Drunk on Madness - Chapter 23

In the Forbidden City, seated upon the resplendent golden dragon throne, Emperor Zhou Zhiyi’s face was as dark as storm clouds, his expression so grim it seemed water could drip from it.

“Treacherous scum! How dare they deceive their emperor!” The emperor’s voice thundered through the vast hall, shaking the beams and pillars as if they trembled under his wrath. His tone was filled with uncontrollable fury.

Today, the emperor had received irrefutable news: Prince Yan, Zhou Chengyan, was not dead. Moreover, the princess consort and her daughter, who should have been in the Yan residence, had also vanished without a trace. The emperor had initially thought that with Prince Yan dead, the rest would pose no threat and had intended to spare them. But now, he realized Prince Yan had faked his death to buy time, secretly returning to the capital to retrieve his wife and daughter.

The civil and military officials standing on either side of the hall dared not even breathe loudly, all bowing their heads in fear of provoking the emperor’s wrath and inviting disaster. The air was thick with an oppressive tension.

“Guards!” the emperor roared in uncontrollable rage. “Raid the Yan residence! Anyone who dared deceive me, arrest them all!”

Beneath the city gates, the crowd was dense yet eerily silent, the air heavy with a stifling atmosphere. The common folk dared not approach, casting pitying glances and whispering among themselves.

The new emperor had only just ascended the throne, yet he had already executed so many. For the people, this was no good omen.

All the maids and servants from the Yan residence were herded to the center of the execution ground by imperial guards brandishing weapons. Their clothes were tattered, their faces haggard, their eyes filled with despair and terror.

One by one, the prisoners were forced to their knees, their hands tightly bound with ropes. They struggled, but it was futile. The executioners raised their broadswords, poised to strike at their necks at any moment.

Su Mo and Gu Ci knelt in the back row, their expressions numb, their prison uniforms stained with dark red blood. Su Mo’s gaze swept across the scene until he caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance.

His mind went blank, unable to process what he was seeing. Su Mo crawled forward a few steps and called out to the figure, “Mother!”

Not far away, Mother Su’s eyes flickered with emotion. Hearing the familiar voice, she turned her head and froze in shock.

She had just been relieved that Su Mo and Xiangxiang were not in the residence and had escaped this calamity. Never had she imagined her son would be right behind her. The two locked eyes across the sea of people, their hearts filled with despair.

At this critical moment, the sound of urgent hoofbeats broke the silence of the execution ground. A high-ranking official in splendid robes, riding a tall horse, galloped into view, followed by a troop of soldiers. The crowd instinctively parted to make way, their eyes fixed on the newcomers.

A flame ignited in Su Mo’s eyes, he recognized the rider at once. It was Uncle Wang, a trusted aide of the prince.

Uncle Wang dismounted and strode swiftly toward the execution officer, clutching a yellow silk imperial decree in his hand. The execution officer’s face paled, and he immediately dropped to his knees to receive the decree. But then, the unexpected happened, Uncle Wang swung his sword at the execution officer.

At the same time, several masked figures in black robes surged from the crowd, throwing the scene into chaos.

The imperial guards, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, found themselves outnumbered as the rescuers clashed fiercely with them.

Uncle Wang cut the ropes binding Su Mo’s hands and handed him a sword, leaning in to whisper urgently, “After you save your mother, do not linger. The emperor’s reinforcements could arrive at any moment. The prince has ordered you to rendezvous at Wuli Village in the eastern suburbs.”

Upon hearing this, Su Mo’s eyes lit up, and he said solemnly, “Uncle Wang, take care.” With that, he immediately untied the ropes binding Gu Ci beside him.

In a few quick steps, he reached Su Daniang, cut her bonds, and scooped her up before dashing away. Behind them, the sounds of battle still raged, but they could no longer afford to worry about the lives of others.

Days of exhaustion and hunger, coupled with untreated injuries, had left them in no condition to stay, doing so would only burden Uncle Wang and the others.

By noon that day, countless corpses lay silently at the execution grounds. The prisoners who should have lost their heads had instead fled into chaotic alleyways, scattering in all directions. Beneath the imperial city, the place had become a boundary between life and death.

…

In Wutong Village, the sound of children playing echoed through the lanes.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting its glow over the simple tiled house. The air carried the faint scent of medicinal herbs. A middle-aged physician in a long robe, his face kind, sat attentively by the bed, examining Zhou Mingxuan’s injuries.

Zhou Mingxuan clenched his teeth against the pain, his legs stiff and powerless. Thin silver needles pierced various points on his body, their cold glint shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

After what felt like an eternity, Physician Fan carefully withdrew each needle, then retrieved several herbs from the medicine cabinet, grinding them finely in a mortar before applying the paste to Zhou Mingxuan’s legs.

Once the day’s treatment and medication were complete, Physician Fan took his leave, returning to town without delay.

Not long after, Li Xiang followed the physician’s instructions, removing the used herbal residue from Zhou Mingxuan’s body and discarding it.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. “Is anyone home?” a voice called.

Li Xiang replied, “Who is it?”

The man outside answered, “I’m a worker from Yangmu Workshop. The wooden chair your wife ordered a few days ago is ready. Manager Yang sent me to deliver it.”

Relieved, Li Xiang opened the door and said, “Please come in.” The worker carried the chair into the courtyard and left promptly after Li Xiang paid the remaining balance.

Delighted, Li Xiang was about to wheel the chair over to show Zhou Mingxuan when the doorstep blocked its path.

With no other choice, Li Xiang called Zhu Dafu for help. Together, they removed several thresholds at the door and inside the room, allowing the wheelchair to move freely to every corner.

As Zhu Dafu adjusted the doorsteps, he chatted with Zhou Mingxuan, expressing envy that he had married such a devoted wife who stood by him no matter what.

Squatting by the threshold, Zhu Dafu hammered at the uneven ground and remarked, “The eldest son of the Li family at the village entrance used to be quite well-off. He married a young woman from town, but she was so fierce she even dared to hit his own mother. Back then, the whole village disapproved, but it wasn’t our place to interfere in others’ family matters. Before long, the village head stepped in and had them split the household.”

“Later, the couple had a healthy baby boy, and life seemed peaceful enough. But then, the eldest Li went into the mountains and fell into a crevice for three days and nights. When the villagers rescued him, his legs had been gnawed nearly to the bone by insects, far worse than your husband’s condition.”

Li Xiang listened intently until Zhu Dafu suddenly mentioned her, leaving her torn between laughter and exasperation. Zhu Dafu continued, “On the third day after they brought him back, his wife ran off with all their money, abandoning their child and the helpless Li. By the time anyone realized, both father and son had starved to death.”

Shaking his head, Zhu Dafu sighed. “It was only when his mother grew worried and went to check on him that she found them. Ah, what a tragedy.”

Zhu Dafu sighed with emotion: “They say a night of marriage brings a hundred nights of grace, but this woman’s heart is truly cruel. She left without even saying a word to Old Lady Li. A perfectly healthy child ended up starving to death.”

“If Old Li’s eldest son hadn’t split the family for this woman back then, he wouldn’t have starved to death. Ah, perhaps this is just the retribution of karma.”

After Zhu Dafu finished removing the last obstacle from the threshold, Li Xiang pushed the wooden wheelchair into the room. Together, they helped Zhou Mingxuan sit down in the chair.

Seizing the moment while Li Xiang went to fetch water, Zhu Dafu pushed Zhou Mingxuan around in a circle and whispered, “Master Zhou, don’t mind my meddling. Your wife is beautiful, and she personally attends to everything, seeking doctors and medicine. She’s a rare gem. A while back, when you refused to eat and lost the will to live, I saw her secretly crying several times.”

Zhu Dafu spoke earnestly: “Everyone faces hardships in life. When you feel like you can’t go on, think of your wife and those who care about you. Don’t act impulsively and do something that would grieve them for the rest of their lives.” With that, he patted Zhou Mingxuan on the shoulder and left, closing the door behind him.

By the time Li Xiang came out, Zhu Dafu had already gone. Holding two cups of hot tea, she said, “Why did Brother Dafu leave already? He didn’t even have his tea.”

A faint warmth flickered in Zhou Mingxuan’s cold, stern gaze. “It’s the same if we drink it.”

Li Xiang sat beside him with a smile, handing him a cup. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

She picked up her own cup and blew on it lightly. Watching Zhou Mingxuan gaze at the distant woods, she mused, “Coming out to see the world must have lifted your spirits a little.”

After months, even half a year, of meticulous treatment and herbal poultices, Zhou Mingxuan’s leg injury finally began to heal. Though the pain had eased, it left behind scars that couldn’t be entirely erased his gait now carried a slight limp.

With his leg newly healed, Zhou Mingxuan faced immense challenges. Months of muscle atrophy and stiff joints made every step agonizingly difficult.

To ease the burden on his leg, Zhou Mingxuan began using crutches or a cane for support. Li Xiang slowly let go of his arm. He took his first step cautiously, his movements unsteady. Step one, step two, step three.

Seeing him wobble, Li Xiang immediately reached out to steady him. But Zhou Mingxuan’s weight was too much, and they both lost their balance, tumbling heavily to the ground.

Warm breaths brushed past each other’s ears, and Zhou Mingxuan’s cool aura enveloped her entirely. She tensed and took a step back, only to be suddenly pulled into his embrace.

In that moment, time seemed to freeze. The world around them blurred, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats and each other’s breaths, clear and distinct.

Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Li Xiang’s eyes flickered with concern. “Are you alright?”

A restless agitation stirred in Zhou Mingxuan’s chest.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows.

His gaze settled softly on Li Xiang’s face as he gently cupped her cheek, brushing away a smudge of dirt. A flicker of tenderness and pain flashed in his eyes.

His fingertips lightly traced her cheek, trembling almost imperceptibly. Time seemed to stand still, the world around them fading into silence and colorlessness.

Li Xiang flustered slightly. He said nothing, but she suddenly understood something yet she didn’t dare ask. She turned away, ignoring the intensity in his eyes.

The warmth of the previous moment seemed to fade as the atmosphere subtly shifted. She took a small step back, maintaining a deliberate distance from Zhou Mingxuan.

A faint smile lingered on her face, yet it carried an unmistakable hint of resistance.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Zhou Mingxuan’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself. Picking up his crutch from the ground, he resumed his walking exercises.

As his injuries gradually improved, Zhou Mingxuan began attempting longer walks on even terrain, slowly reducing his reliance on assistive tools.

At the same time, he incorporated a series of rehabilitation exercises based on Dr. Fan’s recommendations.

After months of relentless effort, Zhou Mingxuan finally stood on his own again. Though his gait remained slightly uneven, it was steady enough to allow him to move freely.