In the deadly, suffocating silence, a very faint yet remarkably clear knock came from the courtyard gate.

Tap, tap tap.

The voice was very soft, with a deliberate restraint, yet in the quiet night it was like a drumbeat, striking the heart.

Xin Kui instantly became alert, like a cheetah poised to pounce, silently moving behind the door and placing her hand on the soft sword hidden at her waist.

Xin Jiuwei's fingers, which had been turning the pages of her book, paused. She looked up, her gaze sharp as she stared at the closed door. Her heart, however, sank uncontrollably. At this hour, with this manner of knocking… she could almost guess who was outside. The humiliation and anger that had just been suppressed by the flames surged up again, carrying an even deeper chill.

Uncle Zhong's aged and cautious voice rang out in the courtyard: "Who is it?"

Outside the door, a deep and familiar male voice rang out, penetrating the door panel and clearly reaching Xin Jiuwei's ears: "Please inform Miss Xin that Xiao Xun is here to visit."

It really was him!

Xin Jiuwei's eyes instantly froze. She put down her book, stood up, and didn't respond immediately. Xiao Xun outside the door didn't seem to be in a hurry either, waiting quietly.

Uncle Zhong was clearly startled by the name "Sixth Prince" who had come to visit so late at night. He rushed over, his voice trembling as he spoke through the door, "Miss...Sixth Prince, he..."

"Understood." Xin Jiuwei's voice was unusually calm, so calm that it was completely undisturbed. "Please wait a moment, Your Highness." She neither said "Please come in" nor "I won't see you."

She walked to the door, gestured for Xin Kui to step back, then took a deep breath and suddenly pulled open the door latch.

Squeak—

The heavy wooden door was pulled open. The cool moonlight outside, mixed with the dim yellow light from the lanterns under the eaves, outlined the tall and imposing figure standing at the doorway.

Xiao Xun was dressed in a dark-colored casual robe with subtle patterns, over which he wore a thin cloak of the same color, almost blending into the night outside the door. His face was expressionless, still with that deep and unfathomable look, but a lingering gloom seemed to hang between his brows. However, Xin Jiuwei's gaze was immediately drawn to his right hand, which hung casually at his side and draped over his cloak.

That hand, with its distinct knuckles, once wielding the power of life and death, was now tightly bound by a glaring white cloth. The cloth wasn't thick, and through it, one could vaguely see the dark, dried bloodstains beneath. The bloodstains meandered across the pale cloth like a gruesome scar.

Xin Jiuwei's pupils suddenly contracted! The barely audible sound of porcelain shattering in the elegant pavilion of the painted boat instantly echoed in her mind!

Xiao Xun's gaze did not linger on her face, but instead bypassed her and landed on the charcoal brazier in the corner of the room, which still emitted lingering warmth and a burnt smell. In the ash, a few strands of charred brocade remnants that had not been completely burned could be faintly seen.

The air seemed to freeze.

Xiao Xun's gaze lingered on the pile of ashes for a full two breaths. Xin Jiuwei could even see his Adam's apple bob very slightly. Then, he slowly shifted his gaze back to Xin Jiuwei's face. His deep, pool-like eyes appeared even more profound in the dim light, as if they could devour all light.

His voice rang out, deep and steady, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet possessing a strange penetrating power that struck Xin Jiuwei's eardrums directly:

"The cape...and it fits?"

Asking a question you already know the answer to! A blatant provocation!

The flame that Xin Jiuwei had forcibly suppressed suddenly reignited, burning so intensely that her fingertips trembled! Looking at the blood-stained white cloth in his palm, and then recalling her own cloak burned to ashes, she felt utterly ironic! He had come in the dead of night just to remind her of last night's humiliation, and to remind her of today's resistance?

"Is Your Highness here to inspect the results?" Xin Jiuwei's lips curled into an icy smile, her voice like ice beads hitting the ground. "As Your Highness can see, it was burned cleanly. The items Your Highness used are tainted with Your Highness's aura; leaving them in the world only adds to the defilement." She made no attempt to conceal the venom in her words.

Xiao Xun's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He silently watched her, at the burning hatred and stubbornness in her eyes, at her pale yet breathtakingly beautiful face. She was like a thorny rose, blooming defiantly in the cold wind, knowing she would be crushed, yet still using her sharpest thorns to pierce the hand of her abuser.

The unfamiliar emotions that had surged within him on the pleasure boat returned, even more intensely than before. It was no longer a simple appreciation of the sharpness of the chess pieces, but a deeper, painful tug. It was as if with each hurtful word she uttered, the thorn embedded deep within his heart was pushed in a little further.

He did not get angry or storm off as Xin Jiuwei had expected.

Under Xin Jiuwei's cold and venomous gaze, amidst Xin Kui's astonished breathlessness, and under Uncle Zhong's anxious and uneasy watchful eyes, Xiao Xun suddenly moved.

He took a step forward, his tall figure instantly blocking out the light in the doorway and bringing a powerful sense of oppression. Xin Jiuwei instinctively tried to back away, but her wrist was suddenly gripped by his uninjured left hand! The force was so great that it almost crushed her wrist bones!

"You..." Xin Jiuwei was shocked and furious, but before she could utter a single word, something even more horrifying happened!

Xiao Xun gripped her wrist, but his body suddenly sank downwards!

Bang!

A muffled thud.

He actually knelt down on one knee on the cold floor tiles in front of her!

His dark cloak spread out on the blue bricks. He tilted his head back, his unfathomable eyes clearly reflecting Xin Jiuwei's pupils, slightly widened in utter shock. His gaze was no longer a condescending scrutiny, but rather a burning focus, locked tightly on her. His expression was indescribably complex, containing struggle, a desperate resolve, and even… a hint of extremely subtle, almost pleading vulnerability?

Xin Jiuwei froze completely! Her mind went blank! What...what was he doing? Kneeling before her? A prince, kneeling before a daughter of a lowly noble family? This was utterly absurd! Had he gone mad?!

"Xin Jiuwei." Xiao Xun spoke, his voice hoarse, as if it had been ground by rough gravel, completely unlike his usual cool and composed demeanor. Before Xin Jiuwei could react, his right hand, wrapped in a blood-stained white cloth, precisely grasped her ankle as it touched the cold floor tiles!

The cool palm, with the rough texture of cloth strips, pressed tightly against her delicate skin! That touch, like an electric current, instantly surged through Xin Jiuwei's entire body, causing her to shudder and snap out of her shock, instinctively trying to pull her foot back!

"Don't move!" Xiao Xun's grip tightened, his strength leaving no room for resistance. He looked up at her, his voice hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from the depths of his chest, carrying a heart-wrenching heaviness:

"The Empress Dowager... is seriously ill."

Xin Jiuwei's struggling movements abruptly stopped, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand! The Empress Dowager was seriously ill? The Empress Dowager who held supreme authority in the harem and could influence the selection of the princes' consorts?