Hua Ming Zi’s body stiffened and quickly straightened her body.  This time, she really felt scared.  Just now when she pushed for answers, the information extracted was extraordinary and if the Emperor has the intention to eliminate witnesses.........

“Your Highness, this common woman seeks forgiveness for being discourteous.”  Hua Ming Zi said in a trembling voice.

With an arm over her shoulder, Ying Yan Long held her hand tightly.

Hei Xing Jian looked at them with an expressionless face and faintly asked.  “What did you hear in this room just now?”

Before Hua Ming Zi could gather her thoughts, Ying Yan Long played dumb and said.  “We didn’t hear anything.”

Hua Ming Zi stopped breathing and did not dare to speak.

“Withdraw and return home.”  Hei Xing Jian glanced at their clasped hands and then turned around to look towards the bed.........as if Mei Yi Wen was still lying there.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”  Ying Yan Long made eye gestures to indicate Hua Ming Zi should also do the same.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

After she had performed a ceremonial curtsy, the two people leaned weakly against each other and clasped each other’s hands tightly before they slowly walked out.

Just now, her heart was hanging in suspense and she had already used up all her stamina and energy.  Now when she knew they were safe, she realized her body was drenched in cold sweat and at the same time, she felt a sudden surge of fatigue sweeping over her. 

“Arrange for a sedan to send them away.”  Hei Xing Jian said without turning his head.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Both of them answered in unison and without looking back, they left this inauspicious place........the faster they leave, the farther they leave, the better it is..........

The door of the secret passageway to the palace prison once again closed with their departure. 

Only Hei Xing Jian stood alone in the palace prison, trapped in his memories of Mei Yi Wen.........

 

***#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#***

 

“No!”  Ying Yan Long shouted out loudly.  Immediately his eyes flew open and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

“What happened?  Did you have a nightmare?  You’re fine, you’re at home!”  Hua Ming Zi who was originally napping on a stool beside the couch instantly sat up.  Cupping his face with her hands, she asked.  “Where do you feel uncomfortable?  Should I call for the doctor to come over?  Doctor Qu is currently in the Mansion........”

She turned her head to call but he pulled her hand. 

He composed himself and looked at the agarwood carvings on the bed then looked at the silk satin brocade quilt covering his body and took in the smell of medicine with his nostrils.   Only then did he believe that just now, the pain like being hit by ten-thousand arrows and the suffering like thousands and thousands of people scrapping on his tendons with knives.......was only just a dream.  He had left the palace prison and returned home.

Ying Yan Long pulled her cold hand and placed it on his cheek.  After a while, he touched her pale face and said. 

“I’m fine.  It’s just a .........nightmare.”

“It has been difficult for you.”  A sour feeling rose in her heart and she leaned forward to hug him.

He rested on her shoulder and embraced her to let his body absorb her warmth and take in the normal surroundings.  He let out a low sigh and after his body had finally relaxed, he said.

“What are you doing here?  Why didn’t you return to your chamber to rest?  Just now, when you taught Lou Ji Cai a lesson in the palace, you had used up all your strength..........”

“I’m alright.  I can’t stop worrying about you and even if I return, I will not be able to sleep.”  She took a towel and helped him to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.

“Then, you can lie down with me and keep me company.”

Hua Ming Zi’s ears turned slightly warm as he watched her with his deep black eyes but she did not refuse.  It was with much difficulty, she could finally see him return alive, so how would she put the matter of inappropriate behavior between men and women in her heart?   

She moved her body to lie down with him shoulder to shoulder and then she was pulled into his embrace. 

“Your body is as cold as ice.  You have suffered these days.”  He buried his head in her hair and said.

“You are the one who had suffered........with unexpected calamity.........”  She looked up and stroked his pale face and his chin which was covered with stubble.  Unable to control herself, her eyes turned red again.

“It’s a blessing, not a calamity.  I’m now holding the beauty in my arms and it’s worth it.”  He lowered his head and sneaked a kiss on her lips. 

She did not avoid him and looked at him with her pair of gleaming eyes.

The emotions in his heart stirred and turning his body slightly sideways, he placed his big hand on her nape and kissed her on the lips.  He could not help but ask for more and kissed her until she became breathless.  Then she hit him to make him stop.

He raised his head to look at her with the understanding that he has yet to heal and he is not as capable as his heart wishes.  Only just that he could not control his fingertips as he caressed her beautiful face and he placed several more kisses on her forehead.

He can still see her.......can still caress her like this........it is like a beautiful dream.

“It feels itchy!”  She smiled and pulled down his hand.

He looked at her and then pulled her into his embrace again.  He could feel her soft body flushed to his body and he could also feel her anxious quickened heartbeats.

“How are you these days?  How is everything at home?”  He asked.

Earlier on, when the two of them had got onto the sedan, she refused to let him talk.  After she had given him some medicinal pills to stabilize his qi and to disperse internal blood-clots, she let him rest on her lap so that he could lie down flat.  Then he fell into a deep slumber while holding her hand.

“I am good.  The Hua and Ying Families are also good.”   She nestled into his shoulder and breathed in the smell of medicine on his body.

“Xue Wen and Ying Ying have helped a lot.  Half of the matters concerning my Hua Ji Restaurants are now being handled by the both of them........”

“Xue Wen?”  Ying Yan Long lifted his eyebrows and asked incredulously.

“Perhaps he is not interested in medicines and herbs but regarding the matters in my Hua Ji Restaurants, he had expressed interest and is clear about them.  Now he is following my Family’s Steward You all day long on the daily rounds.  Not only does he understand the account books a little now, but even his opinions are excellent.  I plan to let him learn a bit more before I allow him to take charge of the Hua Ji Restaurants.  Then I will enjoy a good rest and be a wealthy idler.  Anyway, my time is limited and I have to be prepared early.”  She felt a pain in her chest but she still continued to smile.

A bitter feeling settled in his heart and as he caressed her cheek, he mumbled. 

“Do you know about your health condition?”

“Yes.” 

She looked into his eyes and did not avoid his gaze.  She still smiled at him.  However, a sourness rose in her throat and she took a deep breath to swallow back the discomfort.  

It is already a happy event for him to be able to return safely, so why should she feel sad?  They can still be together for another one or two years...............

Seeing the serious expression on his face, she stroked his cheek and said.  “You are a fool.  Since you know my life is short, why do you still insist on marrying me?”

“I am not a fool.  I have confidence in the medicines of the Ying Medical Hall.  I know I can heal you and let you live to a hundred.”  He held her hand and said.

“I don’t need to live to a hundred.  I only want to live the following each and every day as if it is my last day and spend it well with you.  So, don’t force me to marry you.  Let’s live each day like this......”

“We must be married.  We’ll do it tomorrow.”  He interrupted her words and looked at her fixedly.

“Although your ex-wife only died after she was separated from you, if you marry me who is destined to die early, the people outside will say you are an unlucky star that brings death to your wife.  In future, it will not be easy for you to find a good partner..........”

Ying Yan Long’s palm covered her mouth to block off her words.

He stooped down to her and his words together with the smell of medicine from his mouth drifted to her nose. 

“In this life, I will only have you as my wife.”

Her body trembled.  Her eyes were covered with a thin layer of moisture and he was not any different.

“But I hope you will take a wife again after I am gone to take care of you for the rest of your life.”

“Really?”  He knotted his eyebrows.

“Yes.”  She said resolutely and decisively.

“I thought you were not the kind of woman who hopes for her husband to marry again.”

“You’re right, I am not that kind of woman.  But even more so, I don’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life.  After I am gone, I don’t want to be constantly worried about whether you are doing well.......  If I am to die with worries, I would be very reluctant to leave.......”  She choked and quickly closed her eyes to prevent her tears from falling.

Knowing full well that for their lives to merge together was granted by God’s grace.........and knowing full well that precious time should not be wasted on sorrow...... but there was still the feeling of bitterness in their hearts.

Ying Yan Long held her tightly and buried his face in her neck.

A warm feeling spread on Hua Ming Zi’s neck and she knew it was his hot tears.  Her tears followed and slipped out of her eyes but very quickly, she fought to hold back her tears.

In life, if one is able to get such a lover, there is nothing to regret.  Moreover, this lover is extremely capable.  He is able to protect her family business and let her leave without worry.  Therefore, she will not cry nor will she be sentimental.

Hua Ming Zi raised the corners of her mouth into a smile and stroked his back with her hand to soothe him like she was soothing a child. 

When Ying Yan Long lifted his head to look at her, he saw the serene smile on her face and she was calmly looking back at him with her eyelids lowered.  Suddenly a feeling of panic surged in his heart, fearing that she would just leave since there was nothing for her to be worried anymore.......

“Anyway, we will be married tomorrow.  It is settled.”  He held firmly to her hand.

“Why are you so stubborn?”  She wrinkled her eyebrows.

“I am stubborn, so God sent you to me to change me.  I used to rely on myself but had never thought when I am in trouble, how everyone is supposed to carry on.  Initially, I thought that marrying a wife who is capable of taking care of the internal matters of the household was enough.  Fortunately I met you, otherwise, after I was put into the palace prison, the Ying Family would have been thrown into a chaotic mess and I would still be kept in the prison now.”   Ying Yan Long said seriously.  “So, I will definitely marry you.”

She sighed and did not want to argue with him over this.

“In fact, it is not only you who is stubborn.  In the beginning, I had also planned to marry a husband who is obedient and as long as I can carry on the ancestral line, it was good enough.  It was because I felt I can be responsible for the whole family alone.  But now I know I’m wrong.  During the time when you were imprisoned in the palace, if it was not for your Mother who took care of me every day........if it were not for Xue Wen and Ying Ying, and the Stewards from our two families who helped to manage everything,.......I would not have peace of mind to plan and save you.”  Hua Ming Zi said softly.  “People can’t live life independently.  We are both too conceited.” 

Ying Yang Long nodded and understood her feelings.  The two people looked at each other for a while before they lay back on the couch and hugged each other.

“Alright, you should rest more now.”  She said.

“I want to ask one more question before I rest.  How did you get to see the Emperor and persuade him to let you interrogate Luo Ji Cai?” 

Hua Ming Zi told him in simple words that she had used the white jade bracelet to seek help.

“Originally, I only believed people are victorious over Heaven but now, after what I had encountered, I just want to thank Heaven for having pity on us and allowed our two lives to be together again.”

“That’s right, at least we can still watch over each other.  Mei Yi Wen and the Emperor can only have regrets.”   When she thought of Mei Yi Wen, she let out a sigh.

“Don’t put so much thought into this anymore.  This is actually the result Mei Yi Wen chose.  However, why did the Emperor say that this white jade bracelet is Mei Yi Wen’s life?  Can the jade bracelet be a man’s medicine?” 

He lifted her wrist against the light and squint his eyes to carefully study the jade bracelet in the candlelight. 

To him, if there is anything that can save her life, he will give it a try.

“Don’t look anymore.  You should rest and regain your health first.  We’ll talk about other matters later.”   Hua Ming Zi withdrew her hand and pulled the quilt over his body to cover him up to his shoulders.

At this moment, the crows of a cockerel sounded outside the window.

Originally, the sky was dark and now it had slowly brightened up with a thin layer of light.  The people outside the room had begun to get up and start work.

“Hurry, go to sleep.”  Hua Ming Zi covered his eyes with her hand. 

“Right......hurry, go to sleep.”  He pulled her and let her rest on his chest.

“Later when Cui Yu and the maids come in, it will not look appropriate.”  Although her words were thus said, when she listened to his heartbeats, however, she did not make any move to resist.

“What is wrong with a husband and a wife embracing each other while they sleep?  They should know when to retreat.  Just go to sleep.”   Holding her hand, he gave it a squeeze and then he closed his eyes.

She glanced briefly at his sleeping face and then closed her eyes.  At the same time, she snuggled deeper into his arms.

At this moment in time, it does not matter how long she can live......that is no longer important.  What is important now is that they are protecting each other and this is enough for her......