The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 34
by Little PandaHow Could Ah Qin Die (PTSD)
Over the past few days, whenever Ming Qin held Murong Yan, she could feel the woman’s body growing increasingly thin. Thus, she placed all the food on the table in front of Murong Yan, patiently coaxing her to eat more.
As the woman before her chewed and swallowed slowly, Ming Qin, worried she might choke, hurried to boil some hot water. She did not notice the tender pity and deep yearning in Murong Yan’s eyes.
Once she had poured the water, Ming Qin propped up her arms, watching her eat with a grin. It was as if every extra bite Murong Yan took brought a fresh wave of joy to her own heart.
“Won’t you eat, Ah Qin?” Murong Yan asked, noting how the guard did nothing but watch her, and that only a single set of chopsticks and a bowl lay on the table.
Ming Qin waved her hand. “I’ve already eaten. You eat some more.”
For a Shadow Guard, enduring hunger during a mission was second nature.
Besides, while Murong Yan was fast asleep, she had already eaten some dry rations; even the sweet potato she’d accidentally charred had been finished off, ending up in her stomach.
Murong Yan silently finished half the dishes on the table before putting down her chopsticks.
Seeing that the woman had no intention of eating any more, Ming Qin tilted her head in confusion. “Aren’t you eating anymore? Please, eat a little more.”
“But if you don’t eat, Ah Qin, I won’t have much of an appetite.” As if knowing the guard before her could not possibly be full, Murong Yan picked up a boiled egg from her bowl and held it to Ming Qin’s lips. Coaxing the hesitant Shadow Guard, she murmured, “Eat, just to keep me company.”
At this, Ming Qin leaned forward, her lips brushing against the woman’s cool fingers as she took the egg in a single bite.
Her cheeks bulged from the egg, making her injured left cheek look as though it had swollen up high.
With a faint smile on her lips, Murong Yan looked down to pick up some more food. The next second, she heard a steady pitter-patter dripping onto the table. Looking up, she saw bright crimson blood gushing from Ming Qin’s nostrils, pouring out uncontrollably alongside dark red clots.
Ming Qin did not seem to realize at first, merely feeling an itch at the tip of her nose. But when she looked down and saw the blood on the table, she hurriedly covered her nose and retreated toward the window, as though terrified of staining the food.
At the sight of Ming Qin’s blood-slicked face, Murong Yan’s countenance instantly drained of color. Her lips trembled as she reached out toward her.
Warm blood stained Ming Qin’s hands. Terribly afraid of frightening Murong Yan with her gory state, she opened her mouth to say she would wash up at the well outside. But before she could make a sound, a thick clot slipped from her nasal passages down into her throat, sending her into a sudden, violent fit of coughing.
“Cough… cough, cough…” Choking, every rasping cough only drove more blood from her nose, leaving her completely unable to speak.
“Ah Qin! Ah Qin!” Murong Yan bolted upright, limping and stumbling blindly toward her. A porcelain cup was knocked over, spilling warm water that dripped off the edge of the table.
Ignoring the spilled water entirely, Murong Yan’s voice carried a panic and terror she had never shown before. “Ah Qin… what’s wrong with you?!”
Still coughing, the relentless flow forced Ming Qin to frantically pull off her black Shadow Guard outer robe and press it to her face to staunch the bleeding. Even so, the collar of her white inner tunic was already heavily saturated.
Looking at Murong Yan, the speechless Ming Qin only waved her hand in frantic warning, gesturing for her to stay back. She was terrified that the stench of blood would soil the woman’s hands and stain her clothes.
Yet Murong Yan did not care in the slightest. Heart wracked with agony and worry, she reached out to cradle Ming Qin’s face, desperately trying to help stem the blood. Her throat felt tight and dry, her voice nearly splitting. “…Ah Qin, what’s wrong? Does it hurt?”
Utterly bewildered by her own sudden bleeding, Ming Qin merely shook her head slightly, telling her not to worry. She pointed a finger toward the window, indicating she needed to go outside.
Before Murong Yan could react, Ming Qin threw the window open with her elbow, vaulted over the sill, and vanished into the snow-swept night.
A trail of dripping crimson stretched from the wooden table all the way to the window. The water spilled on the floor merged with the blood, but rather than washing away the gore, it only made the bloodstains look all the more glaring.
Staring at the blood on her hands—Ming Qin’s blood—Murong Yan’s hands shook violently. Her mind went entirely blank, leaving nothing but the pulsing scarlet on her palms to assault her nerves.
What’s wrong with Ah Qin?
Ah Qin is… bleeding?
So much blood.
With so much blood, will she die?
Just like Mother did back then… covered in blood.
Her strength failing her, Murong Yan slumped against the wall, her body slowly sliding to the floor.
Paying no heed to her blood-soaked hands, Murong Yan curled her fingers and clamped them tightly over her mouth. She did not dare make a sound, desperate to suppress the absurd thought that had just flashed through her mind.
No.
No, no, no!
Ah Qin won’t die.
How could Ah Qin die!
If that’s the case, heaven is far too cruel.
Murong Yan clutched her own arms tightly, as though holding herself together to prevent a total collapse, repeating the words like a mantra in her mind.
Ah Qin can’t leave me.
It’s impossible.
It’s impossible.
In the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, the usually impeccably groomed Murong Xiao slumped upon the dragon throne, his hair in wild disarray. Overturned jade flagons lay scattered all around him.
Dozens of civil officials in formal court robes knelt on the floor, prostrating themselves before the heavily intoxicated man seated high above them.
“You say you still haven’t found her?” Murong Xiao asked, looking down with sneering disdain at the crowd prostrated before him as he toyed with a jade cup filled with clear wine.
The red-robed man being questioned kowtowed heavily, the dull thuds echoing through the cavernous hall. In a trembling, panic-stricken voice, he said, “This subject dispatched all his subordinates to track down Commandery Princess Chongwen. We rode north at full speed and found an opportunity to board her vessel on the upper reaches of the canal, but…”
“But?” Murong Xiao raised an eyebrow as he looked down at him, his voice dropping to a freezing whisper.
“…But we discovered that the person on board was not the Commandery Princess. It appears to have been a servant in disguise to deceive us.” The red-robed man swallowed hard, his voice trembling with dread as he pressed his forehead tight to the floor. “This subject’s men have already executed them, and we are currently continuing our search for the Commandery Princess’s true location.”
The red-robed man waited in agonizing suspense, but the explosive fury he expected never came. Confused, he carefully raised his eyes, only to see Murong Xiao slowly walking over, holding his wine cup with a completely expressionless face.
Despite his heavy drinking, the man’s face was not flushed; instead, it looked even paler than usual. Halting before the crawling man, he slowly tipped his wine cup.
Warm wine cascaded over the red-robed man’s hair crown, flowing down his neck and slipping beneath his collar. A few drops mingled with the sweat on his forehead, dripping from his chin to stain the brilliant red carpet.
“The wine this prince is treating you to…” Murong Xiao squatted down, his words hissing out slowly like a viper’s tongue. “Does it taste good?”
Unable to gauge the mercurial temper of the man before him, the red-robed man could only stammer out a submissive, trembling reply. “It… it’s delicious.”
“Is that so?” Murong Xiao smiled. Then, violently seizing the red-robed man’s collar, he forced his fingers into the man’s mouth to pry it open, shoving the jade cup inside. His eyes flashed with a ruthless, manic gleam as he laughed. “Then drink a bit more for this prince!”
Murong Xiao pinned the struggling man to the floor, crushing his nose and mouth with his entire body weight. The moderate-sized jade cup slid down the man’s suffocating throat. He clawed frantically at his neck, foaming at the mouth as he gasped for air.
Wiping his hands with a handkerchief in disgust, Murong Xiao stood up. He looked down at the wide-eyed, writhing man on the floor as though staring at a rat in a ditch.
In the entire hall, save for the victim’s muffled, agonizing groans, no one dared to utter a sound, terrified of bringing the same fate upon themselves.
Within moments, the hall fell dead silent once more.
Murong Xiao averted his eyes with total indifference and walked slowly toward the remaining officials. “You can’t even find a few hidden mice in the Capital, nor can you find this prince’s jiejie outside the city gates. What use does this prince have for you?”
“Well?” Murong Xiao suddenly kicked the head of the official kneeling closest to him, roaring, “What use does this prince have for a bunch of useless fools like you?!”
The official kicked to the floor clenched his teeth, not daring to let out even a whimper.
“Xiao He!”
Hearing the Crown Prince’s roar, a scar-faced man standing guard outside the doors immediately pushed them open and entered. “This subject is here.”
“You don’t need to coordinate with the army anymore. Leave the Capital immediately, and bring Jiejie back for this prince.” Murong Xiao stared at the man kneeling on one knee, his eyes bloodshot as he growled hysterically, “At all costs, bring Jiejie back.”
His voice was thick with madness.
“If anyone stands in your way, kill them.”
The author has something to say:
Because the Commandery Princess witnessed her mother’s death and was also severely injured herself, she suffers from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), which is what we call post-traumatic stress disorder.
Namely, under a specific trigger (is it called “trigger” in Chinese?), she will have a panic attack (stress reaction?).
P.S. Oh, by the way—I heard my story was recommended! I don’t know who recommended it, but I want to offer my heartfelt thanks. My readers really are so gentle and spoil me so much!
I absolutely love reading all of your comments. I read every single one of them, and they always make me smile.
To have people like the story I write and share it with others who also love reading is truly a joyful thing.
I hope everyone is happy and has a wonderful week!
What happened to Ming Qins older brother and sister?! Did they really die? :((
I won’t give spoilers, but do remember that Song Shu Qing is a reincarnator, so I don’t think they’ll die that easily :)
What happened to Ming Qins older brother and sister?! Did they really die? :((
I won’t give spoilers, but do remember that Song Shu Qing is a reincarnator, so I don’t think they’ll die that easily :)
Did senior sister and brother die?
Did senior sister and brother die?
If Ming Qin dies I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.
I know it won’t happen, nut the thought stands.
Thanks for the chapter!
If Ming Qin dies I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.
I know it won’t happen, nut the thought stands.
Thanks for the chapter!