"Master, spare me! Master..."

"I beg you, Lord Supervisor, to give me another chance."

"..."

Xu Feng knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy again and again, not daring to stop even when his head was bleeding.

Just after midnight, Xu Feng was still asleep when two tall and burly eunuchs dragged him out of bed, beat him severely, and took him to the corner tower of Nanyang Gate.

However, this is not the second floor, but the corridor on the fourth floor.

At this moment, Xiao Heye was dressed in white, his arm casually draped over the railing, his face dark as he looked down, his expression obscure, and a strange anger burning in his eyes.

Xu Feng continued to beg for mercy, but Xiao Heye had no patience to listen to him.

He turned his head, gave Xu Feng a cold glance, and said indifferently, "Should you jump down yourself, or should we help you?"

This simple sentence almost scared Xu Feng so much that he wet his pants.

He kowtowed heavily to the ground, explaining in a hoarse voice, "I beg Your Excellency to investigate! I would never have acted on my own initiative. This was all the Deputy Supervisor's idea. Please, Your Excellency, have mercy..."

"We're not dead yet, Xu Feng. You dare to touch our people? Why don't you ask for our permission first?"

Xu Feng was stunned. He thought for a long time but still couldn't understand what Xiao Heye meant. Wasn't Consort Shu... one of the Emperor's people?

"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I beg the Grand Eunuch to show mercy and give me a chance to atone for my sins..."

Xu Feng's forehead was already bleeding from the head, the blood trickling down his face and mixing with his tears.

“Hmm…” Xiao Heye raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment, and then said:

"How about this, you jump from here. If you're lucky enough to survive, this matter will end there, and you'll still be the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department. Of course, if you're unlucky and accidentally die, we'll take care of your body. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Feng was terrified. He crawled on his knees and clung tightly to Xiao Heye's leg, tears streaming down his face. "Please, Master, spare my life! I will serve you like a slave and do anything for you!"

Xiao Heye kicked him away, looking disgusted, and said nonchalantly, "We're going back to sleep. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying this, Xiao Heye turned around and went downstairs without looking back.

Xu Feng was thrown off when he had only gone halfway down the road.

Xiao Heye craned his neck and looked down. He saw a pool of blood on the ground, and the person was lying on the ground, his body twitching slightly.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Li Xun stepped forward and handed him a handkerchief, whispering, "Master, the man isn't dead; he's still breathing."

He took the handkerchief, gently covered his nose, and looked at the half-dead man not far away. After a long while, he said slowly, "He's lucky... Let's take him back. We're not the kind of people who would just stand by and watch someone die."

"Yes." Li Xun nodded in agreement.

*

After resting at Tingyu Tower for a few days, Su Tiyue's ankle injury had almost healed, and she was able to walk again.

His right foot was more seriously injured, so he dared not put his feet on the ground and walked with a limp.

The imperial physician said that it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone and instructed her to take good care of herself. She could go out for walks, but not for too long.

Su Tiyue had also heard a little about the matter concerning Eunuch Xu of the Imperial Household Department. It was said that he had accidentally fallen down the stairs and become paralyzed on one side.

But Su Tiyue knew in her heart that this matter was definitely related to Xiao Heye, although she didn't know what his purpose was in doing so.

It could be to prove that the incident in the greenhouse had nothing to do with him, or it could just be to scare her.

If it was just to scare her, then it was a bit unnecessary. Su Tiyue knew Xiao Heye's style of doing things from the beginning, and she was already afraid enough of this ruthless killer.

Although Su Tiyue is timid and gentle, she is intelligent and listens to advice.

Didn't Xiao Heye dislike her and avoid him?

After lunch, Su Tiyue rested in her room for a while. With Liu Wan's help, she limped to Yelan Pavilion, but unfortunately, he wasn't there.

That evening, Su Tiyue saw the light on in his room and deliberately dragged her injured foot over there.

Now Xiao Heye can't say she wasn't sincere anymore, right?

Su Tiyue thought... No matter how despicable and vile the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is, he can't do anything to a sick person, right?

Seeing that she had come alone and had difficulty walking, Li Xun bent down and helped her into the room.

Su Tiyue looked around but didn't see anyone, which surprised her.

Li Xun smiled and said to her, "The Grand Eunuch is in the restroom."

"I understand. Then I'll wait for him here..." Su Tiyue turned her head to look at the partition behind the screen, where she could occasionally hear the sound of running water.

She sat down by the small fireplace by the window, on a thick, warm wool cushion.

"Your Majesty, would you like some tea? This servant will prepare it immediately," Li Xun asked, bowing.

"No need, thank you very much, Eunuch Li."

Su Tiyue gently shook her head. She basically didn't drink that stuff at night, because once she did, she had a hard time falling asleep.

After Li Xun left, about half an incense stick later, Xiao Heye emerged from behind the screen.

Su Tiyue turned her head and glanced at the person walking towards her, but for a moment she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Xiao Heye was tall and robust. Perhaps because he had just taken a bath, he was only wearing a dark blue nightgown. The collar was a little loose, and his tanned skin and firm chest could be vaguely seen underneath.

Seeing that he was also looking at her, Su Tiyue blushed and looked away, silently staring at the burning charcoal in the small stove.

"Why is Your Highness running around when you're ill? Is something the matter?"

As Xiao Heye spoke, he walked to the long table, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, leaned against the table, and then looked at her.

He seemed to ask that question on purpose, because of that saying from that day, "No one visits the temple without a reason."

Su Tiyue would come to him on her own initiative, could it be that she has something to ask of him?