雨露均沾 Sharing Rain and Dew – Chapter 4 : I think, the Emperor is very dangerous

I knew it!

Bored to death, I changed the hand that was supporting my head. Turning my eyes, I saw LePing walking over, smiling. Suddenly I wanted to hit my head against the table. LePing is the Emperor’s personal Internal Supervisor. He will only appear here for one reason – the Emperor is going to pass by Hai Qing Pavilion again. That’s right! Promising me that “I can eat whatever I want to eat, I can eat how much I want to eat”, all are to be done under his watch! Biting the chopsticks, I sat there sustaining low (blood) pressure.

Duan Ming Zhang looked like he’s having a good mood, even greeted me, “Huai Zhen, why are you not moving your chopsticks?”

Immediately I let go of the chopsticks hanging at my teeth. But I forgot to catch it with my hand. Clattering sound of ‘pilipala’, the ebony chopsticks with silver inlaid with ivory dropped on the table. Knocking the stew in front me causing it to flip over, splashing the whole table with the soup. Some fell on the my clothes but I have yet to rub it off, immediately stood up to apologize, “This servant has been discourteous.”

Duan Ming Zhang waved his hands, “Zhen think Huai Zhen most probably have not completely woke up, still busy zoning out on the dining table.”

My face was burning with heat, LePing went busy to escort me to change clothes. I quickly said, “No need, no need. Only splashed with a bit of soup, I can just wipe it a bit and it’ll be all right.”

Duan Ming Zhang looked at me and smiled, “You can wait until you finished changing then come back. But the dishes are getting cold, or how about you just eat it first ba.”

“LePing, bring this to let Marquis ChangAn eat.”

He pointed at the shark fin soup in front of him, seems like the one he ate every day. But at this point, I don’t feel like revering before his Grace so I just gave my thanks, and sat down to eat. The moment the first bite of soup entered the throat, something felt slippery…
Afterwards, I don’t know what happened. I was poisoned. The poison was placed inside the bowl of shark fin soup which was originally meant for the Emperor. I heard that Duan Ming Zhang was very angry, he went furious like the thunder regarding this matter. But it’s a pity that I didn’t get to see it. When I woke up, I only saw from a distance, him bending over the table, dozing off with a side of his face facing me. His eyebrows covered by the hair at his temples, so charismatic, pure and handsome. He was really good-looking, even though he is the Emperor, he still looked good….

Opening my eyes to stare at him for a while, I can’t help but yawned again and went back to sleep. Later, I was woken up by Duan Ming Zhang. When I opened my eyes again, I found that his hand was touching my face. His action seemed to be in the middle of parting the hair on my forehead that was stuck to my face due to sweat. I was so surprised, nearly causing me to immediately roll and crawl out of the bed to kneel down to him. But Duan Ming Zhang didn’t asked me to kneel.

He only sullenly said to me, “Huai Zhen, I will certainly find out the person who put the poison, I won’t let you suffer in vain.”

Then suddenly a flash of thought ran past my mind, “Your Majesty, the poison was placed in the your soup!”

Caressing my head, he replied, “Yes, and you suffered on Zhen’s behalf.”

I finally found the breakthrough point, immediately put on some effort to persuade him, “Someone actually dare to poison the Emperor, I think someone must have rebelling thoughts so they took this risk out of desperation.”

Seeing him pondered about my words, I carried on with my persistent efforts, “Now that the army went out to the battlefield, the Capital’s defense is vulnerable. Your Majesty, you must be cautious and vigilant. You must not let the villain get through any gaps in your defense!”

I nagged him during the day, nagged him during the night, nagged him the moment I saw him. All these nagging was just to persuade him to take strict precautions against rioting officials and their plots for rebellion. Guessed I tired Duan Ming Zhang to death, because he reluctantly asked, “Huai Zhen really that worried about Zhen’s safety?”

Of course I am, my life is all tied up to the safety of you one person ah. I nodded like a small chick pecking rice.

“But this time when they harmed Zhen, it wasn’t because someone was planning to rebel.”

“……” What?!

Duan Ming Zhang clapped his hands, and two guards came in, dragging a person with them. The autumn wind breezed through, blowing the messy stray hairs up from his face. Suddenly, I felt like I was stabbed by an almost red-hot glare. Can’t help but stared with wide open eyes. Is that ….. Lu GuiQing?

“The poison was placed by Lu ZiWei. He wasn’t trying to rebel, he just wanted my life.” Duan Ming Zhang said lightly. [Note : Lu ZiWei is Male Consort Lu’s full name.]

He clapped his hands again, and the guards took away Lu GuiQing, no… Lu ZiWei who was suffering injuries all over his body.

I stayed rooted at the same place, almost in disbelief. That…. that noble young man who used to wear brocade clothing and gave off the feeling of unattached and at leisure, the only male concubine in the Emperor’s harem, and the person just now. The badly messed up man who glared at me with a blaming and poisonous stare…
Are they really the same person? I still remembered from the previous life, he played a song with a bamboo flute then said, “No matter what, I am the most special one by the Emperor’s side.” At that time, the smile at the corner of his lips was shining bright like the moon. This kind of person, if not for love….

I lowered my head. After that, I asked Duan Ming Zhang to let me see Lu GuiQing. He sat in his cell, and a glass of wine was placed in front of him. Seeing me, he didn’t even turned his head, but unthinkingly said a sentence.

“A word of love, is not comparing who is taking it more seriously than the other, but to see who is actually taking who seriously.”

He did not hesitate, throwing back his head and drunk the wine. My hands and feet went cold, and I turned my body away hastily and left, not daring to look back. I think I don’t really understand Lu GuiQing’s feeling. If you really loved someone, you can’t wait to die on their behalf, how can anyone bear to harm the other with poison?

….. Wait a minute.

I suddenly thought of a very, very, very serious problem. Poison was placed by Lu GuiQing, but not to start a rebellion. Then, then, then… all this while I faced with Duan Ming Zhang’s long-winded rambling, wouldn’t that all be useless work now?! Heavens, I want to cry a river…
Finished, I’m finished. After all these works, in the end still need to die ah!