Chapter 18

"It's snowing." He stretched out his palm and caught the gift from heaven, pure white, crystal clear, and spotless.

How wonderful it would be if everything in the world were as transparent as snow!

At first, it was a light slush, but it gradually turned into a heavy snowfall. The wind also grew colder, so the two quickened their pace and went home separately.

When Xu Xuan arrived home, a layer of snow clung to his shoulders. He quickly took off his fox-fur cloak, handed it to a maid, and asked, "Where is Madam?"

The question was directed at Liu Ru.

The maid shook the snow off the cloak and hung it up neatly before replying, "Madam went to the Duke of Xin's mansion this afternoon and drank with the Third Miss until she got drunk. That's why she sent word back that she'll stay there tonight and return tomorrow."

Xu Xuan frowned slightly, immediately feeling displeased. Going out to have fun and drink was one thing, but staying out all night was unacceptable! What if something happened?

Before he could react, the maid said again, "The one in the East Pavilion hasn't returned either." Shen Yao lived in the East Pavilion, and because Xu Xuan forbade her to be called "Madam," the maids in the house addressed her as such.

Xu Xuan didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard this. He didn't care at all where Shen Yao was or what she was doing.

"Go down," he said calmly.

He was suddenly all alone in the room, and the absence of Liu Ru made it feel especially desolate. He couldn't help but worry that Liu Ru might get cold from the heavy snow tonight.

Liu Ru would probably freeze. At this moment, Liu Ru, who should be drunk and sleeping in the Duke's mansion, was instead in a dilapidated temple in the desolate wilderness, where the wind was biting cold. The north wind whipped up snowflakes, turning the outskirts into a crystal world.

Zhao Lian, the heir of the Duke's mansion, went to Jiangnan Hutong to hire someone to kill his beloved woman in order to avenge her. However, he was stopped by Liu Ru the next day. "Shen Yao will not die a good death, but if she dies unexpectedly, it will surely attract the attention of the Imperial Concubine."

Liu Ru persuaded Zhao Lian to cancel the murder plan, but the deposit of five hundred taels had already been paid and could not be refunded. So Zhao Lian decided to settle for this and decided to tie up Shen Yao in the suburbs to vent his anger, and bring Liu Ru over to watch and win her favor.

In a dilapidated earthen temple on the outskirts of the capital, a man and a woman lay intertwined on the ground. Not far away, Liu Ru was stamping her feet, shivering from the cold. She kept glancing at Zhao Lian, complaining that he had taken it upon himself to kidnap Shen Yao.

Zhao Lian touched his nose, feeling a little guilty but also a little smug. He could tell that although Liu Ru complained, she was actually happy inside.

"Ru'er, I'm just trying to make you happy. Look at Xu Xuan, would he go to such lengths for you?"

Zhao Lian reached out and pulled Liu Ru into his arms, comforting her gently until he finally won a smile from the beauty.

"What about them?" Liu Ru pointed to the two people lying on the ground.

Zhao Lian walked closer, kicked it with his foot, then turned around and laughed, "That's fine. They'll go back on their own when it gets light tomorrow."

When they came to kidnap the person, they didn't expect it to snow. Now the temperature has dropped sharply, and Liu Ru is a little scared. "It's too cold. What if they freeze to death?"

It's not that I don't want revenge, but that I don't want to get into trouble.

Zhao Lian didn't care much, only feeling that Liu Ru was too soft-hearted. He then said, "When she sent someone to push you into the water, didn't she consider whether your life was in danger?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ru felt a sudden pang of heartache, though she didn't show it on her face. After a while, she suggested, "How about this, leave the tinderbox behind, and let fate decide the rest."

"Aru, you're so kind~" Zhao Lian said with a big smile, arms crossed.

Liu Ru curled her lips into a smile, remaining silent. Seeing some scattered firewood and straw around them, she took out a tinderbox and placed it in Chen Yao's hand. With a fire-starting tool, they shouldn't freeze to death.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the ground. The two dared not linger and hurriedly left the drafty, dilapidated temple, climbed into the carriage, and the carriage slowly drove away from the wilderness and forest, leaving two dark brown wheel tracks in the icy and snowy landscape.

Shen Yao had a dream in which she was climbing an ice mountain. The ice mountain was very slippery, and she climbed very carefully. She was about to reach the top when a gust of wind blew by, and she couldn't help but shiver. Then her foot slipped, and she instantly fell into a bottomless icy lake.

"Ah, help!"

I woke up from a nightmare to complete darkness, with only the howling wind in my ears, pounding against the wooden planks that creaked and swayed precariously.

"Where am I? My head hurts so much!"

Raising her arm, she suddenly realized she was holding something in her hand. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was a bamboo tube. She pulled out the stopper, and a bright yellow flame leaped out, illuminating the surroundings.

The firelight dispelled the darkness and the confusion. She vaguely remembered being knocked unconscious, and her heart raced instantly. She didn't even dare to breathe too hard.

"Your Highness?" Shen Yao noticed someone lying next to her. She shook him vigorously and called out urgently, "Your Highness~"

The person lying on the ground grunted, and Shen Yao's face lit up with joy. She shook him repeatedly, and only under the dim light of the fire could she see the boy's eyelashes flutter slightly.

"Wake up, don't sleep."

Wei Luo finally woke up. Shen Yao held the firelight close to his eyes, looked him up and down, and asked with concern, "Is anything bothering you?"

He shook his head in confusion, looked around, and suddenly grabbed the woman's wrist. "Where is this?" he asked urgently, his voice slightly breathless.

Shen Yao frowned, trying her best to ignore the hand and attempting to evoke his memory. "I don't know. But do you remember when we were kidnapped in Jiangnan Hutong?"

"Kidnapping?"

Wei Luo's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip. "Where are the robbers?"

"It hurts~".

Shen Yao winced in pain. Seeing that she couldn't push him away, she frowned and said, "I was here when I woke up. I didn't see any robbers."

Wei Luo's heart pounded like a drum, and he was so nervous that his whole body stiffened and he couldn't move. He had been afraid of the dark since he was a child, and he would always be especially tense at night, so his room was always brightly lit with candles.

Right now, the place is pitch black, and he has no control over himself. He can only rely on his survival instinct to grasp the only light.

"Your Highness, can you let go of me?" Shen Yao asked helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Wei Luo suddenly realized what he had done and was filled with shame. He quickly released her.

Once free, Shen Yao immediately stood up, but unexpectedly, Wei Luo grabbed her sleeve again.

Shen Yao: "???"

She looked down and saw that a certain arrogant prince was also looking at her with a surprised expression, as if the hand that was grabbing her sleeve had nothing to do with him.

Their eyes met, and there was a slight awkwardness between them.

Wei Luo blushed immediately and let go of her hand. This time, he didn't pull on Shen Yao's clothes again. He simply stood up as Shen Yao got up and gently stood next to the girl.

Shen Yao also noticed Wei Luo's strange behavior and wanted to ask him something, but she stopped herself from speaking.

It's best to pretend you don't know about this. Besides, Wei Luo relies on her now, and the two of them are considered to have gone through thick and thin together. When he ascends the throne in the future, he might still remember this friendship.

Shen Yao said, "Let's check, just in case the robbers are still there."

Wei Luo gave a soft "hmm".

Shen Yao shielded the faint flame with her hand and walked towards the door, Wei Luo tugging at her clothes and following closely behind. They looked around but found no robbers. However, they noticed snow falling heavily outside and were both worried about how they would get through the long night.

“There’s thatch over there,” Wei Luo pointed.

Shen Yao looked over and saw that some of the bamboo tubes were indeed scattered on the ground. She handed the bamboo tubes to Wei Luo so he could hold them up for light, while she gathered the thatch together, found a sheltered corner, and lit it. The fire roared and crackled, making the room much brighter and warmer.

However, thatch doesn't burn very well, so she needed to find some durable firewood to last the night. Her gaze fell on the collapsed doors and windows, where there were many thin beams used to support the house, which would be perfect for burning.

Just as she was about to step forward, Wei Luo grabbed her, asking anxiously, "Where are you going?"

Shen Yao said awkwardly, "There's firewood over there, I'll go get some. Keep a close eye on the fire so it doesn't go out."

Wei Luo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and released her. "Go quickly and come back quickly." He obediently squatted down to add fuel to the fire, but his eyes were always on Shen Yao's figure.

Shen Yao was quick and efficient. She soon returned with a pile of firewood, broke it into several pieces, and added them to the fire one by one.

Unlike charcoal, firewood burning in the wild produces acrid white smoke that is quite pungent. Coupled with the cold winds blowing from all directions, the thick smoke drifts unpredictably, sometimes east and sometimes west. In no time, the entire dilapidated temple is filled with a strong smell of smoke.

Wei Luo, who was squatting to the side without lifting a finger, was fine, but Shen Yao, who was starting the fire, was in a terrible state. The thick smoke made her eyes water and tears streamed down her face, and she could only wipe them away with her hands.

After the firewood was successfully ignited and the fire blazed brightly, Shen Yao's porcelain-white face was streaked with black and white, making her look like a little beggar on the street.

"Chen Yao, you..."

Wei Luo hesitated, his expression somewhat strange. Shen Yao stared at him blankly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wei Luo blinked, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips. Should he tell her?

"You have something on your face," Wei Luo said, lowering his eyes.

"Hmm?" She wiped her face with her finger and saw a black charcoal stain on her fingertip. She hurriedly looked for a handkerchief in her pocket, but couldn't find it after searching for a while. "Huh, where's my handkerchief?"

"Use mine."

A snow-white handkerchief was handed over, "Consider this a reward for your hard work today."

Wei Luo said very seriously.

That expression seemed to say, "Look how magnanimous I am, how good I am to you. You should be grateful and even more loyal to me."

For someone of his status, giving away his personal belongings to another person is an immense favor. Shen Yao should not only be grateful but also treat it as a tribute.

For Shen Yao, it was just a form of mutual assistance. After thinking for a moment, she thanked him, took the handkerchief, and carefully wiped her face clean. "I'll give it back to you after I'm all washed."

"No need, you can keep it as a souvenir," Wei Luo said generously.

Shen Yao: "..."

"Who did you offend? Why did they kidnap you?" Wei Luo stared intently at Shen Yao, not missing a single change in her expression.

In fact, since waking up, Shen Yao had been pondering why the kidnappers didn't harm them, didn't even take their purses, and left behind a tinderbox. What was their intention?

"Did I kidnap the wrong person?" The thought crossed my mind and came out of my mouth.

Wei Luo frowned and fell silent.

This seems to be a more reasonable explanation.

The robbers must have kidnapped the wrong people, which is why they dumped them here and left behind fire-starting tools. They clearly didn't want them to die or cause trouble.

However, he always felt that something was wrong.

Wei Luo looked at the woman's profile. In the firelight, her face was flushed with a light blush. She had a delicate, high nose, exceptionally bright eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered occasionally, like butterflies fluttering on flowers in spring, making one want to hold them in one's palm and gently stroke them...

"Crackling sound~"

Suddenly, the firewood crackled and popped like thunder in broad daylight, startling Wei Luo and snapping him back to reality. He belatedly realized that he had been staring at Chen Yao, lost in thought, and harboring some romantic feelings.

He found it unbelievable, and felt ashamed and remorseful for his filthy thoughts.

That's Shen Yao! A married woman wicked to the core, an irreconcilable enemy. The two should be completely separate, never to speak to each other again. How could he be seduced by her beauty?

Wei Luo tried his best to suppress his fear and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.

Seeing Wei Luo sleeping soundly, Shen Yao buried her head in her knees and fell into a deep sleep as well.