Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Qingyao estimated that Lu Zhao would soon return. Not wanting to face him directly for now, she hurriedly got off the carriage, only to be unexpectedly intercepted by someone.
“Guard Wu Nan? Why are you here?”
Outside the carriage stood none other than An’yu’s guard, Wu Nan.
Shen Qingyao smiled. She still remembered this young guard who had once saved her life and blushed when she thanked him. She held the flowers and got off the carriage, greeting him as she approached.
Wu Nan rubbed his waist nervously. The calm and composed man just a moment ago now appeared somewhat nervous. When he saw Shen Qingyao approaching, his slightly darkened face blushed again.
“Guard Wu Nan, are you here to see my Eldest Brother? He and the others were summoned by the king and haven’t returned yet.”
“No, that’s not it.” Wunan’s eyes flickered, then he looked at her solemnly. “I… I came to see you.”
“To see me?” Shen Qingyao was a bit surprised. She widened her eyes slightly and looked at Wunan’s awkward appearance with a smile. She blinked and asked, “So, Guard Wu Nan, is there something you need from me?”
Wu Nan had grown up in the royal court, but as the lowest-ranked servant, he had fought his way here with an unyielding spirit, barely earning the trust of the King and being placed by Princess An’yu’s side. No one had ever thanked him before, let alone spoken to him in such a gentle and soft manner. She was delicate and fragile like a precious treasure.
Wu Nan’s heart raced. After a while, he took out a dark green sachet from his bosom and handed it to Shen Qingyao. “I… I saw you in the court yesterday. You didn’t look well, and Nanzhao has many poisonous insects. This… can repel them.”
He spoke with a hint of evasion in his eyes, as if what he wanted her to avoid was more than just the so-called insects, but Shen Qingyao didn’t notice.
He had actually come all this way just to deliver a sachet to repel insects. Shen Qingyao was somewhat surprised. They had only met briefly once, and she hadn’t expected him to make such a special trip.
Shen Qingyao hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to accept it. Caught in a dilemma, she stood there, and Wu Nan stubbornly looked at her, clearly insisting that she take it.
Throughout the day, she received kindness from strangers one after another. After a slight surprise, a faint smile appeared on Shen Qingyao’s face. She remembered the swollen lump on her wrist a few days ago; indeed, she needed something to repel insects, and she didn’t want to disregard someone else’s goodwill. So, she nodded slightly and thanked him softly.
As soon as she took the sachet, Shen Qingyao felt a sudden stabbing pain in her wrist, as if something was churning in her blood vessels. But the pain subsided in an instant. She furrowed her brows and let out a muffled groan. When she focused on it again, she felt nothing.
Was it just her imagination? Shen Qingyao flicked the tassel on the sachet.
Seeing that she finally accepted it, Wu Nan breathed a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“The flower you have is very beautiful.” After handing over the gift, Wu Nan pointed at the object in Shen Qingyao’s arms and said, “This flower is called ‘Morning and Night,’ it suits you well.”
“Morning and Night,” Shen Qingyao repeated dazedly, involuntarily tightening her grip on it.
Morning and night, forever and ever1, it truly was a good name.
“This is the inn of the envoys of Great Liang. Even though this is in the capital of Nanzhao, without the official seal and letter from Great Liang, even the royal family of Nanzhao cannot come and go freely! As the first-class guard of Nanzhao, shouldn’t you understand this?”
Shen Qingyao wanted to say something more, but suddenly a cold voice came from behind her. She trembled, knowing without turning that it was Lu Zhao who had returned.
“Your Excellency the envoy.” Wu Nan saw the grim expression on Lu Zhao’s face. He immediately became tense, placed his right hand on his left shoulder, and respectfully bowed.
Lu Zhao’s face darkened. Thinking of Shen Qingyao’s smiling demeanor towards the man just moments ago, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He coldly said, “The subjects of Nanzhao are so ignorant of propriety. I will definitely report this to His Majesty of Nanzhao.”
Shen Qingyao was taken aback, not understanding how things escalated so quickly. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by a swift step from Wu Nan. He blocked her, indicating he didn’t want her to plead on his behalf. She remained silent, watching Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao narrowed his eyes, suddenly reached out and grabbed Shen Qingyao, pulling her from behind Wu Nan to his side. He used quite a bit of force, causing Shen Qingyao to cry out in pain.
Wu Nan moved slightly, but stopped abruptly under Lu Zhao’s warning gaze. Lu Zhao didn’t look at him again, instead pulling Shen Qingyao and quickly walking into the inn.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao…” Lu Zhao was walking fast with large strides, making it difficult for Shen Qingyao in her skirt. She stumbled a bit and couldn’t help but cry out.
But Lu Zhao, who usually treated her with the utmost care, seemed not to hear her at all, maintaining his pace.
“Lu Zhao!”
*Bang*”
Shen Qingyao’s final angry shout coincided with the sound of Lu Zhao slamming the door. Shen Qingyao finally broke free from his grip, leaning on the table and panting. She couldn’t say whether she was angry or scared, but as she panted, her eyes turned red.
Her foot injury hadn’t fully healed, and being dragged like this made her ankle ache again. Her hand was also sore from being pulled, and she suddenly felt very aggrieved.
She had inexplicably been forced into this situation, and now Lu Zhao was treating her like this. Did he get tired of her so quickly? Suppressing her tears, Shen Qingyao thought maybe all his previous kindness was just an act!
“Yaoyao, I…” Lu Zhao calmed down, seeing the little girl on the verge of tears. He panicked and hurried over to hug her, but Shen Qingyao dodged him.
Lu Zhao froze for a moment. Since yesterday, the little girl had been avoiding him.
“Yaoyao, did I do something wrong?” Lu Zhao’s voice was low. He could only think of the incident where Shen Qingyao caught him talking privately with Princess An’ya. But since Yaoyao heard it and should know he rejected Princess An’ya, why would she act like this?
Shen Qingyao turned her head away, sniffing. “No.”
It really had nothing to do with Lu Zhao; it was all her own problem.
Perhaps her indifferent attitude had provoked Lu Zhao. His face suddenly darkened as he noticed the flowers and the dark green sachet that Shen Qingyao was protecting in her hands.
His eyes narrowed as he approached her. “If there’s nothing wrong, why won’t Yaoyao look at me?”
Shen Qingyao stepped back, unwilling to speak.
“Yaoyao doesn’t want to talk to me, but wants to talk to that guard Wu Nan?” Lu Zhao’s tone was somewhat cold.
Shen Qingyao had never seen him like this before, and she felt a sudden tightness in her chest, finding it hard to believe. “What are you talking about? What does Wu Nan have to do with this?”
“He even specially went to fetch an insect repellent sachet for you. Such a trivial matter is remembered so deeply, showing such deep friendship.” Lu Zhao’s tone softened, but his entire demeanor exuded a chilly aloofness. His words were like a sword, cutting deeply, though it wasn’t clear who was wounded. “I suppose wherever Yaoyao goes, she is always charming, and she doesn’t lack admirers so she doesn’t need me, right?
“So now that you have many people around you, you no longer care about me, is that it?”
“I don’t!” Shen Qingyao widened her eyes. Unable to tolerate his misinterpretation, it was precisely because she cared too much that she had been agonizing over whether it was her issue or the original owner’s. Yet he dared to say she didn’t care?
Shen Qingyao shook her head. The anger and irritation in her heart grew stronger. Her wrist hurt so much it felt like it was burning. The flowers in her hand slipped away, along with the sachet, falling to the ground.
Spices and petals scattered all over, the strong scent choking Shen Qingyao. She couldn’t breathe properly.
Her eyes were full of scattered white petals. In her mind, she remembered what the girl had said to her. She smiled bitterly for a long time. Indeed, she shouldn’t have brought back this bouquet.
Morning and Night, she could never see them bloom.
“You…” Shen Qingyao struggled to breathe, unable to form a complete sentence. She clutched her chest, cold sweat instantly soaking her whole body.
Lu Zhao approached fiercely this time, not giving her a chance to evade. Stepping on the messy floor, he suddenly drew near. Petals crushed under his feet, leaving dark juice stains. Shen Qingyao’s pupils shrank. He pulled her into his arms.
“You don’t want to see me, yet you can laugh freely in front of others…” Lu Zhao grabbed her, his grip terrifyingly strong. “Do you also not want to be close to me anymore? Is this how it is?”
He questioned sharply, lowering his head. His lips touched Shen Qingyao’s, their breaths mingling. They were almost kissing but not quite, grinding against each other, making Shen Qingyao increasingly uncomfortable, her consciousness starting to blur.
Shen Qingyao shook her head slightly, wanting to say no, she didn’t, but she couldn’t make a sound.
When that kiss finally landed, Shen Qingyao couldn’t bear it anymore. She closed her eyes in discomfort, tears uncontrollably rolling down her cheeks. Lu Zhao tasted the saltiness in his mouth. Then he felt the person in his arms go limp, Shen Qingyao’s head softly resting on his shoulder.
Suffering from multiple illnesses and emotional turmoil, she couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted.
[Warning! Warning! Host’s task progress is regressing! Target task’s blackening value shows signs of increase! Warning! Warning!]
“Yaoyao!”
In the last second before fainting, Shen Qingyao only heard the emotionless alarm from the system and the deafening sound of beeps. Lu Zhao’s heart-wrenching cry pierced through these sounds, exploding in her ears.
Then everything went black before her, and she lost consciousness.
- The flower’s name is 朝暮 (zhāo mù); while what Shen Qingyao said here is 朝朝暮暮，长长久久 (zhāo zhāo mù mù, zhǎng cháng jiǔ jiǔ) which is a Chinese expression, which literally translated to : Morning after morning, night after night, for a long time, a lasting one ↩︎
Thanks for the chapter!!!!