The Scholar's Wife in the Emperor's Court 13
"Don't move; we're almost at the exit," Xiao Mingting said, his voice low and strained, barely holding back.
Chen Yao bit her lower lip. Only then did she fully realize who he was, and she stayed still in his arms, not daring to squirm.
They walked in silence for a while until the narrow passage suddenly opened up into a wider space.
Chen Yao felt the man's arm around her loosen slightly, and she quickly withdrew her hands from around his neck.
She instinctively looked up, about to speak, but Xiao Mingting happened to lower his head at that moment, and their lips met by accident.
Feeling the softness against her lips, Chen Yao's eyes glazed over. Her mind went completely blank.
Then, like a startled little animal, she frantically lowered her head and buried her entire face deep into the man's chest.
Xiao Mingting, who had been walking forward, came to an abrupt halt.
Savoring the sweet, soft sensation that had just pressed against his lips, he unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth, a flicker of surprise passing through his dark eyes.
Chen Yao's heart was in turmoil. Her cheeks burned, the flush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
Even without looking up, she could feel the man's large hands on her waist and legs tighten slightly. The heat of his palms seemed to seep through the fabric of her clothes.
In the dark passage, an ambiguous atmosphere quietly wafted between them.
But the environment was not safe. Xiao Mingting forced himself to calm down and began to search carefully for the exit nearby.
A moment later, he finally found a hidden mechanism on an unremarkable stone wall.
"Found the exit," Xiao Mingting said softly, looking down at the girl in his arms. "Remember to hold on tight to me."
Chen Yao didn't lift her head. She only buried her face deeper, but obediently looped her arms around his neck again.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Xiao Mingting's lips. He supported her body steadily with one arm and used his free hand to twist a protruding stone disc in front of him.
With a soft click, followed by a low rumble, the stone slab above slowly slid aside, and bright moonlight poured down from above.
The opening wasn't too high above the ground. Xiao Mingting took a deep breath, tightened his arm around the girl, and with a slight push from his feet, leaped upward nimbly.
Ignoring the passage that closed again behind them, he took a moment to survey the surroundings. He quickly recognized the area as the rear hill of Baohua Temple, not far from the rear courtyard.
A thought flickered through his mind, but he suppressed it and focused his attention on the girl in his arms.
"Are we out now?" Chen Yao asked softly.
Her face was flushed crimson, and her eyes shimmered with tears. Afraid of another mishap, she kept herself buried in his chest, her voice tinged with shyness.
"Mm," Xiao Mingting replied in a low voice.
He didn't know what he was thinking, but he noticed the girl seemed about to slowly lift her head, so he instinctively started to lower his own again.
At the last moment, reason pulled him back. He turned his face slightly and explained, "We're probably at the rear hill now. There's no one around."
Hearing this, Chen Yao cautiously raised her head, took a timid look around, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she quickly lowered her eyelids again, her long lashes trembling fragilely, not daring to meet his eyes.
Until, from the direction of Baohua Temple, bright torches swayed in succession, and voices called her name repeatedly, growing closer.
Chen Yao's ears twitched slightly. She instinctively straightened up, still holding onto the man's neck, and looked toward the distant direction.
But she quickly realized she was still in Xiao Mingting's arms, and a wave of panic surged through her.
"Someone's coming. I—I should get down," she stammered.
Xiao Mingting's gaze fell on the girl's shy, dodging face. After a long moment of silence, he set her down gently.
As soon as Chen Yao's feet touched the ground, before she could even steady herself, she backed away two steps like a startled deer.
She lowered her head, letting a strand of hair slip from her temple, and made no move to fix it. Instead, she gave a polite bow and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life."
Xiao Mingting's eyes darkened. He stared at the girl for a long while.
In the end, he only lifted his hand, tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear, and let out a soft sigh. "There's no need for such formalities."
*
"Yao Yao!"
Shen Yunxiu, holding a bright torch and leading guards in a search around the temple, spotted the girl standing dazed on the rear hill.
"I told you she'd be here. You didn't need to—" Yuan Fuju's words were cut off as he felt a torch being shoved into his hand.
The next second, Shen Yunxiu, who had been standing beside him, threw all decorum to the wind and dashed toward the figure in the distance.
Yuan Fuju stood frozen as he watched her run up to the girl, barely catching her breath before pulling her into a tight embrace.
It took him a moment to look away, then he cursed inwardly with indignation: As expected, friends are always cast aside for a lover!
But a sour ache gradually welled up in his chest.
"Yao Yao, why are you at the rear hill?" Shen Yunxiu released her, stepped back half a pace, and, with the light of the approaching torches, anxiously looked her over from head to toe.
"…I needed to relieve myself, but I took a wrong turn on the way back and got lost," Chen Yao explained in a small voice, her eyes downcast.
She could feel that Xiao Mingting hadn't left. He was still hidden in the darkness nearby, his gaze fixed on her like a physical weight.
"Is that so?" Shen Yunxiu still had some doubts, but seeing that Chen Yao's expression showed nothing unusual and unable to think of another explanation, she didn't press further.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Chen Yao said, blinking guiltily.
"As long as you're safe, that's what matters." Shen Yunxiu gently stroked her hair and prepared to lead her back to the temple.
She hesitated, then advised, "But maybe you should skip the vigil tonight. You look tired. As long as your heart is in the right place, there's no need to put yourself through it."
"Alright," Chen Yao agreed without protest, nodding obediently.
As she left, she couldn't help but glance back, but the night was vast and dark. In the end, she saw nothing.
*
Perhaps because she'd gone to bed so late, or perhaps because of the scare, when Chen Yao woke up the next morning, it was already late in the day.
She heard that an assassin had infiltrated Baohua Temple in the early morning, nearly alarming the Empress Dowager, who had come to burn incense. Fortunately, Shen Yunxiu had handled the situation with wit.
But since Chen Yao slept deeply, and her guest room was in a courtyard far from the main hall, she remained blissfully unaware of all this.
"Are you okay? And what did the Empress Dowager say?" Chen Yao asked, grabbing Shen Yunxiu's hand as soon as she heard a few brief sentences. Her moist, apricot eyes were filled with fear and unease.
"Nothing happened," Shen Yunxiu said, patting her hand soothingly. There was a note of helplessness in her voice. "I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd be scared."
Chen Yao had been pampered since childhood, and she had never been particularly bold. Shen Yunxiu had originally planned not to mention it, worried it would frighten her, but Chen Yao had insisted on asking. There was simply no way to deal with her.
What's more, this assassination attempt didn't seem as simple as it appeared on the surface. Shen Yunxiu sensed something unusual.
"Don't think too much." Shen Yunxiu looked at her tenderly and added, "After this, the court will surely send imperial guards to conduct a thorough investigation of Baohua Temple. We should leave soon."
Chen Yao nodded, having no objection. "Okay."
Then Shen Yunxiu reached out and tousled her hair again, her voice full of doting affection, as if coaxing a child. "Yao Yao is such a good girl."
"Sister Yunxiu!" the girl protested in a soft, flustered voice.