Mulberry Song

Deep Dreams p.2

He sits on the bed, slowly falling asleep. I walk up, kneeling down by his side, repeatedly getting a close look at his face. He's gotten a lot older, among the black, there are already strands of white hair, wrinkles also forming at the corners of his eyes. But I still find him good looking.

I silently eye him, as though I could never get enough.

Up until a ray of morning light passes through my body, shining on his face.

His brows slightly knit together, softly sounding a hum. His childish actions draw out a little laugh from me, all of sudden, his eyes open, within his look there still carries the haziness of early waking: "Sang Ge."

"En."

The haziness quickly disperses, he steadily locks his eyes onto me, within that pair of sparkling black eyes, there shows irregular flickering, making me fail to see through his thoughts: "Sang Ge."

"I'm here."

His breathing becomes extremely light, as though afraid of frightening me, the expression also becomes extremely tender: "This year's seventh-seventh festival, I set off a lantern for you."

I nod with a smile: "I saw."

"Sang Ge, take me away." These words put me at loss, unable to laugh or cry, I don't even know how to leave myself, how am I to take him along?

And how much abandoning is hidden behind this word 'away', I cannot possibly imagine, just that seeing his current expression, I sense the swelling pain in my eyes as though I'm still capable of crying.

I shake my head.

As though unable to bear it, his voice unravels slight panic: "Are you still angry at me for leaving you alone in the Capital? Are you still resenting me for not coming earlier to save you? That day on the city tower I......"

"Zhi-ya" sounds, the doors to the courtyard were pushed open. I instinctively lean out wanting to see who's come, the morning light revolves around my body, and ears suddenly catch the sound of him falling from the bed-couch: "Sang Ge!"

Such panic.

He desperately reaches forward, hand passing through my body, only managing to scoop the empty air into his embrace.

"Not allowed to leave!"

"Don't leave......"

I look back at him, only seeing his red eyes, pale complexion.

Lightly letting out a sigh, I close my eyes, unable to bear seeing the dejection filling those orbs.

Outside comes a few eunuchs who came in search of him, seeming to have been frightened by his cry, only after waiting for a long time do they dare take trembling steps in: "Your majesty......it's time for morning assembly."

He fiercely raises his head, the murderous intent in his eyes like a biting chill: "Just now, who opened the doors?"

The three eunuchs all drop to their knees, entire bodies violently shaking, cold sweat directly flowing down. No one dares to answer. The look in Zi Wu's eyes extremely cold: "Who?"

Finally, one eunuch, with a hoarse whisper, says in despair: "It's......it's this servant." He does not say anything, standing up and walking past the doors, that eunuch had just let out a sigh of relief, only to hear a voice containing not a trace of emotion sound from outside:

"Slow-slice." [1]

The eunuch's body turns limp, collapsing to the ground.

I lightly sound a sigh, the heaven will always be fooling with people. I and he are already life and death apart, clearly no longer able to come in contact with one another, why must the heaven's let him see me again?

Why let him suffer the pain again?

The third year of Yong Ge, the emperor is greatly enraptured in Taoist sorcery, gathering sorcerers from across the lands into the palace, with the desire to call upon the spirit of Empress Yong Yi.

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[1] Slow slice or líng chí / 凌迟 – death sentence by dismembering of the body.