Like Pearl and Jade

Chapter 73

Bao Lu had never thought that she would die silently in a desolate mountain. The moon was beautiful. She looked at the moon in the sky and dazedly thought, who would want to kill her?

Was... was it the empress?

No, not her. If the empress wanted to kill her, she could not have left the palace. If the empress had shown even the least bit displeasure to He Ming, he would have taken her life.

But other than the empress, who wanted her to die? She was just an unimportant palace maid. Was she worthy of someone spending so much effort to take care of her?

Not far from her, the parcel was stained with fresh blood. She covered her wounded abdomen, and crawled to the parcel. She opened the big parcel.

Inside were all valuable but inconspicuous jewelry pieces, as well as silver taels, copper coins, and paper notes. These were enough for her to live securely for a lifetime.

Looking at these things, she laughed silently until she cried.

Suddenly, in a daze, she recalled, one day, the empress asked the emperor, what if someone makes me sad?

What had the emperor said back then?

The emperor said, I will make someone like that regret it.

She should have thought of it long ago. She should have.

She used her last energy to put a jade bangle from the parcel on her wrist before she coughed up blood and fell on the cold soil.

The moon seemed to gradually become veiled by a white mist. A double image seemed to appear. Bao Lu stroked the jade bangle on her wrist, and slowly closed her eyes.

Where the moonlight could not reach, He Ming looked on coldly as Bao Lu stopped breathing. He said to the black-robed soldier behind him, "Bury her."

He got onto the horse and left without looking back. Having Bao Lu live was the empress' intention. Having Bao Lu die was His Majesty's intention.

Bao Lu had served the empress closely for many years. She knew Her Majesty's living habits and preferences well. With the emperor's caution, how could he really let her go?

##

"Huh!" Gu Ru Jiu opened her eyes, sweating hard. Because her motion was loud, Jin Yang woke up from beside her. "Jiu Jiu, what is it?"

"I seemed to have a bad dream." Gu Ru Jiu leaned back on his chest and spoke in a hoarse voice.

In the darkness, Jin Yang lightly patted her back. "What did you dream about?"

"I forgot." Gu Ru Jiu's eyes widened in confusion. Then, under Jin Yang's patting, she calmed down. "Let's sleep."

"All right." Kissing the top of her head, Jin Yang said, "Tomorrow, I will have the imperial physician come take your pulse. Nightmares hurt the mind."

"Yes." Gu Ru Jiu mumbled and then fell asleep.

Jin Yang looked at the moonlight that came through the window, and gradually closed his eyes.

##

A few days later, when Gu Ru Jiu opened her rouge box, she glanced at the palace maid that had taken over Bao Lu's role, and sighed.

"Your Majesty, has this servant done something wrong?" The palace maid called Cui Qiao saw the empress did not have a good expression and pulled her hands back uncertainly. She looked carefully at Gu Ru Jiu. She had just arrived to serve the empress, but she had seen how importantly the emperor thought of her, so she trembled when serving.