Tao Hua’s eyebrows twitched as she pressed herself against him, lowering her head close to his face. “Since my lord is so eager, let this humble servant attend to you properly.”
Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Though they couldn’t make out each other’s features clearly, they could now see each other’s eyes. Tao Hua smiled, her eyes shimmering with a watery tenderness as she gazed into the eyes of the man beneath her.
Xu Yangui lay on the bed, momentarily stunned.
He had encountered many women before, but never one as alluring as the person before him. A woman’s charm was like fatty meat – a little was fragrant, but too much was cloying. However, Jiang Tao Hua’s allure was natural and effortless. Her eyes were like a flowing stream scattered with flower petals, gently pulling you in until you lost yourself.
“What’s your name?” A gentle voice sounded in his ear. He answered reflexively, “Xu Yangui.”
“Oh? Your voice doesn’t sound like Shen Zai Ye’s anymore.” Tao Hua giggled softly, pulling him up and walking towards the edge of the bed. As they walked, she asked, “What happened earlier?”
Xu Yangui pursed his lips and spoke in Shen Zai Ye’s voice, “This is ventriloquism. If you know someone well enough, you can learn to mimic their voice and pronunciation.”
Tao Hua narrowed her eyes, pushing him to sit on a chair before turning to draw open the curtains.
Moonlight spilled in. The man in the chair stared at her, dazed. His face was handsome – phoenix eyes, long eyebrows, and a straight nose. He didn’t look like a bad person.
However, his actions were far from good.
Tao Hua curled her lips into a smile and returned to his side, asking coquettishly, “Are you tired? It’s so late, do you want to sleep?”
“Yes.” Xu Yangui yawned genuinely, blinking his eyes as he realized he could no longer see the woman before him. “I’m very sleepy.”
“Then sleep for a while.”
“Alright.”
Tao Hua smiled sweetly as she found some hemp rope and tied him securely to the chair. Then she tiptoed to wake Qing Tai, instructing her to send a message to the Linwu Courtyard.
Xu Yangui slept soundly, even having a beautiful dream. In it, a celestial maiden walked across the moon towards him. Her face was devastatingly beautiful, gently pressing down on his body.
“Celestial maiden?” He blushed slightly, trying to see her face clearly, but his vision was foggy no matter how he blinked.
The celestial maiden before him laughed lightly, but her body coiled around him like a snake, tightening more and more until he could barely breathe.
“To die beneath peonies, even as a ghost I’d be romantic!” Xu Yangui murmured, “Dying by your hand would make my earthly journey worthwhile.”
“Then you’d better hurry to the Yellow Springs!”
Shen Zai Ye’s voice, accompanied by a bucket of cold water, poured over him.
The celestial maiden vanished. Xu Yangui’s eyes snapped open, but the feeling of constraint remained. Looking down, he found himself tied to the chair with ropes as thick as thumbs, wound around him dozens of times.
Who could be so ruthless?
Frowning, he looked up to see Shen Zai Ye sitting opposite him, cradling a small figure who held a water basin, watching him warily.
Only the three of them were in the room.
“Awake now?” Shen Zai Ye’s expression was caught between a smile and not as he held Tao Hua with one arm and propped his chin on the other hand, eyeing Xu Yangui. “Didn’t I warn you before? Why didn’t you listen?”
Blinking, Xu Yangui hadn’t yet processed the situation. “What happened?”
Tao Hua, holding the water basin, looked at him unfriendly. “You snuck into my room at night, impersonating the lord’s voice with ill intent, so I tied you up.”
“How did you manage that?” Xu Yangui gaped at her in disbelief. “I didn’t notice a thing.”
“That’s because you’re stupid,” Shen Zai Ye retorted irritably. “Don’t take my words as mere wind in your ears. If this gets out, it’s your Yangui Gate that will lose face. Imagine being tied up by a frail woman.”
Tao Hua pouted in dissatisfaction. “My lord, I do have the strength to catch chickens!”
“Be quiet.” Shen Zai Ye picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, covering her with a blanket. “He’s an old acquaintance of mine. Tonight was just a joke, so don’t take it to heart. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Alright.” Tao Hua obediently nodded, clutching the edge of the blanket. “Since he’s your acquaintance, I won’t say more. Please rest early after you’ve dealt with this, my lord.”
“Mm.” Shen Zai Ye nodded, watching her close her eyes before turning to grab a dagger. He cut the ropes binding Xu Yangui and dragged him out of Zhengchun Pavilion.
“This isn’t my fault,” Xu Yangui sighed as he was pulled along. “How was I to know she was so formidable, capable of bewitching people?”
“That’s why I told you earlier she wasn’t someone you could handle. You didn’t take it seriously, so you deserved to stumble,” Shen Zai Ye threw him into Linwu Courtyard, swiftly pressing the dagger to his throat with a smile. “What exactly did you do earlier?”
Swallowing hard, Xu Yangui answered sincerely, “I didn’t get to do anything before ending up as you saw.”
“You didn’t touch her?”
“…No.”
The dagger pressed in another inch, causing Xu Yangui to quickly raise both hands in pain. “Alright, alright, I get it! I absolutely won’t offend Lady Jiang again! I’ve learned my lesson today!”
“You know that mere words aren’t enough with me.” Shen Zai Ye smiled coldly. “Leave a part of your body behind.”
Every hair on Xu Yangui’s body stood on end as he stared at Shen Zai Ye. “Are you serious?”
“Of course. Choose between me doing it or you doing it yourself.”
Xu Yangui’s inner turmoil was palpable. Knowing this man meant what he said, to minimize the pain, he took the dagger himself and made a small cut on his arm, squeezing out some blood. “This counts as part of my body, right?”
Shaking his hand in disgust, Shen Zai Ye stepped back. “Lady Jiang is skilled in the art of enchantment. In the future, be more cautious around her and you’ll be fine… though it’s best not to see her at all. She holds grudges, and you won’t fare well if you approach her again.”
“Understood.” Inhaling sharply as he bandaged his wound, Xu Yangui couldn’t help but mutter as Lady Jiang’s face flashed through his mind, “The most beautiful women truly are the most dangerous.”
Snorting lightly, Shen Zai Ye left him in the side hall of Linwu Courtyard before retiring to rest.
Tao Hua also slept well. Early the next morning, just as she went to pay her respects at Linghan Courtyard, she saw Shen Zai Ye introducing someone to the group.
“This is a new retainer of the Xiang residence, skilled in martial arts, surnamed Xu,” Shen Zai Ye said to Mei Zhao Xue. “Make his acquaintance to avoid any future misunderstandings.”
Mei Zhao Xue nodded with a smile, then noticed Jiang Tao Hua at the door. “Lady Jiang, please come in.”
Curiously entering, Tao Hua first performed a proper greeting before turning to look.
Is this the new retainer?
Seeing those familiar phoenix eyes and long eyebrows, Tao Hua’s mouth twitched slightly. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded. “Greetings, sir.”
Xu Yangui looked at her with a complex expression. “Greetings, Lady Jiang.”
The others seated nearby immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. Liu Xiang Jun, being straightforward, asked, “Do you two know each other?”
“No,” Xu Yangui and Tao Hua answered in unison. Then one continued standing while the other found a seat.
Shen Zai Ye rubbed his brow and said, “Now that introductions are made, that will do. Mr. Xu usually won’t be in the residence. When he is here, he’ll help with patrolling the grounds. There’s no need to be alarmed when you see him.”
“Yes,” everyone responded. Shen Zai Ye then left with Xu Yangui.
Qin Jie Yu glanced at Tao Hua several times before asking with a light laugh, “What happened at Zhengchun Pavilion last night? I heard the lord went over in the middle of the night.”
“It was nothing. I just had a nightmare,” Tao Hua nodded. “The lord came over briefly and then left.”
Hearing this, the expressions of those in the room soured. Liu Xiang Jun frowned and said, “Calling the lord over for just a nightmare seems a bit inconsiderate, doesn’t it? Although our lord dotes on you, you shouldn’t trouble him like this. “
“I was wrong,” Tao Hua meekly admitted. “It won’t happen again.”
Mei Zhao Xue spoke softly, “I just hope others won’t follow suit. The lord’s rest is very important, given how busy he is every day. You should all be more considerate of him.”
“We understand,” the group of concubines nodded in unison.
After enduring a round of cold stares, Tao Hua returned to the Zhengchun Pavilion with Qing Tai. Lady Gu walked with her for a while and couldn’t help asking, “Do you not know that Mr. Xu?”
“Do we look like we know each other?” Tao Hua raised an eyebrow.
“Perhaps I’m overthinking,” Gu Huai Rou pursed her lips. “You seemed a bit surprised when you saw that gentleman.”
It’s over. She hadn’t been prepared and didn’t hide her reaction well. Even Lady Gu noticed, so the other mistresses must have their suspicions too.
But it didn’t matter much. That man was a retainer who would stay in the outer courtyard. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they shouldn’t meet again.
Thinking this, Tao Hua smiled and reassured Lady Gu before returning to her quarters.
However, that night, the unexpected occurred.
Glaring at the man outside her window, Jiang Tao Hua took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth, “What are you doing here again?”
Xu Yangui chuckled lightly. “Compared to you, I should be the nervous one. One wrong move and I might end up tied up again.”
“You know the risk and still came?” Tao Hua glared. “We have no grudge between us. Why are you trying to harm me like this?”
“Indeed, we have no grudge. But I have shown you kindness,” Xu Yangui said softly, crossing his arms. “It wouldn’t be right for you to repay kindness with enmity, would it?”
Kindness? Tao Hua looked at him as if he were crazy. “Have we met before?”
“We have.” Xu Yangui covered half his face with his hand, leaving only his eyes visible. “Last time at Jingye Hall, have you forgotten the gallant who fetched water for you?”
Tao Hua paused momentarily before realizing, “You were that Chang’e?”
“…It’s gallant.”
Whatever he was, Tao Hua looked him up and down, utterly confused. “Weren’t you supposed to assassinate Shen Zai Ye? How did you end up becoming his retainer?”
(End of Chapter)