Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Truly Boundless Heart

Shaken by the shout, even Hua Yue came to her senses and only then noticed Hua Rong’s presence. She could not help but cover her mouth, faintly startled.

“Why is my little sister here?”

Just when victory was within reach, an untimely interloper had barged in, and Hua Yue could not help feeling both mortified and indignant.

She glanced again at Jun Yeli beside her and saw that his gaze had remained fixed on Hua Rong. Even now, Hua Rong was still dazed, like a drunken madwoman.

Yet the way she stood with her hands on her hips seemed to possess a peculiar charm in Jun Yeli’s eyes.

As he lowered his gaze and gave a soft laugh, he could not help but murmur, “What a mischievous little imp. Not one bit reassuring.”

“Your Majesty, my little sister is insensible and has offended you just now. Why don’t I speak with her, and you wait here for a moment?”

With a trace of unease, she was unwilling to let such a readily won opportunity be interrupted like this. She took a step forward and quickly descended from behind the rockery, rushing toward the still-woozy Hua Rong. Grabbing her arm, she then cast a worried glance at Jun Yeli and dragged her aside, hissing in anger, “What are you doing? Why is there such a strong smell of liquor on you?”

Hua Yue was breathing a little hard, clearly quite upset, but Hua Rong, for her part, seemed not to grasp the seriousness of the matter at all.

At the sound of that familiar voice, she looked up at Hua Yue, her cheeks flushed. She leaned directly against her. “So it’s Sister. Why are you here? What a coincidence. Where is the emperor?”

“You still have the nerve to say that? I was enjoying a moonlit moment with His Majesty, and who would have thought you’d suddenly stick your nose in and spoil everything? Hurry back—what are you doing here?”

Unable to spare the time to ask why Hua Rong had drunk herself into such a muddled state, Hua Yue only grew more anxious, urging her on while tugging at her arm, trying to push her away.

But Hua Rong stubbornly clutched the great rock beside her and refused to leave no matter what. Pursing her lips, she said unhappily, “Sister, listen to me. Someone just attacked me with a stone. I think there may be an assassin around here. I can’t go!”

“What assassin? What nonsense are you spouting? Are you deliberately trying to ruin things for me?”

Hua Yue could only swallow her fury, finding nowhere to vent it, and irritably rubbed at her brow.

Her face, once flushed scarlet by Jun Yeli’s teasing, now deepened further from embarrassment and anger.

In any case, no matter what was said, Hua Rong refused to leave. Instead, she began acting like a shameless scoundrel, leaving everyone utterly helpless.

“Who was it that ambushed me just now? Get out here at once, or I’ll have the emperor arrest you and lock you in prison!”

In the dark, murky night, only the lamps scattered around them cast a dim path of light.

Hua Rong pointed in every direction, turning round and round with her own motions, still searching for the wretch who had struck her.

Jun Yeli sat there unmoving, yet seemed to be enjoying the spectacle.

Resting his chin lightly on one hand, his originally cool, indifferent face now carried a hint of amusement.

“Just how much did she drink to become this drunk...” Then a thought suddenly struck him. “Could it be that she was feeling jealous and drowning her sorrows with wine at the banquet?”

After all, Hua Rong usually did not care much for alcohol, drinking mostly grape juice.

At that thought, the half-frozen warmth in his heart seemed to come alive again.

When he looked back over there, he saw Hua Yue grab Hua Rong by the arm and shove her hard toward the distance.

“Hurry back. How can you be so thoughtless? I’m in this state, and not a single person has come to attend to you. Just what are the people in the palace doing?”

The more Hua Yue thought about it, the angrier she became, unaware that the maid who had been assigned to escort Hua Rong back to the Jade Mystery Palace had already been shaken off by her.

And yet, with that push, Hua Rong stumbled forward. Suddenly her feet caught against each other, and she fell straight to the ground without warning.

Her hands struck the floor with a painful scrape, and in an instant, a wave of agony surged through her.

“It hurts... I’m bleeding, Sister. Why did you push me?”

Hua Rong lifted her palm. Because of the pain, the drunken haze had already eased somewhat.

But the blood that welled from her palm, uneven and streaked with bits of dirt, was truly shocking to behold.

Hua Rong had always been afraid of pain, and with the added thought of Jun Yeli showing concern for another woman, she felt even more wounded inside.

For some reason, a sour ache rose in her chest, and tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes. “You all bully me. The emperor does, the women in the harem do, and even Sister does...”

In an instant, all her grievances surged forth. She only wanted to live, simply and quietly, so why was everyone making things difficult for her?

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, while Hua Yue was left completely stunned. “Why are you crying? I didn’t mean to! Honestly, I don’t know how I ended up with a little sister like you!”

At a loss, she could only help Hua Rong to her feet in a flurry, then looked toward Jun Yeli with hesitation. “Although Your Majesty is willing to take me into the harem, matters in this world change all too easily. If we fail to seize today’s chance, there may be trouble later...”

After pondering for a while, she felt caught in a difficult dilemma. Just then, she saw a palace maid carrying a lantern happen to pass by in the distance, and hurriedly called out, “You there, come here at once!”

The young maid quickly scurried over. Hua Yue directly placed Hua Rong into her care. “Take Consort Rong back to her chambers to rest. I’ll look after things here. Do not allow the slightest mistake.”

The maid glanced at Hua Rong, whose eyes were half-lidded and unfocused, yet a strange light flickered within her gaze. She did not dare be careless.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. This servant will take excellent care of the consort!”

With that, she took Hua Rong by the arm and prepared to leave.

Jun Yeli watched this scene and felt somewhat displeased, while Hua Yue hurried back at once, as though nothing at all had happened.

Only then did she cast him a tender, shy glance. “Your Majesty, my little sister was rude just now. I hope you will not take offense.”

“Is that so? Why do I feel that you are the one being rude?” Jun Yeli narrowed his long eyes slightly, studying Hua Yue.

If his attitude before had merely been indifferent, now it carried a touch of impatience.

That inexplicable hostility left one at a loss. “May I ask what Your Majesty means by that?”

“Your own little sister has drunk herself into this state, and yet you are so at ease handing her over to a palace maid. Your heart is truly broad.”

As he spoke, Jun Yeli leaped down lightly, landed on the ground with perfect steadiness, and strode away without looking back.