Chapter 20

Xi Xiao abruptly shook off Pei Yun's hand, which was tightly gripping her wrist. The force was so great that she staggered back a step before regaining her balance.

She raised her head, her beautiful face now slightly distorted with extreme anger, her eyes bloodshot like a spiderweb, like a small animal driven to the brink of collapse. Her voice was hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth: "Pei Yun! What exactly do you want? Why not just say it clearly? Give me a quick death!"

Across from him, Pei Yun was startled by her sudden break free, his body swaying slightly. He steadied himself, and a crack finally appeared in his mask, usually veiled by icy indifference. His chest heaved noticeably, and his usually composed voice unexpectedly carried a hint of anger: "The Emperor has shown you mercy; you shouldn't have refused!"

Xi Xiao seemed to have heard the most absurd joke. She tilted her head back and let out a series of broken and shrill laughs. The remaining sunlight above her head made her vision blurry. She felt so weak that she seemed about to faint at any moment. She used the last bit of strength to support herself, her voice filled with heavy self-mockery and sorrow.

"I never knew... I could be of so many uses! The Southern Border royal family has been destroyed, the Regent is embroiled in a media storm, the Marquis has been promoted, and you... your chronic illness has even made this broken body an object of the Emperor's 'pity,' and soon he will pave a smooth road to heaven for you, young master, deep within the palace?!"

The light in her eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only boundless despair and deathly silence. Her voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute determination that cut off all escape routes: "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you! I, Xi Xiaojue, will never do anything for you, Pei Yun, again!"

"Ha!" Pei Yun let out a short, mocking laugh. He suddenly stepped forward, his tall figure instantly casting her into a cramped shadow. He looked down at her, scrutinizing her with a look that seemed to want to slowly torture her, saying each word clearly, "Xi Xiao, you overestimate yourself. Do you really think you can stir up any trouble with your meager skills?" He curled his lips into a smile. "I, Pei Yun, am not so foolish as to hire a stupid fool who has neither wisdom nor cunning, and only knows how to act impulsively, to get in my way!"

A deep-seated hatred exploded in Xi Xiao's chest, instantly burning away the last shred of reason. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and with all the strength she had left, she shoved him violently.

Caught off guard, Pei Yun was pushed backward and stumbled half a step, crashing into the stone wall on the other side.

"If that's the case!" Xi Xiao's voice was shrill and cracked with extreme anger, echoing in the empty courtyard, "Then please, Young Master Pei, show me mercy and let me go home!"

"Go home?" Pei Yun steadied himself, the last trace of feigned calm in his eyes shattering completely, a violent and cold light surging forth. He leaned forward again, with an irresistible and tyrannical force, and grabbed Xi Xiao's slender arm tightly. The force was so great that it almost crushed her bones.

The voice seemed to come from hell, carrying a burning rage and an almost obsessive desire for control. He gave her no chance to break free, roughly pulling her along as he strode heavily and swiftly toward the Qihe Residence ahead.

All that remained in his ears were his words, words that were both a curse and a promise, so cruel and resolute: "After tonight, I will not let you live!"

*

Inside the Crane-Holding Residence, the flickering candlelight cast long, distorted shadows onto the cold walls. Outside, the howling night wind, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, whistled sharply against the windowpanes, penetrating the ears and bringing a piercing buzzing sound.

Xi Xiao sat motionless in the large rosewood chair beside Pei Yun, like a jade sculpture whose soul had been ripped out. Only the wrist tightly wrapped by Pei Yun's large hand reminded her that she was still in a hellish place.

Pei Yun's sharp gaze pierced through the tightly closed carved window lattice, firmly locking in the deep darkness of the night outside. He exuded a tense, dangerous aura, poised to strike.

“Master,” He Ying’s deliberately lowered voice sounded from outside the door, “Young Master Xi has arrived.”

The words "Young Master Xi" struck Xi Xiao's already numb heart like a thunderbolt. She trembled, her empty pupils suddenly contracted, bursting with unbelievable joy and urgency. She rushed towards the door almost instinctively.

However, the hand gripping her wrist suddenly tightened its grip, like a red-hot iron hoop tightening abruptly. Pei Yun turned his head, and his unfathomable eyes were now churning with an unprecedented, almost violent ruthlessness. His gaze seemed to be filled with a burning jealousy and destructive desire, fixed on her face, as if he wanted to burn her and the approaching figure through her. He clenched his teeth, the roots of his teeth grinding together to produce a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

In that tense, suffocating moment, Xiangmo quietly led two maids with their heads bowed into the inner room. Their movements were swift and silent, quickly pulling back a heavy sandalwood screen in the center of the hall. The screen hit the floor with a dull thud, instantly separating the inner room from the outer one and completely cutting off Xi Xiao's view of the doorway.

Xi Xiao bit her lower lip hard, so hard that she instantly tasted the strong metallic flavor of blood. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently behind the screen, as if trying to imprint the indistinct scene into the depths of her soul.

Pei Yun's face appeared even more distorted and ferocious in the flickering candlelight. After all the servants held their breath and withdrew, a slender yet upright figure was clearly reflected on the screen.

"Your humble servant Xi Yu greets Your Majesty." That gentle, clear voice, tinged with weariness yet still familiar, pierced through the screen and landed directly in Xi Xiao's heart.

She trembled with excitement, tears blurring her vision. She opened her mouth, and a cry filled with longing and grievance almost burst from her throat.

However, the two clearly visible words "Your Majesty" outside the screen pierced her ecstasy like the most vicious icicle.

His Majesty? !

A loud "buzz" went through Xi Xiao's mind, as if the world was spinning. She stiffly turned her head inch by inch, looking at the person beside her in disbelief.

Pei Yun continued to stare intently at her, a hint of cruel, all-encompassing pleasure flashing deep within his eyes, which had been churning with jealousy and rage. He didn't even spare a glance for the respectful figure outside the screen, until he saw the color drain from Xi Xiao's face and her eyes filled with shock and confusion. Only then did a morbid satisfaction finally appear on Pei Yun's contorted face.

He slowly turned his gaze to the silhouette on the screen. When he spoke, his voice had completely lost the gentle indifference that belonged to "Pei Yun," and was replaced by a completely different kind of cold and penetrating majesty that belonged to a superior.

"Xi Yu," the voice wasn't loud, but even through the screen, one could feel the suffocating pressure, "Do you know the consequences of disloyalty?"

Outside the screen, the slender figure knelt down without hesitation, his voice carrying a deep-seated weariness and vicissitude, "Your Majesty, I have researched and developed a cure to completely eradicate Your Majesty's... chronic illness. It can be administered once Your Majesty has rested. In the meantime..." He took a deep breath, his voice filled with a desperate resolve, "I will meticulously plan to expose the illicit affair between Yao Yanfu and Ling Zhouli. At the same time, I will order someone to release the irrefutable evidence of Ling Zhouli's collusion with the remnants of the Southern Frontier and his plot to rebel. This villain, struck so hard, will be like a trapped beast, and will surely take the risk of murdering the emperor and usurping the throne!"

His speech quickened, carrying a desperate urgency: "At that time, I will do everything in my power to conceal Your Majesty's whereabouts and create a false impression. Once Ling Zhouli believes he has succeeded, he will be eager to announce to the world that Your Majesty... has passed away. When his ugly behavior is exposed at the enthronement ceremony and the people are in turmoil..." Xi Yu's voice suddenly rose, "Your Majesty will then wield the might of thunder, personally lead the royal army, and execute him on the spot for the crime of treason. In this way, we can not only eliminate future troubles but also restore order to the court!"

Behind the screen, Pei Yun's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, clearly quite satisfied with the plan. His fingertips lightly tapped the armrest, producing a dull, rhythmic sound, his voice still unreadable: "Your plan, my dear minister, is brilliant. However…" He abruptly changed the subject, his tone like a venomous snake coiling around a neck, "As far as I know, this insidious ailment within me can only be completely eradicated without leaving any future problems, using only the blood of the Witch Clan as a catalyst. I wonder how you, my dear minister, have achieved this 'complete cure'?" Every word carried a penetrating scrutiny and an invisible pressure.

The voice outside the screen tensed instantly, filled with barely suppressed urgency: "Your Majesty, although this method cannot eradicate the root cause like the sacred blood of the Witch Clan, I guarantee with my life that Your Majesty will enjoy forty years of good health and peace. I only beg..." He kowtowed heavily, the sound of his forehead hitting the ground clearly carried through the screen, his plea so humble it was almost groveling, "I only beg Your Majesty... to have mercy! Let Xi Xiao go! She has nothing to do with this!"

His words were earnest and heartfelt, each one filled with tears and blood, yet also brimming with a profound sense of powerlessness and despair.

Inside the screen, Xi Xiao's tears had already broken free, flowing silently like beads from a broken string. The heavy taste of blood filled her mouth, and her heart felt as if it were being squeezed and kneaded by an invisible hand, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe!

At this moment, all her previous doubts and questions were answered.

Tears blurred her vision. Through the hazy light, she gazed at the slender silhouette on the screen, kneeling and hunched over for her sake. A wave of intense dizziness tore at her reason...

The iron grip on her wrist tightened again, Pei Yun's gaze like icy chains, locking her in place. His words suddenly turned sharp as knives, slamming against the screen: "Forty years without worry? Ha... What I want is a painless, disaster-free life, to live as long as heaven, not forty years of lingering on, living in constant fear. Xi Yu, your prescription... lacks sincerity."

"Your Majesty!" Outside the screen, Xi Yu's figure seemed to be crushed by the last straw. He trembled, his voice filled with desperate cries and blood-curdling pleas: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am willing to go through fire and water for you, even unto death! I only beg... I only beg Your Majesty to show mercy and let her go."

Dead silence.

A suffocating silence filled the Qihe Residence, with only the mournful sound of the wind outside the window and Xi Xiao's suppressed, silent sobs.

For a long time, it felt like an eternity.

"Step back."

The two words, devoid of emotion, were like a final judgment, uttered from those thin lips.

The figure outside the screen seemed frozen, motionless for a moment, before finally, as if all life had been drained from them, they stood up with extreme heaviness. Their departing steps were faltering and hesitant, each step as if dragging a thousand-pound shackle, echoing dullly and desperately on the cold floor tiles.