Chapter 217: A rotting petal
The guards outside flinched involuntarily when they heard the loud strike of a palm against someone’s cheek. No doubt they knew who was doing the hitting.
Crown Prince Zhao cradled his cheek as he watched his mother with wide eyes, a smirk already capturing the bottom half of his nose. "Looks like I hit a nerve, my beloved mother." He let his hand fall to his side, "my since apologies, I didn’t mean to upset you with the truth."
"Of course," Empress Lihua replied with a smile. "Han Shuying won’t be visiting you anymore. I’ll advise you to cut off whatever ideas she has put into your head."
"What?"
Empress Lihua gave him an even sweeter smile. "Behave yourself once and I’ll think about letting you out of this..." she looked around his room like it was dirt, "chamber."
"You have no right to lock me up!" Zhao Chen followed her as she walked back to the door. "I am the crown—"
Empress Lihua turned so fast Zhao Chen almost bumped into her.
"And who is the reason you bear the title you seem to value so much?" she asked him with a raised brow. "You might be stupid but at least learn some gratitude while you’re here."
It wasn’t that Zhao Chen was ungrateful. He would’ve just preferred to have a normal loving family than the nightmare he was currently living in.
"I didn’t ask for it," was his only comeback. "Besides...that’s a very poor excuse for being a very awful mother."
The second slap was expected. Zhao Chen didn’t even flinch as he stared into the dark eyes that were a mirror of his own. Fate really was a terrible thing.
"A couple more weeks locked in might help that brain of yours." Empress Lihua turned and stormed out of the room.
"If anyone else manages to get past this door," she glared at the guards, "you’ll lose both your heads!" She didn’t wait for them to acknowledge her words before she stormed down the corridor, mumbling words under her breath.
What the hell was Han Shuying trying to do? She didn’t want to believe she was planning to help the triplets and ultimately betray her.
Han Shuying who didn’t care about anyone else but her. Han Shuying who had looked at her with those wide round eyes and begged for the Empress not to abandon her.
Something must’ve happened back in Ashen Fortress.
Instead of heading back to her residence, Empress Lihua turned down the bath that led to Han Shuying’s residence.
As expected Han Shuying wasn’t in her chamber.
Empress Lihua nodded at the maids outside the room before letting herself in.
As usual the faint scent of a peony just after rain, soft and intoxicating clung to the space. It carried the sweetness of petals warmed by the faint freshness of dew clinging to their edges.
There was something almost innocent about it that contrasted with Han Shuying’s dark nature. That was what Empress Lihua liked the most about her.
She let her fingers run along the surface of her bed, humming a soft tune under her breath. Han Shuying’s scent always calmed her down, which was laughable because she was also the source of anger.
Empress Lihua was about to turn when she caught sight of a brown scroll peeking out from under the bed. She reached down to pick it up when she heard the sound of the door opening.
"What are you doing here?" Han Shuying’s voice bounced around the walls of her room. She cleared her throat, eyes tracing the scroll Empress Lihua had been about to pick up. "You could’ve summoned me if you wanted to see me."
Empress Lihua stood straight. "Are you not happy to see me?" she asked with a slight tilt to her head.
Han Shuying knew she didn’t have to pretend with the Empress. Their relationship was the only transparent thing about the two women.
"I see you’ve already met with Zhao Chen," Han Shuying answered, walking over to where the Empress was standing. She picked up the scroll from under the bed and put it away.
She looked at the Empress when she didn’t get any response and touched her cheek with her knuckles. "You’re angry."
"What is going on in your head?" Empress Lihua asked, leaning into her touch. "You’ve never hidden anything from me before."
Han Shuying rubbed her cheek, her face blank. "Do you trust me?" Her voice was soft, gently tearing at the Empress Lihua’s emotional defense.
Han Shuying searched her eyes before putting their foreheads together, prompting the Empress to answer.
"Yes." It was a breathless whisper from Empress Lihua but it was the truth. "I trust you. But you’re also meeting with Zhao Chen behind my back and it’s making me think there’s something you’re keeping from me."
"Anything I keep from you is for your own good," Han Shuying replied. "It might not look good for me at the moment, but I’m doing this for us. So I need you to keep trusting me no matter what happens." She pulled away and held Empress Lihua’s gaze. "Can you do that for me?"
Empress Lihua smiled despite the turmoil she felt inside. "At least tell me why you want the triplets to come back to the Capital." Tears threatened to gather at the corners of her eyes. "You know it’s going to threaten the very future I’ve worked so hard to give you."
For a moment it wasn’t the high and mighty Empress that stood in front of Han Shuying. But the small girl who had been born in an uncertain world that was both ruthless and cruel.
To her— Trust was a very fragile thing, one that she couldn’t afford. But with Han Shuying...she wanted to risk everything.
"That’s why I’m asking you to trust me." Han Shuying put a finger under Empress Lihua’s chin and raised her head so she could look at her. "The triplets will come back whether I have a hand in it or not. It’s just better to dictate the terms if I’m the one helping them."
Empress Lihua swallowed hard as she looked at Han Shuying.
The flower she’d so carefully grown was beginning to rot from the inside. And what was done to rotten flowers that no longer served the beauty of its purpose?