With that, he reluctantly turned and left.
Eunuch Hai’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Lu Chuyao slipped inside, his dark cloak carrying a chill from the night air.
Between his fingers, he still held a fresh green bamboo leaf—the sound mimicking “Empress Dowager summons” earlier had been blown from this very leaf.
“Sister Yao, wake up.”
Lu Chuyao quickly walked to Su Yao’s side, crouched down, and gently shook her shoulders.
Su Yao groggily opened her eyes, her consciousness not yet fully clear.
Her head throbbed with a splitting pain, and she instinctively raised a hand to rub her temples, asking in confusion, “Brother Chuyao? Where is this?”
As her gaze gradually focused and she took in the eerie furnishings of the room, her entire body froze in an instant, and she let out a terrified scream.
“Is this Eunuch Hai’s room?”
She trembled all over, her eyes filled with boundless fear.
“Brother Chuyao, take me away, quickly! If he comes back, it’ll be too late!”
Seeing Su Yao’s pitiful state, Lu Chuyao felt as if his heart were pierced by a thousand needles, the pain so intense he could hardly breathe.
Gritting his teeth, he swiftly drew the sword from his waist and, summoning all his strength, swung it at the iron chains.
Clang, clang, clang.
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the room, sparks flying everywhere.
One strike, two strikes—after several blows, the chain finally snapped with a sharp crack.
“Sister Yao, can you walk?”
Ignoring the soreness in his own arm, Lu Chuyao hurriedly crouched down to untie the coarse ropes binding Su Yao’s wrists.
Only then did Su Yao notice a fresh, bleeding gash on the web of his right hand, blood still seeping from the wound—clearly injured from the excessive force used to break the chains.
“You’re hurt?”
Su Yao reached out with a pained heart, wanting to touch the wound but afraid of hurting him, her hand hovering in mid-air.
Lu Chuyao shook his head dismissively. “It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious.”
A low murmur drifted from outside the door.
Lu Chuyao’s expression instantly sharpened. Without hesitation, he draped his cloak over Su Yao’s head, pulling her to her feet.
“Keep your voice down, someone’s coming! Sister Yao, I’ll take you away!”
In the palace corridor, several little eunuchs were hurrying to their duties, their hurried footsteps scraping against the stone pavement with a distinct tap-tap sound, unusually clear in the silent hallway.
Lu Chuyao shielded Su Yao closely, their figures flickering in and out of the shadows. Taking advantage of the little eunuchs’ attention being drawn ahead, they quietly slipped away from the other side.
They hurried along until they reached the side of a long-abandoned dry well, where they finally paused to catch their breath.
“Sister Yao, how on earth did you get involved with that man?”
“It’s a long story.”
Still shaken, Su Yao instinctively raised her hand to her ear upon hearing Lu Chuyao’s question, only to find her earring missing. She gasped in alarm, “Where’s my earring?”
Her voice choked up instantly. “It’s the only keepsake my mother left me…”
Seeing Su Yao’s panic, Lu Chuyao’s heart ached. He reached out and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, “Don’t worry. It must have fallen off in that room earlier. Don’t look back—just keep walking straight along this path. I’ll go back and find it for you. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
“Brother Chuyao… maybe forget it. What if you run into Eunuch Hai? It would be too dangerous.”
Tears welled in Su Yao’s eyes as she tightly grasped Lu Chuyao’s sleeve, her fingertips turning pale from tension.
“That was your mother’s keepsake, of extraordinary significance. No matter what, I must help you retrieve it. Don’t worry about me. As the son of the Grand Secretary, a mere little eunuch wouldn’t dare harm me.”
With that, he gently pried Su Yao’s hand away, turned, and hurried back the way they had come.
Watching Lu Chuyao’s retreating figure, Su Yao felt a tumult of emotions in her heart.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the unease within, and followed Lu Chuyao’s instructions, walking forward along the small path.
But as time passed, with each step, her heart grew heavier.
After walking for a long while without hearing Lu Chuyao’s footsteps catching up, Su Yao’s heartbeat began to race uncontrollably, and a sense of foreboding spread through her.
“No, I can’t just leave like this. What if something happens to Brother Chuyao?”
Gritting her teeth, Su Yao stopped, turned around, and ran back the way she had come.
Her hair flew wildly in the wind, her steps unsteady, her entire heart filled with concern for Lu Chuyao.
A heavy scent of blood assaulted her senses, nearly making her retch.
Through the fabric, Su Yao heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air, followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.
When she finally returned to the dried-up well where she had parted with Lu Chuyao, the sight before her froze her in place.
The old eunuch lay slumped by the well’s edge, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, his cloudy eyes bulging from their sockets.
Trembling, Su Yao approached, her fingertips brushing against something sticky and warm—blood—causing her hand to shake uncontrollably.
Lu Chuyao stood not far away.
“Brother Chuyao!”
Su Yao gasped, stumbling toward him and grabbing his sleeve.
“He… he’s dead?”
Lu Chuyao’s jaw was tense, his expression cold and rigid as he stared directly at Su Yao, as if locking all his emotions deep within.
“I don’t know.”
As he spoke, he slowly opened his palm, revealing a single red agate earring resting quietly in his hand.
Su Yao’s gaze instinctively fell upon the earring, but in an instant, she subtly withdrew her arm as if scalded.
She took half a step back, her figure melting into the shade of the trees, her face half-lit and half-shadowed in the dappled light, making her expression unreadable.
All of this had happened because of her.
She was determined to protect Lu Chuyao.
“I must have been mistaken. Eunuch Hai never came here today.”
…
Returning to her room, Su Yao’s legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the edge of her bed.
She stared blankly at the rippling water in the copper basin, her eyes hollow, when she suddenly noticed a bamboo leaf clinging to her skirt.
“This…”
Su Yao’s lips trembled slightly as her fingers involuntarily reached for the leaf, wanting to touch it but pulling back at the last moment.
Flustered, she stood up and tore off her clothes, as if trying to strip away all her secrets.
After changing, Su Yao forced herself to gather her composure and walked step by step toward the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber.
This time, the strange incense scent was absent from the chamber. She quickly retrieved the tea leaves and hurried back.
When the Empress Dowager saw Su Yao return, her smile froze for a moment.
Then, just as quickly, it returned to its usual warmth, though the depth of meaning in her eyes remained inscrutable.
“You silly girl, what took you so long?”
“This lowly servant is foolish and slow, taking so long to find it and delaying Your Majesty’s enjoyment.” Su Yao lowered her head slightly, afraid the Empress Dowager might detect any flaw.
The Empress Dowager waved a hand, her gaze lingering on Su Yao for a moment longer before slowly shifting away.
“Enough, enough. Begin now. Everyone is waiting.”
Su Yao took a deep breath, raised her head, and her gaze inadvertently swept over Lu Chuyao, who had already returned to his seat.
Their eyes met, and only then did Su Yao steady her mind. She slowly extended her hand and picked up the teacup.
Su Yao failed to notice Lu Huaijin beside Lu Chuyao, whose expression at that moment was as dark as could be. In those deep eyes, a storm brewed that could chill one to the bone.
Before this cup of tea was even finished steeping, chaos had already erupted outside…