At this thought, Ruan Jiu's breath caught inexplicably.
That feeling as if a boulder was pressing on her chest resurfaced once again.
"Do you know what happens after one beats the Drums of Admonition?" the Princess Royal continued.
Ruan Jiu frowned tightly and shook her head.
But a sense of unease welled up in her heart.
"After beating the Drums of Admonition, one must walk bare - foot on a hundred - meter - long path of fire and then receive thirty strokes of the court cane before they can meet the Emperor and state their grievances."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Jiu couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Her gaze fell once again on the trembling figure below.
That streak of bright red was actually a path of fire!
Walking on it bare - foot, how painful that must be!
In an instant, Ruan Jiu's heart seemed to be tightly wrung, aching sharply.
"He... you said he beat the Drums of Admonition for me?"
The Princess Royal nodded and looked at Ruan Jiu seriously. "He had no choice but to beat the Drums of Admonition if he wanted to take you out."
"I don't understand..."
What did it mean for her?
And why did he want to take her out?
"Ruan Jiu, you don't belong in the palace!"
"I know. I'm just temporarily staying in the Eastern Palace to recover from my illness. I'll return to the Song Prince's Mansion once I'm better."
"No, you're not from the Song Prince's Mansion either."
These words left Ruan Jiu even more confused.
If she wasn't from the Song Prince's Mansion, then who was she?
Seeing Ruan Jiu's solemn expression and the doubts on her face, the Princess Royal continued, "Although I don't know what the Crown Prince did to you that made you lose all your memories.
But you have to believe me. Everything you know now was fabricated by the Crown Prince to imprison you! He's gone mad!"
These words instantly made Ruan Jiu feel as if the world had collapsed.
She could hardly believe her ears!
The first person she saw after waking up was Xiao Wang.
The kindness and meticulous care Xiao Wang showed her were real and tangible.
She trusted and relied on Xiao Wang.
But now, suddenly someone was telling her that it was all a lie, that Xiao Wang was imprisoning her!
Ruan Jiu couldn't help but take a few steps back and shook her head repeatedly.
She said in disbelief, "No, Your Highness wouldn't lie to me! He took me in. We've known and accompanied each other for ten years. How could he lie to me?"
"Ruan Jiu!" The Princess Royal grabbed Ruan Jiu's collar and pulled her to the railing. "Take a good look. The person who beat the Drums of Admonition for you below is the one who has known and accompanied you for ten years!
The person you love is Xie Jingchu, not Xiao Wang!"
The Princess Royal's words instantly exploded in Ruan Jiu's mind.
Suddenly, everything in front of her became distorted, and her vision gradually blurred.
What was real and what was fake?
Who was she?
And who was Xie Jingchu?
The chaotic thoughts tore her apart.
Her vision went black, and she fell straight to the ground.
In a daze, she heard a familiar voice.
"A Jiu!"
She tried to look in the direction of the voice, but she couldn't see clearly.
Only a blurred figure was left, getting farther and farther away from her.
-
In the Golden Luan Hall, Xie Jingchu stood pale - faced in the middle.
If it weren't for someone supporting him, he would have surely collapsed.
The Emperor was reclined on the dragon throne. In just a month or so, he seemed to have aged several years and no longer had his former heroic appearance.
Seeing Xie Jingchu in such a sorry state, the Emperor's blood rushed to his head, and he coughed heavily several times.
"Jing'er, what on earth made you beat the Drums of Admonition?"
Xie Jingchu weakly raised his hand. "Your Majesty, I have a grievance to state."
"If you have a grievance, you could have told the Crown Prince. Why did you have to make yourself look so sorry?"
"The person I want to accuse is His Highness the Crown Prince!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present gasped.
Everyone knew that Xiao Wang was currently in the Emperor's favor. By accusing Xiao Wang in front of everyone and beating the Drums of Admonition, Xie Jingchu was clearly going against Xiao Wang.
Xiao Wang's face visibly darkened and became terrifying.
He thought angrily in his heart, "Good for you, Xie Jingchu. After being stopped by me several times when you tried to see the Emperor, you actually came up with the idea of beating the Drums of Admonition!"
Once the Drums of Admonition were beaten, even if he wanted to stop it, there was nothing he could do.
After hearing this, the Emperor glanced at the gloomy - faced Xiao Wang and unconsciously tightened his fingers.
"I wonder what the Crown Prince did that made you beat the Drums of Admonition."
Every time the Drums of Admonition were beaten, it would be recorded in the history books.
Since the Emperor ascended the throne, this was the first time someone had beaten the Drums of Admonition, and the person being accused was the current Crown Prince.
It was simply absurd!
Although Xie Jingchu was pale - faced and weak all over.
His eyes were extremely firm and bright.
"Your Majesty, I want to accuse His Highness the Crown Prince of forcibly seizing my wife and imprisoning her in the Eastern Palace!"
In the past few days, Xie Jingchu had been waiting in vain for a reply from the Princess Royal, and the palace guards had become more and more strict.
He guessed that Ruan Jiu must have been hidden in the Eastern Palace by Xiao Wang.
As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Wang immediately roared angrily, "Young Marquis Xie has never been married. Where did you get the so - called 'wife'?"
Xie Jingchu stared straight at Xiao Wang. A sharp look of killing intent instantly flashed in his eyes.
"I'm deeply in love with A Jiu. We've pledged ourselves to each other for life. In my heart, she's already my wife. I hope His Highness the Crown Prince will let A Jiu go. Don't let your actions be recorded in the history books and bring you regret."
After hearing this, Xiao Wang coldly curled his lips. "What a joke. I'm the Crown Prince of the country. Why would I need to seize your wife?"
"Then can you say that Ruan Jiu isn't hidden in the Eastern Palace by you?!"
The Emperor looked at Xiao Wang inscrutably, squinting his eyes slightly and saying in a deep voice, "Crown Prince, is this really the case?"
"Father, there is indeed a woman in my palace, but she's not the Ruan Jiu the Young Marquis Xie mentioned."
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then bring the person here."
"Your son obeys the order."
Xiao Wang respectfully raised his hand.
As he lowered his head, a sly look flashed in his eyes.
Ruan Jiu had just woken up when she was taken to the Golden Luan Hall.
As soon as Xie Jingchu saw Ruan Jiu, he immediately exclaimed, "A Jiu!"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Ruan Jiu.
She turned her head and saw a strange man staring straight at her.
There seemed to be a galaxy twinkling in his eyes, but it was also filled with a misty haze, like a solitary lamp dampened by the autumn rain, full of grief and sorrow.
Although his black clothes covered the bloodstains on his body, a strong smell of blood could still be smelled.
And his feet, which had been burned by the flames, with the blackened rotten flesh and red blood intertwined, were horribly terrifying.
Could it be that he was the one who had beaten the Drums of Admonition just now?
Was he Xie Jingchu?
Before Ruan Jiu could think further, she heard the solemn - looking man sitting on the dragon throne say in a deep voice.
"Take a good look. Do you know the man standing next to you?"
Ruan Jiu's gaze fell on Xie Jingchu again.
The little stars in his sorrowful eyes instantly hit Ruan Jiu's heart.
But this handsome face made her feel extremely strange.
She bit her lip, frowned, and shook her head. "I don't seem to know him."