Chapter 185: Ping An’s Unease
This storage room was only a little over ten feet from the monastic room’s wooden door.
If Li Huan had arrived a moment later…
Just a moment more, and Xue Sui would have been safely back in her room.
But at this moment, she could neither advance nor retreat…
The sound of Li Huan’s dark boots crushing puddles grew closer and closer…
Li Zhao looked down at Xue Sui, his gaze cold and distant.
Rainwater trickled down the dilapidated window frame, soaking into Li Zhao’s dark brocade robe and leaving deep water stains.
Xue Sui’s back was pressed against his heaving chest; through their soaked clothes, she could clearly count their mismatched heartbeats…
“Ping An…”
With a low call, Li Huan suddenly stopped.
Their entwined breaths abruptly halted.
If Li Huan pushed open that old wooden door and looked for just a moment longer, he would discover them hidden inside…
At that point, everything would be exposed to the daylight, with no room for maneuver.
All plans, all schemes, would be ruined.
No!
Xue Sui’s breath hitched, and she looked at Li Zhao, shaking her head.
Under no circumstances could they be exposed in this situation.
She had to get back to the monastic room before Li Huan.
“Distract him for me,” Xue Sui whispered close to Li Zhao, her voice a faint breath.
Li Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly, a barely perceptible coldness in his eyes. He tightened his arms and also shook his head.
“He’s already suspicious; I fear it would be counterproductive.”
Their eyes met.
Xue Sui understood his meaning completely and looked up.
This place was used for storing miscellaneous items. Besides being narrow, the roof had a large hole that hadn’t been repaired yet.
“There’s no other way…”
Xue Sui nodded firmly, squeezed Li Zhao’s arm hard, then turned, facing him, and used his body to climb upwards…
A surge of sweetness welled up in Li Zhao’s throat, and her skin, so close, felt like a branding iron burning him—
Damn this Love Silk Gu!
This venomous thing detested emotional arousal, yet the person in his arms, her dark hair sweeping across his neck like a feathered fan, was more intoxicating than any fine wine…
Li Zhao stiffened and tightened his embrace.
The Crown Prince, high and mighty, never imagined that one day he would be hiding amongst piles of junk in the drizzling rain, like a thief in the night…
He also never imagined that this woman, merely by being close, without any deliberate provocation, could ignite all his longing…
“Behave yourself…”
Li Zhao lowered his right knee slightly, cupped her sole with his left palm, and lifted Xue Sui’s leg, placing it on his knee.
“I’ll help you up.”
Climbing over the pile of junk to the roof would allow them to sneak into the monastic room.
“Okay,” Xue Sui agreed without hesitation.
The fabric rustled, and the old wooden boxes and bamboo baskets in the storage room creaked.
Li Zhao’s entire body tensed, a restless itch erupting within him—his bones felt as if they were melting and going numb from the friction of her warm body.
Xue Sui climbed slowly, almost successfully reaching the roof.
At the critical moment, Li Huan, who had already walked past, suddenly stopped and turned back.
“Who’s there?” Li Huan demanded.
The birds perched on the eaves startled and took flight—
Xue Sui lost her balance and stumbled into Li Zhao’s arms, her forehead hitting his shoulder with a dull thud.
“Shh—” Li Zhao’s lips brushed her earlobe, his warm breath gently caressing her stiff neck, “Don’t panic.”
“Come out!”
The sound of Li Huan pushing the door came from outside.
Xue Sui felt the world spin, and the next moment, she was enveloped by Li Zhao in the shadows of the piled-up clutter.
Their breaths mingled; the man’s warm fingertips pinched her waist, as if afraid she would make a sound, or perhaps as a silent form of comfort.
In the silence…
The sound of the rain was like a death knell.
Li Huan hadn’t left; he pushed twice more, with a little more force.
“Who’s inside, come out!”
They both held their breath.
The wooden door was old. Xue Sui peered through a crack and saw Li Huan’s dark boots standing before the door, his robe corners still dripping.
Her nerves were stretched taut, like a string about to snap…
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
From the corridor in the rain, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded,
“Your Highness!”
A young Sami approached, hands clasped.
“Madam Ping An’s monastic room is in the one ahead, Your Highness…”
He was stopped by Li Huan raising his hand before he could finish.
“Little monk, who lives in this room?”
“Replying to Your Highness, no one lives here. This room is small and dilapidated, neglected for years, and has been used to store the temple’s miscellaneous items, piled quite high…” the young Sami replied.
All eyes turned towards this storage room…
Xue Sui’s back was against the damp wall, her chest pressed against Li Zhao’s burning chest. Her frantic heartbeat felt as if it would shatter her ribs.
She had experienced countless perilous moments in her life, but none had been as heart-stopping as this.
Li Huan was naturally suspicious; it would be difficult to convince him.
“Is that so?!”
Li Huan’s voice was light.
“Search…”
“Yes!” the guard responded.
Light and shadow flickered unsteadily.
Separated by a door, the man’s brocade robe and her lotus-pink skirt were entangled, like an ambiguous vortex threatening to engulf the entire world…
The rain intensified, masking the ragged breaths within the storage room.
Xue Sui clearly felt the vibration of Li Zhao’s chest. The sleeve torn during the climb revealed half of her forearm, which was now tightly gripped by the man’s burning hand, pressed against the rough, abrasive brick floor, causing her pain.
A silent torment, mixed with the faint burning of the Love Silk Gu, enveloped them in this perilous web, hot and unbearable, suffocating, as if stretching for eternity…
The sound of battering the door grew louder.
Li Zhao leaned against the door, one hand supporting Xue Sui’s waist.
“Ping An…”
He didn’t speak the word aloud, but Xue Sui clearly saw her name from his lips.
Xue Sui clasped his tiger’s mouth in return, her gaze resolute as she looked at him and nodded.
At worst, it would be a fight to the death.
For her, it would only mean a more circuitous path to revenge…
But for Li Zhao, the consequences would be fatal.
His path to the throne might be cut short.
Xue Sui thought Li Zhao would worry about the consequences of being discovered. To her surprise, Li Zhao seemed to see through her thoughts. He pulled her waist tighter with one hand, shook his head, and slowly leaned in, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered.
“You have no fear, and neither do I.”
His dark eyes emanated a desperate resolve, like a general clad in armor, ready to fight to the death…
Xue Sui met his gaze, captivated by his deep, abyssal eyes, feeling her blood boil and her breathing quicken.
“Your Highness…”
“Trust me.” The end of his words dissolved between his cool lips. Li Zhao gave her a gentle smile, a hint of tenderness flashing in his unfathomable eyes.
Love overflowed from his heart.
Xue Sui raised her arm, wanting to stop him—
But Li Zhao was resolute, his expression grave as he touched the old door latch, about to pull it open.
Bang! The door to the adjacent monastic room was opened first.
Wen Jia’s slightly surprised face appeared, and she asked in astonishment:
“Imperial Brother, what are you doing there?”
Li Huan frowned, “It’s you?”
Wen Jia blinked in confusion, “Imperial Brother, who did you think it was?”
Li Huan slowly walked towards the monastic room, “Where is Ping An?”
Wen Jia shivered under his cold gaze, “Madam Ping An is in the inner room copying scriptures.”
“Oh?” Li Huan clearly didn’t believe her.
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“How could we?” Wen Jia placed her arms across the doorway of the monastic room, feigning composure, determined to stall him. “Ping An suddenly had a stomachache while copying scriptures and is changing her clothes… There are many taboos in a woman’s private chambers. Imperial Brother, perhaps you could wait a moment?”
After speaking, she changed the subject, looking around and talking about other things.
“How is Doctor Fu? Are there truly Xizi spies mixed into the temple?”
Li Huan stared at her and let out a heavy snort.
Her repeated obstruction only deepened his suspicion.
The more Wen Jia prevented him from entering, the more impatient he became.
“Move aside!” Li Huan commanded sternly.
Wen Jia stared at him, and tears suddenly welled up.
“Imperial Brother…” she sobbed, then suddenly opened her arms and hugged Li Huan tightly. “You are so suspicious and testing me; do you have no brotherly affection for me? Don’t you trust me at all?”
Li Huan stiffened.
Wen Jia had never been close to him since childhood, rarely speaking to him, let alone such an intimate embrace?
Wen Jia’s unusual behavior further heightened Li Huan’s suspicion to its peak.
He desperately wanted to break free, but Wen Jia clung to him as if possessed, disregarding the boundaries between men and women, leaving him flustered and unable to break away.
After a long while, Li Huan finally lost his patience, pried Wen Jia’s hands off him, pushed her aside, and rebuked her.
“You’d better not be up to anything shameful.”
With that, he no longer hesitated, sidestepped Wen Jia, and strode into the monastic room…
The room was silent.
Besides a few terrified maids, there was no one else.
Li Huan swept his gaze coldly over them and forcefully kicked open the tightly shut door to the inner room.
“Dong—”
The door swung open, and Li Huan entered, accompanied by the wind and rain.
He saw Xue Sui sitting alone at the desk, her delicate hand holding a brush, her expression as serene as a painting.
“Your Highness arrives at a good time; I’ve just finished copying this last scroll.” She looked up and smiled lightly, her fingertip brushing over the still-wet ink on the scripture scroll. The hairpin in her hair glinted in the candlelight, like a dewdrop about to fall.
“Your Highness barging in so hastily, did something happen?”
A damp smell of decaying wood mixed with years of incense ash fermented in his nostrils. The flickering candlelight cast Xue Sui’s shadow—the folds of her skirt appeared particularly disheveled.
Li Huan didn’t stop; he walked closer to her.
His gaze finally fell on the slightly messy strands of hair by her temples.
Hmph! He leaned over, bracing himself on the desk, his voice low.
“Ping An, while copying scriptures, did you not hear the commotion outside?”
Xue Sui slowly put down her brush.
“I did.”
The tassel on the brush handle swept across the desk, eliciting a light laugh.
“I heard Princess Ruihe making a fuss outside, and I heard Your Highness’s questions and suspicions. What? Do you suspect me of murder, or of harboring spies?”
Li Huan’s expression was stern as he scrutinized her from head to toe.
“What is that scent on you?”
Xue Sui’s eyes flickered slightly, her smile undiminished. “Does Your Highness not remember? Suxin Orchid Incense. The incense in Tan Qiu Courtyard is all blended by my own hand; your room and Elder Sister’s room both have it…”
“Oh.” Li Huan’s eyes narrowed slightly, emitting a cold, sharp light.
“Do you take this Prince for a fool?”
—
A clap of thunder suddenly erupted outside the door!
Before Xue Sui could speak, Rui He burst in.
“Second Brother…”
She had rushed over impatiently to mock Xue Sui, only to find Li Huan trapping Xue Sui in his arms, their posture extremely intimate.
“You, you both…”
Li Huan didn’t turn around and said coldly, “Get out.”
Rui He’s eyes welled with blood. She raised her voice, “Second Brother, she wasn’t in the room just now. I received news that she secretly slipped out of the temple to meet a man, so I deliberately spread rumors that there were Xizi spies in the temple, just to catch her red-handed…”
“Slap!”
A resounding slap landed on her face.
It was Xue Sui who struck her, with considerable force.
“The County Princess schemed so meticulously just to tarnish my reputation? For this, you didn’t hesitate to attract Xizi Death Warriors and disrupt the purity of the Buddhist Gate?”
“You hit me? How dare you hit me?” Rui He stared at her in disbelief, then turned to Li Huan, “Second Brother, she hit me.”
An unyielding ice formed in Li Huan’s eyes.
“Rui He, you have overstepped.”
Rui He clutched the doorframe, a trickle of blood at the corner of her lips, her smile desolate.
“To protect her, you disregard royal dignity? She clearly wasn’t in the room, and Princess Wen Jia repeatedly obstructed them, just to stall for time for her. Why won’t you believe me? Second Brother, you promised me back then that you would always protect me.”
“Princess Rui He!” Li Huan cut her off, each word like a knife. “Do not forget your status!”
One was the widow of a General from Longyou, the other a Prince of the current dynasty. As cousins of the same surname, there was no room for romantic feelings.
“Please, County Princess, maintain your proper conduct.”
Li Huan finished speaking, cast a cold glance at Xue Sui, and swept away.
The hem of his damp robe brushed Rui He’s face, startling her, and a metallic taste filled her throat.
“Second Brother…”
Li Huan strode away without looking back.
Once outside the monastic room, he commanded sternly.
“Search for me! Do not let any suspicious person escape…”
Inside the monastic room, Xue Sui calmly tidied her clothes and looked at Rui He, who was silently weeping.
“County Princess, if the line is cast too long, you won’t catch a fish, and you might end up tangling your own neck?”
Rui He gritted her teeth. “Madam Ping An must be quite pleased now, isn’t she? Without being caught red-handed, you can act as if nothing happened?”
Xue Sui chuckled and lazily shook her head.
“County Princess, you are truly amusing. Letting others use you as a knife, only to suffer losses and be disdained by your Second Brother, what is the point? I have never seen anyone as foolish as you.”
Rui He trembled all over but was too enraged to utter a complete sentence.
“Xiao Zhao.” Xue Sui turned her back, nonchalantly tidying the scriptures.
“See the guest out!”
Xiao Zhao responded and stepped forward to pull Rui He.
“Get lost! This County Princess can walk out herself!”
Rui He slammed the door and left.
The inner room of the monastic chamber fell silent again.
Xue Sui stood still for a moment before putting down the scriptures, letting out a long sigh, and slumping onto the cushion, remaining silent for a long time.
Li Huan clearly suspected her, and even had an answer in his heart, yet he not only didn’t expose her in front of Rui He but also gave her an out and left.
Was he doing this to play the long game and catch a bigger fish?
Seeing her silence, Ru Yi added fuel to the fire, recounting the recent commotion.
“Fu Qingsong died at just the right time. Otherwise, the Prince would have discovered me, the imposter… I don’t know who did it, but it was a timely rescue from the Martial World…”
At this point, she noticed Xue Sui’s grave expression and suddenly stopped.
“Miss, it wasn’t… you, was it?”
Xue Sui shook her head, sat up, and slowly took off her outer robe, changing out of her damp undergarment.
The person who killed Fu Qingsong was indeed not her…
It was Li Zhao.
If Li Zhao hadn’t thought quickly and sent someone to intercept Fu Qingsong in the Scripture Depository, diverting Li Huan, she wouldn’t have been able to return in time, no matter how fast she was…
She wondered if he had escaped safely by now.
What was Li Huan’s intention in letting her off so easily?
Two chapters combined.
If there are any errors, Er Jin will correct them upon her return to Chengdu tomorrow. Thank you, readers!
