Chapter 162: Explanation

Looking at the departed figure in black, Consort Zhao stood in deep thought with the medicine in her hand.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and a chilling wind occasionally rose. Even tucked away inside the room, simply listening to the whistling wind was enough to send a chill through one's heart.

With a faint sigh, born of some unknown sorrow, Hua Rong absentmindedly rubbed the wisps of hair across her forehead, finding it hard to fall asleep. "Not even a single explanation?"

In her mind, the image of Jun Yeli involuntarily surfaced. Despite the anger in her heart, all she truly wanted was a simple explanation.

Just as her thoughts were churning, a creaking sound echoed from outside the door. A dark shadow swiftly swept past the window, and the dim lamplight inside the room happened to cast his silhouette into Hua Rong's eyes.

"Who is there!"

With a trace of panic, Hua Rong sat upright, staring in astonishment at the window frame as her nerves instantly grew taut.

Subconsciously, she grabbed the hidden blade tucked nearby, gripping it tightly in her hand.

It was something she used to use for self-defense, and now it finally came in useful. "Get out here this instant, or I'll call for help!"

Hua Rong gritted her teeth, not daring to act rashly. After all, this fellow was as elusive as a ghost; what if she failed to summon her own people in time and lost her life at his hands first? Wouldn't that be a terrible loss?

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, the movement outside the door stirred once again.

A gust of fierce wind swept past. Before she could even react, the window shook violently twice, yet as if nothing had happened at all, it only let out a series of creaking sounds.

Hua Rong's heart leapt almost to her throat. Staring blankly at the window frame, the sound of her swallowing saliva echoed faintly in the surrounding silence.

Suddenly, a chilly voice struck from behind her. "Don't make a sound!"

"Ah!"

As if one could simply stop making a sound just because he told them to, Hua Rong let out a startled scream. But before she could let the sound spread, a hand instantly clamped over her mouth, almost suffocating her.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm! Let, let me go!"

Her muffled sounds were somewhat indistinct, but the warning from behind continued to drift over. "As long as you promise not to cry out, I'll let you go!"

Seeing Hua Rong nod repeatedly, the man behind her reluctantly released his grip. Yet the very next second, as Hua Rong tried to dash away, her arm was caught and she was yanked fiercely backward.

The next moment, Hua Rong's delicate body collided against his chest, sending a slight ache through her head.

Taking a slight breath, a familiar fragrance rushed into her nostrils. Hua Rong frowned slightly, instantly feeling a sense of panic. "Wait, why do you feel so familiar to me!"

Looking up, she met a pair of deep eyes that revealed a trace of complex emotion, staring straight at her.

"Your Majesty!" Hua Rong was utterly shocked. She had thought it was some audacious assassin, but who would have imagined it was the ruler of the nation. For him to appear here in such a stealthy manner was simply mind-boggling.

"I told you not to make a sound." Seeing the terror in her eyes, fearing she would summon people over shortly, Jun Yeli certainly did not wish to be mistaken for a sneaking thief.

Hua Rong reluctantly closed her mouth, though alongside her panic, there was a growing sense of puzzlement regarding this fellow's abrupt appearance.

Because of the day's events, Hua Rong had not truly let the matter go. Turning around, a hint of haughtiness laced her tone. "Why is Your Majesty here? Could it be to check whether this concubine is dead or alive?"

"Why do you speak such nonsense? You know full well my feelings for you, yet you deliberately utter such words to wound my heart?"

Jun Yeli grabbed her wrist, an invisible fury brewing within his eyes, enough to make anyone tremble slightly at the sight.

Hua Rong shrank her neck, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart, and braced herself to retort: "Your Majesty claims to love me over and over, yet when I was teetering on the edge of death, the only one by my side was the Second Prince."

It would have been better left unsaid, but the mere mention of Jun Yecheng ignited a fury in Jun Yeli. With a darkened voice, he demanded angrily, "You are forbidden to mention him again! Are you really so certain that I did nothing for you?"

"I—!"

Hua Rong only knew that the first person she saw when she woke up was Jun Yecheng, along with the divine doctor who had saved her life, while the man she constantly longed for was nowhere to be found.

Pouting, her face read full of resentment. "How would this concubine know? Your Majesty never bothered to explain either."

"Then listen well: I went to Lingyun Mountain to find the divine doctor for you, but instead of meeting him, I was trapped on Lingyun Mountain and barely escaped with my life."

The only thing he couldn't figure out was why the divine doctor had been found by Jun Yecheng, and why the man held such intense hostility toward him.

Even if the doctor lived apart from worldly affairs, after all, it was their first meeting, and he himself was the sovereign of a nation. No matter how unruly the divine doctor might be, his attitude shouldn't have been quite like that.

Hearing this explanation, Hua Rong was slightly moved. Turning back, she carefully scrutinized Jun Yeli, noting that his serious expression didn't look like that of a liar.

"Tr-truly?"

"What did you think? It's a pity the one who found the divine doctor wasn't me. If you were angry because of this matter, has your anger dissipated now?"

Jun Yeli leaned in closer, dropping his pride to offer an explanation in such a low posture for the very first time.

He tentatively grasped Hua Rong's hand, carrying a hint of spoiled pleading in his demeanor.

Such behavior felt somewhat unfamiliar to witness. Hua Rong's initial grievances melted away by more than half. Moving her lips, she still couldn't quite let go of her haughty temperament. "Since Your Majesty has put it this way, this concubine naturally believes you. But why didn't you explain during the day?"

"You never gave me the chance."

The moment she woke up, it was a barrage of cold shoulders, mixed emotions, and sullen anger. He hadn't even been given a chance to speak, let alone offer an explanation.

Put that way, it actually sounded rather reasonable.

"Hehe, I'm truly sorry. This concubine misunderstood Your Majesty; in the future, I certainly won't let my imagination run wild."

Hua Rong offered a shallow smile, subconsciously scratching the back of her head, feeling rather embarrassed.

Yet, feeling the grip of the man holding her hand gradually tighten, she grew somewhat flushed and flustered. Glancing at the darkening night outside, she felt a trace of confusion. "If Your Majesty wanted to explain, you could have come tomorrow. Sneaking in the dead of night—surely it can't be just for something as simple as an explanation?"

That hit the crucial point. Amidst such a fair evening with a beauty, Jun Yeli had almost forgotten his primary purpose, but he still nodded. "Have you forgotten? Tomorrow is the final day. If the matter remains unresolved..."

"That's right!" Reminded thusly, Hua Rong recalled that she was still wrongfully accused, carrying the burden of a human life and bearing the responsibility for peace between two nations!

Instantly, anxiety gripped her once more as she looked at Jun Yeli before her. "Your Majesty couldn't possibly intend to make this concubine a scapegoat for the sake of peace, could you?"