Chapter 48: You Shouldn’t Have Provoked a Servant...
"Lord Chief Incense, my hands hurt so much."
It was the time of day when one felt most exhausted. Xiao Li’s usually clear and lovely voice was now a bit hoarse, her tone weary and languid, sounding almost like she was whining coquettishly.
However, her eyes remained as chillingly detached as ever, leisurely awaiting Lou Yan’s reaction.
Lou Yan stared at the hands extended before him. They were fair and white, with fingers as long and slender as jade. Her languid, coquettish voice echoed ceaselessly in his ears.
He was a eunuch, and the person before him was a Princess.
No matter how powerful he became, he was still just a slave who could be executed at any moment. And no matter her circumstances, she would always be a noble Princess.
It was as if he could see his own ignominious death, with no place for a proper burial.
His mind was a tempest of crashing waves, and his expression grew increasingly tense.
Just as Xiao Li was about to drop her hands, bored, he finally reached out and caught them. Her skin was soft, like touching jade, her fingers so slender they seemed boneless.
His demeanor was cold, but his palms were dry and scorching hot. In contrast, Xiao Li’s hands were icy to the touch from the late-night air.
His pressure was neither too heavy nor too light as he massaged her sore wrists. Xiao Li squinted her eyes in comfort, enjoying the sensation while observing his expression.
’Hmm, his expression hasn’t changed. Still that same "keep your distance" look that makes you think he could pull out a knife and gut someone at any moment. But the pressure on my wrists is just right. I can tell he’s massaging them earnestly.’
The drowsiness she had been suppressing washed over her, and she almost drifted off to sleep.
She forced her eyes to stay open, letting out several yawns.
After kneading her wrists for a while, Lou Yan seemed to grow accustomed to it. He glanced up at Xiao Li, taking in her exhaustion. Words of advice formed in his mouth but were ultimately swallowed back down.
Lou Yan lowered his head and focused on massaging her wrists, looking for all the world like a simple slave attending to her.
Then, her hands suddenly broke free from his grasp. He thought she was pulling away because she felt better, but instead, they landed on his face.
Her cool fingertips were soft and weak, yet they felt as if they could stir up a monstrous tidal wave.
Everywhere her fingers traced, they left an undeniable, scorching sensation.
Her fingertips traced the sharp line of his brows and the corners of his eyes, then slid down his cheek, brushed past the corner of his lips, and finally, gently pinched his chin to lift it slightly.
Their eyes met. His were dark, deep, and treacherous; hers were hazy and alluring, the corners shimmering with a captivating light.
Lou Yan radiated danger from head to toe, but Xiao Li seemed oblivious. Seeing him in this state, under her control, a smile slowly bloomed in her eyes.
"I’ve never seen you smile. It’s truly a waste of such a peerlessly handsome face."
His Adam’s apple bobbed. His hand, veins bulging from restraint, finally rose and seized her mischievous one.
His gaze was as deep as the sea, like a dangerous whirlpool that promised eternal damnation to anyone drawn in. Yet a fire burned within that vortex, threatening to incinerate anything it touched.
"Your Highness..." His voice was slightly hoarse, calm yet hiding a brewing madness. Finally, as if surrendering his own reason, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it deeply.
He sighed. "You should not have provoked this slave..."
-----
The copying continued, from dusk till dawn, and from dawn till dusk again.
「One day and one night.」
Hong Yue and Lan Yue came in shifts to attend to her. During this time, Xiao Li only ate pastries and drank her medicine.
Finally, as night fell once more, the two hundred copies were complete.
The moment she wrote the final character, Xiao Li’s vision went black, and she collapsed.
"Princess!"
Hong Yue, who was by her side, cried out in alarm and rushed over to check on her. "Princess... Someone, come! The Princess has fainted!"
Lou Yan, who had been standing nearby like a statue, moved at the same instant. He came over, checked on her, and then suddenly bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Hong Yue was stunned. "What are you doing? Put the Princess down!"
Lou Yan shot her an impatient glance. "What are you shouting for? The Princess is exhausted and has fallen asleep. Lead the way. I’m taking her back to rest."
"Ah? Oh? Ah..."
Hong Yue hadn’t slept either, and her mind was fuzzy. Hearing that the Princess had only fallen asleep, she subconsciously led him toward the Princess’s bedchamber.
It wasn’t until she saw Lou Yan lean over and place the Princess on the bed that her brain suddenly registered that something was wrong.
’How can Mr. Lou carry the Princess?’
’But Mr. Lou is a eunuch.’
’But... he doesn’t really look like a eunuch.’
As Lou Yan was about to cover the Princess with a blanket, Hong Yue finally snapped out of it and quickly stepped in. "I’ll take care of the rest. Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Lou."
Lou Yan said nothing, simply turning and leaving with his men, taking Xiao Li’s two hundred completed copies of the Heart Clarity Spell with him.
While Xiao Li was toiling away at her copying, the outside world was abuzz. The case of Zhang De was not as simple as Prince Wei’s claim of "murdering a husband to steal his wife."
Upon closer investigation, his crimes surfaced: accepting bribes, embezzling grain rations, murdering a man to steal his wife, and selling a concubine into prostitution.
The revealed crimes were each more depraved than the last.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice was certainly proving to be very... ’criminal’.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, this sudden major disturbance at court startled everyone.
But while the Emperor did investigate, he ultimately suppressed the matter. The accusations were made one day, and the punishment was dealt the next, with only Zhang De being sent to prison.
As a result, many in the Capital City were unaware that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice had been imprisoned. Instead, the rumor that Princess Xuanyang had beaten someone bloody for no reason spread like wildfire.
The Emperor received the two hundred copies of the Heart Clarity Spell. Hearing that Xiao Li had collapsed upon finishing, he was satisfied with her attitude and even offered a few feigned words of concern. However, he said nothing about the outside speculation and gossip.
He let it all unfold, paying it no mind.
Thus, when Xiao Li awoke, she heard that the entire Capital City was cursing her...
She could accept being called cruel and vicious. But to say she had gone mad and started attacking people because she couldn’t have the Prince Consort?
’You can spread ridiculous rumors, but do they have to be this disgusting?’
"Princess, it is time to get ready."
Xiao Li was exhausted. She wished she could sleep until the end of time, but today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was also the Empress Dowager’s birthday. She had to attend.
Her gaze swept over the gowns her maids displayed. Each one was magnificent, but she was in no mood to appreciate them. She pointed randomly at one. "That one will do."
She hadn’t slept enough and couldn’t muster any energy. On top of feeling listless, her hands were in excruciating pain. Even lifting them sent a piercing ache through her.
Though she had received acupuncture and had medicine applied, they wouldn’t heal that quickly.
Xiao Li simply closed her eyes and let them dress her up.
When she was finally ready to leave, Qian Hui was the one to accompany her to the palace.
Xiao Li had wanted to bring Lan Yue, but Qian Hui stopped her. She said that as a long-serving member of the household, she couldn’t trust a task like presenting gifts to the Empress Dowager to a young girl like Lan Yue.
Whether she truly didn’t trust Lan Yue’s youth or just wanted the reward for herself, only she knew.
Qian Hui spotted someone standing under the corridor ahead and teased, "Princess, the Prince Consort has been waiting for you for quite some time."
’Qian Hui really spares no effort in trying to set me up with Lu Yanzhi.’
"Princess."
Lu Yanzhi took the initiative to greet her. Xiao Li walked past without a sidelong glance. She was in no state to put on an act for Lu Yanzhi right now.