freenovelworld Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Nalan Jingwen had special privileges, so she entered the palace very easily; her face was her pass.
She arrived at the palace from before, which was still deserted and devoid of any human presence. It was as if the place had been forgotten. The red walls were mottled and cracked, and the bluestone slabs on the ground were covered with a thick layer of moss, making them slippery if one was not careful.
After looking around at the entrance, I went inside. The roof tiles were in a terrible state, rattling in the wind. The door was rotten, and the frame was loose, creaking as if it might collapse at any moment.
There was a musty smell about the place, and she frowned silently, clearly disliking the odor.
This place is already in such a dilapidated state, how come the Ministry of Works didn't notice? Or did they deliberately not repair it and pocket the money?
He glanced around casually but didn't see the thin figure, then stepped through the door.
The room was sparsely furnished: a bed, two stools, and a…
Iron cage?
There seemed to be something lying inside the iron cage.
A thought struck her, and she went over. Inside, there was a person lying curled up, trembling uncontrollably, with their back to her.
Upon inspection, the cage was not locked and could be opened easily.
Perhaps the sound of her opening the iron gate woke the person inside, for he suddenly sat up and bared his teeth at Nalan Jingwen.
Nalan Jingwen paused, raising an eyebrow.
Nalan Yin's face was flushed, his eyes were glazed, and he was covered in sweat. His hair was wet and stuck to his cheeks. He looked like he was in a bad state. Even so, he still assumed a posture as if he was about to attack, as if he could pounce on Nalan Jingwen and bite her neck off if she moved even slightly.
Judging from his appearance, he must have a fever.
"Who are you?!"
His mind was a complete blank; he only knew that there was someone in front of him, a woman. She was blurry and swaying slightly. It was precisely because she was a woman that he became even more wary.
Ignoring his fierce appearance, Nalan Jingwen opened the iron gate, restrained the man by the back of his hand, rendering him unable to move, and then pulled him out from inside.
Nalan Yin was burning up and had little strength, so she couldn't break free from Nalan Jingwen's grip. She had only been bluffing.
However, she believed that if he truly had that ability, he would not hesitate to bite off her neck.
"Let me go! Who are you?!"
Nalan Jingwen looked at him coldly and said indifferently, "If you move again, I will kill you."
Nalan Yin stopped moving instantly, her will to survive was strong, but those scarlet eyes were still staring at her intently.
Perhaps due to exhaustion and a high fever, his consciousness began to blur, his eyes were half-closed and watery, and he was unaware of what day it was.
His body was burning hot, and he subconsciously moved closer to the source of the cold, rubbing against Nalan Jingwen, his head constantly nuzzling against her chest and rubbing against her exposed skin.
Nalan Jingwen's eyes darkened. He picked the person up and placed him on the bed. The bed had only a thin mattress, which was very hard to sleep on. The quilt was also thin and patched. Although it was springtime, the nights were still cold, and such a thin quilt was definitely not enough.
However, there is no other choice at the moment, so we can only put the person on the bed for the time being.
But Nalan Yin clung to her tightly, pressing her head against Nalan Yin's abdomen and murmuring, as if it were the only lifeline she was desperately trying to grasp.
"It hurts..."
"Father... Yin'er will listen to you... please stop hitting me..."
Nalan Jingwen gathered a wisp of profound energy in his palm and channeled it into him.
Her profound power was too domineering and powerful; ordinary people couldn't withstand even a little bit of it, so Nalan Jingwen didn't dare to use it too much.
"Somebody come!"
She shouted, her voice infused with profound energy, reaching everyone's ears without diminishing its power.
Soon, footsteps and curses could be heard outside.
"What are you yelling for! Trying to call back a soul is bad luck!"
The servant, who had initially looked disgusted, suddenly turned terrified upon seeing Nalan Jingwen, his eyes rolling back as if he were about to faint.
"If you dare to faint, I will tear off all four of your limbs and feed them to the dogs!"
The servant was startled and quickly stopped fainting, walking towards Nalan Jingwen. When he saw Nalan Yin in Nalan Jingwen's arms, a flash of jealousy crossed his eyes, and then he looked at Nalan Jingwen in a fawning manner.
"Your Highness, what brings you here? This place is so dilapidated, I don't know how the servants cleaned it. I'll go and tidy it up right away!"
Nalan Jingwen took in all his expressions, and upon hearing this, he merely frowned.
"I will summon the imperial physician. If you dare to delay, I will skin you alive and use your skin as medicine!"
The servant trembled, and seeing Nalan Jingwen's sinister expression, he was so frightened that he almost wet himself. He hurriedly turned to fetch the imperial physician, his steps frantic.
"I'll go and fetch them right away!"
He didn't believe Nalan Jingwen was joking at all. Who in the capital didn't know the reputation of this virtuous prince? Only His Majesty doted on her.
Nalan Jingwen looked down at the person lying on his lap. The person's skin was sickly white, as if he had been locked in the dark for years and never seen the sun. It was only because he had a fever that he was not as frighteningly white as he had been last time. His skin was flushed and looked like a peeled peach.
I touched his forehead; his temperature had dropped slightly. He was still muttering incoherently, and I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.
Looking at the iron cage from before, it seemed to be many years old. It was not only rusty, but also covered with dried bloodstains. It was unclear whose it was. Iron chains were scattered on the ground, and there was an indescribable smell in the room.
Dark and damp.
How can anyone live in such a place?
She looked away, paused, and then noticed something on the pillow out of the corner of her eye. She pulled her hand out of Nalan Yin's palm and picked it up.
It is made of some unknown material, shaped like a lotus flower, with gold markings on the petals. The carving is exquisite, but there are no inscriptions on it, and silver tassels hang from the bottom.
After examining it for a while, I couldn't see anything wrong with it, so I put it back.
The imperial physician arrived quickly and immediately knelt before Nalan Jingwen, who waved his hand and said, "Don't kneel, come and see Prince Yin."
The imperial physician was a shrewd man; he noticed something and immediately stepped forward to treat Nalan Yin.
The attendant standing to the side trembled uncontrollably, as if he were foreseeing his own future.
The imperial physician frowned, released his hand, and subconsciously reached out to lift Nalan Yin's thin clothes, but suddenly remembered something and withdrew his hand.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Jing lifted a small part of his clothes and saw that his body was covered in bruises, which were hidden by the clothes on his thin body.
Nalan Jingwen's sharp gaze immediately swept over the servant standing to the side, who was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Your Highness, spare my life! I will never dare to do it again, please spare my life!"
The imperial physician, having seen it all, examined the prince and said, "Your Highness, Prince Yin is far too thin and frail, severely weak, and has injuries all over his body, including many old ones. He has also caught a cold. If he is not treated promptly..."
Nalan Jingwen, growing impatient, interrupted her.
"Prescribe the medicine directly."