NIP Chapter 263 A Gentle and Elegant Heroine 25
Chapter 263 A Gentle and Elegant Heroine 25
Xiao Luochen carried the freshly brewed medicine for preventing miscarriage towards the warm pavilion.
Her fingers touched the warm medicine bowl, her mind racing, trying to figure out how to bring it up with Xiao Hanxing.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Xiao Hanxing leaning against the vermilion pillar.
A few scattered osmanthus petals clung to his dark robe, he held a withered twig in his hand, and his eyes were gloomy.
"Brother, why are you standing outside? How is Miss Liu?"
Xiao Hanxing raised his head, the gloom in his eyes still lingering. The withered branch in his hand trembled slightly, and his voice was hoarse.
"I... want to get some fresh air."
He paused, his gaze falling on the medicine bowl in Xiao Luochen's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Luo Chen, tell me honestly, what exactly happened between you and Yun Shu...?"
Xiao Luochen gripped the medicine bowl tightly; the coolness of the porcelain rim made him more alert.
Looking at the gloom in his brother's eyes, and at the withered branch that had been squeezed out of shape, his throat went dry, and he finally spoke his mind.
"She was poisoned that day; the drug was too potent. If she hadn't..."
His voice was low and heavy with unspeakable sorrow: "Brother, I'm sorry for what I did. I'll accept whatever punishment you want."
Xiao Hanxing slammed the withered branch to the ground, crushing it under his foot, his eyes blazing with anger and pain: "Admit it? How can you expect me to admit it?"
He stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Luochen's collar, his knuckles turning white.
"She's the person I cherish most in my heart, the only wife I've ever wanted to marry! And you..."
"But what can I do!" Xiao Luochen gripped the medicine bowl tightly, his knuckles turning white, and the medicine almost spilled over the rim of the bowl.
"I've tried Qingxin Powder, ice water, and even Ice Heart Grass, but that's a strange poison that draws in both Yin and Yang. There's no antidote except... except for the union of Yin and Yang!"
His voice was filled with suppressed pain.
"Brother, I watched helplessly as she burned with fever, became delirious, and bit my wrist, begging to die. What could I do? Just watch her die?"
Xiao Hanxing loosened her grip on his collar, staggered back half a step, and the anger in her eyes was instantly replaced by confusion.
Xiao Luochen looked at his bewildered expression, her Adam's apple bobbing: "Do you want to see her die for the sake of her so-called reputation?"
Before Xiao Hanxing could answer, he looked into the warm pavilion with complicated emotions, as if he could see the pale face of the woman on the bed through that door.
The medicine bowl in his hand was slightly hot, as if it were scorching his reason.
"Brother, I know you resent me. If it were me, I would hate you too. But Yun Shu is innocent. She was just tricked by the Demonic Sect and forced by the effects of the drug."
Xiao Hanxing looked down at the crushed branches on the ground, and the confusion in her eyes was gradually replaced by pain.
How could he want Yun Shu to die? He would rather die himself than see her suffer the slightest injustice.
But when she thought about what had happened between her and Xiao Luochen, and the fact that the child in her womb might not be his, she couldn't help but feel sad.
It felt like a huge rock was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Do you know? That night... she wanted to die so as not to betray you."
Xiao Luochen's voice was as deep as if it had been soaked in ice water, and each word struck Xiao Hanxing's heart with a heavy weight.
His fingers, gripping the medicine bowl, turned white. The image of Liu Yunshu's resolute yet painful expression flashed before his eyes that night, in the flickering candlelight.
"Before she passed out, she grabbed my sleeve, calling your name and begging me to kill her."
His throat was dry, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Brother, she's always only had eyes for you, she's never thought of betraying me. If it weren't for the drugs... how could she have been so entangled with me?"
Xiao Hanxing staggered backward, his back slamming heavily against a pillar. The crimson wood grain made his shoulder blades ache, but it was nothing compared to the dull pain in his heart.
He recalled Liu Yunshu's usual gentleness, her dashing figure when wielding her sword, and the tenderness that couldn't be hidden in her eyes when she looked at him.
Such a woman was driven to such a desperate situation, and he was completely unaware of it.
The metallic taste in his throat surged up again, and this time he couldn't hold back and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The splashes of water, mixed with the scattered osmanthus blossoms, were particularly glaring on the bluestone slabs.
"Brother!" Xiao Luochen's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward to support his swaying body.
Xiao Hanxing pushed his hand away, raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, and the pain in her eyes was gradually replaced by regret.
He recalled the questioning he had just received in the warm pavilion, and the helplessness he felt when Liu Yunshu cried and said "I'm sorry."
I remember her pale figure curled up on the couch.
He so indiscriminately and cruelly reopened her wounds.
"It was my fault..." His voice was hoarse and choked with sobs. "I shouldn't have asked her those questions, I shouldn't have made her suffer like this..."
Just as Xiao Luochen was about to speak, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The warm pavilion was unusually quiet; not even Liu Yunshu's soft breathing could be heard.
His heart tightened, and without saying a word, he abruptly pushed open the door to the warm chamber.
"Miss Liu?"
The room was empty; the brocade quilts on the soft couch were piled up haphazardly, and the windows were wide open.
A few osmanthus petals drifted in on the autumn wind and landed on the empty couch.
The teacup on the table was overturned on the floor, and the tea had long since gone cold.
"Yun Shu!"
Xiao Luochen's expression changed drastically. He rushed to the window and glanced at the bluestone path outside.
A few drops of pale red blood were left on the ground, mixed with the morning dew, making them particularly glaring.
The medicine bowl in his hand crashed to the ground with a loud bang, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere, and warm medicine spilled all over the floor, filling the air with a faint medicinal smell.
Xiao Hanxing rushed in as well, and seeing the wide-open window and bloodstains on the ground, the gloom in his eyes instantly turned into panic.
He rushed to the window, staring intently at the end of the path, his voice trembling: "She just had a miscarriage, she's so weak, how can she walk?"
Enraged, Xiao Luochen grabbed his collar, her knuckles turning white from the force, her eyes swirling with shock and fury.
"How could you leave her alone in the warm room! She's just been wronged and her pregnancy is in trouble. Aren't you afraid something might happen to her?"
Xiao Hanxing was stunned by his shout, her throat went dry, and she was speechless.
Yes, he was only focused on his own sadness and forgot that she needed someone to be with her right now.
Those few drops of blood stung his eyes like needles, causing him excruciating pain. Regret and panic overwhelmed him instantly.
"I'll go find it!"
Xiao Hanxing abruptly pushed Xiao Luochen's hand away, turned around and rushed out of the palace, her dark robes fluttering in the autumn wind.
"She must have gone back to the Liu Family Manor. I'll go stop her!"
"The Liu Family Manor is at least three days' journey from the capital. Her meridians haven't fully recovered, and her pregnancy is unstable. She can barely walk steadily, let alone travel that far."
Xiao Luochen's voice was filled with anxious anger.
Xiao Hanxing stopped at the doorway, his dark robes fluttering in the autumn wind, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white.
Xiao Luochen's words were like ice water poured over his head, instantly sobering him up.
Yun Shu is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and has a delicate mind. Since she has chosen to leave quietly, she will never return to Liu Family Manor.
But she is penniless, her internal energy is depleted, and she is still carrying the unstable pregnancy. Where can she go?
Xiao Luochen had already bent down and picked up a fallen leaf stained with pale red blood. His fingers traced the dried blood, his eyes filled with a terrifying darkness.
"With so many guards in the palace, if she wanted to leave quietly, she could only go through the side gate in the northwest corner, where veteran soldiers are on duty and the defenses are the most lax."
As soon as he finished speaking, he strode towards the side door, his dark brocade robe sweeping past the osmanthus blossoms under the corridor, bringing with it a breeze carrying the scent of medicine.
Xiao Hanxing followed closely behind, the two of them walking hurriedly, startling a few curled-up fallen leaves along the way, but they had no time to pay attention to them.
As expected, the two old soldiers by the side door were still dozing off. Xiao Luochen shouted angrily when he questioned them.
The two of them were startled awake and turned pale upon hearing that Liu Yunshu had already left.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare us! We were asleep and didn't notice anyone passing by."
"Didn't you notice?"
Xiao Luochen's eyes surged with shock and anger. His palm swept across the osmanthus tree beside him, and golden petals fell in a flurry.
"This side gate is a forbidden area of the palace; how dare you abandon your posts! Immediately send men along the main road outside the city to pursue them. Stop any woman dressed in plain clothes, pale-faced, and who appears pregnant—without fail!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The veteran scrambled to his feet to accept the order and hurriedly gathered his men, who then scattered in all directions.
Xiao Hanxing bent down to examine the ground; there were several shallow footprints on the bluestone slab.
There was still a trace of dark red blood on the edge, obviously left by Liu Yunshu when she left in a hurry.
"She walked very fast, her footprints were messy, she must have been having an unstable pregnancy and couldn't walk fast."
Xiao Hanxing ran his fingers over the bloody footprint, his fingertips touching the cold bluestone slab, and his anxiety grew even stronger.
He looked up at the winding official road outside the city. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, shrouding the distance like a light veil, making it impossible to see any figures.
"Yun Shu is stubborn; she definitely won't let anyone find her easily."
His voice was strained, and his palms were already sweating.
"Let's split up and search. You go east, I'll go west. We must find her before she gives up!"
Xiao Luochen shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the side roads beside the main road, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Let's search together."
He tossed the dragon-patterned token from his waist to a guard.
"Immediately issue an order to block all the side roads at the three-way intersection, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving at will!"
The guard obeyed the order and rushed off, the two of them running side by side toward the city gates.
The autumn wind blows in my face, carrying the desolate scent of grass and trees.
Xiao Hanxing felt a tightness in his chest, and the blood he had coughed up earlier had congealed into a dark red on his clothes.
The slight strain from running was nothing compared to the pain caused by worry.
His mind kept replaying Liu Yunshu's pale face, and the image of her clutching the brocade quilt before she fainted.
The memory of her helpless tears as she said "I'm sorry" overwhelmed him with remorse.
"Luo Chen," his voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor, "if...if we find her, what do you plan to do?"
Xiao Luochen kept walking, his dark brocade robe fluttering in the wind, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"What she needs most right now is rest. Take her to a safe place first, and we'll talk about the rest after she recovers."
He paused, turned his head to look at Xiao Hanxing, his gaze complex.
"Brother, I know you're heartbroken, but right now, saving her and the baby's lives is more important than anything else."
Xiao Hanxing nodded silently and gripped the longsword in his hand tightly.
How could he not know?
But when she thought of the child in Liu Yunshu's womb, and the unexpected incident that night...
But he knew even more clearly that, no matter what, he couldn't let anything happen to Yun Shu.