Drunk on Madness - Chapter 78

Zhou Mingxuan had failed to find Li Xiang, and the emperor repeatedly urged him to return to the capital. Left with no choice, he left a group of hidden guards to continue the search among the people while he made his way back to the palace.

Another Lantern Festival arrived. Zhou Mingxuan sat high at the banquet, looking down at the busy palace maids scurrying below.

Amid the brilliant lights, one palace maid inadvertently caught his eye. Her figure appeared especially delicate among the crowd, like a gentle breeze softly brushing across his heart.

This maid was named Yu Shu. She was busy serving exquisite pastries to the officials when a guard rushing past accidentally knocked over her tray, scattering the pastries across the floor and drawing criticism from those around.

Yu Shu’s face instantly turned pale. She knelt helplessly on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zhou Mingxuan’s gaze froze at that moment. He noticed that Yu Shu’s features bore a faint resemblance to Li Xiang.

With a slight wave of his sleeve, Zhou Mingxuan summoned a guard forward and gave his instructions to intervene. Before long, the guard brought her before him.

When Yu Shu was brought before Li Che, she hadn’t even had time to perform the proper greetings before her face flushed red at the sight of Zhou Mingxuan.

She had long heard that the crown prince was exquisitely handsome and had glimpsed him from afar a few times. But none of those occasions compared to the clarity of this moment. He stood beneath the lanterns, pure and radiant like the clear wind and bright moon, so beautiful it felt sacrilegious to gaze upon him.

Zhou Mingxuan frowned in displeasure at her blushing face, his expression remaining cold and distant.

From then on, Yu Shu became a maid serving by Zhou Mingxuan’s side, and her life changed dramatically. She no longer had to perform miscellaneous palace chores, needing only to wait in Shaoyang Courtyard for the crown prince’s summons.

The crown prince never did anything to her, merely watching her profile as he gradually lost himself in thought.

After this happened multiple times, Yu Shu realized the crown prince disliked her looking at him. Whenever she gathered the courage to meet his gaze, he would always frown slightly with displeasure.

Sometimes he would sip lightly on clear wine, watching her in silence, his eyes filled with deep affection and tenderness. In those moments, Yu Shu wished she could offer him everything she had.

Later, after spending some time in Shaoyang Courtyard, Yu Shu naturally heard about how the crown prince previously had a concubine who somewhat resembled her, but who had unfortunately perished in a fire. Her heart grew slightly cold, yet she understood this was the truth, how could someone like Zhou Mingxuan ever regard her differently?

Yu Shu watched Zhou Mingxuan sitting alone in his high position. His status, his deep affection, his appearance, everything about him moved her. She couldn’t suppress her desire to approach him and change her destiny.

In the lavish inner chambers of the palace, Crown Princess Chen Minying sat before an elegant dressing table, the bronze mirror reflecting her beautiful yet slightly sorrowful face.

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water, gently spilling into the room and adding a touch of chill to the quiet night.

Chen Minying softly picked up a jade hairpin adorned with pearls and slowly inserted it into her hair bun. She stared at her reflection, the face that once radiated happy smiles now appeared pale and haggard.

Chen Minying asked her personal maid beside her, “Qiaoyin, did I make a mistake?”

Her eyes filled with melancholy as she continued, “First the concubine left, and now Yu Shu appears. He never sees me. I love him so much, why can’t he see me?”

Suddenly, an indescribable emotion surged within Chen Minying. She abruptly stood up and forcefully pushed away the jewelry box on her dressing table.

The priceless jewels, exquisite hairpins and dazzling earrings, scattered under the push, emitting crisp yet chaotic sounds.

Chen Minying covered her face with her hands and muttered self-doubtfully, “Is it because I’m not pretty enough? Does he dislike my appearance?”

Qiaoyin hurriedly comforted her, “Crown Princess, don’t belittle yourself. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Yushu is only kept around because she bears some resemblance to the concubine. The Crown Prince uses her as a reminder of the past.”

Qiaoyin continued softly, “The living can never compete with the dead. The Wanxiang Hall burned down completely in the fire, and the Crown Prince has nothing left to hold onto. When he sees someone who looks a bit like the concubine, he naturally keeps her close. Please don’t overthink it.”

Hearing this, Chen Minying looked up at Qiaoyin. “Really?”

Qiaoyin gazed at the once innocent and carefree princess, who had turned into a resentful woman since marrying the Crown Prince. Though she was just a servant, she felt for her mistress’s struggles. “I’ve long heard from the servants of Shaoyang Courtyard that the Crown Prince hasn’t laid a hand on her. He only keeps her in the hall as a stand-in for the concubine. If you don’t believe me, let’s go to Shaoyang Courtyard now and take a secret look.”

Chen Minying wiped her tears. “Alright, let’s take a quick, secret look.”

…

In Shaoyang Courtyard, Zhou Mingxuan was drinking alone. At this moment, he had lost his usual authority and composure. His eyes were dazed, and his cheeks were flushed, clearly heavily intoxicated.

Another year had passed, where had they gone? The spies he had sent out brought back no useful information.

He had transitioned from initial anger to helplessness. His heart grew colder day by day as he tried to accept the reality.

Yet, whenever the night grew quiet, he would think of Li Xiang. He couldn’t forget her.

To his sorrow, he even realized there was no one left by his side to share a drink with.

Zhou Mingxuan’s movements were clumsy. He accidentally knocked over a wine cup, producing a clear, ringing sound, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he picked up another cup and downed it in one gulp.

The palace maid Yu Shu quietly approached Zhou Mingxuan from behind and took out a delicate small box from her sleeve. She retrieved two pieces of sandalwood from the box and tossed them into the golden beast-shaped incense burner. Soon, faint white smoke began to rise from the burner.

Summoning her courage, she walked toward Zhou Mingxuan.