He snorted coldly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Your Ladyship is a delicate and noble flower, accustomed to luxury. This lowly servant’s bed is cold and hard—I fear you would not find it comfortable.”
“Where is it cold?” she asked, her fingers tightening around the corner of the quilt. It was clearly warm.
Seeing her disbelief, Xiao Heye extended his arm and gently placed his broad, thick palm against her slightly flushed cheek.
In that instant, Su Tiyue felt a bone-chilling coldness on her cheek, as if it were not a human hand but a block of ice.
How could his hand be so cold? He had been warming himself by the fire just moments ago…
“Believe me now?” He withdrew his hand and lay back down. “This lowly servant is not just cold-handed—my entire body is cold… and so is my heart. I cannot help your father. Please return, Your Ladyship.”
He turned over, his back to Su Tiyue, his resentment still simmering.
Xiao Heye was not so kind-hearted. Su Sui had conspired with those old fools in the court to impeach him, the Chief Seal Keeper of the Directorate of Ceremonies. They all hated him to the bone, wishing they could grind his bones to dust…
Now Su Tiyue came to plead for mercy—wasn’t that just wishful thinking?
He thought that, having spoken so plainly, she would have the sense to leave. Yet, instead of leaving, Su Tiyue circled halfway around the foot of the bed and came to face him again.
Half-leaning over, she blinked her watery eyes and said, “I never realized the Chief Eunuch suffered from such severe coldness? Perhaps I can help you?”
“Oh? How does Your Ladyship intend to help?” he asked, lying on his side, a hint of mockery in his dark gaze.
“Wherever the Chief Eunuch is cold, I will warm it for you… My body is warm, and I am not afraid of the cold. With enough warmth, it will surely grow hot.” She moved closer to Xiao Heye, her clear, bright eyes gazing softly at him like a well-behaved kitten, stirring a restless itch in Xiao Heye’s heart.
Xiao Heye replied coldly, “No need. It cannot be warmed.”
If even charcoal fire could not warm his body, how could she possibly do so?
Besides, he had no such inclinations.
“How will the Chief Eunuch know without trying?” Su Tiyue forced a faint smile onto her face, paused for a moment, and then gently took his hand from beneath the quilt.
Her eyes were filled with tenderness and allure, and her moist, crimson lips were now within close reach.
Su Tiyue held his cold fingers, warming them in her palm. Then, guiding his hand, she led it through her outer robe, past the pink undergarment, and slowly downward along her chest until his icy palm rested firmly against the soft fullness of her bosom.
She gasped softly, a shiver running through her body before she finally adjusted to his temperature.
Xiao Heye remained motionless, an inexplicable fire burning in his eyes as he stared intently at her, his gaze so scorching it seemed as if he wanted to reduce Su Tiyue to ashes.
The sensation transmitted through his fingertips was soft, warm, and stirred a restless, unsettling emotion.
At that moment, he nearly lost control. After more than a decade as a eunuch, Xiao Heye experienced for the first time what it meant to be consumed by desire.
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality and tried to gently withdraw his hand, but Su Tiyue used her other hand to press his palm firmly against her through the fabric, preventing him from pulling away.
He pressed even closer.
This…
Xiao Heye swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. He suddenly felt parched.
“Chief Eunuch Xiao, shall we discuss another deal?” Su Tiyue began.
“You’re so cold, you must not sleep well at night. How about letting me warm your bed for you?”
He asked, “According to Your Ladyship’s meaning, you still want this servant to release your father?”
“Yes.”
“Heh…” Xiao Heye chuckled softly, drawing out his words slowly, “It has always been this servant negotiating terms and making deals with others. Today is quite interesting—Your Ladyship is presuming a bit too much, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” she answered honestly, though Xiao Heye’s tone grew increasingly unsettling. It seemed this deal would be difficult to strike.
But Su Tiyue still asked gently, “Is it possible?”
Xiao Heye said, “This matter is no small thing. If the Emperor finds out, both our heads will be at risk… Should this servant consider it?”
This phrase felt familiar—Su Tiyue had once answered him in the same way.
But if he said he would consider it, that meant there was still room for negotiation. Su Tiyue seemed to see a glimmer of hope and nodded firmly.
Xiao Heye withdrew his hand from her embrace, his expression cold and detached as he said calmly:
“Your father sees this servant as a thorn in his side. Logically speaking… this servant should not agree to Your Ladyship’s request. But since Your Ladyship is so sincere, this servant will carefully consider it for a few days before giving you an answer. How does that sound?”
Indeed, he held a grudge.
Su Tiyue had made him wait for so long, and now it was her turn to wait.
“Alright, I have patience. As long as the Chief Seal Keeper is willing to agree, I will wait however long it takes.”
Although Xiao Heye was not swayed by her charms, Su Tiyue, thick-skinned as she was, had at least managed to gain something.
She shifted her body slightly, pressing her cheek closer to his chest. The steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat reached her ears. Su Tiyue wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and said softly, “But I’ve heard that the punishments in the Imperial Prison are cruel. My father is old and a civil official. Could the Chief Seal Keeper order the people below not to torture him?”
She buried her head low, her voice hoarse as if she were crying. “Now that I have agreed to be the Chief Seal Keeper’s pawn, I will obey you obediently in the future. Could you, for the sake of our working together, agree to this?”
Xiao Heye frowned and lowered his head, catching the faint scent of jasmine in her hair—a familiar fragrance.
He paused briefly before responding, “Your Ladyship’s face, this servant naturally must give.”
Hearing these words, the heavy stone in Su Tiyue’s heart finally eased slightly.
She nestled even closer into Xiao Heye’s embrace, her slender shoulders trembling slightly… She seemed to be crying, but Xiao Heye could not hear her sobs—only the sound of his own heartbeat.
Growing more intense, more uncontrollable…
By the time Su Tiyue left the Night Pavilion, it was already late at night.
Outside, snow was still falling, drifting down from the sky like willow catkins or pure white cotton, light and airy, dancing freely in the wind.
Looking out, the entire palace was blanketed in white, as if adorned in silver, breathtakingly beautiful.
Thinking that the snowy roads were slippery and that it would be inconvenient for the servants to carry the sedan chair, Su Tiyue did not ride in one but walked back instead.
When she returned to the Brocade Palace and collapsed heavily onto her soft couch, Su Tiyue finally felt a sense of relief.
But her body was too delicate. Having been exposed to the cold wind on her way back from the Night Pavilion, she fell ill that very night.
Early the next morning, just after Su Tiyue had finished her medicine, Qing Wu came skipping in from outside, her eyes curved into crescents as she said:
“Your Highness, a message has been sent from the estate. It says that last night, our master was released by the Imperial Guard and returned home safe and sound.”
“Really?!”
Liu Wan and Su Tiyue exclaimed in unison.
Qing Wu smiled and nodded. “Absolutely true. Now Your Highness can rest assured?”
“It’s good that he’s safe…” Hearing this news, Su Tiyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
So, Xiao Heye had released her father late last night? The moment Su Tiyue left the Night Pavilion, Xiao Heye had let him go?
But he had clearly said he would consider it…
She had originally thought that someone as vengeful and deep-thinking as Xiao Heye would not release him so easily.
The matter with Prince Rong had only been resolved thanks to his help, and it had been just a few days since the case concluded when her father submitted a memorial impeaching Xiao Heye… Regardless of whether Xiao Heye was a treacherous official or not, for the Su family, he was still a benefactor, wasn’t he?
That was why, when Su Tiyue went to plead with Xiao Heye on her father’s behalf, she could clearly sense his displeasure.
From Xiao Heye’s various reactions, Su Tiyue felt increasingly unable to decipher his thoughts.
Indeed, the minds of eunuchs are hard to fathom…