Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 34

“I am going to lock you up.”

Jiang Qionghua brought a cup of clear tea to Ming Yishu to rinse her mouth. Ming Yishu pushed her hand away, unable to stop herself from dry heaving.

Jiang Qionghua: “…”

Because of this reaction, Jiang Qionghua’s expression darkened once more. She asked expressionlessly, “Am I truly that disgusting to you? I can serve you, and yet you are unwilling to accommodate me in the slightest?”

Ming Yishu covered her lips, her heart aching uncontrollably—not just from her physical ailments, but from a psychological revulsion.

Without waiting for her to recover, Jiang Qionghua grabbed her hand and dragged her elsewhere. Ming Yishu had no strength to resist; she hadn’t eaten in a long time, and her steps were weak. She was practically being half-dragged along by the other woman.

Her plain skirts brushed the ground. After only a few steps, the chain on Ming Yishu’s ankle suddenly snapped taut, pulling her down directly.

Sensing the resistance, Jiang Qionghua looked back and realized she had forgotten to unlock the chain from the couch. She carelessly dropped Ming Yishu where she stood and walked back to the bed to unbind the golden chain. Then, she followed the length of the chain back to Ming Yishu, scooped her up by the waist, and carried both the woman and the heavy links in her arms.

Losing her balance, Ming Yishu clutched Jiang Qionghua’s shoulder in a panic. “Where are we going?”

“Not long ago, I had them move the cage here. Later, I thought it improper, so I moved it to my bedchamber instead.” Jiang Qionghua gazed at Ming Yishu from a very close distance, murmuring at an angle perfectly suited for a kiss. “The golden cage is very large. Not only can it lock you inside, but I can also enter to stay with you.”

Ming Yishu had no words; her freedom had been desecrated.

The cage, crafted from pure gold, had been prepared who-knows-when. When Ming Yishu was carried out, the servants had not yet finished moving the massive object. The courtyard was crowded with people: Jiang Qionghua’s subordinates, the Prime Minister’s household servants, Su Qian’er, Bo Lu, and the old nannies who usually cooked.

Jiang Qionghua had no intention of leaving Ming Yishu any dignity, carrying her away in front of everyone.

Before they appeared, the crowd had been busy trying to move the cage amidst a fair amount of noise. But when the Prime Minister walked out holding a disheveled Ming Yishu, everyone fell silent. They watched this bizarre sight in hushed awe, glanced at the cage being moved, and seemed to suddenly understand the situation.

Ming Yishu did not dare look up. She pressed her forehead against Jiang Qionghua’s shoulder, a flush of shame creeping behind her ears.

As Jiang Qionghua passed through the crowd, she snapped coldly, “Do you all have nothing better to do?”

The crowd instantly snapped to attention as if facing a great enemy and hurried back to their tasks.

Jiang Qionghua took a step with a dark expression, then suddenly dropped the golden chain she was holding, as if it had become a nuisance. Her burden grew significantly lighter.

“Why are you so light?” After dropping the chain, Jiang Qionghua tested Ming Yishu’s weight and found the person in her arms felt like a wispy willow branch—hardly heavier than the bothersome chain itself.

Ming Yishu didn’t know the answer. She stared silently at the discarded chain and reminded her, “The lock on my ankle hasn’t been removed.”

“When did I say I would remove it?” Jiang Qionghua simply found the bulk of the chain annoying. She had dropped one end, but the other remained shackled to Ming Yishu’s ankle. The long chain trailed on the ground, shimmering with a bright golden luster in the sunlight.

Ignoring the trailing chain, Jiang Qionghua continued walking with Ming Yishu.

The sound of the chain dragging against the floor echoed as they moved from one hall to another, passing the pebble paths of the pavilions and the main roads before the grand buildings. By the time they reached their destination, nearly everyone in the Prime Minister’s estate had seen them and heard the sound of that chain scraping the earth.

“I will have someone move all your belongings here shortly. From now on, I will personally watch over you day and night,” Jiang Qionghua said fiercely. “Don’t even think about seeing anyone else.”

Ming Yishu remained silent.

Jiang Qionghua set her down at the door and left to do something else.

Ming Yishu stood there barefoot, her hair unstyled and flowing softly down. She didn’t even have an outer robe to wear; in the depths of winter, she had only her thin inner garments to ward off the cold. Yet, she didn’t feel cold at all. Perhaps… it was because it was too cold, to the point she could no longer feel the temperature.

She closed her eyes and waited quietly. Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind filled the air, and a hunting hawk landed on her shoulder. It bowed its head to identify her, its sharp talons gripping her thin shoulder.

Because of the cold, Ming Yishu’s reactions were exceptionally slow. She wasn’t particularly afraid. When she reached up to touch her shoulder, she surprisingly found a rolled-up note tucked there.

A note?

Ming Yishu jolted awake, quickly untying it and hiding it in her sleeve. Seeing that she had taken it, the hawk did not linger; it released her shoulder and flew away.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Ming Yishu did not dare open the note. She closed her eyes to steady her nerves, waiting for a proper opportunity to read it.

Jiang Qionghua did not return for a long time, and Ming Yishu did not move. As she waited in the silence, she felt a wave of drowsiness. She was exhausted, as if she were about to drift off.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly felt warmth at her feet. Looking down, she saw Heyi had secretly run over to see her.

“Heyi.”

Seeing the wolf cub nuzzling her feet, Ming Yishu felt a sudden pang of heartache. She remembered that it was Heyi who had lunged forward to bite Jiang Qionghua. Such a timid creature had actually defied Jiang Qionghua and mustered the courage to bite her just to protect Ming Yishu.

Ming Yishu thought of the German Shepherd she had raised in the real world. It was also very well-behaved and never bit anyone, but when she was being harmed by a criminal, it was the first to rush forward and bite… in the end, it met the same fate as her. Both died.

But she, Ming Yishu, could transmigrate into a book and live again. That German Shepherd would never live again. She would never see it again.

Ming Yishu’s eyes stung. She stroked Heyi and murmured a warning, “Heyi, next time, stay far away. That way, you won’t get hurt.”

Heyi tilted its head and gently nipped her finger, completely unable to understand her words.

Later, Jiang Qionghua returned.

Ming Yishu quickly tried to shoo Heyi away, wanting the cub to avoid the woman. She was truly worried that Jiang Qionghua would hurt Heyi again in a fit of rage.

Jiang Qionghua held a bowl of medicine in her hand. “The medicine I gave you the first time was too little; you are still very disobedient and haven’t forgotten that person. This time, I had them brew more for you.”

The first time was because Su Qian’er and Bo Lu had diluted it with water and poured half of it away. Ming Yishu knew the situation, but she had forgotten to act the part, allowing Jiang Qionghua to notice.

“Drink it yourself, or do you want me to force you?” Jiang Qionghua handed her the medicine, then glanced at the wolf cub on the ground. “This is yours. If you make me angry in the future, I will punish it.”

Ming Yishu’s bloodless lips parted slightly as she submitted. “I will drink it myself.”

Jiang Qionghua watched her finish it personally, then reached down to pat Heyi. “I shall use Heyi to threaten you.”

Ming Yishu: “Mhm.”

A full bowl of steaming medicine went down. Perhaps because she hadn’t eaten for so long, the medicine felt warming, and the chill in her body was forced out. The only side effect… was that it made her quite sleepy.

“If you are tired, then sleep. By the time you wake up, the cage should be moved in,” Jiang Qionghua said as they walked into the bedchamber.

Ming Yishu slept deeply. During this time, the golden chain was cleaned and relocked—one end to her foot, the other to the bars of the golden cage. The cage was fashioned after those used for rare and exotic birds, said to be a design from foreign lands, large enough for soft quilts to be spread inside.

Jiang Qionghua stood outside watching until everything was prepared. Only then did she step closer to inspect it.

“Why is the lock on this cage so strange?” Jiang Qionghua frowned, dissatisfied. “Fetch Kang Huaiyi for me. He didn’t explain it in detail; how am I supposed to use it?”

Su Qian’er and the maidservants entered with Ming Yishu’s belongings. After they finished moving her things to the new quarters and were about to leave, Su Qian’er stepped forward to place Ming Yishu’s medicine bottle inside the cage.

Jiang Qionghua glanced over and reached out. “Just give it to me.”

Su Qian’er did not dare disobey, but she hesitated and struggled for a moment. “This medicine must be kept by Miss Ming’s side at all times. Her heart condition flares up suddenly; if she cannot take her medicine quickly, something will happen…”

“You certainly care for her—knowing even more than I do.” A hint of jealousy rose in Jiang Qionghua’s heart, making her inexplicably annoyed. She said, “Give it to me.”

Su Qian’er finally handed the medicine over. “Prime Minister, you must remember—”

Impatiently, Jiang Qionghua told her to get out.

Su Qian’er could not settle her mind. She looked at the sleeping, unconscious Ming Yishu inside the cage with a lingering sense of worry. Deeply concerned but not daring to defy Jiang Qionghua’s orders, she could only leave slowly. Because she kept her head down while walking out, she accidentally bumped into someone.

Su Qian’er took one look at the boots and immediately knelt to apologize. “Forgive me, this servant was blind and offended the Great One.”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing this voice, Vice Minister Kang instantly became interested.

Isn’t this… the little maid who gave me a cold shoulder in the Plum Garden because of the flute music?

After leaving in a hurry that day, Vice Minister Kang had been unable to swallow his resentment. He was no gentleman; he was petty and particularly incensed by women who dared to defy him. Because he had nowhere to vent that anger, he had bullied a singer at the Ruby Pavilion who only performed and did not sell her body. Unexpectedly, he had accidentally injured the only son of the Yang family. By the next day, the whole court knew, and he was even punished by the Right Prime Minister.

He blamed everything on the flute music in the Plum Garden that day. It was the source of all his bad luck.

Vice Minister Kang gnashed his teeth in anger. But having heard that Ming Yishu was the “person on the Prime Minister’s heart” and thus untouchable, he decided to transfer his fury to the maid beside her.

“This official is feeling unwell today, and after being bumped by you, I feel even worse. How will you compensate me?” Vice Minister Kang blocked her path, refusing to let her go, and even dragged her before Jiang Qionghua.

Jiang Qionghua looked up, annoyed. “Kang Huaiyi, when did you start eyeing the people in my manor? You truly have a bold appetite for lust.”

Vice Minister Kang bowed, giving Jiang Qionghua an ingratiating smile. “The Prime Minister wrongs me. I wouldn’t dare covet anyone from your manor. It is just that she bumped into me. No matter how displeased I am, I wouldn’t dare scold your people loudly, so I brought her here to ask you for justice.”

Jiang Qionghua knew exactly what kind of person her subordinate was. This Kang Huaiyi was a rare sort of villain—he had a foul reputation, used dirty methods, and was consumed by lust, spending his days with beautiful women for amusement.

This wasn’t about being bumped; he clearly had designs on Su Qian’er.

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Qionghua would never let someone like Kang lay a finger on her people. However, because of the previous incident, Jiang Qionghua no longer felt kindly toward Su Qian’er. She had no desire to protect her and simply followed Kang Huaiyi’s whim, waving her hand dismissively to gift the girl to him.

Vice Minister Kang hadn’t expected it to be so easy and quickly thanked her for the favor.

Su Qian’er’s face went white instantly.

“Prime Minister…”

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