Broken Jade - Chapter 146
Chapter 146
It was just past seven in the morning when Wei Yi returned to Changhua Hall.
He had deliberately brought the morning court session to an early close. By the time he returned, Sheng Zhaoning was having breakfast.
He had spent the past few nights in the study, only coming back twice to see her after she had fallen asleep.
Sheng Zhaoning had not seen him for several days. His sudden appearance seemed to catch her off guard, but she quickly recovered, lowered her eyes, and set down her chopsticks.
Wei Yi frowned, his heart sinking slightly.
Sure enough, now that she was clearheaded, she was back to ignoring him.
His budding anticipation vanished in an instant. His expression darkened, and even his footsteps grew heavy.
Wei Yi walked over to the table and sat down in silence.
“You…”
“You…”
They spoke at the same time.
Wei Yi paused and swallowed the rest of his words.
He turned to look at Sheng Zhaoning, saying nothing as he quietly waited for her to speak.
After a moment’s thought, Sheng Zhaoning decided not to ask him anything. Instead, she said to Tao Rui, “Bring another bowl and pair of chopsticks.”
Wei Yi’s gaze shifted. The gloom on his face instantly softened.
Tao Rui set another place at the table.
There was a wide variety of food, including several dishes Sheng Zhaoning usually enjoyed.
They were all too bland for Wei Yi’s taste.
Sheng Zhaoning pushed a bowl of sweet soup she did not want toward him.
“You eat this.”
Wei Yi’s fingers twitched. He stared at the bowl of longan soup she had pushed so naturally toward him, and a strange sensation crept into his heart.
It was completely unfamiliar.
He did not know how to describe it. It tempted him to lose himself in it, carrying a hint of sweetness.
Perhaps it could be called… sweetness?
He picked up the bowl of longan soup. Though he did not particularly like sweets, he finished every last drop.
Sheng Zhaoning had always had a poor appetite. She ate very little and set down her chopsticks after only a few bites.
Wei Yi always wanted her to eat more, but something suddenly occurred to him, and he forcibly swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Forget it. Better not say anything.
Sheng Zhaoning put down her chopsticks and waited quietly for him.
Wei Yi took a few perfunctory bites, then ordered the maids to clear away breakfast.
As usual, Zhao Quan brought the memorials into the bedchamber, including those that had been left in the study over the past two days.
The cold, oppressive atmosphere that had persisted for nearly half a month had finally eased. Zhao Quan could at last breathe a deep sigh of relief.
As far as he was concerned, if these two would just calm down and stop fighting each other openly and covertly to the bitter end, he would gladly burn incense and thank every god in heaven.
The small table that had stood beside the bed was removed as well.
After breakfast, Sheng Zhaoning simply sat on the bed, listless and lost in thought.
The chain around her wrist had yet to be unlocked.
The palace maids in Changhua Hall rarely dared speak to her. Without Wei Yi’s permission, no one dared bring her books or little trinkets to pass the time.
And so she could only sit there, shackled to the bed in suffocating boredom.
From dawn until nightfall.
Wei Yi’s heart suddenly clenched with pain.
For the past few days, he had been so consumed with suspicion, trying to discern her schemes and tricks, that he had once again forgotten to treat her well.
“Once the weather gets warmer, I’ll take you out of the palace,” Wei Yi said abruptly.
He watched Sheng Zhaoning slowly raise her eyes. A spark of light suddenly flickered within their deathly stillness.
“Don’t lie to me,” Sheng Zhaoning said, looking straight at him.
Wei Yi pursed his lips and looked away before murmuring, “I won’t.”
…
Wei Yi truly seemed to be taking her words, “Let’s make this work,” to heart.
The chain he had personally fastened around her wrist was now removed by his own hands.
Sheng Zhaoning had almost forgotten what freedom was supposed to feel like. When she pushed open the window again, a bone-chilling wind poured in, bringing with it a fresh, unfamiliar cold.
The bare apricot tree outside had only recently been transplanted. Unlike the plum tree, it was not in bloom yet; it would have to wait until the warmth of spring arrived.
Wei Yi sat at the nearby desk, reviewing memorials. Every so often, he glanced over to make sure she was still there.
She simply lowered the window and quietly curled up on the daybed with a book.
Around noon, Zhou Lingsheng came again to examine her.
Wei Yi was right beside her.
She had just finished the entire course of medicine when Zhou Lingsheng placed his fingers on her pulse. Their eyes met several times, but both kept their words to themselves.
Fortunately, Sheng Zhaoning’s health really was improving.
Her pulse, which had once been as stagnant as a pool of dead water, suddenly showed several traces of vitality, as though it had gained a breath to sustain it. Her entire body had come alive again by relying on that single breath.
“Your recovery is going well.” Zhou Lingsheng withdrew his hand and nodded approvingly.
Sheng Zhaoning pulled one corner of her mouth into a faint smile.
Wei Yi’s brows drew together slightly. He cast Zhou Lingsheng a dark look, but when he noticed Sheng Zhaoning’s gaze on him from the corner of his eye, he immediately turned away and pretended nothing had happened.
Sheng Zhaoning calmly looked away.
“You haven’t been mistreated lately, have you?” Zhou Lingsheng asked, deliberately raising his voice.
“I’m all right,” Sheng Zhaoning replied.
Seeing that her expression did not seem feigned, Zhou Lingsheng relaxed considerably.
“Your body has been depleted far too badly. You need to rest and recuperate for some time. You must not rush things.”
Zhou Lingsheng looked steadily at her. “I’ll arrange everything.”
Sheng Zhaoning understood the deeper meaning behind his words almost instantly.
Her fingers tightened instinctively, and her heart began to race against her will.
She forcibly suppressed the tremor in her heart, revealing nothing on her face, and nodded. “Mm.”
After Zhou Lingsheng left, Wei Yi watched her drink her medicine.
The newly prescribed medicine seemed even more bitter. Perhaps its effects had been strengthened, because the bitterness lingered in her mouth for a long time without fading.
Wei Yi wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her soft hair brushed against the tip of his nose, and his gaze abruptly darkened. Even so, he made no unnecessary movement; only his voice turned slightly hoarse.
“What would count as truly good?” he asked out of nowhere.
At first, Sheng Zhaoning did not understand. Only later did she realize that he was referring to her answer to Zhou Lingsheng just now: “I’m all right.”
He was not satisfied with that answer.
But he did not know what would count as treating her well.
If the answer before had been that he needed to let her go, then he could never do it.
And now that she was willing to remain by his side, Wei Yi understood her even less.
Sheng Zhaoning looked at him seriously. “If you don’t force me to do things I dislike, that would count as very good.”
What she wanted had always been simple: respect and freedom.
Those were the only two things.
Unfortunately, Wei Yi was unwilling to give her either.
He did not understand what she meant. He interpreted her words in the narrowest possible way.
Things she disliked…
He thought of every night in the palace hall, with the tall candles burning endlessly as she endured the humiliation and refused to look at him. She had clearly hated him and wanted to escape, yet she could only be forced to let broken sounds spill from between her teeth.
A dark fire suddenly flared within Wei Yi.
His throat bobbed once before he rejected her firmly. “No.”
He could not agree to that.
“I can let you go outside, and I can take you out of the palace. From now on, I won’t keep you confined anymore. But you must not go too far either.”
That was the greatest concession Wei Yi could make.
If she wanted him not to force her, then she would have to make herself like the things she disliked.
In any case, she could forget about resisting.
