Fuzhu's Ballad

50

Chapter 50 This heart will remember forever

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Lan Dan weakly leaned against the window sill. The window was nailed shut with wooden strips, so she couldn’t see anything outside. Only a few lines of light filtered through the cracks, making everything seem dim and unclear. The sun had risen and set three times already.

There was a noise at the door. The lock chain was pulled, and then the door was pushed open a crack. The servant who brought food cautiously pushed the basket through, seemingly scared by her.

Lan Dan crawled and lunged towards the door, grabbing onto the door panel and refusing to let the servant close it. Her voice was hoarse as she asked him, “Did Shentu Rui come to rescue me? Is he still alive?”

The servant outside held onto the door and looked at her with a mixture of disgust and fear, as if she was a madwoman. He did not dare to use force to close the door, lest he hurt her fingers again. “I don’t know, I’m just a slave,” the servant replied impatiently. He made a gesture to close the door and scare her into letting go, but this disheveled woman might really be crazy. With her fingers bruised and swollen from the last time, she still held onto the door tightly, her eyes fixed on him. When a beautiful person fell into madness, they seemed more like a ghost or demon than an ordinary person. It was a very terrifying sight.

“Can you help me go and see, or at least ask?” Her brow furrowed, and her beautiful eyes showed a desperate plea.

“Let go, let go!” The servant had to take a piece of firewood from the pile next to the door and hit her fingers to make her release her grip. Lan Dan cried out in pain, and in that moment of weakness, the servant closed the door harshly.

Lan Dan pounded on the door with all her might, pleading continuously, “Please go and ask for me, please go and ask for me…” Her voice was so hoarse that even if she tried her best, her cries were still weak. There was no response outside the door, and she fell into despair in the darkness of the room.

She had long since run out of tears, and she stared dry-eyed. If there was no clear news of his death, then he must still be alive, right? He must still be alive!

She fumbled for the basket, wanting to eat something. She had to hold on, she had to see Shentu Rui recover and apologize to him. She wasn’t afraid of him getting angry, she would cling to him and say all the sweet words in the world. She picked up the steamed bread, soft and hot, but when she put it in her mouth and tried to swallow, she just couldn’t. She hated herself a little for not being able to do such a small thing. She forced herself to swallow, but it got stuck in her throat, and she coughed for a while, covered in cold sweat. She lay on the dusty ground, wanting to cry out loud, but she was powerless.

She didn’t know how long it had been. Lan Dan wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep or passed out, but she heard the clinking of the chains. Was it time for food again?

The door was suddenly pushed open, and the sunlight poured in fiercely, making Lan Dan’s eyes sting and unable to open. She was dragged out and thrown onto the cold, hard stone ground. Perhaps because the person dragging her thought she was disrespectful, they pulled her up and made her kneel.

Her eyes adjusted to the light, and Lan Dan saw the person standing in front of her— the Empress Dowager. Behind her were Lan Cheng and several palace maids and guards, all dressed plainly and covered in dust, clearly traveling day and night to get in Tongye.

“Do you still remember what I said to you?” The Empress Dowager’s face was icy, and she glared at her angrily. “If you make him sad, I will be the first person to kill you.” As soon as the words were out, the anger and resentment that had been suppressed all the way suddenly burst out, and she heavily slapped Lan Dan’s face.