Chapter 140: The Secret
Ever since accidentally falling prey to the Love Silk Lure at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Li Zhao had been taking the medicine prescribed by Sun Huaicheng. Over this period, his condition had gradually improved, from being unable to control himself and experiencing emotional fluctuations to being able to restrain himself with composure.
But tonight, perhaps because the Love Silk Gu was triggered by blood, the desire raged wildly in his veins…
“Xue Ping’an…”
His slightly bobbing Adam’s apple had already revealed a faint blush, and his earlobes were also flushed with a captivating crimson.
“What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I’ll act recklessly, or afraid you won’t be able to control yourself?”
Xue Sui pressed her fingertips against his vital pressure point on his chest, her voice trembling slightly.
“If Your Highness doesn’t want the Gu poison to damage your heart, you’d best let go.”
“Crack!”
Lightning outside split the rain curtain, illuminating Li Zhao’s blood-red eyes.
His burning fingertips gently caressed Xue Sui’s brow bone, and he chuckled in a husky voice.
“You’re trying to fob me off with the Love Silk Gu? Sixth Miss Xue, you know better than anyone why I’m like this…”
His warm breath lingered by her ear. Li Zhao’s arm suddenly exerted force, and he casually pulled out the jade hairpin from Xue Sui’s hair.
In an instant, her three thousand strands of black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
Li Zhao lowered his head, his nose tip brushing against her slightly trembling forehead hair, and he chuckled softly.
“You know, the more you suppress this Gu poison, the more it gnaws at your bones and pierces your heart. Why must you torment me?”
Xue Sui turned her face away. “I don’t know, and I won’t.”
Li Zhao chuckled against her neck, his fingertips tracing an old scar on her wrist.
“You clearly know, yet you feign ignorance. To control me, you’ll stop at nothing!”
Li Zhao’s palm felt as hot as burning charcoal, almost searing through Xue Sui’s waist through the thin fabric.
“Does Your Highness truly intend to go mad at this moment?” Xue Sui pushed against his chest with force, snatching the jade hairpin from his hand, and half an inch of the cold iron clasp sprang out. “The Gu worm is most sensitive to surging qi and blood—”
Li Zhao suddenly leaned down and bit her earlobe, grinding his teeth into the soft flesh as delicate as congealed fat.
“If I die, you’ll be buried with me.”
Xue Sui parried his arm with her backhand.
“Your Highness, be careful! This humble wife is Madam Ping’an of Prince Duan’s Mansion! Your Imperial Brother’s…”
“A fine Madam Ping’an who upholds propriety!” Li Zhao sneered and interrupted. “Do you think I care?”
His breath carried a scent of blood, a mix of ferocity and lingering passion, like a vast net enveloping one in a damp vortex…
“What my Imperial Brother can give you, I will give you double…”
“What I want, Your Highness cannot give. Your Highness’s current state is merely being misled by the Gu. Please regain some clarity…”
Xue Sui pressed the tip of the hairpin against Li Zhao’s throat with her backhand, but he seized her wrist.
Boom!
A thunderclap exploded in the rainy night!
It split the silence of the West Mountain Imperial Palace, and the candlestick cast two entwined figures on the screen.
Li Zhao’s slender fingers gripped hers, his fingertips flushed with the uncontrollable crimson from the Love Silk Gu’s onset, pressing tightly together. His low laughter made his injured shoulder tremble.
“Xue Ping’an, you truly have a heart of stone!”
The scent of blood mixed with the unique dampness of the Love Silk Gu assailed her.
Tiny red rashes appeared on her neck. She helplessly turned her head, avoiding his burning gaze.
Li Zhao turned her face back to face him.
Eye to eye, Xue Sui’s breathing quickened. She bent her knees and pushed against his tensed abdomen, but he seized her ankle. She once again countered with her backhand…
On the soft couch filled with the scent of medicine, they rolled and tangled. The spilled hemostatic powder created a mist carrying the fragrance of herbs.
Li Zhao seemed oblivious to the pain of his wound. His bleeding flesh revealed a ghastly mark, while the heat from the Love Silk Lure seemed to be a fire, spreading from his chest to his entire body…
“Xue Ping’an…”
His suppressed, enduring voice was filled with resentment. His reddened phoenix eyes held a sinister gleam under the candlelight.
“How long do you intend to trample on me before you’re willing to stop?”
“Your Highness, speak with caution.”
“What caution do I need to exercise?” Li Zhao sneered. Beneath his half-open robe, his strong waist was taut like a drawn bow, burning the last shred of reason to ashes. “When you poisoned me, did you not think it would backfire? I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be unable to control yourself…”
Li Zhao’s kiss, tinged with blood, landed on the scar below her collarbone…
Amidst the downpour, the sound of shattering porcelain suddenly broke the intimacy.
“Something’s happened, I’ll go see.”
Xue Sui seized the opportunity to roll over, break free from Li Zhao’s restraint, and rush out the door.
She saw Wen Jia squatting by the stove, hands pressed to her forehead, weeping softly.
“What’s wrong?” Xue Sui asked softly.
Wen Jia held a fan in her hand and cried, “I broke the medicine pot for Mother’s medicine…”
When Xue Sui arrived, she saw Lu You’an standing in the corridor.
She didn’t expose Wen Jia’s pretense. Her heart, which had always been calm, trembled slightly at this moment, filled with an inexpressible sadness.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. Broken things bring peace. We can just brew another bowl…”
Xue Sui pulled Wen Jia up, had her sit on a nearby stool, and reinserted her askew hairpin into her hair. She said gently, “Consort Wan just said that daughters of your Xizi land, even with tears in their eyes, must look up at the stars…”
Wen Jia looked up, tears in her eyes, and said, “There are no stars tonight, it’s raining.”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, her gaze lowered.
“The rain will stop, and the sun will come out.”
–
It was unclear when the torrential rain of that night finally stopped.
When the first ray of sunlight filtered through the skylight, Xue Sui emerged from checking on Consort Wan’s condition and saw Guan Ya anxiously waiting outside.
“The Crown Prince’s wound is hurting severely. Please, Madam Ping’an, come and treat him.”
Xue Sui glanced back at Xiao Zhao, who was holding a medicine bowl.
“I was just about to take the medicine to His Highness.”
The morning light, washed clean by the torrential rain, seeped into the West Wing.
Li Zhao held a goat hair brush, sketching on Xuan paper…
Xue Sui entered with Xiao Zhao, carrying a medicine box, and saw him resting his fingertip on an unfinished painting of a lady, lost in thought…
The woman in the painting had her black hair loose, just like she looked when she left in a hurry last night.
Xiao Zhao asked curiously, “Which beauty is Your Highness painting…”
Li Zhao slowly put down the goat hair brush. “Guan Ju.”
Saying this, he submerged the entire scroll into the brush-washing pool, his tone displeased.
“It’s too ugly to bear looking at.”
Xue Sui watched the ink gradually disperse, saying nothing.
The blurred figure of the beauty swayed with the ripples in the brush-washing pool, much like her own peculiar mood at the moment.
Xiao Zhao sensed the awkward atmosphere, handed over the medicine bowl, and retreated.
Li Zhao lowered his head and swallowed the bitter medicine, leaning against the couch, watching Xue Sui meticulously prepare a dressing for his wound.
“You slipped away cleanly last night. I was tormented by the Love Silk Gu and didn’t sleep a wink…”
He glanced at his swollen, bleeding shoulder, his brow furrowed tightly.
It wasn’t just difficult to sleep; the Gu worm was still raging in his veins.
The pestle struck the mortar heavily, making clear clanging sounds.
Xue Sui continued to busy herself, as if she hadn’t heard him.
Li Zhao’s eyes were wide and unsatisfied, the redness at the corners of his eyes not yet faded.
He scrutinized Xue Sui, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.
“Are you truly not affected at all?”
“Mm.”
“Then what is this Love Silk Gu?”
“I didn’t name it.”
Li Zhao suddenly leaned forward. “Then shall I change its name? Not Love Silk, but Longing…”
The pestle in Xue Sui’s hand slipped into the mortar with her movement. “The dressing is ready. Have Guard Guan change Your Highness’s dressing.”
She stood up, casually tossing a bottle of painkillers, her tone as calm as ever.
“If Your Highness is in too much pain, take one pill. No more than two a day, and do not take too many.”
Li Zhao suddenly grabbed Xue Sui’s wrist and carelessly pulled aside her white silk undergarment.
Warm, sticky blood oozed from the hideous wound, soaking through the soft cotton cloth used for bandaging, staining it with a large, mottled patch…
“Is this how you treat me?”
Xue Sui: “I’m doing this for Your Highness’s own good.”
The Love Silk Gu, upon seeing blood, would naturally intensify its effects. The skin contact during the dressing change would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire for the Gu worm. If she stayed, wouldn’t it cause the love silk to rage even more wildly?
Li Zhao slowly gritted his teeth and smiled.
“Even so, I suspect you have ulterior motives?”
Xue Sui raised an eyebrow. “If Your Highness is bored, why not think about how to deal with the survivors in the dungeon?”
Li Zhao released her hand and called out, “Guan Ya.”
Guan Ya walked in with his head bowed, bowed respectfully, and held a blood-stained wolf tooth pendant in his palm.
“This was found on the assassin. This is the insignia of a death warrior from the Xizi Royal Court!”
The candle wick popped.
Xue Sui and Li Zhao exchanged a look, seeing a monstrous wave in each other’s eyes.
This was, of course, not found on the assassin.
It was evidence personally delivered by the High Priest of Xizi last night.
“Cough!”
Yu Qianshan cleared his throat from behind the carved screen.
“Crown Prince, your subordinate has something to report.”
Li Zhao slightly drew back his wide sleeves. “Enter!”
Yu Qianshan hurried around the screen, his back straight. Without looking at Xue Sui’s face, he bowed his head and cupped his hands.
“Your Highness, the assassin has confessed…”
The heat in Li Zhao’s eyes instantly turned to ice. As he gathered his robes, he had already regained the dignity of the Crown Prince.
“Have four copies of the confession transcribed. One copy to the Censorate, one to the Supreme Court, one to the Ministry of Justice, and the last copy…” He glanced at the rain outside the window. “I will present it to Imperial Father myself.”
Xue Sui calmly adjusted her skirt, then felt a slight warmth on her wrist.
Lowering her gaze, she saw Li Zhao holding her wrist—
The sentence was drawn out, carrying endless coldness.
“I want the Xiao Family to know that those who harm me, Li Zhao, must pay with their lives.”
