Grabbing Your Hand, Dragging you Away

Chapter Twenty-Seven

When I open my eyes, I am met with darkness, frowning in annoyance, I softly groan, my body feels a little weird as though numbed. My originally hazy consciousness is completely wide awake in the next second, I try to put some energy into sitting up, but halfway there, I find that I have the spirit but lack the strength, hence dejectedly falling back to bed.

I feel the soft bedding beneath me, bed?

“You’re awake?” Someone’s voice is heard within the darkness, sounding in particularly tender within this silent time.

Only then do I vaguely see someone sitting at the table, quietly, silently, practically blended into the darkness. My mind is fiercely struck with shock, I had almost forgotten, Meng Shao Jue,

The warm yellow candleflame is lit, within the half dark half lit room, Meng Shao Jue’s handsome face carries a trace of abnormality as it appears in my sight, he warmly smiles, with no sight of his usual unrestrained and playful grin, “Is Princess feeling unwell anywhere?”

I stare at him, choosing to stay silent.

“Since Princess isn’t saying anything, there shouldn’t be anything wrong then.” Meng Shao Jue rests his chin in one hand, his attitude extremely casual as he says: “I originally wanted to lay out some food to lure out a little mouse, didn’t think I would instead catch a kitten.” His eyes suddenly flashes, his smile looking rather pleasant as he says: “Has Princess perhaps heard of a phrase, curiosity killed the cat?”

I still maintain my silence, curiosity has indeed killed the cat, just that in this world, just how many people has no curiosity? Even I who have always desired nothing, could not avoid such a fatal thing.

Meng Shao Jue’s long phoenix eyes slightly narrows, “So, Princess coming here so late at night, what curious matter was it for?”

I find it ridiculously laughable, what’s me coming here got to do with him, could I not have gotten lost whilst going to the washroom? Moreover, this guy sure is asking so righteously, does he not feel like it should be the other way around? I indifferently say: “This question of yours sure is interesting, then may I ask Gentleman Meng, why are you showing up in the palace in the middle of the night?”

Meng Shao Jue’s dark pupils suddenly brightens significantly, thin lips hooking up into an even more graceful curve, “Very good, very good.”

I’m a little puzzled, what, what’s very good? You’re good? I’m good? Everyone’s good?

He stands up and comes to the bedside, abruptly leaning down towards me, a pair of eyes shiningly looking at me as he says: “An Ke Lan, at long last you have spoken your first words to me.”

I slightly pull a face like 囧, Young Master Meng, these words of yours sure is very much ‘clouds in the fog’ (puzzling).

Meng Shao Jue reaches out to clamp onto my chin, slowly raising it, his eyes evenly meeting mine, he says with displeasure: “An Ke Lan, sometimes I really want to throw this face of yours onto the ground to give it a good stamping!”

I stiffen my face, I, I, f*ck, you sure are being to f*cking harsh, what have I done to offend you?

“Before I just thought you’re a fool, silly and dull just like any other fools in the world.” He hatefully starts, his tone seeming to carry complaints, “Then I’ve found you’re considerably interesting, dull on the surface but likes to play little tricks in the shadows, indeed rather special.”

I’m a little surprised, may I ask, have this guy been taking notice of me all along?

Meng Shao Jue’s voice is still as charming as ever, but compared to usual, eh, it’s a few points more immature? “Those that plays fool, I have seen many, just stunned to have never seen one who plays fool to your extent!”

I am speechless, how has me playing fool hindered you, moreover, we were just discussing a serious problem, how did you drag it east, drag it west to this little pimple (petty matter)?

“See you as a fool, but not exactly a fool. Say you’re no fool, yet you firmly don’t show anything to prove you’re no fool.” Meng Shao Jue releases the hand clamped onto my chin, but then immediately grabs the back of my neck, “An Ke Lan, the only reason you neglect others, is because you simply don’t care.” He lowly curses, “Don’t give a damn care! Hence why you’re willing to be a fool?”

I feel that this child has definitely drank too much tonight, I ask with great concern: “Are you ill?” Nonsense disease.

Meng Shao Jue looks at me in a bad mood, as he says: “Yes I’m ill, been angered ill, but at least tonight it’s a little better, to be able to hear some real words from your mouth, truly a rare sight!”

I coldly smile at him, “Very good, you’ve succeeded. Now can you please remove your hand?”

Meng Shao Jue spills out a light chuckle, the smile on his handsome face not at all shallow, “No. We have serious matters to discuss, what are you doing here so late at night?”

I look at him, “Gentleman Meng, I too shall directly ask you, you – a commoner, what makes you show up in the palace so late at night?”

Meng Shao Jue says nothing, black orbs vaguely flashing.

“Since Gentleman Meng can’t give me an answer, then on what grounds do you have to make me give you one?” I plainly say.

Meng Shao Jue suddenly burst out laughing, lowly saying: “Indeed a kitten with a glib tongue.”

I gently smile, “I’m no kitten.”

“Oh?” He raises his brows, “Then what?”

I strongly push him away, coldly saying: “I’m a big female bug.” (big female bug or母大虫 / mǔ dà chóng is an ancient slang term for a tigress)

The smile in Meng Shao Jue’s eyes deepens, his eyes suddenly makes a move, smiling at me extremely strangely, “Kitten, aren’t you very curious, then I shall tell you everything, what do you think of that?”

I quietly mutter: “The days are dry, watch out for fireflies.” (A common saying by night watchmen who reports the times at night)

“Eh?”

I get up, getting ready to leave, “It is no longer early, time to go to sleep.”

Meng Shao Jue immediately grabs my wrist, laughingly saying with ill intent: “Wanting to leave……? Not so easily.”

I Look at his pretty little face that’s filled with wickedness, grievance surging up my heart, oh mother, I should not have been curious, curiosity kills people ah.

I am dragged over to the table by Petty Man Meng, seeing him take out from his sleeve, the ‘phoenix jade trap’ from before, the phoenix jade reflecting a warm shine under the candlelight, he suddenly turns a lot more serious, saying to me: “Do you know of the matter regarding the Yun Ze child hostage’s tragic death in the Yun Mi imperial palace?”

I shake my head, “Don’t know.”

He continues to ask, “Then do you know the Yun Ze child hostage actually didn’t die at all, but has lived on after being rescued out of there?”

I once again shake my head, “Don’t know.”

He once again asks: “Then do you know your Seventh Brother – Yuwen Xiu – is the Yun Ze child hostage?”

F*ck, such a private question, of course I……”don’t know.”

Meng Shao Jue’s lips twitches, “Then do you know I’m actually a spy sent here by Yun Ze?”

“Don’t know.”

“Do you know your Father Emperor’s attack was my and your Seventh Brother’s doing?”

“Don’t know.”

“……” He tries hard to continue, pointing at the phoenix jade, saying: “Do you know this jade pendant is a sacred object symbolic of the Yun Ze emperor?”

“Don’t know.”

Meng Shao Jue extends his slender and long fingers to press at the between of his brows, “Very well, then now you know it all, right?”

I extremely stubbornly say: “Don’t know.”

Meng Shao Jue looks at me with a seeming smile upon hearing this, slowly saying to me: “It’s useless for you to deny anymore, you now know everything.”

I find myself very aggrieved, also finding him very idiotic, I ask: “The jade was deliberately placed here by you to lure someone into stealing it?”

He lightly nods, “En.”

“Then the eunuch just now is?”

Hate flashes past Meng Shao Jue’s dark orbs, “Yun Ze Empress’ people.”

I sound “oh”, suddenly shrugging my shoulders: “Little Spy Meng, are you not afraid I will leak out all these matters?”

Meng Shao Jue hooks up a smile extremely slowly, a strange look lighting his eyes, “Not afraid.”

I inexplicably sense fear inside me, “What do you mean?”

Meng Shao Jue wickedly smiles at me, taking a little drum out from his sleeve, deliberately shaking it in front of me a few times.

I am stunned to see it, little drum, why is this plaything so familiar looking ah, is it not precisely the thing the thieves uses to torture people in {{The Eagle Shooting Heroes / 东成西就}}? My stomach starts to churn, trembling, I say: “You, you, you human trash, you made me eat a centipede?”

“Apologies, wrong thing.” Meng Shao Jue grins, casually tossing the drum back, “This was something I picked up in the room before.”

I am slightly relieved, that’s good, didn’t make me eat a centipede, such a sickening thing. But just after letting out a breath, I suck it back in again after hearing Petty Man Meng’s following words.

“Oh, now this is the right one.” This time he takes out a very exquisite and delicate emerald jade flute, smiling at me in particularly gently: “I didn’t make you eat a centipede, what I made you eat is a bug.”

I slightly part my lips, bug……?

“Don’t be afraid, on the needle before there was only strong aesthetic, and right now, it is no more than a tiny little [poisonous] bug.” Meng Shao Jue’s voice is so gentle as though speaking to his beloved, “It will not be a threat to you, as long as you’re obedient.”

I coldly smile at him, “Meng Shao Jue, what was the need in doing so much, telling me everything and then putting me under the [poisonous] bug to prevent me from spilling anything.”

Meng Shao Jue lowly laughs, phoenix eyes glittering with charm, he lazily takes a lock of my hair into hand, leisurely playing with it, “It’s nothing, just find it fun.”

I stare at him for a while, then say: “Are you certain you can guard against me at every moment?”

“No, I’m not certain.” He lightly waves his finger, yet his expression is contradicting, as though he doesn’t care, “Ah-Lan, did you know, how much effort I put into that little thing inside of you? He is so much more adorable and intelligent than all of its brothers and sisters, also so much more……poisonous.” His slender and long finger nimbly strokes the jade flute, dotingly saying: “The little plaything needs only listen to me blow the flute and it will become exceptionally excited, for example, like this.”

The emerald green short flute is placed against his thin lips, he softly plays a few notes, the flute sound deep and dark, but causes my stomach to be stricken with bursts of pain, the pain just like a red-hot iron on my skin, horribly unbearable. I roughly tumble to the ground, my head lowered as I strongly clutch my stomach, my breathing quickening, all in hopes of reducing the pain. The flute sound immediately stops, Meng Shao Jue squats down, raising my head, a devil-like smile on his handsome face, he gently caresses my face, saying: “Ah-Lan, the games has just begun, hopefully you can play along with me to the very end.”

I weakly turn my face away, plainly saying: “I take back my original words.”

“En?” He raises his brows with interest.

I seriously look at him, saying: “You’re not annoying, you’re very venomous.”

This man is more venomous than deadly poison.

Meng Shao Jue hooks up his thin lips upon hearing this, his phoenix eyes devilishly charming, “Little kitten, poison is in fact the best antidote.”

I look at the him before me, and for some unknown reason, think of the cold man who was once absolutely ruthless towards me, Meng Shao Jue is poisonous, but how is he any different?

After the face-off with Meng Shao Jue, my life seems to have not gone through a single change, I am still spending life quietly, every matter and every person around me still so uninterestingly dull, with no waves of changes. Meng Shao Jue did not come finding me either, and I too, have not seen Seventh Brother, the secrets I accidentally came to know of seems to be just a dream, but every day, when I look up at the blue skies, I would vaguely feel, under the boundless stretch of sunniness, there hides specks of darkness.

My little table has long gone without any fresh dewy grapes, I hold up a peach, looking at it left and right, en, peaches still cannot compare to the temptation of grapes.

Xi Xi pushes the doors open and enters, “Princess, Lady Ling Zhi is here.”

I raise my head, “En?”

“Eldest Gentleman has a message for you.” Xi Xi covers her mouths and lightly giggles.

I say: “Oh.”

After Ling Zhi enters, she speaks no nonsense, just looking a little anxious as she says: “Princess, may you pay a trip to the General Estate with me?”

My action of playing with the peach comes to a pause, “What’s wrong?”

Ling Zhi’s lips barely tugs down, eyes looking bleak, “Eldest Gentleman is injured.”