Whether Zhou Lin believed what Su Tiyue said or not didn't really matter.
Because Zhou Lin knew clearly who was more valuable to his future ambitions.
Is it Consort Wan, Su Tiyue, or someone else?
While he certainly didn't want his shady dealings with Consort Wan to be exposed, Zhou Lin knew even more clearly that this woman before him was not to be killed.
Su Tiyue is the daughter of Su Sui, the Minister of Revenue, and also the younger sister of Su Lin, the general stationed in the northern frontier.
Su Lin not only commands 100,000 elite troops, but he is also upright and incorruptible, and extremely loyal to Beiliang.
The Ministry of Revenue managed the national treasury and was closely related to the finances of Northern Liang; General Su Lin held military power.
If the Prince of Huainan wants to pursue his grand ambitions, he needs financial and military resources as support, so... Zhou Lin won't touch her.
Zhou Lin turned to the side, making room for Su Tiyue, his meaning was clear.
He planned to let her go.
Seeing his reaction, Su Tiyue finally breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded slightly, said "thank you," and then walked past Zhou Lin with a calm expression and downcast eyes.
She had only taken two steps when someone called out to her from behind, "Your Majesty, something has been left behind."
Su Tiyue turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression: "What?"
Zhou Lin shook the hairpin in his hand, walked closer to her, and handed it to her in his palm.
Su Tiyue accepted the hairpin without a word, wanting only to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, but the person in front of her spoke again: "I believe we will meet again soon."
Zhou Lin looked at her with great interest, his unfathomable eyes shining brightly.
Although Su Tiyue was surprised, she didn't say much, but simply said in a low voice, "Farewell."
Only after that petite figure disappeared into the hazy night did Zhou Lin slowly turn around and walk back.
Right now, Zhou Lin seems to have another task to do besides helping the emperor protect Zhou Ziqi and getting rid of Xiao Heye.
He wanted to thoroughly investigate Su Tiyue's background, understand her, and get closer to her... so that his future path to becoming emperor would be smoother.
*
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the sky was beginning to lighten.
The Listening to Rain Pavilion was completely silent; no one woke up.
Su Tiyue was still asleep when she vaguely felt the soft couch beneath her sink in for a moment, followed by a familiar and elegant sandalwood scent slowly approaching.
His cool, thin lips gently captured her soft, tightly closed lips.
Unrestrained kissing and invasion...
She slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was Xiao Heye's handsome and dashing face.
Xiao Heye knew she was awake. He gently pecked her lips, then released her, straightened up, and said softly with a smile, "Yue'er, I haven't seen you for several days. I've missed you so much, I just couldn't resist..."
Knowing she was still asleep, he had planned to sneak a peek, but he couldn't resist and kissed her awake.
"Master Xiao's seal..."
Su Tiyue rubbed her sleepy eyes, then habitually stretched out her finger towards him. Xiao Heye understood, grasped her outstretched finger, and pulled her up from the bed with a little force.
Then, he pulled her into his arms and looked at her with doting eyes.
Su Tiyue grabbed his arms with both hands and rubbed her face against his chest. "The national mourning period is over, and I didn't know that Minister Xiao was still so busy?"
She looked up at Xiao Heye and asked, "Are you about to go out or have you just returned from outside the palace?"
Xiao Heye replied, "Just got back."
The day Zhou Ziqi leaves the palace is fast approaching.
Xiao Heye agreed to the Empress Dowager's request that Zhou Ziqi not be allowed to live, but he could not do anything to him in the palace, so he had been busy outside the palace these past few days.
For Xiao Heye, taking someone's life might not be difficult, but to make someone die in an accident without the world noticing any clues would require some effort.
However, Xiao Heye could not let Su Tiyue know these things.
Su Tiyue had also promised Xiao Heye that she would not ask, interfere, or meddle in anything he wanted to do.
Therefore, even if she has many doubts and worries in her heart, she will choose to remain silent.
Su Tiyue turned her head away, neither speaking nor looking at him again.
Xiao Heye lowered his head, his dark eyes fixed on the short red mark on her neck. His pupils contracted slightly as he asked, "What happened here?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a cold finger gently touched that spot. "How did you get hurt?"
Su Tiyue frowned, remembering that this must be the mark left by Zhou Lin pressing the hairpin too hard against her neck last night.
If she were to tell the truth now, the affair between the Prince of Huainan and Consort Wan would probably be exposed. Moreover, Han Zhou seemed to have mentioned at Qiushui Residence that Xiao Heye and Zhou Lin had never gotten along.
If Xiao Heye knew that Zhou Lin had hurt him, who knows what he would do...
Su Tiyue paused for a moment, then said casually, "I cut myself while taking a bath last night, it's nothing serious."
Fearing he wouldn't believe her, Su Tiyue reached out and gently scratched his cheek with her pinkish-white fingernails, adding, "Maybe my nails are just too long..."
"Hmm." Xiao Heye grasped her fingers and squeezed them firmly. "I'll trim Yue'er's nails when I have some free time another day."
After he finished speaking, he leaned down, tilted his head slightly, and placed a delicate and tender kiss on the red marks on her neck.
They lingered, reluctant to part.
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