Xue Jiaoyue’s hands hurt, her cheeks stung, and tears streamed down her face. Overwhelmed with grievance, she grabbed the half-finished embroidery and stormed out.
“Jiaoyue?”
At the doorway, Xue Jiaoyue bumped into Xue Suichuan.
“Useless and still crying! How could I have given birth to such a fool!” Madam Zhou continued to berate her. Unable to bear it any longer, Jiaoyue didn’t even call out to her brother. Holding back tears, she hurried away.
Xue Suichuan watched her retreating figure, then stepped inside and asked, “Why are you arguing again?”
Already furious, Madam Zhou poured out her grievances like spilled beans. “It’s all because of your useless sister! I’ve been working so hard to plan for her future, and what does she do? She sides with outsiders! Look at her—already calling her ‘cousin-in-law’ so eagerly. In a few days, she’ll probably be willing to become someone’s foot-washing maid!”
Hearing the term “cousin-in-law,” Xue Suichuan raised an eyebrow. He sat down beside Madam Zhou and gently took her hand. “Jiaoyue is still young and doesn’t understand many things, Mother. Don’t be angry with her. As for our Princess Consort Jing…”
He paused, a faint smile curling his lips. “I’ll go see her later, Mother. Give me the Pass Token.”
The guards at that courtyard were too strict; without the token, Xue Suichuan couldn’t enter. If he forced his way in, the guards’ blades wouldn’t show him any mercy.
Madam Zhou frowned. “Why do you want to see her? Absolutely not!”
But for the past few hours, Shen Yao’s face and slender waist had been haunting Xue Suichuan’s mind, tormenting him with an unbearable itch. How could he give up so easily?
He coaxed patiently, “Mother, aren’t you angry that she hasn’t come to pay her respects? As the head of the household, you can’t lower yourself to ask. Those servants below won’t take it seriously either. It has to be me. Don’t worry, I promise she’ll come to pay her respects to you respectfully tomorrow!”
Shen Yao loosened her hair, removed her hairpins, washed up, and prepared for bed.
Qingque finished tidying the bed and stepped outside, only to let out a startled gasp.
Shen Yao hurried out a few steps, about to ask what was wrong.
Suddenly, a man’s amused voice sounded from outside. “No need to be alarmed, miss. I am Xue Suichuan, the prince’s cousin. I mean no harm. Look, here is my Pass Token.”
Shen Yao frowned.
What was he doing here so late?
Outside, Qingque asked warily, “It’s the middle of the night. May I ask why you’ve come, Young Master Xue?”
Xue Suichuan replied politely, “I have urgent matters to discuss with my cousin-in-law.”
Without hesitation, Qingque refused, “The princess consort has already retired for the night. Please return, Young Master Xue.”
But Xue Suichuan insisted, “It’s an emergency. Please inform her!”
Qingque remained firm. “I’ve served the princess consort since childhood and know that once she falls asleep, it’s very difficult to wake her. If it’s truly urgent, please come earlier tomorrow.”
Her tone was resolute, leaving no room for argument.
Xue Suichuan fell silent for a moment, then chuckled again. “Very well, I’ll return tomorrow morning.”
Outside, Qingque breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the room, Shen Yao also relaxed and walked toward the bed.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the window on the west side.
She turned to look and saw a dark figure pushing open the window and climbing in from outside!
Shen Yao inwardly thought, “This is bad.” The figure took two steps forward, and his frivolous, smiling face was illuminated brightly by the candle left by the bedside.
“Sister-in-law, you really did lie to me.”
Before Shen Yao could think further, she immediately tried to call for help. Xue Suichuan had anticipated this, and in two quick strides, he rushed forward, covering her mouth with his hand. “Shh—”
He had done this sort of thing many times, and he was extremely skilled at it.
“Sister-in-law, don’t scream! If you call them over and they see you alone with me in this room, it won’t sound good if word gets out. Besides, do you really want to live as a widow for the rest of your life?”
Shen Yao struggled. Although she had practiced martial arts with her father and brothers for a time, she was ultimately no match for Xue Suichuan, a grown man.
Sensing her resistance, Xue Suichuan’s breathing quickened slightly as he coaxed her, “Sister-in-law, you’ve never tasted the pleasures of intimacy, so you don’t know what you’re missing. Just once, and I promise you’ll think of me every night from then on, hmm?”
He lowered his head, his sticky gaze falling on Shen Yao’s face. Noticing she was staring at Xie Yuan on the bed, he chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law, my cousin won’t know. The best imperial physicians and renowned doctors have all come, and every one of them said he’ll never wake up in this lifetime. He’s already a useless man.”
Suddenly, Shen Yao lashed out, stomping hard on his right foot.
Xue Suichuan winced in pain, his grip loosening slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yao broke free with all her strength and shouted toward the door, “Qingque! Qiushan!”
They wouldn’t arrive that quickly—there was some distance from here to the door. Knowing she couldn’t outrun Xue Suichuan, Shen Yao gave up on rushing out and instead hurried toward a nearby curio shelf.
On the shelf lay a heavy sword.
According to Qiushan, this was Xie Yuan’s personal sword from his days leading troops into battle.
Shen Yao was a daughter born of a military family; she wouldn’t let herself be bullied so easily.
Xue Suichuan wore an amused expression. “Sister-in-law, are you sure you want to lure them in here? I’d rather not have outsiders see you disheveled in my arms… Be good, sister-in-law. Later, tell them to leave, and we can do it right here by my cousin’s bedside, hmm? He won’t know, but we can have our fun…”
“Shut up!”
Shen Yao snapped, using both hands to lift the iron sword.
She had wielded her father’s and brothers’ swords before, but she never expected this one to be so unbelievably heavy.
She struggled to lift it, her arms trembling uncontrollably.
And because her attention was so intensely focused, she didn’t notice the movement on the bed.
Gritting her teeth, she gripped the hilt tightly, pointing the sword squarely at Xue Suichuan before her.
If he dared to come closer, she would kill him with this sword!
Xue Suichuan, initially fearless and grinning, had been about to approach.
But then, as if seeing something utterly terrifying, his expression abruptly changed to one of sheer horror. Wide-eyed with fear, he retreated step by step.
While puzzled by his reaction, Shen Yao caught a faint whiff of medicinal fragrance.
Belatedly, she turned her head to look beside her. From this angle, she first saw pale, thin lips. Her gaze traveled upward and met a pair of sharp, narrow eyes.
The eyelids were thin, and the outer corners tilted slightly upward, giving them an imposing and distant air.
But when those dark pupils turned toward her, the sharpness faded, gradually replaced by a gentle, shimmering light.
Startled, Shen Yao nearly dropped the iron sword.
Xie Yuan promptly raised his hand, steadying her wrist and taking on most of the weight for her.
“Be careful.”
His voice, unused for so long, was hoarse and dry. Yet, to Shen Yao’s ears, it felt inexplicably reassuring.
“Thud!” On the other side, Xue Suichuan, terrified to the extreme, finally collapsed onto the ground with a thump.
“C-c-cousin!”