Chapter 82: Secret Love Gu
Li Zhao waited for her in You Huang Ju.
When Xue Sui was led into Rong Hua Hall by Lai Fu, she saw him lounging on a carved sandalwood Miroku couch, clad in a soft, jade-white brocade robe. The corners of his robe draped naturally, like flowing moonlight.
He was handsome and ethereal.
He was as indulgent in pleasure as ever, only the smile at the corner of his lips was gentle to a degree that seemed unlike him…
“Greetings, Crown Prince.”
Xue Sui curtsied, her movements light and elegant.
Li Zhao asked impassively, “Did you bring the seeds?”
Xue Sui took out a plain, sapphire-blue scented sachet from her sleeve and offered it with both hands.
Lai Fu glanced at the Crown Prince, took the sachet, and retrieved its contents.
Three dark gray seeds, placed within layers of oiled paper packets, were well-protected. However, the seeds themselves looked shriveled. Even Lai Fu, who had never farmed, felt they were pitifully small and doubted they could sprout.
Xue Sui said, “As thanks for the Crown Prince’s contribution to my dowry, I’ve given you an extra seed to increase the chances of germination.”
Li Zhao seemed indifferent.
His gaze fell upon Xue Sui’s porcelain-white face, and he slowly rose from his chair.
“Go and see, where in my courtyard is suitable for planting them?”
As he spoke, he walked towards the exit. Lai Fu stepped forward, bowed, and reminded him, “Your Highness, the medicine brewed by Physician Zhang is ready. You haven’t drunk it yet.”
Li Zhao had grown tired of drinking those bitter medicines lately.
Since Xue Liu was visiting today, he felt drinking it would be pointless, so he became impatient.
“I’m not drinking it!”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and stepped over the threshold.
Lai Fu looked at Xue Sui helplessly.
The Crown Prince’s temper had been quite unpredictable lately, especially in front of Sixth Miss Xue. It was as if he were regressing, becoming more like a teenager, increasingly arrogant and presumptuous…
Xue Sui’s perception differed from Lai Fu’s.
The Crown Prince wanted to kill her.
That wasn’t youthful spirit; it was murderous intent!
The courtyard of You Huang Ju was vast.
Tonight, the moonlight was like silver, pouring down brilliantly, casting a ground of fragmented light and shadow.
Xue Sui followed Li Zhao through the courtyard for a long time, offering no opinion.
Li Zhao kept walking forward, and she followed silently behind.
After a while, Li Zhao suddenly stopped and turned around.
Lost in thought, Xue Sui almost ran into his embrace.
The two were very close, and a faint, delicate fragrance wafted from the moving air, like a murmuring stream winding into the heart, quietly spreading…
She rarely used perfume, but she had encountered much of it in the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
At this moment, her heart was flustered, and she couldn’t discern what fragrance Li Zhao was using…
Li Zhao’s dark eyes fell upon her face without restraint, a strange smile in his gaze.
Xue Sui instinctively stepped back.
Li Zhao curled his lips, his eyes revealing a wolf-like predatory glint without concealment.
“Sixth Miss Xue, are you tired?”
His words were ambiguous.
And ill-intentioned.
Xue Sui replied calmly, “I am not tired.”
Li Zhao smiled, “Let’s sit and talk.”
There was an octagonal glazed pavilion in the garden, with stone tables and stools.
There were many places to rest.
However, Li Zhao did not point to any of those places for tea and conversation. Instead, he indicated a swing set erected high in the center of the courtyard, made of huanghuali wood.
The swing’s ends were suspended between thick crabapple trees. The joints of the crossbeam and pillars were carved with lifelike entwined flowers, each petal exquisitely rendered, appearing delicate and dewy.
The seat was a single, smooth piece of red sandalwood, upon which lay a brocade cushion with a koi and cloud pattern. The embroidery was fine, and the colors vibrant, as if two fish were about to leap from the cushion.
It was beautiful here.
In the tranquil courtyard, it was like a painted scroll.
Yet, it was a scene Xue Sui had never even dreamed of in her eighteen years of life.
The Xue Mansion also had a swing set. In her childhood, her sisters would laugh and vie for turns on the swing, but Xue Ji had warned her to stay away.
Because fun things were not meant for her.
If she didn’t compete, she would avoid a beating.
She had been curious then, wondering what it would feel like to sit on a swing, with the sun on her face, eyes squinted, gently swaying…
As an adult, she no longer thought about such things.
Even if she could afford to build a hundred swings for herself, she wouldn’t anymore.
But Li Zhao pointed there, his stern face holding an irresistible smile.
“Sixth Miss Xue, please—”
Xue Sui said coldly, “I do not care for such childish amusements.”
Li Zhao chuckled softly and walked over himself.
He bent one leg and casually rested it on the swing seat, sitting sideways as if half-reclining on the soft brocade cushion. His posture was languid, and the swing swayed gently. His sleeves fluttered in the moonlight, making him appear like an immortal dancing in the wind.
Xue Sui stood in place.
“Aren’t you planting flowers, Crown Prince?”
“I’ll wait for you to plant them, Sixth Miss Xue.”
Li Zhao unhurriedly took a white jade wine cup from a wooden desk beside the swing.
He took a sip and offered it to Xue Sui.
“Would you like some?”
Xue Sui said, “I do not drink alcohol.”
She spoke calmly and steadily.
Li Zhao’s lips curved slightly upward. Some wine spilled onto the corner of his robe, but he seemed oblivious. He raised his eyes to look at Xue Sui.
“The Love Silk Gu tells me that Sixth Miss likes it very much.”
For a moment, Xue Sui felt Li Zhao was mocking her for lying.
Perhaps he knew very well that the so-called “Love Silk Flower” from the Western Regions was merely a pretext and a deception on her part. But he was helpless, grasping at straws, and had to step into her trap. Unwilling to accept it, he found some excuse to make her uncomfortable.
Xue Sui looked towards the patch of land behind the swing set.
A dense grove of banana and bamboo blocked the sunlight, making it dark and damp.
She raised her hand and pointed, “That place is very good.”
Li Zhao raised his eyes and looked at Lai Fu and the guards standing at a distance.
“Fetch the hoe.”
The hoe had been prepared earlier.
A guard held it in his hand, looking somewhat stiff.
Lai Fu sensed the chill in the Crown Prince’s words and carefully took the hoe, respectfully handing it to Xue Sui.
“Sixth Miss Xue, please.”
Xue Sui said nothing, took the hoe, and walked to that corner. Under the moonlight and the wind lantern lit by the guards, she bent down, dug through the weeds, and began to loosen the soil…
Li Zhao’s fingers tightened slightly as he stroked the finely textured sandalwood on the swing’s armrest, squinting at Xue Sui.
Xue Sui was very focused.
She carefully dug three small pits in the soft soil and placed the three seeds in them.
Then, she covered them with a layer of thatch and picked up some pebbles and small wooden sticks nearby to enclose the area where the flowers were planted…
“And that’s it?”
Li Zhao had apparently descended from the swing without her noticing and was standing behind her.
The moonlight elongated his shadow, casting it upon her.
Xue Sui hummed and stood up, reaching to brush her hair.
Her hand was halfway up when Li Zhao suddenly grasped her wrist…
She paused slightly and looked down at his hand.
His knuckles were distinct, and his grip was firm.
His fingertips had slight calluses from practicing martial arts and wielding swords.
Li Zhao said, “Your hands have mud on them.”
Xue Sui remained silent.
She did not care about the strict separation between men and women, nor did she mind physical contact.
However, the light in Li Zhao’s eyes tonight was too intense. His hot palm gripping hers felt like being struck by lightning, making her stiffen all over. She forgot to pull her hand away or pretend to struggle…
Li Zhao pursed his lips and slowly reached out, tucking a strand of her hair that had fallen by her cheek behind her ear. His movements were gentle and tender, as if the person before him was a rare treasure he cherished deeply.
“Ping An?”
Li Zhao suddenly spoke.
Xue Sui was startled.
“Xue Ping An.”
Li Zhao called out again.
This time, Xue Sui responded, “Your Highness, what do you need me for?”
Li Zhao said, “I once heard you say that your name means prosperity and peace, and smooth sailing?”
Xue Sui lowered her gaze slightly, “Replying to Your Highness, that is indeed the meaning.”
Li Zhao smiled, his voice hoarse from the night wind.
“Do you know that my name also has a deep meaning?”
Xue Sui smiled faintly, “Oh?”
Li Zhao: “Do you want to know?”
Xue Sui withdrew her hand, “No.”
Li Zhao’s palm was empty, his fingers slightly spread. The cool wind passed through them, making them appear somewhat lonely.
He let out a low chuckle, retracted his hand indifferently, and slowly placed it behind his back.
“To inaugurate a new era and bring peace to the state.”
Xue Sui’s heart stirred, and she looked at Li Zhao before her.
As the Emperor’s only legitimate son, it was not unusual for him to have such a name with such a grand meaning. However, it was regrettable that a prince with such a name was not favored by the Emperor, nor was he the one the Emperor wished to entrust the empire to.
Since ancient times, the thoughts of emperors have been as unfathomable as the sea.
But Xue Sui could sense that Li Zhao was not his usual flippant self at this moment; his words were earnest.
She asked with a smile, “Why do you mention this, Your Highness?”
Li Zhao stared at her, the smile on his lips deepening slightly.
“Sixth Miss is about to marry into a prominent family. I have nothing to offer as congratulations.”
Xue Sui said, “Your Highness has already sent a gift of one hundred taels of gold.”
Li Zhao’s eyes were imposing, “That is not enough.”
After a slight pause, he said, “I do have selfish intentions. We are fated to be together, so we should know more about each other’s private matters.”
Xue Sui pondered for a moment and asked him, “To inaugurate a new era and bring peace to the state, is that not enough?”
Li Zhao’s expression changed slightly. The hand behind his back slowly relaxed. He cupped his hands towards Xue Sui, a smile visible at the corners of his lips, but the cold moonlight in his eyes was as sharp as autumn frost.
“Sixth Miss thinks highly of me, believing I am worthy. Then I shall not disappoint your kindness.”
Xue Sui watched him quietly.
This was not the Crown Prince Li Zhao she was familiar with.
For years, everything had been within her control.
Suddenly, things were slipping out of her grasp, leaving her feeling unexpectedly empty. She suddenly felt afraid of staying too long in You Huang Ju and wavering from her original intention.
This was not something she should be doing.
“Your Highness, it is late. I should be going.”
Her gentle words seemed to have struck a nerve with Li Zhao. The Crown Prince, like an enraged beast, stared at her with burning, fierce eyes.
“Knowing that Prince Duan’s Mansion is fraught with danger, you still leap into a fire pit. Are you a fool?”
Xue Sui frowned slightly, “Prince Duan is benevolent and upright. How could it be a fire pit?”
Li Zhao sneered.
“Since you are in love with him, why did you plant the Love Silk Gu on me?”
“As Your Highness suspects, it was to save my life. Otherwise, I would not dare to stand here and speak with Your Highness so calmly tonight.”
Li Zhao’s fingers clenched fiercely, as if he were about to strangle her. His knuckles turned white from the force, veins bulged on the back of his hand, and it trembled uncontrollably. In the end, he could only close his eyes tightly and gasp through gritted teeth.
“Utterly wicked woman. A madwoman!”
Her wedding day was approaching, yet he couldn’t sleep through the night.
It was as if he were trapped in an endless purgatory, suffering immensely but unable to escape.
Each day was more unbearable than the last, his insides burning as if scorched by fire. He was tormented every night, his reason teetering under the onslaught of desire, on the verge of madness, yet she acted as if nothing were wrong…
Damn Love Silk Gu!
Damn Xue Liu!
After a long while, Li Zhao finally composed himself and his gaze fell upon the patch of land where the flower seeds had just been sown.
The silver moon hung high, and a gentle breeze was cool.
In the quiet courtyard, a hazy mist seemed to be swirling.
Li Zhao said, “Tomorrow, have someone make a sign and place it here. Anyone who tramples on the flower seeds will be executed.”
His voice was neither hurried nor slow, neither cold nor warm.
Lai Fu and the guards standing nearby, however, shivered inexplicably.
“Yes.”
–
That night, it was Lai Fu who escorted Xue Sui and her maidservant out of You Huang Ju.
He was usually talkative, often giving Xue Sui advice and mentioning the Crown Prince’s preferences, fearing she might accidentally lose her life.
Today, Lai Fu was silent. He walked to the door, and only after Xue Sui bowed to bid farewell did he glance at her and offer a perfunctory cupped-hand salute.
“Sixth Miss Xue, I offer my congratulations on your upcoming wedding. May your future life be harmonious and blissful.”
He spoke these words rather impolitely.
The Crown Prince would not prevent Sixth Miss Xue from marrying, but Eunuch Lai was displeased and could not resist speaking ill of her on his master’s behalf.
Unexpectedly, Xue Sui seemed not to have noticed the sarcasm in his words. She bowed slightly and returned the salute with proper decorum.
“Thank you, Eunuch. Farewell.”
Lai Fu then snorted, “When we meet again, Sixth Miss will be a Ru Ren of Prince Duan’s Mansion.”
Xue Sui’s eyebrows arched slightly, and she smiled faintly.
“No matter where I am, Xue Liu is still just Xue Liu.”
A complex emotion flashed in Lai Fu’s eyes, and he looked somewhat bewildered.
He didn’t understand.
Once married, she was married. How could she still be Xue Liu?
Alas! He sighed, turned his back, seeming both regretful and resigned.
“The wind is strong at night. Please be careful on your way back, Sixth Miss.”
Xue Sui bowed to him, “Yes.”
In the dim night sky, Li Zhao stood alone in the courtyard, a solitary figure in the breeze. His robes fluttered gently, and his expression was stern as he gazed in the direction Xue Sui had departed.
He too was pondering Xue Liu’s words from earlier.
“No matter where I am, Xue Liu is still just Xue Liu.”
Li Zhao: Author! Where is my… flower hoe? Can I use it to dig up the wall?
Xue Sui: It won’t budge!
