1novels Chapter 151: It's good to leave it as a memento.
Chapter 151: It's good to leave it as a memento.
Su Yaoyao walked to the palace gate with a heavy heart.
The women in this palace are truly all formidable.
As she walked, she thought to herself. A carriage was waiting there, and without much thought, she lifted the curtain and got in.
A sweet fragrance wafted over.
It used to have a sweet, powdery scent, but this time it smelled much better. If you smelled it carefully, you could also smell her usual white plum blossom scent.
Su Yaoyao's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up.
I was met head-on by a pair of captivating eyes.
The crimson beauty mark at the corner of her eye, in the dim light inside the carriage, was as vibrant as a drop of blood.
He Qing leaned against the carriage wall, his crimson robe loose and wide open, revealing a large expanse of his snow-white chest.
Her long hair was loose, with only a few strands loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, the rest falling over her shoulders.
He was looking at her with a smile on his lips.
That smile was alluring and seductive, like a fox that had stolen some fish.
"Master~" he called out, his voice drawn out, with a soft, characteristic tone, "What a coincidence."
Su Yaoyao: "..."
What a coincidence! You were clearly staking out the spot.
She sighed. "Why is it you?"
He Qing blinked, her peach blossom eyes filled with innocence.
"What you're saying, Master," he said lazily, "do you expect someone else to do it?"
Su Yaoyao glared at him: "This is the Crown Prince's carriage!"
"I know," He Qing said matter-of-factly, "that's why I left it here to wait."
Su Yaoyao: "..."
This person is capable of anything.
She turned to get out of the car.
"Don't go," He Qing's voice came from behind, tinged with grievance.
"I took a knife for you, and this is how you treat me?"
Su Yaoyao paused for a moment.
He Qing immediately reached out and gently took her wrist. "I'll take you home."
Su Yaoyao turned to look at him.
The carriage was dimly lit, but she could still see clearly—his face was paler than the last time they met, and his lips were also pale, as if he had lost too much blood and hadn't recovered.
On the right shoulder, the robe bulged slightly, clearly indicating that it was wrapped with thick gauze.
The hand holding hers had distinct knuckles and was excessively white, but the palm was burning hot—like the kind of burning heat that comes with a fever.
She frowned.
"You have a fever?"
He Qing paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Does my master care about me?"
Su Yaoyao shook off his hand and sat down in the carriage—since she was already here, saying a few words wouldn't hurt her.
"Is your injury still not healed?" she asked.
He Qing looked at her, and something flashed across her peach blossom eyes.
"It's not better yet," he said lazily. "It still hurts."
Su Yaoyao looked him up and down.
This person was dressed in a flamboyant manner and laughed nonchalantly; he didn't look like he was in pain at all.
"You're still out and about even though it hurts? Aren't you afraid your wound will reopen?"
He Qing smiled.
That smile was different from his usual flippant one; it carried a hint of something indescribable.
"With the master away, there's no point in me staying at the inn."
"Then what are you doing here?" she asked.
He Qing smiled, her smile still alluring and seductive, but there was a hint of weariness in her eyes.
"Wait for your master. I heard the Empress Dowager summoned you; I'm afraid something might have happened to you."
Su Yaoyao's heart skipped a beat.
This person's injuries haven't healed yet, and he's running here waiting?
"I'm fine. The Empress Dowager just said a few words."
He Qing looked at her, and something was churning in her peach blossom eyes.
"Don't take what she said to heart," he said softly.
Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow: "Do you know what she said?"
He Qing didn't answer, but just smiled.
There was a hint of bitterness and self-mockery in that smile.
"I know her too well."
Su Yaoyao recalled what Xiao Chenyuan had said last night—the Empress Dowager was in charge of destroying Liang, the Empress Dowager was searching for Liang's secret treasure, the Empress Dowager…
She looked at He Qing and suddenly asked, "Is the poison in your body related to her?"
He Qing was stunned for a moment.
He then smiled, a smile that seemed more genuine than before.
"He told you all that?" He was slightly surprised. "Unfortunately, no. This poison... was planted by my father."
Su Yaoyao frowned.
"Your father?"
"Hmm." He Qing leaned back against the car wall, her gaze drifting into the distance. "He said it was for my own good."
He raised his hand and touched the crimson beauty mark at the corner of his eye.
Su Yaoyao looked at him.
That face was still alluring, those peach blossom eyes still held a smile, but at this moment, she saw something else beneath that smile.
Exhaustion. Bitterness. And a hint of...despair.
She suddenly remembered what Xiao Chenyuan had said—his mother had traded her life for He Qing's.
In other words, if it weren't for Xiao Chenyuan's mother, He Qing would have died in the war back then.
"Does it hurt?" she suddenly asked.
He Qing was taken aback.
"What?"
"That poison," Su Yaoyao looked at him, "does it hurt when it takes effect?"
He Qing was silent for a moment.
Then he laughed.
The smile was faint, as faint as the sunlight outside the window, easily dissipated.
"It hurts," he said softly, "but I'm used to it."
Su Yaoyao didn't know what to say.
The carriage fell silent.
The sound of horses' hooves clattered, the carriage curtains swayed gently, and occasionally a few rays of sunlight peeked in.
He Qing suddenly spoke.
"Owner."
"Um?"
"He..." he paused, "...is he good to you?"
Su Yaoyao looked at him.
In those peach blossom eyes, there was expectation, trepidation, and a deeply hidden...fear.
She knew who he was asking about.
"Okay," she said.
"He's very good to me."
He Qing nodded.
"That's good." His voice was very soft, as if he were saying it to himself.
Looking at him like this, Su Yaoyao suddenly felt a mix of emotions.
She knew what he was thinking.
But this was the only answer she could give.
He Qing paused for a moment, then smiled.
His smile was even brighter than before. He took something out of his sleeve and handed it to her.
It's that jade pendant.
"Keep this."
Su Yaoyao frowned: "You gave it to me last time, but I didn't want it."
"This time is different." He Qing looked at her seriously. "This time, it was his consent."
Su Yaoyao was taken aback.
He Qing continued, "We met last night, and he told me to give this to you. This thing might protect you in a critical moment."
He placed the jade pendant into her hand.
Su Yaoyao looked down at the jade pendant—a warm, smooth piece of mutton-fat jade, carved with a budding epiphyllum flower, its patterns perfectly matching Xiao Chenyuan's.
"You two brothers," she couldn't help but say, "why do you always try to stuff things into my hands?"
He Qing smiled.
"Because we all want to protect you."
"He had the opportunity, but I didn't."
Su Yaoyao looked up at him.
He Qing had already looked away and was looking out the car window.
"arrive."
The carriage stopped, and the voices of the Eastern Palace guards could be heard from outside.
Su Yaoyao looked at him and suddenly asked, "Why did you give me this?"
He Qing met her gaze.
The carriage was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains, illuminating his face and the crimson beauty mark on his face.
"Because..." He paused, then suddenly laughed, reverting to his usual nonchalant demeanor, "because I want my master to owe me a favor."
Su Yaoyao didn't say anything.
She knew he was lying.
This person never tells the truth.
"Alright," she stood up, "I should go."
He Qing didn't stop her.
She suddenly spoke just as she lifted the carriage curtain.
"Owner."
Su Yaoyao turned around.
He Qing leaned against the car wall, his expression obscured in the dim light.
"The Empress Dowager's return this time is not just to deal with the Crown Prince. Her time is running out. When a person is about to die, they are capable of anything."
Su Yaoyao's heart tightened.
"you……"
"Be careful," He Qing interrupted her, "Don't let her find any evidence against you."
He smiled, a smile that held something indescribable.
"Especially... don't let her know how much the Crown Prince cares about you."
Su Yaoyao looked at him, suddenly unsure of what to say.
This person, despite still being injured and being watched by the Empress Dowager, is here reminding her.
"And you?" she asked. "And you?"
He Qing was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to ask that question.
"Me?" He laughed. "I don't care."
Su Yaoyao suddenly felt a pang of sadness: "You blocked that arrow, does your father... does he know?"
He Qing's smile froze for a moment.
Then he laughed again.
That smile was more flamboyant and frivolous than usual, yet it inexplicably made one feel... a little pain.
"So what if he knows?" he said. "I've never been anyone in his eyes."
A strange feeling welled up in Su Yaoyao's heart.
She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to begin.
He Qing, however, had already returned to his dashing demeanor and waved to her.
"Alright," he leaned back against the car wall, "Master, you'd better hurry up and leave. If you don't go back soon, my cousin will come and demand your return."
Su Yaoyao glanced at him, lifted the carriage curtain, and jumped down from the carriage.
His lazy voice came from behind:
"Master, keep that jade pendant. Whether you use it or not, just keep it as a keepsake."
Su Yaoyao paused, "Heqing, thank you..."
Then she jumped out of the carriage and entered the East Palace without looking back.
He Qing sat in the carriage, watching the figure disappear into the palace gates.
After a long while, he chuckled softly.
"You're welcome," he said softly, his voice as light as a sigh. "I did it willingly."
He lowered his head and covered his chest.
In the end, I couldn't bear to return that earring.
The carriage slowly drove away.
The sweet fragrance lingered in the carriage for a long time.