Xiao Heye stood by the pavilion for a long time, and only after all those people had disappeared from sight did he slowly turn around and utter, "Your Majesty, get up. They've all gone far away."

Su Tiyue heard the sound, but she remained kneeling on the ground, her forehead touching the ground, her hands covering her face, her body trembling.

She cried again...

Xiao Heye's lips twitched coldly. Looking at the small figure, he finally squatted down and reached out to grab Su Tiyue's arm. Unexpectedly, his hand had barely touched Su Tiyue when she forcefully shook him off: "Don't touch me!"

She looked up, sobbing, and shouted at Xiao Heye, "Don't touch me..."

Xiao Heye ignored her, still suppressing his emotions, and tried to help her up with both hands. But Su Tiyue didn't appreciate it. She pushed him to the ground with force and then stood up and walked back the way she came.

Jingxin Pavilion is located in the middle of the lake, so there is more than one way to get out.

To the left is closer to the Brocade Palace, while to the right is closer to the Night Pavilion.

Xiao Heye stood up, took two long strides to catch up with her, grabbed Su Tiyue's arm, and asked angrily, "Where are you going?"

Su Tiyue's face was streaked with tears, her makeup ruined. She tried to shake her arm off, but couldn't get rid of his fingers. She said, "Where can I go? Can't I go back to Jinxiu Palace? Master Xiao!"

"This servant has something else to say. We'll talk about it back at Nightfall Pavilion." He suppressed his voice, his tone low and cold, revealing no emotion.

In Xiao Heye's view, this was not a place where they could have a proper conversation. After all, it wasn't like Nanyuan, where there were fewer people and they were all his own men.

Su Tiyue glared at him fiercely: "Mind your own business." After saying that, she broke free from Xiao Heye and walked towards the left fork in the road.

"Your Majesty, don't forget what you promised this servant." Xiao Heye paused, then continued, gazing at the retreating figure:

"You were the one who begged me for help in the first place, so how come... now I have to beg Your Majesty for help?"

A gloomy, magnetic voice drifted from behind Su Tiyue. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stopped in her tracks. She hesitated for a moment, then turned back angrily and headed down the fork in the road to the right.

Su Tiyue walked in a hurry, without even waiting for Xiao Heye who was following behind.

Large, crystal-clear teardrops fell onto the snow-covered road, scalding the pure white snow.

She walked and cried, her mind a jumble of thoughts: the Emperor's frightening and nauseating face, and the threats and indifference of that damned eunuch, Xiao Heye.

Xiao Heye is truly too cold-hearted and ruthless… Just now, he could have easily spoken up to help Su Tiyue out of that predicament. The Emperor listens to Xiao Heye so much… if only he had spoken…

Su Tiyue grew angrier and more aggrieved the more she thought about it, and her pace quickened.

"ah!"

Suddenly, she screamed, and Su Tiyue slipped, falling heavily into the snow. The snow was thick, so she wasn't hurt or injured, but her hands were instantly covered in snow, and the cold made her shiver involuntarily.

Su Tiyue struggled to stand up, but her feet were still slippery. She couldn't stand up for a moment, but before she knew it, Xiao Heye had already walked up behind her. He bent down slightly and easily lifted her up and held her in his arms.

“I don’t need your insincere concern, put me down…” Su Tiyue pushed him with her hand.

Xiao Heye didn't agree, only saying two words: "Don't move."

"Put me down, put me down... Xiao Heye!" Su Tiyue repeated it twice in his ear, even calling him by his name. But no matter how much she hit, scolded, or struggled, Xiao Heye acted as if he didn't hear her, walking forward silently with a gloomy face.

Su Tiyue was anything but well-behaved in his arms. Seeing that scolding and beating were useless, she opened her mouth and bit Xiao Heye's arm hard. Xiao Heye endured the pain, finding her troublesome, and simply used some force to throw the person in his arms onto his shoulder and carried her back.

The actions were brutal and violent. Now, no matter how much she protested, it was useless.

When Li Xun arrived at Yelan Pavilion, he was shocked to see the two of them return in this state, his mouth agape, and he was speechless for a moment.

"Bring in a basin of hot water," Xiao Heye instructed, then carried the person into the room.

It took Li Xun a while to come to his senses, and he replied blankly, "Yes."

Once inside the room, Xiao Heye placed her on a long marble table, his sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on Su Tiyue: "Now you can cause trouble."

Su Tiyue's tears had dried halfway, her eyes were red from crying, she looked at Xiao Heye and said in a hoarse voice: "You did this on purpose."

"Yes, this servant did it on purpose." He did not deny it.

"Why? Minister Xiao, we clearly agreed on a month... only a few days have passed, and you're already so eager to offer me to the Emperor?"

Xiao Heye said, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. That's not what I meant."

Su Tiyue's eyes were red, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably again. She said, "Even the Emperor treated me like that, and you're still lying?"

Xiao Heye casually pulled a round-backed chair from under the table and sat down opposite her. "This servant just wanted to see how the Emperor would react when he saw Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please don't be nervous, this is just a test."

"Testing?" Su Tiyue sneered. "So, are you satisfied with the Emperor's reaction now?"

Xiao Heye nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "Not bad. They seem quite satisfied with the Emperor's and Empress's reactions."

It would have been better if he hadn't said that, because his words almost made Su Tiyue vomit blood. She was already sitting on the long table, and when she turned her head, she happened to see the few forbidden books on the table. She had been holding back a lot of anger all the way from Jingxin Pavilion to here, and now she had to see Xiao Heye's sarcastic and strange appearance. She was so angry that she was practically fuming and lost her temper.

Su Tiyue angrily knocked the books and picture albums around her to the ground, and also smashed the Helan inkstone that Xiao Heye cherished most. You should know that Xiao Heye cared about something not because it was expensive or rare. This inkstone was a gift from Xiao Heye's adoptive father when he first entered the palace. It was not precious, but it had great significance.

With a "crack," the inkstone shattered in two, breaking into two pieces. The pieces landed right at Xiao Heye's feet; had he not reacted quickly and stepped back in time, they would likely have hit him.

He looked at the inkstone on the ground, feeling a pang of heartache. He clicked his tongue in a low voice, and although he was smiling, a hint of frustration lingered in his unfathomable eyes.