The usually low-key Consort Shu from Jinxiu Palace had been making quite a stir these past few days, with two incidents quickly spreading throughout the palace.
Rumors, after all, tend to be exaggerated.
The first incident was whispered among the palace staff: no one knew what method Su Tiyue had used, but she somehow managed to have Chief Eunuch Xiao personally recommend her to the Emperor for an audience.
Clearly, this referred to the incident at Jingxin Pavilion. When Su Tiyue heard this, she felt nothing but exasperation. She had been framed by Xiao Heye—she was innocent, okay? She knew nothing about it, okay?
The second incident concerned her move into Tingyu Pavilion. Many in the palace heard about it and were eagerly waiting to see her make a fool of herself. They watched, expecting that by staying close to Xiao Heye, that great evil demon, she would eventually get burned and end up with a miserable fate—reduced to ashes.
Su Tiyue: “…Can’t people just wish others well?”
Su Tiyue sighed, took a big sip of the red date and snow pear soup that Liu Wan had just stewed, then walked to the window on the left side of the daybed. She leaned out, took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, and took the opportunity to admire the scenery of Yelan Pavilion’s inner courtyard.
After moving into Tingyu Pavilion, Su Tiyue’s bedroom was set up on the second floor. Opening the north-facing window, she could just catch a glimpse of Yelan Pavilion’s inner courtyard.
If by chance, Xiao Heye also went up to the second floor of Yelan Pavilion and sat by the window sipping tea, they could just peer at each other through the windows.
But in reality, there weren’t that many coincidences.
Due to the incident involving Xue Yu, the prefect of Xuzhou, Xiao Heye’s decisive and ruthless approach had drawn opposition and impeachment from a large number of officials in the court. To silence them, he personally drafted a memorial filled with Xue Yu’s crimes of corruption, abuse of power, and forming cliques for personal gain. Although the case had both witnesses and material evidence, handling it remained extremely challenging.
Because Xiao Heye had acted first and reported later, and because his methods were cruel, and also because… he himself was a great treacherous official.
As those in the court put it: “When it comes to corruption, abuse of power, and forming cliques for personal gain, no one in the entire Beiliang can surpass Xiao Heye, that mad dog.” However, they could only talk—no one could produce a shred of evidence. Xiao Heye was meticulous in his work, never leaving behind any evidence or giving others cause for criticism. Precisely because of this… whenever a meticulously executed, flawless tragedy occurred in Yong’an City, everyone would instinctively turn their gaze toward Xiao Heye, the Chief Seal Keeper of the Directorate of Ceremonies.
To this, Xiao Heye had never denied it, even though not all of those incidents were his doing.
Over time, Xiao Heye grew accustomed to it, carrying out his duties and killings with increasing recklessness under the reputation of a villain.
Everyone feared Xiao Heye and wanted to eliminate him as soon as possible, yet they were all as timid as mice, afraid that Xiao Heye would seize an opportunity for revenge. So they could only huddle together for warmth. The moment Xiao Heye made a single misstep, they would pounce on him like jackals and tigers in the wilderness, biting him fiercely even if it meant getting their mouths bloodied.
In their eyes, as long as Xiao Heye died, anything was worth it.
Unfortunately, they had yet to get their wish.
…
Su Tiyue knew nothing of the affairs in the court, but late at night, she would still often go to Yelan Pavilion. She would shamelessly climb into his bed in the middle of the night, nestling close to Xiao Heye and falling into a deep sleep, only to fear being discovered by the people of Jinxiu Palace and quietly slip back before dawn.
Xiao Heye was a light sleeper. Her constant back-and-forth, seemingly out of goodwill to warm his bed, actually meant that on every night she was there, Xiao Heye slept rather poorly.
But he endured it nonetheless.
It was just that one morning, on his way back to the Listening Rain Pavilion, he happened to run into Liu Wan and Qing Wu, who were up for a nighttime trip to the restroom…
The moment their six eyes met, she truly wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Liu Wan understood Su Tiyue’s difficulties and intentions and didn’t say much about it.
But Qing Wu had completely misunderstood.
That day, Qing Wu scratched her head and paced back and forth in the room… circling Su Tiyue several times before she finally realized something.
About why her mistress had suddenly insisted on moving to the Listening Rain Pavilion, and why Su Tiyue would run to the Night Silence Pavilion in the middle of the night.
Qing Wu could only think of one answer: Her mistress liked Chief Eunuch Xiao.
“Mistress, if you truly like Chief Eunuch Xiao… although I don’t quite understand this behavior of yours, you are the mistress, and no matter what you do, I will support you. After all, matters of the heart are hard to explain.”
Qing Wu scratched her head and said, “Also, Mistress… has your relationship already reached this point?” She gently tapped her two index fingers together.
“Huh?” Su Tiyue glanced helplessly at Liu Wan and opened her mouth. This matter really wasn’t easy to explain to Qing Wu… Qing Wu knew nothing about the Prince Rong affair, and even less about the deal between Su Tiyue and Xiao Heye.
It was understandable that Qing Wu would think this way.
Since it couldn’t be explained clearly, it was better to go along with it.
“Oh… yes, that’s indeed the case. Qing Wu… but could you keep this a secret for me?” Su Tiyue stammered and nodded in acknowledgment.
Qing Wu rolled her eyes at her: “What are you thinking, Mistress? Such a big matter—how dare I speak of it… If word accidentally got out, we’d all be finished.”
“But Mistress, I can’t understand… what exactly do you like about Chief Eunuch Xiao?” Qing Wu hung her head and asked her.
Su Tiyue hesitated for a long while, thinking for a long time but unable to find a suitable reason.
In the end, it was Liu Wan who came to her rescue: “Qing Wu, you mustn’t be so improper. The mistress treats us well, so we should do everything to share her burdens. Don’t forget, she is the mistress…”
Liu Wan poked Qing Wu’s head with her finger and scolded, “Is the mistress’s secret something you can pry into?”
Qing Wu looked aggrieved: “Oh, Liu Wan… I understand all that, but I’m just curious…”
“No curiosity allowed. Go out and work, come on.” Liu Wan dragged her downstairs and out of Su Tiyue’s bedroom.
From afar, Qing Wu’s voice could still be heard: “Liu Wan, tell me the truth—did you already know about this?”
“Hey… Liu Wan, do you know or not…?”
“Shh, Qing Wu, keep your voice down…”
Their voices grew fainter and fainter, and Su Tiyue’s ears finally quieted down.
Sigh…
She collapsed heavily onto the soft couch and let out a sigh.
She didn’t know how to describe her feelings at that moment. In any case, Liu Wan and Qing Wu were the people she trusted the most, and sooner or later, she would have to tell them about this matter.
However, after this incident, Su Tiyue decided to dismiss some of the attendants around her, as too many people meant too many eyes, and she couldn’t possibly keep everyone’s mouth shut.
Over the past year or so, aside from Qing Wu and Liu Wan, there was one other person Su Tiyue could trust—the eunuch Xiao Anzi.
Xiao Anzi’s original name was An Ran.
Though his name included the word “Xiao” (meaning “little”), he was actually quite handsome and robust, seemingly possessing endless energy. He spoke little, was diligent, kind-hearted, and utterly loyal to Su Tiyue—a rare breath of fresh air in the murky atmosphere of the palace.
Su Tiyue knew he was introverted and often bullied by the mischievous Qing Wu, so she took extra care of him.
Fortunately, Xiao Anzi was someone who knew how to repay kindness and had never let Su Tiyue down.
Su Tiyue decided to keep only the three of them in the Tingyu Pavilion and dismissed all the other palace maids and eunuchs.
The next morning, it was already Chen hour, and the sky had been bright for some time.
Xiao Heye opened his eyes and turned his head to see the sleeping face beside him on the pillow, fair with a rosy tint, always looking innocent and pure.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced silently at that delicate, lovely face, his brows slightly furrowed, finding it somewhat unbelievable… At this hour, Su Tiyue would usually have already sneaked back to the Tingyu Pavilion.
Had the sun risen from the west today, or… had she overslept?
If that were truly the case, Xiao Heye began to feel a bit of anticipation—what expression would she have when she woke up and realized she was still in the Yelan Pavilion?
Hah… Indeed, keeping such a soft, adorable little thing by his side didn’t seem so bad after all.
Xiao Heye curled the corner of his mouth, half-turned his body, shifted into a more comfortable position, and continued to gaze at her, even reaching out to gently smooth a few stray strands of hair from Su Tiyue’s cheek.
Perhaps because Xiao Heye had shifted, the space under the blanket suddenly felt emptier. Half-asleep, Su Tiyue felt a chill and instinctively snuggled closer to Xiao Heye, curling up against his chest, content only when she was nestled against him like a small kitten. Her hands weren’t entirely well-behaved either, her fingers tightly clutching the corner of his robe.
In that moment, Xiao Heye felt a sense of disorientation… the emotions in his eyes gradually grew obscure and inscrutable.
He felt as though everything around him was both real and illusory, a blur of light and shadow. Yet, standing amidst it all, Xiao Heye felt as if he were in a fairyland.