Li Xun brought water into the room and sensed something was wrong. He glanced sideways at the broken Helan inkstone on the floor and his heart skipped a beat. He carefully placed the wooden basin on the octagonal table and was about to bend down to pick up the broken object when Xiao Heye stopped him. "You go out first."
Li Xun glanced at Xiao Heye, then at Su Tiyue, who sat on the long table with red eyes, and replied in a low voice, "Yes."
After Li Xun closed the door and left, Xiao Heye slowly pointed to the wooden basin on the table: "There is hot water, Your Highness."
Su Tiyue sniffed her reddened nose, braced her hands on the edge of the long table, and slid down. She walked to the octagonal table, put her hands into the steaming water, and carefully washed her palms, the backs of her hands, and her fingers.
You should know that just now at Jingxin Pavilion, Su Tiyue's hands were thoroughly fondled by that dog emperor.
She found it disgusting, and the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Thinking about it, she scrubbed her hands several more times until they turned slightly red.
Xiao Heye couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he strode over to the wooden shelf behind the screen, took a clean square towel, and handed it to her: "Your Majesty, this basin of water is for you to wash your face."
Xiao Heye lowered his eyes, looking indifferently at Su Tiyue's tear-streaked face. His original intention in asking Li Xun to prepare water was... to let Su Tiyue wash her face and clear her head.
Su Tiyue ignored him and continued to rub her hands together with her head down.
Xiao Heye asked her, "Is Your Highness still angry? Just because of such a trivial matter?"
She paused, then stopped what she was doing. Su Tiyue turned to face him. She didn't take the handkerchief Xiao Heye offered. Instead, she deliberately grabbed his wide, thick sleeve with her wet hands and wiped them back and forth until all the water on her hands was transferred to his sleeve.
Su Tiyue spoke coldly, her bright, star-like eyes fixed on him: "Master Xiao, next time... if there are similar 'minor matters,' please inform me in advance so that I can be mentally prepared."
Xiao Heye looked down at her wet sleeves, a hint of indulgence on his face: "This servant obeys."
"Have you finished speaking, Master Xiao... may I go back now?"
"Hiss... Hmm..." Xiao Heye touched his chin with his fingers, thought for a while, and said, "Oh, there's one more thing. This servant would like to remind Your Majesty once again that the key to the great cause we are discussing is the Emperor, not this servant himself. I hope Your Majesty will keep this in mind and not waste your energy on things that shouldn't be spent."
He paused, then added, "If Your Highness had been more proactive at Jingxin Pavilion as you were at Wenhui Pavilion that night, perhaps... this matter could have been accomplished."
So that's what it was about. Su Tiyue bit her lower lip tightly... her eyes filled with resentment.
Although she didn't know when Xiao Heye had discovered Su Tiyue's little scheme, his words made Su Tiyue realize that everything that happened today... was less of a test and more of an opportunity for Xiao Heye to punish her a little.
After all, Su Tiyue's intentions were not pure, and she was not as obedient as one might imagine.
"Thanks for reminding me," Su Tiyue replied angrily, then turned and walked outside.
Xiao Heye stood there watching her back, but to his surprise, Su Tiyue turned back halfway through raising her hand to open the door, and took small steps on the wooden floor, making a clattering sound.
She walked up to Xiao Heye and added in a coquettish voice, "I just teased the palm print, is it really necessary to retaliate like this?"
Su Tiyue added, "Also, doesn't Master Xiao claim to be celibate and averse to women? If that's really the case, how about I tease you a little? What... are you scared?"
"Me...?" Xiao Heye's pupils widened in shock. How could these words, coming from her mouth, be so... both reasonable and humiliating?
Su Tiyue said, "What do you mean, 'I'? I'm not afraid of you. So what if I'm serving the emperor? So what if I'm sleeping with that old, damned emperor? I'll sleep with him whether I go to bed early or late. As for the relationship between men and women, it's just a matter of opening and closing your eyes and waiting until dawn... If you're really capable, you can invite that big shot to the Brocade Palace tonight and see how I treat him."
"Your Majesty...you are truly eloquent, I admire you." Xiao Heye's eyes were smiling, his expression calm. But as he said this, his molars were almost ground to powder.
Su Tiyue didn't know where she got the courage, she said so much and still felt it wasn't enough. Compared to the humiliation she had just suffered at Jingxin Pavilion, what Xiao Heye heard was nothing.
She stood on tiptoe, mimicking his gesture, and pinched Xiao Heye's chin hard, teasingly saying, "I'm going to tease you anyway, and... I'll do it again next time..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Tiyue rushed out of the room with small steps. Li Xun, who was waiting outside the door, hadn't provoked anyone, but for no reason, he was given a hard shove by Su Tiyue. If it weren't for a pillar behind him, Li Xun's butt would probably have suffered again.
Seeing that Su Tiyue had walked a little further away, Li Xun brought in a pot of tea and said leisurely, "Master, our Consort Shu can be really horrible when she gets angry. She'll even kick a passing dog..."
"What, are you a dog?" Xiao Heye stepped over the mess on the ground and said casually.
Li Xun glanced at Xiao Heye furtively and, seeing that he wasn't truly angry, finally felt a little relieved. He knew that when his master got angry, it could be deadly. "This servant was just joking."
Li Xun poured him a cup of tea, then bent down to pick up the broken Helan inkstone and handed it to Xiao Heye: "Master, what should we do with this inkstone?"
Xiao Heye took a sip of tea and said casually, "What can we do? We really like it, so we'll just keep using it... Are we going to throw it away?"
Li Xun understood and nodded, saying, "This servant understands."
"Go down."
"yes."
Li Xun left the room, crossed the inner courtyard, and walked out of Yelan Pavilion. He planned to go to the incense hall to check on how the matter entrusted to him by the Grand Eunuch was progressing.
A few days ago, Xiao Heye suddenly ordered Li Xun to send people to demolish the incense hall, saying it was an eyesore. He also said he planned to plant some flowers in that spot.
What flower was it again...? Li Xun patted his head and thought for a moment. It seemed to be jasmine. The Grand Eunuch said that a large area of jasmine should be planted in that place.
"We really like it... surely we can't just throw it away?" Xiao Heye's words echoed in Li Xun's mind again. Did the Grand Eunuch prefer the Helan inkstone or the jasmine flower?
No, is it Helan Yan or the one from Jinxiu Palace that the Grand Eunuch likes?
Li Xun dared to make a guess, but he quickly erased this absurd idea from his mind.
The Grand Eunuch is not that kind of person. He only cares about power and is ruthless. He has no interest in women. Besides, Consort Shu is nothing special. The Grand Eunuch would never have any other thoughts.
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