Chapter 20
On the first day, everyone was only there to make introductions and exchange polite pleasantries. The competition would begin on the second day.
Ye Rui hadn’t said a word the entire time. She stood behind Xie Tinglan, listening whenever something caught her interest and zoning out whenever it didn’t. It was all politicians talking in circles anyway; unbearably dull. Still, Ye Rui hadn’t expected anyone to bring her up, and that immediately made her perk up and pay attention.
“The guard beside Prime Minister Xie is someone I’ve never seen before.”
A slightly plump middle-aged man glanced at Ye Rui. His gaze slid over her with obvious malice, making her skin crawl. He was shorter than Xie Tinglan, and the two wisps of mustache under his nose twitched like rat tails; he looked exactly like the sly, shameless man he was.
Hearing that, Xie Tinglan turned back to look at Ye Rui, and the brief frown on her face did not escape Ye Rui’s notice.
“Lord Zhong, you’ve never made a habit of commenting on my guards.”
Zhong Xu chuckled softly and waved a hand. “Comment? I wouldn’t dare. It’s only that this young lady is so young, yet she can follow Prime Minister Xie’s side; she must have some extraordinary merit.”
As he spoke, Zhong Xu looked Ye Rui over again. The shrewd gleam in his eyes made her uncomfortable. Before Xie Tinglan could even speak, Ye Rui cut in.
“Of course I’m not ordinary.”
Zhong Xu hadn’t expected her to interrupt. His expression darkened, and he was about to flare up, but seeing that Xie Tinglan made no move to stop her, he forced the anger back down.
“If I make a move, I won’t leave any room to spare.”
As she spoke, Ye Rui’s gaze slowly dropped to Zhong Xu’s groin, and she smiled. “The country has laws for exterminating entire clans; naturally, I have my own methods for exterminating clans as well.”
Zhong Xu’s expression changed. Xie Tinglan followed right after, saying, “I can oversee the laws for exterminating clans; she has methods for exterminating clans. Lord Zhong, tell me, isn’t that marvelous?”
At that, Zhong Xu broke into a cold sweat. In the end, he blurted something about having matters to attend to and fled in a hurry.
Ye Rui snorted. Seeing this, Ri Xi beside her could only shake her head with a bitter smile. But since Xie Tinglan herself had said nothing, naturally she wouldn’t say anything either. Ye Rui wasn’t afraid of offending anyone; after all, Xie Tinglan had already said there was no one worth worrying about, so she had no scruples either.
It wasn’t as though she had acted on impulse. That man was clearly no good, and from the way he tried to flatter Xie Tinglan only to fail so miserably, Ye Rui knew Xie Tinglan could handle him easily.
What if she was just borrowing power to intimidate others? To deal with men like that, one had to use any means necessary. She even wished she could dig his eyes out.
This little episode didn’t seem to affect Ye Rui’s mood. On the way back to their separate tents, however, she couldn’t help asking in a low voice, “Is your position in court really that weak? Why would that man even dare to think about making a move on me?”
Ye Rui naturally knew the man’s surname was Zhong, but when speaking of him, she couldn’t even be bothered to say it.
“There are always fools who can’t see the Buddha’s wrath.”
Xie Tinglan let out a cold laugh. She didn’t tell Ye Rui Zhong’s exact position, but his usefulness was not irreplaceable. Conveniently enough, she now had someone who could take his place.
“Hmph. Forget it. He’s just a petty coward.”
Ye Rui lost interest in the matter. Anyway, she was Xie Tinglan’s person; Zhong Xu wouldn’t dare come looking for trouble with her again. Xie Tinglan had two tents in total. Ye Rui had originally thought she would be sharing one with Ri Xi and Yin Yue, but the moment Xie Tinglan said, “You’ll share a tent with me,” not only was Ye Rui stunned, even Ri Xi and Yin Yue were stunned.
Yet Xie Tinglan paid no mind to their shocked expressions and simply led Ye Rui into the tent.
“I can stay with Ri Xi and the others!”
Once inside, Xie Tinglan casually removed her heavy outer robe and hung it on the screen, then sat down at the desk and looked up at Ye Rui. “You can. I just won’t allow it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want other people to see how good our relationship is.”
Ye Rui: “……”
She had been ready to argue, but when Xie Tinglan said it, there wasn’t a trace of teasing in her tone. That forced Ye Rui to stop and seriously consider whether there was any need for this.
“Tomorrow is the hunting contest.”
Xie Tinglan turned toward the bronze mirror and began removing the simple ornaments from her hair. “That’s when accidents are most likely to happen.”
The word “accidents” in Xie Tinglan’s mouth carried a subtle, loaded meaning. Ye Rui immediately understood, and when she thought back to Ri Xi and Yin Yue’s startled expressions, it made sense that she had originally been arranged to share a tent with them.
Was this because of what happened with Zhong Xu, and Xie Tinglan had changed her mind?
“Someone would dare to make a move right under your nose?”
The more Ye Rui thought about it, the more she doubted Xie Tinglan’s fearsome reputation. Did people really not fear her?
“That depends on how much you matter to me.”
Ye Rui dragged a stool over and sat beside Xie Tinglan. “Aren’t you worried that the more important I am, the more he’ll want to make a move?”
There were probably many people in Great Yan who wanted to kill Xie Tinglan. If they thought Ye Rui was her confidant, wouldn’t that make them even more eager to kill her too?
“If it were someone else, what you said might be possible. But that pig—if he knows how much I value you, he naturally won’t dare.”
As Xie Tinglan spoke, she picked up a comb and was about to comb her hair when Ye Rui suddenly snorted with laughter.
Xie Tinglan looked at her in confusion. Ye Rui was laughing so hard her face had turned red. “I didn’t expect your mouth to be so vicious. ‘That pig’—that’s perfect!”
Seeing Ye Rui laugh so hard she nearly doubled over, Xie Tinglan’s lips curved upward without her noticing. She said nothing, only watched Ye Rui laugh; even the combing motion paused.
When Ye Rui had laughed enough, she grabbed Xie Tinglan’s slender arm and asked, “So you’re protecting me?”
The end of her sentence lifted slightly, carrying not only delight but a hint of mischief. She also wanted to see what Xie Tinglan would look like once she’d seen through her thoughts.
But Xie Tinglan had already seen through Ye Rui’s little schemes. She didn’t panic at all, only curved her lips in a smile, while the fingertips of her other hand lightly brushed Ye Rui’s lips with an intimacy that made it seem as though they had been living this way for many years.
“Who told you that your mouth is always offending people the moment you speak? Until we leave the hunting grounds, you’ll have to be careful of arrows from the dark.”
This time it was Ye Rui who became a little flustered. Xie Tinglan’s fingertips left a cool trace on her lips, and her heart was still trying to settle after its momentary skip. Xie Tinglan’s beautiful eyes, shimmering with watery light, were looking at her with a smile, so clear and bright that they reflected her own face.
“Shy?”
Xie Tinglan’s hand lingered on Ye Rui’s face, her tone low and probing. “So you’re just a paper tiger.”
Just as Xie Tinglan was about to withdraw her hand, Ye Rui suddenly caught her wrist. The force was so great that Xie Tinglan couldn’t help frowning.
Did this person even know how to cherish beauty?
“Xie Tinglan, why do you keep teasing me?”
Ye Rui felt hot all over. She kept glancing at Xie Tinglan’s slightly upturned lips; neither too full nor too thin, sharply defined, and so full and tempting that it was genuinely hard to resist.
“Don’t you understand?”
Xie Tinglan didn’t struggle. She was still smiling, as though everything were already under control. Ye Rui hated that feeling; it was like punching cotton.
“Of course I don’t understand!”
How could she understand? If she did, she wouldn’t keep being teased by this woman until her face turned red and her heart pounded with no way out. What a waste, considering she had a thirty-year-old soul.
Hu Tu: [But according to the data, you’re already thirty and have never dated anyone. Isn’t it normal to get teased by Xie Tinglan until your legs go weak?]
Ye Rui: [……I’m focusing on my career! Focusing on my career, do you understand a damn thing!]
Seeing Ye Rui’s face grow redder and redder, Xie Tinglan mercifully decided not to torment her further. She only said, “I don’t dislike your body.”
Ye Rui: “?”
Ye Rui pressed her lips together. She wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Was there only physical attraction?
“You like me?”
After hearing that, Xie Tinglan’s gaze fell on the hand Ye Rui had wrapped around her wrist. Ye Rui keenly noticed that Xie Tinglan’s expression had changed; the tenderness from just now seemed to have turned into a blade meant to guard against others, layer by layer concealing her true self.
Ye Rui let go of her. Xie Tinglan then slowly resumed combing her hair, saying indifferently, “Like is a very dangerous thing.”
Why?
Ye Rui really wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that even if she did, she still wouldn’t get the answer she wanted. Xie Tinglan was far too good at deflecting.
“Hmph. Scum woman!”
Ye Rui turned away to tidy up the luggage she had brought. Xie Tinglan was curious now. “What is a scum woman?”
“I’m not telling you.”
Xie Tinglan: “……”
Ye Rui just wanted to irritate her a little. She couldn’t tell her everything. This woman was too clever; she even drew inferences from one example to another. She had previously said the word “coward,” and Xie Tinglan had actually learned it, then used it against her.
Absolutely full of bad ideas.
Nothing else of note happened after that. They ate dinner again at night, Xie Tinglan went to see the Empress, and Ye Rui chatted with Ri Xi and Yin Yue for a while before going back to rest.
In daylight, she hadn’t looked carefully, but only now did Ye Rui realize there was only one bed in the tent. The bed was big enough for two, yes, but… she didn’t want to sleep with Xie Tinglan!
Who knew if she would get handsy!
After thinking it over, Ye Rui moved one set of bedding and a pillow down, then made do in a corner for the night. Anyway, she had already slept on dry grass in the mountains for a month before; this was no different.
**
“Everything is for you to decide.”
Helian Shaohua lifted her teacup. As if remembering something, she slowly looked up at Xie Tinglan. “Your guard is indeed interesting.”
Xie Tinglan only smiled and said nothing. Glancing at the sky outside the tent, she said, “It’s getting late. I shouldn’t keep Your Majesty.”
Helian Shaohua gave a soft hum of assent, and Xie Tinglan took her leave.
At that moment, Helian Shaohua reached out and took the hand of Shen Zhuiying, who was standing nearby, and asked in a low voice, “What do you think of that person?”
“She seems to know only some superficial martial arts.”
Helian Shaohua raised her brows. Thinking of the way Ye Rui had spoken with Zhong Xu, her eyes lifted slightly. “Still, she is indeed a promising seedling. Tinglan’s judgment won’t be wrong.”
“However, this Empress’s judgment is even better.”
Helian Shaohua stood up and lightly clasped both of Shen Zhuiying’s hands. “Being able to choose you as this Empress’s personal guard is this Empress’s good fortune.”
“It was Your Majesty who saved me. Zhuiying will follow Your Majesty for the rest of my life.”
Shen Zhuiying did not dare look into Helian Shaohua’s eyes, and therefore did not see the cold indifference hidden within those smiling beautiful eyes.
“With you by this Empress’s side, there is naturally nothing to fear.”
Helian Shaohua turned to look outside at the orderly footsteps and couldn’t help sighing. “Do you think this hunt will go smoothly?”
“Your Majesty thinks… someone may come to assassinate us?”
Helian Shaohua shook her head, then sat back down. The moment she lifted her cup, a sharp light flickered through her beautiful eyes. “It’s certain.”
“The target is Prime Minister Xie?”
Shen Zhuiying frowned, then hurriedly added, “Shouldn’t we inform Prime Minister Xie?”
“She already knows. Otherwise, she would not have brought Ri Xi and Yin Yue with her. As for Ye Rui…”
Helian Shaohua paused, then let out a light, cold laugh. “Witnessing slaughter is also a way for people to grow.”
“Don’t you think so, Zhuiying?”
As Helian Shaohua’s words fell, Shen Zhuiying’s pupils trembled violently; fear surged up from the deepest part of her memory. After a few breaths, she gradually regained her composure.
“Yes.”
“Absolutely.”
**
The moment Xie Tinglan lifted the tent flap, Ye Rui woke up. But she didn’t move at all; she didn’t want to face Xie Tinglan.
Yet listening to Xie Tinglan’s soft footsteps drawing nearer, Ye Rui still stiffened pathetically. It was as though only in this way could she make it clear that not even a single inch of her skin had moved.
Ye Rui heard Xie Tinglan stop beside her feet and let out a helpless sigh, then crouch down and ask softly, “Ye Rui, are you asleep?”
Xie Tinglan was clearly trying to wake her, but her tone was careful and gentle, even carrying a trace of pleading; in an instant, Ye Rui’s heart softened completely.
“Ye Rui?”
She had managed to endure the first call, but this second “Ye Rui” somehow carried a hint of disappointment. Ye Rui could no longer keep up the act, rolled over, and opened her sleepy eyes. “What?”
What met her eyes was Xie Tinglan’s somewhat pale face. She bit her lip and whispered, “Sleep with me. I’m so cold.”
The moment Ye Rui heard “so cold,” she woke up half at once and sat up abruptly. She instinctively took Xie Tinglan’s hand; sure enough, it was ice-cold.
She had just decided not to pay this woman any mind, and now she was already unable to hold back. How hopeless.
Fine; in emergencies, one had to be flexible. She would put private grievances aside for today.
“Alright, I’ll sleep with you. Why would it flare up at a time like this?”
Ye Rui was muttering under her breath, thinking how unlucky it was that this woman had to have an issue right when she was about to lose her temper.
At first Ye Rui had thought Xie Tinglan was faking it, but the chill in that palm could not be faked.
She tossed her own quilt onto the bed, then helped Xie Tinglan sit down. “Wait here. I’ll get some hot water.”
Before leaving, Ye Rui also handed Xie Tinglan a hand warmer so she could warm her hands first.
Ye Rui was probably already used to taking care of Xie Tinglan. She knew almost exactly what Xie Tinglan needed after waking and before sleeping. After bringing some hot water for her to wash up and helping her remove her outer robe, Ye Rui asked, “Feeling better?”
“Mhm.”
“Then are you ready to sleep?”
Ye Rui crouched beside the bed and looked up at Xie Tinglan, both hands covering the back of the hand that held the warmer. Only two lamps were lit inside the tent; in the dim light, Xie Tinglan’s gaze softened considerably, and the emotions hidden in those beautiful eyes were faintly readable to Ye Rui, which only made her more entranced.
“What are you holding back?”
Ye Rui asked. For a moment, she even wanted to reach out and touch Xie Tinglan’s brows and eyes, to see whether she could part the layers of mist and find what was hidden beneath.
“What else can a person hold back besides desire?”
Upon hearing that, Ye Rui didn’t even blush. Looking at the smile curling at the corners of Xie Tinglan’s mouth, she became even more convinced that this woman was a scum woman.
She didn’t know why Xie Tinglan was craving her body, but the fact that she didn’t like the premise made it impossible for Ye Rui to accept.
“Fine.”
Ye Rui shot Xie Tinglan a glare, hiding the weightless ache in her chest behind a facade of annoyance. She took the hand warmer from Xie Tinglan. “Let’s sleep.”
Ye Rui climbed onto the bed, covered herself up, and shut everything else out.
She lay there flat, tucked warm beneath the quilt, but Xie Tinglan looked somewhat dissatisfied. Ye Rui did not move at all.
“Aren’t you going to hold me?”
“Not holding you.”
Ye Rui kept her eyes closed, motionless. “I’m neither your slave nor your toy; why should I let you order me around however you like?”
After hearing that, Xie Tinglan’s gaze darkened, and she said nothing for a long while. Ye Rui, meanwhile, grew increasingly restless in the silence, sensing that Xie Tinglan’s quiet was even more frightening than her words.
Just as Ye Rui was about to open her eyes and take a look, Xie Tinglan’s icy palm wound around hers and took her hand. Ye Rui gave up on opening her eyes again, expecting Xie Tinglan to say something; she was ready to listen.
But she didn’t. Xie Tinglan said nothing at all.
She only held Ye Rui’s hand tightly and let out a soft sigh.
What did that mean? Ye Rui didn’t understand. She still didn’t understand Xie Tinglan; she didn’t even know whether Xie Tinglan had a marriage arrangement, what she was planning, or what she was thinking. She knew nothing about this person.
“Xie Tinglan.”
“Mm?”
“Why is your cold illness so severe?”
When Ye Rui read books before, she had always thought that when main characters or supporting characters were said to have some kind of cold illness, it just meant they were prone to catching colds. But after meeting Xie Tinglan, she realized that so-called cold illness had nothing to do with a simple chill or cough; it was extreme cold for no reason at all.
“Come closer to me, and I’ll tell you.”
Ye Rui had originally wanted to toss out a “then don’t say it,” but her curiosity was far too strong, so she shifted closer and leaned against that ice-cold woman.
Xie Tinglan smiled in satisfaction, then curled her fingers slightly and tightened her hold on Ye Rui’s palm. “This isn’t a cold illness; it’s cold poison.”
“Hm? Who poisoned you?”
Ye Rui woke up a little more. Turning her head, she realized Xie Tinglan had been looking at her the whole time, turned slightly on her side. The lamps inside the tent had already been extinguished. In the darkness now, Ye Rui could only vaguely make out the flickering light in Xie Tinglan’s eyes.
Like the fire of desire lit in the dark; yet this fire was silent, a volcano held in restraint.
“Who poisoned me?”
Xie Tinglan seemed to be speaking to herself, her voice carrying a laugh colder than the night. Ye Rui tightened her grip on Xie Tinglan’s hand, as though that were some kind of instinctive comfort. That laughter sounded so cold, so desolate.
She didn’t know what she could comfort, but she felt uneasy if she didn’t do something.
“I drank it myself.”
Xie Tinglan said it very calmly. When she finished speaking, everything around them fell completely silent, as though even breathing could no longer be heard. The footsteps of the guards outside were also cut off from perception.
Ye Rui had been dragged into a vortex that could swallow people whole. Under what circumstances would someone drink poison to harm their own body? Her mind was full of all kinds of messy thoughts, all fragments that couldn’t be pieced together.
“Why?”
The question slipped out of Ye Rui’s mouth, only to draw a soft laugh from Xie Tinglan. “That’s your second question.”
This time, Ye Rui’s eyes darted around. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she suddenly reached out and pulled Xie Tinglan into her arms. For an instant, Ye Rui felt as though she had embraced a block of ice. She could feel the brief stiffness in the person in her arms, but very quickly Xie Tinglan found a comfortable position and settled down.
Ye Rui suddenly felt that describing Xie Tinglan as having ice-like skin and jade-like bones was quite fitting. Her body really was cold, really was soft, and really was beautiful.
“Like this… can you tell me now?”
Ye Rui asked cautiously. From within her arms came Xie Tinglan’s muffled voice. “You really do know how to draw inferences from one example, but I never said I would tell you.”
After Xie Tinglan said that, Ye Rui woke up a little more and couldn’t help muttering to herself: this woman is really wicked!
Just as she was about to loosen her hold, Xie Tinglan reached out and wrapped an arm around Ye Rui’s waist. At that moment, Ye Rui felt as though she had been sealed in place; she couldn’t move.
“Don’t let go.”
Xie Tinglan’s body was trembling a little, but after Ye Rui held her, the trembling gradually eased.
“Ye Rui, do you know that the more dangerous the situation, the more one has to force a way out of death?”
Hearing this, Ye Rui understood what Xie Tinglan meant. Though she didn’t know the full picture, it must have been a measure taken under impossible circumstances.
This woman was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to herself. Just as she had seemed at first glance, she was a solitary, aloof wolf.
“I know. But… if anything like this happens again, let’s think of a way together. I’m very smart; I’ll definitely come up with something.”
Faced with Ye Rui’s earnest words, Xie Tinglan couldn’t help but smile. She tightened her hold on Ye Rui’s waist and, after a long while, said, “There’s still no cure for this cold poison.”
“Besides feeling cold, are there any other effects?”
Their voices were very low, like intimate whispers by the ear. In a daze, Ye Rui felt as if the two of them were really lovers lying in each other’s arms, speaking sweet nothings in bed.
Auspiciously intimate, yet never quite reaching love.
“It has damaged my foundations. I’m afraid that in a few more years, I’ll have even more white hair.”
Xie Tinglan let out a soft sigh. Every woman loved beauty; she herself didn’t know when she would no longer be able to grow even a single strand of black hair.
“It’s fine. White hair is cool and handsome.”
Xie Tinglan didn’t understand what Ye Rui meant by “cool and handsome,” but it sounded like it wasn’t a bad thing.
“Most importantly, I will never have children in this life.”
Ye Rui could feel Xie Tinglan’s breath hitch for an instant, but she only smiled without concern. “That’s the key to keeping myself alive.”
“For me, this bit of sacrifice means nothing. It can save my own life too; why wouldn’t I do it?”
Ye Rui didn’t know what expression she was wearing now, but she had a far more concrete sense of what Xie Tinglan meant by those three characters. Xie Tinglan might have been a wolf king who had survived long enough by tearing through a den of wolves; this level of ruthlessness, this level of decisiveness, was her unquestionable method.
Even if the price was her own body, so what?
Xie Tinglan was this ruthless even to herself; Ye Rui couldn’t help wondering: then what about her? To Xie Tinglan, what exactly was she, and what use or existence did she have?
**
The next morning, the same group of nobles and officials gathered again for breakfast, trading greetings and polite chatter.
Over these two days, Ye Rui had managed to sort out a few pieces of information from all the roundabout talk. The court was currently split into two factions; one was Xie Tinglan and the low-ranking officials from humble backgrounds, and the other was the princes and dukes who held some military power. Aside from the Southern General, who had guarded the borders for years, the greatest threat to imperial authority came from the military influence of the Duke of Wei and the Zhongshan Prince.
Ye Rui also learned that Xie Tinglan was in charge of the Cabinet and handled all internal affairs, but held no military power outside the capital. Add to that the fact that Xie Tinglan was a woman, and many officials naturally sided with the princes and dukes instead. They were deeply opposed to her policy of allowing women to take the imperial examinations.
There was already one thorn in the side of the court; naturally those people wouldn’t want a few more. However, it sounded as though women taking the examinations was already inevitable, so were the frequent assassination attempts on Xie Tinglan because of that?
The emperor’s stance was ambiguous. He did not stop women from taking the examinations, nor did he fully investigate the attempts on Xie Tinglan’s life. Ye Rui thought this was standard procedure; after all, whoever held imperial power wanted checks and balances between factions, so that his dragon throne would remain secure.
After breakfast came the hunting competition. There were more than twenty participants this time, with every official present sending out two or three people; Xie Tinglan, however, sent only Ye Rui.
Just as Ye Rui slung her Liying longbow onto her back, someone asked, “Prime Minister Xie only sent one person this time? Miss Yin Yue was the champion last time, wasn’t she not participating this round?”
Ye Rui didn’t turn around. She straightened her back, as if to tell everyone she could handle it alone.
After a moment, Xie Tinglan answered slowly, “One person is enough.”
**
The hunting grounds were set up in the previously cleared area of Yushan, but the place hadn’t been heavily damaged by human hands. The mountains were still lush as summer, the grass thick and green, with tall white birches and pagoda trees everywhere, making a refuge for the large and small beasts inside.
Ye Rui had already spent two months as a hunter. Combined with the original body’s instincts and her own knowledge, she wasn’t exactly omniscient about animal habitats and habits, but she understood them more or less.
Moving through the forest with the Liying longbow, Ye Rui quickly hunted down a great many animals: two snakes, two pheasants, and one wild boar. Every competitor was accompanied by a guard arranged by the Empress, whose task was to record each participant’s prey.
The one following Ye Rui was a young guard. Seeing how quickly Ye Rui had come back with such a full haul, he smiled and said, “As expected of someone under Prime Minister Xie. Truly impressive.”
He held the ledger in one hand and a pen in the other. Looking down at the wild boar, he recorded Ye Rui’s trophies in the book.
Ye Rui curled her lips inwardly. I’m impressive, yes, but why drag Xie Tinglan into it too?
During the competition, Ye Rui occasionally heard the sound of something slicing through the air, along with the disorderly footsteps of other participants. To avoid conflict, she went deeper into the woods; as a result, she hunted even more prey, and no one came to contest them.
By the end of the competition, Ye Rui had shot and hunted two snakes, four pheasants, two wild boars, and one deer. After reporting her tally back at the hunting grounds, she firmly took first place overall and also received a specially made dagger from Helian Shaohua.
It was a dagger of piercing cold light. When turned, the gleam faintly carried a purplish sheen; the words “Purple Blade” were engraved on the hilt. Its blade was dazzlingly sharp, the grip light in the hand, and when swung it gave off a faint hum. Ye Rui knew at a glance that it could slice through iron like mud and was no ordinary object, much like the one Xie Tinglan had given her before.
Once the lively competition had ended and everyone was preparing to happily go eat lunch, a sudden whistle of something cutting through the air rang out. Ye Rui turned in alarm, instinctively pulling Xie Tinglan, who had just stood up, behind her. Yin Yue had already stepped forward a pace ahead and, with a flash of her slender hand, caught the deadly arrow flying toward them.
“Assassins!”
Someone shouted, and immediately after, the clanging sounds of blades being drawn erupted one after another. The guards quickly surrounded Helian Shaohua at the center. Ri Xi and Yin Yue guarded Xie Tinglan’s sides. Only then did Ye Rui belatedly realize that she had actually stood in front of Xie Tinglan without regard for her own safety, and she didn’t even know when she had drawn the Purple Blade in her hand.
Was I this brave?
Before Ye Rui could even complain about herself, she felt Xie Tinglan tugging on her sleeve and pulling her back a step. At the same time, Yin Yue and Ri Xi almost simultaneously rushed out to meet ten black-clad figures that had appeared from nowhere.
In that instant, Ye Rui’s heart nearly stopped. She didn’t dare charge forward; her legs unconsciously backed up instead. Several guards rushed in with a resolve to die, and in an instant, the sight of flesh being torn by blades repeated itself before Ye Rui’s eyes; blood sprayed, the dull crack of bones being hacked apart mixed with miserable cries, and all of it tangled before her.
Ye Rui forgot to breathe. She didn’t want to keep watching, but her eyes were wide open, missing nothing. She couldn’t feel her own breathing; couldn’t feel her heart beating; she only smelled the stench of blood lingering around her nose, watched fragments of flesh fly across the ground, watched blood spill everywhere, until the last black-clad man finally fell.
Ri Xi and Yin Yue returned at the same time. Yin Yue still had some blood on her, but Ri Xi was almost completely spotless; the ghostlike movement she had shown just now remained firmly etched in Ye Rui’s mind.
Xie Tinglan turned to look at Helian Shaohua and asked, “Was Your Majesty frightened?”
“I’m fine. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen. For now… please have Prime Minister Xie handle the aftermath for me. This Empress truly…”
Helian Shaohua looked fragile and pale with fear, leaning on Shen Zhuiying’s support. It frightened the people around them terribly. Xie Tinglan immediately had people escort Helian Shaohua back to the palace to rest, while she herself remained at the hunting grounds to handle the aftermath.
Seeing this, the other officials clearly wanted to avoid trouble and quickly found excuses to leave. Very soon, everyone was busy departing the hunting grounds, terrified of getting caught up in it.
Once there were no outsiders left, Xie Tinglan asked, “Any survivors?”
“There’s still one breathing.”
Ri Xi said in a low voice.
Only then did Ye Rui gradually recover her senses. Her pale face turned toward that blood-soaked mess, but looking at the black-clad men covered in blade wounds, she truly couldn’t tell which one was still alive.
“Take him back and interrogate him. Don’t let him die.”
“Yes.”
After Xie Tinglan gave the order, Ri Xi and Yin Yue led the guards back to the black-clad corpses, had them lift up one of the bodies, and dragged it away.
Ye Rui still stood frozen in place. When Xie Tinglan took her cool hand, she jolted as though startled.
“Scared?”
Xie Tinglan chuckled. The hand that was rarely cold now had no trace of surprise in its chill. The first time one saw such a scene, if there were no reaction at all, that would be the real problem.
This time Ye Rui couldn’t even force herself to be stubborn. Her legs felt too weak to move; she wanted to say something, but her throat had tightened, and whatever came out would probably shake. Her stomach churned violently. The smell of blood seemed stamped into her skin, like a vicious wound clinging to bone.
A terrifying thought was vaguely forming in her mind, but she didn’t dare think further, only forced it down. She was almost swaying.
“You’ll have to kill people too in the future.”
Xie Tinglan’s single sentence dragged that terrible thought right before Ye Rui. Her whole body went cold. She felt as if someone had clamped a hand around her throat, leaving her unable to breathe. Was she going to have to hold a blade and cut through other people’s flesh, drive it into their bones, and end their lives?!
Ye Rui’s breathing turned rapid; cold sweat poured down her back. Her pale face went even whiter, now tinged with fear. For a moment, she even felt that becoming cosmic trash might not be so bad.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Xie Tinglan tightened her grip on Ye Rui’s hand. Only then did Ye Rui turn her head to look at her. Beneath that peerless beauty, there was no fear at all; instead, there was a trace of cool, thin amusement.
“I’ll be with you. We’re accomplices.”
Ye Rui’s mind went blank for a moment. The word “accomplices” seared itself into her memory like a brand.
Accomplices; that was the most fitting description of her relationship with Xie Tinglan now.
**
On the way back, Ye Rui couldn’t hold it in anymore and vomited once inside the carriage.
She clutched the tree trunk and retched until she was dizzy and dazed. Ri Xi came over to check on her, but Ye Rui remembered again how ruthlessly she killed people and vomited once more.
She still found it hard to reconcile the Ri Xi of daily life with the Ri Xi from just now; the gentle and compliant Ri Xi, the composed and generous Ri Xi, had actually shown a trace of excitement when killing.
It was really… impossible to accept for the time being.
After throwing up so hard her whole body went weak, Ye Rui simply squatted down to recover. She was thinking about how she was supposed to go on from here. Was she really going to kill people?
The very thought of killing someone made Ye Rui tremble. She felt like she couldn’t do it.
Xie Tinglan was extremely patient and did not urge her. Only when Ye Rui had recovered and returned to the carriage did they continue back to the Xie residence. On the return trip, Ri Xi was not in the carriage, but together with Yin Yue, she was guarding the black-clad captive to prevent him from slitting his own throat or being rescued by accomplices.
Ye Rui said nothing in the carriage. Her face remained pale as snow. Through the swaying curtain, she looked out the window as the lush green woods slowly passed by; occasionally, the clear chirping of birds could be heard, and squirrels darting across tree branches could be seen. It all looked beautiful as ever.
“Ye Rui.”
Ye Rui did not answer, like a body drained of spirit, her soul somewhere far away.
“This is only the beginning.”
Xie Tinglan looked at her pale side profile and said nothing comforting. Then she added, “This world is like this.”
Ye Rui had thought that if she had stayed in the mountains, it would have been fine. She wouldn’t have had to face any of this. But Hu Tu’s existence had already told her that she had to walk this path; her hands would inevitably be stained with blood.
She was only afraid. The line drawn by morality made it difficult for her to harm others casually, let alone take a life.
“You’re a hunter. In your eyes, is there any difference between a human life and livestock?”
At last, Ye Rui turned back to look at Xie Tinglan, staring at her with a dazed expression. Some light finally returned to her eyes.
“In truth, there isn’t.”
After saying that, Xie Tinglan looked at Ye Rui for a while before softly smiling. “You protected me without hesitation just now.”
Ye Rui’s whole body shuddered, and her fingers curled. She still remembered what it felt like to hold the Purple Blade.
“If you absolutely need to find meaning in killing, then that is the meaning you want.”
Once they returned to the residence, Ye Rui hurried back to her room, drew water, and washed up, wanting to scrub away every trace of smell on her body. After changing into clean clothes, she went to sleep for a while. In her dreams, they were all nightmares, and the scenes of slaughter replayed over and over again.
When she woke, only an hour had passed, but she still felt groggy and unsteady.
Soon after, Ri Xi knocked on the door. Ye Rui thought it over, and in the end still let her in. Ri Xi had even brought a food box. When she opened it, a mouthwatering aroma immediately wafted out.
“You just emptied your stomach. Eat a little to settle it, or your stomach will feel bad.”
Inside was a bowl of seafood congee, with shrimp, scallops, crab meat, and abalone. For a guard to eat this kind of thing, Ye Rui sometimes really felt as if she was living in a dream. In the end, it was all because of Xie Tinglan that she was being spoiled.
“Thank you, Ri Xi.”
Ye Rui was indeed a little hungry, so she ate slowly, bit by bit. The flavor was fresh and sweet, the texture smooth and rich, and it immediately stirred her appetite, making her no longer look quite so half-dead.
Ri Xi chatted with Ye Rui about the daily affairs of the residence, and also said that Li Yun was now training hard so that if there was another competition in the future, she would never lose to anyone. Ye Rui responded in kind, understanding that Ri Xi was trying to lighten the mood, so she went along with it and relaxed herself. The effect was pretty good.
After she finished the bowl of congee, Ye Rui asked, “Ri Xi, do you have something you want to tell me?”
“Mm.”
Ri Xi’s gaze darkened; she let out a helpless sigh. “Was that the first time you’ve seen a scene like that?”
Ye Rui nodded. Probably because she had mostly recovered, she now had enough strength to recall the bloody scene at the hunting grounds.
“My lord experiences assassination attempts many times every year. Even when people are sent to investigate, they never find the source in the end; only we all know who is behind it.”
Ye Rui pressed her lips together, thinking of how Xie Tinglan had looked when she first met her. Her heart ached a little. She didn’t know how this person had lived through all these days.
“Our lives are filled with slaughter. We have to stay on guard at all times. Killing people is both a way to protect ourselves and the fastest way to achieve our goals.”
Ye Rui listened carefully, then thought of Xie Tinglan’s two sentences: You protected me without hesitation just now. If you absolutely need to find meaning in killing, then that is the meaning you want.
“My lord has grand ambitions, but before those ambitions can be realized, there is a hell that devours people without spitting out their bones. Can you understand that?”
“I understand.”
Ye Rui didn’t know what those ambitions were, nor what Xie Tinglan’s real desires were, but she was biased enough to believe that Xie Tinglan’s purpose would definitely not be something bad.
Yet that certainly hurt many people’s interests, which was why so many blades were aimed at her.
“I can see that my lord values you very much. You improve quickly, your aptitude is excellent, and also…”
As Ri Xi said this, a gentle smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of her mouth.
“And also what?”
Ye Rui suddenly got goosebumps. Why had this person, in the middle of speaking, suddenly worn such a suggestive smile?
“And also, it’s clear that my lord is very special to you.”
-----------------------
Author’s note: A ten-thousand-character update, a ten-thousand-character update~!
We’re going V! [dog head][dog head]