东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 36

This time I was prepared, rolling and crawling to escape, but he pulled my skirt, so I kicked him in the arm. Instead of defending, he grabbed my belt with one hand. A palace maid had helped me originally tie my belt in a double knot. Although it may seem complicated, it actually could be untied with one pull. He pulled off my belt with just a few moves. I thought he was going to tie me up again and I hurriedly pulled the belt as well. The thunder outside gathered; one by one the lightning struck the night sky, the wind blowing the windows open. All the curtains in the palace hall flew open. Suddenly he let go, I wanted to use all my strength to pull him with me but I fell back, and the back of my head hit the copper lion. It hurt so much that I couldn't move for a moment. Li Cheng Yin's face filled my entire view; he was fiercely glaring at me. I thought he was going to lift his hand to punch me, but he didn't. The thunder sounds outside were getting louder and louder. When the lightning sounded as if it was striking the roof, he suddenly lowered his head. I thought he was going to hit me, but he bit my lip instead.

His bite damaged my lips, but I was also biting his tongue, which caused him to bleed. He wouldn't let go of me, instead he sucked in a bloody breath. His voice was very fierce, his expression was ferocious, and he asked me in a demanding way: "Who is Gu Xiao Wu? Who is Gu Xiao Wu? Say it! Was it that assassin?!" Who is Gu Xiao Wu? I struggled desperately, punching and kicking, but he didn't care. All my kicks and punches were in vain, just pulling my own clothes recklessly. I finally cried, "Gu Xiao Wu is Gu Xiao Wu, one thousand times better than you! Ten thousand times better than you!" I was telling the truth, no one could compare to Gu Xiao Wu; he who had once killed the white-eyed wolf king for me, he who had once captured one hundred fireflies for me. I should have married him, but he died on the wedding day......I cried so loud that Li Cheng Yin seemed utterly outraged, as if he wanted to tear me apart into pieces, carrying some sort of bitter hatred. I have never experienced such a horrifying situation. I kept on crying, calling out Gu Xiao Wu to save me, save me......I knew in my heart that he would never come. Li Cheng Yin's eyes were bloodshot, just like the lone wolf I had encountered in the desert, so terrible and ferocious. He finally kissed my mouth, the salty teardrops rolling down to the corners of my mouth, each teardrop kissed away by him, each kiss was with great force, biting me very painfully. 'Shua la la' sounds could be heard from the outside. It was raining and after a flash of lightning, it started raining heavily. The raindrops hit the roof tiles so hard it was as if there was an army of thousands of soldiers marching with the wind. Only a rumbling sound of rain could be heard between heaven and earth.
　　
My eyes were swollen from all the crying. The rain stopped when the sun was about to rise. The sparse sound at the edges of the roof were the sound of raindrops and bells being blown by the wind. The palace was quiet like it was the grave. I cried so hard that I choked every now and then. Li Cheng Yin was looking at me from behind. He turned me around, bringing me into his embrace. I didn't want to see his face, so I stared at the bed. The pillow was wet from my tears, coldly sticking to my face. He gently pushed my wet hair from my neck, scorching lips that were as hot as burning iron, sticking on my neck.

I was trembling because I was crying, I could only hate but not kill him.

He said: "Xiao Feng, from now on I will be good to you, you should forget about that Gu Xiao Wu, okay? I......I actually really......really......" He said 'really' twice, but he didn't say anything afterwards.

Maybe it was because he has never been this soft-spoken and submissive before that I turned around abruptly. Because we were too close, he instinctively moved his head back, as if the look in my eyes could burn him.

I said to him: "I will never forget Gu Xiao Wu." I think that I will never forget the complexion on his face at this moment. There was no sign of colour in his complexion. He was originally pale, but the paleness had turned into the complexion of a sick person. He stared at me in a daze. I sneered with delight: "Gu Xiao Wu is twice as good as you, in fact he is ten thousand times better than you. You cannot be compared to him. You think if you mistreat me like this, then I would be willing to be with you? What's the big deal, I will just pretend that I was bitten by a dog." At that moment, the complexion on his face made me feel very happy, but after that I could feel a sense of extreme emptiness, and my heart also felt empty. There was a loss of expression in his eyes. His complexion became unbearable to look at. I thought that he would argue with me or even kick me out and not see me again, but he didn't say anything.

Everyone in the Eastern Palace knew what had happened yesterday night because I was injured; my wrists and ankles were bruised. Li Cheng Yin was not faring any better; the parts of his face that were not scratched, it was bitten by me. People in the palace could not help but whisper and Yong Niang felt very embarrassed. She helped me rub my bruises while saying: "Your Highness, you should be more gentle to his Highness." I didn't kill him with a knife, I was already gentle towards him. If it wasn't for my insufficient martial art skills, I would have really killed him. I had even thought of killing him while he was asleep, but he didn't give me that chance.

As Yong Niang was rubbing my hand, a palace maid ran inside in a panic. She told me Xiao Xue was gone.

Xiao Xue is very naughty. It would always slip out of the palace hall, so Yong Niang especially ordered a palace maid to watch it. Now that Xiao Xue was gone, the palace maid was flustered and rushed here to report to me.

Yong Niang sent several people to find it, but it could not be found. I wasn't thinking about Xiao Xue at all, I was only thinking about how I could avenge my Mother. Now I feel that killing Li Cheng Yin with one stab would be too straightforward and an easy death for him, because he has done so many evil things. I cannot let him die so easily. I have said this before, I will repay him with all the pain he has brought upon me, bit by bit, I will give it all back to him.

The next day was the Dragon Boat Festival[1]. As people in the Eastern Palace were collecting sweet flags[2], a palace maid suddenly saw a ball of white fur floating in the lake. After fishing it out, it turned out to be Xiao Xue.

It was drowned alive.

I felt very, very sad that any living thing in this place would suffer, even a kitten was unfortunate.

I think Li Cheng Yin knew about this matter because the next day he sent a kitten over.

It was the same kind of kitten, with white fur and a different coloured pair of eyes. I heard he had especially ordered someone to ask the envoy of Siam for it. I didn't look at the cat, but just sitting there dispirited, I didn't expect that the death of Xiao Xue would cause such a huge uproar.

Someone saw that it was Zhao Liang Di's palace maids who have thrown Xiao Xue into the lake. After hearing about it, Li Cheng Yin was very angry, wanting to beat those palace maids with a stick forty times. If that happens, the palace maids would naturally die. Yong Niang rushed over to tell me and I didn't want to care about it, but since it involves people's lives, I decided to head to the main palace hall.

As expected, the main palace hall was filled with murderous intent. Li Cheng Yin have already changed his clothes but he didn't go out. Several palace maids were kneeling at the corner of the palace hall, crying there. I just stepped into the palace hall, and without having the chance to say anything, an eunuch have announced Zhao Liang Di's arrival.

Zhao Liang Di apparently arrived in a hurry and looked very gloomy. As soon as she entered the door, she knelt down and pitifully said: "Your Highness, I am innocent.....The people around me have always followed the rules, they would not do anything like this. I am innocent...."She couldn't finish speaking, her tears had already fallen like rain.

Looking at her pitiful expression, I couldn't help but sigh, saying to Li Cheng Yin: "Forget it, it's not her fault." Although I am sad about Xiao Xue's death, people shouldn't be killed because of a kitten.
　
Li Cheng Yin harshly said: "Today you have harmed a kitten, tomorrow you will definitely harm people!" Zhao Liang Di was clearly angry after hearing this, suddenly lifting her head, her eyes were filled with tears: "How could Your Highness suspect that it was my doing?" I originally came to plead for the palace maids, but Zhao Liang Di wasn't grateful. She screamed, "It's you! Of course it's you! You've made this trap. You're so vicious! You got rid of  Xu Bao Lin, now you are trying to harm me!" Without me speaking, Li Chengyin shouted, "What nonsense are you saying?!" Zhao Liang Di wiped her tears, straightened her body: "I wasn't talking nonsense, Crown Princess made a witchcraft charm, and then framed Xu Bao Lin. Xu Bao Lin's palace maids were selected by Crown Princess, who instructed them to put the charm in her place. The witchcraft situation, Crown Princess didn't dare to investigate, with the intention to stir up trouble between Xu Bao Lin and I. Crown Princess's move was killing two birds with one stone, very vicious! Your Highness, Xu Bao Lin died in a strange way, her body was just weak, how could she suddenly die of illness? Someone must have killed her!" I'm so angry that I can't even talk, shouting: "Nonsense!" Zhao Liang Di lifted her head to look at me, although there were tear stains on her face, her eyes were strangely calm. She looked at me: "There are witnesses and evidence, Crown Princess, if you didn't try to frame me today, I would have covered the past for you.

But you are very cruel, killing Xu Bao Lin, and then trying to use a kitten to frame me, you are very vicious." I was angry: "What witness or evidence, if you are capable, then show it!" Zhao Liang Di said: "Bring it out." She turned around and then instructed someone, not long after, those people brought two palace maids here.

I didn't think the situation would become like this, Xu Bao Lin's two palace maids confessed that I had instructed them to put the wooden charm under Xu Bao Lin's bed. "Crown Princess said she wanted to frame Zhao Liang Di......If Zhao Liang Di could be cursed to death, she will treat Bao Lin well, convincing his Highness to give Bao Lin the title of Liang Di, and share the wealth......" "Crown Princess said that it doesn't matter if people find out, she can naturally make a decision for Bao Lin...."

Hearing the two palace maids' allegations, I suddenly felt cold from the bottom of my heart.

How long has Zhao Liang Di been preparing for this trap? How long ago did she start planning to bring me into this trap? I used to think that she just didn't like me and hated me. After all, I took the position of Crown Princess from her and I was in between her and Li Cheng Yin. I didn't expect she would hate me this much.

Zhao Liang Di knelt there and said: "Ever since I discovered that Crown Princess was involved in the witchcraft situation, I just thought she made a mistake, so I didn't dare say anything about it towards your Highness. Your Highness can testify for me that I didn't say anything bad about Crown Princess towards your Highness. I even persuaded your Highness to be more intimate towards Crown Princess, all this was my efforts. It wasn't until Xu Bao Lin's death that I became suspicious, but I had not received any orders, so I didn't dare to investigate. However I secretly guarded against her. I didn't expect that she would use a kitten to frame me, why would I harm a kitten? It's ridiculous, she is trying to infuriate your Highness with this tactic so that I will lose favor. Please be the judge and make the decision your Highness!"

Li Cheng Yin looked at the two palace maids kneeling on the ground and said, "If that's the case, I will also investigate Xu Bao Lin's matter, go get the medicine!"

An imperial doctor was called to examine the medicine Xu Bao Lin drank, which contained black-eyed beans. Xu Bao Lin's prescription have always contained ginseng and black-eyed beans. These things itself were not poisonous, but when combined together in medicine, the mixture would be slightly poisonous, and over time, it would make a person weak and then die. The palace maid in charge of boiling the medicine said that every time the imperial doctor finished writing the prescription, it was me, the Crown Princess who sent someone to pick up the medicine. The palace maid in charge of boiling the medicine did not know anything about medicine, she only cooked the medicine and then brought it to Xu Bao Lin to drink. Who knew the medicine would contained slow acting poison.

This was beyond arguable.

I am someone that acts on impulse, having fallen into a trap, even if I was given ten thousand mouths, I will not be able to make things clear.

I was so angry that I laughed sarcastically: "Why would I kill Xu Bao Lin? A piece of wood would be able to curse you to death? I am this stupid?"

Zhao Liang Di turned her face and said to Li Cheng Yin: "Your Highness......"

Li Cheng Yin suddenly smiled: "Woman with the most vicious heart in the world. Sure enough."

I looked at Li Cheng Yin. A moment later I asked him: "You believe her?"

Li Cheng Yin faintly said: "Why would I not believe?"

I suddenly felt relaxed: "Anyways I don't want to be the Crown Princess, just depose me."

Depose me, and I could go back to Western Liang. Li Cheng Yin faintly said: "You wish."



Notes:
[1] 端午节 Dragon Boat Festival- This festival is to commemorate the life and death of a famous scholar, Qu Yuan, who was a loyal minister to the King of Chu, but later was falsely accused of conspiracy. He drowned himself by attaching heavy stones on his body and then jump into the river. People then began the tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked food in the river to prevent the fishes from eating Qu Yuan's body. Today people would eat rice dumplings, drink realgar wine, and race dragon boats to celebrate this day.
[2] 菖蒲 Sweet flag- A type of plant that is grown in the wetlands, with grass-like leaves and greenish flower. Another name for it is Acorus Calamus. The picture above is an example of it.

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