Drunk on Madness - Chapter 73

Li Xiang had not yet finished her postpartum confinement, and Dr. Meng had advised against long journeys. However, fearing complications if she stayed in the capital, Li Xiang insisted on leaving. Su Mo had no choice but to prepare a carriage, lining it with soft cushions before daring to set out.

The journey was slow and steady, with frequent stops along the way.

That night, the carriage halted beneath a large tree in a mountain hollow when a sudden downpour began. The thunder startled the sleeping baby, who burst into tears.

Both parents quickly rose to soothe her. But the relentless thunder drowned out their efforts, leaving Li Xiang no choice but to unfasten her clothes and nurse the child.

By the lamplight, Su Mo watched as she gently cradled their little daughter. The baby, eyes closed, suckled contentedly at her mother’s breast, her tear-streaked face now peaceful and satisfied.

He sat beside them, his gaze profound as he took in the scene. In that moment, everything else seemed trivial, only this simple happiness was worth cherishing.

Before long, the baby finished feeding and let out a tiny, satisfied burp.

Su Mo chuckled softly. Li Xiang glanced up at him, noticing his lingering gaze, and shyly adjusted her clothes to cover herself.

Only then did Su Mo snap out of his reverie, turning his head toward the window and muttering inexplicably, “The weather is lovely today.”

Li Xiang laughed. “Yes, the weather is lovely.”

…

In the Kunning Palace, Empress Zhao recounted the entire truth about the fire to Zhou Mingxuan, unwilling to risk agitating her son further.

Earlier that morning, Zhou Mingxuan had stormed in with Li Yu, demanding to know where Li Xiang’s body was. In that moment, Empress Zhao barely recognized her own son.

The shadow in his eyes was so dark it seemed that if she didn’t give him the answer he wanted, he would plunge into an abyss.

Too afraid to gamble, she confessed everything, how she had orchestrated the fire, and summoned the guards to corroborate her story.

Zhou Mingxuan’s head throbbed violently, his mind in chaos. One voice told him Li Xiang was dead. Another insisted she was alive, that she must have fled with Su Mo.

Yes, she had always wanted to leave him. Now that he had taken a principal consort, she would never stay by his side willingly. She must have gone with Su Mo.

…

Gu Ci sensed something amiss the moment he stepped into the Baohe Hall. The chamber was eerily silent, an unusual tension hanging in the air.

Zhou Mingxuan sat motionless before his desk, lost in thought. His cold eyes seemed unfocused, the depths of his gaze unnervingly calm.

When he noticed Gu Ci enter, his glance carried an unspoken weight. Suddenly, he spoke: “Gu Ci, between Su Mo and me, who are you closer to?”

Gu Ci had never seen this side of Zhou Mingxuan before. Alarm bells rang in his mind. “Of course it’s you, Your Highness. I even slashed Su Mo once for your sake.”

A faint smirk curled Zhou Mingxuan’s lips. “Is that so? Then why did you help Su Mo take Li Xiang away in the mountains of Youzhou?” His expression twisted into something wild as he spoke.

Startled by the abrupt shift, Gu Ci dropped to his knees. “That day… I saw them together in bed. I thought she was no longer worthy of you. Rather than wait for you to punish them, I thought it best to let her leave with Su Mo.”

“Moreover, I’ve always believed Xiangxiang is not suited to remain in the palace. Back at Songshan Academy, I too once harbored feelings for her. Her reason for rejecting me was that she sought someone who would love only her for a lifetime, she wanted a devoted, monogamous love. Crown Prince, can you truly offer her that?”

Tendrils of incense smoke curled upward from the burner in the grand hall, obscuring his expression. Only his strikingly handsome face was visible, now tinged with a sickly pallor, the eerie coldness about him unsettling to behold.

Gu Ci continued, “Her heart has always belonged to Su Mo. That’s why she was willing to… with him. Given your temperament, how could you possibly overlook such a matter?”

Zhou Mingxuan picked up a teacup from the desk and hurled it at Gu Ci.

Crash.

A sharp, jarring sound of shattering porcelain abruptly pierced the silence, echoing through the still hall.

“Good,” he said, his voice ragged as if torn, each word laced with unbearable pain. “You’ve spoken very well indeed.”

“Then tell me now, did Su Mo take Xiangxiang away?” Zhou Mingxuan’s trembling hands gripped Gu Ci’s shoulders with a desperate, almost pitiful ferocity. “Don’t you dare lie to me again!”

The hall was so silent that only their labored breaths could be heard. Gu Ci’s body trembled slightly, his heart wracked with torment.

Zhou Mingxuan needed no words to understand. He drew a deep breath, struggling to quell the fury within, yet the icy chill rising from the depths of his heart refused to dissipate.