Chapter 35 Warm Sun in Winter

  "Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

  A man wearing a deep blue official uniform of the third rank imperial guard suddenly knelt on the ground, his face no longer had the humility and flattery of the past, revealing a sharp aura that only those who have been through life and death battles would possess.

  Qing Xia knew this man. He was under Xu Quan, the leader of the North Gate Guards, and usually followed behind Xu Quan with a flattering smile on his face, which made him look very annoying.

  Although he was already weak to the extreme, Qing Xia still forced himself to put the dagger on the man's neck and asked in a low voice: "Who sent you? What is your purpose?"

  "Please calm down, Your Highness. It's actually a Qi person."

  The man spoke in a low, calm voice, slowly raising his head to gaze directly into Qing Xia's eyes. A sharp glint flashed across his eyes, revealing a shrewd and capable individual. He pressed down on his voice, speaking softly: "Your Highness may not know me, but you must recognize the dancer Fran from Rong Xi Pavilion - she is my younger sister, who delivered a message to Your Highness last year."

  Her summer eyebrows rose slightly, and the sharpness in her eyes was fully exposed. Could it be that she was a spy sent by the Qi'an Sect?

  So that's what it was, Fran is the connection between Zhuang Qingxia and Qi An. Thinking of this, I recall that Ruo Xi Guan had requested to perform for Lan Ting Temple multiple times in the past half month, but was dismissed by Qing Xia as a ordinary palace servant trying to curry favor. It seems that Zhuang Qingxia is indeed Qi An's spy, without a doubt.

  "Your Highness, I have received news that the Crown Prince has returned safely to our country. You can rest assured. Additionally, the Crown Prince instructed me to tell you to endure for a little while longer and take care of your health. During the coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince of Chu, someone from our country will attend and we will definitely find a way to rescue you."

  Qing Xia faintly sheathed his dagger, and He Shun remained kneeling on the ground, continuing to say: "The prince's letter, please forgive me for being unable to bring it in safely, so I can only recite it orally. The prince said that he has already understood the cause and effect of the previous matter, and the small emotions he had never forgotten. The day of mutual guarding is right before our eyes, and I beg you, Your Majesty, to take good care of yourself."

  "Alright, I understand." Qing Xia nodded slightly and slowly exhaled, her phoenix eyes scanning coldly at He Shun as she said in a low voice: "Also, please inform Qi An that from now on, consider Zhuang Qing Xia already dead. The last time was just returning a favor to him, after this, we owe each other nothing. As for you, no matter what happens in the future, don't come looking for me again, otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless. After all, I am still the princess of Nan Chu, and you also have family members left in the Chu palace. That's all I have to say, you take care of yourself, you may leave."

  He He was taken aback for a moment, but soon came to his senses. As an undercover agent, there were many things he shouldn't interfere with. He nodded solemnly and said, "I understand, Your Highness. I will report your words accurately to the prince. However, whether or not to come back and find you again is not up to me to decide. My family was harmed by the Chu people, and the prince is my benefactor who saved my life. Life and death are no longer a concern for me. I bid farewell."

  The room quickly fell silent, Qing Xia looked straight ahead, picked up the medicine bowl, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

  Under the solitary lamp, Qing Xia's shadow was faintly cast on the empty floor. The cold house had chilly winds blowing in from time to time.

  The next day, Qing Xia didn't wake up until noon. She knew her physical strength was being wildly overdrawn, but there was no way to turn this situation around. The current situation was a dead end, and without finding a breakthrough, there would be no way out.

  The messy courtyard from yesterday was somehow cleaned up, and the water tank at the corner of the house was also filled with water.

  Qing Xia must have done it in secret, and without thinking much about it, sat in the courtyard taking a deep breath.

  It's already winter, and the weather in the south is gloomy and humid, but the sunshine is still warm. Qing Xia feels weak all over, leaning against the sky well, slightly tilting her head back. The sunlight shines through her fingers onto her face, with a hint of haze.

  At this time, a faint rubbing sound suddenly came from the east, and in the dead silence of the courtyard, it was as if a stone had been thrown into a quiet lake. Qing Xia's alert head turned around, but no one was seen. Looking closely, only a thin blade of silver light appeared above the wall, and the sharp tip of the dagger slowly inserted along the edge of the green brick, suddenly, with a "ding" sound, a green brick fell down, and in the small square gap, the outside pale green dense forest was exposed.

  "Bang! Bang!" Two loud noises suddenly rang out!

  Qing Xia held her breath, and saw a slender hand slowly extending from the gap, and gently tapping on the surrounding walls.

  The palm is very large, slightly rough to the touch, and at a glance, it's clearly a man's hand. The hand feels around, seemingly not caring if Qing Xia discovers it, and even waves slightly before gently tapping on the wall.

  It's hard to tell friend from foe, and the behavior is strange enough. Qing Xia got up, pulled her skirt, moved her feet carefully, and quietly approached the hand, her body close to the wall, slowly getting closer to the hand.

  A withered branch suddenly made a cracking sound, and the embroidered shoe with a brocade sole stepped on it, breaking into two halves in an instant.

  The hand that had stretched out from the wall suddenly withdrew, and everything seemed like an illusion, leaving only a palm-sized hole, with a faintly visible green forest inside.

  Qing Xia leaned against the wall, her heart racing with uncertainty as she wondered what the stranger's intentions were. Just as she was guessing, that hand suddenly reached out again, but this time it was holding a bright red bottle.

  That person seemed to have already known that Qing Xia was on this side, tightly grasping the bottle and walked over in Qing Xia's direction. Very calm, without a hint of hostility. Qing Xia involuntarily stretched out her hand, slowly taking it over.

  Feeling the power in his hand, the other hand slowly loosened and was about to withdraw.

  Just then, Qing Xia suddenly stretched out her other hand and swiftly grabbed the person's hand with a force that was too quick to be dodged. With a slight exertion of strength, her small, delicate white palm followed the opponent's retreat and tightly grasped their hand in hers.

  The hand in his palm trembled slightly, and Qing Xia felt a faint sweat slowly seeping out from the person's palm.

  Two hands, like this, tightly grasped within the dark and deep walls.

  "Who are you?" Qing Xia leaned close to the entrance of the cave, carefully looked outside and asked in a low voice.

  But the person on that side didn't say a word, the hand held by Qing Xia had a hint of stiffness, with thick calluses between his long fingers, as if he was used to doing rough work, or as if he was accustomed to holding swords.

  Qing Xia raised her other hand, bringing the crimson bottle close to her nose, and a familiar medicinal scent wafted up, very similar to the soup medicine she had drunk last night.

  "Who is it?" A soft inquiry, but there was still no sound from the other side. At this time, a sudden footsteps came from the direction of the gate, Qing Xia knew that today's food delivery person had arrived.

  The person opposite seemed to have also heard the noise and was slightly anxious, gently pulling back a little.

  The footsteps were getting closer and closer, but the person didn't pull hard, just carefully probed a little, still letting Qing Xia hold on.

  The eunuchs in the dining hall gently knocked on the door and loudly shouted: "Your Majesty, the slave has entered!"

  The sound of unlocking came, and everything seemed to be slowing down its movements.

  Qing Xia knew that as long as the maidservant in the dining room came in, with more than 200 guards outside, the people on the other side of the wall couldn't fly even if they had wings. And that person didn't struggle to escape either, as if he had handed over his entire fate to Qing Xia's hands.

  A withered grass thicket transmitted the chirping of insects, and the sunlight at noon had a warm feeling in the cold wind. Qing Xia leaned against the wall, grasping a rough big hand, and finally slowly let go.

  "Your Ladyship, what are you doing standing there?" The maid asked loudly and without any fear, not showing the slightest bit of intimidation towards this imperial noblewoman. Everyone knew that this lady had already lost all hope of turning her situation around after offending Concubine Dan and angering the Crown Prince.

  Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she coldly motioned for the little maid to retreat. Her right hand quickly withdrew into her wide sleeve, and she stood by the wall, blocking the entrance behind her. In a cold voice, she said: "Put down your things and leave immediately."

  "They've all come to a place like this, what's the point of putting on airs?" The maid muttered softly, but it still clearly reached Qing Xia's ears. She didn't say anything, just coldly staring at this maid who was already showing signs of being mercenary at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

  The maid rudely placed the food box on the stone tray in the courtyard and didn't even bring things in, turned around and walked out of the gate, slamming it shut with a loud bang as she left.

  When she heard the sound of the door being locked, Qing Xia slowly turned around, only to see that the hole was gone. The green bricks that had been dismantled were once again used to block it up, and if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't be able to notice any signs of movement. A thin line slowly descended from a gap in the wall, with a package wrapped in oil paper hanging below it. It was hidden deep within the dense weeds, and unless you walked close by, you wouldn't have discovered it.

  Qing Xia leaned against the wall and slowly crouched down, picked up the oil paper package, and slowly opened it layer by layer.

  A package of densely packed Chinese medicine, not yet decocted, with each herb labeled in tiny characters with its name and properties, the handwriting strong and vigorous. It's hard to imagine a man who normally writes like this could write such small characters. Qing Xia picked up the package of herbs and sniffed it at the tip of her nose, and indeed it smelled just like the herbs in the bottle.

  She knew that the other party did not expect Qing Xia to decoct the medicine herself, and the purpose of doing so was only to make her feel at ease and dispel any worries about the medicine being poisonous.

  Playing with the crimson bottle, Qing Xia leaned to the left in the withered yellow grass thicket. The warm sunlight at noon didn't feel like winter at all. It had been a long time since she last ate something. A tempting aroma suddenly rushed into Qing Xia's nostrils, and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked down. Underneath the oiled paper package was another small package. When opened, it revealed steaming hot and fragrant beef.

  The warmth on his palm flowed through his fingers into Qing Xia's heart. On the horizon, a cloud was as white as snow.