Chapter 61

The palace walls, seemingly impenetrable, could not ultimately withstand the whispers of rumors. One morning, two servants responsible for the courtyard, taking advantage of the absence of the head maid, huddled together under the eaves of a corridor, stealing a moment of leisure.

A servant boy, leaning to the side and half-covering his mouth with his hand, whispered mysteriously to his companion watering the flowers, "Hey, have you heard? That guy in Zhaoyang Palace... they say he used to be the eldest son of the Marquis of Wenyuan's household, Young Master Pei..."

The servant watering the plants jolted, nearly dropping the watering can. He glanced around hastily before slowly approaching, his voice barely audible: "Where did you hear that? That's utter nonsense that could cost you your head! If that's true, then His Majesty... wouldn't that be forcibly taking a subject's wife?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he covered his mouth in fright, his eyes widening in terror. After confirming that no one was around, he nudged the cleaning servant with his elbow and pressed, "You mustn't talk nonsense! What kind of status does His Majesty have? What kind of woman can't he have? It's already extraordinary that he made a woman with no family background his empress. If she was... if she was forcibly taken, this... this is outrageous!"

"I'm not making this up!" The cleaning servant exclaimed, both excited and frightened, as if he had stumbled upon a huge secret. "It was Sister Zixia, who was on duty in Zhaoyang Palace, who secretly revealed it. She said that the Empress often stares blankly at an old object, supposedly belonging to Young Master Pei. She thinks of him every day just by looking at it. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, you can even hear faint crying coming from inside, and she's... she's cursing our Emperor..."

"My goodness..." The watering boy gasped, "This is truly... who exactly is this woman, that she possesses such magic?"

The two sighed, their thoughts swirling with wild speculations. This earth-shattering secret, like wild grass in early spring, spread silently to every corner of the palace in less than half a day, carried by the wind.

Therefore, when Pei Yun stepped into Zhaoyang Palace, he happened to see several palace servants gathered together whispering, their eyes filled with undisguised inquiry and discussion, right in front of Xi Xiao, who was reading by the window. His face darkened, and he was about to reprimand them when those petty and unbearable "rumors" had already reached his ears word for word.

"Drag them all away and beat them to death." A voice, neither loud nor soft, but chillingly cold, rang out.

The row of palace maids awoke as if from a dream, turning around in horror to see He Ying arrive silently with her entourage, waving expressionlessly at them. The guards stepped forward, covered their mouths, and dragged them away without mercy, disappearing into the depths of the palace walls before they could even utter a plea for mercy.

Inside the hall, Xi Xiao seemed to ignore everything, not even lifting her eyelids, and continued to read a storybook intently.

Upon seeing this, Pei Yun felt the inexplicable, persistent pain in his chest strangely lessen somewhat. A smile played on his lips as he walked to her side and, disregarding his status, sat down on the low stool next to her, his voice soft: "What are you looking at so intently?"

Xi Xiao's fingertips twitched slightly as she turned a page, not even glancing at him, clearly indicating that she didn't want to pay him any attention.

Pei Yun didn't care and said to himself, "The palace servants in your palace are rash and don't keep their mouths shut. I have already asked the Imperial Household Department to select a new batch of smart and well-mannered people to come over. They will be able to help Xiangmo and make things quieter for you."

"Your Majesty may decide." It was still a calm and indifferent response.

But for Pei Yun, this was a rare moment of "peace." Feeling a little relieved, he said, "I've had the Imperial Household Department expedite the production of a new batch of wedding attire and crown for the wedding day. The patterns and materials are of the finest quality. I'll send them to the side hall later, and you can go and see if you like them."

After speaking, Xi Xiao finally looked up from between the pages of her book, giving him a half-smile. Her gaze was icy, ruthlessly piercing through the thin veil of secrecy: "Now everyone in the palace is saying that His Majesty has taken a subject's wife, and I've been branded a vixen who brought ruin to the country. With such 'rumors' running rampant, does His Majesty still intend to hold a grand wedding?" She emphasized the word "rumors," as if it carried endless sarcasm and implication.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yun's gentle smile vanished instantly, replaced by a helpless expression of having his thoughts exposed: "So what if it spreads throughout the world?! No one can stop me from doing what I want!" The last sentence carried a sinister ruthlessness.

Xi Xiao's expression changed abruptly. She slammed the book on the table, no longer wanting to look at him, and got up to head straight for the inner room.

Seeing her in this state again, Pei Yun's pent-up anger and panic instantly spiraled out of control. He grabbed her wrist fiercely, his voice filled with a near-hysterical frustration: "After spreading rumors, is the next step to take my life?! Xi Xiao, do you hate me that much?! So much that you can't tolerate me for even a moment?!"

Xi Xiao forcefully shook off his hand, her brows furrowed so dark they seemed to drip with malice. She didn't bother to answer and continued walking. Pei Yun, however, suddenly grabbed her again, pulling her tightly into his arms, and growled ruthlessly, "Do whatever you want! I'll accept it all! But if you want to leave, there's absolutely no way!"

Xi Xiao struggled fiercely in his steely embrace, her face flushed with anger. Seeing that she couldn't break free, she didn't think twice and suddenly pulled out the gold hairpin that held her hair. The sharp end of the hairpin stabbed fiercely at Pei Yun's shoulder. However, the expected muffled groan did not sound. Before the hairpin touched the dragon robe, Pei Yun grabbed it with his bare hand!

The sharp hairpin tip pierced his palm instantly, and blood gushed out from between his tightly clenched fingers, quickly staining his cuffs red. He didn't utter a sound, but stared intently at Xi Xiao, his eyes churning with pain and obsession.

Taking advantage of the clanging sound of the hairpin hitting the ground, Xi Xiao suddenly broke free from his embrace, rushed to the side table, picked up the heavy and exquisite glass vase on it, and with all her might, smashed it hard against Pei Yun's head!

Before Pei Yun could react, a sharp "bang" rang out, and shards of glass flew everywhere. A long gash ran from Pei Yun's forehead to his brow bone, and blood gushed out, blurring half of his vision.

He clutched his bleeding forehead, staggered a step, and looked at Xi Xiao one last time in disbelief. His gaze was indescribably complex, before finally settling into a deathly silence. He didn't utter another word, turned, and strode away, leaving only a few drops of crimson blood on the smooth ground.

The next morning, before dawn, the doors of Zhaoyang Palace were silently pushed open. A dozen or so expressionless palace servants filed in, their movements swift and orderly, like a silent undercurrent.

Their goal was clear: all the objects in the palace that could be used as weapons, such as the sharp gold and jade hairpins in the dressing case, the exquisite porcelain ornaments on the table, and even the thin-bladed paintings used as decoration on the wall, were all collected into a carrying box lined with soft cloth and taken away without leaving a trace.

An older female official stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Xi Xiao, and then gestured for two palace maids to come forward. They carefully removed the outer garment embroidered with silver thread lotus flowers, which may have had its threads removed, and replaced it with a plain brocade robe that was as soft as a cloud and had no decorations.

In less than half an hour, the palace was completely transformed. The previously magnificent yet cold artifacts had been removed, replaced by smooth wooden carvings, warm jade pieces, and countless glass beads cleverly inlaid in lampshades and stands. When the windows were closed, blocking out the natural light, the iridescent glow emitted by the glass beads enveloped the entire palace in a hazy, ethereal light, dreamlike and enchanting, yet also obscuring all harsh realities.

Xi Xiao watched all of this with a cold eye, a mocking sneer always on her lips. She turned her head to look at the sky outside the window, which was divided into four squares by high walls, seemingly disdainful of this painstaking effort and too lazy to pay attention to it.

However, as evening fell, Pei Yun unusually entered Zhaoyang Palace again. He was not wearing a dragon robe, but only a loose black cloak with dark patterns. His black hair was not tied up, and a few strands hung down his pale cheeks. He walked in silently, like a wandering ghost in the night. He stood at the door, staring at Xi Xiao without saying a word. His eyes were empty and stubborn, which made people feel uneasy.

Xi Xiao felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, a strong sense of unease gripping her. Instinctively, she grabbed an outer robe from the clothes rack beside her and wrapped it tightly around herself. She then retreated to the edge of the couch, sat down, straightened her back, and glared back with equally icy eyes.

Pei Yun showed no reaction to her wariness, simply staring at her intently for a long time, until only his slightly heavy breathing could be heard in the hall. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse, carrying an almost humble plea: "In the past, I lied to you and hurt you, and you also hurt me... We... we'll even things out, and never mention it again. From now on... you won't cause me any more trouble, and we'll live peacefully, okay?"

"No!" Xi Xiao interrupted him decisively. "Let me forgive you? I said, unless you're dead."

This merciless curse seemed to pierce through Pei Yun's barely maintained composure in an instant. The pitiful pleading look on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a terrifying gloom and violence that enveloped his brows. He stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently, then suddenly, like a wild beast out of control, he lunged forward and pounced on Xi Xiao, knocking her down onto the soft brocade couch!

"Then let us hate," he growled, his voice a mixture of madness, despair, and a twisted possessiveness. "Since neither side is willing to go their separate ways, then let us entangle ourselves until death..."

It was clearly he who used force to coerce, yet his words were tinged with a sense of helpless sorrow, as if he were the one who had been driven to the brink and was bearing all the pain.

As the two struggled and pulled fiercely on the bed, tears uncontrollably streamed down Pei Yun's face, landing heavily on Xi Xiao's cheeks, cold and burning.

Xi Xiao was stunned for a moment, then as if she had been scalded by boiling water, she wiped away the tear with extreme disgust, and with all her strength, she raised her hand and slapped Pei Yun hard across the face!

The crisp sound of the slap was particularly jarring in the silent hall. Pei Yun was knocked to the side by her full-force slap and was momentarily stunned.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xi Xiao broke free from his grip, curled up in the corner of the bed, and tightly guarded her collar with both hands. She stared at him with horror and disgust, her voice trembling slightly with anger and fear: "You are disgusting. I would rather die with my body festering than be touched by you even once!"

Pei Yun slowly turned his head, the clear finger marks on his cheek red and swollen. He stared at her intently with his sharp eyes, which were churning with a terrifying storm, as if trying to etch her image into his very bones.

After a moment of deathly silence, he slowly stood up, straightened his disheveled robes, and his tone regained a chilling calm as he spoke, word by word: "After the wedding, I will no longer indulge you. For the rest of your life, you will be bound to me here, until death do us part."