Chapter 243: Tasting
Xue Sui slept very heavily.
When she slowly woke up again, she felt weak all over, as if her bones had been pulled out and recast, and every joint felt sore and soft.
The light in Hanzhang Hall was soft, and the bronze sparrow lamp was lit, casting a warm yellow halo in front of the couch. The air was filled with a sweet scent…
She slightly raised her eyes. Rainwater outside the window dripped along the eaves, splashing tiny water droplets on the window lattice, like shattered pearls.
The rain had not stopped yet—
She propped herself up and found that her prison clothes had been changed into clean nightgowns, which made her stunned.
“What time is it outside?”
Xiao Zhao, who had been dozing by her side, rushed over as soon as she saw her wake up.
“Miss, you’re finally awake. You scared Xiao Zhao to death!”
Xue Sui raised her hand and gently stroked Xiao Zhao’s head, then slowly looked at the figure sitting quietly and weeping in front of the screen.
“The Princess has also come.”
Wen Jia looked at the white hair spread across the embroidered pillow and couldn’t help but turn her face away, secretly wiping away her tears. Then, she forced a smile, signaled Dong Xu to bring the prepared ginseng soup, personally tested its temperature, and then fed it to Xue Sui spoonful by spoonful.
“This is from my aunt, brought from Xizi. They say it’s Sacred Mountain snow ginseng, the best for replenishing qi and blood.”
Xue Sui’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
The bloody scent in her throat had not yet dissipated, yet she found the medicinal soup exceptionally sweet.
“Thank you, Princess.”
Wen Jia helped her sit up and then placed a pillow behind her. The white silk on her shoulders pricked her eyes, causing them to sting, and she immediately teared up again.
“Why did you have to take this step, gambling with your life?”
Xue Sui drank the medicine from her hand. The misty steam veiled her eyes in a thin haze, and her smile held a hint of cunning.
“Does my appearance look like someone who gambles, Princess?”
Wen Jia’s eyes were filled with tears, and she chided her with affection.
“You’re still smiling! Look at yourself, what have you done to yourself, and you can still smile…”
Xue Sui lowered her eyes and looked at her own hands, pale and slender, as if they had lost their former vitality.
The torment of imprisonment during this period had truly eroded her to the bone.
“Xiao Zhao, bring me a mirror.”
Xiao Zhao responded and carefully handed the bronze mirror to her.
Xue Sui raised her eyes.
The white hair reflected in the bronze mirror looked like snow that had fallen all night, with dry, brittle ends, tangled together in the breeze.
This was the first time she had examined herself so carefully since leaving the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
She forced a smile at the mirror, and her state of mind was actually much clearer than before.
“This white hair is quite unique.”
Wen Jia clutched her handkerchief, wiped the corner of her lips, and blew on the medicine bowl repeatedly.
“If I were you, I would have fled long ago and never returned to this place of trouble…”
Her words seemed to be soaked with moisture, weighing heavily in her throat, and her smile sounded worse than crying.
Xue Sui couldn’t bear the subtle pity in her eyes. She leaned back against the head of the couch and gently comforted her.
“The world is vast, where is there not a place of trouble? I enjoy stirring up this muddy water and catching a couple of fish. It’s much better than staring blankly on the shore…”
Wen Jia was helpless. She picked up the medicine bowl and pushed it forward half an inch as if in a huff.
“I can’t argue with you! Drink it all while it’s hot and get better soon. My Niu Niu has been asking to see you every day these past few days. I told her you went to the mountains to cultivate immortality. If you don’t get better quickly, I don’t know how I’ll pacify this little ancestor…”
“Then let’s just become a true immortal, and then bestow upon her the title of a little immortal child of the mortal realm…”
Xue Sui replied with a faint smile, her gaze sweeping over the honey-preserved green plums placed on the small table—
She hadn’t expected to see them here too.
She lowered her eyes, picked up a plum, and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste exploded on her tongue.
“Delicious.”
A soft sigh, full of satisfaction.
She couldn’t describe this feeling of “rebirth,” as if she had undergone a complete transformation. Everything looked fresh, and even breathing felt refreshing.
“Hanzhang Hall is indeed different from other places. This bowl, it’s like mutton-fat jade, and the twining grapevines on the side of the bowl look as if they’ve been traced…”
Wen Jia stared blankly at Xue Sui’s white hair cascading down, her eyes curved and her expression serene. Suddenly, she understood that this person truly didn’t care about life or death.
She bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.
“Did Ping An know that Prince Duan submitted a memorial of self-reproach, requesting to resign all his duties and guard the Imperial Mausoleum? The Imperial Court has been in an uproar over this… This time, Prince Duan has risked half his life for you…”
Xue Sui was startled.
Tiny ripples flickered in her eyes, complementing the faint smile on her lips.
“You think he’s truly doing it for me?”
“Isn’t he?” Wen Jia’s throat tightened.
Thinking of Prince Duan’s usual coldness and indifference, she suddenly found it difficult to continue.
Xue Sui lowered her head and took a sip of the medicinal soup. “Three parts of the play are true. He may not be without some regret in his heart. It’s just a pity— he’s not doing it entirely to save me, but using me as a knife to cut open his own chest for the world to see— to see how he endures humiliation, to see how he upholds righteousness by punishing his own kin…”
Her voice was colder than the autumn rain outside the window.
Wen Jia was greatly shocked and remained stunned for a moment.
Xue Sui gently stirred the ginseng soup with a silver spoon.
The steam from the medicine bowl blurred her face, and only a hint of a cold smile could be vaguely seen.
“At this critical juncture, the struggle for the successor position is like a cornered beast’s fight. Now that Ping Le’s guilt is ironclad, she is already a dead pawn. If he doesn’t sacrifice Ping Le, he will be implicated in the treason case and will never have a chance to turn things around. Now, using my name, he can establish his loyalty and filial piety, and also gain a reputation for deep affection…”
Xiao Zhao frowned, her face full of confusion. “Miss, this servant doesn’t understand…”
Xue Sui put down the soup bowl, reached out to play with her white hair, and smiled faintly.
“It’s better that you don’t understand.”
If you understand too much, the joys and true feelings of this world will diminish.
Li Huan is a master of games. The world is his chessboard, so where can there be any true feelings?
If he had directly pushed Ping Le out this time, it would have seemed cold-hearted and cruel.
For justice and the one he loves, that would be considered deeply affectionate and righteous.
What he wants the Emperor and all the court officials to see is precisely him upholding righteousness by punishing his own kin and adhering to justice…
However, she also precisely used this point, using Li Huan’s hand to completely nail Ping Le to the pillar of shame…
Xiao Zhao leaned closer and lowered her voice, “What about the Crown Prince? He must be sincere, right?”
Xue Sui picked up a lustrous and translucent honey-preserved green plum and examined it for a long time…
She silently lowered her eyes and curved her lips into a faint smile.
“Send a message to Aunt Jinshu and ask her to find Senior Sister Yuheng as soon as possible…”
Before she finished speaking, she heard the sound of jade pendants tinkling from outside the door.
Princess Tuya, dressed in a snow-white long skirt with velvet trim, entered gracefully with two maidservants.
Her face was still covered with a light veil, revealing only her pair of sparkling eyes. The silver bells on her wrists jingled with her movements, sounding like a spring stream splashing on stones, very pleasant to hear.
“Consort Xue is awake?”
Xue Sui, leaning on Xiao Zhao’s arm, slowly stood up and bowed to her.
“Replying to the Princess, yesterday I received an imperial decree before His Majesty, and from now on, Xue Liu is a free person. I am grateful for the Princess’s shelter, and Xue Liu remembers this kindness.”
A knowing smile appeared in Tuya’s eyes.
Then she raised her hand to signal a maidservant to bring forward a sandalwood brocade box and place it properly.
“These are Buddhist scriptures for praying for blessings that I personally transcribed. They can calm the mind and ward off evil spirits. Xue Liu, you might want to read them in your leisure time…”
“Thank you, Princess, for speaking well of me before His Majesty that day.”
Xue Sui looked up and met Tuya’s gaze.
The candlelight flickered in her eyes, casting fine golden light. Her white hair cascaded down, making her expression difficult to discern.
Tuya’s eyes held a hint of inquiry and a touch of pity.
After a long pause, she smiled gently, “Miss Xue Liu is exceptionally intelligent, why would she need others to speak well of her? His Majesty keeping you in Hanzhang Hall to recuperate must be because he believes you are innocent.”
“The Princess flatters me.” Xue Sui looked up, also observing Tuya.
“That day in Qing Hui Hall, Second Young Lady Lu falsely accused me of poisoning. It was the Princess who, unafraid of trouble, stepped forward to testify… Although I couldn’t see the Princess’s true face, I knew she must be a compassionate woman with a meticulous mind…”
Tuya’s pupils darkened slightly.
“Women understand women’s hardships best. The wind of the desert, the moon of Chang’an, women in this world are all unfortunate.”
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense.
The Ganan incense wafting from the incense burner seemed to be telling a silent sorrow.
Tuya suddenly broke into a smile. “Never mind, you should rest well. If you need anything, just ask, and I will have someone send it to you.”
Xue Sui thanked her again, and the conversation ended.
After Tuya left, Xiao Zhao dared to let out a long sigh of relief.
“Miss, Princess Tuya seems kind, but why did I feel nervous facing her?”
Wen Jia looked at the slender figure disappearing into the rain and nodded.
“Let alone you, I felt apprehensive too.”
Xue Sui said softly, “In the deep palace, it is most common for appearances to be deceiving. Good people don’t necessarily have Bodhisattva faces.”
Xiao Zhao’s eyes widened. “Miss means…”
“Xiao Zhao.” Xue Sui interrupted Xiao Zhao’s words, her gaze falling on the sky outside the window.
“Go and ask Imperial Physician Wang for some calming medicine. I’ve had nightmares all night…”
Xiao Zhao responded and hurried out.
Only then did she turn to face Wen Jia directly.
“Princess, I need you to do me a favor.”
Wen Jia was stunned. “What is it that you have to hide from Xiao Zhao?”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, picked up the bronze mirror, and rotated it in the candlelight, her fingertips twirling the snow-colored hair.
“Three thousand strands of troublesome hair, it’s better to cut them clean. Xiao Zhao is too soft-hearted to do it, so I’d like to ask the Princess to lend me a sharp knife…”
Wen Jia’s throat moved, and her gaze fell on the scar on Xue Sui’s collarbone.
Some things Xiao Zhao doesn’t understand, but she might.
This is not cutting troublesome hair, but cutting off past obsessions, the shackles of a predicament…
