Tan Hua - Chapter 39

“A weak scholar like him couldn’t even open his mouth. Are you all holding back because of his identity, or is everyone in the prison useless?!” 

 

Jun Qiyu’s stern voice made the head of the prison cower.

 

“Your Highness, we dare not show favoritism. Whether he is the son of the Grand Marshal or the Crown Prince Consort, once in prison, they are all criminals. It’s just that Song Liqing has a strong will and endured the punishment…” 

 

“Enough, I don’t want to hear excuses… Open the door, I’ll go in myself!”

 

Following his command, the prison door was unlocked, and Jun Qiyu walked in.

 

Song Liqing lay in a damp pile of grass, his condition unknown.

 

His black hair was now disheveled, stained with blood. Jun Qiyu brushed aside his hair and examined his face.

 

With just a light touch, Song Liqing winced in pain.

 

“Mmm…”

 

Song Liqing made some sounds. He hadn’t had water for a long time, his lips were dry and cracked, his voice hoarse.

 

“I didn’t… I didn’t do it.”

 

Song Liqing’s first reaction upon waking up was denial, thinking he was going to endure more torture.

 

But when he opened his eyes, he saw Jun Qiyu’s face.

 

Song Liqing couldn’t help but shiver. He never thought that the face he once longed for would now fill him with fear every time he saw it!

 

“Qi…” For some reason, he couldn’t say the word “Qiyu” anymore, “Your Highness…”

 

Jun Qiyu didn’t speak. His thin lips were like a blade, with a hint of coldness, his fingers tracing over Song Liqing’s body.

 

There was a whip mark on his shoulder, a gash on his arm, his fingers… Jun Qiyu pinched his fingers, examining them closely.

 

The once slender fingers were now swollen and twisted.

 

As Jun Qiyu gently touched them, Song Liqing’s stomach churned, almost causing him to vomit.

 

“It hurts…” Song Liqing weakly pleaded, “Your Highness…”

 

“The Emperor always praised your calligraphy.”

 

Jun Qiyu released his hand, and Song Liqing could only keep his fingers suspended in the air, afraid to touch anything, as the pain was unbearable.

 

“You must have spent a lot of time practicing calligraphy, right? It’s a pity you won’t be able to write those magnificent articles anymore. Isn’t it a pity?”

 

Song Liqing dared not think about it. He had spent hours practicing calligraphy, his hands calloused from gripping the brush in summer, and covered in blisters and frostbite in winter.

 

“Your Highness!”

 

Song Liqing grabbed Jun Qiyu’s robe.

 

“I… I’ve been tortured, I can’t write anymore… It proves my innocence. I didn’t poison anyone, I didn’t harm anyone. Do you believe me?”

 

If Jun Qiyu hadn’t known Song Liqing’s background, he might not have doubted him so much.

 

But he was the illegitimate child of the previous emperor…

 

They were destined to be bitter enemies, irreconcilable!

 

Because the former dynasty’s territory was seized by Emperor Xuan from the hands of the previous emperor, Jun Qiyu couldn’t believe that Song Liqing, as the illegitimate child of the former dynasty, didn’t harbor any resentment.

 

He firmly believed that Song Liqing poisoned to kill Emperor Xuan, to avenge his own biological father!

 

So, all the tenderness and affection from Song Liqing in front of him were just his pretense. This marriage was meticulously planned by him, waiting for this day.

 

“I want to hear the truth from you.” Jun Qiyu asked, “Song Liqing, you’ve always said you love me. Have you really loved me?” 

 

Song Liqing’s grip gradually loosened.

 

He suddenly felt ridiculous.

 

The pursuit of his entire life boiled down to a question.

 

“Heh…”

 

A dry laugh escaped Song Liqing’s throat.

 

“Hehe… Hahaha!”

 

Song Liqing’s laughter triggered a coughing fit, tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

Jun Qiyu didn’t understand his laughter. He had been deceived by him all along, so what right did Song Liqing have to laugh so mockingly? It seemed like he was the one who had been betrayed!

 

“Shut up!” Jun Qiyu couldn’t stand his laughter.

 

“Your Highness… what have I done to make you still question me like this? What makes you blindly believe that I wanted to harm your father the Emperor?”

 

As Song Liqing spoke, it was as if he was pouring his heart out. He dry heaved a few times and finally spat out a small amount of blood.

 

He knew he had lost too much blood and couldn’t possibly spit out much more.

 

“Just answer me!” Song Liqing paused to catch his breath, no longer caring about elegance. He wiped away the blood on his hand casually.

 

“I… really loved you so much. Since when? It’s been so long, even before you knew me at the academy when you were five, I can’t even remember… Maybe it was my father joking with me, saying that the Crown Prince wouldn’t let go of me when you turned one year old. I thought it was fate. So, when you were domineering, I yielded; when you were playful, I indulged you; even when you loved meat, I gave it all to you… I liked all your strengths, tolerated all your flaws until they became habits. I almost engraved you into my bones… I never believed that two innocent children could end up like strangers…”

 

Jun Qiyu’s mind blanked for a moment.

 

After all, he was young at that time. He simply thought of Song Liqing as a good companion, someone he could order around.

 

There was indeed a bit of childhood friendship, but after experiencing so much later on, how could Jun Qiyu take that time’s feelings seriously?

 

“Then the Emperor arranged our marriage, I truly thought I was the luckiest person in the world. When I topped the examination, on our wedding night, what did I do to deserve both? I mistook your wilfulness for innocence, your flirtatiousness for personality… I always thought that one day you would mature, misunderstandings between us would vanish. I waited and endured. Have you ever thought that I’m flesh and blood, that I can get hurt? That even the warmest heart can turn cold?… Thinking back now, I realized I loved the wrong person. Jun Qiyu… come closer, I… I’ll tell you now.”

 

Jun Qiyu inexplicably complied. He lowered his body to hear what Song Liqing had to say.

 

Rather than announcing to Jun Qiyu, it was more like informing himself.

 

“I… don’t love you anymore… I don’t love you anymore. I don’t love you!!”

 

He repeated these five words, each time with more force.

 

After saying it all, Song Liqing gasped for air, his body slumping down. His face pressed against the dirtiest part of the cell floor, his soaked hair covering half of his eyes.

 

He had no more strength to fight, and he accepted his fate.

 

Jun Qiyu, who had always been flattered since birth, usually never wavered in his decisions, always putting himself first.

 

But at this moment, he felt a bit guilty, not so sure of himself…

 

Song Liqing said he didn’t love him anymore.

 

Was this such an important matter? Jun Qiyu didn’t think so.

 

Whether Song Liqing loved him or not, Jun Qiyu shouldn’t care at all! He had been waiting for this day anyway.

 

But why was he feeling so unsettled?

 

This Song Liqing, though seemingly weak, somehow slipped away from his control.

 

Jun Qiyu felt a kind of inexplicable confusion, but his nature dictated that after a while, he convinced himself that he was never wrong, and he wouldn’t be wrong now.

 

“Song Liqing, are you only realizing now that you don’t love me? You just couldn’t keep up the act and revealed your true feelings.”

 

Jun Qiyu hardened his demeanor once again.

 

Song Liqing’s eyes were unfocused, Jun Qiyu’s face gradually blurred, and it seemed like a dark cloud covered his vision.

 

He had let go completely, so no matter what Jun Qiyu said, he wouldn’t bother to explain or argue back anymore. Besides, he didn’t have the energy to argue now.

 

“Song Liqing! Answer me, you’re just wounded, don’t pretend to be dead!”

 

Jun Qiyu couldn’t get an answer, growing impatient and full of resentment.

 

“Do you dare say you didn’t plan this all along? You pleased the Emperor, wasn’t he good enough to you? He appointed you as the top scholar, supported you, granted you nobility, and how do you repay him? Now that he’s in critical condition, are you happy?! Is this what you wanted?!”

 

The ringing in Song Liqing’s ears filled his head, causing excruciating pain. He could only hear Jun Qiyu’s intermittent shouts of anger, but he couldn’t understand what he was saying.

 

They seemed to be from two different worlds, speaking past each other.

 

Song Liqing remained motionless, and Jun Qiyu’s hatred grew more intense.

 

Driven by rage, Jun Qiyu picked up a branding iron from the charcoal stove, with the “Jun” character glowing red at the end.

 

“Tell me, what poison did you give the Emperor?!”

 

No response from Song Liqing.

 

Veins bulged on Jun Qiyu’s forehead. “Song Liqing! Don’t provoke me! Do you really think I won’t do it? If I brand you, you’ll never wash it off for the rest of your life!”

 

“I didn’t…”

 

“If I had known earlier that you were a bastard from the previous dynasty, I would have gotten rid of you long ago… The Emperor treated you well, ungrateful wretch!”

 

“Ah!!—”

 

A piercing scream echoed in the dark dungeon, even the rats scurrying for food heard it and squeaked as they darted into their holes.

 

Jun Qiyu dropped the torture device, looking down at the writhing Song Liqing on the ground.

 

A brand appeared on Song Liqing’s arm, the flesh blackened and still emitting white smoke. He trembled involuntarily, convulsing.

 

After branding him, Jun Qiyu felt some regret. He had acted impulsively… but now there was no turning back. If he didn’t act ruthlessly, he wouldn’t get the antidote!

 

Song Liqing slowly stopped convulsing, curling up, tears streaming down his face, his hair matted.

 

Jun Qiyu saw his lips moving but couldn’t hear any sound.

 

“What are you saying?”

 

Jun Qiyu leaned closer, still unable to hear clearly.

 

When he leaned in closer, Song Liqing suddenly bit down hard on his shoulder, as if trying to bite off a piece of flesh.

 

“Hiss—”

 

Jun Qiyu winced in pain, kicking him away.

 

He now had two bite marks on his shoulder, luckily Song Liqing didn’t have enough strength, so even if he tried his hardest, he only managed to break the skin and draw blood.

 

“Song Liqing…”

 

Jun Qiyu hadn’t expected him to resist like this.

 

“I’ll give you one last chance… plotting against the sovereign should result in the extermination of nine generations! Aren’t you thinking about your foster father, Song Qing? Do you want to see his entire family executed?!”

 

Author’s note:

 

Let me scold first: Jun Qiyu is just a brain-dead idiot…