Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 14

“I no longer wish to see her.”

Bo Lu was terrified: “Prime Minister, please reconsider—”

As an old hand in the Prime Minister’s residence, Bo Lu had followed Jiang Qionghua for a long time. In some ways, he understood her better than she understood herself. He knew the current situation was dire; his Prime Minister was acting out of irrational rage, and she would undoubtedly regret these actions by daybreak.

“Miss Ming is entirely innocent. Prime Minister, do not let a moment of anger lead you to hurt her,” Bo Lu pleaded earnestly. “If you are angry, you should not vent it upon our young miss.”

Jiang Qionghua clearly wasn’t listening. She turned back with a sharp, piercing gaze, glaring at Bo Lu. “You certainly seem to pity her. I had no idea when you started siding with her.”

Bo Lu was stunned into silence, not daring to continue down that line of persuasion.

Helpless, he had to follow her peculiar train of thought and switch tactics: “Consider this, Prime Minister: had Ji Zijun not fled, you might have seized both her and Miss Ming for interrogation. But now—Ji Zijun has fled. Is that not a de facto confession of guilt? In such a case, the fact that Miss Ming shows no intention of fleeing proves her innocence.”

This logic held weight. Jiang Qionghua stood in place, pondering for a moment without rebutting him.

She spoke: “Bring Ming Yishu out to me. I will question her first.”

When Ming Yishu was brought out, she still had no idea what had happened. To her, Jiang Qionghua’s fury tonight was utterly groundless; the woman had simply unleashed a massive storm of temper without ever explaining the cause.

She could only guess.

What had she done wrong?

Stepping out of the palace doors, Ming Yishu was led before Jiang Qionghua. With just one look at the woman’s back, she knew her aunt’s anger had not subsided—it had intensified.

“Ming Yishu,” Jiang Qionghua called her name in a bone-chilling tone, then baited her: “Do you know that your dear teacher has already betrayed me?”

Betrayal? What betrayal?

Ming Yishu didn’t understand. She looked around blankly, trying to find a clue on the faces of the subordinates. But everyone in the courtyard remained stony-faced and expressionless, leaving her unable to guess what had transpired.

How could Teacher betray the Prime Minister? Ming Yishu recalled their last parting, remembering Ji Zijun’s instructions—If the matter is exposed, do not shoulder the blame alone. Push the fault onto me so the Prime Minister does not grow suspicious of you.

A teacher who could say such things could not possibly betray the Prime Minister.

Ming Yishu was certain. Thus, she spoke to Jiang Qionghua: “Aunt, please see clearly. Teacher would never do such a thing.”

“See clearly?” Jiang Qionghua felt like laughing. She said, “Are you accusing me of being old and muddled? You don’t even know what Ji Zijun has done, yet you are certain I’ve wronged her. She is ‘loyal and righteous,’ while I am ‘unreasonable and unjust’?”

With her words so twisted, Ming Yishu found it difficult to argue. she could only offer a pale defense: “It is not like that…”

Jiang Qionghua pointed a finger at her fiercely: “You lie! That is exactly what you think of me! You don’t even know that Ji Zijun…”

Ji Zijun has confessed and fled!

Jiang Qionghua didn’t say the second half; she wanted to bait Ming Yishu further.

Ming Yishu was forced to her knees by the guards, her complexion pale. “I beg Aunt to state the facts. I do not know what happened tonight, so I cannot explain myself. Furthermore, I do not know what I must do to restore your opinion of me. I would never think ill of you. Please, Aunt, believe me.”

The night wind was strong. As the cold air swept past, it brushed loose snow from the palace pavilions. The carved vermillion lanterns flickered and swayed. Jiang Qionghua looked down at Ming Yishu from her height, seeing the girl dressed only in thin clothing, kneeling before her with an unyielding yet graceful posture. In the snow, that elegant and aloof silhouette was truly a timeless portrait of beauty.

The girl was beautiful, and beauty always had a way of working its magic at critical moments. Jiang Qionghua stared at her in a long, angry silence, until a strange flicker of pity suddenly surged in her heart.

In truth, Bo Lu’s words weren’t without merit.

Since Ji Zijun had already fled, it was highly likely Ming Yishu was an innocent casualty. This, combined with the girl’s wide-eyed, fragile look of confusion, made that reasoning seem all the more plausible.

Jiang Qionghua calmed down slightly. She stepped forward to brush the stray snow from Ming Yishu’s hair. The black tresses were as smooth as satin, still adorned with ornaments. As Jiang Qionghua touched them, she realized every piece had been custom-made for the girl on her orders. No matter how she looked at it, these years of care were woven into them.

Chu Qing was right. After six years, even a pet dog or cat would evoke feelings.

Jiang Qionghua lowered her eyes, suddenly realizing she was somewhat loath to kill Ming Yishu. She couldn’t name the emotion; a person as cold-hearted and decisive as herself was actually harboring uncharacteristic mercy.

Under the firelight held by the attendants, the snow cast a shimmering glow on the beauty. Jiang Qionghua reached out to stroke Ming Yishu’s face, her expression indifferent, her thoughts unreadable.

Ming Yishu didn’t get the explanation she wanted, but she felt the touch of intimacy. Seizing that moment of closeness, she instinctively reached out and hugged her.

Jiang Qionghua didn’t pull her up immediately.

She was currently balanced on the edge of irritability and calm, her mind already working on a way to clear Ming Yishu’s name.

If she willed it, she could strip Ming Yishu of all guilt in this matter. Thus, she prepared to pin the entirety of the blame on Ji Zijun.

Her fury tonight and her murderous intent—all of it would be borne by Ji Zijun alone.

Jiang Qionghua raised her head, gazing out at the distant snow and the dark night: “I have captured your teacher. She has confessed to the incident at the Heavenly Prison. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I shall go and have her executed—and I will forgive you.”

Ming Yishu’s pupils trembled as she released her hold on Jiang Qionghua.

What?

Ji Zijun took the entire blame herself?

It was exactly as they had discussed before parting; her teacher had not left her in a position of danger but had instead claimed all responsibility… Given how furious her Aunt was tonight, how could her teacher possibly survive?

No matter how she looked at it, the situation was hopeless. Ming Yishu could see that the fire in her Aunt’s eyes had gone beyond the point where one could plead for mercy. Her teacher had been caught; it would likely take only a single command from the Prime Minister for her to lose her life.

Ming Yishu felt a wave of icy dread wash over her—saving that person from the prison had been her idea first, and she had planned it together with her teacher to ensure her Aunt’s safety. Who could have imagined that her Aunt would loathe such an act so deeply that she would go so far as to kill the teacher?

She could not let her teacher face this alone.

Though Ming Yishu felt fear in her heart, she still trusted Jiang Qionghua at this moment. She believed that if she stepped forward to share the burden of guilt, her Aunt would soften her heart, at least enough to spare her teacher’s life.

Thus, she spoke, interrupting Jiang Qionghua’s next words: “Aunt, please do not kill her. I am also at fault. The full responsibility should be borne by both of us as teacher and student—”

The vein in Jiang Qionghua’s temple throbbed. She swung her sleeve and struck her with a sharp slap: “I do not want to hear it! Shut your mouth!”

It was laughable.

Though it was Jiang Qionghua who had struck Ming Yishu, she wasn’t the only one in pain. Jiang Qionghua felt a sting as well—an indefinable ache that was profoundly suffocating.

Since when did Ming Yishu start referring to herself and Ji Zijun as “us”?

And what about her?

Where did Ming Yishu place her?

Here she was, trying to find a way to absolve the girl of her crimes and preserve her innocence, while the girl was pouring her entire heart into her teacher, pleading for a woman who was more ghost than human!

Jiang Qionghua was so enraged she felt as though she might burst into flames. After striking Ming Yishu, her fingers trembled, and waves of dizziness washed over her.

“Are you trying to anger me to death?” Jiang Qionghua demanded, her fury reaching a breaking point. “In the prison, I tried to avenge you, while you were merely putting on an act with me! Because you were injured, I chased after Yang Bofu in the freezing cold to kill him, yet you… you betrayed me to save him! You used me! You didn’t hesitate to use yourself as bait and stay behind in that prison to set the fire! Was the taste of having me worry about you that sweet?”

The more she thought, the more bitter and enraged she became.

Another thought struck her, and Jiang Qionghua snarled, “You are kind to everyone—to Ji Zijun, to Yang Bofu, to the maids and servants around you, and even to Chu Qing. So, what am I to you? Just a tool to be used whenever you please? Tell me… did you enter the palace just to see that Chu Qing? Did you plot this with her? That day we left the palace, you knew she had a hidden crossbow, didn’t you? Was blocking the arrow for me just an act too? Was it?”

Every single event was twisted into a malicious shape. Before Ming Yishu could even begin to defend herself, she heard the final order:

“Lock Ming Yishu away. Put her in the woodshed to reflect on her actions. I no longer wish to see her.”

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