Chapter 20: The Pillow

Feeling Wronged?

The lights in the East Palace were extinguished, yet lanterns throughout the entire palace remained lit.

In the past, when clandestine affairs occurred in the palace, the Department of Justice would be dispatched to apprehend suspects. This time, however, the Imperial Guards were directly mobilized.

Moreover, the information was strictly sealed. It was only rumored that someone had poisoned the wine at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. As to what kind of poison it was or whether anyone was poisoned, not a word was leaked.

Anyone implicated through confessions, regardless of status, was uniformly arrested and taken to the Court of the Imperial Clan.

After a night of interrogation, the results were delivered to the East Palace before dawn.

The investigation confirmed that the servant who poisoned the Crown Prince’s wine was Chuan’er, who served the Fourth Prince. He was immediately detained after the incident and, unable to endure the interrogation, confessed by midnight that he had been instructed by his master, Shu Fei Niangniang.

Shu Fei firmly denied any involvement, claiming that since both the Imperial Guards and the Court of the Imperial Clan were under the Crown Prince’s jurisdiction, Chuan’er was likely coerced into a false confession through torture.

The rear palace was in an uproar, while the front court was embroiled in fierce conflict.

During those days, Li Youqing remained secluded indoors. On the rare occasion she visited the East Palace, she failed to see the Crown Prince and was instead met with the sarcastic remarks of the eunuch Zhang Heng: “His Highness the Crown Prince dotes on you the most, Young Princess. He keeps many burdens to himself, never sharing them with you. That woman from Yunshu Palace has secretly caused us countless troubles. This old servant boldly begs you, Young Princess, to have some compassion for His Highness. Do not make him torn between opposing forces any longer.”

Accustomed to being pampered, Li Youqing was immediately infuriated by these words. She rebuked him sharply, “Matters between my Imperial Brother and me are not for a eunuch like you to comment on.”

“Yes, yes—” Zhang Heng dared not provoke this young ancestor and bowed repeatedly, adding another plea: “There is another matter requiring your attention, Princess. The dance instructor from Rou Lan, Bai Gugu, that night in the small bamboo grove with the Crown Prince… ahem… Bai Gugu was later punished by the Empress and sent to the Department of Justice. I beg you to kindly save her life. In the heat of the moment, Her Majesty was overcome with anger. If anything were to happen… In short, we must remain cautious.”

His words were awkward and veiled, yet Li Youqing understood them perfectly.

～

After concluding his discussion, Xuan Rui came out and directly led her to Bai Yao’er’s bedchamber.

Li Youqing was curious about the relationship between the two of them. The question lingered on the tip of her tongue for a long while, but she did not dare to ask.

Just as she hesitated, he pushed the door open first. Biting her lip, Li Youqing entered with trepidation.

A scent of impending decay in the room made her frown deeply. Even the large amount of incense burning in the perfume burner could not suppress it. The stench of rot assailed her nostrils, and she almost turned to leave immediately.

“She took poison, and her wounds are festering,” Xuan Rui stated from behind her. Just as Li Youqing thought to retreat, she felt the heat of his presence close in on her back.

She had no choice but to proceed further.

A pearwood carved bed stood ahead. As the snow-white bed curtains were drawn back, they first revealed hair as dark and smooth as satin, half of it cascading softly over the edge of the bed.

But as she drew nearer, the foul odor grew increasingly potent. Li Youqing, utterly unable to bear it, felt her stomach churn. Covering her nose, she turned to flee.

As she turned, her forehead bumped against the silver button on the man’s chest, and in that instant, it was as if she had awoken from a dream.

Escape? Where could she escape to?

His body stood like a bronze wall, blocking her path, allowing no retreat. His attitude was domineering and merciless.

There was no escape…

Seeing her apparent stalling, Xuan Rui showed no further leniency. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bedside, forcing Bai Yao’er to see her face clearly.

Li Youqing lowered her gaze to the woman she had once saved.

Her complexion was sallow and withered, the quilt pulled tightly over her body, with only her hands exposed—thin and bony like chicken claws. She was a far cry from the radiant and captivating dancer from memory.

The beauty on the bed stirred slightly. Upon seeing Li Youqing, her vacant eyes gradually focused, and her parched, purplish lips moved faintly.

Li Youqing discerned the words “Third Princess” from her lips and immediately responded, “Bai Gugu, the Third Princess is no longer here. I am—”

“Take a closer look, Bai Zhangjiao. Do you recognize her?” Xuan Rui cut her off, his cold gaze fixed on the two of them, his stern brow furrowed.

The sharp intensity in the man’s eyes felt as though it could burn through the back of her skull. Li Youqing was nearly driven to despair by the overwhelming pressure.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on her back, and her stomach churned violently.

With no other choice, she called out again, “Bai Gugu.”

Bai Yao’er raised her hand slightly. After a long pause, her hoarse voice struggled to speak: “Thirteenth Miss, it has been a long time.”

Her mind was still intact, and she had understood the young princess’s hint earlier. For a moment, her heart was filled with mixed emotions, fearing she might say something wrong.

But the only one who had ever addressed her respectfully as “Gugu” in the Daliang palace was the thirteenth miss of the chancellor’s residence.

Li Youqing felt as though she had narrowly escaped death. Cold sweat drenched her back, and when she looked up at Xuan Rui again, she noticed a hint of relief in his eyes as well.

Their gazes met, and this time, it was Li Youqing’s turn to feel suspicious.

What poison had Bai Yao’er been afflicted with? What was her connection to Xuan Rui? And who had harmed her?

A series of questions swirled in her mind, and only that man could provide the answers. Yet, Li Youqing doubted he would kindly enlighten her.

Her nerves were stretched taut, and the putrid smell in the room was nauseating. Her face pale, she felt unsteady on her feet.

“General, may we leave now?” she gritted her teeth, determined not to lose her composure here.

Xuan Rui extended an arm to support her as they walked out. The moment they stepped outside, Li Youqing harshly shook off his hand.

The young woman rushed to the corridor pillar, clutching her chest as she bent over and retched violently.

Once she had finally calmed down, she caught sight of the hem of the man’s dark, patterned robe from the corner of her eye. Irritated, she said, “Is General Xuan satisfied now? I am merely an ordinary citizen of Daliang, not some spy sent by the E’erhai tribe.”

Xuan Rui leaned against the opposite corridor pillar, arms crossed, a hint of roguishness in his eyes. “Feeling wronged?”

“I dare not feel wronged. I only hope the General will honor his promise and arrange for reliable escorts to send me home in the coming days.” She dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and straightened her spine.

“Before the heavy snow seals the mountain, once the Lover Gu Poison is cleared, I will send you on your way.” Seeing that, despite her sickly appearance, her spirit was remarkably resilient, Xuan Rui paid her no further mind and turned to re-enter Bai Yao’er’s room.

Recalling the harrowing scene she had just witnessed, Li Youqing couldn’t help but ask, “What poison has afflicted Bai Gugu? Is there any hope for her?”

Xuan Rui glanced back at her, his tone indifferent. “It’s Heartbreak Grass. As for whether she can be saved, that depends on her.”

She had initially thought that her adoptive father trusted Bai Yao’er, which was why he had entrusted her with managing such a critical intelligence agency in Wu City. It had never occurred to her that she had been administered Heartbreak Grass.

Judging by the severity of her current poisoning, it seemed she had gone more than ten days without taking the antidote.

Moreover, she insisted that she had already sent the news of the unusual movements in Wu City to her adoptive father, but reinforcements had yet to arrive.

Not only that, Zhenbei Wang had personally ordered the main garrison originally stationed in Wu City to be relocated elsewhere, leaving the city’s defenses weak and ultimately leading to the tragedy.

Xuan Rui furrowed his brows slightly and said calmly, “I still have words to speak with her. Wait for me outside.”

~

That night, the group did not return to the city but stayed at a temple outside the city.

The people of the Rou Lan Kingdom also believed in Buddhism, trusting in the cause and effect of past and present lives, and in some aspects, they were even more devout than those in the Central Plains.

The abbot of the temple was an old friend of Xuan Rui’s. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he led them to the relatively more elegant and comfortable east wing.

Li Youqing glanced back and saw that the rest of the subordinates seemed to have gone to the more distant west wing.

Regarding the matter of a woman appearing by the General’s side, Xiao Ziqi and the others appeared calm on the surface, but as soon as they entered the west wing courtyard, they erupted into a frenzy.

An Shiyi, who had just finished his duty, had barely stepped into the courtyard when he was surrounded by the group, all clamoring to ask how far the General and the female spy had progressed.

An Shiyi struggled for a long time, torn between being killed by the General and being annoyed to death by the crowd. Finally, he stammered out two words: “Pillow.”

“What?” Xiao Ziqi and the others looked confused and leaned in to ask, “What does that mean?”

“Pillow, just pillow!” An Shiyi, recalling what he had overheard earlier, flushed bright red and used his qinggong to leap away and escape.

~

Li Youqing took a comfortable bath with the spring water in the east wing’s backyard, changed into the temple’s blue robes, and walked back along the cobblestone path while wringing her wet hair with a cloth.

The bath had taken nearly half an hour, but fortunately, the night was bright, with the moonlight and starlight illuminating the path clearly.

On her way back, she was still thinking that she must complete that task early tonight. Otherwise, if she ended up throwing herself at him like the previous night, it would be utterly humiliating once she regained her senses.

Fortunately, it would be over soon. She would return to the capital shortly.

Once she found a way to contact Grand Tutor Jin and had the Jin family as her guarantor, the Crown Prince would no longer be able to harm her.

By then, she would still be Daliang’s revered and noble princess, and this episode would scatter like grains of sand blown away by the wind of the imperial city.

Perhaps she had truly bathed for too long, as the lights in the room were already extinguished, and everything around was utterly silent.

But as soon as she entered, she could sense the man’s presence.

His even, steady breathing was dense and tangible, as if it had substance.

Recalling that he had not rested for two consecutive nights, he must have been utterly exhausted. Li Youqing tiptoed to the bedside and peered at him by the sparse, cold moonlight filtering through the window.

He was indeed already asleep.

With those sharp, hawk-like eyes closed, his entire face no longer looked so intimidating.

His tall nose cast a shadow on one side, and further down were his sharp, cold jawline and thin lips.

Li Youqing observed him for a long while, feeling at a loss and unsure where she should sleep.

Fortunately, the bed was large, and he had consciously lain on the outer side, seemingly leaving a space for her on the inside.

Li Youqing still felt strange about it.

The previous times—once on the bed and once in the carriage—they had both been sitting, and they parted ways after the poison was neutralized.

The anomaly was last night when they had actually shared a bed until dawn.

Even now, she could still remember the feeling of her head resting on his arm—firm and strong, with a steady pulse beating beneath.

Li Youqing removed her shoes and socks, carefully stepped over him to lie down on the inner side, hesitating about when would be the appropriate time to wake him.

The man was sleeping deeply, but she dared not fall asleep, fearing that once she lost consciousness, things would spiral out of control.

[Author’s Note]

Next Chapter Preview:

Xuan Rui: “Do you like this General kneeling?”

Princess: “…Stay kneeling.”