Broken Jade - Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Sheng Zhaoning did not know what she was feeling when she returned to the Sheng Residence.

Once again, she found herself trapped in a cage from which there seemed to be no escape.

Wei Yi always knew exactly where she was most vulnerable, and time after time, he used it to force her hand.

She was so tired.

Why, even after she had given up everything and had nothing left for him to exploit, did he still refuse to let her go?

If this was what he called love, she would rather have none of it.

The carriage slowly came to a halt.

“Whoa!” the coachman called from outside.

Sheng Zhaoning opened her eyes wearily and slowly rose, her limbs heavy.

Then the coachman’s voice came again.

“Ah, Crown Prince… This humble servant pays his respects to the Crown Prince!”

Her hand froze on the curtain.

She looked up in alarm. Through the half-raised curtain, her gaze met that of the man standing before the carriage.

She had seen that face in countless dreams, each time more vivid in her heart. Yet now that he was truly before her again, Sheng Zhaoning almost failed to recognize him.

Beneath the hazy moonlight, Wei Heng stood quietly in front of the carriage, dressed in a moon-white robe. He had grown terribly thin, reduced almost to skin and bone. Only his eyes remained unchanged, as clear and gentle as ever.

Sheng Zhaoning’s eyes reddened at once.

“Ah Heng…” Her voice trembled.

At that one utterance, his longing burst through its restraints and engulfed him like a surging tide.

His eyes stung with emotion as Wei Heng strode toward her.

He reached for her just as she threw herself into his arms.

Their hearts collided with crushing force.

“Ningning.”

Even Wei Heng’s breath trembled with the emotion of regaining what he had thought lost.

The Eastern Palace guards tactfully averted their eyes and stood watch around them.

The coachman also bowed his head deeply, not daring to look up.

From the day Sheng Zhaoning’s identity had been exposed, nearly everyone had understood why Wei Heng had always protected her so fiercely.

No one had ever said it aloud.

Even the emperor had tacitly accepted it and never questioned him.

Sheng Zhaoning rested against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of pine resin that clung to him.

“How did you become so thin?”

Her arms encircled his waist, an almost imperceptible catch in her voice.

But in truth, she already knew.

To save her, Wei Heng had knelt in the pouring rain for an entire day and night. He had refused to let the Imperial Physician examine him and refused to eat, wagering his own life to win her the slimmest chance of survival.

He had been confined to the Eastern Palace and had only been released today.

The first thing he had done once the Eastern Palace’s restrictions were lifted was send a letter to the Sheng Mansion, asking to meet her.

Sometimes, she could not help wondering what she had ever done to deserve being cherished so deeply by another person.

How could she ever repay such devotion?

His arms tightened around her back, pressing her against him as though he were holding his entire world.

He did not answer her question. He did not want her feelings for him to be burdened with guilt and worry.

Before leaving, he had deliberately chosen a looser robe to conceal how gaunt he had become, yet she had seen through it at a glance.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s all over now,” he murmured with his eyes closed.

Everything she had been forced to hide, everything that had kept her perpetually poised at the edge of a precipice, had vanished.

She had crossed ten thousand mountains. From now on, she could finally live openly beneath the sun, with no need for caution or fear.

She would become Great Wei’s first female official.

She would carry all the acclaim and glory that came with it.

Within the imperial court, she would use her own place there to carve out a path toward justice and integrity.

After leaving Mingyue Pavilion, Sheng Zhaoning finally felt her unsteady heart settle firmly into place.

With Wei Heng, she could always find someone to lean on. She no longer had to walk alone through the night, enduring its endless darkness and desolation.

The carriage continued southward.

Thoughts of the departed on the Ghost Festival; memories of the departed beneath the lantern light.

Today was the Ghost Festival. Wei Heng had long since planned to take Sheng Zhaoning to the Imperial Ancestral Temple so they could honor his late mother together.

He had already decided that she would be the only one for him in this life.

He wanted to take her to meet his Mother-Consort.

Holding her hand, Wei Heng entered the temple with her. They lit incense, knelt for a long while, and paid their respects.

The scent of incense in the Imperial Ancestral Temple clung to their hair and drifted across their faces.

The sound of sutras being chanted echoed from all directions.

Wisps of blue smoke curled above the incense burner. Through the haze, Sheng Zhaoning raised her eyes to the memorial tablet enshrined high above. The emotions in her gaze were too complicated to decipher.

The conversation between Wei Chengjun and the emperor in Mingluan Palace still rang in her ears.

The Emperor of Wei had granted Consort Mei the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a privilege reserved for the Emperor and Empress, yet he had never once considered what she truly wanted. He had taken everything from her and imprisoned her in the depths of the palace for eight years.

Even under such circumstances, she had never directed any of her resentment at Wei Heng.

She had been gentle, yet strong.

With all the forbearance she possessed, she had dissolved her hatred and transformed it into a profound love, giving it all to Wei Heng.

That love had raised him into the man he was today.

And now Wei Heng returned that love to Sheng Zhaoning without reservation.

Every trace of warmth and kindness Sheng Zhaoning had received was inextricably linked to Consort Mei.

She bowed deeply, filled with both gratitude and regret.

Once again, she lamented the fickleness of fate.

…

Several eternal lamps had been lit in the Imperial Ancestral Temple for Ghost Festival Night.

Before they left, an altar official presented each of them with a river lantern.

“Crown Prince, Lord Sheng, tonight is the Ghost Festival, when the departed return to the mortal world. I offer these river lanterns in hopes that Your Graces’ misfortunes will be carried eastward with the current, and that your ancestors may fulfill their lingering wishes and cross the River of Forgetfulness soon.”

Lotus-shaped lanterns settled into their palms.

Sheng Zhaoning inclined her head in thanks.

After leaving the Imperial Ancestral Temple, they happened upon the City God’s procession. Flags and gongs led the way, followed by a vast, imposing retinue.

Acrobats and opera performers along the streets drew passersby to a halt. Brilliant red banners fluttered overhead as the crowd surged below, applause and cheers rising one after another. The streets were alive with excitement.

Sky lanterns floated upward one by one, their flames illuminating the distant Capital.

Wei Heng and Sheng Zhaoning did not take a carriage. Instead, they walked side by side.

A river flowed east beneath Queqiao, dotted with countless lanterns. Along the bank, people prayed devoutly, lighting the way for departed souls.

Two lotus lanterns joined the glowing current.

Sheng Zhaoning watched her lantern drift away, carried eastward until it dwindled into a tiny point of light and finally vanished from sight.

She sat on the stone steps and watched Wei Heng close his eyes in solemn prayer, though she did not know what he was praying for.

A sudden pang of guilt rose within her.

She had been deceiving him ever since their first meeting.

Her identity was false, and she had come to the Capital with a purpose she could reveal to no one.

Then there were the grudges of the previous generation that she had discovered by chance.

It seemed that everyone wore a false mask around him. Whether it was familial affection or romantic love, everything surrounding him was built on deception.

He had spent his entire life trapped in those lies, never once touching the truth.

Sheng Zhaoning did not want to hide anything else from him.

Even if exposing everything condemned her beyond redemption, she no longer wanted to deceive him.

“Wei Heng,” Sheng Zhaoning called softly.

Wei Heng opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

As always, he answered her at once.

“Yes?”

He was there.

An invisible hand seemed to close around her heart. Sheng Zhaoning’s breath faltered, and pain surfaced between her slightly furrowed brows.

She met his gaze, torn between reluctance and fear.

If he learned the truth, would he be able to bear it?

He would learn that the person beside him now had once been his enemy, intent on killing him.

Everything beautiful that seemed to surround him was, in truth, unbearably ugly beneath the surface.