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Nangong Nuo's eyes flickered slightly as she averted her gaze. "Of course."
"Is that so?" Xiao Luo's expression turned slightly cold, carrying an imperceptible depth. "I thought that if you liked her, you shouldn't repeatedly test her in such a manner, nor should you use her like this now..."
Nangong Nuo's face instantly changed.
It seemed she hadn't expected Xiao Luo to openly speak such revealing words. He suddenly stood up, taking a deep breath. "I take my leave."
Watching Zhao Prince storm off, Li Gonggong said worriedly, "It seems Zhao Prince is going to complain to the Empress Dowager..."
Xiao Luo picked up the documents on the table again, furrowing his brow. "Let him be... I want to see what he can do to Miss Lin for those—things..."
Instinctively, the words "Mei Shuang" were replaced with "Miss Lin," yet his mind was filled with memories of encountering the genuine Mei Shuang:
In the Heavenly Prison, her pitiful demeanor; in the Cold Palace, her subtle schemes that managed to ensnare the Empress; until he met her at Miaochun Tower, where she fell into his arms, clearly terrified yet exuding an air of righteousness...
Even after being forced to return to the palace and live alone, she bore no grievances against fate. Every day, she diligently focused on her Sutra and sang joyfully, living a carefree life. Her relaxed and fulfilled demeanor made him envious during those times he stood outside her door.
Especially when he thought of how she had meticulously disguised herself as a red lump and ruined her own appearance before him while wearing a mask—it was truly bizarre...
While Li Gonggong was pouring water for the Emperor, he inadvertently raised his eyes and suddenly noticed a slight smile at the corner of the Emperor's lips. His gaze softened, clearly lost in pleasant memories.
Li Gonggong felt a chill run down his spine. Since Chu Xiruo's disappearance, when had the Emperor ever shown such an expression?
It seemed he could only seek solace in memories, Li Gonggong thought sympathetically.
---
Emerging from the Hall of Governance, Nangong Nuo angrily headed straight for Mei Shuang's residence. Halfway there, she suddenly recalled Xiao Luo's words and immediately changed her mind, turning to walk in another direction.
He had to admit that he was truly disgusted by Xiao Luo's words, and at the same time, he felt a sudden surge of anger as if he had been exposed.
It was true that he liked Mei Shuang; he never thought otherwise. Although her occasional temper could annoy him, it did not diminish his feelings for her.
In the midst of his internal debate between "like" and "dislike," and while justifying the many reasons for his affection, Nangong Nuo returned to the palace, which felt like a long-lost home to him.
As soon as he entered, he startled the Palace Maid who was cleaning the plaque on a ladder. Seeing the suddenly reappeared Zhao Prince, she hurriedly exclaimed, "The prince has returned?"
While she rushed down to inform others, Nangong Nuo looked up with a grim expression and ordered, "Take down the plaque!"
The Palace Maid was momentarily confused and looked up at the plaque in bewilderment.
It was clean and tidy, heavy and shiny, with the characters "Nangong" prominently displayed in the center, surrounded by cold plum blossoms, without a single blemish.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong with it, she saw that Nangong Nuo had already entered the room.
Recalling Zhao Prince's terrifying expression, the Palace Maid quickly descended from the ladder and dashed inside, raising her voice to announce, "The prince has returned..."
Instantly, this stirred everyone in the royal residence into action; all sorts of people quickly assembled to welcome him.
However, whether it was the charming beauties with smiles or the respectful Palace Maids below, they were all waved away impatiently by Nangong Nuo. He entered his room and closed the door, beginning to stare blankly at the wall.
Several graceful beauties stood outside holding handkerchiefs. Having not seen Zhao Prince for a long time, they were all eager. Yet now, instead of competing for his attention as they usually did, they exchanged glances filled with confusion and uncertainty. After silently glaring at each other, they turned away in frustration.
Nangong Nuo sat alone in the palace, Xiao Luo's words still echoing in his ears. Last night’s conversation with Mei Shuang had abruptly halted at a critical moment; they were so close to an answer yet felt as if there was an insurmountable chasm between them. He felt increasingly agitated.
After sitting quietly for a while, he made an effort to calm himself. Approaching a painted wall, he raised his hand to press a hidden button on the nearby bookshelf. With a faint sound, a narrow gap opened in the painted wall just wide enough for a person to pass through.
He slipped inside, and the gap slowly closed behind him, leaving no trace.
Stepping into the interior felt like entering another world.
In the vast space, candlelight flickered brightly. Against the walls, long tables were neatly arranged, covered with all sorts of oddly shaped jars and bottles. Strange sounds occasionally echoed from within.
The myriad of voices intertwined, reverberating in the large space, creating an eerie sensation.
Perhaps accustomed to such sounds, Nangong Nuo stood with his hands clasped behind his back, coldly surveying everything before him.
Before long, a figure in black appeared behind him like a ghost, respectfully saying, "Your Highness Zhao..."
Nangong Nuo did not turn around but coldly replied, "Are you trying to fool me?"
The figure in black was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood, feeling somewhat astonished. He hurriedly said, "I would never dare deceive Your Highness Zhao. This kind of medicine has reached the highest level and has proven effective time and again..."
Nangong Nuo coldly stated, "Do you know what happens to those who deceive me?"
The figure in black immediately broke into a sweat and hastily knelt down. "I wouldn't dare! May I know what exactly happened?"
Nangong Nuo snorted through his nose and recounted Mei Shuang's performance from the previous night in detail. Suddenly turning around, his face was as dark as water. "You said that with the help of that secret medicine, under similar circumstances she could regain her memory. Last night should have been a good opportunity. Moreover, I have worked hard for so long; why haven't we reached that point yet?"
The figure in black fell silent for a moment before answering, "If I may be so bold, could it be that she has already regained her memory but is still pretending to be confused?"
Nangong Nuo's pupils suddenly constricted.
In the early morning, as the footsteps of Nangong Nuo gradually faded into the distance, Mei Shuang slowly opened her eyes.
The terrifying dream from last night made her feel as if she had returned to that fearful night at Dazhao Temple; the two scenarios were so similar. No matter what had happened before, she was back to where she started.
On the first night at Dazhao Temple, when she bent down to pick up the Sutra and that strange "Living Buddha" called out to her from above, she had always been aware and conscious. Therefore, she could be certain that her conversation with the Living Buddha was not a dream. Even when the footsteps came and everything ended, and she returned to her original bent position, she could still be sure.
However, why did she feel like a puppet, hazily getting up from the ground and returning to where she was? That remained a mystery.
Yet everything that happened last night was vivid in her mind, and upon opening her eyes, she found herself still in the same place. If it were a dream, it was too clear; the feeling of being there was as if it had just happened. Could it be that she had sleepwalked?
Even if her mind was unclear due to fear at that time, she still distinctly felt that Nangong Nuo seemed very concerned about what she had experienced, especially when he asked, "What place holds what?" His sudden tension made her alert, as if he knew about her dream.
Pulling her thoughts back from last night's terrifying memories, Mei Shuang let out a gentle breath. A sudden intuition told her that there must be some secret hidden within her, or rather, there should be an unknown secret between her and the Living Buddha that would interest certain people, especially Nangong Nuo.
But how could she have such a dream? What did those words in the dream mean?
Mei Shuang gently turned over and gazed outside in a daze.
Outside the window, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of a large tree in the courtyard, casting fragmented light that could dazzle one's eyes if stared at for too long.
Mei Shuang raised her arm to shield herself from the glaring light and inadvertently noticed several drops of candle wax on her forearm. They clung to her skin like water droplets and had long since dried.
Startled, Mei Shuang suddenly flipped out of bed, disregarding the dazzling light before her as she hurriedly extended her arm toward the light outside to examine it closely.
Last night, she had been startled by a series of "kekeke" laughter and accidentally knocked over a candle. At that moment, her arm had hurt; she assumed it was wax dripping onto her skin but had no time to check. She hadn't expected it to still be on her arm. Could this mean that last night wasn't just a dream?
Mei Shuang was stunned by her own conclusion and stood frozen in place.
If it wasn't a dream, then someone must have secretly transported her to a certain place in the dead of night, where she encountered the moving statue of Buddha, and the scene between her and it must have indeed happened.
This conclusion was even more horrifying to Mei Shuang than the dream she had just experienced.
Last night, Nangong Nuo had slept right beside her. If she had disappeared, with his exceptional martial arts skills, would he not have noticed? Or was he frightened by someone? However, his demeanor clearly indicated that he was very much awake, and while he was trying to soothe her, he seemed quite interested in her ramblings.
Then there was only one possibility.
Thinking of this, Mei Shuang's face turned pale as a chill began to rise from her feet. A bone-chilling coldness instantly permeated her limbs and bones, causing her to tremble involuntarily.
If it weren't for the candle wax around her, she might still believe that last night's experience was just a terrible dream. So who had such power to make her think that a real experience was merely a dream? In short, it involved absolute high technology capable of interfering with her neural pathways, making everything feel surreal.
Mei Shuang bit down hard on her lower lip and stared blankly for a long time before suddenly remembering that she needed to wipe away the marks on her arms.
Clearly, the other party did not intend for her to know too much; instead, they made all her actions feel like a dream within her consciousness. This kind of dream seemed designed to awaken her memories because at least she had already vaguely recalled something in her mind...
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