Chapter 21
“And also, it’s obvious that my lord is very special to you.”
Ri Xi lowered her eyes and smiled. When she noticed Ye Rui’s expression turn a little stiff, a flicker passed through her gaze, and the interest in her smile deepened by a few degrees.
“How, how is she special?”
Ye Rui was good at reading people. In ordinary moments, she would unconsciously pay more attention to Xie Tinglan’s interactions with others. Xie Tinglan’s relationship with the rest of them was purely that of superior and subordinate; with Ri Xi and the others, she seemed warmer, almost like family. And yet she rarely had any physical contact with them.
The only time there had been any was when Xie Tinglan had just returned to the estate, and Ri Xi had helped her while she was still unsteady on her feet.
“You don’t know that already?”
Ri Xi noticed the sly way Ye Rui’s eyes kept darting around; she hardly looked clueless. Clearly, she just wanted confirmation from Ri Xi’s own mouth.
“Ohhh~ Ri Xi, just tell me~”
Ye Rui grabbed Ri Xi’s arm and shook it a few times. It was rare for her to act spoiled like this, and it was all for Xie Tinglan. Only now did Ye Rui truly understand that once a woman got carried away, she really could become a different person.
Ri Xi glanced out the window. The parasol leaves were falling one by one, and even the breeze carried the scent of autumn. Fallen leaves announced the season; the trees were layered in color.
“My lord doesn’t like others getting too close.”
As she said this, Ri Xi’s eyes dimmed, as if some distant memory had risen up and obscured the light. But in the next moment, she swept away the gloom and smiled again. “My lord lets you sit beside her to read and write, and also... ”
Ri Xi thought of how Xie Tinglan had let Ye Rui sleep with her at the hunting grounds, and the smile at the corner of her mouth deepened. “Isn’t that special enough?”
Ye Rui struggled to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. After a light cough, she said, “What special? She just likes teasing me.”
Seeing Ye Rui deny it with a smile, Ri Xi didn’t press further. She only mentioned a few more things about the duties Ye Rui would face in the future, then left.
By the end, Ye Rui had actually drifted off a little. Her mind kept replaying the image of sitting beside Xie Tinglan to read and write. When she finally came to herself and remembered what Ri Xi had said at the end, she couldn’t help sighing and stood to look out the window at the lonely falling leaves.
She touched the purple blade hanging at her waist; her palm went cold again. Maybe she really should break through the moral habits she had always relied on.
Otherwise, she really would end up out of place in this world.
**
For the next several days, Ye Rui continued training with Yin Yue, and she still had to study reading and writing with Xie Tinglan.
But Xie Tinglan seemed very busy during this period, and she was often absent from the study. Ye Rui could only learn on her own and practice on her own.
That night, the early autumn wind carried a chill. The parasol leaves in the courtyard had already turned golden, scattered sparsely along the blue-stone path. Now and then, the night wind would sweep past and whirl the fallen leaves into a soft rustling dance.
Ye Rui sat in the courtyard. The weather had turned cold today, and she suddenly realized she hadn’t seen Xie Tinglan for two days already. She wondered whether Xie Tinglan would feel cold. With a body like hers, winter must be even harder to endure, right?
As if her thoughts had been answered, she heard very faint footsteps outside the moon gate. Then warm lamplight spread around the archway, and a thin figure stood there wrapped in a fur cloak, gazing at Ye Rui from a distance.
“I need to handle official business now; are you coming to practice your calligraphy?”
When Xie Tinglan spoke, a faint breath of white vapor left her lips. The warm lamplight fell across her cool, aloof face. Her black-and-white hair was elegantly coiled up, with a small lock left to hang over her shoulder. In the quiet of the night, she looked like the Moon Goddess who only descended on the wind after dark.
Was she here on purpose to find her?
Ye Rui forcibly suppressed the joy in her heart and walked toward Xie Tinglan. She was wearing a moon-white cross-collar robe, bright as moonlight in the deep, shadowed courtyard as she headed toward the person bathed in lamplight.
“Let’s go.”
Seeing that Xie Tinglan held a hand warmer in one hand and a lantern in the other, Ye Rui couldn’t help frowning. “No one’s with you?”
“I don’t like people following me inside the estate.”
After saying that, Ye Rui naturally took the lantern from Xie Tinglan, freeing her to hold the hand warmer with both hands and keep warm.
“Am I not a person?”
Ye Rui gave a low laugh and turned her head to look at Xie Tinglan’s expression. In the dim yellow light, Xie Tinglan’s coldly beautiful face looked somewhat tired; even her eyelids seemed ready to droop.
And she still had to go deal with official business?
“You’re different.”
After saying that, Xie Tinglan leaned slightly against Ye Rui. Hearing this, Ye Rui’s ears tingled. She didn’t know how much of it was truth and how much was pretense, but at this moment it all felt very useful.
“Cold?”
“Mm.”
Ye Rui slid an arm around Xie Tinglan’s shoulders from behind and said in a low voice, “If you’re tired, why not rest earlier?”
Xie Tinglan leaned more of her weight against Ye Rui. Perhaps her foundation was solid enough that she could bear some of it without issue; Ye Rui still walked steadily. Xie Tinglan shook her head. “There’s an urgent memorial to handle.”
When Ye Rui heard that, she thought of what she had heard at the market these past few days and couldn’t help smiling bitterly. “Everyone says you’re as vicious as a wolf and destroy the loyal and virtuous, yet who would know that this wolf still has to worry about state affairs late into the night?”
“What they say isn’t wrong.”
Xie Tinglan didn’t deny it. Her voice turned cold as she continued, “If I didn’t have Yama’s methods, how could I stand in this position?”
Ye Rui thought it wasn’t worth it for Xie Tinglan, yet Xie Tinglan was still willing to bear the infamy.
She was helpless. After a moment of silence, she asked, “What is your goal?”
Xie Tinglan had ambition and vision; being second to none wasn’t her final destination. Besides, in the current court, opinions of her were split to extremes. Without military power in her hands, and with this world’s hostility toward women on top of it, Ye Rui always felt Xie Tinglan’s position was precarious.
“When you become a third-rank guard, I’ll tell you.”
Xie Tinglan didn’t say more, and the two of them soon reached the study.
Ri Xi had already lit the brazier inside. The cold that had seeped in from outside was instantly melted away by the warmth in the room. Xie Tinglan didn’t remove her fur cloak; instead, she pulled it tighter around herself, wrapped herself up even more thoroughly, and sat down to open the memorials.
Ye Rui sat on the other side of the desk and wordlessly ground the ink for Xie Tinglan, then asked, “What have you been busy with these past few days? Why do I keep not seeing you?”
Xie Tinglan curved her lips. Though it was autumn, a trace of seductive spring seemed to bloom in her eyes. “So Ah Rui misses me?”
Ah Rui—this was the first time Xie Tinglan had called her that.
Ye Rui was choked silent by those words, and her heartbeat sped up a little. A dozen rebuttals flashed through her mind, but when she saw the exhaustion in Xie Tinglan’s eyes, she swallowed them all back down.
Ye Rui’s silence instead made Xie Tinglan a little surprised. That unexpected obedience, and the flushed redness at the tips of her ears, were all very pleasing to Xie Tinglan.
“Dealing with the matter of the assassins from that day.”
Xie Tinglan picked up her brush and began writing on the memorial. Ye Rui didn’t look; instead, she watched Xie Tinglan and asked worriedly, “Who was it? Will there be another wave?”
“Still the same people from before. In the end, they just found a scapegoat and closed the case.”
Ye Rui was still confused. She understood that Xie Tinglan meant the same group of people who had previously sent assassins after her, but she still didn’t know who they were.
“The Zhongshan Prince, the Duke of Wei, and the Helians.”
Helian? Wasn’t that the Empress’s maternal family? Xie Tinglan’s relationship with the Empress wasn’t shallow, so why would the Helian family join with others to kill Xie Tinglan?
Seeing the puzzled look on Ye Rui’s face, Xie Tinglan dipped her finger in ink and continued, “Have you ever seen me contact my maternal family?”
Ye Rui immediately understood. After thinking it over several times, she said, “No.”
“Sometimes a maternal family isn’t shelter. It can also be the enemy; it just depends on whose chess piece you are.”
Xie Tinglan set down her brush and blew the ink on the memorial dry. Only then did Ye Rui sit down and ask, “Why is your world so complicated?”
Relatives could also be enemies; anyone could be an enemy. Deceit and schemes, you kill me and I kill you. Ye Rui felt maybe her past self had designed game plots that were too hellish, and now that she had crossed over, this was her retribution.
She had thought a game was just a game; who knew that in another parallel world, it would really be this complicated.
Xie Tinglan turned to look at Ye Rui. Even in the dim light, those cold eyes were mixed with many complicated emotions. She was silent for a long while before asking, “Do you want to go back to the mountains?”
“I don’t.”
Ye Rui answered decisively. Then she saw a flicker of joy appear in Xie Tinglan’s eyes, and her own voice unconsciously softened too. “I may not like complexity, but I’m not willing to live an ordinary life either.”
“What kind of extraordinary life do you want?”
Xie Tinglan rested her head on one hand and looked Ye Rui over several times. In the end, her gaze settled on Ye Rui’s face with satisfaction.
“I haven’t thought of it yet.”
Ye Rui answered honestly, but she felt she probably couldn’t become some kind of strategist. She was deeply resistant to all these plots and counterplots.
“No matter; think slowly.”
Xie Tinglan took Ye Rui’s hand. Her icy fingertips made Ye Rui shiver, and Xie Tinglan said, “I’m afraid my cold poison will flare up tonight; stay with me when I sleep.”
Outside, the autumn wind howled. The fallen leaves of the parasol trees drifted down silently, then stirred again with a faint rustle on the ground, as if burying the secret thoughts hidden in one’s heart and disturbing this boundless autumn night.
Ye Rui didn’t want to agree so readily, so she thought of something still unresolved. “Pay me for those five Fire Sparrow Grass plants, and I’ll keep you company.”
“I’ll have Ri Xi send it to your room next month.”
Xie Tinglan was unexpectedly straightforward. Her five fingers tightened around Ye Rui’s palm, as if she wanted to melt her hand into that warm, firelike one.
“How much is it?”
Ye Rui’s heart was pounding fast, especially since Xie Tinglan was already rubbing the back of her hand with her fingertips in an intimate gesture. She could only shift the topic to calm herself down.
It was clearly autumn, not some bright and fragrant spring season, so why did it feel so... full of spring desire?
“Little miser.”
Xie Tinglan chided her lightly. “You’ll know next month.”
“Always keeping me in suspense.”
Ye Rui rolled her eyes at Xie Tinglan and was just about to pull her hand back, but Xie Tinglan didn’t loosen her grip at all. Ye Rui didn’t dare use force either.
“What, can’t bear to part with me?”
Ye Rui asked, her brows and eyes lifting unconsciously; she wanted to see how Xie Tinglan would react to being teased.
“Of course.”
Xie Tinglan paused, then brought Ye Rui’s hand up to her nose and lightly touched the warm skin with the bridge of her nose. “The autumn wind is cold. I’m not going to take the trouble to make a detour to your courtyard.”
At that moment, Ye Rui’s heartbeat seemed to stop. This kind of flirtation was as messy and abundant as the fallen parasol leaves on the ground in autumn; no matter how much you swept, you couldn’t clear them away. They came on their own, and you didn’t know when they would drift away again.
It left people feeling empty and forlorn.
“Scumbag.”
Ye Rui couldn’t help cursing Xie Tinglan.
Just teasing and not marrying; what a scumbag!
Hearing this unfamiliar phrase she still didn’t know, Xie Tinglan not only didn’t get angry, she even laughed. Her good temper gave Ye Rui the illusion that she would never lose her temper with her.
Only then did Ye Rui finally pull her hand free, and she changed the subject again. “Who’s the scapegoat?”
Honestly, Ye Rui didn’t really care. As long as the real masterminds weren’t dead, no one could ever truly feel at ease; who the scapegoat was no longer mattered.
“Zhong Xu.”
Xie Tinglan picked up her brush again and dipped it in ink. Those two words were as light as the ink on the tip of the brush. She then wrote the character for “behead” lightly and casually on the memorial, and Ye Rui felt as if she had accidentally glimpsed something extraordinary, unable to stop a chill from running through her.
That wolf-hair brush had become a Yama’s pen at this moment; every stroke could easily take a person’s life.
“Wasn’t Zhong Xu on your side?”
Hearing that, Xie Tinglan couldn’t help but chuckle. Then she slowly set down the brush. “He’s just a petty opportunist who likes to hedge his bets. It happens that I need to replace his position anyway.”
Xie Tinglan blew on the words in the memorial, then slowly closed it. “Besides... he sullies my dignity as chancellor in front of you. How could I possibly endure that?”
At first, Ye Rui was stunned; then she burst out laughing. “You’re so childish.”
Seeing Ye Rui laughing until her cheeks were flushed red, Xie Tinglan’s lips also curved slightly. “Not childish. If I didn’t kill him, the name of my wolfishness would be dragged through the mud.”
Ye Rui gradually reined in her laughter, then picked up her brush as well and began practicing calligraphy. “Xie Tinglan, are there often colleagues who are disrespectful to you?”
Xie Tinglan opened another memorial to read. A breeze slipped in through the window crack, carrying the flavor of early autumn; it seemed to carry a little melancholy too.
“Not often, but there are always fools backed by great families.”
Xie Tinglan looked at the densely packed characters in front of her, her brow furrowing slightly; then she pressed down and wrote with firm strokes. Ye Rui was also practicing her writing with her head lowered. The two of them each did their own thing, yet the conversation didn’t stop.
“Who does Zhong Xu rely on?”
“He’s a distant relative of the Zhongshan Prince; he’s not even worth a chicken rib.”
Ye Rui still felt puzzled after hearing that, so she asked, “If they’re disrespectful to you, then why?”
“My maternal family is only a small clan. Our strength isn’t great, and I’m a woman.”
To be able to enter court and become chancellor with that kind of background and resources, what on earth had Xie Tinglan paid for it? Could it be that her cold poison was related to this?
“Anything else you want to ask?”
Seeing Ye Rui remain silent, Xie Tinglan let out a soft sigh, as if the air itself were hiding many things Ye Rui hadn’t said.
“If I ask, will you tell me everything?”
Ye Rui stopped writing. Today, the line she was copying was: One general’s success is built on ten thousand bones.
“Not necessarily; but you can try.”
Xie Tinglan still had a smile at the corner of her mouth.
Ye Rui realized that Xie Tinglan smiled quite often; but most of the time, it was a cold smile, the kind that wasn’t quite a smile at all. There was an aloofness and indifference there, as if she had already seen through the coldness and warmth of human relationships.
“How did you get to where you are, step by step?”
After Ye Rui asked, Xie Tinglan’s smile deepened. It seemed she had already guessed this was what Ye Rui would ask.
“Nothing more than making a deal with tigers and getting into bed with wolves.”
Ye Rui listened with only half understanding. Xie Tinglan always talked like this, full of riddles; she simply refused to explain directly, as if she were playing with her.
“Can’t you just speak plainly?”
Ye Rui pouted and rolled her eyes at Xie Tinglan, only to see Xie Tinglan laugh even more openly, as if teasing her were something especially pleasant.
You’re happy, but I’m not.
“I thought you were very smart.”
Xie Tinglan set down her brush, blew on the ink once more, and only then closed the memorial. Turning to Ye Rui’s resentful face, she couldn’t help laughing. “Can’t figure it out?”
“Of course I can’t. With so many tangled connections in your court, how am I supposed to know which tiger you made a deal with and which wolf you got into bed with?”
Xie Tinglan gave a soft sigh, then rested her head on one hand and looked at Ye Rui; her eyes dropped to the line Ye Rui had written.
“One general’s success is built on ten thousand bones; a good line.”
Xie Tinglan lowered her eyes, and the weariness in her beautiful face seemed even heavier. “Then think about it: which tiger did I make a deal with so I could sit where I am now in defiance of all objections? And how did I kill so many commoners, loyal ministers, and brave generals, yet still remain standing?”
The instant Ye Rui heard that, it was as if electricity had shot through her entire body; her skin went numb. Could this be...!
“All right, it’s time to sleep.”
Xie Tinglan covered her mouth to yawn. A little moisture welled at the corners of her eyes, and the fatigue in her features was now fully visible. She really did look like she couldn’t hold on much longer.
“Okay.”
All the unspoken words were hidden in the autumn wind and fallen leaves. An empty parasol-tree courtyard held the clear chill of autumn; autumn was beautiful, yet it always carried a trace of sadness.
Especially after hearing what Xie Tinglan had just said, all the blades and all the bitterness were hidden within casual laughter and conversation. To accompany a ruler is to accompany a tiger; to make deals with such a tiger is no different from becoming a changeling ghost, doing nothing but luring others into traps and devouring their flesh and bones.
How much of the infamy she carried was to keep that tiger’s fur forever clean and glossy?
Only after returning to the sleeping chamber did Xie Tinglan remove that heavy fur cloak. After washing up, she finally lay down on the same bed as Ye Rui. The two of them shared one blanket, and the warmth inside it finally drove away some of the cold on Xie Tinglan’s body.
“Is your human-shaped heater useful?”
Ye Rui couldn’t quite fall asleep. Even though she knew that person would probably fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes, she still couldn’t stop herself from talking to her.
“Pretty useful.”
Xie Tinglan paused, then groped around a little and took hold of Ye Rui’s hand. “It would be even better if you came a little closer.”
Ye Rui didn’t do that; she only asked quietly, “Can’t your cold poison be cured?”
“You don’t want to sleep with me anymore?”
Ye Rui laughed helplessly. “Your thoughts are way too far off. I just think this isn’t a proper long-term solution.”
“There is a way to cure it.”
Xie Tinglan turned slightly and moved a little closer to Ye Rui, as if taking Ye Rui’s questions as permission to come nearer.
“Only the medicinal ingredients haven’t all been found yet.”
Hearing that, Ye Rui turned to look at Xie Tinglan. Her night vision was excellent; she could see Xie Tinglan’s eyes half-open, long lashes trembling as she looked at her in the darkness.
Ye Rui’s heartbeat sped up unconsciously. She suppressed the stirring in her chest and asked, “I’ve been in Yushan for some time now; why don’t you tell me what ingredients you need? Maybe I know them.”
“Only two are still missing: Longevity Grass and Yama Flower.”
Ye Rui: “……”
Was she teasing her again?
Hu Tu: [She really isn’t. Those two ingredients are very precious. If you run into traveling merchants, maybe there’s still a chance of finding them.]
Ye Rui: [I never thought medicinal herbs would have such chuunibyou names.]
Hu Tu: […I advise you to speak carefully. I’ll look up images for you to see later.]
Ye Rui: [Fine.]
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
Seeing Ye Rui silent, Xie Tinglan lifted her eyes, wondering whether she had fallen asleep.
“I’m just thinking about how to find those two medicinal ingredients.”
Ye Rui was a little worried. Traveling merchants were already the kind of character that was hard to run into in a game; wasn’t it even harder in the real world?
“No need to think about it; it can only be left to luck.”
Xie Tinglan burrowed into Ye Rui’s arms, stuffing her cold body into Ye Rui’s embrace. In a muffled voice, she said, “Ye Rui, do you resent me for dragging you into this?”
“It’s already happened. Why think about that now? If I said I did, would you let me leave?”
Ye Rui gave a bitter smile. Since Xie Tinglan had brought her back, she still didn’t know what purpose she served besides warming the bed, but she felt Xie Tinglan would never let her go easily.
“No.”
Xie Tinglan answered decisively, then let out a low laugh. “Once you fall into my hands, there’s no escaping.”
“Maybe one day I really will run away.”
Ye Rui slowly closed her eyes, preparing to drift into sleep. Tonight seemed far too long; if she didn’t sleep, tomorrow she wouldn’t know how to deal with Yin Yue’s basic training lesson.
“Not allowed.”
Xie Tinglan’s low voice came through, faint and indistinct.
“You’re not allowed to run.”
**
After the assassination at the hunting grounds was settled, the court seemed to quiet down for quite a while. Xie Tinglan had more free time, and almost every day she would be in the estate, reading and writing with Ye Rui.
During this time, Ri Xi and Xie Tinglan discussed one matter: the imperial examinations were drawing near, yet the number of women registering was pitifully small. Xie Tinglan was clearly disappointed by the result. Many women were restricted by their families and not allowed to take the examinations; some without family backing were threatened with death and withdrew as well. In the end, only five women took part in the examinations.
They were all now in the Capital City, protected by people Xie Tinglan had sent.
There was anger hidden in Xie Tinglan’s beautiful eyes, but her face remained composed as always. She lifted a purple sand teacup and gently blew on it.
“My lord, those great families keep making small moves. Some have even offered large sums to get them to withdraw from the competition... ”
Ri Xi reported from the side. Ye Rui was writing nearby; from time to time, she would glance up at Xie Tinglan’s cold expression. Beneath those lowered beautiful eyes lurked a sharp chill. The air around her seemed to compress, making it hard to breathe.
At this moment, Xie Tinglan revealed the dangerous colors beneath her surface.
“As expected.”
Xie Tinglan closed her beautiful eyes and took a sip of Dongting Biluochun. When she opened them again, killing intent had risen in her gaze. Sensing that something was wrong, Ye Rui immediately lowered her head and no longer dared to look.
She had once thought of looking away, but the moment she got up to leave, Xie Tinglan pressed lightly on her hand, as if she wanted Ye Rui to listen in and learn from it. Later, whenever Ri Xi came to report, Ye Rui no longer avoided it.
“This matter is bound to be difficult in many ways. Everyone has their own ambitions; if they can’t weather this hurdle, then once they step onto that bloodthirsty court, they’ll only become meat on someone else’s chopping block.”
Xie Tinglan set down her teacup, tugged at her sleeve, and said in a low voice, “Besides, at least one of us will persist to the end; that alone is enough.”
“My lord, then I’ll go prepare the next steps.”
Ye Rui watched Ri Xi leave, her mind a little dazed as she thought of what Ri Xi had said about the “next steps.” Since those great families could target the women participating in the imperial examinations, that meant they would also meddle in the examinations themselves; they might bribe the examiners, control the questions, or directly leak the questions to their own people. These were all things Xie Tinglan had to guard against.
“Those people will definitely continue manipulating the results of the imperial examinations in secret. What are you planning to do?”
Xie Tinglan glanced at Ye Rui, the corners of her red lips curving slightly, dispersing the uneasy aura from earlier; everything returned to calm. “Use their own scheme against them.”
“You’re going to let the manipulators walk into the trap themselves and expose their crimes?”
Xie Tinglan neither said yes nor no. She looked at Ye Rui with brighter eyes, her smile deepening. “Do you know how severe the punishment is under Great Yan law for disrupting the order of the imperial examinations, secretly manipulating the results, leaking the questions, and taking bribes?”
“How severe?”
Ye Rui unconsciously held her breath. Looking at the increasingly dangerous smile on Xie Tinglan’s face, she suddenly sensed the wild arrogance that leaked out unintentionally from beneath her gaze.
She was like a demon weaving nightmares for others with thread, leaving other people’s lives trapped in what they themselves thought was a beautiful dream. In the strange currents of the court, she was the hand stirring up the storm; where the clouds parted, there was only bones.
Invite the guest into the urn, use their own plan against them—what kind of preparations would she make?
“Execution of three clans.”
In front of Xie Tinglan lay a list of names, the roster of every official involved in organizing this imperial examination. Her gaze swept over every name on the list again and again, cold enough to pierce. Just looking at it made Ye Rui’s scalp tingle; right now, Xie Tinglan was a living Yama. Wherever her brush went, Ye Rui’s heart seemed to stop for an instant.
What kind of Xie Wolfishness was this? She was plainly Xie Yama.
-----------------------
Author’s note: Here we are~
This chapter was a nice, fat one too! Hahaha![heart][heart]