Fuzhu's Ballad

38

CHAPTER 38 Suspicion

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After waking up, the first thing Lan Dan did was to open all the windows, to let in the fresh morning air, as if it could dispel the gloominess accumulated in the room. She leaned against the door, breathing hard, hoping that her chest would not feel as constricted as before.

Shentu Rui walked in with a servant girl to serve breakfast, but Lan Dan didn’t want to talk to him or even look at him, preferring to gaze at the dewdrops on the flower buds in the back garden.

He walked over to her and gently asked, “Did you sleep well?”

Lan Dan looked at him indifferently, even though she wanted to ask him how he and Zi Fu slept last night, she didn’t have the energy to even mock him.

Under her gaze, Shentu Rui showed an unusual panic, grabbing her shoulders and examining her closely, “What’s wrong with you? Your hair…”

Confused, Lan Dan coldly twisted her shoulders and broke free from his grip. The gentle morning light shone in, illuminating the copper mirror on her dresser, and her reflection was especially clear and vivid. At her left temple, a strand of hair had turned snow white overnight, contrasting sharply with her otherwise dark hair. Lan Dan looked at herself for a while and wondered why he seemed so surprised and worried when it was not that much of a big deal.

“This…” Shentu Rui was still very anxious and sat heavily behind her, asking her insistently, “Did you take the pill on time?”

“Yes.” She replied nonchalantly.

“Take it out! Let me see!” Shentu Rui’s face darkened, his voice turning cold. Even if she was angry with him, she couldn’t make fun about her own health like that!

Lan Dan opened the small box on the dressing table, took out a porcelain bottle, pulled out the cork vigorously, and turned it upside down. The only remaining pill inside rolled onto the dressing table and fell to the ground, but no one picked it up.

“Do you fear me getting old? Fear me dying?” She asked him coldly with a faint smile. “Shentu Rui, be honest with me. As long as you tell me the truth, I won’t blame you. You…” She wanted to say “you treat me so well”, but she couldn’t say it after seeing what happened between him and Zi Fu last night. “Do you want me to be more loyal, more devoted, and more compliant with your plan?”  When he felt that he had completely controlled her heart and had nothing to worry about, he would show a helpless look again and send her to Shentu Cheng, right? She chuckled, seeing through his smugness. “No wonder you’re afraid of me being ugly and old. When Lan Huang gives birth to a son, it will be time for Shentu Cheng to die without knowing it, and you’ll need me then to poison him, won’t you?”

Shentu Rui’s face suddenly turned livid. He stared straight at her with a fiercely attractive expression when his eyebrows were furrowed.

Lan Dan looked at him without flinching, sighing inwardly at how deceptive his face was. If she hadn’t overheard his conversation with Lan Huang, she would have believed that he was a man of deep emotions and sincerity. Did Lan Huang really believe in him? Did he really believe in her? Perhaps he had already secretly deployed his forces, and while Lan Huang was still dreaming of being the Empress Dowager,  he, the new Emperor, had already led his army into the Zhaoyang Hall and sat securely on the dragon throne. He was still worried that she would despair and seek death, but she didn’t want to die. She wanted to watch closely as these jackals and eagles fought each other, until only the last survivor remained!

“You!” Shentu Rui suddenly stood up, panting in a slightly uncontrolled manner. He pointed at Lan Dan as if he wanted to poke her to death. After suppressing himself, he turned around and walked out with heavy footsteps, as if he was trying to stomp the floor to pieces.