Drunk on Madness - Chapter 69

Zhou Mingxuan’s hands were clenched tightly into fists, trembling slightly from the excessive force.

He watched her flee in panic, as if he were a fearsome beast. The last thread of his composure was on the verge of snapping, and he forced himself to remain calm, teetering on the edge of losing control.

Afraid that rushing after her would frighten her, he sat through a tasteless lunch with Chen Minying and absentmindedly accompanied her to enjoy the scenery for a while. Pretending he had official matters to attend to, he seized the opportunity to slip away.

He busied himself with political affairs at Shaoyang Courtyard, keeping his mind occupied to avoid dwelling on her attitude toward him that day.

When night finally fell and he lay down to sleep, he tossed and turned, unable to find rest.

What did she mean by this? Was she avoiding him because she had no intention of reconciling?

Unable to vent the frustration in his heart, he abruptly sat up, deciding to go see her.

It was late at night as he and his entourage made their way to Wanxiang Hall. Not wanting to wake her, Zhou Mingxuan scaled the wall and entered. The chirping of insects in the courtyard made the surroundings seem unusually quiet.

Sober tonight, he noticed something unusual about the courtyard. Li Xiang’s residence had no guards on duty. Though a few lanterns were lit, the place felt desolate compared to the quarters of other imperial consorts.

Li Xiang had always been unpretentious and kind to the palace servants, so Zhou Mingxuan hadn’t found it strange before. But as he made his way over the walls, he encountered no one at all. Displeasure and dissatisfaction toward the negligent servants of Wanxiang Hall simmered within him. He decided to check on Xiangxiang first and deal with the servants severely the next day.

He arrived at the room where Xiangxiang usually stayed. No light was on inside. He pushed the door open effortlessly and, by the moonlight, saw that the bed was empty.

His heart sank. Quickly, he lit the table lamp. The room was tidy, but there was no one there. He immediately summoned the servants to inquire about Li Xiang’s whereabouts, only to find that no one knew.

Trembling slightly, he suppressed his anger. The servants’ accounts were all similar: they claimed she had returned to her room and had been resting there, yet the room was empty.

That night, Wanxiang Hall was anything but peaceful. The gatekeeper was beaten half to death, and Pearl did not escape twenty heavy strikes.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang, hidden under the bed in the servants’ quarters, slept soundly. She had laid a quilt from the cabinet beneath the bed and used clothes as a pillow. Unaware that Zhou Mingxuan was frantically searching for her outside, she had no idea of the chaos she had caused.

Perhaps because she had slept well all night, she felt much more relaxed. Taking advantage of the empty courtyard, she decided to find something to eat to fill her stomach.

Arriving at the front courtyard, she noticed it was unusually empty but paid it no mind. She went to her vegetable patch, picked a cucumber, and sat on the swing to eat it.

Li Yu, a newly assigned guard at the Crown Prince’s residence, had just been transferred to Wanxiang Hall the previous night by the Crown Prince himself.

Passing by from a distance, he caught a glimpse of her. He thought to himself, Did last night’s punishments not suffice? Here’s someone slacking off so brazenly again today. He approached her from behind and noticed her slightly disheveled hair, with a few strands of cobweb clinging to it.

“Ahem, ahem,” he feigned a cough. Li Xiang turned around, looking at him with a bewildered expression. Seeing her noticeably pregnant, Li Yu instantly realized her identity.

He immediately knelt down. “Your humble servant, Li Yu, pays respects to the Consort.”

Li Xiang stood up at once, gesturing for him to be quiet. Still munching on her cucumber, she asked, “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Li Yu replied, “This humble servant was just transferred here by the Crown Prince last night. It’s only natural that the Consort hasn’t seen me. The Crown Prince searched for you all night. I shall go inform him now.”

Li Xiang saw that he was about to rush off to find someone and immediately said, “You’re not allowed to go.” She tossed the cucumber end in her hand onto the ground and continued, “Just pretend you never saw me.”

Li Yu naturally refused to comply, this was a perfect opportunity to gain favor in front of the Crown Prince. But since his mistress was unwilling and he didn’t want to offend her, he tried to persuade her, “But… but the Crown Prince is searching everywhere for you.”

Li Xiang walked closer to him, placed a cucumber in his arms, and said, “Take what I’ve given you to eat, and don’t say a word. Just act as if you never saw me. If I’m found today, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Hearing this, Li Yu fell silent inwardly. You forced this on me.

As Li Yu watched Li Xiang slowly walk away, he thought to himself, She’s heavily pregnant and only eating a few cucumbers, can she really hold up like this?

Gu Ci had been dragged out of bed by Zhou Mingxuan the night before, told that Li Xiang had gone missing. He had accompanied Zhou Mingxuan in searching everywhere, they combed through the Brocade Garden and checked the Kunning Palace. In such a vast imperial palace, if Li Xiang didn’t want to be found, it would be nearly impossible to locate her quickly.

After searching the Imperial Garden twice with no results, Zhou Mingxuan finally realized that Li Xiang was deliberately avoiding him. Having stayed up all night, his face was haggard with exhaustion.

Worried that Zhou Mingxuan’s health would give out, Gu Ci had someone slip a sedative into his drink, causing him to fall into a deep sleep to rest.

Gu Ci sighed inwardly, What kind of twisted fate is this, tormenting people like this?

In the middle of the night, Li Xiang woke up from hunger. She had only eaten a few fruits and vegetables that day and was truly starving. She got up, planning to go to the courtyard to pick some more fruit to stave off her hunger. If I get caught, so be it, I’ll just confront Zhou Mingxuan directly.

Just as she was about to open the door, Li Yu pushed it from the other side, and the two nearly collided. Fortunately, Li Yu reacted quickly and steadied her. “Were you planning to go out?”

Li Yu glanced around the room by the moonlight and noticed there were no quilts on the bed. Curious, he asked, “There are no beddings on the bed, where did you sleep?”

Recognizing Li Yu, Li Xiang relaxed and replied, “Under the bed.”

Li Yu couldn’t help but admire this resilient concubine who knew when to yield and when to stand firm. “Good idea,” he praised, thinking she must really not want to see the Crown Prince, hiding so thoroughly.

“Li Yu, do you have any food on you?” Li Xiang couldn’t resist asking.

Hearing this, Li Yu immediately pulled a few meat pies from his robe and handed them to Li Xiang. Without any hesitation, she began eating.

Li Yu moved to light a candle, but Li Xiang stopped him. “Do you want to attract attention? No lighting candles.”

Li Yu had no choice but to put away his flint. “But it’s pitch black in here, what if you fall? You’re pregnant, after all.”

Li Xiang thought his point was reasonable. “You’re right. In that case, could you bring me food these next few days? It’s best if you come at night. Knock three times on the doorframe, and I’ll know it’s you bringing me meals.”

Li Yu was speechless. I came here out of goodwill to bring food to a pregnant woman, and now she’s ordering me around.

Li Xiang had left in a hurry and hadn’t brought any valuables with her. She took a hairpin from her head and handed it to Li Yu. “I don’t have any silver on me, but this hairpin should be worth something. Consider it your payment.”

It was too dark for Li Yu to see what the hairpin looked like. He accepted it instinctively, tacitly agreeing to bring her food.