diymy Chapter 147 From today onwards, you two are best friends.
Chapter 147 From today onwards, you two are best friends.
Xu Fenghua's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and a trace of indescribable pain flashed in her eyes.
She recalled a winter in the North many years ago.
As the snow fell heavily, the plum blossoms at Tingxuexuan Pavilion bloomed.
She brought some newly acquired Jiangnan pastries to Qingxue. When she opened the courtyard gate, she saw Qingxue and Longxiang standing side by side under the plum tree.
Qingxue, dressed in a moon-white padded jacket, tilted her head back and reached out to catch the falling snowflakes.
The dragon stood beside her, looking down at her with a gentle smile in his eyes.
She even joked at the time, "Longxiang, judging from your appearance, once you marry Qingxue, you'll probably forget about me, your older sister."
Long Xiang blushed and retorted, "No way! Sister will always be sister!"
Qingxue blushed and whispered, "Sister Xu, please don't tease me..."
The sun was shining brightly, the snow was white, and the plum blossoms smelled wonderful.
Everything was so beautiful, so pure.
It was as if time would stand still at that moment, as if those beautiful promises would truly come true.
But now...
Xu Fenghua slowly closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions within them.
When she opened her eyes again, they were calm again, but the coldness deep within them was even harder and deeper.
She slowly turned her head to look at Qin Mu, forcing a perfectly standard, yet icy, concubine-like smile on her face:
"Your Majesty is right. Your Majesty and Consort Xue... will certainly get along well."
She spoke very slowly, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, yet perfectly clear.
Upon hearing Xu Fenghua's words, Jiang Qingxue's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Xu Fenghua, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Eyes facing each other.
In that instant, a thousand words were left unsaid.
Sister Xu...
Jiang Qingxue cried out silently in her heart.
sorry……
I didn't mean to...
I really... have no way...
Xu Fenghua felt a pang of pain in her heart as she looked at the almost overflowing pain and helplessness in Jiang Qingxue's eyes.
She knew Qingxue's predicament, knew that she had no choice in the matter.
Even so, that sense of absurdity, that deep-seated irony, still gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.
"Sister Xuefei," Xu Fenghua said slowly, her voice eerily calm, "I hope you will... guide me in the future."
Jiang Qingxue finally couldn't hold back her tears and they streamed down her face.
She bit her lip hard, trying not to cry out, but nodded forcefully, her voice choked and broken:
"Sister...my older sister too..."
Qin Mu watched this scene quietly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
He reached out and gently pulled the two of them into his arms, his movements tender yet carrying an irresistible force.
"What's wrong?" His voice rang out above them, tinged with just the right amount of confusion. "Why do you both seem... a little unhappy?"
Xu Fenghua's body was as stiff as a piece of wood.
Jiang Qingxue trembled even more violently.
Neither of them spoke.
The bedchamber fell silent once again.
After a long silence, Xu Fenghua finally spoke, her voice dry and hoarse:
"Your Majesty... is not unhappy."
Jiang Qingxue also chimed in quietly:
"Your Majesty...so too..."
Qin Mu smiled.
The laughter was soft, yet exceptionally clear in the silent bedchamber, carrying a knowing and playful tone.
"That's good," he said slowly. "I hope you're all happy. After all..."
He paused, then lowered his head and gently kissed each of their hair, his voice tender to the point of cruelty:
"From this day forward, you will be my women. My women should naturally be happy."
Xu Fenghua and Jiang Qingxue closed their eyes at the same time.
Tears fell silently, soaking her temples and the brocade pillow.
In their hearts, on that cold wasteland, the seeds of hatred are growing wildly, taking root, and spreading.
One day, it will break through the soil and grow into a towering tree.
Then it will devour this wasteland, along with the one who planted it.
night, deeper.
The candles burned out, plunging the bedchamber into complete darkness.
Only the faint moonlight filtering in from outside the window.
It's like a bizarre and absurd painting.
This records the absurd ceremony that took place tonight.
It also foreshadows the future, the storm that is destined to sweep across the world.
At this moment, the storm is still brewing.
The hatred is still lingering.
But some things have changed forever.
Never go back.
Silence returned to the bedchamber, with only the lingering scent of pine resin from the burned-out candles slowly drifting through the air.
Outside the hall, the autumn wind rustled the bronze bells on the eaves, producing a very faint tinkling sound.
"Go to sleep. You still have to see Empress Li Yang tomorrow."
Qin Mu's voice came from above, carrying a hint of languid weariness, like an ordinary husband whispering to his bedmate.
But to Xu Fenghua and Jiang Qingxue, it sounded like a cold imperial edict.
His arms were still wrapped around their waists, not tightly, but with a possessiveness that was impossible to break free from.
They did as they were told, closing their eyes simultaneously on either side of his chest.
Her eyelashes cast fine shadows on her snow-white cheeks, trembling slightly like the last flutter of a dying butterfly's wings.
But how could they possibly sleep?
They could clearly sense each other's presence.
Through Qin Mu's warm chest, there were almost synchronized, extremely suppressed, subtle breaths.
The same stiff body temperature emanated through the thin nightgown.
Even the resonance of heartbeats...
Each heartbeat resonates like an invisible hammer, striking their already shattered self-esteem.
Xu Fenghua's thoughts raced wildly between the snowstorms of the North and the misty rain of Jiangnan.
What is the dragon and elephant doing right now?
Is he already furious?
And the girl beside him... Qingxue...
Xu Fenghua recalled the timid yet clear eyes of her when she first entered the Northern Territory, the rare tenderness in Long Xiang's eyes when he spoke of her, and the scene under the plum tree in Tingxuexuan that had once brought her immense comfort.
Now, however, they are bound to the same dragon bed in this most despicable way, becoming "sisters" in name only.
The absurd flames nearly consumed her reason, followed by a deeper, more profound chill.
And under this understanding, a dark determination to survive and to take revenge grew wildly.
Jiang Qingxue buried her face even deeper into the brocade pillow.
My tears have long since dried up, and my eyes are dry and stinging.
She dared not imagine Xu Longxiang's reaction after he found out all this; what kind of despair he would feel?
Their fear of Qin Mu had seeped into their very bones.
But at this moment, another, more hidden, and more frightening emotion quietly began to grow.
That is, when Sister Xu was also dragged into this same abyss, when she was no longer the only one suffering this humiliation,
In some dark corner of my heart, a twisted, almost sympathetic sense of relief shamefully arose.
Then it was overwhelmed by an even stronger wave of self-loathing.
Time crawled slowly through the deathly silence and torment.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Mu's arms around them seemed to loosen a little.
The rise and fall of their chests became even and long, and the invisible pressure that had always enveloped them, belonging to the emperor, seemed to weaken slightly as he fell into a deep sleep.
Almost at the same moment, Xu Fenghua’s tightly closed eyelashes opened almost imperceptibly.