Xiao Heye stood motionless by the pavilion, gazing into the distance for a long time. Only after those figures had completely vanished from sight did he slowly turn around and utter in a leisurely tone, “Your Highness, rise. They are all far gone.”
Su Tiyue heard his voice, but she remained kneeling on the ground, unmoving. Her forehead pressed against the earth, her hands covering her face, her body trembling intermittently.
She was crying again…
A cold twitch tugged at the corner of Xiao Heye’s lips. Staring at that small figure, he finally crouched down and reached out to pull Su Tiyue’s arm. Unexpectedly, the moment his hand touched her, she flung it away forcefully. “Don’t touch me!”
She lifted her tear-streaked face, sobbing as she shouted at Xiao Heye, “Don’t touch me…”
Ignoring her, Xiao Heye suppressed his emotions and reached out with both hands to help her up. But Su Tiyue showed no gratitude. Instead, she pushed him hard, sending him tumbling to the ground, then stood up and walked back the way she had come.
Jingxin Pavilion was situated in the middle of a lake, so there was more than one path leading away from it.
To the left was closer to Brocade Palace, while to the right was nearer to Yelan Pavilion.
Xiao Heye rose to his feet, took two long strides to catch up with her, and grabbed her arm, his expression dark with anger. “Where are you going?”
Su Tiyue’s face was streaked with tears, her makeup smudged and ruined. She struggled to shake off his grip, but his fingers remained firmly wrapped around her arm. She said, “Where can I go? Can’t I return to Brocade Palace? Chief Eunuch Xiao!”
“This servant still has words left unsaid. We’ll talk further when we return to Yelan Pavilion.” His voice was low and icy, suppressed with effort, revealing neither joy nor anger.
In Xiao Heye’s view, this was not a place for proper conversation. Unlike the South Garden, which was sparsely populated and filled with his own people.
Su Tiyue glared at him fiercely. “Stay out of my affairs.” With those words, she broke free from Xiao Heye’s grasp and headed toward the left fork in the path.
“Your Highness, do not forget the promise you made to this servant.” Xiao Heye paused, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure as he continued:
“It was you who begged this servant for help. How is it… that now this servant must beg Your Highness in return?”
His gloomy, magnetic voice drifted softly from behind Su Tiyue. Her heart suddenly clenched, and she halted in her tracks. After hesitating for a moment, she turned back angrily and veered toward the right fork.
Su Tiyue walked hurriedly, not even waiting for Xiao Heye, who followed behind her.
Large, crystal-clear teardrops fell one after another, landing on the snow-covered path, scorching the pure white snow.
As she walked, she wept, her mind a chaotic mess—filled with the Emperor’s terrifying and nauseating face, and the threats and indifference of that damned eunuch, Xiao Heye.
Xiao Heye was truly too cold, too heartless… Just moments ago, he could have spoken up to help Su Tiyue out of her predicament. The Emperor listened so closely to Xiao Heye… If only he had spoken…
The more Su Tiyue thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved she became, and her footsteps gradually quickened.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, with a sharp cry, Su Tiyue’s feet slipped, and she fell heavily into the snow. The snow was thick, so she felt no pain and suffered no injury, but her hands were instantly buried in the snow, the cold causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
Su Tiyue struggled to stand up, but her feet kept slipping. Before she could regain her footing, she realized that Xiao Heye had already approached from behind. He bent slightly and effortlessly lifted her, cradling her in his arms.
“I don’t need your hypocritical concern. Put me down…” Su Tiyue pushed against him with her hands.
Xiao Heye did not comply, only uttering two words calmly: “Don’t move.”
“Put me down, put me down… Xiao Heye!” Su Tiyue repeated the words twice in his ear, even daring to call him by his full name. Yet no matter how much she hit, cursed, or struggled, Xiao Heye acted as if he heard nothing, his face dark and expressionless as he walked forward in silence.
Su Tiyue was anything but compliant in his arms. Seeing that hitting and cursing were useless, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on Xiao Heye’s arm. Enduring the pain, annoyed by her trouble, Xiao Heye tightened his arm and simply tossed the person in his arms over his shoulder, carrying her back.
The action was rough and brutal. Now, no matter how much she struggled, it was useless.
When they arrived at Yelan Pavilion, Li Xun saw the two returning in such a state and was so shocked that his mouth hung open, unsure of what to say for a moment.
“Bring a basin of hot water,” Xiao Heye ordered before carrying the person into the room.
It took Li Xun a while to snap out of his daze, replying blankly, “Yes.”
Once inside the room, Xiao Heye placed her on the marble long table, his hawk-like eyes glaring fiercely at Su Tiyue. “Now you can make a scene.”
The tears on Su Tiyue’s face had half-dried, her eyes red from crying. She looked at Xiao Heye, her voice hoarse. “You did this on purpose.”
“Yes, this servant did it on purpose,” he admitted without denial.
“Why? Chief Eunuch Xiao, we clearly agreed—one month… It’s only been a few days, and you’re already so eager to present me to the Emperor?”
Xiao Heye replied, “Your Ladyship misunderstands. This servant did not mean that.”
Su Tiyue’s eyes reddened, tears uncontrollably streaming down again. “The Emperor treated me like that, and you still lie?”
Xiao Heye casually pulled a round-backed chair from under the table and sat opposite her. “This servant merely wanted to see how the Emperor would react upon seeing Your Ladyship… Don’t be nervous, Your Ladyship. It was just a test.”
“A test?” Su Tiyue sneered. “And are you satisfied with the Emperor’s reaction now?”
Xiao Heye nodded slightly, the corners of his eyes lifting. “Quite satisfied. With both the Emperor’s reaction and Your Ladyship’s.”
If he hadn’t said that, it might have been fine. But those words nearly made Su Tiyue spit blood. Already seated on the long table, she turned her head and caught sight of the forbidden books placed on it. A surge of anger, pent up all the way from Jingxin Pavilion, combined with the sight of Xiao Heye’s mocking demeanor, made her furious and momentarily irrational.
In a fit of rage, Su Tiyue swept the books and albums beside her to the floor, even smashing the Helan inkstone that Xiao Heye treasured most. It must be known that Xiao Heye valued certain things not because they were expensive or rare. This inkstone was a gift from his adoptive father when he first entered the palace—not particularly valuable, but deeply meaningful.
With a sharp “crack,” the inkstone split in two, shattering into pieces. It fell right at Xiao Heye’s feet, and if he hadn’t reacted quickly and lifted his foot, it might have struck him.
He looked at the inkstone on the ground, a pang of heartache evident. He clicked his tongue softly, his voice lowered. Though he wore a smile on his face, a trace of despondency flickered in the depths of his unfathomable eyes.