sbdcsierra Chapter 1358 She Really Wants to See Me
Chapter 1358 She Really Wants to See Me
Seeing Concubine Kang like this, she couldn't help but whispered: "Your Majesty, you have been guarding her all night without closing your eyes."
"Fifth Prince, there is a wet nurse watching over you. You should go and rest for a while. Be careful not to tire yourself out."
Concubine Kang slowly shook her head, her voice tired: "It's okay, I'm not tired."
"Sui'an is weak. I feel more at ease when I personally look after him."
She paused, her gaze growing deeper, as if she saw something else through the Fifth Prince. Her tone was tinged with an indescribable heaviness. "If I can't even take care of him, how can I...how can I be worthy of the trust that Concubine Hao entrusted to me before she passed away?"
Chu'er, who was standing next to him, had slightly red eyes when she heard this.
She was the former maid-in-charge of Concubine Hao. After Concubine Hao died, she was assigned to serve the Fifth Prince.
Hearing Concubine Kang mention her former master, who was truly devoted to the Fifth Prince and worked hard day and night, Chu'er couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude and sadness in her heart. She quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions.
Concubine Kang said no more, and continued to pat the quilt from time to time, humming a discordant lullaby with great patience.
After about another stick of incense had passed, the Fifth Prince's breathing finally became even and long, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Only then did Concubine Kang breathe a sigh of relief and carefully tucked the corner of the quilt in.
She rubbed her swollen forehead and was about to get up to stretch her stiff limbs when a palace maid who was guarding outside the hall walked in quietly.
Concubine Kang was afraid of waking up the fifth prince, so she took her people to the outer room.
The maid bowed, her face hesitant as she whispered, "...Your Majesty, a young eunuch from the cold palace just secretly passed on a message saying... saying that Baharguli is seriously ill. I'm afraid, I'm afraid she won't make it."
"She said that before she left, she wanted to see the Empress and had a few words to say to her in person."
Concubine Kang was slightly startled and frowned.
Baharguli?
That once-famous, enchanting and charming beauty from the Western Regions?
She had been banished to the cold palace for a long time because she poisoned the eldest princess. How could she suddenly...
Cai Ju, who was listening from the side, immediately showed a look of disapproval and said, "Your Majesty, the cold palace is an unlucky place."
"Baharguli is now a criminal. You are a noble person, why would you want to get involved in such things?"
"Besides, who knows what she's up to?"
Concubine Kang remained silent.
She thought of Baharguli's unique liveliness and enthusiasm, and how she had always surrounded herself and called her "sister."
Their relationship cannot be said to be very sincere, but there is some affection between them after all.
Now, has Baharguli reached the point of being on her last legs and asking someone to pass on a message for her to see him for the last time?
Concubine Kang raised her eyes and looked at the palace maid who had delivered the message. No emotion could be heard in her voice: "Did she say anything?"
The palace maid shook her head. "The young eunuch didn't say anything specific. He just said that Baharguli pleaded pitifully and that it was her dying wish."
Dying wish...
These four words were like a thin needle, gently piercing a soft spot in Kangpin's heart.
She remembered that when Concubine Hao was dying, she held her hand tightly and entrusted the frail and infant Fifth Prince to her.
The plea of a dying man carried an irresistible weight.
Cai Ju saw that Concubine Kang's expression had eased, and she advised again, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is still ill and cannot leave you."
"It's better not to go to the cold palace."
Concubine Kang raised her hand to interrupt Caiju's words. Her face still had that gentle look with a hint of sadness, but a hint of complexity flashed in the depths of her eyes.
Sympathy? Pity?
Maybe a little bit.
Thinking of Baharguli's bright and flamboyant appearance in the past, and then comparing it with her current miserable situation with her life at the end of her life, as a woman in the deep palace, it is inevitable that she will feel a little sympathy for her.
But this tiny emotion was definitely not enough to make Concubine Kang, a concubine who had to be cautious and protect her young son and struggle to survive in the harem, set foot in the cold palace, a place of right and wrong, and be contaminated with bad luck, and even attract unnecessary suspicion.
In the final analysis, she and Baharguli were just a brief relationship when their interests were needed. How could there be any life-and-death friendship between them?
It is easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to provide timely assistance. She understands this principle.
But... she had a reason to go see Baharguli. Otherwise...
There was a hint of obscurity in Concubine Kang's eyes, but her expression showed nothing.
She looked at the maid who had delivered the message, her voice soft and full of pity: "Never mind, Baharguli and I have known each other for a long time. She must have been desperate now that she is in this situation. If I completely ignore her, I will seem unsympathetic."
Concubine Kang's tone was calm, as if she only agreed reluctantly out of some old friendship: "Go and tell that eunuch that I know. The situation is tense right now, and when the time is right, I will find a chance to visit Baharguli."
"Tell him to keep his mouth shut."
Although Caiju felt something was wrong, she saw that Concubine Kang had made up her mind, so she could only bow and say, "Yes, I understand."
"I will pass on the message right away."
……
The days in the cold palace seemed endless, and the air was filled with a stale, musty smell.
The door hinge creaked slightly, and the dilapidated wooden door was pushed open a crack.
A young eunuch slid in like a gray mouse, shrinking his neck.
He is one of the few people in the cold palace who can occasionally pass on some news from the outside world, and he is also the only "eyes and ears" that Baharguli can currently contact.
The young eunuch came up to Baharguli and said, "Mrs. Ba, good news! There's a response from Concubine Kang!"
Baharguli's originally dull eyes moved slightly: "Oh?"
The young eunuch's tone was filled with a hint of incredible excitement and a subtle awe: "I originally thought that Concubine Kang was of such a noble status that she would not care about a place like ours."
"I didn't expect that when I quietly passed on your message, Concubine Kang actually agreed! She said she would find a safe opportunity to come and see you in person."
The young eunuch paused, secretly glancing at Baharguli's expression, his attitude much more respectful than usual: "It seems that you still have some affection for Concubine Kang in her heart."
Baharguli slowly raised her face.
The charm of the former most beautiful woman in the Western Regions had long been dulled by wear and tear. Her skin had lost its luster, but only her deep-set eyes now shone with a strange brilliance.
She forced an expression of surprise, grievance, and anticipation onto her face, and asked tremblingly, "Really?"
"Sister Kang Fei... is she really willing to see me?"
"Absolutely true!"
The young eunuch nodded repeatedly, as if he had accomplished a great task: "How dare I lie to you?"
"Just wait patiently. Since Concubine Kang has spoken, she will definitely come."