As everyone knew, Prince Yao’s official residence wasn’t actually where he most commonly stayed in the capital—that place was the Glazed Pavilion instead.
Though the Glazed Pavilion carried such a beautiful name, in reality it was the harsh training ground where Jun Beiyue trained his shadow guards, located deep in the mountain forests on the outskirts of the capital, its exact location known to very few.
It was a palace built directly into a sheer cliff face, appearing from a distance like a single piece of glazed glass embedded into the rock.
The massive terrace, perched like the very edge of the cliff itself, had held nothing but a single solitary chair ever since the Glazed Pavilion’s construction.
Jun Beiyue was particularly fond of this place—sitting here, he could take in the entire capital spread out before him.
“My lord, General Ouyang has just emerged from the imperial study. This time, the Emperor truly did make a great deal out of very little!” a black-clad shadow guard reported quietly.
“In what way, exactly?”
Jun Beiyue asked coldly, sitting alone, one hand resting on his knee, the other gently rubbing at the side of his face—clearly injured, marked with dried blood.
“The Emperor has ordered Ouyang Jingshi confined to Jing’an Temple for three months of contemplation, and revoked General Ouyang’s household’s eligibility to participate in this year’s autumn hunt!” the shadow guard reported truthfully.
Jun Beiyue immediately let out a cold laugh, though he said nothing further, simply murmuring flatly, “Yingzi, go fetch Physician Gu.”
With that, he rose and headed back inside. Only once he reached a brightly lit area did the wound become clearly visible—the right side of his otherwise devastatingly handsome face bore unmistakable bite marks, deep and bloody.
Yingzi, having gone to fetch the physician, gasped sharply the moment he saw it. How could this have happened?
Whatever had his lord been doing to end up with a bite wound on his face? After all, there were precious few in this world capable of actually injuring him—who on earth could possibly possess such ability?
Physician Gu was equally startled, hurrying over to examine the wound, saying hesitantly, “My lord, this… this… this looks like you’ve been bitten!”
“Could it possibly be anything else?” Jun Beiyue said, displeased.
“Well… judging by the size of the teeth marks, they’re rather small. Aside from… a woman, we can’t entirely rule out… some other animal. If it was an animal, the medication would need to be chosen with far greater caution,” Physician Gu stammered.
The moment these words left his mouth, Jun Beiyue’s brow immediately furrowed, and Physician Gu quickly lowered his head. Jun Beiyue then turned toward Yingzi, who likewise hurriedly averted his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
Yingzi thought to himself—Physician Gu, you’re clearly doing this on purpose! Anyone could tell at a glance this was a woman’s bite mark!
Jun Beiyue coughed lightly a few times, and then, in an unprecedented move, actually offered an explanation. “It’s not an animal. Find a way to make the marks fade as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, yes!”
Physician Gu didn’t dare delay, hurriedly cleaning and treating the wound—only to end up wrapping a strip of white gauze across Jun Beiyue’s handsome face!
Staring into a mirror, Jun Beiyue’s voice turned icy in the extreme. “Is this truly necessary?”
“My lord… this is the fastest method available. Without bandaging the wound, even with the finest medicine, it would still take at least ten days to two weeks for the marks to fully fade. This way, it’ll take at most three days.”
“Three days?” In the mirror, Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Yes, this subordinate guarantees it—three days at the very most!” Physician Gu quickly assured him.
Jun Beiyue seemed about to say something, but after a long moment, simply instructed instead, “Deliver my three meals to the Court of Judicial Review daily, as scheduled. Report to me immediately of any developments.”
That woman had been exactly right—he truly wasn’t fit to be seen in public now!
Once this wound was discovered by others, it would inevitably stir up gossip—and there was no telling whether it might reach that woman’s ears eventually. She really was rather clever.
At the thought, Jun Beiyue couldn’t help but smile, entirely unaware of it himself.
Physician Gu remained stationed outside the door, fully expecting his lord to remain confined to the Glazed Pavilion for the full three days.
Yet, unexpectedly, the very next evening, Jun Beiyue changed his bandage and prepared to head out.
“My lord, this is really… rather damaging to your image!” Physician Gu warned timidly.
Jun Beiyue merely shot him a cold glance before donning a black mask and vanishing into thin air…
Because new leads had emerged in the Chen family murder case implicating people within the palace, the trial hadn’t proceeded immediately. Ziqing had already spent two days in her cell, and with nothing better to do, had Hongyi bring her some ancient military treatises to read.
She was a mercenary by trade, one who made her living through war and adventure—to put it plainly, a professional killer who ate by the sword. Having crossed over into such a peaceful, prosperous era, though she now wanted for nothing in terms of comfort, she still couldn’t forget her former profession.
By the dim light of the lamp, Ziqing held the military treatise in both hands, her small face utterly absorbed, and in that shabby, filthy corner of the cell, there was an indescribable, distant beauty to the scene.
He was watching from just outside the cell. Being confined to the Glazed Pavilion for three days had been entirely this woman’s doing, and with nothing better to occupy himself, of course he’d come to relieve his boredom with her!
Yet, seeing her so genuinely absorbed, he found himself unconsciously pausing, and didn’t finally return to the Glazed Pavilion until nearly dawn.
Unexpectedly, the moment he arrived back, Yingzi rushed over anxiously, reporting in a panic, “My lord, something terrible has happened!”
“What’s all this panic about so early in the morning?” Jun Beiyue said, displeased.
“My lord, word just arrived from the residence—the Emperor intends to hold the trial for the Chen family case today!” Yingzi reported urgently.
“Today?” Jun Beiyue frowned. So soon? Given the new developments in the case, surely it should have been postponed at least three or four more days!
“Was there any mention of those bodies?” Jun Beiyue asked.
“They say there’s to be an on-site autopsy,” Yingzi answered truthfully, hesitating for a moment before adding timidly, “My lord, will you… attend?”
“Has the Emperor summoned this prince to attend?” Jun Beiyue asked.
Yingzi glanced briefly at his lord’s injury, saying hesitantly, “By rights… my lord ought to avoid appearing directly involved, but you could still listen in on the proceedings.”
Jun Beiyue’s long, slender fingers tapped lightly against the side of his face, his cold eyes growing distant and thoughtful…