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墨書 Inktalez
Several days had passed unknowingly, and during this time, Mu Junqi felt a lack of strength and interest in anything. Despite Mur suggesting several times to take her out for a stroll, she had declined each time.
The weather over the past few days was as usual, with only the sun appearing at noon; the rest of the time was gloomy.
While she was flipping through a book, she heard voices outside the hall. Curiously, she looked up and saw Mur leading Xia Ziqian at the door.
Mur seemed a bit hesitant but still stepped forward respectfully and said, "Empress, Lord Xia has come to see you at the Emperor's command."
Mu Junqi couldn't recall what she had said at that moment; she could only gaze at the man she had admired for so long. Although she knew their identities had changed, it was hard to control her true feelings.
When Xia Ziqian's fingertip touched her wrist, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and she shyly lowered her head. Although he saw this scene, his expression remained unchanged as he calmly took her pulse. After a long while, he stepped back respectfully and said, "Empress, there is nothing seriously wrong with you. However, if you feel tired, please rest more. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave." After saying this, he began to pack his medicine box as if to leave.
"Can't you stay with me?" Mu Junqi suddenly spoke from behind.
The body that was about to leave froze in place due to her words. Fortunately, Mur had previously taken everyone else out of the bedroom; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"You are now the Empress. I can treat everything that happened before as an accident. I hope you can think of it that way too," he suddenly spoke just when Mu Junqi thought he would remain silent.
Mu Junqi did not expect him to say this. However, recalling everything that had happened before, she smiled lightly. This was not the first time she had heard such words of rejection from him; it seemed everything had returned to the past. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his broad back, smiling contentedly.
Xia Ziqian's body immediately stiffened at this sudden action; he stood there motionless for a long time before reacting. He reached out to take her hand away from him and turned around to kneel on the ground. "Empress, everything is in the past. If others see us like this, I worry it will implicate you."
After saying this, he left without looking back. Watching Xia Ziqian leave, Mu Junqi felt all her strength drain away. Could it be that there would truly be no outcome between them in this lifetime?
When Mur entered, she saw Mu Junqi standing there in a daze, seemingly lost in thought. She walked over a few steps and gently said while supporting her arm, "Empress, Lord Xia has already left. You should rest for a while." She allowed Mur to help her to a nearby bed.
A year ago
At that time, Mu Junqi was still an official's daughter without worries in her heart. Although her father did not love her and her mother neglected her, she still knew how to survive in this inner courtyard.
That day, when she went to the Ming'an Temple with Mur to offer incense, there were very few people along the way. Normally, a noble lady would have guardians accompanying her, but she was merely an unacknowledged daughter, and such honor was beyond her reach.
Despite this, she loved the days of offering incense the most because it was the only time she didn’t have to worry about her words and actions being inappropriate, and she wouldn’t have to fear Madam punishing her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for an entire night.
So every time she went out, she would play freely. Just as they were approaching the city gate, a large group of men in black suddenly surged in from all directions, startling both of them into immobility as they stared at the intruders.
The leader stepped forward and asked, “Who among you is Mu Junqi?”
Although Mu Junqi was terrified and her legs trembled, she managed to stammer, “Y-you... who are you?”
The man laughed heartily, looking at everyone with amusement as he said, “I never expected we would find such a girl. Hahaha.”
She initially wanted to call for help from those around them, but upon seeing the black-clad men, everyone fled in fear, not daring to step forward to assist.
“No matter... no matter what... whatever it is, come at me. Don’t harm my lady,” Mur said tremblingly as he shielded Mu Junqi behind him.
The group seemed to find something amusing and all laughed together. One of the men in black approached Mu Junqi and quickly took Mur away. Mu Junqi struggled to save him, but she was no match for them and was soon pushed to the ground.
In that moment, she finally understood what despair felt like. She closed her eyes and decided not to look at anything. Although she desperately wanted to know who wanted her dead, she also knew there was no chance left for her.
She heard Mur crying loudly nearby, which pained her heart. However, after a long time without any response, she slowly opened her eyes and saw the leader smiling as he said, “Don’t worry; we won’t kill you today. But I will definitely take you away from Western Yan in the future.” After leaving this statement, they rode away just as they had come.
The tension that had been held in her heart finally eased. She felt completely drained of energy and crawled over to support the unconscious Mur, gently patting her cheek. “Mur, Mur, wake up.”
But Mur showed no signs of response. As darkness began to fall and the city gate was about to close, anxiety gripped her heart even more. Gritting her teeth, she managed to lift Mur up. They were about the same age and had never done any hard labor since childhood; Mur’s frail body bent under the strain. Still, she persevered and carried Mur on her back.
After staggering a few steps, she suddenly heard a carriage passing behind them. She carefully laid Mur down on the ground and stood in the middle of the road waving her hands anxiously. “Please stop!”
The coachman glared at her but halted in front of them. A warm voice came from inside, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Mu Junqi could be sure that it was the first time in her life she had heard such a beautiful male voice, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. Just then, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and when she looked up, the man before her had his black hair gently pinned up with a jade hairpin. His face, framed by long hair, was so stunning that it made her forget to breathe. His rosy lips were slightly pursed, and his dark eyes seemed to possess an endless allure, accompanied by the fragrance of herbs that enveloped her, making her forget her thoughts.
It wasn't until the driver impatiently said, "What is it?" that she snapped back to reality. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she lowered her head, but it couldn't hide the blush on her face.
"My sister has fainted; may we take your carriage into the city?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the man from the carriage stepped down. Upon seeing Mur lying on the ground, his beautiful brows furrowed slightly. He then picked her up horizontally and walked to Mu Junqi, saying, "Don't worry; I am a doctor. I will take you into the city."
Thus, Mu Junqi and Mur boarded the carriage. The small space was filled with his scent. Feeling somewhat uneasy, she said, "Thank you so much for this."
"Saving people is my duty; you don't need to worry," the man replied as he took out a white porcelain bottle from his pocket. He poured a little of its contents and applied it to Mur's nose and forehead before looking at her and saying, "She will be fine soon."
After a pause, he continued, "In such a desolate place, how did you end up here?"
"We went to offer incense but encountered thieves on the way. Luckily, you saved us; otherwise, we wouldn't have made it back today," Mu Junqi recounted what had just happened with lingering fear.
The man listened without immediately responding. Instead, he smiled gently and said, "I am Xia Ziqian. If you don't mind, you can call me by my name."
At that moment, Mu Junqi's cheeks flushed uncontrollably again. She shyly lowered her head, unsure of what to say. Fortunately, Mur woke up at that moment; otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing.
That was their first encounter. Since then, Mu Junqi had uncontrollably fallen for him until now.
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