kingnovel Chapter 175 2 Promises
Chapter 175 2 Promises
"Purification?"
Ji Anni subconsciously repeated Hua Rong's words, her mind unable to process the meaning of those two words for a moment.
"My Lady?"
Seeing Ji Anni was stunned, Huarong called out to her worriedly. Yizhen, who was standing beside her, also gently pushed Ji Anni's shoulder.
"Purification..."
As if she could only say these two words, Ji Anni repeated them again. But this time, she came back to her senses a little, and her eyes slowly shifted to Hua Rong's calm and gloomy face, and she muttered woodenly: "Is that so... Even Yun Zhen is leaving?... Even Yun Zhen... is leaving the palace?"
Empress Bao had just passed away, and Yun Zhen was also sent out of the palace. In this deep palace, the two people who were the best to her suddenly disappeared. She could not see or touch them. Even the bits and pieces of memories in her memory became like broken glass. If she touched them lightly, she would be stabbed by the sharp edges and bleed.
She subconsciously covered her heart, which hurt so much. An indescribable feeling of suffocation almost made Ji Anni stop breathing.
During this period of time, she couldn't sleep well at night because of the matter between Bao Niangniang and Yun Zhen.
I finally fell asleep, but was always awakened by ominous nightmares.
I thought those bloody dreams were scary enough, but after hearing the news of Concubine Baogui's death, I realized that the scariest thing was not the dream, but the reality. Because reality is the cruelest, most irresistible, and most difficult to face real nightmare.
On the first day of entering the palace, the yellow dress that Concubine Baogui gave her was still neatly stored in the closet. Every scene at that time was vividly presented in front of her eyes like a movie. She still remembered the voice and expression of Concubine Baogui when she held her hand intimately and spoke softly.
But now, everything has become an untouchable memory, destined to become dim and blurred as time goes by.
Ji Anni tried to force herself to remember everything about Concubine Baogui and never forget it - but this made her feel very painful.
Perhaps it was not until this moment that she truly understood what kind of pain and endurance was contained in Concubine Baogui's smile.
The beautiful smile of Concubine Baogui in my memory suddenly became unreal, like a hypocritical mask.
She was deceiving everyone in the world, and also deceiving herself.
I can keep pretending like this...
But that time, and only that time, Concubine Baogui couldn't help but reveal her disguise in front of Yun Zhen.
That time, only that time, he revealed his deepest true feelings to Yun Zhen.
But that was only the beginning of the bloodshed that followed.
Ji Anni closed her eyes in pain, but the phantoms of Baogui Fei and Yun Zhen kept flashing before her eyes.
Baogui Concubine has disappeared, what about Yun Zhen? ... What about Yun Zhen? What will Yun Zhen do after losing Baogui Concubine?
Ji Anni didn't dare to think about it. In fact, she had already prepared for the worst. She forced herself not to think too deeply and not to admit it.
“Your Majesty…Your Majesty…”
Hua Rong called out many times before finally calling Ji Anni back from her trance: "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. The Queen Mother did not expel the Imperial Master, but gave him three days to think about it. Maybe after three days... the Imperial Master will come back by himself..."
Although Hua Rong herself knew that the possibility of Yun Zhen returning to the palace was very small, she still said these words in an attempt to comfort Ji Anni.
Ji Anni laughed bitterly, shook her head and said, "No, no... He won't come back..."
“Your Majesty…”
“That’s enough!”
Ji Anni shouted at Hua Rong before she finished speaking. Everything she heard at this moment made her feel upset, so much so that she shouted at Hua Rong impatiently, "Enough, stop talking! What is he doing back here, to be a eunuch?"
Ji Anni's sudden roar stunned Huarong and Yizhen.
Yizhen looked at Ji Anni, then at Huarong. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to interrupt. In the end, she could only choose to remain silent.
Hua Rong took a deep breath, and her slightly pale face returned to normal. She said to Ji Anni, "Don't be angry, Madam. It was my fault for being so stupid..."
Ji Anni did not answer.
She could feel that there was no sincerity in Hua Rong's words but they were full of obedience to her.
Maybe I am really too impatient now, so Huarong goes along with me and accommodates me, fearing that I will make a mess in my haste?
"Xiao Zhao..."
Yizhen, who had been silent all the time, suddenly took out a small handkerchief and handed it to Ji Anni.
Ji Anni subconsciously touched the corner of her eyes, and suddenly realized that she had been crying.
I thought I could be stronger to face all this, but I failed.
The bad news came one after another, too suddenly. Before she could get over the news of Concubine Baogui's death, she had to face Yun Zhen's departure again.
The death of Concubine Baogui is a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed, but Yun Zhen...
But Yun Zhen...
Ji Anni's heart moved slightly.
Can I keep him? Am I really qualified to keep him?
Ten years ago, he entered the palace for Concubine Baogui;
Ten years later, Concubine Baogui passed away, and it seemed natural that he should also leave with her.
However, Ji Anni subconsciously clenched her fingers, and suddenly there was a dull pain in her hand...
A memory was gently touched and gradually emerged.
It was Yizhen's birthday, and Ji Anni wanted to hold a barbecue party to celebrate for Yizhen. Unexpectedly, Princess Tianning came uninvited, and after drinking, she insulted Concubine Baogui, and was slapped into the pond by Yun Zhen. That night, Yun Zhen and Ji Anni talked for a long time. They talked about Tianning, Concubine Baogui, and a promise about peach blossoms blooming outside the palace ten years ago.
Later, Ji Anni said she really wanted to go home.
Yun Zhen told her that it would be difficult for her to go back, but she could treat this place as her new home and herself as her family.
"Will you always be by my side?"
"I will always be by your side."
Yun Zhen's words at that time were spoken without any hesitation. Not only did they not have the heaviness of an oath, but they were so light that they sounded like a perfunctory response without any credibility.
When I heard this answer, I was so happy and relieved that I excitedly pulled Yun Zhen to swear an oath of blood and bit my finger first. And now the place where I feel a little bit of pain... is it the wound on my fingertips?
Thinking of this, a faint smile slowly appeared on Ji Anni's lips.
Yun Zhen...
The time has finally come for you to fulfill your vow which was not a vow.
You said you would be by my side... Maybe you don't remember, but I remember for you...
You said... You said in my ear...
I know what kind of existence Guibao Fei means to you, and I also know that I am no match for her...
The importance of your promise to her and your promise to me are so different that they cannot be compared at all.
Even though I know I'm overestimating my own abilities, I really, really... don't want to watch you leave.
Maybe I still need a little more time to prepare more courage. Otherwise I won't be able to face you and won't be able to ask you to stay.
But if I ask, will you stay for me? Even if you stay, how can I face the cruel castration?
I can't let you go easily, but I can't selfishly let you sacrifice yourself...
What kind of multiple-choice question is this? No matter what answer you give, you can't get a perfect score.
Ji Anni let out a weak sigh, and in the sigh, she heard Huarong's soft voice again.
"Your Highness, there is one more thing you must know... As I said just now, the Queen Mother has sent the Imperial Preceptor out of the palace, and the one who will perform the ritual for Baogui Concubine's soul-saving will be a Taoist priest invited from Taijue Temple. It seems that if the Imperial Preceptor decides to leave the palace, then Taijue Temple will replace the Imperial Preceptor. And this Taijue Temple..."
At this point, Hua Rong paused for a moment, looked at Ji Anni's expression, and said slowly, half hesitantly and half nervously, "And this Taoist priest from Tai Jue Temple told the Queen Mother a few months ago... that he dreamed of an evil spirit hovering above the palace, vaguely in the form of a fox demon. I'm afraid that soon... there will be a fox demon in the palace."
"Fox demon?" Ji Anni's eyes focused, these two words awakened her vigilance.
Hua Rong didn't know what the connection was between Ji Anni and the fox demon, but she reminded her from another perspective: "Your Majesty... Whether the fox demon rumor is true or false... If the Queen Mother really intends to let the Taoist priest who predicted that the fox demon would disrupt the palace serve as the Imperial Master, I'm afraid... they will make a big fuss about the death of Baogui Fei this time... Your Majesty, it's better to be careful..."