Drunk on Madness - Chapter 61

In the guest cabin of the imperial boat on Taiqing Lake.

Inside the quiet chamber, candlelight flickered. Five imperial physicians, their brows tightly furrowed, were attending to Su Mo, who lay on the bed.

Zhou Mingxuan gazed at Su Mo lying on the bed, his face as pale as paper, eyes tightly shut. His jade-like face was stained with a few drops of blood, and strands of disheveled hair fell across his forehead, making him appear lonely and fragile. The physicians had just worked together to remove the sword from his body and stop the bleeding.

One of the physicians wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and they exchanged glances. In the end, they concluded that General Su’s condition was extremely critical, but what worried them even more was his lack of will to live.

One of the physicians carefully inserted silver needles into various acupoints on Su Mo’s body, attempting to stimulate his vitality through acupuncture.

However, Su Mo’s condition showed no signs of improvement. His pulse remained faint, his breathing weak, as if he might fade away at any moment.

Gu Ci tried to rouse Su Mo’s will with words, but the only response was a deathly silence. One of the older physicians suggested finding someone important to the patient, a close relative or a loved one, to try again.

Zhou Mingxuan stood quietly by the window. Hearing this, he frowned slightly, his cold fingers gently tracing the windowsill. Unable to sit still any longer, Gu Ci rose and approached him, saying, “Auntie Su is elderly, and I fear she couldn’t withstand such a blow. Could you send someone to bring Xiangxiang out of the palace to see him?”

A gloomy expression settled on Zhou Mingxuan’s brow. “Xiangxiang is my wife, and he is my brother who has faced life and death with me. Even though he touched my wife, I didn’t kill him. Haven’t I been righteous enough to him?”

Gu Ci frowned and replied, “Su Mo is on the verge of death. Can’t you set aside the past for now and get through this first?”

A cold breeze rustled the wrinkled edges of Zhou Mingxuan’s clothes, tousling his disheveled hair. Under the shimmering moonlight, his dark eyes held a trace of barely perceptible grievance. “You blame me too.”

Gu Ci sighed softly and said helplessly, “At this point, Su Mo’s life is what matters most. Whether Xiangxiang is with you or with him, I don’t care.”

Zhou Mingxuan stared blankly at the river outside the window. “I’ve already sent someone to bring her here.”

Hearing this, Gu Ci’s expression eased slightly. Their attention turned back to Su Mo on the bed, and the two fell into a wordless silence.

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from the distant shore. A carriage drawn by four horses side by side raced through the night toward the riverbank. Not far behind, a troop of armored guards followed clearly imperial guards from the palace.

A familiar figure quickly descended from the carriage and stumbled aboard the imperial boat. Zhou Mingxuan slowly closed his eyes, his brows tightening abruptly. The people he had sent couldn’t possibly have reached her so quickly.

They cared so deeply for each other, Su Mo would rather die than lose her, and she rushed over the moment she heard he was critically ill. In this three-person entanglement, he had been the one forcing his way. Everyone blamed him, blamed him for his unrequited affection, blamed him for tearing the lovers apart.

Li Xiang ran breathlessly onto the boat. Just as she was about to push the door open, Zhou Mingxuan opened it for her.

Li Xiang had been suppressing her emotions all the way. Her eyes were filled with fear, her face pale as if drained of all color. The belief that she would see Su Mo had kept her going. But when she saw Zhou Mingxuan, his hair slightly disheveled and his condition not much better, her resolve wavered.

They stared at each other for a moment before Li Xiang finally couldn’t hold back, tears streaming down her face. She threw herself into his arms, her voice trembling and unsteady. “Is everyone alright?”

Zhou Mingxuan stiffened, his cold heart suddenly feeling a trace of warmth. He held her close and gently kissed her forehead. “Everything will be fine.”

After speaking, he took Li Xiang’s hand and led her inside.

Li Xiang looked at Su Mo lying quietly on the bed, her legs going weak as if unable to support her own weight. Zhou Mingxuan steadied her by the waist and helped her sit by the bedside.

Zhou Mingxuan briefly explained Su Mo’s condition to Li Xiang, then exchanged a glance with Gu Ci before the two of them stepped out.

Li Xiang hadn’t expected Su Mo’s injuries to be so severe, especially when she heard Zhou Mingxuan say that he had lost the will to live.

The sorrow of life and death separation washed over her. Without regard for Zhou Mingxuan’s presence, tears that had been gathering at the corners of her eyes silently fell. Fear gripped her heart as her trembling fingers clasped Su Mo’s hand.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said such cruel things to you.”

“Don’t scare me like this, please. I was wrong.”

Her vision blurred, and Li Xiang wiped her eyes directly with her sleeve. She reached out to touch his pale face, her expression filled with both regret and longing.

“Don’t do this to me, okay? I’m really scared.”

Tears welled up in Li Xiang’s eyes, more and more until strings of teardrops rolled down her cheeks. She felt utterly helpless, if she had known it would come to this, she would never have said those vicious words.

She knew that Su Mo’s current state, his lack of desire to live, was because of her. Helpless, she could only apologize by his ear, begging him to survive.

Yesterday, when Su Mo had disagreed and pleaded with her not to give up, she had coldly walked out of the courtyard. At that moment, Su Mo had suddenly gone mad, tying her up.

That version of Su Mo felt unfamiliar and terrifying. She had been frightened, begging him to let her go, but it was all in vain.

In their struggle, she had recklessly told him to die. In that instant, Su Mo knew they had no chance left, her body had rejected his intimacy.

She didn’t know why she had said such hurtful words at the time. Usually, she spoke to Su Mo without restraint, but in that situation, she could no longer consider his feelings.

She had said many things to hurt him, so many that she couldn’t even remember them all clearly.

She was exhausted. He didn’t understand where had he been during these past six months when she had been treading on thin ice, trying to please the unpredictable Zhou Mingxuan, living in constant fear every day? She didn’t want to be caught between them anymore; she wanted to end it all. Was that wrong?

Unconsciously, the sky began to brighten, dawn’s light sweeping across the dim horizon.

In his daze, Su Mo seemed to hear Li Xiang’s voice. He heard her say, “Su Mo, you must live. Even if we can’t be together, you have to live well. I want a world where you exist.”

“If we can’t be husband and wife in this life, let’s be together in the next.”

“If you leave now, when you’re reincarnated, the age gap between us will be too big. I don’t like older men. Wait for me, let’s grow old together and be reborn at the same time, okay?”

Li Xiang murmured these words incessantly. She didn’t know if he could hear her, but she kept talking by his ear, giving him a reason to live.

When Li Xiang saw tears stream from Su Mo’s eyes onto the pillow, she wept with joy.