Scent Of Time

Chapter 53

Because he was so close, his breath puffed onto my forehead as he spoke. I raised my hand to push him, but he didn’t move. I looked at the bright yellow sash that was extremely close to me before I said, “Your Majesty, you’re too close to me, aren’t you?”

Zhong Xiwu spoke emotionlessly, “Are you trying to push me away again?”

I heard the words and looked up at him. He was caught off guard by my movements, and awkwardness colored his face because we were too close. When I raised my head, my lips almost brushed his jaw. Ultimately, he released his hand and stepped back a few steps, “Say, why did you come here today? Plead for mercy for that guard of yours?”

“No.” I pulled a letter from my arms, “I came to make a deal with the Emperor.”

Zhong Xiwu stared at me. I took a few more steps closer before reaching out and handing the letter over. When Zhong Xiwu took it and opened it, his face was no longer annoyed. His eyes shook as he looked at me, “Who gave it to you?”

“If the Emperor spares my guard, I can pretend I’ve never seen this letter and forget all the words I said before. From now on, I will not pursue Hua Shen’s matter. It all depends on your decision,” I replied.

After a long time without hearing an answer, I raised my eyes to see Zhong Xiwu looking at me with darkened eyes: “You actually believe this letter and used it to make a deal? Is that guard so important to you?”

“It’s not important, but I don’t have many people around me who treat me sincerely, so I’ll cherish the ones who are good to me,” I answered.

“Then what about me? Did you never see how I treat you?” Zhong Xiwu approached, and I took a step back instead.

“What can I do if I see it? Isn’t there always something more important in the Emperor’s heart?” I smiled.

“I just ……”

“Your Majesty doesn’t need to explain to me; I didn’t come here today for this matter either.” I interrupted him again.

I saw Zhong Xiwu’s fingers whitening as he pinched the letter before I heard his voice: “Your guard harmed the other first. How can you decide on this matter?”

I lowered my head before I spoke: “Hua Rongzhou did have faults, but it was not worth his life. He was a young man who suffered a lot of torture. It is normal to have unsatisfactory ends meet. Merchant Li harmed countless children, and even his family did not want Hua Rongzhou to pay for his life. Why did the Emperor force them to come?”

“Young? You indeed believe whatever he says.” Zhong Xiwu’s voice was sarcastic: “Does being young mean one doesn’t need to take responsibility for what one did? Even if Li deserved his death, Qi Rongzhou has more than one life in his hands.”

“Does the Emperor mean everyone must take responsibility for their actions?” I looked up at him.

Zhong Xiwu pursed the corners of his lips and didn’t say anything. Still, I felt that it was a bit funny at this point: “Noble Consort Qi sent someone to kill me, and it ended up harming my elder brother’s life. If His Majesty is pursuing fairness and impartiality, why did you suppress this matter and not let me know? Why is it that powerful people can exercise discretion when they kill someone, but civilians can only pay with their lives?”

Nevertheless, I uncovered our dishonesty, revealing the scar. The letter that Mu Yao gave me was the same one he had in his hand today, which told him that the Qi family directed the men in black on that day. He always knew that Noble Consort Qi was among the masterminds behind the Mid Autumn Banquet, but he repeatedly obstructed my meeting with her. I know he must have reasons, but he wants to countervail; he tried to protect Noble Consort Qi and wanted to conceal it from me, so why should Hua Rongzhou be punished accordingly?

“Sometimes I wish you were dumber.” Zhong Xiwu spoke up and didn’t retort, “The Qi family will pay their share, I assure you, but not now. ”

I knew that the Qi family held military power, and disintegrating them took time. I knew the women in the harem each had their reason for existence, and one couldn’t touch them easily. I knew it wasn’t easy to be on top and couldn’t do everything they wanted. But knowing didn’t mean understanding; late justice was no different from without.

“The Emperor acts for ten thousand people and cannot be fair in everything, so ……” I kneeled down and said, “People are selfish. If the Emperor releases Qi Rongzhou, I will persuade my father to resign and return to his hometown, and I will never return to the capital to pursue this matter. ”

“You want to leave?” Zhong Xiwu slowly squatted down in front of me.

“Yes. Qi Rongzhou’s life exchange for my blame on Noble Consort Qi and my father’s resignation and return to his hometown is not a loss to His Majesty.”

Hua Shen did many evil things, but there was a time when I couldn’t watch from the sidelines as Mu Yao framed him. Knowing the truth of his murder, I wanted to make Noble Consort Qi pay for her life at all costs, and this thought was something I’d outwardly revealed in front of a lot of people. I knew that this world was unfair and that paying with one’s life was only for powerless people. I knew that here, human feelings override the law. Hua Rongzhou had protected me from countless dangers. I couldn’t disregard his sincerity to me. People’s hearts were flesh; even dripping water could penetrate stones. I knew how he treated me from the first time we met. Since this world is inherently unfair, why should I be lenient to others while strict with myself? He has never taken the initiative to kill innocent people, and the law has never been able to take care of all the circumstances.

“I said I would not speculate about you, but you never believed it.” Zhong Xiwu got up and laughed, causing a dull ache in one’s heart. “Well, in that case, I will not waste my efforts. I will listen to you in everything—but if you want to leave—it’s absolutely impossible.”

Zhong Xiwu’s voice was a bit cold. I raised my head to meet his eyes, only to feel chills all over my body. Although he had always been gentle and courteous, he was the Emperor, and Zhong Yelan was still his blood brother. His bones were still vicious like those of royal lineage.

“What does the Emperor mean by this?” I couldn’t help but clench my palms.

I saw him walk towards the desk and rummage through for a long time before throwing a small box at me. Puzzled, I reached out and opened it, and I felt like falling into an ice hole. Inside were all of the evidence of Hua Xiang’s crimes that I had previously searched. I had looked at these things countless times, so they were naturally familiar to me, and there was no need to look at them in detail.

“Yin Xing is your person.” It was an affirmative sentence.

Zhong Xiwu was silent, and my heart felt empty, “You just said that I don’t believe you, but you have planted a person by my side.”

I have always been defensive, and it wasn’t easy to trust others, so only Qian Zhi and Yin Xing had access to my dressing table. The dressing table has numerous jewelry boxes, and people usually don’t rummage through them. Before the divorce, Yin Xing lured me to bump into Zhong Yelan and Mu Yao’s meeting scenes, and whenever I went out, I would meet Zhong Xiwu. Although I think it was strange, I never put it on the heart. But this step– out of the unexpected chess, made me like falling into the ice.

“I know you won’t believe me no matter what I say. But it won’t be easy for you and Hua Xiang to leave the capital.” Zhong Xiwu said.

“It’s true. All of these crimes can cause our nine generations to be executed; how about the Emperor grant me a death?”

Zhong Xiwu walked to me and pulled me up, “You already know what I think. Why do you still say such words to stab me?”

“I know what you think?” I looked at him as if I were seeing him for the first time. “Zhong Xiwu, I never know what you think.”

Zhong Xiwu looked at me for a long time before loosening his grip and saying, “I am not giving you this evidence to ask you to confess your crimes.”

“Then why?”

“You just said …… exchange the matter of Noble Consort Qi for the safety of your guard, it’s fine. Then, if you want to exchange for Minister Hua’s safety, you will personally come and expose this evidence.” Zhong Xiwu said.

A surprising calmness instantly appeared in my heart, and no more waves in my hesitation. My hesitation had disappeared cleanly at this time. My fingers cut shallow traces on the box: “Why do you want me to do it? Didn’t the Emperor already hold the evidence in hand?”

Zhong Xiwu looked at me with bright and clear eyes, making it impossible for me to see its actual color: “You will know. On the fifth day next month, if you publicly announce this evidence at the Palace Banquet, I will spare Hua Clan’s lives.”

Are you afraid that if you expose Hua Xiang’s sins in court, countless parties will support him? So to have me — his daughter do it so that no one could refute it.

I laughed, “The Emperor is playing child’s play. You pardon and punish people at will.”

“Qianqian…..” Zhong Xiwu seemed to want to pull me. I side-stepped and dodged. His hand was hanging in mid-air pitifully.

I hung my head and said, “I’ll rely on your words. Then, I will pick up Hua Rongzhou from prison now. I’ll do as Your Majesty wishes on the fifth day of the next month. About Yin Xing, please call her back. I do not dare to use her again.” I got up and left, but I heard his voice behind me, “Qianqian, everything I do is to make you stand by my side.”

I didn’t reply and walked as if I hadn’t heard it. The sun outside was too blinding, illumining one’s hair.