Pride
The medical records and ideas Lin Qingyan brought were like a glimmer of light in the darkness. Xu Xianyue locked herself in the workshop for even longer. No longer content with simply recreating the velvet flower forms of her past life, she began to experiment with combining the properties of the cold herbs Lin Qingyan mentioned with the specialized materials she could find.
She had Wancui secretly gather scraps of fine white jade, which she polished into thin slices herself. These were then inlaid between the branches of velvet flowers, imitating pine and cypress trees, capturing the jade's warmth and coolness. She also experimented with weaving silk threads soaked in mint and bamboo juice, attempting to blend the subtle medicinal aroma with the velvet flowers' own rhythmic rhythm. The process was tedious and meticulous, with far more failures than successes, but she never tired of it. When her fingertips were scratched by the hard jade pieces and left red marks by the thin copper wire, she simply frowned, rinsed them with clean water, and moved on to the next attempt.
That afternoon, she was making final adjustments to a nearly completed dark blue gentian flower inlaid with fine lapis lazuli as "Cold Dew" when there was a gentle knock on the workshop door.
"Girl." It was Jingzhe's voice, a little deeper than usual.
Xu Xianyue didn't stop what he was doing, and just responded, "Come in."
Jingzhe pushed open the door and entered, bringing with him a chilly air from outside. His gaze swept across the dazzling array of colorful, semi-finished velvet flowers in the workshop, finally settling on Xu Xianyue's focused profile. She lowered her head slightly, her neck arched in an elegant yet stubborn curve. Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting a small shadow on her long, thick eyelashes. Her expression was cold and distant, as if everything around her had no bearing on her.
"The prince has woken up." Jingzhe said concisely.
Xu Xianyue's hooked fingers paused for a moment, then resumed their smooth movements. "Hmm," she said, understanding, but she didn't look up or ask about Xie Wuqi's condition, as if it were just insignificant news.
Jingzhe was silent for a moment. Upon waking, the prince heard of Lin Qingyan's repeated visits to the mansion to discuss medical matters with "Miss Xu." Though he hadn't explicitly stated his stance, the pressure around him dropped alarmingly low. He had come with the intention of inquiring on behalf of the prince, but seeing Xu Xianyue's indifference, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. This Miss Xu seemed to never truly care about the prince's moods, or even his life or death. This kind of detachment was sometimes more difficult to deal with than deliberate flattery or fear.
"The poison has damaged the prince's foundation this time. The imperial physician said he needs to rest and not get angry." Jingzhe changed his words, with a subtle reminder in his tone.
Xu Xianyue finally raised her eyes, her clear gaze falling on Jingzhe with a hint of indifference, "Is Guard Jingzhe worried that I'll provoke the prince again and anger him?"
Jingzhe was choked and speechless.
Xu Xianyue's lips curled up in a faint, almost mocking arc: "Don't worry, I'm not interested in that, nor do I have the time." She lowered her head again and carefully embedded the lapis lazuli deep into the petals. "As long as the prince's people don't come to disturb my peace and quiet, that's all."
Her attitude was clear and distant, with a kind of inviolable pride. She could discuss with Lin Qingyan because of a common goal, and she could suppress the poison on impulse, but this did not mean that she needed to bow down to Xie Wuqi and care about his mood.
Jingzhe gave her a deep look. This Miss Xu, with her inherent pride, was probably no less than that of the prince. "I understand," he said, bowing and retreating without saying anything more.
Silence returned to the workshop. Xu Xianyue looked at the finally completed deep blue gentian in her hand. The cool-toned petals, inlaid with lapis lazuli, shone with a subtle luster. It was solitary and clear, like a flower blooming on a cliff.
She didn't like the way Xie Wuqi looked at her, the way he looked at her, the way he seemed to know everything, to control everything, and the madness and predatory nature hidden beneath his weakness. She saved him more for self-preservation, to verify her own ability, rather than out of any conjugal affection or pity.
He wanted her to be grateful and flatter him because of this ridiculous marriage and his special "attention"?
dream.
Even if Xu Xianyue is imprisoned, she will never lose the things in her bones.
Two days later, Xu Xianyue was reading a book about exotic flowers and plants in southern Xinjiang that Lin Qingyan had just sent her when Butler Yan came over again with a serious expression.
"Miss Xu," he said with obvious anxiety, "The prince... the prince refuses to use the medicine."
Xu Xianyue raised her eyes from the book, her gaze calm and unwavering: "So?"
Housekeeper Yan was choked by her reaction and could only bite the bullet and say, "The prince thought the medicine was bitter and smashed the medicine bowl. The imperial physician boiled it again and sent it to him, but the prince still refused to take it. Master Jingzhe couldn't persuade him... If he doesn't take the medicine again, I'm afraid it will worsen his condition. This old servant thinks... the young lady might..."
"Maybe what?" Xu Xianyue interrupted him, her tone slightly cold. "Do you think I can make him drink the medicine obediently?" She put down the book and stood up, her posture as straight as a bamboo. "Butler Yan, I was married to your prince as a decoration, not his wet nurse. What does it have to do with me whether he drinks the medicine or not?"
The coldness in her words made Butler Yan break out in a cold sweat, but he still refused to give up: "Miss, the prince's injury this time is different from the past. If he doesn't take medicine, his life may be in danger! This old servant begs Miss..."
"Fear for his life?" Xu Xianyue chuckled softly, her laughter devoid of emotion. "His Royal Highness Prince Jing doesn't care about his own life, so why should others care?" She walked to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside. "Tell him that if he wants to die, he should wait until I get this divorce agreement. Otherwise, he will tarnish my reputation in the future."
These words were truly treasonous. Steward Yan was so frightened that his face turned pale. He fell to his knees with a thud, "Miss! Be careful with your words!"
Xu Xianyue no longer looked at him, leaving the housekeeper with only a thin and resolute back.
Wan Cui hurried forward and half-invited and half-helped the still trembling Butler Yan to leave.
Inside the workshop, Xu Xianyue stood quietly. She wasn't truly so cold-blooded as to disregard a life; she simply resented the feeling of being thrust into a position of responsibility to solve a problem. Xie Wuqi refused to take the medicine? Was he simply being willful, relying on his status, or perhaps testing him for something? If she went, she would be fulfilling his wishes.
She refused.
However, the development of things was beyond her expectations.
In less than half an hour, Jingzhe came back. This time, he was followed by four guards carrying a soft couch. On the couch was Xie Wuqi, who was half-leaning, with a face as pale as paper but eyes as deep as the night!
He actually came in person!
The workshop was small to begin with, and once the group entered, it suddenly felt cramped. The strong smell of medicine and Xie Wuqi's unique cold and violent aura instantly filled the entire space.
Wan Cui was so scared that her legs went weak and she almost fell to her knees.
Xu Xianyue turned slowly and looked at the man who was placed in the center of the workshop like an invader. His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
"Your Highness, what brings you here? What brings you here?" Her tone was cold, and she didn't even bother with basic etiquette.
Xie Wuqi didn't answer immediately. His eyes first swept over the various tools and materials in the workshop, as well as the various, lifelike velvet flowers, before finally settling on Xu Xianyue, from her cold eyebrows to her fingertips stained with paint and silk.
His eyes were still scrutinizing, but compared to the madness and violence before, there was a hint of deep and elusive inquiry in them.
"I heard," he said, his voice hoarse from weakness, but still carrying an unquestionable pressure, "you are unwilling to persuade me to take the medicine?"
Xu Xianyue met his gaze without flinching: "Yes."
"Why?"
"If the prince's hands and feet are fine, and the medicine bowl has no legs, why does he need anyone to persuade him?" Her tone was calm, but her words were sharp.
Jingzhe and the guards beside him even breathed softly.
Xie Wuqi, far from being angry, curled his pale lips into a faint, cold arc. "You have a sharp tongue," he commented, his eyes never leaving her face. "Then do you know why I won't drink?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Xu Xianyue answered straightforwardly.
"Because it's boring." Xie Wuqi continued to talk to himself. He raised his uninjured hand and tapped the armrest of the soft couch with his fingertips, his rhythm slow and subdued. "Facing those bitter and disgusting medicines every day, facing those trembling imperial doctors and servants, life is also very boring."
There was a casual world-weariness in his words, as if he were discussing the weather.
Xu Xianyue looked at him quietly, and suddenly said, "So, Your Highness thinks it would be more interesting if I were to give you advice?"
Xie Wuqi paused tapping the armrest, his deep gaze fixed on her: "Maybe."
"I'm afraid that will disappoint His Majesty." Xu Xianyue walked to the workbench, picked up the deep blue gentian velvet flower inlaid with lapis lazuli that she had just made, turned around, and handed it to Xie Wuqi. "This is the only thing I can do. If Your Majesty finds the medicine boring, you can look at it. If you still find it boring after looking at it, then that's Your Majesty's own problem. It has nothing to do with the medicine, and even less with me."
Her action was unexpected. Not one of consolation, not one of submission, but with a gesture that was almost almsgiving and noble, she handed over a cold velvet flower.
Jingzhe and the guards were stunned.
Xie Wuqi looked at the blue gentian flower that was handed to him. The solitary and cold shape of the flower, the faint shimmering lapis lazuli luster, were exactly the same as the woman before him. He remained silent and did not take it.
Xu Xianyue didn't take it back, but just held it there, his eyes calm, as if he was completing an unimportant task.
The workshop fell into a strange stalemate.
After a long moment, Xie Wuqi suddenly let out a low laugh. It was hoarse and broken, filled with an indescribable complex emotion. He reached out his hand, not to take the flower, but to let Xu Xianyue's hand gently touch the cold petals with his fingertips.
"Xu Xianyue." He pronounced her name, his voice was very soft, but it carried a strange weight.
Then, he withdrew his hand and said to Jingzhe, "Go back. Drink the medicine."
The guards immediately lifted the couch and quietly left the workshop as they had come.
Jingzhe walked at the end, looked at Xu Xianyue with a complicated look, and then followed.
Silence returned to the workshop, leaving only the dark blue gentian that had been touched by Xie Wuqi's fingertips, still in Xu Xianyue's hand.
She looked at the flower, her brows slightly furrowed. Xie Wuqi's last call, that gentle touch, both carried an unusual meaning.
She didn't like the feeling of being out of control.
Placing the velvet flower casually on the workbench, she walked to the basin and carefully washed her fingers, as if trying to wash away some non-existent trace.
Cold, noble, unrestrained, arrogant and stubborn.
She won't lose anything.
No matter who you are facing.
Outside the window, dark clouds are gathering, and it seems that a storm is about to come.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
