Chapter 56 A Life Mistakenly Enters the Game (Part Six) "The Ye family... really..."
He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the turbulent emotions in his chest, "So, I had no choice... but I chose the most decisive way."
The words were unfinished, but the meaning was clear. This swift palace coup was certainly driven by power struggles and ambition, but perhaps... the reason she was in danger was also the final straw that made him decide to act.
Ye Yixiang's heart trembled slightly. She raised her eyes and met his undisguised gaze.
“Your Majesty is too kind.” Her voice was soft. “How could a lowly servant like me influence Your Majesty’s decisions? Your Majesty’s actions are for the sake of the country and the people. The Empress Dowager… has overstepped her bounds, and Your Majesty’s restoration of order is the will of Heaven.”
She erected a high wall between them called "ruler and subject," using the most appropriate words to keep all dangerous emotions at bay.
Chu Huaili's gaze suddenly darkened. He took a step closer, so close that she could smell the lingering stench of blood and cold iron on him.
"Arao!" His voice was extremely low, almost a whisper, yet it carried an unmistakable pain. "Between you and me, when have we ever needed these grand pronouncements to cover things up?"
He raised his hand, his fingertips slightly cool and damp with a thin layer of sweat, and gently brushed against her lowered eyelashes. Ye Yixiang stiffened, as if burned, wanting to back away, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot.
"You're afraid of me." He wasn't asking a question, but stating a fact. "Are you afraid of the blood on my hands? Or are you afraid that now that I'm in this position, there's only the title of ruler and subject between us, and no other possibility?"
He didn't give her a chance to answer, but instead grasped her cold wrist. The pressure wasn't strong, but it carried an undeniable sense of control.
“I admit that my rebellion today was to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me and to clear the obstacles in my path.” His voice was low. “But if she hadn’t thrown you into prison, if she hadn’t touched the wrong people… I might have chosen a more roundabout and lengthy approach.”
His grip tightened suddenly, and the sudden pain made Ye Yixiang frown slightly.
“But when I learned that you had been framed and imprisoned by her, when I thought of that cold and damp prison, and the blood-stained instruments of torture that might be inflicted on you…” His voice suddenly became hoarse, and suppressed anger and fear surged like magma beneath the ice, “I couldn’t wait a moment longer.”
He lowered his head, his forehead almost touching hers, his hot breath spraying on her face: "Arao, I can bear the infamy, I can endure the controversy of the ages, but I absolutely cannot tolerate you suffering even the slightest bit of harm that you shouldn't have to do when I can't see you!"
This confession was too direct, too intense, almost scorching through the calm shell that Ye Yixiang was trying so hard to maintain. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest, and she could feel the possessiveness that almost devoured her.
"Tell me," he pressed again, his voice tinged with an almost fragile stubbornness, "Looking at everything I've done today, do you... find me repulsive?"
Ye Yixiang's throat tightened. She knew that any deliberate distancing at this moment would only push him into an even more extreme situation.
“Your Majesty…” she swallowed hard, her voice hoarse, “This servant…does not hate it.”
This was the truth. She didn't hate what he did for power and self-preservation; in this cannibalistic court, that was the law of survival. She only felt a deep sorrow and powerlessness over the increasingly insurmountable chasm between them.
Upon hearing her answer, Chu Huaili's eyes lit up, but the light vanished in an instant, replaced by a deeper darkness.
“But you never said…you were willing.” He gave a bitter smile, a smile that was mixed with too many complicated and unspeakable emotions. “You’re always like this, standing in a place that I can see but can’t touch, calmly examining everything, including me.”
He released her wrists, then suddenly tightened his arms, pulling her tightly into his embrace. The embrace was incredibly strong, carrying a sense of fear at having lost her and a declaration that brooked no refusal.
“But things are different now, A’rao.” He whispered in her ear, his breath hot. “From this day forward, nothing in this nine-layered palace, this vast land, can stop us.”
Ye Yixiang was almost suffocating from his tight embrace. His burning arms made her feel both a sense of impending danger and a strange sense of security, as if she were sinking into a descent into despair.
"Your Majesty..." She managed to squeeze out a sliver of space, her voice broken by the tight band, "Please...please let go...This is Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager...To be disrespectful before her spirit tablet would invite criticism..."
The words "before the spirit tablet" made him pause slightly, and the surging heat in his eyes quickly subsided, replaced by clarity and solemnity.
He slowly released his arm, took a step back, and restored the proper distance between ruler and subject. The man who had just revealed vulnerability and stubbornness seemed like an illusion; standing before her now was once again the majestic and profound emperor.
"You're right." His voice regained its composure, with a barely perceptible hoarseness. "It was I... who lost my composure."
He turned and walked back to the rosewood table, raised his hand to cover the short knife at his waist, and slowly stroked the intricate patterns on the cold hilt with his fingertips.
"I will handle the matter of the Empress Dowager properly, so as to ensure her posthumous honor." His voice was calm to the point of being cold. "Since she chose this path, she should have expected this day. The imperial rites are the last bit of dignity I can give her."
He turned around again, his gaze falling on Ye Yixiang, which was now a bottomless abyss.
"As for you," he paused, deliberately softening his tone, "you will remain in the palace for now. As for Xiao Mo... I will handle that."
Ye Yixiang suddenly looked up. Was he going to... directly abolish the marriage arranged by the Empress Dowager before her death?
"Your Majesty, this..."
"No need for further words." Chu Huaili raised his hand to stop him, his eyes sharp. "I know your concerns. Rest assured, I will not make things difficult for you, nor will I damage the reputation of the Xiao family."
He walked up to her, raised his fingertips as if to touch her cheek again, but stopped in mid-air, and finally slowly withdrew them behind his back.
"A'Rao, you only need to remember this." His voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute power, "From this day forward, your safety, your fate, are all in my hands."
Ye Yixiang lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them, concealing all emotion. She knew she was trapped, but this cage was both magnificent and deadly. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, her voice soft and clear:
"My sister is still in prison. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy..."
“Of course, there are people who can’t bear to see her suffer.”
"King Ke!" Ye Yixiang immediately thought of that dangerous man. Could it be that Chu Xi was also involved in the coup...?
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! There's been an incident at the Imperial Prison!" The sudden announcement interrupted her thoughts.
Chu Huaili's brows furrowed suddenly, and he said in a deep voice, "Come in and report!"
The Imperial Guard leader, Wei Lin, strode inside: "Your Majesty! A report just came in: all the guards on duty have been executed by Prince Ke! The Northern Barbarian bandit leader, Geshu Che... escaped in the chaos!"
"To be able to escape from the imperial prison..." Chu Huaili's expression suddenly turned cold. "Who helped you?"
"The on-site investigation suggests that there was a skilled insider working together, and it seems that Geshuche fled on his own initiative with a meticulous plan."
Ye Yixiang's heart sank. Ge Shuche… that once so familiar figure suddenly appeared before her eyes. Was he still alive?
"Issue my decree!" Chu Huaili's voice was as cold as ice. "From this moment on, seal off the nine gates and impose martial law throughout the city! Order the Five Commanders of Fate and the Imperial Guards to conduct a full-scale search and arrest of Geshu Che and his accomplices!" His eyes were icy. "Summon Prince Ke to the palace to see me immediately!"
"Your subject obeys."
Chu Huaili closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he had suppressed all his rage deep within them. He looked at Ye Yixiang, his tone regaining its previous composure: "A'Rao, Ciqing Palace is no longer a place to stay for long. I have Pei Hong escort you to... Qiwu Palace Warm Pavilion for the time being."
Qiwu Hall was part of the emperor's sleeping quarters. Although the warm pavilion was not the main hall, it was adjacent to the emperor's residence.
Ye Yixiang almost instantly realized the enormous risks behind his actions.
The Empress Dowager had just passed away, her coffin still in place, and the entire nation was draped in mourning. The new emperor had just ascended the throne, the court was unstable, and every step he took was scrutinized by countless eyes and minds. And yet, at this very moment, he intended to place a woman, bearing the blood of the previous dynasty and bearing the title of "Xiao's fiancée," directly beside his bed?
This goes far beyond mere protection. It's a declaration to the world that she, Ye Yixiang, is of paramount importance to the new emperor, surpassing all etiquette and conventions. She even dares to challenge the Empress Dowager's still-wet ink, universally known imperial decree of marriage.
Doesn't he know the enormity that this move will invite?
"Unfilial piety," "disobedience," "bewitching the ruler"... any one of these charges would be enough to shake the monarch's authority and hand his political enemies the sharpest knife.
Ye Yixiang looked up and met Chu Huaili's gaze. His posture remained as upright as a snow-covered pine on a solitary cliff, his bright armor reflecting a cold, hard light, his face expressionless, except for his deep, bright eyes.
"Your Majesty," Ye Yixiang's voice was slightly strained as she tried to control herself, "Qiwu Palace is the place where the dragon hides, and this servant's status is lowly, I fear..."
"Pei Hong!" Chu Huaili called out in a deep voice before she could finish speaking.
"Your subject is here!" A young general in full military uniform entered, his armor clanging.
"Escort her to the warm pavilion of Qiwu Palace." Chu Huaili's order was clear and cold, leaving no room for negotiation. "All necessities shall be provided in accordance with... the regulations for imperial concubines. Additional Imperial Guards shall be dispatched. Without my decree, no one shall approach the warm pavilion even a step."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
*
The secret room of Prince Ke's Mansion.
Chu Xi leaned back on the soft couch covered with a white tiger skin, toying with a gleaming white bone whistle in his hand. The candlelight cast a half-light, half-shadow on his handsome, brooding profile.
"Your Highness, the person has been safely escorted out of the city and is heading north," the man in black reported in a low voice.
“Geshu Che is quite sensible,” Chu Xi chuckled. “Knowing that staying in Chang’an would mean certain death, he might as well take a gamble and perhaps make a comeback back in the Northern Border.” He paused. “The blood mark was left?”
"Keep it, and draw it in a more conspicuous way."
“Very good.” A playful glint flashed in Chu Xi’s eyes. “Let my good nephew know that the waters of Chang’an are deeper than he thought.”
"In addition..." the man in black hesitated, "the second young lady of the Ye family is emotionally unstable. She keeps asking to see her sister and has even tried to escape twice."
Chu Xi continued playing with the bone whistle: "Tell her that if she makes a fuss again, I wouldn't mind letting her older sister come and keep her company."
"Yes," the man in black replied, then added, "News has come from the palace that His Majesty has placed Ye Yixiang in Qiwu Palace."
The bone whistle in Chu Xi's hand suddenly stopped. The candlelight flickered, reflecting dark ripples in his eyes.
“Qiwu Palace…” he repeated slowly, a meaningful smile curving his lips. “He is indeed impatient. It’s a pity…” his voice trailed off, “The tighter you hold something, the easier it is to slip through your fingers.”
He looked up at the man in black: "Keep an eye on the palace. Also, send a message to the North, saying... the gift has been sent, don't forget our agreement."
"yes."
After the man in black left, the secret room returned to silence. Chu Xi gazed at the flickering candlelight, the bone whistle twirling between her fingertips again and again.
“Chu Huaili…” he murmured, “You think that by sitting in that position you have won everything? Little do you know, the real battle is only just beginning.”
He closed his eyes, and the image of that aloof and reserved face appeared in his mind.
"The Ye family... they really do produce interesting people." The corners of his lips deepened. "This show is getting more and more exciting."
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Author's Note: Chapter 57 was revised nine times, and then in Chapter 31, a simple dance scene got the censors to lock the entire story. It's not like it was a dance in a karaoke bar...
"Sob, baby, I'm tired of saying the words 'innocence'!"
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