Chapter 158: Love Gu Burns the Heart
When the steward ran to Tan Qiu Courtyard to report, Li Huan was holding a black chess piece, his head bowed in thought.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince has passed the Yi Gate…”
The black piece did not fall.
Li Huan looked up at Xue Sui, his deep eyes flashing a cold light in the candlelight.
“Prepare tea,” he said, putting down the chess piece and smiling gently, looking at Xue Sui. “Invite the Crown Prince to the study for a chat.”
The steward acknowledged and left.
Li Huan then said to Xue Sui, “What incense is in Ping An’s room?”
Xue Sui glanced at the incense burner. “It’s Suxin Orchid Incense.”
“A good name. Pure, elegant, and very pleasant,” he said, slowly rising. “Take some more and offer incense in the study.”
Xue Sui smiled faintly in agreement.
Li Huan nodded and left without stopping.
–
Li Zhao walked through the Yi Gate, his brocade boots crushing fallen red petals.
“Crown Prince, the Prince is waiting in the study.” The steward bowed and led the way, his back slightly sweating.
At this time of year, it was still muggy after nightfall.
As Li Zhao walked under the corridor, he happened to see two figures moving inside through the red gauze window.
His eyes darkened slightly, and he narrowed them, scrutinizing the window paper as if trying to see through the scene inside.
Footsteps suddenly came from behind.
A woman’s cold voice, full of respect.
“Greetings to the Crown Prince.”
Li Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned abruptly.
Xue Sui curtsied with a posture of grace and elegance, holding a delicate sandalwood tray in her hands. Her plain dress rippled in the night breeze, and the Suxin Orchid Incense seemed to mingle with a hint of Love Silk Lure, alluringly wafting towards him…
“Madam Ping’an, you’ve arrived at a good time,” Li Zhao’s lips curved slightly upwards. His gaze intensely scanned her slender figure, a strange flutter in his heart.
He let out a soft hum, suppressing his emotions, and coldly put his hands behind his back, glancing at the window emitting a faint light.
“Here to add fragrance for Imperial Brother?”
Xue Sui lowered her eyes, her voice imbued with a faint smile.
“This concubine is here to deliver newly made incense.”
Li Zhao let out an “Oh,” raising his eyebrows slightly without speaking.
Xue Sui also stopped in place, not daring to precede him, and could only quietly wait for him to invite her first.
The lanterns under the eaves swayed unsteadily, casting a hazy light and shadow in the night.
Li Zhao coughed lightly and strode ahead.
Xue Sui paused before following.
In the shadow of crossing the threshold, Li Zhao stopped and suddenly turned back, leaning close to her ear, and said in a low voice, “Xue Ping’an, I’ve been dreaming of you lately.”
Xue Sui took a step back, looking at him, her eyelashes trembling.
Li Zhao chuckled, “Scared?”
Xue Sui pursed her lips and met his gaze.
The Love Silk Gu seemed to churn in his blood. Li Zhao saw the faint blue veins behind her ear, subtly visible beneath her fair skin, exuding a peculiar allure and danger. His gaze darkened…
The inner door of the study was suddenly opened.
Li Huan stood at the boundary of light and shadow in the study, his moon-white brocade robe adorned with silver bamboo patterns that gleamed with a cold light.
“The Crown Prince’s visit, I presume, is not solely to watch my family member offer incense?”
Li Zhao smiled slightly, his deep gaze sweeping over Xue Sui’s fingertips.
“Red sleeves offering incense, fragrant incense filling the room, where is there not elegance? Forgive my intrusion on this quiet night, Imperial Brother.”
His words did not sound like a sincere apology; they carried a hint of jest and ambiguity, yet it was hard to call him disrespectful…
Li Huan’s hand, hanging by his side, spread slightly.
“The Crown Prince, please come in.”
Li Zhao cupped his hands. “You are too kind.”
Li Huan made a gesture to invite him in. After Li Zhao entered, Xue Sui slowly walked over. He then lowered his hand and lightly supported Xue Sui at her waist, his fingertips just brushing her sleeve—just as Li Zhao turned his head, and in his sight, it appeared as an intimate and warm scene.
Li Zhao’s lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.
Xue Sui’s heart trembled under his gaze, and her arm accidentally bumped against a carved bookshelf. A glazed candle on it almost fell.
Li Huan reached out to steady it, and the hot wax dripped onto his hand.
Xue Sui lowered her head and bowed. “Ping’an is clumsy, I’ve startled Your Highness—”
Li Huan casually wiped his fingers and tucked them into his wide sleeves, looking at her with doting eyes.
“Indeed clumsy. You deserve to be punished.”
He then looked at Xue Sui again. “Go and burn the Suxin Orchid incense. I need to talk with the Crown Prince for a while, and it will complement the atmosphere.”
The lamp wick popped lightly, scattering sparks.
Li Zhao smiled meaningfully. “Imperial Brother has good fortune.”
Li Huan gestured for him to sit, and he himself sat down in a sandalwood chair to the left.
“This is new snow mountain cold spring from the Northern Territory. Would the Crown Prince like to try some?”
Li Zhao smiled and picked up his teacup.
“Imperial Brother is so diligent. Still handling official business at this hour?”
His gaze fell upon Li Huan’s desk.
“Not as busy as the Crown Prince,” Li Huan wiped the water stains from the desk, revealing a gentle and humble smile. “The Yongfeng Granary fire case involves the Ministry of Revenue. Your elder brother has been entrusted with a heavy responsibility by Imperial Father, so I must do my best.”
Li Zhao’s eyes narrowed slightly, a half-smile on his face.
“The fugitive Xiao Jing, apprehended on a grain transport boat in Jiangzhou, confessed to seven secret grain transport routes of the Xiao family, involving millions of piculs. Has Imperial Brother’s investigation uncovered seven routes as well?”
“The Crown Prince should be careful with his words!” Li Huan slammed his teacup onto the wooden desk. “I heard the Ministry of Justice changed its chief investigator three times in one day. Are they so eager to find a scapegoat when they can’t find any results?”
Li Zhao remained noncommittal. “Minister Xue of the Ministry of Justice is Imperial Brother’s father-in-law. Is Imperial Brother questioning the Ministry of Justice, or questioning his father-in-law?”
Li Huan: “Is the Crown Prince visiting tonight to investigate the case, or to interrogate me?”
Their gazes locked, as if trying to see through each other, sparks flying, like beasts confronting each other, testing each other’s limits, pulling and colliding, their auras imposing.
After a long while, the tension eased.
Li Huan smiled calmly.
“Just a joke, Crown Prince, please don’t be offended.”
Li Zhao also tugged at the corner of his mouth. “How could I be? It’s just a casual chat between brothers.”
Xue Sui lowered her eyes and burned incense to the side.
She delicately handled the spices, placed them in the incense burner, with great elegance and composure.
It was unclear who looked at the incense burner first. For a good while, the study was so quiet that a needle drop could be heard. Neither man spoke.
It wasn’t until a wisp of fragrant smoke rose from the bronze incense burner that Li Huan broke the silence.
“Have some tea, have some tea.”
“Imperial Brother’s snow mountain cold spring is quite unique,” Li Zhao tilted his celadon cup slightly. “It appears fragrant and mellow, but when hot water is poured…”
The porcelain lid gently tapped down. He relaxed his brows, as if joking.
“It all turns to a sweet aftertaste that becomes bitter.”
“You flatter me,” Li Huan’s expression remained unchanged. “The Crown Prince has been diligent in his official duties lately. Has the injury on your shoulder healed?”
Li Zhao said, “I don’t know why, but the medicine prescribed by Zhang Huaicheng is not as good as Madam Ping’an’s. I was being treated at the imperial palace that day, and it seemed to be getting better, but as soon as I returned to the palace, that old man made it worse.”
Li Huan looked at Xue Sui’s gentle profile and smiled slightly. “Perhaps you should find an orthopedic doctor at the Imperial Hospital. Ping’an is only superficially familiar with pharmacology and is not a proper doctor; she might delay Your Highness’s recovery.”
His tone, as if asserting his position as Xue Sui’s husband, clearly delineated their relationship.
Li Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Doctors are not divided by gender. Is Imperial Brother concerned about his inner family appearing in public, or does he underestimate Madam Ping’an?”
What eloquent words, like a pawn becoming a general.
Li Huan smiled slightly. “Ping’an, examine the Crown Prince. Lest it be said that Prince Duan’s Mansion is impolite and neglects injuries.”
Xue Sui looked at Li Zhao’s teasing eyes, knowing he was deliberately trying to embarrass Li Huan. She lowered her eyes and obediently replied, “Yes.”
The more she listened to Li Huan, the angrier Li Zhao became.
The angrier Li Zhao became, the more unrestrained his smile grew.
When he smiled, Li Huan’s heart sank, wondering what trick he was up to now.
The two men exchanged pleasantries and polite words, until Xue Sui had someone bring the medicine box. Li Zhao then generously opened his robe without the slightest hesitation, acting as if he were in his own home.
“Thank you, Madam Ping’an.”
A new bandage was wrapped around Li Zhao’s shoulder. As Xue Sui unwrapped the old gauze, she smelled a faint, elegant scent of bergamot—he had taken it from Tan Qiu Courtyard that day.
She glanced at him.
Li Zhao smiled with a composed expression.
“How is it?”
Xue Sui lowered her eyes and frowned. “The wound is not healing well. Your Highness needs to rest and recuperate. Do not overexert yourself, as it will aggravate the wound, and do not get it wet or damp…”
Gently uncovering the gauze, she saw black scabs and redness around the wound, with fresh blood seeping out. The skin and flesh were torn, a shocking sight.
“Your Highness, be careful, it will hurt a little.”
Her voice was fainter than the medicinal scent. The moment her fingertips touched him, Li Zhao’s breath hitched, and it took him a while to regain his composure and normal expression.
“It’s fine. Madam Ping’an, please proceed.”
Xue Sui said nothing more. Her breath, like feathers, brushed over the wound. As her fingertips wrapped the gauze, they lightly brushed Li Zhao’s shoulder… The healing process felt like passing through years of hardship, a long torment that allowed the Gu poison to spread like wildfire, burning and seeping into his blood little by little…
Li Huan’s hand, holding the teacup, tightened slightly.
“Zhang Huaicheng of the Eastern Palace, falsely claiming to be a descendant of Zhang Zhongjing, is not as good as my Madam Ping’an. If this were to be said, people under heaven would surely laugh…”
Li Zhao: “I’ll demote him to the pharmacy later.”
The scent of bitter medicine filled the room.
Li Huan suddenly sighed, his fingers stroking a plain handkerchief on the desk. “The Crown Prince’s injury has been slow to heal, which is truly worrying. How about lending Ping’an to attend to him for a month, to oversee his medicine daily, so as to prevent the illness from worsening?”
The candlelight in the study flickered.
Li Zhao curved his lips slightly. “A gentleman does not take what others desire. Moreover, Madam Ping’an is not a commodity to be lent out at will.”
The candlelight flickered restlessly, much like Li Zhao’s gaze, which pointedly lingered on the shadows of the three of them cast on the wall, creating a hidden tension in the quiet.
“Report—”
Just then, Guan Ya’s urgent cry broke the stalemate.
“Reporting to the Crown Prince, Xiao Jing in the prison… bit his tongue and committed suicide.”
The clinking of porcelain cups shattered the silence.
Li Huan’s teacup clattered as he put it down.
“Outrageous! How were they guarded in such a critical place as the Ministry of Justice?”
Xiao Jing was Li Huan’s maternal uncle.
Wasn’t this implicitly accusing Li Zhao of dereliction of duty?
Li Zhao smiled dismissively. “He’s dead?”
Guan Ya said, “He still has a breath left, but he can’t speak for now.”
Li Zhao shook his head slightly, looking regretful. “What a pity, what a pity. It would have been better if he had truly died. With his death, the Xiao family can also breathe a sigh of relief, can’t they, Imperial Brother?”
Li Huan’s expression was extremely grim.
“The Crown Prince jokes. Handling cases impartially and fulfilling the Imperial Will. That is our duty…”
Li Zhao smoothed the creases on his sleeve and slowly stood up.
“Then I shall take my leave!”
Li Huan had already regained his composure, as if his earlier display of losing control had never happened, and said in a calm tone, “Your elder brother will see you out.”
The two walked out side by side.
Outside the Yi Gate, they saw Guo Yunrong waiting anxiously.
Her expression was tense. She curtsied slightly, bowing respectfully to both of them, not daring to meet Li Zhao’s eyes, and stammered an explanation.
“This subject came to find Madam Ping’an. Hearing that Madam was busy, I, I had no choice but to wait here…”
Li Huan glanced at her, then at Li Zhao, seeming to sense something, and a thoughtful smile appeared on his face.
“A Ji, take Third Miss Guo to Tan Qiu Courtyard.”
–
“Miss, Madam Ping’an is feeding fish by the waterside pavilion.”
Guo Yunrong clutched her handkerchief as she walked through the Nine-Bend Corridor of Prince Duan’s Mansion’s Moonlit Lake. Her apricot-red skirt trailed through the night dew, gently swaying in the breeze by the lotus pond.
Xue Sui scattered fish food into the ripples. The moonlight flowed around her temples, and her delicate face held an indescribable tranquility and peace.
Guo Yunrong looked at her and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
“Madam Ping’an…”
Xue Sui finally looked up.
“Third Miss, what is wrong? Do you have an urgent matter to see me about at this hour?”
Guo Yunrong ran closer, as if they were old friends, and choked out, “My maternal grandfather is imprisoned, and the household is in chaos… Yunrong is extremely anxious but doesn’t know what to do…”
Xue Sui led her to sit at a stone table in the waterside pavilion, took a covered teacup, poured a cup of cool tea, and pushed it towards her.
“Drink this, calm your heart…”
Guo Yunrong’s eyes welled up.
After a moment of silence, she wiped her eyes and looked up.
“My maternal grandfather is definitely innocent. And that Elder Uncle Xiao involved in the case, he is also an upright and honest man, very close to Grandfather, and treated Yunrong very well…”
This foolish child.
At this moment, the Luo family was eager to distance themselves from the Xiao family, yet she still cherished old sentiments and was determined to defend the Xiao family.
“Has Third Miss ever heard of the fire-dwelling rat?” Xue Sui sighed and slowly raised her hand, pouring herself a cup of cool tea. “There is a small rat in Southern Xinjiang that loves to burrow into hot fires. Because its body is red in the fire, its fur turns white when it comes out. People call it a miracle.”
Guo Yunrong raised her red eyes. “Is it related to the case?”
Xue Sui said, “If someone were to cut open the rat’s belly, they would find it filled with stolen lamp oil and beeswax.”
Seeing Guo Yunrong’s expression change, she smiled and tapped the floating leaves in her teacup with her fingertip. “If Minister Luo is innocent, why should he fear a few days of intense fire…”
Emerging from the intense fire, its fur would be white…
But wouldn’t its belly also contain stolen lamp oil and beeswax?
However, Guo Yunrong knew nothing of the secrets of the imperial court. Hearing her words, she felt a sense of disorientation. “Yunrong is terrified…”
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly lowered her head and covered her face, as if thinking of something. “I went to beg the Crown Prince, but his expression was cold. I suppose he believes my grandfather is guilty, and therefore he also dislikes me…”
Xue Sui chuckled. “Don’t be sad. Who does the Crown Prince not dislike?”
Guo Yunrong was startled by her words.
“Is he like that towards Madam too?”
Xue Sui thought of Li Zhao’s face, like a debt collector, and pursed her lips. “Of course. When a hawk fixes its gaze on its prey, it always has a condescending and indifferent posture.”
Seeing Guo Yunrong stunned, she smiled slightly, cutting off this less pleasant topic, and placed the sachet she had prepared into her palm.
“This sachet is very calming. Third Miss, take it back and place it under your pillow. You should be able to sleep soundly. Don’t worry too much about Lord Luo’s affairs for now. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a path. Perhaps tomorrow will bring a turn for the better?”
Guo Yunrong was very touched. “Thank you, Madam. We are not far apart in age. Why does Madam know so much?”
Xue Sui smiled faintly. “The more losses I’ve suffered, the more I’ve learned.”
–
The night breeze gently blew, carrying the distant sound of the night watch drum.
By the time Xue Sui went to sleep, it was already the third watch.
She gently stroked the small wooden cat by her pillow, closed her eyes, and thought about the events of the past few days.
“Goo!” Ling Yu suddenly chirped.
Moonlight poured in like water outside the window. A figure flickered. Xue Sui’s eyes snapped open, and she held her breath, looking over.
Li Zhao leaned against the window, the moonlight casting a silver edge on his dark robe. “Asleep?”
Xue Sui: “No.”
Li Zhao suddenly chuckled. “You expected me to come?”
Xue Sui used the same words she had said to Guo Yunrong. “Of course. When a hawk fixes its gaze on its prey, how can it let go?”
Li Zhao snorted. “Ping’an’s move of using a borrowed knife to kill is more ruthless than I imagined.”
Xue Sui slowly sat up, pulled open the gauze curtain, and walked over to open the window. In the soft, hazy night, she looked at Li Zhao’s tall silhouette in the moonlight.
“Your Highness visits late at night just to make sarcastic remarks?”
“No—”
Li Zhao’s lips curved upwards, revealing a playful, wicked smile. He lightly flipped over the window frame, his feet landing on the ground. He reached out and pulled her towards him, his warm breath entering her ear. “I’ve come to collect a debt…”
Two in one~~
Li Zhao: Where is it two in one? You’re lying!
Xue Sui: …Offending your mother, are you looking for a beating?
