The Blind Concubine with a ‘thump’ fell to kneel down on the ground. His head hit the icy cold and hard surface of the earth, “It is me who has wronged Your Majesty. I had committed a sin. Your Majesty, please, just punish me. Please let them go.”
The Emperor’s face appeared with a layer of icy cold expression. He articulated his words in a slow speech: “To secretly run away to the outside of the Palace, you will not end up with a light charge. No need to beg! I will also punish you, what are you worried for?”
He waved his sleeve, immediately, there were two imperial bodyguards who stepped forward. One from the right, one from the left, they pulled the Blind Concubine up from the ground and dragged him to the gate.
Jue Yu flew into a rage: “Rui Xuan!! What do you take my place as?!!”
The Emperor’s face sank like water. His pitch black pupil darkened as if bottomless, “Jue Yu. I was taking into account the feelings of the Former Emperor so I give you a way out by treating you leniently. Don’t push your luck! If I wanted to destroy your small Pear Garden, it would be as easy as turning my hand. The Former Emperor had formed some kind of pledge with your father. Definitely not with me. You certainly understand, don’t you!”
His words were filled with rage. His face had also turned livid with rage. He turned his body and strode out of the garden.
The Blind Concubine hung his head so deeply like he couldn’t lift it up anymore. Blood was seeping out from his forehead. His originally plain but neat clothes had been covered in dirt. He was being fuddled while being brought down the mountain. His hands and his legs was being shackled by black and icy cold chains, just like that, he was thrown in the horse carriage.
The Emperor opened the curtain and entered the carriage as well. He said lightly to the carriage driver: “Go!”
The carriage slowly moved forward. The wheel grinded as it weighed down on sharp pointed rocks, then swayed violently.
The Blind Concubine couldn’t bear it, he closed his eyes and stretched his hands to cover his ears. He curled up his body in a form of a ball.
The Emperor’s face had still looked angry. Firmly, he jerked the hands and threw them down, “You make this kind of pitiful appearance, for whom?”
The Blind Concubine only shook his head, he tried hard to restrain his tears from falling down.
The Emperor spoke again: “I hold you dear, I do whatever for you. You actually commit this kind of shameless affair, who gave you the nerve?!” The last sentence was spoken with the utmost weight, as if the words were squeezed out from the space between his teeth.
The Blind Concubine, from head to toe, trembled greatly. He forced himself to get up and kneel before the Emperor. “It was me who caused the trouble. General Qi took me out of the Palace, I admit my wrong doing…..” He bumped his head on the carriage floor and made a thumping sound.
When he lifted up his face, a thread of fresh blood was zigzagging like a centipede crawling down his face to the corner of his mouth.
His face was ghastly pale. His eyes were ashen and dimmed. The entirety of his face was completely lacking of the blood color. There was only the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth which was horrible to see as it astonished the heart.
The Emperor unexpectedly pushed him away, “I will never believe you again!”
The Blind Concubine’s face was filled with despair seemingly already giving up all the hope. His body gradually slid down, slanted to the side, silent with no more words.
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After several days, the large troops finally arrived at the Capital.
Xiao Bao was in the middle of feeding the two red-billed leiothrix birds when he suddenly heard voices passing by from the front gate. It was a kind of clamoring voice. His heart skipped a beat. Hurriedly he put down the birds’ food in his hand, then with lightning speed, he ran over to eavesdrop.
On the corner of a certain place, several of the Palace’s maidens gathered and talked in a whisper. Xiao Bao carefully inched closer as he cautiously walked along the wall’s side while sticking his ears out for better listening.
“Did you know? His Majesty has come back to the Capital today.”
“The guards on the gate duty said, they brought back the Blind Concubine who absconded from the Palace.”
“You guys didn’t see the Emperor’s face color. It was so dark to the point of being similar with the bottom of the pot. Frightened the front Palace’s servants, even they didn’t dare to bring in the tea.”