Li Xun carried a basin of water into the room and sensed an unusual tension in the air. Glancing sideways, he noticed the shattered Helan inkstone on the floor, and his heart trembled. Carefully, he placed the wooden basin on the octagonal table and bent down to pick up the broken pieces, only to be stopped by Xiao Heye. “You may leave first.”
Li Xun glanced at Xiao Heye, then at Su Tiyue, who sat on the long desk with red-rimmed eyes, and replied softly, “Yes.”
Only after Li Xun had closed the door and left did Xiao Heye slowly gesture toward the wooden basin on the table. “There’s warm water, Your Ladyship.”
Su Tiyue sniffled, her nose tinged with red, and braced her hands against the edge of the long desk, sliding down. She walked to the octagonal table, plunged her hands into the steaming water, and lowered her head, meticulously washing every part of her palms, backs of her hands, and fingers.
After all, back at Jingxin Pavilion, these very hands had been thoroughly kneaded and fondled by that despicable Emperor.
She felt dirty, and the thought alone made her shudder with discomfort.
Lost in thought, she scrubbed her hands vigorously several more times until her fair skin turned slightly red.
Xiao Heye couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He strode over to the wooden rack behind the screen, fetched a clean square towel, and handed it to her. “Your Ladyship, this basin of water was meant for you to wash your face.”
Xiao Heye lowered his gaze, his expression indifferent as he looked at Su Tiyue’s tear-streaked face. His original intention in having Li Xun prepare the water was… to let Su Tiyue wash her face and clear her mind.
Su Tiyue ignored him, continuing to scrub her hands with her head bowed.
Xiao Heye asked her, “Is Your Ladyship still angry? Over such a trivial matter?”
She paused, then stopped her movements. Su Tiyue turned to face him, refusing to take the towel he offered. Instead, her wet hands deliberately grabbed the wide, thick sleeve of his robe and rubbed it back and forth until all the moisture from her hands had transferred onto his sleeve.
Su Tiyue spoke coldly, her starry eyes fixed on him. “Chief Eunuch Xiao, if there are similar ‘trivial matters’ in the future… please inform me in advance so I can be mentally prepared.”
Xiao Heye looked down at his dampened sleeve, a trace of indulgence appearing on his face. “This servant obeys.”
“Have you said everything you needed to, Chief Eunuch Xiao… May I leave now?”
“Hmm…” Xiao Heye stroked his chin with his fingers, pondering for a moment before saying, “Ah, there’s one more thing. This servant wishes to remind Your Ladyship once again that the key to the grand endeavor we discussed lies with the Emperor, not with this servant himself. I hope Your Ladyship keeps this in mind and does not waste your thoughts in the wrong places.”
He paused, then added, “If earlier at Jingxin Pavilion, Your Ladyship had been as proactive as you were that night at Wenhui Pavilion… perhaps… this matter could have succeeded.”
So that was what this was about. Su Tiyue bit her lower lip tightly… her eyes filled with resentment.
Though she didn’t know when Xiao Heye had noticed her hidden thoughts, his words made her realize that everything that had happened today… was less of a test and more of an opportunity for Xiao Heye to punish her slightly.
After all, Su Tiyue’s intentions were impure, and she hadn’t been as obedient as he might have expected.
“Thank you for the reminder,” Su Tiyue replied angrily, turning her head and walking out.
Xiao Heye stood in place, watching her retreating figure. But who would have thought that Su Tiyue, with her hand halfway raised to open the door, turned back instead. Her small steps tapped rhythmically on the wooden floor, tap-tap-tap.
She walked up to Xiao Heye and added in a coquettish tone, “So what if I teased the Chief Seal Keeper a little? Was it really necessary to retaliate like this?”
Su Tiyue continued, “Besides, didn’t Chief Eunuch Xiao claim to be pure-hearted and indifferent to women? If that’s really the case, what’s the harm in letting me tease you a bit? What… are you scared?”
“Me…?” Xiao Heye’s pupils widened in shock. Hearing these words from her mouth felt… both somewhat reasonable and somewhat insulting.
Su Tiyue said, “What about you? I’m not afraid of you. So what if it’s serving the Emperor? So what if it’s sleeping with that old, wretched dog of an Emperor? Sooner or later, it has to happen anyway. As for those matters between men and women, you just close your eyes, endure it, and wait for dawn… If you really have the ability, go ahead and invite that great Buddha to the Brocade Palace tonight. Let’s see how well I entertain him.”
“Your Highness… truly has a sharp tongue. This humble servant admires you.” Xiao Heye’s eyes held a faint smile, his expression calm. But as he spoke these words, he was practically grinding his teeth.
Su Tiyue, emboldened by some unknown courage, felt that even after saying so much, it still wasn’t enough to vent her frustration. Compared to the humiliation she had suffered earlier at the Heartview Pavilion, the words Xiao Heye had just heard were nothing.
She stood on tiptoe and, mimicking his earlier gesture, pinched Xiao Heye’s chin firmly with her fingers, teasingly saying, “I’m going to tease you anyway, and… I’ll dare to do it again next time…”
With that, Su Tiyue hurried out of the room with quick, light steps. Li Xun, who had been waiting outside, hadn’t provoked anyone, yet for no reason at all, Su Tiyue gave him a hard shove. If it weren’t for a pillar behind him, Li Xun’s backside would have suffered yet again.
Only after watching Su Tiyue walk some distance away did Li Xun enter with a pot of tea, leisurely remarking, “Supervisor, when our Consort Shu loses her temper, it’s truly terrifying. Even a passing dog would get kicked…”
“What, are you a dog?” Xiao Heye stepped over the mess on the floor, his tone casual.
Li Xun stole a glance at Xiao Heye and noticed he wasn’t truly angry, finally feeling a bit more at ease. After all, when his master got angry, lives were at stake. “This humble servant was just joking.”
Li Xun poured him a cup of tea, then bent down to pick up the shattered Helan inkstone, handing it to Xiao Heye. “Supervisor, what should we do with this inkstone?”
Xiao Heye took a sip of tea, his tone relaxed. “What can we do? I’m quite fond of it. Let’s just keep using it like this… It’s not like we can just throw it away, right?”
Li Xun understood and nodded. “This humble servant understands.”
“Dismissed.”
“Yes.”
Li Xun withdrew from the room, passed through the inner courtyard, and left the Night Silence Pavilion. He planned to check on the incense hall again to see how the task assigned by the Supervisor was progressing.
A few days earlier, Xiao Heye had suddenly ordered Li Xun to have the incense hall dismantled, saying it was an eyesore. He also mentioned plans to plant some flowers in that spot.
What kind of flowers was it again…? Li Xun tapped his head, trying to remember. It seemed like jasmine flowers—the Supervisor had said he wanted to plant a large patch of jasmine there.
“I like it very much… Could I possibly throw it away?” Xiao Heye’s words resurfaced in Li Xun’s mind once more. What exactly did the Director like—the Helan inkstone or the jasmine flower?
No, what exactly did the Director like—the Helan inkstone or the one from Brocade Palace?
Li Xun ventured a guess, but soon dismissed this absurd thought from his mind.
The Director was not that kind of person. The Director cared only for power; he was ruthless and merciless, and had no interest in women… Besides, Consort Shu was nothing special. The Director would never harbor any other intentions.