The Emperor's uncle loves me! My paranoid wife, don't run away

Chapter 233 Pretending to sleep?

……

Green smoke rose from the incense burner, passed through the carved window panes, and drifted into the dark night. The moonlight outside the window was cold, falling like frost on the silent shadows of the trees in the courtyard.

Helan Duoduo held Shanhu's cold hand, the blood color on his face faded little by little, his heart seemed to be torn apart by something, and the pain spread to every part of his body.

"Shanhu...are you..." Her voice was trembling, as if she was trying hard to suppress something, "Are you so sick that your memory is disordered?"

There was a hint of expectation in her words, which she dared not confirm, as if as long as Coral nodded, she would believe that all this was just a misunderstanding. But Coral on the bed just shook her head slightly, with deep sadness and pain in her eyes.

"Princess..." Shanhu's voice was weak but firm, "At that time... everything was arranged by the prince and... and His Majesty. They designed everything just to make you willingly marry the second princess..."

Helan Duoduo was stunned as if he was hit on the head. His fingertips tightened involuntarily and his pupils trembled slightly: "Impossible... This is impossible! How could my elder brother... harm me? Shanhu, you must be sick and confused!"

Her voice became higher and higher, almost sharp, but the fear and pain in her heart surged like a tide, making it hard for her to breathe.

How could the elder brother who had always protected her and shielded her from the wind and rain plan such a conspiracy? Was all this fake?

Coral's tears slid down her cheeks, and her lips moved slightly, but she no longer had the strength to say more.

Helan Duoduo looked at her pale face, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, with a strong sense of uneasiness in his eyes: "Shanhu...I..."

The cigarette smoke continued to fill the room, and the smell of agarwood seemed to become more and more oppressive. A cold wind blew past the window, causing the window lattice to tremble softly.

The chaotic thoughts in Helan Duoduo's mind were like rolling waves. She told herself again and again that this was not true, but Coral's eyes deeply hurt her heart.

"Why...why do you treat me like this..." Helan Duoduo murmured, and tears finally fell uncontrollably.

Her world completely collapsed at this moment. Trust, family affection, and warmth seemed to have all been destroyed into powder.

He couldn't help but recall that when she set out that day, no one saw her off, but she imagined her elder brother He Lan'an standing at the city gate, smiling and waving at her.

At that time, she was satisfied.

For a moment, she hoped that Coral was lying to her, but why would Coral lie to her?

Over the years, Helan Duoduo has accepted the fact that her father favors Helan Shaoshao, but she always thinks that at least she still has her elder brother Helan An, who is her last resort.

But now, even he...

She grew up without a mother, her father favored her younger sister, and her husband died in the hall after she got married. Now, even her eldest brother has abandoned her.

From the beginning to the end, she was alone, and no one had ever truly loved her.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, tears slid down her cheeks and silently fell on the back of her hands. Her fingertips clenched Coral's shoulders, but her heart seemed to have fallen into a bottomless abyss, cold to the bone.

"Princess..." Shanhu's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, but it was filled with a hint of exhausted tenderness, "You still have me..."

Helan Duoduo was stunned, and the moment his eyes met Shanhu's, tears burst out from his eyes.

He let go of her hand and slowly hugged Coral, holding her tightly as if he was grabbing the last straw.

"Shanhu..." She called out with sobs, her tone full of loss and anxiety, "Don't leave me... You are the only one I have..."

The low whimpering sound of the wind outside the window swept across the courtyard, as if telling her pain that no one listened to. The incense smoke rose in the house, and the scent of agarwood seemed to make people even more breathless.

Shanhu raised a weak hand and gently touched Helan Duoduo's shoulder: "Princess... no matter what happens, I will be with you."

Helan Duoduo's tears soaked Shanhu's clothes. She didn't answer, but buried her head deeper.

At this moment, she is like a completely isolated little animal, struggling to find a sheltered corner in the wind and snow of this world, and coral is her last warmth.

The first rays of sunlight in the morning shone through the carved window panes, shining on the brocade-covered bed, dyeing it golden.

Ji Shu lay blankly on the bed, staring at the delicate embroidery on the ceiling, not daring to move at all.

The bedding beneath me is so soft that it seems to be able to sink into it. When I raise my hand and touch it lightly, I can feel the smoothness and warmth of the satin with my fingertips.

Everything around her was so luxurious that it seemed beyond the mortal realm. She had never touched such delicate gold and silk brocade. The hanging bed curtains were even decorated with tiny pearls, which swayed slightly in the morning breeze, reflecting sparkling light.

The air is filled with a light scent of ambergris, subtle but not strong, which seems to make people involuntarily sink into this tranquility and comfort.

However, Ji Shu couldn't relax no matter what.

The warmth of the quilt could not eliminate the stiffness of her body, and the clear pain between her legs pierced her nerves like needles.

The pain made her feel extremely ashamed and angry, but she had no way of denying it. She could only endure it and not make any sound. She opened her eyes wide, trying to cover up the ups and downs in her heart with calmness.

My thoughts were in a mess, my cheeks were getting redder, my chest felt like a big stone was pressing down on it, my breathing became rapid and short, and everything that happened last night emerged in my mind uncontrollably - the dim candlelight, the heavy breathing, and the suffocating feeling of being close...

Suddenly, a sharp shout from outside the door broke her confusion: "It's Mao time!"

Her whole body trembled, and she suddenly tensed up, subconsciously grabbing the corner of the quilt with both hands.

Then, a deep and sharp voice sounded: "Get up at dawn, many things need to be dealt with, be diligent and love the people, don't forget it!"

There were faint sounds of footsteps outside the door, as if someone was waiting outside the palace gate.

Ji Shu curled up in the quilt, her ears slightly warm from nervousness.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but the aches in her body and the memories of last night kept reminding her of one fact - from now on, she was no longer the same person she used to be.

"Hmm..." A powerful voice sounded in Ji Shu's ears.

Then there was the sound of a body rolling, and then the exhaled breath hit her face.

"Pretending to sleep?"