A light drizzle was falling.
The sedan chair sent by the Hall of Longevity to pick up the guests had already stopped at the gate of the outer courtyard of the Listening Rain Pavilion.
It was a rainy day outside, but what was worse than the weather was the unspeakable, unsettling emotion.
Since last night, Liu Wanqingwu and Xiao Anzi have both learned that Su Tiyue is about to serve the emperor.
Although she knew that Su Tiyue, as a concubine of the emperor, would eventually have this day.
But they still secretly hoped that this day would come slowly, very slowly.
Even if they were out of favor, even if they were bullied by the masters and servants of other palaces, none of the three wanted Su Tiyue to serve them in bed...
The courtyard, usually noisy and bustling, was unusually quiet and deserted today.
After Su Tiyue finished bathing and changed her clothes, Liu Wan and Qing Wu helped her down from the bedroom when Xiao Anzi brought in dinner.
He couldn't help but steal a glance at the Empress.
She wore a peach-pink palace dress with a light pink brocade bodice underneath, and a white shawl tied around her shoulders, revealing her slender, fair neck. Her delicate hands rested lightly on Liu Wan's arm, their whiteness dazzling.
Her hair was half-tied with a light blue ribbon, and her hair bun was held up by a gold hairpin with a jade butterfly pendant. Two strands of her black hair hung softly in front of her chest. She was lightly made up, and her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom. She was so pure and beautiful that she was like a fairy and it was hard to look away.
Xiao Anzi was momentarily lost in thought. By the time he came to his senses, Su Tiyue had already come down the stairs.
He quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please have something to eat before you go. These are all your favorite dishes..."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please eat something. You only had some plain porridge for lunch. What if your health deteriorates if you continue like this?"
Liu Wan advised him with great concern.
Qingwu quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, why don't you let me talk with you a little longer? It's still early, and His Majesty is very busy. He might not return to the Palace of Longevity until very late."
They exchanged a few insignificant words. In truth, whether or not they ate or spoke didn't matter; they simply didn't want Su Tiyue to suffer inhuman torment there.
She's so weak and has so little strength, I'm afraid she won't even have a chance to fight back.
However, in front of the emperor... no one should dare to disobey.
"What's wrong with you all? Why are you all so talkative today, just like my mother? I went to..."
Su Tiyue lowered her eyes, paused for a moment, and then continued, "I'm going to serve the emperor, not to die... Don't all look so worried, don't worry, I'll definitely come back safe and sound..."
After she finished speaking, she left the courtyard and got into the sedan chair.
The sedan chair swayed and rocked as it left the South Garden, passed Taiye Pond, and headed towards the magnificent palace.
...
Suddenly, Su Tiyue remembered her first day in the palace.
She vaguely remembered that day when she lay on the couch in the Hall of Longevity, waiting for a long time without seeing the emperor. Her feelings then were probably not much different from now.
Anxiety, panic, fear... and helplessness.
Those melancholy and desolate emotions tightly enveloped her, seemingly threatening to devour Su Tiyue completely.
Looking back on the harrowing experiences of those days, it seems she has been struggling relentlessly, for survival, for self-preservation, and for the people she cares about.
But what exactly does Xiao Heye mean to her?
Should I consider him my savior, or not?
All Su Tiyue knew was that Xiao Heye was the one who saved her and reached out to pull her out of danger time and time again.
But ironically, the one who wanted to ruin her, to toy with her, and drag her down to hell was still Xiao Heye.
Su Tiyue was grateful to him, but also afraid of him. She wanted to escape, but helplessly, she kept getting closer to him.
She hoped Xiao Heye would save her from her dire straits, but she was also afraid of falling into an even more terrible and dark abyss herself.
She knew that at the bottom of that abyss, Xiao Heye was waiting for her, as if he had been waiting for a very long time...
That's how people are; they're always timid, selfish, and contradictory, only wanting to choose the benefit when faced with pros and cons.
Faced with black and white...
If she had a choice, she would definitely choose white.
Unfortunately, she didn't.
*
Just like her first day in the palace, Su Tiyue waited for a very, very long time in the Hall of Longevity…
She sat upright on the bed, her eyes fixed on the door, unblinking.
If the emperor were to appear at this moment, it would be endless torment and abuse for her.
But if the emperor did not appear for a long time, it would be an unknown fear and torment for her.
Anyway, this feeling is not pleasant at all.
...
What's even more disheartening is that there are guards standing watch outside the Hall of Longevity.
Su Tiyue went to check... Every window was sealed shut, not even a fly could get out.
Just as Xiao Heye said, she couldn't escape.
She knew she couldn't escape, so she could only accept her fate...
Su Tiyue waited anxiously.
On the other side, Xiao Heye was also waiting silently in Yelan Pavilion with a gloomy face.
*
The night was deep.
Outside the imperial city, lies Qiushui Residence.
A servant hurriedly entered the house, knocked on Hanzhou's door, and whispered a few words of report.
Han Zhou frowned, his narrow eyes slightly upturned: "My brother really sent someone to the Hall of Longevity?"
The servant nodded and added, "I saw it with my own eyes; the Supervisor even had the windows of the Hall of Longevity sealed off."
Han Zhou snorted coldly, his sinister voice ringing out: "Didn't you say it was New Year's Eve? You've already gotten tired of playing with people so quickly... Heh, as expected of my brother."
He chuckled softly, patting the servant's shoulder with a sigh of relief: "Release that good-for-nothing locked in the dungeon. Keeping him in the manor is a waste of food."
"Yes, Deputy Supervisor."
The servant left after giving his reply.
*
At three-quarters past 9 PM, a carrier pigeon landed steadily in the courtyard, cooing softly. Li Xun took the letter, hurriedly ran into the house, and then respectfully handed it over.
Xiao Heye sat upright behind the long marble table, slowly opened the paper, glanced at it briefly, and then crumpled the paper in his palm. In an instant, the paper crumbled into powder.
The gloomy expression on his face finally eased a lot.
Li Xun craned his neck and asked, "Master, is it done?"
Xiao Heye stood up, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "You found out again?"
The tone was neither too light nor too heavy, but Li Xun was certain that his master was in a very good mood at that moment.
Li Xun smiled obsequiously, "Master taught me well."
He hummed in agreement, then strolled outside. "Let's go... pick up our little one. Don't keep her waiting too long."
The little thing can be scary when it gets fierce.
Also, it's not easy to soothe a crying baby.
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