PFC Chapter 326 Accompany Me to Watch Another Good Show
Chapter 326 Accompany Me to Watch Another Good Show
The night was as dark as ink, and moonlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, spreading a thin layer of silver frost on the bluestone slabs in front of the palace.
In the warm pavilion behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the candlelight burned quietly.
A reddish-orange halo spread across the rosewood table, turning the wisps of smoke rising from the celadon incense burner on the table into a pale gold.
Qin Mu leaned back on the soft couch with his eyes closed.
A pale white casual dress was loosely draped over her body, the collar slightly open, revealing a small section of her collarbone.
His long hair was not bound by a crown, but loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, with a few strands falling on his forehead and swaying slightly with his steady breathing.
His breathing was light and long, with minimal rise and fall of his chest, making him look like a jade statue warmed by candlelight.
His hands rested on his knees, his long, slender fingers slightly curled, the tips gleaming warmly in the candlelight.
Jiang Zhaoyue knelt down behind him.
She was dressed in plain white clothes, with a moon-white gauze overcoat. Her long hair was tied up with a single white jade hairpin, and the rest of her hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall.
She knelt upright, her back straight, her hands gently resting on Qin Mu's shoulders, her slender fingers lightly massaging his neck and shoulders.
The movements were slow and gentle, carrying a kind of skill that came from repeated practice over the past few days.
Each time her fingertips touched his neck, she would first test the force before slowly increasing it, pushing along the meridians of his neck and shoulders, and then gently pulling them back.
Her gaze fell on her fingers, on his moon-white lapel, and occasionally she would steal a glance at his profile.
The candlelight shone from his side, making the lines of his brow bone, nose bridge, and jawline exceptionally clear.
His eyes were closed, his long eyelashes casting two faint shadows beneath them.
His lips were slightly upturned, his usual curve, a half-smile that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Jiang Zhaoyue glanced at him, then quickly lowered her head and continued massaging his shoulders.
Her ears were slightly red, as if they had been heated by candlelight.
Zhao Qingxue sat on the embroidered stool next to Qin Mu.
She wore a moon-white dress that shimmered softly in the candlelight. Her long hair was loosely tied up with a single white jade hairpin, with the rest cascading down to her waist like a waterfall.
Her posture was very upright, the kind of uprightness that comes from being immersed in court etiquette for twenty-five years. Her back was straight, her knees were together, and her hands were folded on her knees. Her posture was impeccable.
Her gaze fell on the candlelight, on the celadon incense burner, on the ancient book spread out on the table, and on any place where she could stand.
He simply wouldn't look at Qin Mu or Jiang Zhaoyue.
She kept her eyes down, like a beautiful, cold jade statue.
The hall was very quiet.
The only sounds were the soft rustling of the fabric as Jiang Zhaoyue massaged her shoulders and the occasional pop of a candle flame.
I don't know how much time passed.
Qin Mu suddenly opened his eyes.
Those deep eyes shone for a moment in the candlelight, like the surface of a deep pool rippling with light as the wind brushed across it.
The smile on his lips deepened.
"There's going to be a good show to come."
His voice was soft, carrying a hint of languor, a hint of amusement, and a deep meaning that Jiang Zhaoyue couldn't understand.
Jiang Zhaoyue's fingers paused slightly.
She looked at Qin Mu's profile, at the curve of his lips, and a thought suddenly came to her mind.
This idea didn't come from any specific clue; it was an intuition, an intuition she had honed little by little over the days in this deep palace, by this man's side.
She had a vague idea of what was going on.
Zhao Qingxue shifted her gaze from the candlelight to Qin Mu's face.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, with a faint knot between them that she could never smooth out.
"A good show?" she asked.
Qin Mu did not answer immediately.
He turned his head, his gaze passing over his shoulder and landing on Jiang Zhaoyue's face, and smiled at her.
The smile was light and faint, yet it made Jiang Zhaoyue's heart skip a beat.
Then he looked away and sat up from the soft couch.
His moon-white casual clothes slipped off his shoulders, and he raised his hand to straighten them, his movements as casual as if he were in his own backyard.
"Come," he said, "come with me for a walk."
He stood up, his moon-white robe trailing on the ground, stirring up a faint breeze.
He took two steps, stopped, and looked back at Zhao Qingxue.
"This is quite a show—" He paused, the smile on his lips deepening, "You're the star. How could you miss it?"
Zhao Qingxue's brows furrowed even more.
She looked at Qin Mu, at his smiling, ever-composed face, and at his deep, all-seeing eyes.
She didn't know what he was thinking, what he meant by "good show," or why he wanted her to go with him.
But she knew she had no right to refuse.
She lowered her eyes, stood up, and followed behind him.
The moon-white dress trailed on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.
Qin Mu turned around again and looked at Jiang Zhaoyue.
Jiang Zhaoyue was still kneeling on the soft couch, her hands hanging down at her sides, her fingers slightly curled.
She looked up and met his gaze.
There was a light in those clear, cold eyes that she herself couldn't quite describe.
It wasn't fear, nor tension, but a subtle, suppressed anticipation.
"You come too," he said.
Jiang Zhaoyue was slightly taken aback.
Then she lowered her head and softly replied, "Yes."
She got off the soft couch, walked quickly to his side, and stood with her hands at her sides.
They were so close that she could smell his faint ambergris scent and feel the warmth emanating from him.
Her heart skipped a few beats.
Three people, one in front and two behind, walked out of the warm pavilion.
Moonlight streamed in from outside the palace gates, making the pale figure stand out exceptionally clearly.
He walked ahead, his pace unhurried and leisurely, as if strolling in a garden.
Zhao Qingxue followed three steps behind him, her back straight and her eyes lowered.
Jiang Zhaoyue walked at the back, her fingers slightly clenched inside her sleeve.
We passed through one palace gate after another, and walked through one long corridor after another.
The moonlight cast the three people's shadows on the ground, one long and two short, overlapping and separating, separating and overlapping again.
Finally, Qin Mu stopped in front of a side hall.
The palace gate was small, with mottled vermilion paint and no plaque above it; it was the kind of inconspicuous building that could be seen everywhere in the imperial city.
Two palace maids stood at the gate. When they saw Qin Mu arrive, they immediately knelt down and bowed.
Qin Mu waved his hand, and they quietly retreated to the side.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The hall was very dark.
Only a single oil lamp burned on the table by the window, its faint flame flickering gently in the night breeze, casting an intermittent glow throughout the hall.
The halo was small, illuminating only a small area around the table, while further away was a large expanse of dense darkness.
Liu Hongyan heard footsteps.
Very light, very steady, unhurried.
She was so familiar with that voice that hearing it sent a chill down her spine.
Her body stiffened abruptly.
Almost instinctively, she knelt on the ground, her knees slamming into the gold bricks with a dull thud.
She knelt down, lowered her head, and her forehead almost touched the cold ground.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty."
Her voice was hoarse, with a slight, suppressed tremor.
Qin Mu walked up to her and stopped.
He didn't tell her to get up; he just stood there, looking down at her.
Moonlight streamed in from outside the palace gates, illuminating him and clearly outlining his pale figure.
Liu Hongyan was kneeling on the ground, so his expression was not visible.
She could only see a pair of moon-white boots, just three steps in front of her, the boots spotless.
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest, but she dared not move, dared not look up, and dared not even breathe too rapidly.
She didn't know why Qin Mu had come.
She had no idea why he was not resting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation at this hour, but instead had brought Empress Li Yang and Consort Xue to her side hall.
She dared not think.
She just knelt there and waited.
Qin Mu shifted his gaze from her and swept it across the side hall.
The interior furnishings were extremely simple: a table, a chair, a bed, and a lamp.
On the table sat a pot of cooled tea and an upside-down teacup.
The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, and a half-open book lay beside the pillow, its pages turning slightly in the night breeze.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at her again.
"Do you know," he began, his voice very soft, "what I've come here for?"
Liu Hongyan's body trembled slightly.
"This humble woman...does not know."
Qin Mu smiled.
The laughter was soft, yet exceptionally clear in the silent hall.
"In a little while," he said, his tone as casual as if he were chatting with someone, "an old acquaintance will come to see you."
Liu Hongyan's heart skipped a beat.
She knelt on the ground, countless names flashing through her mind in an instant.
With each name that flashed by, her heart beat a beat faster, almost as if it would burst out of her chest.
"He might question you—" Qin Mu paused, his voice still very soft, "Why did you betray the Northern Border?"
Liu Hongyan's mind went blank.
She got it.
She knew who Qin Mu meant by "old acquaintance".
Xu Longxiang.
The Crown Prince of the North, the man she once served.
He's coming.
I must come to this imperial city, to this deep palace, to this side hall, to question her about why she betrayed me.
Liu Hongyan's body began to tremble.
The trembling started in the fingers, spread to the wrists, to the arms, to the shoulders, and to the whole body.
She was like a leaf in the wind, swaying precariously.
Her lips were trembling, her fingers were trembling, her eyelashes were trembling, even her breath was trembling.
"At that time," Qin Mu's voice came from above her head, still very soft, yet like a mountain pressing down on her shoulders, "how will you answer?"
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, biting her lower lip so hard it almost bled.
He doesn't trust her.
This thought was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, chilling her to the bone.
Qin Mu doesn't trust her.
He brought Empress Li Yang and Consort Xue with him, and at this hour, he asked her in this way to test her and to warn her.
She has to answer.
You must give him a satisfactory answer.
Liu Hongyan took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions little by little.
Her voice was hoarse, but every word was clear: "Your subordinate is of utmost loyalty and has no disloyalty whatsoever."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The candlelight flickered gently on the table, casting the shadows of the group onto the wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.
Qin Mu smiled.
The laughter was soft, but it made Liu Hongyan's heart, which had just settled down, jump again.
"No," he said.
Liu Hongyan suddenly raised her head.
Those beautiful phoenix eyes were now filled with confusion.
She looked at Qin Mu, at his smiling, ever-composed face, and her unease grew stronger.
"I want you to tell him—" Qin Mu looked at her, enunciating each word clearly, "Your betrayal was forced."