Chapter 27.1

A damp sensation trailed down her neck, leaving a faint stinging in its wake.

This man actually seemed to be in earnest, bowing his head to leave marks on her, spot by spot.

From light to dark, in no time at all the fair skin was covered in marks, and where he’d pressed harder, faint bruises even showed.

This was perhaps one of Xie Yan’s rarer preferences on the bed—he loved seeing the marks he left on her body.

Watching his breathing grow heavier, his hand beneath her clothes gradually creeping upward, Su Jiao gathered some strength and pushed at him.

“Get off.”

Xie Yan ignored her, all the heat in his body gathering in one place, and he buried his face against her, nearly intoxicated by her scent.

A little closer, just a little closer would be enough…

She pushed at him again, and the not-insignificant force made the man, who was bowed over kissing her, frown.

Xie Yan effortlessly caught her wrists and pinned them above her head, his fingertips brushing the bronze mirror with a clinking sound, and the chill of it made her flinch.

Xie Yan’s lips pressed against her, his words muffled and unclear.

“I won’t move recklessly, just let me kiss you… a kiss and that’s all.”

His strength was truly impossible to break free of, his scorching breath and panting both right by her ear. Su Jiao, feeling the warmth of his movements against her body, gradually let the tension she’d gathered slacken.

“Swish—”

Her sash slid loose to the floor. She bit her lip, her face already entirely flushed, gradually growing dazed, her reason ensnared.

With only her inner robe left on her body, she kept feeling somewhat cold, and so instinctively pressed closer against him, only to have Xie Yan press down on her waist instead.

“Xie…”

She looked up and met Xie Yan’s restrained, reddened gaze.

Sweat dripped down from his forehead drop by drop, his hand sliding past her waist, downward—

“Don’t…”

“I won’t go further.”

He muttered the words carelessly, lowering his eyes to look at her flushed, dazed expression.

“Just let you feel a little pleasure…”

His own clothes remained fully on his body, while a steady, unrelenting heat could clearly be felt against her stomach and waist, growing hotter by the moment.

Xie Yan pushed aside her under-skirt and slid his hand down.

****

Before evening fell, the main hall of Yongning Hall called for bathwater once.

Su Jiao came out from bathing, her body languid, and behind the screen she pulled open her robe, looking at the bruised marks left on her neck and waist—the slightest touch brought a stinging pain.

She drew in a sharp breath of cold air, cursing Xie Yan a thousand times over in her heart.

What he’d said hadn’t been a lie exactly—in the end the man’s own clothes had stayed properly on his body—but the hand gripping her waist had only grown more forceful, as if he wished he could press her right into his bones.

Sure enough, the seventeen-year-old Xie Yan was even more reckless than his later self, having learned nothing but the skill of charging ahead heedlessly.

She applied medicine and dressed herself before coming out, while that man sat to one side looking thoroughly disreputable, still giving off a faint chill, water droplets dripping down from his clothes.

Seeing her come out, Xie Yan deliberately waved a pair of hands in front of her eyes.

“Did it feel good?”

Su Jiao, expressionless, lifted her foot to kick him.

Xie Yan dodged aside, laughing again.

The husband and wife had only just finished their evening meal at Yongning Hall when a eunuch came in.

“His Majesty requests the Third Prince and the Prince’s Consort to come together.”

Ever since he’d been able to leave Yongning Hall, Emperor Jia had summoned Xie Yan every few days, but this was the first time he’d asked for her to come along as well.

The two of them went together to Qianqing Palace, where they found both the Emperor and Empress present.

“I called you here today because there’s something I’ve been thinking about.”

Emperor Jia got straight to the point, looking at Su Jiao.

“Since you married into the imperial family, you still haven’t properly paid respects to your mother-in-law the Empress. Why not go pay your respects today.”

Su Jiao was startled for a moment before she understood that the “mother-in-law the Empress” he spoke of was the former Empress who had died many years ago.

She immediately looked at Xie Yan—he too seemed somewhat taken aback, and after a moment he turned his head to silently ask her with his eyes.

Want to go?

He hadn’t originally planned to bring her to see his mother this soon—his mother’s palace had long been sealed off by Emperor Jia, only opened once a year on her death anniversary; ordinarily, even if he wanted to go, he’d have to request the Emperor’s permission first.

He hadn’t expected Emperor Jia to bring it up himself.

Meeting Xie Yan’s eyes, Su Jiao hesitated only a moment before nodding.

Now that she was part of the imperial family, it was only proper that she pay respects to his mother.

After all, in her previous life, she had never formally paid respects to this mother-in-law either.

The group then went together to the palace where the former Empress had lived during her lifetime.

The former Empress, like her son later would, had not lived in Fengyi Palace either—her residence had been very close to Emperor Jia’s. It was said that in their younger years the two of them had been deeply devoted to each other; for many years the other palace quarters had stood empty, the Emperor unwilling to be parted from his wife, so he’d had a palace built just behind Qianqing Palace for her, staying there day and night, inseparable.

The former Empress had died the year Xie Yan turned seven. The Emperor had grieved so deeply he suspended court for three days, personally escorted her coffin to the imperial mausoleum, and upon returning ordered a Buddhist hall set up within the palace, where he personally chanted and copied sutras, even enshrining a statue of the Goddess of Rebirth, and brought the Third Prince there every year.

Someone swept and cleaned the palace daily. As the group entered, Su Jiao saw an eternal flame lit within, and before it stood an enormous statue of the Goddess of Rebirth, with two smaller ones to the side.

Incense smoke curled through the hall. Emperor Jia gestured to a eunuch nearby, and someone brought incense forward to Su Jiao.

Emperor Jia stood to one side, looking at the gentle woman in the portrait before him, his eyes reddening without his realizing it.

The gloom on Xie Yan’s brow deepened further; he said nothing.

The former Empress’s death had always been a scar on both father and son’s hearts.

Su Jiao knew well that Xie Yan deeply revered his mother, and so since she had come, she took the incense, intending to bow to the goddess with real sincerity.

The incense was lit in her hand. Su Jiao knelt on the cushion and bowed with genuine feeling.

She rose and walked forward holding the incense, and just as she was about to insert it into the burner, the long incense stick suddenly snapped, scattered sparks landing in the curve of her hand, sparking a sharp sting.

“Hiss…”

Su Jiao drew in a soft, sharp breath.

Xie Yan frowned and was about to step forward when Emperor Jia had already swept his sleeve.

“Bring the Prince’s Consort another stick of incense.”

A palace attendant acknowledged the order.

The incense was lit again, but once more it snapped before it could be delivered to the front of the hall.

Emperor Jia spoke to Xie Yan.

“Perhaps the wind is too strong. Go close the window.”

The third stick of incense was brought before her, the attendant standing three steps away, so Su Jiao had no choice but to rise and take it herself.

The instant she turned, her hair brushed past the nearest statue of the Goddess of Rebirth behind her. The attendant suddenly stepped forward two paces, and Su Jiao instinctively stepped back half a step—and the instant she sensed her back touching the statue of the Goddess of Rebirth, she reacted quickly and reached out to steady it.

The disaster struck in that very instant as she reached to steady it—a gust of wind blew in from outside the door, extinguishing all the swaying eternal flames within the room at once. In the instant the hall fell into darkness, there came a “clatter—” sound of something shattering on the ground.

Before Su Jiao could even react, a scream rang out from outside the door.

“Oh no, assassin—!”

The instant the lights went out, Xie Yan had already turned and started moving toward Su Jiao. Before he could draw near, two shadowy figures swept past him, heading straight for the door.

A eunuch rushed in, panicked, holding up a lamp, illuminating the alarmed expressions of the Emperor, Empress, and attendants. The Imperial Guards shielded the Emperor and Empress as they hurried out. Xie Yan swept his gaze back through the room, his face darkening.

“Where is the Prince’s Consort?”

He grabbed the eunuch who had handed Su Jiao the incense earlier.

“The Prince’s Consort… the Prince’s Consort, she… that…”

The eunuch stammered, pointing outside. Before he could finish speaking, Xie Yan had already snatched a sword from a nearby guard and dashed out at a run.

The dark figure ran past the front of the palace, one hand still gripping a pale-clothed figure, using lightness skill to leap over the edge of the wall just as a fierce sword thrust came from behind.

The assassin turned and saw Xie Yan, visibly startled. Xie Yan’s sword struck rapidly, every blow aimed straight at vital points; within just a few moves the assassin had clearly begun losing ground. He feinted to dodge Xie Yan’s incoming blade, and leaping downward with Su Jiao in tow, he crossed over the pond in front of the palace and let go, dropping her down.

Xie Yan threw aside his sword and, without the slightest hesitation, leapt down after her.

Only two splashing sounds were heard, then all movement at the pond’s edge ceased.

Emperor Jia, having just emerged from the palace hall, saw this scene and his face instantly darkened, his expression unreadable.

Spring had only just begun, and the water in the pond was bitterly cold to the bone. Clothes soaked with water grew heavy at once, and Su Jiao’s whole body sank the moment she fell in.

Submerged entirely in the icy water, the breath in her chest grew thinner and thinner as the water pressed in; the more she struggled, the weaker she became.

Just as she was about to sink to the bottom of the pond, a figure broke through the water toward her, his anxious brow easing only slightly the instant he caught sight of her. Xie Yan wrapped one arm around her waist and made for the shore at tremendous speed.

“Splash—”

Two figures emerged from the water. Emperor Jia shouted to stop a guard nearby who was about to jump in, and watching Xie Yan hold Su Jiao, both of them dripping wet, he called out, his face grim.

“Why hasn’t the Imperial Physician been summoned yet!”

In such cold weather, the eunuchs nearby, taking the hint, immediately brought over a prepared cloak to drape over Xie Yan.

He shoved it away with a dark expression and made to leave, carrying Su Jiao.

“Ah!”

The Empress cried out in surprise, pointing at the shattered remains of the Goddess of Rebirth statue scattered across the floor inside the hall.

“This… how did this bodhisattva statue break—this was something His Majesty went to such trouble to obtain… how could Jiaojiao have broken it?”

Emperor Jia’s gaze swept over the shattered pieces on the floor inside, and he was instantly furious.

“Stop right there!”

Xie Yan turned around, still holding Su Jiao, and narrowed his eyes to meet Emperor Jia’s gaze.

“Your Prince’s Consort…”

“It wasn’t her.”

Xie Yan cut off Emperor Jia’s words, his expression blank.

In his arms, Su Jiao, who had been about to speak, looked at him in stunned surprise as well.

Feeling the trembling of the body in his arms, Xie Yan’s expression turned colder still, his gaze sweeping inch by inch over the people standing in the courtyard.

From the Empress, her face showing surprise yet tinged with satisfaction, to Emperor Jia, his face livid with rage.

He suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Who handed the incense to the Prince’s Consort?”

A young eunuch stepped forward.

“This servant saw—ah—!”

Xie Yan, expressionless, drew the sword from beside him, and with one swift motion, the eunuch’s head rolled from his neck.

This scene instantly horrified everyone in the courtyard; even the Empress, who had been about to speak, fell silent.

Emperor Jia’s lips moved.

“You…”

“Three sticks of incense were sent and all three went out—shouldn’t that tell you how damp that incense was, and how careless the attendants who clean and serve in the palace daily must be? And he claims he saw the Prince’s Consort break the Goddess of Rebirth, so it must have been her who broke it?”

Xie Yan carried Su Jiao inside, his gaze sweeping toward the statues of the Goddess of Rebirth enshrined before the hall—the largest one still stood at the back as before, but of the two smaller goddess statues that had originally flanked it, only one remained, standing alone.

Xie Yan raised his hand—

“Crash—”

The remaining statue shattered to the ground as well.

“Xie Yan!”

He met Emperor Jia’s gaze without flinching or evading.

“The Goddess of Rebirth statues enshrined before Empress Mother’s hall have, after all these years, long accumulated incense ash and shown signs of age. These two brand-new statues today—were they placed here by careless attendants who mixed them up, or—”

He paused, his tone icy.

“Or did someone give orders long in advance, just waiting for this very moment?”

Emperor Jia’s breathing suddenly grew heavy.

“Where is the assassin?”

No one in the hall spoke; everywhere Xie Yan’s gaze passed, people lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Re—reporting to the Third Prince, he wasn’t caught…”

“Within the deep palace itself, assassins have appeared time and again—what use are Imperial Guards like this? Father Emperor, why not have them all executed and let me serve as your guard instead?”

The Imperial Guards all lowered their heads one after another.

“If you don’t wish to guard Father Emperor…”

Xie Yan let out a cold laugh, his chilly brow growing more indifferent still.

He spoke offhandedly.

“Then perhaps switching to being an assassin instead might earn you more favor, who knows.”