The night was deep and the dew heavy, yet the Cining Palace was brightly lit. Chu Ruoyin, her mind a whirl of chaotic thoughts, followed the matron inside. As she curtsied to perform the formal greeting, a cold, stern voice cut her off: "Chu Ruoyin, listen well. If you can wake the Prince of Qin, this Dowager will let the matter rest. But if you cannot... hmph!"
That disdainful snort sent a tremor straight to the heart.
But Chu Ruoyin had no time to dwell on it. Approaching the bed, she saw that familiar, pale face and couldn't help but call out, "Your Highness!"
The man on the bed trembled his long eyelashes.
She threw herself down beside the bed. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault... Your Highness, please wake up!"
Whether he truly heard her plea or not, Murong Jin's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes...
"The Prince is awake! The Prince is awake!" A palace servant cried out in joyful surprise.
Empress Dowager Su pushed Chu Ruoyin aside, sat on the edge of the bed, and grasped his hand. "Jin'er, Jin'er? You're awake. Do you still recognize your mother?"
Murong Jin blinked slowly. "Mother..."
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. The Emperor declared directly, "The physician who suggested this plan earlier shall be rewarded!"
Outside the palace doors, a young physician rose to his feet, but Chief Physician Zhang's eyes only grew more troubled.
This was no true awakening; it was clearly a final rally before the end!
Where was the old Divine Physician Qin?
Had Duke Chu of the State truly failed to bring him?
Murong Jin looked at the Empress Dowager and said, "Mother... your son... your son heard Ruoyin's voice..."
Empress Dowager Su was displeased, but she still moved aside. "You, come here!"
Chu Ruoyin stepped forward. Seeing his gaunt, haggard face, tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Your Highness, how do you feel? Where does it hurt? Tell the physicians quickly..."
Yet Murong Jin parted his lips slightly and shook his head. "Ruoyin, I am done for. But to see you once more before I die brings me great... great joy... cough!"
As he coughed, blood spilled uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
Chu Ruoyin frantically reached out to wipe it away. "Don't talk nonsense! With so many physicians here, they will surely save you!"
But Murong Jin seized her hand. "Ruoyin... you are worried about me, aren't you?"
Chu Ruoyin wept. "How can you speak of such things at a time like this! Physicians, physicians..." She turned to call for them but was held fast by his grip on her wrist. "Ruoyin, don't go!"
The movement triggered another bout of terrifying coughs. Chu Ruoyin hurriedly steadied him. "Alright, I won't go. I'll stay right here, I won't go anywhere!"
Only then did Murong Jin lie back, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on her. "Ruoyin, that question I asked you at the tavern before... you never answered me... Did you come to me because Jiang Huaian treated you poorly? Did he hurt you?"
Chu Ruoyin shook her head through her tears. "No, my cousin did not hurt me. I... I never married him at all..."
"What?!" Murong Jin's pupils constricted sharply. Only then did he notice the style of her hair, and overwhelming joy dawned on him. "It's true! You didn't marry him! You truly didn't marry him!!"
An unprecedented brilliance lit his eyes, but the next moment, a metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Your Highness!"
"Jin'er!"
"Ninth Brother!"
Cries of alarm filled the room. Murong Jin, leaning over the bedside, weakly waved his hand, his pale face utterly desolate. "Always like this... always one step behind... Realizing my true feelings, one step late. Seeking to marry you, one step late. And now, at the very end, still one step late... Ruoyin, I was too foolish. In matters concerning you, I was always... always one step behind..."
The wound on his chest also split open, the white gauze soaked through with blood, which also blurred Chu Ruoyin's vision.
"No, no! It's my fault! I was too timid, too cowardly. Once hurt, I dared not step forward again! Your Highness, I promise you, if you survive this, I will hide no more... We will play the qin and listen to music together, discuss poetry and literature. Didn't you always say you would take me to the northern deserts? To see the lone smoke over the vast desert, the long river under the setting sun? I'm waiting. Don't break your promise, please?"
She tried desperately to force a smile, but tears blurred her eyes, and she couldn't curve her lips upward.
Murong Jin felt his heart break at the sight, but with his end approaching, what more could he promise her?
At that moment, Chief Physician Zhang rushed in. "The medicine is here! The medicine is here!"
Chu Ruoyin quickly took the bowl and carefully fed him the medicine, sip by sip.
Fortunately, after taking the medicine, his breathing indeed grew steadier.
Murong Jin raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corner of her eye. "Ruoyin, don't cry."
He took a deep breath, yet could feel the vitality within his organs gradually fading.
He then turned his head to look at the Empress Dowager. "Mother..."
"I'm here, I'm here!" The Empress Dowager hurried forward. He said, "Your son is unfilial, and can no longer care for you..."
"Nonsense! You speak nonsense!" Empress Dowager Su wept uncontrollably. The Emperor, supporting her, also wore a pained expression. "Ninth Brother, do not give up hope. Chief Physician Zhang said you will recover!"
Murong Jin offered a bitter smile that showed he understood everything. Gathering his strength, he said, "Imperial Brother, before your subject brother departs, I have one more request..."
"Speak. There is nothing I will not grant."
"It concerns Ruoyin, and Chief Physician Zhang..."
Hearing his name, Chief Physician Zhang looked up sharply. He heard the Prince say slowly, "Your subject brother knows that you and Mother will surely blame others for what has happened to me... But... your subject brother wishes to depart in peace... So I beg you to show leniency, do not... do not hold others accountable..."
The Emperor clenched his fist. "Very well. I promise you. I will spare your beloved and this pack of useless fools from the Imperial Hospital!"
Chief Physician Zhang was moved to tears of gratitude. Murong Jin continued, "Thank you, Imperial Brother. And as for Ruoyin... your subject brother wishes to leave the people and possessions of the Prince of Qin's estate to her..."
"I shall grant it all!"
Murong Jin nodded. After gathering his breath for a moment, he added, "Affairs of the court are not for your subject brother to worry over... But I beg you, Imperial Brother, to rely heavily on the Chief Grand Secretary... Do not... do not let suspicion grow in your heart... The Yan family are loyal ministers!"
The Emperor was taken aback, remembering the letter that had exposed the Chu family. Unprecedentedly, he did not respond.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Murong Jin's eyes, but he had no strength left to dwell on it.
With great difficulty, he turned his head, his gaze deepening as he looked at the woman he loved. "Ruoyin, in this life, I failed you... If there is... if there is a next life, would you be willing to give me another chance..."
"I would! I would!" Chu Ruoyin choked out. "In the next life, I wish to be lovebirds with you, our branches intertwined. For life after life, never to part!"
Murong Jin said, "Good." He raised his hand and, for the last time, stroked her hair. "A-Yin, the flowers in the south are blooming. Go and see them for me..."
"This time it's A-Yin... I won't mistake it again..."
As the last word fell, the hand that had just touched her hair also dropped.
Thud.
The large hand fell onto the bed, and the man's breath ceased.
The air seemed to still for a moment, followed by the sound of weeping filling the hall.
The Empress Dowager cried until she fainted. The Emperor, too, found tears staining his robes.
Chu Ruoyin pressed his hand against her own cheek, her gaze tender and lingering, simply watching him quietly like that...
Suddenly, she made a decision.
