straight, crossed her arms over her chest, and glanced at Hai Lan's face wantonly, as if admiring a shabby but satisfying object. Looking at the cracked astonishment and grief on Hai Lan's face, the smugness at the corner of her mouth became more and more obvious.

"I thought he would be fine after just getting through that night, but what a pity, God is jealous of talented people..."

Yanwan sighed, a look of pity appearing on her face.

"Is that so?"

Hailan muttered to herself, as if she had been hit hard on the top of her head by a heavy hammer, and she was completely stunned.

After a moment of dead silence, his eyes suddenly turned red and a few tears burst out, like beads that had broken off the string. "Patta, patta", the bean-sized tears fell straight onto the cold floor tiles, leaving a small wet mark.

She was filled with sorrow and her eyes were sore.

The Emperor treated Yongqi so coldly, so why would the child endure so hard and work for such a cruel and selfish person? In the eyes of the Emperor, Yongqi was not a noble prince at all, but a slave to be used at will, a tool to be discarded after use!

Hailan raised her hand to cover her mouth, but sobs still leaked out from between her fingers, and her body trembled slightly:

"My dear son, how could you be so foolish as to ruin yourself..."

She had anxiously asked the imperial physician before, and the answer she got was still engraved in her mind - even if she was infected with the difficult osteomyelitis, as long as she was carefully nursed and cared for, recovery was not impossible; even if it was a serious leg injury like Yongqi's, if she took good care of it, it would not be a problem for him to live a few more years.

But Yongqi, that silly boy, had only the four words "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism" in his heart and eyes. He was bound tightly by the Confucian righteousness and never lived for himself until his death.

"If you don't believe me, you can go to the Imperial Hospital and ask for your own advice. They'll carefully examine Yongqi's pulse diagnosis from that year and you'll know the truth."

"I allow you to stay in this palace out of consideration for Yongqi's kindness and treating you as his biological mother. Don't be ungrateful."

After saying that, Yanwan flicked her skirt, completely ignoring Hailan's expression, straightened her back, turned around and strode out of the threshold of Baohua Palace.

Behind him, only Hailan was left, collapsed on the ground, crying inconsolably.

After Yongqi's death, the emperor's health deteriorated.

When the imperial physician was asked, he simply thought that he was too sad and depressed, which had weakened his body.

The emperor was exhausted from reviewing memorials every day, so Yan Wan was fully responsible for the affairs of the harem. Yan Wan had Hai Lan move to Yuhua Pavilion and chanted sutras for Yong Qi, so she had no choice but to keep her in the palace.

"Master, a message just came from the cold palace."

Chunchan hurriedly came to meet Yanwan in small steps. When Yanwan stepped out of the Baohua Palace, she hurriedly came close and said in a low voice,

"It's said that he... is suffering from tuberculosis and is in a very serious condition. It seems he may not have much time left."

Chunchan lowered her eyes, but her tone could not hide a hint of secret pleasure.

"So fast?"

Yan Wan paused, her eyebrows raised slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. But after a moment's reflection, she realized that she had managed to survive the dark, cold, and damp cold palace until now. Thinking carefully, it seemed like it was about time for her to be terminally ill.

"Do you want me to send someone..."

Chunchan raised her eyes, with a hint of coldness in them. She held the second half of her words in her mouth, but the unspoken meaning was as self-evident as a sharp blade drawn from its sheath - she wanted to take advantage of the situation to completely cut off the man's life.

Yanwan glanced at her and waved her hand gently with a calm expression.

"No need. Send a few imperial doctors to check on her, and don't stop using the necessary medicine. After all, she is the prince's biological mother. If word gets out, we can't be known for being harsh on her. Give her some respect. Oh, right."

"Lady Hai is the closest to her, so let her be the one to see her off one last time. This is the proper thing to do, both emotionally and logically."

Ruyi was going to die, but her death couldn't have anything to do with herself. She also wanted Hailan to see with her own eyes who had pushed her into this desperate situation.

"My Lord, she will not survive."

Chunchan didn't give up and continued to mutter to herself.

"If you really wanted to live, you wouldn't have let a minor cold drag on until it turned into this deadly tuberculosis. At this point, no matter how much medicine you use, it's useless. It's just a waste of effort and herbs."

"You hate her even more than I do. Don't worry, she doesn't have much time left. I remember a new batch of medicinal herbs arrived recently. Please pick them out. I'm going to prepare a medicinal meal for the Emperor..."

A sarcastic smile appeared on Yan Wan's lips, but she didn't say anything else. She raised her foot and continued walking towards Yongshou Palace.

She is now at the peak of her career and is tied up with many affairs. She does not have the time to go to the cold palace just to humiliate a defeated and dying general.

Besides, she, Yan Wan, now holds great power. A dying person is not worth her time and effort. She should just let him fend for himself.

Since returning from the southern tour, the medicinal food sent to Yongshou Palace has become more frequent, with a bowl being delivered almost every day.

Some medicinal properties complement each other, while others counteract each other. It all depends on Yanwan's mood.

Cold palace.

The mottled vermilion palace walls are covered with the tears of time, and the wall paint is peeling off, just like the fading youth of the women in the palace.

Ruyi was in the midst of it all, her heart and eyes filled with desolation. The past glory and bustle were like a dream bubble, completely dissipated, and the people close to her died or dispersed.

Her husband, who once vowed to grow old with her, easily abandoned her here; her own son was also instigated to sow discord between them, accusing her with red eyes, and every word he said was like a sharp arrow piercing his heart.

She looked up at the palace walls that imprisoned her. The scarlet color that once symbolized nobility now only held repression and boredom, like the fences of a prison, trapping her in the abyss of despair.

She had endured more than thirty years in this palace and was now exhausted both physically and mentally. She was truly fed up with it.

At dawn every day, the sunlight struggles to penetrate the gloom of the cold palace, bringing not hope, but the beginning of another round of torment.

"Here's today's meal, and the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician. Don't forget to drink it."

The palace maid who brought the meal had a cold face and hurried into the room with a tray in both hands. The meal was simple and rough, and the medicinal soup gave off a bitter smell.

She slammed the things onto the table, left this routine instruction, turned around and left quickly, not wanting to stay a moment longer, as if she was afraid of being contaminated by the bad luck of this cold palace.

Ruyi knew in her heart that she was once the queen who ruled the country. Even though she had been demoted to a commoner and no longer had the title, the twelfth prince had become a Beile after all, and had some respectability.

In addition, Wei Yanwan is now in the limelight and knows how to manipulate people's hearts. She doesn't want to give people a chance to talk about her. Therefore, even though the cold palace is remote and desolate, no one dares to treat her harshly.

However, this superficial "kindness" was nothing but cold charity to Ruyi.

At this moment, Ruyi, who was leaning on the bed, was trembling slightly. She was extremely ill, her face was as pale as paper, her body was so thin that her eye sockets were sunken and her cheekbones were high. She almost merged with the bed and could not get out of bed.

His messy hair hung down on both sides of his cheeks, with grass debris mixed in his hair. His clothes were tattered and stained. From a distance, he looked like a beggar who was wandering on the streets and suffering from hardships.

Only the few armors on the fingers are still exquisite and eye-catching, with warm jade and shining pearls. They are the only witnesses of the noble years of the past.

Even though her hands were covered in dirt and grime, and her fingers were covered in filth, she held on tightly, as if she was holding the last fragment of her shattered dignity.

Forcing herself to support her weak body, Ruyi picked up the chopsticks with trembling hands and shoveled half a bowl of rice into her mouth with difficulty. However, the rice tasted like chewing wax.

She put down her chopsticks and shifted her gaze to the bowl of medicinal soup. Steam was rising from the surface of the soup, but it couldn't warm her dead heart.

After a long time, she sighed, raised her hand and knocked over the medicine bowl. The dark brown medicine soup slowly flowed down the corner of the wall and soaked the ground, just like her mottled tear marks.

"I've had enough of this kind of life..."

Ruyi muttered to herself, her voice soft as a thread, revealing endless despair. Her heart was dead, and she slowly closed her eyes, letting her body sink back into the flea-infested, filthy bed.