To Hold One’s Joy

  Chapter 228 Night

   Wei Qiang was dreaming again.

  In the dream, strings of firecrackers were set off, and red paper and happy money filled the sky to pave the bluestone road in Pingnan City layer by layer, and the young children chasing the wedding procession were all smiles.

   It's just that he can't hear these voices.

  Pingnan Palace was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and he shuttled among the guests to toast in a happy attire.

   When the last person was respected, there was a sudden commotion.

   Someone yelled: "Princess Qingyang rushed out on horseback!"

   This was the only sound he heard in this festival.

   Then, he rode on the horse, desperately chasing the woman in the red wedding dress in front of him.

  He knew he had to catch up with her, or the nightmarish scene would soon appear before his eyes.

  She fell off the horse, spread out her gorgeous wedding dress, and fell into a pool of blood.

   "Luoer, Luoer, stop—"

  I have had this dream so many times that even though I am in a dream, I clearly know what will happen at each moment.

  In the dream, Luo Er was the same as that night twelve years ago, listening to his call from behind and never turning back.

  Even if she fell off the horse and died in front of the Zhennan Palace, she never looked back at him.

one two three…

  He knew that if he could count three at most, Luo Er would be hit by an arrow and fall off his horse.

  He became more and more anxious, shouting at the top of his lungs.

one-

two-

three-

  In the dream, Wei Qiang was horrified to the extreme, waiting for that scene to happen with heartache.

  I have experienced the powerlessness and pain thousands of times.

  But at this moment, the slender figure on the horseback suddenly changed.

   She turned her head.

   "Miss Luo—" Wei Qiang sat up suddenly, his face was pale, and he gasped heavily.

  The next moment, he immediately looked at the person beside him.

  The person next to the pillow was still asleep, but seemed to hear the movement, and frowned slightly.

   Wei Qiang stared at Chaohua intently for a long while, and then he breathed a sigh of relief, leaning on the pillow and recalling the dream just now.

  That dream, he started to have it one after another since that night twelve years ago, and it has gradually decreased in recent years, only occasionally when his mood fluctuates will he fall into the nightmare again.

  Nightmare never changes.

  No matter how anxious and heartbroken he was, that heartbreaking scene was still repeated again and again.

  Every nightmare ended when Luo Er fell from his horse and died tragically in front of him.

   Then he woke up.

  But this time it actually changed.

  Luo Er turned his head, and what he saw... was Miss Luo's face.

  How could it be Miss Luo—

  Wei Qiang rubbed the center of his eyebrows, feeling a little absurd, but also a little clear.

  He is thinking day by day and dreaming at night.

  Luoer, Miss Luo—two faces intertwined before his eyes, and finally slowly overlapped.

   Wei Qiang no longer felt sleepy, got off the bed lightly, took off his shoes and walked outside.

   Staring at the door where the figure disappeared, Chaohua quietly opened her eyes.

   His eyes were full of horror.

   That man called Miss Luo!

  He first repeatedly asked her if Miss Luo looked like the princess, then mentioned Xiuyue in a circumstantial way, and then dreamed of Miss Luo...

   Is that the dream?

  In these years, the prince seldom stayed in her room, and once in a while, he had a nightmare.

  He held her tightly in his arms, and intermittently mentioned the scene in his dream.

  Weak and fragile.

   But she only had a sneer in her heart.

   To her, that dream was God's punishment for him.

  He would have nightmares every night and have no peace.

  But now, Chao Hua suddenly felt that it was no longer Wei Qiang's nightmare alone, but hers.

   That man must have seen the shadow of the princess from Miss Luo!

   Next, is he going to get his hands on Miss Luo?

  He never thought of harming the princess for the second time!

   Chao Hua bit her lip tightly, and got up quietly.

  She didn't even wear shoes, just walked barefoot on the cold floor tiles.

   It was late at night, and it was very quiet.

  Wei Qiang stood at the door of the main room, looking outside.

  The door was opened, and the night wind blew in, blowing the hem of the snow-white clothes flying.

  If an ordinary woman saw it, she might think that she encountered an exiled immortal by chance, which was heartbreaking.

   But in Chaohua's eyes, this is an evil ghost in human skin.

  How could he harm the princess for the first time, and want to do it for the second time!

   "Your Highness, it's windy at night—" Dou Ren, who was on duty at night, bowed his waist and advised Wei Qiang to go back to the back room to rest.

  Wei Qiang didn't move, just stood there for a long time, and then said in a low voice: "Miss Luo's cook is coming tomorrow, you arrange someone to keep an eye on it..."

   Chaohua hid behind the curtain, not daring to get too close, the vaguely heard words were enough to make her shudder.

  She watched Dou Ren's figure disappear at the door with cold eyes. The man stood there for a while, then turned and walked back.

   Chaohua retreated slightly, step by step from the bright room to the bedroom, and lay down on the couch again.

  She heard slight footsteps getting closer.

  If he was asleep, he would definitely not have heard such footsteps.

   Then, the man lay down beside him.

   "Yu Niang—" the man's deep voice sounded.

   Chaohua closed her eyes and did not respond.

   "Yu Niang—" shouted louder.

   Chao Hua raised his eyebrows and asked vaguely, "What's wrong?"

  She knew that if there was no response, it would make the other party suspicious.

  The person who is asleep is called, if the voice is a little louder, there will be more or less a response. It's just that this response is more like an instinct, and I wake up the next day with almost no memory.

   And her response really appeased the heart of the man who quietly went out and returned.

  The man stopped talking, and gently pulled the brocade quilt over his body.

  The sound of breathing in the ears gradually became even and long.

   Chaohua didn't sleep or move.

   After suffering like this for an unknown amount of time, she quietly opened her eyes.

  The window curtain is drawn, so the change of outside light cannot be sensed.

   Chaohua guessed that it was almost dawn.

  A new day is about to kick off, and this man has already set his sights on the princess and Xiuyue.

  Even if she was on guard and kept quiet when she came into contact with Xiuyue, she couldn't stop the man from reaching out to the princess.

  He is the prince now, and he will be the emperor in the future. It is too easy to harm a woman.

  What should she do to protect the princess and Xiuyue?

   Chao Hua opened only a single line of her eyes, silently staring at the man sleeping beside the pillow.

  He slept soundly.

  How is it not stable? If a wolf-hearted thing would really have a disturbed conscience, it wouldn't do those things.

  He once harmed the whole family of the princess for the sake of being the crown prince. Would he be soft-hearted in order to get "Miss Luo"?

   Chaohua looked at the man who was close at hand, her gaze cooled down a little bit.

   Only when he is dead can the Princess and Xiuyue be truly safe!

  Yes, it would be nice if he died...

   Chaohua was startled by the sudden murderous intent at first, then calmed down immediately.

   She had actually thought about this idea for twelve years, but she didn't dare to move rashly in order to keep the bracelet entrusted by the princess.

   Now, the bracelet has returned to the princess.

  Except for this man, is there anyone in this world who is easier to do than her?

   Chaohua lightly raised her hand, and pulled out the golden hairpin from her hair.

Good morning.

  (end of this chapter)