Chapter 11
At night, fierce wind swept up the flying snow. Lanterns swayed as the Zhuo residence’s carriage slowly left the street. Within it, glazed lamps cast a dim yellow light, silently illuminating the clear, beautiful figure seated inside.
The sound of bodhi flowing beads being toyed with was faint and steady. Zhuo Mingke sensed the young girl’s eager gaze falling on her from time to time, yet she never heard her speak. Slowly opening her lacquer-dark eyes, she asked leisurely, “Could it be that you ate too much at the banquet and are getting sleepy?”
He Xiu shook her head. She did not hear the teasing in the beautiful older sister’s words and answered frankly, “No. I just think that Da Yue’s First Prince had such an arrogant and rude manner. Why isn’t Sister Zhuo angry?”
“He is the prince with the greatest chance of inheriting the throne among Da Yue’s imperial clan, so he has the right to be arrogant.”
“But he looks like a great villain who might bite someone at any moment. Sister Zhuo, aren’t you worried?”
Hearing this, a hint of amusement appeared in Zhuo Mingke’s calm eyes, like ripples spreading layer by layer across a moonlit lake, quiet and extraordinarily beautiful. Her thin lips pressed together lightly as she cooperated and said, “No matter how bad a villain is, as long as he has a brain, he cannot possibly break with the Zhuo clan at this time. So even if he behaves forcefully and arrogantly, in the end, he still has something to ask of the Zhuo clan. It is only a test with bared teeth and brandished claws.”
When merchants marked a price, they usually set it at three times the actual amount or higher so the other party could bargain it down. The First Prince clearly understood this very well.
Moreover, if Zhuo Mingke wanted the young girl to break free from Da Yue’s captive slave status and return to Da Liang openly and properly in the future, this First Prince would be useful.
Da Yue’s struggle for the throne would inevitably involve multiple forces. During internal unrest, it would undoubtedly be a good opportunity.
For this, Zhuo Mingke had planned for several years. She had even accepted the assassination attempt back then and allowed the mastermind behind the scenes to provoke her. Now, it was time to look forward to the results.
He Xiu looked at the beautiful older sister, whose cool jade-like face was illuminated by the soft candlelight. Even the exquisite ornaments she wore seemed dim and dull beside her. Dazed, He Xiu replied, “So that’s how it is.”
She had to admit, the beautiful older sister’s appearance was truly flawless. Whether heavily made up or lightly adorned, she suited everything. She really was beautiful.
Suddenly, He Xiu felt that Shen Ruoyan treating the beautiful older sister so differently might be understandable!
In the silence, the carriage traveled over the snow-covered street, leaving deep wheel tracks behind. Within the wind and snow, the night was as black as ink.
Deep into the night, inside a certain residence in Da Yue’s imperial capital, a group of people knelt in a row, trembling with fear and not daring to make a sound.
“Commandery Princess Jiqiong, please calm your anger. It is freezing outside, and there truly is no way to find their traces.”
“Useless things. Those were personal guards from my clan. After so long, how could there not even be a single corpse?”
After these words were spoken, the room fell utterly silent. A personal maid raised her hand and signaled for the subordinates to withdraw, then comforted her. “Commandery Princess, please calm your anger. You are the empress’s niece. No one would dare act so boldly and recklessly against you. Perhaps this matter was ordered by the First Prince. After all, the struggle for the throne is becoming more and more intense now.”
Jiqiong drank her wine, her brows and eyes sharp as blades. She heavily set down her cup and snorted coldly. “Erzan is indeed capable of doing something like this. I hear he even wants to win over Zhuo Mingke. He truly does not know how to conceal his ambitions at all.”
But if the Zhuo clan truly threw its support behind Erzan, the situation in the throne struggle would become even worse and more unfavorable for them.
More than half of Da Yue’s territory was desert, and resources were scarce. Especially in summer, grain, fodder, and water were even more valuable than gold.
That was why Da Yue had waged war outward year after year: to survive better.
But Da Yue’s wars were too fierce. They even fought on multiple fronts, making enemies everywhere. As a result, the neighboring kingdoms had repeatedly joined forces to cut off grain and sever relations, banning trade.
So for many years, while the Zhuo clan had replaced Da Yue in conducting outside trade, the Zhuo clan had also maintained close relationships with the chieftains of the various tribes. Its importance went without saying.
Sparks leapt in the charcoal brazier, reflecting Commandery Princess Jiqiong’s cold gaze. Outside, heavy snow fell in soft rustling waves. In the long night, Da Yue welcomed the coldest season of the year.
In the morning, countless sharp icicles had formed beneath the eaves of the Zhuo residence. Even the well mouth had frozen over, and the household servants had to use iron hammers to break through the thick ice before they could draw water.
He Xiu came out of her small courtyard, carrying books as she headed to the study. She wore a snow-white felt hat, and her face and neck were wrapped in a scarf. Her entire body looked like a fluffy ball. Even her face was wrapped tightly, revealing only a pair of bright black eyes as she looked around at the vast, frozen world of ice and snow.
By now, He Xiu had long since lost the ignorance and fearlessness she had at the beginning. After all, Da Yue’s winter really could freeze people to death alive!
When He Xiu entered the study from the outer corridor, the heavy curtain in the outer hall blocked out the cold wind and chill. Inside, there were heated channels beneath the floor, and it instantly felt much warmer.
However, He Xiu unexpectedly discovered that the beautiful older sister was not seated in the main seat as usual. She turned her head and looked around, softly calling, “Sister Zhuo?”
After she spoke, there was no answer, only a faint echo. It was clear just how large the study was.
The entire study had two floors, surrounded on all four sides by walls of books. Everywhere she looked were layered shelves, enough to make one dizzy.
He Xiu set down her books and did not touch anything on the main desk, because she knew the beautiful older sister had a bit of an obsessive need for order. All of her belongings had stayed in the same positions for years without being moved.
After unwrapping her fluffy scarf and thick felt hat, He Xiu felt much lighter. She stepped onto the stairs and went upstairs with a tap-tap of footsteps.
Walking along the right side of the second floor, He Xiu poked her head around, searching for a figure between the bookshelves.
After a long while, she had wandered all the way from right to left in a large circle and still had not seen anyone. A little puzzled, He Xiu muttered, “Did she go out for something?”
If the beautiful older sister went out, she would usually send someone to inform He Xiu.
In the quiet, a tall, graceful figure appeared at one end of the bookshelves. The jewels by her ears reflected specks of light. Her plain blue-green skirt moved faintly, like lotus flowers shifting step by step, as she walked closer at an unhurried pace. “What are you doing upstairs?”
He Xiu was startled. She turned her head and saw the beautiful older sister who had appeared out of nowhere. Her eyes widened, and she said incredulously, “Eh? How did I not see Sister Zhuo just now?”
“Perhaps you missed something earlier.” Zhuo Mingke’s beautiful eyes blinked lightly as she quietly examined the frightened young girl. She looked terribly timid.
“So that’s how it is. I thought there might be some secret space in the study that I didn’t know about.” He Xiu smiled brightly at the beautiful older sister and naturally did not doubt her further.
As she spoke, He Xiu went down the stairs first. Her nose caught a faint scent. She smelled the light, quiet fragrance around the beautiful older sister, and it made her mind grow hazy, almost floating.
Zhuo Mingke walked behind her with her right hand hidden behind her back. Moving silently, she lowered her brows and eyes as she studied the young girl, murmuring, “A secret space? Do you think I would have some kind of secret?”
He Xiu blinked, returned to her senses, and answered playfully, “I don’t know. Just now, I couldn’t find Sister Zhuo at all. You appeared all of a sudden, like an immortal.”
“An immortal? You had better stop being glib and grind the ink to practice calligraphy first.”
“Hehe, okay.”
Before long, Zhuo Mingke slowly took her seat at the desk. Seeing the young girl turn around, she placed the silk gloves hidden in her right hand into a box, then calmly dipped her hands into the basin to wash them.
He Xiu carried over the porcelain-white brush washer and placed it on the desk. In winter, brushes froze easily, so they had to be moistened first.
But without realizing it, He Xiu’s gaze fell on the beautiful older sister as she used an embroidered handkerchief to wipe away the droplets of water on her fingers. Then she watched Zhuo Mingke use her fingertip to lightly scoop up some milky-white balm and spread it over her long, slender, jade-like hands, making them delicate and lustrous.
At that moment, He Xiu’s nose once again clearly caught that faint, quiet fragrance from before, different from sandalwood. It was a little intoxicating, and for some reason, her heartbeat sped up slightly.
Zhuo Mingke sensed the young girl’s intense stare and paused. Thinking He Xiu had noticed something wrong, she tested her. “What is it?”
“This smells so good. Sister Zhuo, can you put some on me too?”
“Of course. Stretch out your hand.”
He Xiu obediently stretched out her hand. Her gaze watched the milky-white balm melt into the surface of her skin, and only then did she realize it should be a winter skincare product. She sniffed lightly and thought that this scent really smelled good. No wonder it made her heartbeat quicken!
Zhuo Mingke silently watched the young girl’s little movements. She was like a kitten. A hint of amusement appeared in Zhuo Mingke’s lacquer-dark eyes as she slowly withdrew her slender jade hand, thinking that it seemed He Xiu had not discovered anything.
In the silence, inside the lacquered box, the exquisite silk gloves embroidered with jade lotus patterns were stained with a few drops of bright red blood. They gradually dried and darkened, blending into the shadows.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!