Chapter 34

The night air was faintly cool, and moonlight spilled down like a silver veil, holding back the last traces of autumn and softening the darkness with a tender glow.

Ye Rui herself didn’t know how she had ended up agreeing to Xie Tinglan. Maybe it was because, looking at that face so pale it seemed almost translucent, she simply couldn’t bear to refuse.

Ri Xi had already lit the charcoal brazier in the room. Even though it was pleasantly warm, Xie Tinglan still hadn’t taken off her fur cloak. When she sat down by the bed, she even drew it closer around herself, wrapping up tightly. She lifted a hand to untie the deep-blue sash, and silver strands mingled with dark hair spilled down like a waterfall, draping over her waist.

She reached for the ties of her cloak, but her fingers weren’t very nimble. Seeing that, Ye Rui immediately stepped forward to help her unfasten them. When her fingertips accidentally brushed those cold hands, Ye Rui asked with concern, “Are your fingers stiff from the cold?”

“Yes.”

Xie Tinglan let out a sigh and let Ye Rui undo the fastening. She rested her hands on the hand warmer, and the chill that seemed to seep from her bones finally eased a little.

“It’s only autumn now; what will you do when winter comes?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Rui had already taken off Xie Tinglan’s fur cloak, but instead of setting it aside, she turned it and draped it across Xie Tinglan’s front. “I’ll wash your feet and change your socks. Don’t move.”

With that, Ye Rui crouched down and helped Xie Tinglan off with her flowing cloud-patterned boots and snow-white stockings. She quickly brought over hot water and placed Xie Tinglan’s icy feet into it.

Xie Tinglan lowered her eyes and watched Ye Rui wash her feet; warmth rose at the corners of her eyes. “You’re so good to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll repay you with myself?”

Ye Rui’s hands paused. She looked up at the faint smile at the corner of Xie Tinglan’s lips; those beautiful eyes were smiling too, but beneath the coolness there was also something complicated and unreadable, just like the woman herself.

Ye Rui had never been able to understand Xie Tinglan.

“I’m only a mere guard. How could I possibly be worthy of having the Prime Minister lower herself and marry me?”

After a self-mocking smile, Ye Rui lowered her head again and continued washing Xie Tinglan’s feet. They were so pale they had almost lost all color, and even after washing them for a long while, they still felt cold to the touch.

“Still angry?”

Xie Tinglan bent down and touched the top of Ye Rui’s head, only for Ye Rui to dodge away. “Don’t do that. I’m not a dog.”

Xie Tinglan froze, then gradually withdrew her smile and pulled her cold hand back.

After washing her feet, Ye Rui helped Xie Tinglan into cotton socks and then made her lie down.

“You sleep on the inside tonight; otherwise you’ll press against the part where you’re hurt.”

But Xie Tinglan didn’t obediently lie down. Instead, she moved over to make room for Ye Rui to get into bed. Thinking of Xie Tinglan’s words about “pressing against you,” Ye Rui couldn’t help but laugh. This woman had already decided she’d cling to her and hug her, hadn’t she?

Ye Rui still obediently lay on the inside. After Xie Tinglan lay down, she turned on her side and gathered Ye Rui’s warm arm into her embrace, pressing close to the softness against her own chest and to that steady heartbeat.

The night was quiet. A breeze stirred outside, and the charcoal fire in the room crackled softly now and then. In contrast, the sound of her own heartbeat was the loudest thing of all. Ye Rui kept her eyes open like this; she didn’t dare close them and sink into darkness. She was afraid that in the dark, the desire in her heart would grow without limit.

“Ye Rui.”

Xie Tinglan’s low, lingering voice drifted over, like a demon’s call in the dead of night. It made Ye Rui tense all over, and that only drew a soft laugh from Xie Tinglan.

“I only called your name. Why are you so nervous?”

After saying that, Xie Tinglan leaned a little more against Ye Rui’s arm and then said, “Your injury has only just gotten better, and you’re already running around everywhere. Aren’t you afraid of bumping it and making it worse?”

She was talking about Ye Rui’s trip to Beichenfang that day. Beichenfang’s market streets were crowded with people coming and going; collisions were common, and if she made her injury worse, it would be even harder to heal.

This time it was Ye Rui’s turn to laugh. “Li Yun was wearing the Ye residence guard uniform. Anyone with even a little sense would keep their distance; how would they dare come close?”

Thinking of how the two of them had walked through the street today, with passersby avoiding them at every turn, Ye Rui even felt like she had been borrowing someone else’s authority to bully others. Usually she and Li Yun went out in plain clothes; today, probably to take care of her injury, Li Yun had put on the Ye residence guard uniform. Thinking about it, that person might have a simple mind, but she really was quite attentive.

Xie Tinglan merely smiled and said nothing more. She was too cold, and her body unconsciously pressed closer to Ye Rui. That cool fragrance wrapped around Ye Rui like an embrace; all around her were Xie Tinglan’s breath and scent, and Ye Rui found herself growing hot all over without meaning to.

She could feel softness rising and falling against her arm, warm breath brushing her shoulder, along with restless rubbing. Something like sparks was catching, ready to sweep into a blaze.

Sensing Ye Rui’s increasingly uneven breathing, Xie Tinglan’s eyes instantly reddened at the corners. Her fingers found Ye Rui’s palm, and their hands interlocked.

It seemed that night, the fire lit was not only the brazier meant to keep them warm.

Seeing that Ye Rui didn’t resist, Xie Tinglan let out a breath and leaned in; a wet kiss landed on Ye Rui’s neck. Her tongue flicked lightly, tracing across the slightly cool skin with a heat that could not be ignored.

“Don’t…”

Ye Rui had just started to move when Xie Tinglan gave a soft sound, and Ye Rui immediately froze again, afraid she had hurt her somewhere. She seemed to have forgotten that she was the one injured now.

Xie Tinglan’s breath fell on Ye Rui’s neck, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, as though she couldn’t keep it steady.

“Ye Rui, why are you so able to endure?”

Xie Tinglan half sat up; the quilt slid down from her body, leaving her leaning crookedly on one hand. Languid, alluring, and under the dim night even more irresistibly seductive.

Ye Rui looked at Xie Tinglan for a long time. Those usually cold, beautiful eyes seemed to have melted, misted with moisture; her body leaned slightly forward, hair falling down, as if she were inviting a kiss. Xie Tinglan held Ye Rui’s palm in one hand and touched Ye Rui’s face with the other. Her cold fingertips brushed across Ye Rui’s faintly sweaty cheek, silently hinting at something.

“Xie Tinglan, my desire and my love cannot be separated.”

Xie Tinglan’s fingertips stopped on Ye Rui’s face, then slowly slid down to her neck; goosebumps rose all over Ye Rui.

Xie Tinglan’s voice was soft and lingering, thick with desire. Her breathing was a little unsteady as she said, “Does it matter whether you love me or not? Enjoying pleasure is one of life’s great joys.”

She was just about to lean in when Ye Rui, still and unmoving, asked coldly, “Xie Tinglan, why me?”

Their distance was so close that their mingled breaths seemed ready to burn reason to ashes. At that moment, Ye Rui felt that if Xie Tinglan would only say, “Because I like you,” then tonight would definitely not be peaceful. She would absolutely be unable to resist the desires growing in the dark.

But Xie Tinglan only sighed, and that kiss never landed on Ye Rui’s lips. She buried her head in Ye Rui’s neck, doing her best to control her ragged breathing. “You really are hopelessly unsentimental.”

Ye Rui lifted her chin slightly, gritting her teeth to endure as well, resisting the urge to pull this person into her arms and press her tightly against herself. She had desires too. She liked Xie Tinglan. Now that the person she liked was seducing her like this, how could she possibly endure it?

“Xie Tinglan, do you like me?”

I really can’t tell. Xie Tinglan, tell me, will you? Ye Rui pleaded inwardly, tears even gathering faintly at the corners of her eyes. She wanted a real answer, something to steady the heart that kept guessing and guessing. She needed the safety of a single sentence.

Xie Tinglan bit her lip and frowned, then bit Ye Rui’s neck; she didn’t use much force, more like a punishment that was neither light nor heavy. Then came her lips, gradually heating, slowly sucking and biting, her tongue circling before she gave a deep, deliberate tug.

“Mm… Xie… Tinglan…!”

Xie Tinglan let go of Ye Rui, gave her another light nip, and then withdrew from her body. “I hate you.”

She wrapped herself around Ye Rui’s arm again, rested her forehead against Ye Rui’s shoulder, and muttered once more in a low voice.

“I hate you.”

That night, Ye Rui kept her eyes open until dawn.

**

By morning, the dew was heavy and mist drifted through the air. Ye Rui dazedly returned to her own room to catch up on sleep. With her injury and after staying up all night, she truly couldn’t hold out any longer.

It wasn’t just her body that had endured the whole night; her heart had suffered too. In the end, she still hadn’t waited for Xie Tinglan’s answer. It felt as though last night had been nothing more than a passing game, a spring dream leaving no trace.

What tormented her was the heart that wanted to move closer, yet could not. What tormented her was the tugging and pulling of doing everything intimate, yet getting not a single word in return.

Tired. So tired.

When Ye Rui woke, it was already noon. Just then Ri Xi came as well, bringing her a meal. Ye Rui had barely sat down when she reached up to twist her neck, then let out a weary yawn.

“Thank you, Ri Xi. You bring me food every day.”

Just as Ye Rui was about to pick up her chopsticks, she noticed Ri Xi staring at her in a daze, her face also faintly flushed in an unusual way. Ye Rui put the chopsticks down, wiped her own face, and realized there didn’t seem to be anything on it. “What’s wrong, Ri Xi?”

“Ah! Nothing, nothing. Eat; I still have things to do!”

With that, Ri Xi hurried off as if she had seen a ghost. Ye Rui became even more curious. She set down her chopsticks, walked to the vanity, and took out her mirror from the drawer to look at herself. There was nothing strange on her face either...

Ah——!

Ye Rui clutched her neck, her face instantly burning red. She finally understood why Ri Xi had looked so unnatural just now!

Xie Tinglan had planted a strawberry on her neck! A huge strawberry! Bad woman——!

A few days later, Ye Rui felt that her injuries had basically healed, and she also remembered her task. Today, Gong Yinzhi had come to take her pulse, so she asked, “Miss Gong, who do you think rescued that Gu family survivor?”

Gong Yinzhi was silent for a long while. Only after withdrawing her hand did she say, “I have some leads. Before the Gu family was wiped out, my lord’s eyes and ears once saw martial artists moving around near the Gu residence. From the movement they described, it may have been someone from the southern faction.”

Gong Yinzhi shook her head and sighed. “However, based on movement alone, it’s really difficult to confirm.”

“Do you know what they looked like?”

Ye Rui asked; since they could tell the style of movement, they ought to remember the appearance too, right?

“They said there was a long scar on the face, they liked wearing black clothes, and they wore a bamboo hat.”

That was all the information Gong Yinzhi had. She said with some frustration, “If we could get more clues, maybe we’d know.”

Clues? More clues? Wasn’t there a place in the Capital City especially rich in information?

After Gong Yinzhi left, Ye Rui gave Ri Xi a quick explanation and went out. Today she didn’t go to the study to read and write. Ever since that night of ambiguity, Ye Rui had been avoiding the study and avoiding contact with Xie Tinglan.

That worked out fine, actually. Xie Tinglan hadn’t come looking for her either. Ye Rui thought that if they could just keep their distance like this, maybe that would be for the best. Even if the sense of loss in her heart was impossible to suppress, it was still more bearable than love going unanswered. Better a short pain than a long one.

She had no interest in her, so if Ye Rui kept sinking deeper, she’d only be asking for suffering. Ye Rui considered herself a coward. She was afraid of getting hurt. Shamelessly, she enjoyed the happiness that came with ambiguity, while also fearing the agony of being cruelly cast aside.

You don’t look for me, and I won’t look for you; let’s just pretend that silence is our mutual understanding!

And so, Ye Rui took Li Yun out with her. As for why she brought Li Yun along, it was because Li Yun’s martial arts were good; when going out, of course she still had to protect herself properly!

Just after Ye Rui left, Ri Xi went to Xie Tinglan’s study. However, when Xie Tinglan lifted her eyes in anticipation and saw who had arrived, that anticipation fell away, and her gaze darkened a little.

Ri Xi noticed the change in her eyes carefully. After handing over the official documents, she said, “Ye Rui said she had something to take care of today and went out in a hurry. It looked like she was going to handle something important.”

“Mm.”

Xie Tinglan responded flatly, then moved on to other matters. When Ri Xi asked about the imperial examination assassination, Xie Tinglan said, “No one is in a hurry to investigate this matter, and I’m not in a hurry either.”

“Anyway, the culprit won’t be caught; in the end, it’ll just come to nothing.”

Ri Xi understood and said no more. Xie Tinglan, however, continued, “Now that Zhuang Linglong has been assigned to the Ministry of Personnel as a section chief, and Lu Shuo has been assigned to the Ministry of War as a section chief as well, the arrangements are in place. I should return to court.”

After she finished speaking, Ri Xi smiled in delight. “Congratulations, my lord. Everything has gone smoothly.”

“Mm.”

If not for that little incident at Shenwu Plaza, things could have gone even more smoothly.

“As long as we find the one who rescued Gu Sheng back then, we may be able to find the martial force that has been controlling things all this time.”

Xie Tinglan nodded and, after writing the final character, closed the official document.

“Has the matter in Youlan City already been taken care of?”

Ri Xi immediately bent in a respectful bow. “Reporting to my lord, it has been handled according to Miss Mu Xue’s instructions. She can open a food stall and a brothel there at any time.”

Xie Tinglan nodded. Thinking of Mu Xue’s sly face, she couldn’t help frowning.

Money-grubber.

“Did she say where she would go?”

Xie Tinglan thought of how Ye Rui hadn’t come to the study these past few days to practice writing or read. She had originally wanted to criticize her for lacking ambition, but now that she hadn’t even seen the person, she didn’t know how to put that reproach into words.

“Not at all.”

“Mm. You may go.”

Then Xie Tinglan called Ri Xi back again. “Still, have Jin You keep an eye on her; don’t let anything go wrong.”

Ri Xi smiled in understanding, responded, and left.

**

Dongfeng Ward was still bustling with traffic and crowds. Coachmen and footmen were busy beyond measure; at noon, the tea shops and eateries were packed, and the sounds of loud conversation went on without end.

By contrast, Rain and Mist Pavilion was a little quieter during the day, since it hadn’t opened for business yet. Only a few men passing by would glance in; the courtyard was empty of people.

“Why did you come here again?”

It was obvious Li Yun didn’t like Rain and Mist Pavilion very much. She held her long sword across her chest, watching the plaque and the tassels hanging from its corner with full vigilance. Her brows were knitted tight.

“I need some information; this is the best place to get it.”

Ye Rui pointed a thumb toward Rain and Mist Pavilion. “I’m going in to talk to that woman. Maybe I’ll get the information I need.”

“What exactly do you want to know?”

Li Yun didn’t understand. Ye Rui was being mysterious, not telling her anything, and then coming to a place like this; it made her genuinely unhappy.

“I’ll tell you later. Wait for me at the tea shop across the street; I’ll try to be back as quickly as I can.”

With that, Ye Rui adjusted her veil hat and jogged into Rain and Mist Pavilion, leaving Li Yun standing where she was with a dissatisfied look on her face.

Inside, the steward saw it was Ye Rui and didn’t ask why. He led her straight to the third floor. Ye Rui had just been thinking how smoothly things were going today when the steward’s sly glance as he left made her feel a little more alert.

No, I still need to be careful. These people are all shrewd; who knows what kind of pit they’ve dug, waiting for me to jump into it!

Ye Rui knocked on the door twice. From inside came Mu Xue’s voice: “Come in.”

Ye Rui pushed the door open and stepped inside, where she was inexplicably met by a faint floral fragrance. The folding screen painted with a lady’s portrait seemed to come alive under the scent.

She immediately covered her nose, thinking, There isn’t some kind of sedative in here, is there?

Looking more carefully, she realized that what made the painted lady seem so vivid wasn’t the fragrance at all, but the mist.

Mist?!

Ye Rui walked around the screen, and after only a few steps, her feet stopped as if rooted to the floor. She stared at Mu Xue in the bath, and Mu Xue stared back at her. Her damp hair was stuck to her face; she looked like a lotus just lifted from the water, and that sultry smile on her lips was enough to snare a person’s soul.

Ye Rui went numb, frozen in place.

What scene hadn’t she seen before? This scene, she really had never seen before!

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Author’s note: Prime Minister Xie, your rear courtyard is on fire!!

[dog head][dog head][dog head]