When the Di people of the north had presented that small box of crimson paste, they had described it thus:
Red Blood Crow. It did not dissolve in water but was soluble in fat. When burned, it released a singular fragrance that could soften one’s bones and set the blood boiling. If decocted and ingested, its effects were mild; however, if inhaled as incense, they became violent.
Though Red Blood Crow was uncommon in Chizhou, it was by no means a peerless rarity. Many noble families in the city kept it in their collections to add a bit of sport to their private chambers, as it did not cause fundamental harm to the body.
Yet few knew that Red Blood Crow was incompatible with pungent substances when consumed with wine. Alcohol accelerated the pulse, while pungent ingredients trapped heat within the dantian rather than allowing it to dissipate through the skin. This combination transformed the original effects of the Red Blood Crow into something truly terrifying. At best, it caused night sweats, loss of speech, tinnitus, and palpitations; at worst, it led to a total loss of consciousness and incontinence.
Lady Bo set down the empty wine cup, her fingertips still trembling.
She had personally added the Red Blood Crow to the lamp oil. She had personally brewed the yellow wine infused with epimedium and cnidium fruit. No one knew better than she what the consequences would be after inhaling that scent and then drinking that wine.
Thus, she had held that single mouthful of wine against her tongue, refusing to swallow it no matter what.
As long as he let her go now, she could still...
However, the man before her clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily.
"Lady Bo, how is the wine?"
The Emperor watched her with composed interest, as if truly waiting for a critique.
Lady Bo froze. The pungency of the wine swirled in her mouth, the sensation rushing straight to her head.
With every step she took, he knew her next move. He pressed closer, cornering her at every turn. She wanted to forfeit and admit defeat, but she could no longer leave the board.
Lifting the back of her tongue, she finally swallowed the bitter draught.
"It is... excellent. This concubine thanks Your Majesty for the gift of wine..."
"You have a fine tolerance, Lady. On such a beautiful night, fine wine should be paired with a fine lady. You must not let it go to waste."
She watched helplessly as that hand took the empty cup and raised the ewer once more. The cup she had finally emptied was full again in the blink of an eye.
"Lady, please."
Lady Bo’s pupils, which had been trembling incessantly, suddenly went still, dilating like those of a dying person. What was reflected in those eyes was not a wine cup, but the gates of hell swinging open for her tonight.
One cup, another, and yet another.
Susu Wei poured slowly, but he did not waste a single drop. He did not stop until the very last bit of liquid had been drained from the bulbous ewer. When he finally finished, his expression held a hint of faint regret.
"This fine wine truly does not last long enough. Wouldn't you agree, Lady?"
Lady Bo could no longer answer the question. She collapsed onto the ground, her legs shaking violently. Her face was flushed an unnatural crimson, and she began to mumble incoherent nonsense, her hands clawing incessantly at her clothes.
The elderly maidservant who had been following her could bear it no longer. Suppressing her sobs, she reached out to pull her mistress up from the floor.
As she pulled, a sudden splashing sound erupted. A thin stream flowed from beneath Lady Bo’s skirt, soaking her silk shoes—embroidered with white peonies and adorned with sea pearls—and forming a small puddle on the ground.
The Emperor finally lowered his gaze and sighed softly.
"Lady Bo cannot hold her liquor; it seems she will be struggling through the night. Royal Uncle, I must trouble you to settle her and see that she is well cared for. Do not let her fall into further indecency and bring shame upon the Imperial family."
Prince Xuanyuan, Susu Che, remained silent, his expression grim to the extreme. He shot a look at the maidservant, who, with a pale face, dragged her mistress away, not daring to utter another word.
In an instant, the courtyard—which had been churning with undercurrents and a succession of dramatic scenes—fell silent once more.
The night wind rose again. The oil lamp seemed to have finally burned out; it flickered once and died.
Before the Painted Dwelling, the Prince and the Emperor stood hidden in their respective shadows, their expressions unreadable to one another.
"Did Your Majesty come all this way simply to interfere in my domestic affairs?"
"Royal Uncle, you are mistaken. The affairs of a high official's residence cannot be treated as mere domestic matters, let alone for those of us in the Imperial family. Where is there such a thing as an absolute 'domestic affair'?"
Seeing the two men’s words sharpening like blades about to be drawn, Xiao Nanhui, huddled in the corner, felt utterly restless. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
She could afford to offend neither of the two men standing in this room. Yet, today’s events had started because of her.
She rubbed her hands awkwardly and shifted her foot back just a fraction. The man in front of her noticed immediately.
The Emperor stepped away from his primary position of the evening, making a slight concession, but his tone shifted.
"How is General Zuo?"
Xiao Nanhui’s ears perked up, a sense of confusion rising in her heart.
Susu Pingchuan? What happened to him? Had he also met with misfortune tonight?
Prince Xuanyuan’s expression faltered as he realized the Emperor’s meaning. Finally, he softened his stance and bowed with his hands clasped.
"I thank Your Majesty for the timely reminder. Chuan-er is not in any grave danger."
Susu Wei clearly did not take this thanks to heart. He turned toward the wall painted with the exquisite window lattice.
"I heard that in the past, General Feilian often kept irregular hours during campaigns. Over time, she developed a habit of sleeping late and disliked waking early. She once complained that the Prince’s manor was too bright and the morning light too piercing, and that the courtyard was always noisy. Thus, Royal Uncle had the south-facing windows of this room sealed and painted them onto the wall instead. Seeing it now, it is indeed a touching display of deep affection."
So that was the true origin of the Painted Dwelling.
Xiao Nanhui stole a glance at Prince Xuanyuan a few paces away. The middle-aged man shared fifty or sixty percent of his features with Susu Wei. Though he was the commander of a battalion, he did not resemble a typical soldier; instead, he possessed a scholarly air. A man like him must have had many beauties enamored with him in his youth. To have married a daughter of a general's house despite the Emperor's suspicion must have involved a complicated story.
Yet, despite such past devotion, the current Prince Xuanyuan’s manor was now ruled by a new bud, the old face long replaced.
"These are all matters of the distant past. Your Majesty need not take them to heart."
Susu Wei did not move, his hand merely tracing the painted brushstrokes on the wall.
"I find this Painted Dwelling quite good, though the space is small and cannot accommodate too many people. One must distinguish who belongs inside the room and who must remain outside. Only then can we avoid the regrettable incidents we saw just now. What does Royal Uncle think?"
Given the foul scheme Lady Bo had just attempted, this reminder was perfectly justified. However, this man always spoke with deep meaning and planned a thousand miles ahead with every step.
As his thoughts raced, a shadow of worry appeared in Prince Xuanyuan’s eyes, and his voice grew slightly hurried.
"Does Your Majesty intend to recall the descendants of the Mei family to serve the court? Old General Mei is of advanced age and has only two sons left. Though both gentlemen possess high martial cultivation, they have ignored court affairs for many years..."
"In Royal Uncle’s eyes, am I so devoid of human feeling?" the Emperor interrupted coldly and without mercy. "After the campaign in the Green Border, Tiancheng may see years without war. The court will inevitably lean toward civil governance over military might. However, the troops of the various camps cannot be reduced in a single day. If the sentiment that 'the tea cools when the person leaves' begins to spread now, how will the military families conduct themselves in the future? Those who were once of one heart today may become the first to be executed tomorrow. To favor one while neglecting the other is how dissent is born."
Xiao Nanhui had heard that the Emperor possessed strategies to settle a chaotic world and govern a peaceful one; today, she finally caught a glimpse of them.
The war to reclaim the Green Border had lasted only a year, but it had been preceded by years of preparation and followed by years of aftermath. Only in this way could the current prosperity of Tiancheng be maintained.
Xiao Nanhui understood this logic, and Prince Xuanyuan naturally understood it even better.
"Your Majesty’s intentions are engraved in my heart. In the future, I will certainly not let the generals lose heart." Having said this, Prince Xuanyuan glanced at the woman shrinking in the corner and suddenly changed the subject. "Master Zong should still be in the ancestral hall. Perhaps Your Majesty would like to go there for a conversation."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly, a look of perfectly timed surprise appearing on his face. "Has Master Zong not been in Minzhou all this time? When did he come to Que City?"
Prince Xuanyuan smiled without speaking, meeting the Emperor’s gaze. In that moment of eye contact, a silent exchange passed between them.
The Emperor was the first to withdraw his gaze, turning to step into the Painted Dwelling.
"This residence is secluded, and the evening breeze is pleasant. Royal Uncle, why don't you go see off the guests? I shall take a moment to breathe here and will depart shortly."
"Very well."
Prince Xuanyuan followed the suggestion smoothly, as if they had truly just finished a casual chat, and turned to stroll away.
Shan Jiangfei had also disappeared from the courtyard at some point. Xiao Nanhui realized that she and the Emperor were the only ones left in the small yard.
Did he simply not see her at all?
Standing there for a moment, caught between laughter and tears, she followed him into the room. Recalling the conversation between the two men, she asked almost instinctively, "What happened to Susu Pingchuan?"
The figure ahead paused, then turned around, his brow slightly furrowed.
"You actually have the mind to worry about him?"
For some reason, seeing that slightly displeased face, she suddenly felt a head shorter and became tongue-tied. "I... I only heard Your Majesty mention it just now, so..."
"If you truly care for his well-being, stay far away from him in the future."
Xiao Nanhui was stunned.
She was used to this man speaking in circles, his words shrouded in mist. This sudden directness was not only jarring but also made her feel somewhat wronged.
"Why? His stepmother is indeed difficult, but I believe I have a clear conscience..."
"The problem is not with you, but with him. He does not yet have the power to wholeheartedly do as he wishes, yet he was born into a Prince’s house. For every inch you draw closer to him, you are an inch closer to danger. Do not forget what you just witnessed. Had you drunk that wine, you would be in the same state as Lady Bo."
As soon as he spoke, the scene she had just witnessed came rushing back. If she hadn't had time to dwell on it then, thinking of it now brought a shiver of dread alongside the satisfaction of seeing Lady Bo get her "just deserts."
"Why are you silent?"
Because she didn't know what to say.
She hated Lady Bo. She hated her arrogance, the way she looked down on others so easily, and the way she, as a woman, sought to secure her own status by crushing other women.
But the scene just now had made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
For some people, death was not the most terrifying thing. Losing one's dignity was.
It was true for Lady Bo, and it was true for her.
He could heartlessly destroy the spirit of someone so far below him in status; would he use the same methods against her in the future? And if he did, she would have no way to resist.
She was far inferior to Lady Bo. She had no father or brothers, no maternal clan. Her only reliance was the Marquis’s manor, but her adoptive father could barely protect himself—how could he spare the effort to shield her?
Could she truly rely on that bit of light from the lonely moon? Was it a light that warmed her in the dark, or was it merely an eternal, indifferent presence in the cold night sky?
Ultimately, she did not dare to bet on that sliver of sincerity from him.
Receiving no response for a long time, Susu Wei lowered his gaze.
"Let me guess. You think I am cruel?"
Xiao Nanhui was speechless.
He knew all her thoughts. She could never hide from him.
"The world praises truth and loathes deception, yet in the end, people often prefer to believe lies. The 'unavoidable circumstances' you imagine are merely a veneer of peace, while I simply place the reality of everything before your eyes." His voice echoed in the Painted Dwelling, every word carrying weight. "The wine was reality, and the cruelty you perceive is the same."
He usually spoke softly and indirectly, but now his words were like a freshly sharpened blade, pointing directly at the weakness in her heart.
From everything in the past to her current relationship with Xiao Zhun, it was all a predestined truth she couldn't bear to expose. She had lived in peace with these truths for years; why did he have to appear and turn everything upside down?
Even if she were truly blind and foolish, suffering the consequences of her own actions, had he not been the one pulling the strings and stirring up the storm?
Xiao Nanhui’s heart began to race again, a surge of frustration trapped in her chest.
"Lady Bo spun her own cocoon and deserved her fate. However, today was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the Prince’s manor, and this matter started because of me. For it to escalate like this is truly frightening. The Marquis’s manor already stands by a crumbling wall; I implore Your Majesty to show mercy and stop holding me over the fire."
The moment she mentioned the Marquis’s manor, the man’s expression instantly turned cold.
"Are you implying that I used you?"
Xiao Nanhui remained silent, her silence betraying a certain stubbornness. She didn't understand where this groundless stubbornness came from; she only felt she was becoming somewhat self-deceiving—or perhaps she had always been that way.
Prince Xuanyuan currently held hundreds of thousands of elite troops in the Guangyao Battalion. He was of Imperial blood and held high prestige in court. Even the late Emperor could not help but be suspicious of him, let alone the current one.
Perhaps the Emperor was merely using her situation to knock the other side down a peg, and Lady Bo had simply happened to run into the blade, becoming a sacrificial offering.
Perhaps he hadn't done any of this for her sake.
Logically, this was normal. But for some reason, her heart felt a twinge of bitterness, to the point where she almost couldn't wait to voice this deduction, hoping for a denial.
Her clenched fists loosened and tightened again. She looked at the cold-faced man by the flower table and forced herself to be rational.
"Then allow me to ask. Why exactly did Your Majesty appear here today?"
Susu Wei’s expression was harder than ever before, every word he spoke sounding as if it were being carved into a stone tablet.
"Master Zong, the Priest of the Imperial Tombs, left the capital years ago by Imperial decree. By law, he is not to set foot in the capital until his death. I was suspicious of him, so I came uninvited."
As expected, his knowledge of every movement within this banquet was not because she might be in danger, but because there was someone in this banquet he needed to investigate.
"What? Are you disappointed?" His gaze swept toward her from the gloom, carrying a sharp, irresistible scrutiny, as if he wanted to pierce right through her. "But such is the human heart. It worries that it cannot see clearly enough, yet fears seeing too clearly, lest it be driven to utter disappointment and loathing."
If being caught in her thoughts earlier had only startled her, having her feelings pointed out so mercilessly now brought a burning sense of shame.
And what was even more shameful was that she *was* disappointed.
And the reason for that disappointment was that she had harbored expectations.
"Your Majesty has an exquisite mind and is skilled at capturing hearts. How could I be your match?"
By saying this, she was indirectly admitting her disappointment.
But without expectation, where would disappointment come from?
Faced with her sarcasm, Susu Wei did not grow angry. Instead, his expression softened in an instant, and his voice became much gentler. For a moment, it was hard to tell if he was speaking to her or to himself.
"I did not come because of you, yet I felt the urge to kill because of you. You should know that joy, anger, sorrow, and delight were once very distant things to me."
His voice was very light, but it fell into Xiao Nanhui’s heart like a stone into a deep pool, sending ripples outward.
As a human being, how could one not have joy, anger, sorrow, and delight?
As the Buddhist teachings say: only when there are attachments and cares, when the mind is moved by emotion, can there be love, hate, obsession, anger, life, death, and separation.
Could she be the one who moved his heartstrings?
Finally, she decided to take the initiative and get to the bottom of it.
"May I ask what prompted Your Majesty’s killing intent?"
He answered with a question of his own.
"Do you know who that brown-clad elder you chased alone was?"
"I only know he is a priest. As for the rest..." She paused instinctively, ultimately deciding to keep the matter of the ribbon to herself. "I know nothing else."
Susu Wei’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, as if he were recalling something.
"Do you remember the purple-clad swordsman who appeared before the Changmi Platform during the Dark Moon Ceremony on the ancient path of the Tianmu River?"
"I remember." Xiao Nanhui nodded. "But what does that have to do with him?"
"It has nothing to do with the man, but everything to do with the sword in his hand." His fingers stopped, and the tapping ceased. "Legend has it that a diviner once sealed the most important hexagram in the world within a forged sword, saying that when the time was right, the hexagram would naturally manifest to save the world. This sword was cast from red gold, three feet and one inch long, with a guard three and a half fingers wide. It was forged as a single piece, without patterns or inscriptions, save for a single speck of crimson at the hilt. It is the Sword of the Moving Line."
The more Xiao Nanhui heard, the more incredible it seemed, but the most incredible part was yet to come.
"After the sword was forged, it passed through various hands before being kept by the Andao Academy. The Academy regarded it as a sword to cut through the world's slanders and false words, born to purge the court of evil. After its last master returned it to the Andao Academy, he vanished from the world's sight."
"Are you saying that Yan Zi is from the Andao Academy?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiao Nanhui realized something was wrong.
If the Sword of the Moving Line had been bestowed upon a new master and left the Andao Academy, why would no one recognize Yan Zi’s identity?
"I told you, the sword in the purple-clad man's hand was stolen. The original master of the Sword of the Moving Line did indeed come from the Andao Academy. He entered the Academy in the same year as Xie Li. Their cultivations were similar, and by the age of forty, they were already ranked as Grandmasters. Xie Li ultimately stayed to guard the Andao Academy, while he chose to enter the world and become the late Emperor’s personal guard. This man’s surname is Zong, and his given name is Hao. He is the Master Zong you spoke of."
Xiao Nanhui stood frozen, feeling as if the blood in her veins had stopped flowing. Her fragmented thoughts were slowly piecing themselves together.
A truth was about to emerge, and she hardly dared to look at it.
"Why... why is Your Majesty telling me this?"
He actually smiled, a smile that carried a sense of ease.
"Telling you all of this myself is better than having you bloodied and exhausted trying to investigate it on your own."
She gasped, for the first time feeling a sense of confusion and helplessness at his nonchalant tone.
"Aren't you afraid that I..."
Afraid that she would tell Xiao Zhun the truth? Afraid that she would peel back that layer of reality? Afraid that they might end up as enemies from then on...
"Will you?"
His smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were a pool of stillness.
Within the four walls of this Painted Dwelling, where there had been a room full of tender atmosphere just moments ago, the chill of early spring seemed to rise again. Just like the current situation, it was impossible to tell if this was a lover's quarrel or a gamble with life and death on the line.
Suddenly, Shan Jiangfei’s voice sounded from outside.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Qinghuai requests an audience. He is waiting outside the courtyard."
The Emperor withdrew his gaze. When he looked up again, he had regained his composure.
"Let him in."
He was perfectly calm, while Xiao Nanhui became somewhat flustered.
She naturally knew why Xiao Zhun had come; she was the one who had told Bolao to fetch him an hour ago. In the Marquis’s manor, Xiao Zhun was the only one who could come to her rescue when she was in trouble.
Hurried footsteps ascended the stairs, faintly accompanied by the metallic clinking of armor.
He was still wearing his armor, likely having just returned to the manor from the military camp before being rushed over by a frantic Bolao.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. The current situation was even more agonizing than if something had actually happened to her.
Xiao Zhun’s figure stopped with perfect decorum three paces from the door. He removed his cap and bowed.
"Your servant, Xiao Zhun, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
After a moment, the Emperor’s voice rose slowly.
"Marquis Qinghuai, there is no need for such ceremony. I wonder, what brings you here today?"
"I had military duties today, so I entrusted my adopted daughter to bring congratulations to Prince Xuanyuan. I heard that she mistook someone during the banquet and was worried her impulsiveness might cause trouble, so I hurried here. I did not know Your Majesty was here. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my lack of propriety."
"You are well-informed. It was but a small disturbance, and it has already been settled."
"It is good that all is well. In that case, I shall take my daughter back to the manor first." Xiao Zhun’s gaze naturally turned to Xiao Nanhui, and he nodded to her as he had countless times before. "Nanhui, come here."
Xiao Nanhui’s body leaned forward, but for some reason, her feet did not move immediately.
In the next instant, the man beside her suddenly grabbed her hand.
He did not look at her, his body still facing forward. His dark-patterned sleeve intertwined with her plain one, hiding any trace of the gesture from view.
But this time, he gripped her tightly—it was no longer a gentle hold.
She could feel the roughness of his palm. It was the scar she had left on him.
For a moment, she thought he would keep gripping her like that, never letting go until the end of time.
Finally, he shifted his gaze away, and his fingers slowly loosened.
Looking at that hand, which was slightly pale from the force of the grip, she felt a sudden, uncontrollable impulse.
Before her thoughts could even process it, her body had already reacted.
She reached out and grasped the hand that was leaving hers.
Though she only managed to catch his fingertips in her haste, she could feel the instantaneous tremor that traveled through them.
"Your Majesty, see you at the Spring Hunt."
She left these words softly and quickly. Daring to linger no longer, she pulled her hand back and fled out the door.
As the sound of her slightly frantic footsteps faded, the Painted Dwelling became as silent as a deep pool. It seemed as if even the sound of the evening wind passing through the courtyard had vanished.
A long time passed before the eunuch returned. The Emperor’s hand remained suspended in the air, as if a trace of her warmth still lingered there, and he was loath to leave the spot.
Shan Jiangfei sighed inwardly.
When had his Majesty become like this?
Finally, Susu Wei adjusted his robes and stood up, walking toward the exit.
"How is the situation with Zong Hao?"
The eunuch quickly composed himself and followed close behind.
"He has already left the manor. Rest assured, Your Majesty, with Lieutenant Ding there, he will have to think twice before acting."
"When we depart the day after tomorrow, prepare an extra carriage for him."
Shan Jiangfei paused, then understood the Emperor’s intention and lowered his voice in assent.
Since it was unavoidable anyway, it was best to keep him in the open. However, this move was likely more for *her* sake. Zong Hao was not a character to be trifled with, and the Emperor feared she would suffer if she investigated him in secret.
Thinking of this, Shan Jiangfei finally couldn't help but speak.
"Why didn't Your Majesty just tell Miss Xiao that you were being so heartless just to put on a show for Master Zong..."
"It is no longer necessary."
Because he already knew the answer.
At some point, the moon had peeked halfway out from behind the clouds, as bright as day.
The man’s voice was languid, carrying a hint of contentment as he stepped into the moonlit courtyard.
"The moonlight is beautiful. My heart is greatly comforted."
***
