After hearing what Xiao Jingheng said, Ning Wanshuang felt his embrace was very cold, a chill that sent shivers down her spine.
Cheng Yu was his own flesh and blood.
Even if he truly believed that Zhao Hua was unforgivable and wished to kill her to vent his anger, what had the child done wrong?
If he could so easily speak of executing Cheng Yu,
one could only imagine how much easier it would have been for him to order the death of her child back then.
Ning Wanshuang gently pushed against Xiao Jingheng's chest, freeing herself from his embrace.
After sitting closely in silence for a while, Ning Wanshuang did not acquiesce to his request. Instead, she rather abruptly asked,
"Does Your Majesty know what day it is today?"
Xiao Jingheng was taken aback, "The first of the third month."
"Your Majesty has forgotten," Ning Wanshuang said with a bitter smile, lowering her eyes. "Eleven years ago on the first of the third month was the day this concubine first met Your Majesty."
Hearing the hint of sorrow in her words, Xiao Jingheng hastily made amends:
"I remember. How could I forget such a day?"
Outside, the thunderstorm seemed to start and stop abruptly.
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a clear sky,
as if the downpour had never happened.
Ning Wanshuang leaned against Xiao Jingheng's embrace, her face beaming with happiness.
She closed her eyes lightly, lost in her reverie of the past.
"I have always remembered. That year, I accompanied my father to the palace and waited for him outside the Guangyang Gate. It was March, the season when the sweet olive blossoms bloom. Countless sweet olive trees were planted near the Guangyang Gate, creating an exquisite sight. On a whim, I danced amid the trees in a drunken reverie. After I finished dancing, I suddenly heard someone clapping and praising me from behind.
When I turned around, I saw Your Majesty standing not far away with hands behind your back, smiling at me warmly. That smile of yours is something I can never forget in this lifetime...
The pale purple sweet olive petals swirled in the wind, enveloping us in a shower of flowers. You said, 'The lady dances beautifully, more graceful than the flowers themselves. May I have the honor of knowing your name?'
My face flushed instantly, and I shyly lowered my head, watching my hesitant feet kicking at the small stones, weakly replying, 'This humble woman is of the Ning family, with the courtesy name Wanshuang.'"
The sweet smile on her lips was pure, as if she had been dipped in honey her entire life, untouched by the bitterness of the mundane world.
"This concubine has been by Your Majesty's side all these years, every detail etched into my heart, never to be forgotten. But what of Your Majesty? I suppose you must have forgotten it all long ago?"
Ning Wanshuang spoke these heartfelt words, but Xiao Jingheng did not hear a single one.
Instead, consumed by thoughts of life and death, he found her sentimental words rather irksome.
But he still had to humor Ning Wanshuang, putting his arm around her slim shoulders and gently replying:
"I remember, I remember it all."
At that moment,
Xiao Jingheng suddenly heard the sound of commotion and argument coming from outside the palace halls.
He knew it must be Yan Hong leading the soldiers to break in!
Xiao Jingheng was overjoyed. Instinctively, he pushed Ning Wanshuang away from his embrace, throwing off the covers and excitedly shouting:
"Wanshuang, did you hear that? It's Yan Hong! He has come to save me!"
As he stepped onto the floor with one foot, he felt as if he were stepping on cotton, unable to exert any force.
He quickly turned back to Ning Wanshuang with a smile, saying:
"Wanshuang, help me up! I need to... cough... cough cough..."
As he spoke, Xiao Jingheng felt a violent, unbearable pain wrenching his stomach, causing him to cough uncontrollably while covering his mouth.
Suddenly, he became alarmed by the ominous warmth and moisture seeping into his cupped palm.
Slowly, he moved his hand away to look down,
finally seeing the glaring splash of red spreading across his palm.
His heart skipped a beat as he looked up at Ning Wanshuang in shock, his lips trembling as he uttered:
"Wan... Wanshuang?"
"Does it hurt?" Ning Wanshuang asked with concern, then very calmly picked up the bowl and cup that Xiao Jingheng had placed on the small table earlier.
She presented them before Xiao Jingheng, swirling them slightly, and said in a flat tone:
"This concubine forgot to tell Your Majesty, I added a lethal dose of realgar to the water."
