Su Tiyue stared blankly at the powerful and ruthless Chief Seal Keeper eunuch before her, somewhat unable to guess his thoughts.
Just moments ago, Xiao Heye had said that with lives at stake, neither she nor Liu Wan could escape. Why had he now changed his tune and said he would help her?
After a short while, seeing her still hesitating, Xiao Heye lost patience. He snorted coldly, his face darkening as he turned and walked toward the door.
Seeing this, Su Tiyue hurriedly called out to his retreating back, “Yes!”
Her voice was clear and crisp, as if she had mustered great strength to shout it.
Su Tiyue lifted the tattered hem of her skirt and quickly walked up to him. Though she feared him, she forced herself to appear calm and said, “I am willing to trust the Chief Seal Keeper. I beg the Chief Seal Keeper to help me once…”
Xiao Heye’s eyes fixed intently on Su Tiyue’s delicate, lovely face, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Xiao Heye said, “This servant can help Your Ladyship, but I wonder if Your Ladyship will obey obediently?”
“I will. As long as Chief Eunuch Xiao can ensure the safety of my Su clan, I will do whatever you say.” Su Tiyue’s reply was extremely straightforward and decisive. At this point, she had already run out of options.
Since Xiao Heye had offered to help her, Su Tiyue would certainly grasp tightly onto this lifeline.
No matter the cost.
Xiao Heye heard the answer he wanted and seemed quite pleased. He casually untied his own black cloak and then leisurely draped it over her shoulders, lowering his head to carefully fasten it for her.
Finally, he stared at Su Tiyue before him, looking her up and down. In his deep, dark eyes, a few inexplicable traces of amusement appeared.
A smile playing at the corner of his lips, Xiao Heye leaned in close to her ear, seemingly deliberately lowering his voice as he said, “It’s not that Your Ladyship is willing to trust this servant, but rather that Your Ladyship has no other choice.”
Xiao Heye was so clever—how could he not know her true thoughts?
Having seen right through her, Su Tiyue didn’t know how to respond. She simply lowered her head and avoided looking at him.
“Your Ladyship, your hairpin is a bit crooked.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently touched the silver hairpin in her hair.
But the mention of the hairpin made Su Tiyue suddenly look up, her expression fearful as she panicked and took half a step back. Unexpectedly, her foot stepped on the trailing edge of the cloak, causing her to instantly lose her balance and fall straight backward.
Fortunately, Xiao Heye was quick-eyed and swift-handed. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back to his side.
At that moment, the distance between them was mere inches—she had almost pressed against Chief Eunuch Xiao’s chest.
After steadying herself, Su Tiyue took half a step back and gently pushed him away, saying, “Since Chief Eunuch Xiao is willing to help me, there must be conditions.”
“I just don’t know if what the Chief Seal Keeper wants is something I can give?”
“If Your Ladyship cannot give it, this servant would not take such a great risk… to help you clean up this mess.” He drawled slowly, glancing back at Prince Rong’s corpse.
Xiao Heye’s expression remained as calm as still water. “Didn’t this servant just say? All I ask is that Your Ladyship obeys obediently.”
Su Tiyue still felt uneasy and said, “I can obey, but let me make this clear first, Chief Eunuch Xiao… I, I won’t help you do things like killing, arson, or harming others.”
“Heh…” Xiao Heye couldn’t help but laugh. “With Your Ladyship’s slender arms and delicate legs, this servant doesn’t expect you to do such harmful deeds.”
“Your Ladyship can rest assured, the task this servant has asked of you… is reasonable, justified, and lawful.”
Su Tiyue could hardly believe her ears and cautiously asked again, “Really?”
Xiao Heye nodded with a smile.
“Your Ladyship, let us leave this place first. This servant will handle the remaining matters.”
As he spoke, Xiao Heye leaned forward slightly and offered his arm.
Su Tiyue remained silent for a moment, glanced back at Prince Rong’s body, then, as if making a firm decision, gently placed her fingers on his arm.
She looked up at Xiao Heye, her gaze soft yet filled with anxiety and unease.
She knew that, having reached this point, it would be difficult to end things peacefully no matter what.
Moreover, Xiao Heye was so clever—he had likely long known that this hairpin was the murder weapon used to kill Prince Rong.
Now, with both the culprit and the evidence caught, Su Tiyue feared it would be hard for her to escape.
At this point, she could only take one step at a time.
…
After the two left the incense hall, Xiao Heye led her toward the direction of the Nightfall Pavilion.
The Nightfall Pavilion… was his residence.
The closer they got to that place, the more Su Tiyue’s heart raced and her legs weakened. If not for the support of Xiao Heye’s arm, this journey would have been difficult to endure.
Inside the room, charcoal burned warmly. Su Tiyue sat beside the square table, her hands folded on its surface, staring blankly at the snowy scene outside the window.
“This servant has had hot water prepared.”
Xiao Heye walked in, closing the door behind him. “Your Ladyship, shall this servant assist you with bathing and changing?”
“Hmm… What?”
Thinking she had misheard.
Su Tiyue widened her eyes, watching as he approached her slowly, holding a pure white sleeping gown in his hand.
“Is this… your clothing?” she stammered.
“It is brand new, never worn by this servant. If Your Ladyship finds it unsuitable, this servant can send someone to your Brocade Palace to fetch your own garments.”
Su Tiyue waved her hand hurriedly. “There is no need for such trouble. I do not mind it.”
“However… I can bathe myself. There is no need to trouble the Chief Seal Keeper.”
Su Tiyue took the clothing from his hand and, with her head lowered, walked toward the bathtub behind the screen.
Though she had spoken so plainly, Xiao Heye shamelessly followed her.
Xiao Heye knew what she feared. To put her at ease, he said:
“In this palace, there are more eunuchs than palace maids. Serving the master by bathing and changing clothes is part of this servant’s duties. Besides… has this servant not already seen everything on Your Ladyship’s body, whether appropriate or not?”
Su Tiyue: …
Though his words were true, being bathed by a eunuch was indeed her first time. Moreover, this was no ordinary eunuch—he was the Chief Seal Keeper of the Directorate of Ceremonies, the head of the Eastern Depot.
Embarrassment was one thing; fear of him was another.
Unable to argue further, Su Tiyue could only nod gently, forcing herself to appear calm. “Then I shall trouble the Chief Seal Keeper.”
She no longer resisted, turning her back to him as she silently removed her outer robe, untied the inner garment’s fastenings, stripped off her clothes, and immersed herself in the water as quickly as possible.
Seeing her so shy and adorable, a faint, inexplicable smile appeared on Xiao Heye’s face.
Curling the corner of his mouth, he walked to the edge of the bathtub, reached out to remove the silver hairpin, and placed it on the wooden shelf nearby.
Xiao Heye gently tidied her slightly disheveled hair, skillfully twisting her dark tresses into a bun. In the process, he glanced sideways at the silver hairpin.
Xiao Heye had guessed correctly.
The silver hairpin on Su Tiyue’s head was sharp and pointed, its shape perfectly matching the wound on Prince Rong’s body, with traces of blood still lingering on it, not fully wiped clean…
If Xiao Heye and Li Xun hadn’t barged in earlier, allowing Su Tiyue and that little palace maid to escape, and Prince Rong had died inexplicably in the incense hall of the South Garden… with no evidence left, his position as Chief Seal Keeper would have been as precarious as sitting on needles, his back prickling with unease.
He leaned forward, dipped the cotton towel in his hand into water, wrung it until it was half-dry, and carefully wiped the wound on her back.
“Hiss—”
As soon as the towel touched the wound, Su Tiyue’s body trembled slightly. Unable to hold back, she let out a sound.
“Your Ladyship, please bear with it. The wound must be cleaned thoroughly, and only after applying medicine will it heal faster,” he whispered. As he spoke, his movements grew much gentler.
“Mmm.” Su Tiyue bit her lip, trying her best not to make another sound. No matter how painful it was, she had to endure it. Otherwise, how long would this cleaning take? This dreadful place—she didn’t want to stay a moment longer.
“Your Ladyship, could you recount tonight’s events from the beginning for this servant?”
Since Xiao Heye had agreed to help her, it was necessary for him to understand the full story.
Su Tiyue took a deep breath and remained silent for a long while. Only after calming her panicked emotions did she slowly begin to recount the events.
“Today, the Emperor held a banquet in the Hall of Light to celebrate Consort Ji’s investiture. During the banquet, I indulged a bit too much and drank a few extra cups of fruit wine. On the way back to Brocade Palace in the evening, I caught a chill from the wind. The wine was particularly potent, so Liu Wan helped me into the incense hall, thinking I could rest there for a while until I sobered up before returning to the palace.”
“Unexpectedly, we encountered the drunken Prince Rong in the incense hall. At first, he tried to pull me into drinking with him. After I refused, he became enraged and attempted to act improperly toward me…”
“Prince Rong blocked the entrance, preventing Liu Wan and me from leaving the incense hall. Later, the three of us got into a fight. After Prince Rong knocked Liu Wan unconscious, he still tried to assault me… At the time, I wasn’t fully conscious either and might have acted too forcefully. I pushed him, and he fell against a table. His forehead bled profusely, and I was terrified.”
Hearing this, Xiao Heye let out a cold laugh and circled around the edge of the bathtub to stand in front of her. He lifted Su Tiyue’s fingers and gently, meticulously cleaned the blood from between them, his tone somewhat teasing: “So, Your Ladyship was ganging up on him? Two against one? And fighting a Prince Rong who was dead drunk?”
Su Tiyue: …
“It was clearly him who bullied us first. Prince Rong is lewd and shameless, with no respect for his elders. Though I may not be favored, I am still a consort of the current Emperor. Chief Eunuch Xiao, if this matter were truly investigated, I would have my defense.”
“Mmm, this servant thinks Your Ladyship makes a valid point. Your Ladyship, a noble and delicate flower, naturally cannot be easily tainted by others.” Xiao Heye smiled and said:
“What happened next?”
“Later, he went mad, swinging his sword wildly. With no way out, I…” Su Tiyue glanced back at the hairpin, her eyes filled only with terror and helplessness. Her pitiful expression seemed as if she might burst into tears at any moment: “That’s when I caused this great disaster.”
Perhaps it was because she was too afraid, too terrified, and too filled with hatred… or perhaps it was because the wine was truly potent and harmful. By the time she regained her senses, she realized she had stabbed Prince Rong to death with that silver hairpin.
What followed was the scene when Xiao Heye and Li Xun stumbled upon them.
Perhaps Xiao Heye’s guess was not wrong—Prince Rong was guilty, but his crimes did not warrant death.
Su Tiyue also harbored hatred in her heart, but she dared not speak it aloud.
Whenever she thought of how her younger sister, Nianyue, had died unjustly and tragically in Prince Rong’s mansion, she hated Prince Rong with a burning, teeth-gritting fury.
In Yong’an City, everyone knew that Su Sui, the Minister of Revenue, had two daughters who were as beautiful as celestial beings and gifted in both talent and appearance. One had married the Emperor, and the other had married a prince. People said it was a stroke of extraordinary luck for the Su family, a blessing cultivated in a past life.
But what was so good about entering the palace as a consort? The current Emperor neglected state affairs, was foolish and cruel, and his debauchery in the harem was widely known.
Prince Rong, being the Emperor’s fourth brother, was naturally no better. When Su Nianyue died, Prince Rong’s mansion had merely offered a simple explanation, blaming it on her poor health—claiming she had contracted a strange illness that no medicine could cure…
Su Tiyue choked back sobs several times, tears dampening her thick, long eyelashes. The thought of Nianyue… left her unable to utter another word.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Heye did not press further. “Understood. Your Highness, rest assured. Leave the rest to this servant.”
Xiao Heye’s expression remained calm, as if he were listening to something trivial and insignificant. Leaning with one hand on the edge of the bathtub, he bent down and gently wiped away the bloodstains and tear tracks from her face.