Chapter 111 Ice Coffin

The two lowered their heads and retreated silently from the warm pavilion.

The palace path stretched long, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the vermilion palace walls a poignant crimson. Desheng and Decai walked one after the other, the distance between them resembling a moat.

Desheng stood with his hands behind his back, his round belly sticking out.

His mind was still racing through the list that had been burned to ashes—Eunuch Liu, Granny Zhang, Granny Wang… Tsk tsk, the young lady’s methods are truly unpredictable!

With this dark web, Desheng can stand even taller in the Imperial Household Department!

Thinking about the resources he could mobilize in the future and the record-breaking performance he could break, he couldn't help but smile.

But his smugness vanished instantly when he caught a glimpse of his apprentice beside him, who was looking down as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Foolish apprentice!

So she's one of the young lady's people too! She's been hiding it well!

The thought of how much information this kid might have secretly passed on to the young lady behind his back, and how much credit he might have stolen, made Desheng feel a tightness in his chest!

The feeling was like a stray cat snatching a huge piece of braised pork from your bowl! The worst part is that this stray cat usually acts like a sickly chicken!

"snort!"

Desheng exhaled a breath from his nostrils, took bigger strides, and flicked his sleeves, making a whooshing sound.

The boy in the back, De Cai, had his little face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

He stole glances at his master's head, which clearly screamed "I'm not happy," and felt incredibly aggrieved.

Master! Are you sure you don't need to go that far? I wasn't trying to steal your thunder!

Besides, they earn their living through their own abilities, okay?

How dangerous that time was when I delivered the news of the imperial selection! I almost got caught by Eunuch Sun, who was on duty in front of the emperor! He was sweating bullets too!

But he dared not say it aloud, and could only hang his head and silently complain to himself: Master is so stingy!

The two of them, in this awkward, silent, and cold war, walked a distance that seemed to stretch for a hundred and eight thousand miles.

The atmosphere was so tense that even the lowly eunuchs around them felt it, and they immediately shrank back, afraid of incurring bad luck.

Finally, the majestic palace gate came into view.

The moment I stepped into the shadows of the palace gates—

It was as if some invisible switch had been pressed.

The anger on Desheng's face vanished instantly, replaced by a kind and harmless smile, like that of Maitreya Buddha.

De Cai immediately straightened his back, lowered his head and looked at De Cai with just the right amount of respect, which was a bit silly for a young man.

The master and apprentice even exchanged a knowing glance, and in that instant their eyes met, it was as if the previous disagreement had never happened.

Once they enter this door, they are all in the same boat; if one of them suffers, they all suffer.

Outside the palace are competitors; inside the palace, they are partners!

Their harmony was like that of a model teacher and student in the imperial court.

"Master, please walk slowly and watch your step," De Cai said softly, extending his hand to gently steady you.

"Hmm, you're really thoughtful, kid." Desheng nodded with a smile, displaying a deep bond between master and disciple.

With identical, well-trained smiles on their faces, the two walked side by side in the same rhythm toward the gradually brightening imperial study.

The courtyard outside the Imperial Study was eerily quiet.

The guards and eunuchs who should have been on duty at the gate were now standing far away under the corridor outside the courtyard gate, each with their eyes downcast and their minds blank, like clay or wooden sculptures.

"What's going on?" Desheng stopped and asked the head guard at the door in a low voice.

His Majesty usually locks himself in the Imperial Study after dinner, but the sun has just set, why has it started again? And why has the entire courtyard been emptied?

The head of the guards had a stoic face. When he saw Desheng, he relaxed his tense muscles slightly and replied in a low voice, "Eunuch Desheng, you're finally back! His Majesty kicked everyone out after noon! The doors and windows are tightly shut, not a single crack left! He has strictly ordered no one to approach! He only left his trusted confidants to guard outside."

This isn't right! This is really wrong!

His Majesty's time for solitude has shifted from after dinner to the afternoon? What secrets are hidden in this Imperial Study?!

A strong sense of curiosity gripped Desheng's mind.

"Understood. Keep watch outside." Desheng tried to maintain his composure, nodded to the head guard, and then winked at Decai.

The two of them moved quietly, like two raccoons walking along the wall, and stealthily entered the outer hall of the imperial study.

There was a man guarding the outer hall with a sword in his arms.

The fact that he can carry a sword means that the Emperor has ordered that anyone who gets close be killed!

Remembering Xie Sangning's instructions, the two stopped investigating and turned to leave.

As for who is assigned to do something, that is their responsibility. This is the young lady's rule, so that things won't get chaotic, disrupt her plans, or cause any unexpected problems.

In the secret room of the imperial study, unseen by Desheng and the other, Pei Yan, dressed in a black casual outfit, carefully took down an extremely exquisite palace dress.

The light from the wall lamps in the enclosed room shimmered with a warm, lake-like luster.

The skirt is outlined with intricate patterns in silver thread, and the neckline and cuffs are inlaid with pearls, exuding understated luxury.

This was precisely the color that Lin Ruyue loved most back then.

He held the dress as if it were a priceless treasure and walked to the huge crystal ice coffin.

He had already pushed open the coffin lid, and inside the ice coffin, Lin Ruyue's body lay there quietly.

Preserved at extremely low temperatures, her face retained the contours of her life.

His skin was a deathly pale white, devoid of any color, like the finest white porcelain.

Her long hair, like seaweed, spread out beneath her, and the small sapphire head ornament in her hair shimmered with a cold halo in the dim light.

Pei Yan stared intently at the face in the coffin, his eyes filled with focus and satisfaction.

He reached out and vaguely traced the outline, his voice gentle:

"Ruyue...I'm here. Are you cold?"

"Today, I've dressed you in new clothes, isn't that nice? Look, the color... the fabric... these are all your favorites..."

He took a deep breath and very gently leaned into the bone-chillingly cold coffin.

The chill felt like countless steel needles piercing into my bone marrow instantly!

Pei Yan's teeth were chattering from the cold, but he didn't care; his eyes were only on the body in the coffin.

With trembling, cold, and stiff fingers, he carefully began to unbutton the old palace dress Lin Ruyue was wearing.

The movements were incredibly gentle, as if handling a very fragile treasure.

"Be good...don't move...it will be over soon..." Pei Yan murmured softly as he worked, like he was coaxing a child, his eyes burning with an intense heat.

He painstakingly removed the old clothes from the cold corpse, revealing a body dressed only in a plain white undergarment.

He picked up the brand-new palace dress and, as if performing a sacred ceremony, trembled as he painstakingly dressed Lin Ruyue, bit by bit.

The movements were not clumsy at all; on the contrary, it was as if they had done it many times before.

The cold corpse was stiff and rigid, its arms unable to bend and its clothes difficult to fasten. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Pei Yan's forehead, but he stubbornly tried again and again, his eyes showing no impatience, only obsession.

"Look...how beautiful..."

When the last sash was finally tied, Pei Yan let out a long sigh of relief, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

He took a step back, staring intently at Lin Ruyue, who had been completely transformed in the ice coffin.

"My Ruyue... will always be the most beautiful..."

Pei Yan's voice was heavy with panting, his infatuated gaze lingering on the corpse's face and body.

He leaned down and, through the cold coffin lid, pressed his lips to Lin Ruyue's forehead.

"You wait... Tomorrow, I will be able to make Consort Ru wear the same clothes you wore today, and then I will be able to truly embrace you and possess you..."