Jennifer, Ashley, Mochakat9 – Thanks for your support, guys! ? It keeps me going ? Happy reading! ??

Chapter 22: It’s Over

Zhao Yuanyu paced back and forth anxiously in the pavilion, then suddenly grabbed the eunuch’s collar, “We absolutely cannot afford to fail today, otherwise we’re both finished!”

The eunuch was lifted onto tiptoes, looking around vigilantly, then grinned awkwardly, “That person is indeed susceptible to our trap, and his body is already weak. Dealing with him here would result in his death. Even if his fortunate mother is not present, he must be frolicking with palace maids somewhere. Once we find him, we can still accuse him of moral misconduct and improper behavior.”

Zhao Yuanyu let go angrily, his voice almost squeezed through his clenched teeth, “Be more discreet, don’t let anyone notice anything unusual.”

The eunuch kept assuring, “Yes,” and scurried away.

But this wasn’t the Yong Prince’s residence; it was a vast imperial garden with numerous buildings and a lot of people around. It wouldn’t be easy to find a teenager who was deliberately hiding.

“You go this way, you go that way, keep your eyes peeled!”

The eunuch instructed the subordinates, “Search quietly, and report immediately if you find anything!”

He wiped the sweat off his face and looked around sneakily.

Now, only the Hegui Pavilion in the west remained unattended.

Besides the Grand Preceptor of the Shenguang Sect, the Sovereign Prince Su was the Emperor’s most relied-upon aide. Since he often stayed up late discussing matters — the Emperor’s mind was inscrutable, and there were always some decisions and intentions that couldn’t be made public — the Hegui Pavilion, adjacent to the northern gate and close to the Taiji Palace, was allocated to the Sovereign Prince for occasional overnight stays.

It might not be a problem usually, but today’s banquet was set at the Penglai Garden, where the Sovereign Prince was sure to take rest.

Who would dare to search in the Sovereign Prince’s territory? It was likely that anyone who approached would be mistaken for an assassin and swiftly dealt with.

Moreover, even if the Crown Prince had the strength to run that far and happened to stumble into the Hegui Pavilion, his pitiful appearance in the hands of the Sovereign Prince would probably be more miserable and terrifying than falling into the hands of the Yong Prince’s heir…

The eunuch suddenly shivered and decided to search elsewhere first.

The air was becoming increasingly fragrant, sickeningly sweet.

The usually refined and dignified “Crown Prince” now had misty eyes, sweating profusely, futilely trying to moisten his parched lips like a fish out of water. Her hot breath brushed against Wen Renlin’s hand, one gasp after another, diluting the cold pain seeping from her bones.

Prince Su’s fingertips paused for only a moment, then continued as usual to lift the strands of hair scattered on her face, gently tucking them behind her ear.

He frowned, his pulse erratic.

Zhao Yan let him manipulate her completely. Her wrist felt icy, as if a drought-stricken person had found a drop of rain, craving more yet awakening a hint of her muddled consciousness. Realizing what she was doing, she abruptly withdrew, as if what she had just grasped wasn’t Wen Renlin’s sleeve but a blazing fire.

Zhao Yan lacked the composure to analyze or respond to Wen Renlin’s questions.

She bit her lip until it turned pale, struggled to straighten herself, attempting to put some distance between them. But her efforts were futile. Her bones felt weak, and the strands of hair she had just tucked behind her ear fell back down, sticking to her damp jawline.

Wen Renlin’s gaze followed the wet strands of hair, stopping at the corner of her lips, his gaze deepening. 

Zhao Yan dared not look at him again, discomfort and panic engulfing her in a torrent of unfamiliar emotions, overwhelming her. She feared she might do something even more embarrassing, something irredeemable, and could only awkwardly, with a sense of humiliation, request the man in front of her.

“Please, Your Highness… could you… step back for now…”

As the words left her mouth, even she was startled.

Perhaps it was the potent effect of the medicine coursing through her veins, or perhaps Zhang the Imperial Physician’s prescription had lost its efficacy, her voice had regained some of its feminine softness, even softer than before.

Wen Renlin was surprised by her current tone.

He lifted his eyes, seeming to smile, yet not quite.

“If Your Highness comes uninvited, that’s one thing, but now you want to drive the host away? That’s quite unreasonable.”

…

If Zhao Yan had known that this was Wen Renlin’s territory, she would have preferred to die on the road than to step into this place.

She wanted to leave on her own, but she couldn’t.

Dodging the eunuchs who were searching for her had exhausted all her strength.

“Get someone… to help me…”

Zhao Yan swallowed hard, her voice strained.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Wen Renlin felt the chill coursing through his body, his voice like winter frost, soft but cold. “My current situation isn’t any better than yours. It’s not appropriate to involve outsiders.”

Zhao Yan didn’t understand what he meant. Her mind was blank, the clarity brought by the coolness had been devoured by her instinctual craving.

What should she do? Who could come and save her?

Anyone would do, as long as they could help her…

“Minister Zhou!”

A shout came from afar, someone yelled, “The Crown Prince is unwell and cannot preside over the toasts. The Minister of Rites is urgently seeking you!”

Zhou Ji…

Zhao Yan heard the familiar name, feeling as if she were a drowning person spotting a piece of driftwood, desperately trying to grab hold of it.

Zhou Ji was a righteous man, her last hope to salvage her dignity. She subconsciously shifted her body, supporting herself against the door frame, slowly and shakily lifting herself up.

“Zhou… Wanlan…”

She exerted all her strength to call out, but the sound that came out was as moist as saturated spring water.

The composure on Wen Renlin’s face suddenly vanished. His eyes narrowed, and he swiftly raised his arm, the cold breeze of his sleeve striking the door with a bang, closing it shut. The slanted sunlight disappeared from Zhao Yan’s fingertips, and she remained in the posture of raising her hand for help, bewildered, her hopeful eyes dimming.

Steady footsteps approached, a tall shadow looming over her from behind, until she was completely enveloped in it, trembling softly.

“I’ve already said,” Wen Renlin came up from behind, his low voice carrying a heavy pressure, “Today, it’s not suitable for outsiders to see.”

Zhao Yan’s shoulders trembled, sensing Wen Renlin’s subtle displeasure concealed beneath his calm tone. But if no one helped, she couldn’t hold on much longer in her current state.

Wen Renlin also noticed this issue, his eyes slightly narrowed.

“Do you want to live, Your Highness?” he asked.

Wasn’t that obvious!

Gritting her teeth, Zhao Yan nodded vigorously.

“Then behave.”

He pondered for a moment, then reached his arm from below her knees. Zhao Yan felt her body lighten, then she was lifted up by him horizontally.

She froze for a moment, thinking that Wen Renlin was going to throw her out, exposing her disgraceful state to everyone. She couldn’t help but grunt, nervously clutching Wen Renlin’s clothes, wrinkling the top-quality fabric…

Feeling her desperation and trembling, Wen Renlin frowned slightly.

In fact, there was a moment when he did consider it.

Although he was suffering from the effects of the poison, he could still manage to throw the delirious Crown Prince out of the Hegui Pavilion to fend for himself—

This thought vanished completely when she called out Zhou Ji’s name in her utterly pitiful voice.

Joke! He had seen her frivolous appearance, how could he easily let her go. So he changed his mind, turned around, and actually carried her towards the soft couch in the inner room used for resting.

The thin veil brushed off Zhao Yan’s hot face like smoke, and then fluttered towards Wen Renlin. Since he was still holding her, he couldn’t free his hands, so he turned his head slightly to avoid her, and his cheek inadvertently brushed against Zhao Yan’s hot forehead.

For a moment, both of them were stunned.

Wen Renlin was fine, but Zhao Yan was about to go crazy, breathing heavily.

She even shamelessly stretched out her arms, trembling, and hung them around his neck. However, Wen Renlin didn’t react at all. He just glanced at her lightly and then separated her, along with her arms, from his body, laying her flat on the couch.

Without that mesmerizing aura, Zhao Yan immediately felt like she was in a blazing fire, feeling uncomfortable as she curled up. She couldn’t help but touch Wen Renlin’s hand resting on the edge of the couch, grasping the two distinct and powerful joints of his fingers.

Seeing Wen Renlin didn’t refuse, Zhao Yan plucked up the courage to cover his other hand with hers as well.

The warm and soft heat perfectly countered the cold hardness of his finger joints.

Zhao Yan was completely unaware of what she was doing, and she blurted out, “Grand Tutor…”

This pitiful call made Wen Renlin’s eyebrow twitch.

But since she had at least called out to the right person, she didn’t blurt out any more messy names.

Wen Renlin, feeling a near masochistic pleasure from the cold pain, was in a good mood and let her act unrestrainedly. He withdrew his hand from behind her waist and touched the pressure point behind her neck, neither too light nor too heavy.

Zhao Yan immediately let out a low hum and raised her misty eyes to look at him. In the dim light, there was a hint of charm in her eyes that didn’t belong to a young girl.

Wen Renlin didn’t expect Zhao Yan’s poison to be so fierce, even the pressure points that could make people fall asleep were completely ineffective. While considering whether there were any other ways, Zhao Yan lowered her eyes and approached, this time it was her lips.

Her breath was less than an inch away from him, clumsily approaching.

At this moment, Zhang Cang barged in.

With a bang, Zhao Yan was startled, and her instinctive reaction made her subconsciously throw herself into Wen Renlin’s arms.

Wen Renlin frowned, his large crimson sleeve robe already covering her trembling figure tightly.

“Your Highness, the medicine is here…”

The voice abruptly stopped.

Zhang Cang, holding the medicine box, looked at the two embracing figures on the soft couch in astonishment, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg.

Wen Renlin raised his hand slightly, as if to comfort the trembling figure in his arms, then turned to Zhang Cang. Dark waves surged in his eyes, seductive and sharp.

Zhang Cang understood everything and quickly placed the medicine box on the table next to the couch without looking away, then hurriedly left without a glance, carefully closing the palace door, trying to disguise himself as dissipating smoke.

The palace regained its tender darkness.

With one hand still on Zhao Yan’s back, supporting her constantly slipping hot body, Wen Renlin reached for the medicine box on the table, opened it with one hand, took out the dark red pill, crushed it in his mouth, and swallowed it bit by bit.

The cold bone poison was soon relieved, but the coldness did not immediately dissipate, so the warm softness in his arms was just enticing enough.

Deliberately delaying for a while, he finally spoke before Zhao Yan collapsed, “The person has left.”

The person in his arms didn’t move, only the hot breath continued to spray onto his chest one after another.

Sensing something wrong, Wen Renlin loosened his covering sleeve, and with the help of the cold light, he glanced at Zhao Yan’s lips, which were extremely red and rapidly closing, sweat beads gathering at the disheveled temples, her eyes already losing focus.

She was like a flower about to fall, beautiful yet fragile.

If this poison doesn’t come out soon, she’ll be lucky not to die, but she’ll be crippled.

“The imperial physician is already too late. Now, before the Prince…”

Wen Renlin’s eyes were half-closed, his voice seemed to be trapped in a drum, yet it also seemed to come from a distant horizon, echoing in Zhao Yan’s ears with a chaotic and tender resonance.

“First, Your Highness, immediately commit suicide to preserve your honor. Second…”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a soft wetness on his lips, and Zhao Yan answered with action.

Wen Renlin slightly opened his eyes, and between his breaths, there was a intoxicating sweetness. He was so shocked that when Zhao Yan threw herself at him, he didn’t resist.

But no one had ever dared to deceive him like this.

Coming back to his senses, coldness flickered in Wen Renlin’s eyes, and he subconsciously raised his hand to her neck. But Zhao Yan gently held the hand he used to grip her neck, her slender and hot fingers slipping in when he was off guard, interlocking with his five fingers.

Her delicate and soft hands intertwined with his sturdy fingers, soft as boneless, causing Wen Renlin’s eyelashes to flutter, unconsciously releasing his grip.

“You…”

Before he could speak, his mouth was blocked.

Wen Renlin couldn’t hit her, couldn’t scold her, and instead ended up being teased by her.

In fact, Zhao Yan didn’t really know what she was doing. The combination of the poison and the sudden intrusion into the palace caused her heart to bear an unbearable burden, almost bursting with pain. She was on the brink of death.

But she didn’t want to die, nor could she die.

Zhao Yan’s cause of death had not been determined, the memorial had not been fully reviewed, and the hidden dangers in the court had not been removed… There were still many things she hadn’t done, and she couldn’t collapse in such a humiliating way.

Of course, her consciousness was no longer enough to support her to think about these things. What supported her to make such a bold decision was the instinct of survival and the impulse driven by the poison.

As their lips intertwined, she tasted the bitter medicine on Wen Renlin’s lips, but it was like drinking poison to quench her thirst, uncontrollable. Just this wasn’t enough. But Zhao Yan didn’t know what to do next, so she could only do what she did with Liu Ji in the past.

So, she did the same.

Wen Renlin was once again stunned, annoyed, but laughed lightly.

“The one who dares to be so presumptuous with me, Your Highness is the first.”

With one hand still supporting Zhao Yan’s almost collapsing figure, the other elbow rested on the couch, and he looked up at her, “Your Highness, do you enjoy this kind of intimacy so much?”

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze froze.

Zhao Yan’s clothes had loosened at some point, and sweat beads trickled down her delicate collarbone, wetting the layers of intertwined silk ribbons. Those ribbons were also half undone, rising and falling with her breath, seemingly there yet not.

The answer Wen Renlin had long sought for was right in front of him.

Though he had already guessed the outcome, seeing it with his own eyes still stunned him. Perhaps the ultimate beauty in the world was this elegance before him.

To be honest, Wen Renlin didn’t dislike this kind of “crown prince,” soft, delicate, and alluring.

He sighed and no longer suppressed his inner breath. The smile in his eyes also took on a chaotic darkness.

“Your Highness, do you truly have no regrets?”

Wen Renlin lifted his hand and pinched the golden hairpin holding her crown, gently pulling it out, and the ink-like long hair cascaded down. Zhao Yan saw the splendid crimson color emanating from his black eyes, as mesmerizing as a fallen celestial being.

“I can’t… I can’t die…”

She muttered brokenly, not sure if she was encouraging herself or answering him.

“Have you made up your mind?”

Wen Renlin loosely held the loose ribbon, pulling it as if toying with it, “Whether it’s me defying my superiors, or you betraying your ancestors, it’s both against the principles of humanity.”

Zhao Yan was on the brink of death, where could she still care about humanity?

“Save me… Grand Tutor!”

This “Grand Tutor” already carried a commanding tone.

So Wen Renlin’s palm passed through her satin-like hair, gently clasping at the back of her neck, lifting up her stunning face like a blooming peach blossom.

“Don’t cry, Grand Tutor will follow orders.”

Along with his lazy and hoarse voice, another ribbon unraveled. The golden-red sunset rolled down the hill, and the afterglow dyed the evening sky into a magnificent red.

The hairpin banquet had already dispersed, but there were still many palace maids and eunuchs scurrying around in the corner of Penglai Garden, looking sneaky and mysterious, not knowing what they were searching for.

Zhang Cang sat on the stone steps of the corridor like a menacing ghost, not allowing anyone to approach the Hegui Pavilion.

Speaking of the Hegui Pavilion…

Zhang Cang glanced back at the hidden pavilion roof in the deep woods, wondering: Can holding a woman actually alleviate the onset of the prince’s cold bone poison?

Who was that woman? She didn’t seem like an ordinary palace maid, because the corner of the robe that was exposed was obviously of exquisite quality, and she seemed somewhat familiar. Unfortunately, with the veil covering her face and the prince protecting her tightly, he couldn’t see clearly.

Zhang Cang pondered and felt even more respectful. Indeed, he thought, the prince was truly remarkable to endure until now despite his illness. What an extraordinary talent!

…

When Zhao Yan woke up from her faint, she was still a bit dazed.

Her scattered gaze gradually focused, and she felt like she had just had a ridiculous dream, but every part of her sore and weak body was screaming at her that it wasn’t a dream. There was a lingering charm in the air, and Zhao Yan stiffly turned her neck, suddenly seeing the tall figure sitting by the edge of the couch.

The mighty Prince, with his hair loose and clothes disheveled, seemed to be resting with his eyes closed. The remaining sunlight from the setting sun cast a long golden-red streak across his lightly closed eyes.

Upon hearing movement, he slowly opened his eyelashes, his slightly raised eyes lazy yet dangerous.

“Awake?” Wen Renlin’s gaze fell on her face.

Zhao Yan stared blankly at the ribbon entwined between his fingers, subconsciously moving her fingertips to touch the soft chest…

Oh no!

It’s over!

It’s all over!

The faint color remaining on Zhao Yan’s face quickly faded into a dismal pallor.

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