Chapter 215: Meeting Prince Zhuang
Yun Chu had visited the Hundred Flowers Pavilion when she was very young.
But that was in her previous life. After so many years, she had long forgotten the way to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
As she followed the young eunuch, she grew increasingly uneasy.
"Miss Yun, just around here. The consorts must have arrived long ago," the eunuch said, leading her to a palace ahead.
Yun Chu saw it was a main hall, its entrance adorned with chrysanthemums of various colors swaying in the autumn breeze.
Her memory of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion didn't match this scene.
She halted, her gaze sharp as she stared at the eunuch. "Are you truly from the Empress's palace?"
The eunuch's expression suddenly shifted.
He shoved Yun Chu violently. Stumbling over the threshold, she fell inside the palace gates.
Ting Xue rushed over to help her up.
The short sword hidden in her sleeve was instantly drawn. Pressing the red button, a hidden weapon shot toward the eunuch's face with a whoosh.
The eunuch blocked with his hand, but the projectile pierced straight through his palm.
Ignoring his injury, he stepped forward and slammed the palace gates shut, locking them with a heavy clang.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Miss?" Ting Xue quickly checked Yun Chu over.
Yun Chu shook her head, sighing regretfully. "What a waste of that hidden weapon."
She only had three in total—it was truly a pity.
Ting Xue scanned their surroundings. "This palace seems long abandoned. Let me see if there are any chairs or something we can use to climb out."
Yun Chu gestured for her to stop.
The eunuch had locked her in this deserted palace and left so confidently—he must have had a reason.
Something was likely hidden within these walls.
Gripping her short sword, she looked up at the imposing hall. From the sunlit outside, the interior appeared pitch black, like a bottomless maw in the night, evoking boundless fear.
Having died once, Yun Chu naturally feared none of this.
But she wasn't foolish enough to charge straight up the steps into the hall.
She cautiously skirted the main entrance, moving slowly toward the rear where thick trees grew. Perhaps they could use them to escape first.
Reaching the back, she found it blooming with chrysanthemums, strikingly vibrant.
"Miss, I think I hear something..." Ting Xue whispered.
Yun Chu had heard it too and signaled for silence.
She had Ting Xue stay put while she edged along the palace wall. The sound grew clearer—the trickle of flowing water.
Rounding the wall, she saw a man in the backyard pavilion, drinking alone, cup after cup.
The strong scent of wine reached her.
She frowned slightly.
Had the eunuch brought her here to stage a compromising encounter with this drunken man and ruin her reputation?
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The man suddenly stood and walked toward Yun Chu's direction.
She held her breath, finger poised on the hidden weapon, ready to strike.
But the man stopped before the palace wall and poured his cup of wine over the chrysanthemums blooming vigorously along it.
"How... how should I proceed?!"
He raised his hand and smashed the cup against the wall with a crash.
Shards of porcelain flew, nearly hitting Yun Chu's face.
Her expression remained unchanged as she continued observing the man.The man was dressed in opulent robes, his hair bound by a rare mutton-fat jade crown, and a jade pendant hung at his waist—one she recognized as exclusive to the imperial family.
She knew all the princes, and the uncles of the current emperor were not in the capital. Who was this man?
Yun Chu studied his appearance: he seemed gaunt, with a pallid complexion that suggested chronic illness... Wait, wasn't there a sickly figure in the imperial family?
The legitimate son of the former Crown Prince, now the Empress Dowager's only surviving grandson—Prince Zhuang, Chu Rui.
Could this be Prince Zhuang?
Disbelief washed over Yun Chu's face.
Who had schemed to bring her and Prince Zhuang together, and for what purpose?
"Swish!"
As she pondered, the man merely three steps away suddenly drew the sword at his waist.
She assumed Prince Zhuang had discovered her presence.
But instead, he pressed the blade against his own wrist, slowly, deliberately slicing downward.
Blood immediately welled up, dripping onto the vibrant autumn chrysanthemums.
He continued to press the blade deeper.
Yun Chu could no longer remain hidden.
If Prince Zhuang died before her eyes, she could never clear her name even if she plunged into the Yellow River.
She sprang to her feet.
Chu Rui, standing before the palace wall, froze.
His gaze settled on Yun Chu's face as he murmured, "Elder Sister... you've finally returned..."
Yun Chu recalled her mother mentioning that the former Crown Prince had a legitimate daughter. After his death and the current emperor's ascension, the former Crown Princess had lived in this palace with her son and daughter.
Not long after, the former Crown Princess passed away.
Few knew when the princess had died.
"Elder Sister, Rui'er missed you so much..." Tears streamed down Chu Rui's face. "I've finally resolved to join you, Elder Sister. Wait for me!"
As he spoke, he raised the sword to his neck.
"Prince Zhuang!" Yun Chu cried out, then quickly corrected herself, "Rui'er, I am your elder sister. I came to see you. I won't allow you to harm yourself. Give the sword to me, please..."
Her gentle tone made Chu Rui completely lower his guard.
He reached out, slowly touching Yun Chu's cheek. Upon feeling solid warmth, his expression shifted to astonishment.
Then, the drunken haze in his eyes partially cleared as he sobered: "You are not my elder sister!"
Seizing the opportunity, Yun Chu snatched the sword from his hand and bowed. "Greetings, Prince Zhuang. I am Yun Chu, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family. Forgive my presumption in this urgent situation."
Chu Rui's face darkened like storm clouds. "You... have insulted my elder sister! What punishment do you deserve?"
As he spoke, blood continued to drip from his wrist.
Yun Chu gestured behind her, and Ting Xue immediately handed over a handkerchief. She bent down, tying it tightly around Chu Rui's wrist to staunch the bleeding.
"Indeed, I have overstepped," Yun Chu said, looking up at him. "Our bodies are gifts from our parents. No matter what, Your Highness should not harm yourself. Moreover, the Empress Dowager is advanced in years. If anything were to happen to you, she would likely..."
In her previous life, Prince Zhuang had indeed died young—around the time the Yun family's turmoil settled—sacrificing himself to plead for the Empress Dowager's life.
It mattered little when this man died, but he could not die before her eyes.
She had too much of her future left to live, and she would not let herself be dragged into such quagmires.
Chu Rui's lips pressed into a taut line.He lived because of the Empress Dowager.
And because of the Empress Dowager, he wished to die.
Life was far too contradictory.
"Can one not die even when despising everything in the present?" Chu Rui's voice carried a hollow emptiness. "What meaning is there in clinging to a shameful existence for a lifetime?"
"If you despise it, then abandon it." Yun Chu looked directly at him. "Loss always brings gain. By letting go of what should not be yours, you may obtain something unexpected. Why not give it a try, Your Highness?"
"Loss always brings gain... loss always brings gain..."
Chu Rui murmured.
Then, he suddenly turned to Yun Chu: "Why are you here? This is no place to be—leave quickly!"
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