On the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighth year of Deyou, Minister of Revenue Zhao Mingde and Right Vice Minister of Works Li Linhai simultaneously submitted memorials regarding the dredging of the Grand Canal. These two memorials were promptly returned to the Grand Council for deliberation.

The three Grand Councilors—Chief Grand Councilor Ling Xuefeng, Second Grand Councilor Gao Zhongshi, and the venerable Elder Statesman Yang Jiexing who had served three emperors—had little disagreement on this matter. Using the approaching year-end as justification, they drafted a response to temporarily defer the matter and returned it to the Emperor.

As usual, the Emperor approved the Grand Council’s draft without changing a single word. When the edict was distributed to the Six Ministries, the straightforward Li Linhai flew into a rage, slamming the table and cursing that the imperial in-laws had usurped power and the nation was no longer a nation.

On the twelfth day of the twelfth month, during the routine morning court assembly, Supervising Secretary Fu Jishen of the Bureau of Works submitted a memorial impeaching Minister of Revenue Zhao Mingde for years of corruption and abuse of power. While the memorial openly criticized Zhao Mingde, everyone could see that it secretly targeted Zhao’s mentor, Chief Grand Councilor Ling Xuefeng. The Emperor made an exception by withholding this memorial, and his ambiguous attitude caused tremendous waves among the court officials.

The eleventh of the twelfth month marked my second day in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

In just one morning, I had seen many officials coming and going. Many of these officials I had only heard mentioned by my father and brother before, and now I could finally put faces to their names—though truly handsome ones were rare indeed.

Watching the constant flow of people in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was certainly better than spending every day reading and dozing off in the Shuxiu Palace. However, Xiao Huan treated me completely like his personal palace maid—truly showing me a “special favor”—having me grind ink, layout paper, serve tea, and bring snacks. Whenever he needed something done, he absolutely wouldn’t let anyone else handle it. Before long, both inside and outside the palace would surely know of a palace maid named Bai Qi who was now highly favored at court.

I was kept so busy that my feet barely touched the ground as I rushed back and forth through the halls. I had no time to think about other matters. It seemed that all the competition for favor and coquettish behavior happened only when people were too idle and had nothing better to do than overthink things.

In the afternoon, it was still one group leaving as another arrived, crowds of people discussing who knows what inside, until the sky began to darken and people finally dispersed.

At noon, because Xiao Huan had to pacify those Ministers and Vice Ministers who were arguing themselves hoarse, he hadn’t even touched the lunch delivered from the imperial kitchen. Adding to that, he hadn’t eaten breakfast either, so he hadn’t had a single grain of rice all day.

I went in to replace the cup of tea by his hand that had long gone cold, and asked him, “Are you tired? Would you like me to have a meal brought?”

He lowered the arm that had been propping up his head, paused for a moment, then looked up with a smile: “I’m fine.”

Though he said this, his face still appeared somewhat pale in the candlelight. I couldn’t help saying, “Is it always this busy? Day after day like this will wear a person out!”

He smiled: “It’s because the year-end is approaching. Usually there’s less to do.”

I sighed: “From the look of those court officials of yours, I doubt it’s much less at other times.” As I spoke, I supported his arm, “Don’t sit here anymore, quickly go eat something for me, how can a person go without food?”

He smiled without speaking as he supported himself on me to rise from the chair, allowing me to lead him to the dining table.

After dinner in the evening, as usual, he sat under the lamp reviewing the accumulated memorials and documents.

It wasn’t until deep into the night that I, seeing how late it had grown, forced him to go to sleep.

The following days were much the same, though I began paying attention and, when encountering officials who would ramble on endlessly, would coordinate with Feng Wufu to chase them out by knocking over a cup or something similar.

Whenever Xiao Huan saw us playing these little tricks, he would just smile slightly without saying anything.

Since that day when Father had told me to pay attention to the memorials, I hadn’t given it much thought, but on this day as I was delivering several memorials to the warm chamber, I happened to notice one that was very thick. When I casually flipped through it, I saw the signature was none other than “Shen Changliu.”

I hurriedly opened the memorial. It was lengthy and verbose, with every sentence directly targeting my father. This Shen Changliu’s writing was truly sharp—before I was halfway through, my forehead was already covered in cold sweat.

After finishing it, I closed the memorial and delivered the stack of documents to the warm chamber.

Xiao Huan was using his vermillion brush to make notations on a memorial, and didn’t even raise his head: “Put them down.”

I nodded and put down the documents in my hand, then hesitated for a moment: “Brother Xiao, if two people are enemies, must it always be a fight to the death?”

He stopped writing and raised his head to look at me, then smiled: “Not necessarily. In this world, there are no two people who will be companions forever, nor are there any two people who will be enemies forever. Compared to fighting to the death, I prefer turning enemies into companions.”

I paused, then continued asking: “What about if it’s a very stubborn enemy who refuses to become your companion?”

He smiled: “Then defeat them until they admit defeat.”

I nodded, then paused again: “Brother Xiao, I want to ask you to promise me something… When you defeat this enemy, could you show them mercy?”

In the silence, he smiled: “I promise you, I will show mercy.”

Relieved, I unclenched my fists which I hadn’t realized I had balled up, and turned up the corners of my mouth in a smile: “Thank you, Brother Xiao.”

He nodded slightly.

I also nodded and turned to leave.

“Cangcang,” he called out to me. Behind the large imperial desk, his gaze was gentle, “I have never considered Master Ling to be my enemy.”

I turned back to smile at him again, my eyes suddenly stinging. Unable to hold back anymore, I ran back and hugged him tightly: “Brother Xiao, he’s my father, no matter how much I might want to hate him, I can’t… He used to always hold me when I was little…” Tears flowed uncontrollably down my cheeks as I could only hold onto him with all my strength.

He held me tightly as well, embracing me against his chest, patting my shoulder, and softly comforting me: “It’s alright, Cangcang.”

I buried my head in his clothes, my sobs turning to whimpers, though the tears continued to flow.

Xiao Huan pulled me to sit on his lap, continuing to gently pat my back until I gradually calmed down. As I rested my head against his shoulder, he held me and smiled: “Don’t worry, Cangcang, I won’t let any harm come to Master Ling, trust me.”

I nodded, then remembered something and grabbed his sleeve: “The same goes for you.” I still held tightly to his waist, “Brother Xiao, you must take care of yourself too.”

He smiled and looked down at me: “I will be fine… Are you going to keep wiping your tears on my clothes?”

Only then did I notice that his clothes were soaked through with a large patch of my tears. I deliberately rubbed against his clothes a few more times: “Miser! Yes, I’m wiping them, what about it?”

“Nothing, this outfit will need to be changed anyway.” He sighed.

I smiled triumphantly, still refusing to get down from his lap.

Like Supervising Secretary Fu Jishen’s memorial, Shen Changliu’s memorial was also held back in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As the New Year approached, the court remained peacefully busy.

On this day, I wandered into the warm chamber to see Xiao Huan lightly tapping his fingertips on the table, head slightly lowered, looking at the memorial spread before him.

I rarely saw him so deep in contemplation, so I walked over and asked: “Is it difficult?”

He seemed to just notice I was there, looked up, and smiled: “It’s somewhat thorny.” As he spoke, he raised his hand to point at the memorial before him, “This is the memorial Prince Liang submitted today. On the surface, it’s appealing about the chaos in grain tax collection in his fief, but the underlying criticism is directed at the new tax law Master Ling implemented.”

I nodded: “Is the new tax law not good?”

He smiled: “The new tax law combines various complex levies and duties, simplifying them and reducing the burden on common people. I also very much approve of this kind of tax law. However, the new tax law cut out many taxes, eliminating portions that previously benefited landlords and local gentry, so Master Ling has attracted quite a bit of resentment because of it.” He explained slowly, then smiled, “I’m wondering, Shen Changliu’s memorial was only held back for a few days before Prince Liang’s memorial arrived—isn’t that a bit too coincidental?”

“You suspect Shen Changliu was also acting under someone’s instructions?” I was somewhat surprised, “I thought he was truly an upright official who didn’t fear power.”

He smiled: “It’s just my speculation, I’m not certain.”

“Then if it’s confirmed that Shen Changliu was also acting under someone’s instructions, what then?” I asked.

“In that case, it means someone is working behind the scenes to bring down Master Ling.” As he spoke, his fingertips slowly traced over the two memorials, and he frowned slightly, “What’s strange is that I don’t understand how Master Ling’s fall from power would benefit them?”

So he already had someone he suspected?

I smiled: “In any case, just deal with things as they come, like defending against troops or containing floods. Don’t wear yourself out too much.”

He smiled as well: “Indeed.”

And so this matter was set aside for the time being.

The next day, Xiao Huan’s usual Shifeng Longjing tea ran out, and I was assigned to go to the storehouse to get more tea leaves.

After getting what I needed from the tea storehouse and exchanging a few jokes with the plump eunuch who managed it, I hugged the tea container and hurried out. Moving quickly, I almost ran into someone when turning a corner.

I quickly protected the tea container with my hands—before next year’s new tea arrived, this was the last container of the best pre-Qingming Longjing—without thinking, I scolded: “Don’t you watch where you’re going? What’s the rush?”

Only after shouting did I realize the person before me was neither a palace maid nor eunuch nor a guard from the escort division. I stepped back, but the person didn’t move. A light laugh came from behind the veil covering their face.

“Who are you?” I cautiously looked them over.

White clothes and light fur, flowing almost impossibly gracefully. Most suspicious was that they wore a hood trimmed with silver fox fur on their head, with a thin veil hanging down that covered their face.

They laughed, the veil moving slightly with their breath: “Are all young palace maids so imperious these days?”

I cleared my throat somewhat embarrassedly, but still questioned them: “Who are you? Why are you wandering around the palace? Don’t you know it’s a capital offense for outside officials to trespass in the inner palace?”

“I got lost.” The person before me answered with surprising directness, “I came to see the Emperor, but after the audience, I got lost on my way out.”

Come to think of it, with the New Year and Xiao Huan’s birthday approaching, various frontier princes had sent envoys to the capital to offer congratulations. I had never seen this person in the forbidden palace before—perhaps they were an envoy from one of the royal clan princes?

Thinking this, I pointed in a direction: “Go west, turn left at the gate, follow the corridor north, and you’ll reach the outer court once you exit through the Qianqing Gate.” After giving these casual instructions, I added, “The forbidden palace isn’t like the outside—if the imperial guards mistake you for an assassin and arrest you, that would be the end of it. Be more careful next time, don’t wander around.”

The veil over the person’s face rippled slightly as they nodded: “Thank you.” Only then did they turn and walk away.

Holding the tea container, I stood frozen in place. This person’s voice had an indescribable quality, like drinking a bowl of strong rose syrup after eating many salty snacks—though cloying, it had a kind of comfortable closeness.

How could such a strange feeling come from just exchanging a few casual words?

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was still waiting for the tea, so I hurried back with the container.

As soon as I entered, Feng Wufu anxiously grabbed me: “Why are you dawdling? His Majesty called for tea, hurry up and brew it to take in!”

This fat fellow, like Xiao Huan, treated me completely like a palace maid, calling out orders and giving assignments as needed. I quickly agreed, but thinking of that person from before, casually asked: “Who came for an audience with His Majesty just now?”

Feng Wufu seemed confused: “Who came for an audience? No one has come at this time.” As he spoke, he continued urging, “Hurry up and brew the tea! How much longer are you going to keep His Majesty waiting? No sense of propriety!”

No one had come? Who was that person then? With Feng Wufu’s continuous urging, I could only hurry to brew the tea.

The spring water sent from Yuquan Mountain had already been boiled and cooled by other palace maids. I took out the tea leaves and implements, quickly brewed a bowl of clear tea, and carried it in to serve to Xiao Huan.

The room was somewhat dim. As I turned past the bookshelf, Xiao Huan was slightly bent over by the window, his vermillion brush swaying gently in his hand, like a silhouette floating in that patch of white light.

A sudden feeling of pride welled up inside me: my man looked good from any angle.

Walking over to put down the tea bowl, I sat down sideways next to him on the couch and smiled: “What are you writing?”

He turned his head to look at me, a hint of a smile playing at his lips as his brush continued moving: “The budget for dredging the canal, and some other matters that need attention.”

“Couldn’t you just give these to the Ministry of Works? Why write it yourself?” I looked past his arm to see the neat small script written in vermillion cinnabar, filling a good half-foot of white paper.

“The Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works don’t get along. Whatever budget the Ministry of Works submits gets rejected. If I write it, both sides should have no objections.” He smiled, then pointed to several large sheets of paper spread out to the side, “The Ministry of Works already drafted several budgets, I’m just consolidating them.”

I glanced at those densely written sheets and sighed lightly: “I feel like these ministers of yours will eventually spoil you rotten.”

“Who says?” He continued writing as he replied casually, “I do what I can for them, and they must follow the rules they should follow. If anyone still doesn’t understand their responsibilities, they’d better watch their heads.”

Though his tone remained mild, I couldn’t help but shiver, then laughed: “Brother Xiao, I think it’s better if you stay this gentle. If you ever truly showed a cold face at court, I’m afraid those ministers’ courage would fail them.”

He paused his brush and turned to look at me with some amusement: “Would it?”

I nodded vigorously: “Absolutely.”

He raised an eyebrow: “Then I’d better not show a cold face. The gallbladder is the house of courage—it wouldn’t be good if it broke.”

I laughed hard, nodding my head like a chicken pecking rice: “Yes, yes, you absolutely mustn’t show a cold face…”

I had wanted to ask if he’d seen that person in white from earlier, but noticing the faint weariness at the corners of his eyes, I said nothing. Instead, I bent down to place a light kiss on his brow before quickly running out with the tray.

As the New Year drew closer, the days passed just like this.

I stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, being sent here and there by Xiao Huan while bantering with Feng Wufu for entertainment, passing my days quite freely.

Occasionally when I returned to Shuxiu Palace, I had Xiaoshan and Jiaoyan continue to tell others that the Empress was unwell, not only refusing all visitors but even being excused from daily greetings at Cining Palace.

This afternoon, I was sunbathing in the long corridor when I thought it was time to change the tea, so I brewed a fresh cup and took it in.

Xiao Huan was bent over his desk writing something. Hearing me enter, he didn’t look up but just said: “Put it down.”

I went over to place the tea beside his hand and removed the previous cold cup.

After changing it, I saw he still hadn’t looked up, so I prepared to leave with the tray. After just two steps, I suddenly heard a “clang” behind me—the sound of a teacup falling and shattering on the ground.

I quickly turned around to see him supporting himself on the table, the teacup broken on the floor with tea leaves and water spread everywhere.

He raised his head and managed a smile at me: “It’s nothing, I just knocked it over accidentally.”

I nodded, went over to put down the tray, and took his ice-cold hand: “Rest for a moment first.”

He nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and leaned against my shoulder, coughing softly several times. His shoulders trembled slightly, his chest heaving dramatically. In just a moment, cold sweat had already dampened his hairline.

I carefully supported his body, standing still, waiting for his breathing to settle.

After a while, his breathing finally became somewhat more even, and he opened his eyes to smile at me.

Seeing his face was still frighteningly pale, I said: “Do you want to lie down and rest?”

He nodded slightly and tried to speak but broke into another bout of coughing.

This time the coughing wouldn’t stop. As if he could no longer support himself, he bent over, his fingers spasmodically pressing against his chest as his body slid down from my shoulder.

I hurriedly held him, feeling his body ice cold in my arms. I took a breath: “I’ll go call the Imperial Physician.”

He struggled to grab my wrist, shaking his head slightly: “Don’t… alert others…”

His face was still frighteningly pale, but those deep eyes were calm. I took another breath, nodded, and sat down to support his body.

He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. After a while, he opened them to smile at me and said softly: “It’s nothing… it just looks scary when it flares up. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

I buried my face in his shoulder, then lifted my head to smile at him: “Sleep for a while, I’ll go get bedding and pillows.”

He smiled and nodded. I helped him lie down on a nearby couch. His breathing was still thin and irregular, with occasional light coughs.

I bent down, held his hand and smiled: “Sleep.” He smiled and closed his eyes.

I covered him with a fleece blanket, gathered up the broken teacup pieces from the floor, then closed the door and went out.

Feng Wufu and Shi Yan, having heard the teacup fall, were already waiting outside. When Feng Wufu saw the broken porcelain in my hands, his face paled slightly. He stamped his foot lightly and lowered his voice: “Minister Shang from the Ministry of Rites is still requesting an audience. I’ll go tell him His Majesty is unwell and won’t see anyone.”

I nodded and added: “His Majesty said not to alert others. Tell them outside that His Majesty is somewhat tired and has gone to sleep.”

Feng Wufu sighed softly and agreed before leaving.

After throwing away the broken pieces, I returned to the Western Warm Chamber and walked to the couch. Xiao Huan was already in deep sleep, his breathing much more stable.

I sat down, held his hand and dozed while leaning on the edge of the couch. Drifting in and out of sleep, when I next opened my eyes everything was bathed in yellow twilight.

Looking up, Xiao Huan seemed to have been awake for some time, watching me with a smile.

I stretched lazily and smiled back: “Feeling better?”

He nodded slightly, smiling: “Much better.”

I got up and placed a light kiss on his thin lips, looking at him with a smile: “Want to eat something? Shall I go order a meal?”

He paused, then smiled: “Keep it light if possible.”

Letting him rest a bit longer, I went out to find someone to arrange for food. Just as I finished giving instructions and was about to go back, I heard the inner attendant at the courtyard gate announce: “Noble Consort, ten thousand years.”

Du Tingxin walked in slowly, wearing plain white fur, her black hair falling onto her shoulders, as still and beautiful as an ink landscape painting.

I stopped to wait for her to approach. Remembering her gaze at the banquet last time, I figured I didn’t need to be polite with her: “Noble Consort, ten thousand years. What brings you here?”

Du Tingxin looked at me and suddenly said: “Ling Cangcang, do you know how lucky you are?”

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the wind rustling through the treetops. She smiled—a smile I had never seen on her face before, peaceful and calm yet tinged with faint sorrow: “You don’t know how lucky you are… You don’t know how he loves you. His eyes when he speaks of you are so gentle—just because of that look, I never even had a chance to speak up.”

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly: “I’ve loved Brother Huan, loved him for so long, but I understand—someone like him will only love one person in his lifetime. You’re truly lucky, meeting him before I did.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” I frowned. Wasn’t she the one who grew up with Xiao Huan as childhood friends? How could she say I met him first?

The smile on Du Tingxin’s face grew more ethereal: “You don’t understand… So you really don’t understand. That’s why I say you’re lucky—lucky enough to be hateful.”

“I know you hate me,” I frowned and spoke flatly, “I hate you too. I guess that makes us even.”

Du Tingxin gave a cold laugh: “Yes, I hate you, hate you very much… Do you know how many times you’ve been so self-righteous…” As she spoke, she suddenly turned and started to leave.

“Du Tingxin,” I called after her, “What do you mean?”

She stopped, laughing coldly: “What do I mean? Your Majesty the Empress… may I ask when have you ever truly trusted Brother Huan? When have you not immediately assumed the worst of him without listening? Have you ever sincerely trusted him?”

My chest suddenly tightened, but I forced myself to argue: “I will trust him…”

Du Tingxin was quiet for a moment, then laughed coldly: “Fine, let’s see how you turn against him next time…”

“Xin’er!” Xiao Huan’s voice came from behind. He walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder for support, smiling at Du Tingxin, “Xin’er rarely visits, why not come in and sit?”

Du Tingxin stared straight at him, her clear eyes suddenly glistening. She shook her head, but bright drops still flew from the corners of her eyes, flashing momentarily in the air: “I’m sorry, Brother Huan, I didn’t come to say these things, I just…” She bit her lip, then suddenly smiled at me, “I apologize.” She turned quickly and left.

I watched her silhouette disappear, then turned back to smile at Xiao Huan: “Why did you come out? Think I couldn’t handle it?”

He released my shoulder and leaned back slightly against a pillar, smiling: “Xin’er…” He paused, “Don’t mind what she said.”

“What is there to mind? You’re standing right here on my side, what could I possibly have to mind?” I joked with a smile, but for some reason, as the words left my mouth, I realized how awkward they sounded, making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

A cold night wind blew past us. He lowered his head and coughed lightly twice. I quickly stepped forward to support him: “How can you be running around in this condition…”

Before I could finish, Shi Yan hurriedly came from behind the screen wall. Seeing me there, he paused briefly before clasping his hands to Xiao Huan: “Your Majesty, we’ve found that Miss Zhao who had connections to Xian Xue.”

Xian Xue? My hand reaching toward him suddenly froze.

Xiao Huan straightened himself up and nodded slightly to Shi Yan to show he understood, then smiled at me: “Cangcang, go back to your room first.”

I didn’t move, hesitating before speaking: “Brother Xiao, you’re keeping many things from me, aren’t you?”

He paused for a moment, saying nothing.

“I know there are some things I don’t need to know,” I looked at him, “but some things are very important to me.”

He kept his head lowered, coughing lightly several times.

I looked at him and took a small breath: “Brother Xiao, I want to ask you, was Xian Xue killed by people you sent?”

There was a long silence, and after what seemed like forever, his voice finally came: “Cangcang, is this matter very important to you?”

I was taken aback, then nodded: “Yes.”

He smiled slightly: “Not explaining to you was my fault. You don’t need to avoid it, I’ll explain everything to you right now.”

After saying this, he turned to Shi Yan: “You found the person? Where?”

Shi Yan said: “As per Your Majesty’s instructions, we’ve brought that young lady into the palace to settle her.”

Xiao Huan frowned, pondering for a moment: “How is her condition? Has her mind not recovered?”

“She seems to have been frightened again outside, making her even more deranged,” Shi Yan answered.

Xiao Huan nodded: “Where is she? I’ll go see her.”

Hearing he was going to leave, I quickly had someone fetch a windproof cloak and draped it over him.

He took the cloak and smiled at me, then nodded to Shi Yan: “Lead the way.”

Seeing his face was still pale, I hurried over to support him. He paused, smiled faintly: “It’s fine,” and released my hand, following Shi Yan with quick steps.

I took a few quick steps to catch up with them.

The palace walls twisted and turned in the night, with Xiao Huan walking quickly and silently.

Shi Yan led us to a secluded palace building guarded by imperial guards. After entering, we came to a side wing. Shi Yan pushed open the door—inside, the lamplight was dim, but we could see a white figure curled up on a couch.

After Xiao Huan entered, Shi Yan signaled the imperial guards at the door to bring more candles, making the small room brighter and the figure on the bed clearer.

It was a somewhat small and thin young woman, her black hair disheveled and scattered, almost covering her face. Her eyes were full of wariness, like a frightened small beast.

Xiao Huan walked to the couch and extended his hand to her, smiling and speaking gently: “I’m going to check your pulse, don’t move.”

The woman shrank back slightly, and though her gaze flickered, she truly didn’t move.

Xiao Huan took a breath and slowly bent down, tentatively reaching for the woman’s hand. As soon as his fingers touched her skin, she suddenly screamed and frantically pushed at him with both hands.

Suddenly pushed away, Xiao Huan stumbled slightly.

I rushed over to support him, and in my haste ended up embracing him fully from behind. In my arms, his waist felt somewhat thin even under the cloak. Trembling with anger, I berated the woman: “He’s trying to check your pulse, what are you screaming for? Scream again and I’ll bash your head in!”

The woman was startled into silence by this scolding, shrinking back even further.

I steadied Xiao Huan, and seeing his frost-white complexion, quickly said: “You should sit down and rest.”

He nodded slightly, smiling: “Cangcang, don’t frighten her… help me get her hand in a moment.”

I nodded: “Piece of cake.”

As I tried to help him sit on the couch, he paused. Shi Yan behind him stepped forward, took off his sable cape, and placed it on the couch. Xiao Huan sat down on the spread cape.

I cleared my throat and muttered quietly: “When you were disguised as Zhao Fugui feeding horses, you weren’t nearly so particular.” As I spoke, I climbed onto the couch to grab the woman’s arm. She didn’t resist a woman’s touch much, and having been thoroughly frightened by my earlier scolding, she docilely let me pull her hand over.

Xiao Huan placed three fingers in succession on her pulse points and curved his lips slightly: “It’s not that I’m being too particular, it’s that this couch is too cold.” As he spoke, he instructed Shi Yan, “Add some bedding to this room and bring in a charcoal brazier.”

I cleared my throat again, still holding the woman’s somewhat restless arm.

His gently lowered eyes were right in front of me. I glanced at his almost excessively long eyelashes and said quietly: “What do you mean this couch is too cold? Just now someone’s face was colder than this couch…”

He chuckled softly, concentrating on checking her pulse until about half an incense stick’s time had passed. Then he released his fingers and nodded to Shi Yan: “Bring some paper and ink, and invite Imperial Physician Yang from the Imperial Medical Bureau.”

Shi Yan bowed and left to carry out the orders. I released the woman’s arm, and she immediately retreated to curl up in the corner.

Regardless of whether she saw it or not, I smiled at her as kindly as I could and casually asked Xiao Huan: “Are you going to prescribe medicine for her?”

He answered: “This Miss Zhao became deranged after a shock. It will be difficult to restore her mind, so we can only start with some calming medicines to gradually nurse her health.”

I nodded “Oh” and carefully examined this Miss Zhao in the lamplight.

Though disheveled, her features were delicate and she wasn’t very old—she must have been a beauty before she went mad. Was this the courtesan who had been close to Xian Xue?

As we spoke, Shi Yan had already returned, bringing people to set up the writing materials on the table.

Xiao Huan picked up the brush and carefully prescribed the paper, handing it to a nearby attendant: “When Imperial Physician Yang arrives, give him this and ask if anything needs to be added. This young lady will be in his care from now on.”

After giving his instructions, Xiao Huan didn’t get up. He looked at me, raised his hand to massage his brow, and half-smiled, half-sighed: “You…”

I lifted my head: “What about me?”

“Nothing…” he smiled, paused, then began to speak slowly, “Master Luo died by Feng Yuanjiang’s sword at Phoenix Pavilion. Master Luo was ordered to assassinate Xiong Qingping, the Section Director of the Ministry of Revenue, but his true identity was seen by Qiu Heshan, a wealthy silk merchant. Later, Qiu Heshan hired the Phoenix Pavilion to assassinate him.”

I nodded. Feng Yuanjiang was the master of the Phoenix Pavilion, an assassins’ organization that had risen to prominence in the jianghu in recent years. I had met him by chance once—a refined and handsome man, like a scholar. No one would have guessed he was the leader of the largest assassins’ organization in the empire.

“Miss Zhao was present when Master Luo was assassinated. Afterward, she went mad, and I instructed Shi Yan and the others to find her and bring her back to be cared for,” Xiao Huan continued. “Unexpectedly, the Shanhai Pass incident happened right after, and with the Insect Camp short-handed, it took this long to find Miss Zhao.”

He paused, then smiled again, “The day Master Luo was killed, I received the news too late and couldn’t save him. I’m sorry.”

I looked up at him and asked: “Brother Xiao, that time when Xian Xue broke into the palace to assassinate you and was caught by the imperial guards when you struck him with that palm strike in front of me, you were treating his injuries, not trying to kill him, weren’t you?”

He was slightly startled, then smiled and nodded: “That’s more or less right…” After thinking for a moment, he added, “That sword strike came too fast, and by then his internal injuries were already severe. If I didn’t take advantage of the moment when his energy was depleting with the sword’s force to clear his meridians, it would have been too late if we waited longer, so I didn’t have time to explain to you…”

I smiled, feeling a slight pain in my heart. Explain to me… After seeing Xian Xue fall, I immediately struck at his chest like a madwoman—when had I given him any chance to explain?

Later it was the same—as soon as I heard the news of Xian Xue’s death, just because his body had been taken away by the Insect Camp, I immediately assumed Xiao Huan had sent people to kill him. I had spoken to him coldly and sarcastically right after court, never once considering whether I might be wrongly blaming him.

Were there more things that I had blindly blamed on him because my eyes were clouded by grief?

My heart ached as previously unnoticed details suddenly emerged with striking clarity, making my body grow cold in waves.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, I held his hand and looked up at him: “Brother Xiao… that palm strike you used to clear Xian Xue’s meridians, did it drain a lot of your inner power?”

Seemingly surprised by my question, he paused before smiling: “It wasn’t too bad.”

“After that palm strike, when you came to pull me away from Xian Xue, I struck at your chest. I always thought that strike couldn’t have hurt you because the difference in our martial arts was too great.” I said, looking into his eyes, “Later when I went to see Xian Xue and asked about his injuries, he smiled and said his internal injuries were fine, then casually asked ‘But how is he?’ I never quite understood that question… Now I think, Xian Xue must have been asking about you, right?”

That day, I had been entirely focused on how to rescue Xian Xue and protect him from harm, completely failing to notice any other irregularities.

Like Xiao Huan’s pale face after he stood up from beside me, like his intermittent coughing the next morning when I knelt before the Hall of Mental Cultivation demanding to see Xian Xue and later when he joined me for lunch… Until after I had seen Xian Xue and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, finding him exhausted and dozing at his desk, coughing so badly he couldn’t lift himself from the table, too weak even to reach for the teacup right beside him… He had already been seriously ill that day, but I had been blind to it, even using the tea he desperately needed as leverage to force him to agree to release Xian Xue.

He paused for a moment, then looked at me with a smile: “It’s alright, Cangcang.”

How could it be alright? After that, the Shanhai Pass crisis erupted, and he spent days and nights in the Hall of Mental Cultivation without rest until he could no longer suppress coughing up blood in front of the attendants.

I took his hand and placed it against my cheek. His hand was still cool, with just a faint warmth. Fighting back the ache rising in my nose, I looked up at him with a smile: “Brother Xiao… just now when I asked if you had sent people to kill Xian Xue, you were hurt, weren’t you?”

He paused slightly before speaking gently: “Why do you say that?”

“I just felt it suddenly…” I smiled, “because when you’re hurt, you become especially polite to me.”

I paused, gripping his somewhat cold hand tightly: “Xian Xue was my good friend… my greatest wrong to him was lying to you then, saying he was the one I loved…”

I smiled at him: “Xian Xue was murdered, and I very much want to avenge him, so knowing who killed him is important to me… I almost hoped it wasn’t you who sent people to kill him—you’re very important to me too, Brother Xiao.”

He looked at me, then turned away with a smile: “I suddenly feel… I’m being somewhat petty.”

I was startled for a moment, then began to laugh: “Hmm, only realizing it now? You are petty, and you never say anything—serve you right to suffer in silence!”

Just as I finished laughing and was about to say something more, an armed imperial guard entered from outside, kneeling on one knee to salute Xiao Huan before quickly retreating to whisper something in Shi Yan’s ear.

Shi Yan’s expression changed slightly. He quickly glanced at me, then looked at Xiao Huan.

Xiao Huan nodded to him.

Though given the order, Shi Yan still hesitated before saying: “Your Majesty, something has happened at Shuxiu Palace.” He immediately added quickly, “Your Majesty need not concern yourself with this matter, leave everything to your servant.”

Xiao Huan frowned: “Tell me.”

Shi Yan’s body trembled: “Unknown assassins have broken into Shuxiu Palace, there are numerous casualties.”

Numerous casualties? My heart tightened—Xiaoshan and Jiaoyan were there! I quickly grabbed Xiao Huan’s arm: “Let’s go see.”

He nodded, stood up, and took my hand, saying to Shi Yan: “Let’s go.”

Shi Yan kept his head lowered and said nothing more, bowing to acknowledge the command before striding ahead swiftly, positioning himself in front of Xiao Huan.

This place wasn’t far from Shuxiu Palace, and we arrived quickly, hearing the faint sounds of fighting coming from within the palace walls.

At the palace gate, we saw rows of grim-faced imperial guards from the escort division, illuminated by torchlight. A higher-ranking officer holding a sword blocked the doorway. Seeing Shi Yan, his tense face relaxed slightly as he called out: “Commander Shi.” Then he saw Xiao Huan behind Shi Yan and, without even kneeling, urgently said, “It’s dangerous here, please withdraw, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Huan shook his head at him and walked forward.

By the screen wall ahead lay the body of an imperial guard. Xiao Huan immediately frowned: “This formidable? What’s their background?”

The imperial guard hesitated, seemingly unable to answer: “It’s…”

Shi Yan didn’t stop, darting into the courtyard. Xiao Huan followed, and I walked beside him.

Inside the gate, by torchlight, we saw many more bodies near the entrance, mutilated almost beyond recognition. Thinking these might be people I had lived with day and night, I couldn’t help feeling nauseated.

A strong smell of blood drifted through the hazy night. Two palace lanterns still burned on the beams in front of the hall, casting flickering shadows across the courtyard. Among the chaos of bodies stood a blood-covered figure who, hearing movement from our direction, pulled his sword from a corpse and coldly looked over.

Though the gaze was unfamiliar and the face was splattered with blood like a demon’s, the figure and movements were familiar. I cried out involuntarily: “Hong Qing!”

It was Hong Qing! The same Hong Qing who played dice with me, always smiling with that hint of cunning and playfulness—I could never have imagined seeing him like this, standing among corpses with a sword in hand, like a bloodthirsty demon.

Suddenly, a voice came from above us, its icy tone carrying a hint of amusement: “Hehe, Empress, we meet again.”

On the upper eaves of Shuxiu Palace’s front hall, Ying sat in her white clothes like fallen snow. Seeing me look at her, she spoke even more cheerfully: “Ah, right, this one isn’t being controlled by my puppet incense to kill people.” She pinched her nose and fanned the air, “Such a disgusting way of killing—I really couldn’t do it.”

I woodenly turned back to stare blankly at Hong Qing. Was this person, whose eyes now held nothing but naked killing intent, still the Hong Qing I knew?

My voice was hoarse: “Hong Qing, you didn’t kill Xiaoshan and Jiaoyan, did you?”

Hong Qing turned to look at me, his cold gaze devoid of any warmth… He walked over step by step and knelt on one knee before Xiao Huan, his calm voice showing not a ripple of emotion: “By Your Majesty’s imperial order, everyone in Shuxiu Palace has been killed.”

Xiao Huan ordered the killing? As if bitten by a poisonous snake, I instinctively pulled my hand away from Xiao Huan and stepped back.

As soon as I retreated, I realized my mistake. Hearing Hong Qing’s words, Xiao Huan also looked surprised. Seeing me pull away, he turned his head urgently to explain: “No, Cangcang…”

In that flash of lightning moment, Hong Qing suddenly looked up. His left palm shot out with explosive force toward Xiao Huan’s chest. Completely caught off guard, Xiao Huan took the full force of the strike to his chest and was sent flying.

He crashed into a locust tree in the courtyard, sending withered yellow leaves showering down. His jade hairpin shattered with a “ting” sound, his black hair falling loose. He suddenly covered his mouth, his body swaying before dropping to one knee.

I had never seen him bow before—even when facing enemies, no matter how severely injured he was, he would always force himself to keep his back straight. But now he was kneeling on the ground.

I stood frozen, my mouth open but unable to make a sound.

“Your Majesty!” Shi Yan shouted, drawing his sword like a madman and rushing toward Xiao Huan.

This usually steady and calm supreme fighter of the palace now showed openings all over his body. A white figure flashed out, and in the blink of an eye, Shi Yan’s sword was broken in two.

A white-robed figure with a veiled face held half of the broken sword between two fingers, standing before Xiao Huan. His laugh was clear and distant: “Commander Shi, don’t come near him.”

This person had been standing in the shadowed hall, wearing a gauze veil. In this scene of carnage, only his white clothes remained as pure as fresh snow—not just blood, but not even a speck of dust had touched them. Amid the grotesque bloodshed, he alone remained elegant and serene.

Yet with just one move, he had used his finger strength to break Shi Yan’s world-renowned Fluorescent Sword in two!

Shi Yan stood dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at the broken sword in his hand.

The white-robed man turned leisurely, raised his hand to remove the wide-brimmed hat and gauze, bent slightly, and retrieved a short sword from the kneeling Xiao Huan’s embrace.

The sword was only about a foot long, and when unsheathed it flickered with a steady blue-green light in the lamplight. The white-robed man lovingly caressed the flickering blade with his long, pure white fingers. The lazy expression on his jade-like face was replaced by a look of lofty brilliance as he pronounced each word distinctly: “A king’s sword should be held by a king. Your Majesty, how about letting me have this Royal Wind?”

Only then did I finally cry out: “Brother Xiao!”

Xiao Huan, who had been keeping his head down, slowly raised it. His deep eyes were still bright. He moved his eyebrows slightly with no other motion, but I knew he was trying to tell me he was fine, telling me not to worry.

That stubborn habit of holding on to the bitter end—I suddenly smiled, though my face was already streaked with tears.