Xue Yunyi was stunned for a moment.
Wu Lang had been staying in Azure Cypress Palace for nearly two days now. On the first day, he had lain unconscious, and after waking, he had remained in this room without stirring an inch.
She could hardly believe that this taciturn youth had endured his discomfort for so long without uttering a word to ask someone to take him to the lavatory for relief.
Her fingertips dug into her palm. Xue Yunyi drew a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She softened her tone as much as she could, trying to reason with Wu Lang. “How long have you been holding it? Why haven’t you gone?”
The youth’s eyes reddened at the corners. He explained in a hoarse voice, “Your Highness said that this base slave is not permitted to get out of bed on his own.”
Xue Yunyi paused, then laughed in anger. She had indeed said those words, but she certainly hadn’t meant to forbid him from even using the lavatory!
A deep sense of helplessness welled up in her heart once more. Wu Lang’s issues seemed far more severe than she had imagined.
Xue Yunyi sighed, gazing at the youth before her, who bit his lip in silent endurance. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him. She turned to Mo Ying and instructed, “Call Zhao Xi. Have him take Wu Lang to the lavatory.”
“Yes.”
Zhao Xi arrived promptly. With deft movements, he helped Wu Lang down from the bed. Mindful of the youth’s injured knees, Zhao Xi even asked considerately if he wanted to be carried there.
Wu Lang shook his head, taken aback by the kindness. “I-I can walk on my own.”
Xue Yunyi watched as the youth’s face flushed red and his thin lips nearly bled from his biting. She sighed soundlessly.
“After you return, apply the medicine to him again. Then bring him to This Palace’s bedchamber,” she instructed Zhao Xi.
She felt it necessary to have a proper talk with Wu Lang—at the very least, to make him understand the rules of Azure Cypress Palace, her rules.
The rules of being human.
For instance, he could go to the lavatory whenever he needed without asking. If he was thirsty, he could request tea from the palace servants; if hungry, he could help himself to the snacks on the small table. He needed to learn to attend to his body’s needs rather than enduring everything, always watching others’ faces for permission.
Back in her bedchamber, Xue Yunyi accepted the flower tea from Mo Ying and took a sip, barely suppressing the irritation in her heart. Then she leaned back in her wheelchair, closing her eyes to rest while waiting for Zhao Xi to bring Wu Lang.
She had only just shut her eyes when Chun Yu reported from outside the hall, “Your Highness, Young Master Wu of the Wu family requests an audience.”
Xue Yunyi frowned. “I will not see him. Tell him This Palace has retired for the night.”
She still remembered the humiliating words Wu Hanyu had spoken about Wu Lang in Xue Qingzhi’s bedchamber back then. This man was no gentleman, and she had no desire for further dealings with him.
Chun Yu departed to relay the message. Before long, she returned with a troubled expression, followed by two young eunuchs carrying two large chests—gifts from Wu Hanyu.
“Your Highness,” Chun Yu said, “Young Master Wu said that since you have retired, he will not disturb you. He only asks that you accept these gifts and look after the Wu family in the days to come.”
Chun Yu paused, fumbling to recall Wu Hanyu’s exact words. “Young Master Wu also said that these are gifts he carefully selected himself, ones that Your Highness is sure to like.”
Xue Yunyi opened her eyes absently, her gaze falling on the two hefty black sandalwood chests.
Mo Ying sniffed, catching a faint medicinal scent, and spoke up. “Perhaps he sent some rare herbs that might help with Your Highness’s leg ailment.”
Xue Yunyi smelled the herbal aroma as well and silently permitted Mo Ying to step forward and open the chest lids.
When she saw what was inside, however, her eyes widened abruptly. A rare flicker of panic crossed her usually serene face.
What in the world were these?
Wu Hanyu’s visit to the palace today had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Ever since the Second Princess’s birthday banquet, the winds in the court had been blowing ill. Numerous ministers, citing the incident of the portrait burning as an ill omen for the Second Princess, had once again urged the Emperor to name Xue Yunyi as Crown Princess.
Some had previously supported the Second Princess and Consort Jiang but now switched sides, aligning with Prime Minister Lin and the other loyal old ministers. As the legitimate eldest princess with no flaws in virtue, Xue Yunyi ought to inherit the throne. The Emperor should heed the ancestral laws, not act on personal whims and jeopardize the rivers and mountains.
Hearing such talk repeatedly, Wu Hanyu grew anxious. The medicine that had harmed Xue Yunyi had come from the Wu family, after all. If she truly became Crown Princess and settled old scores with them, the entire Wu family would face ruinous days.
That said, Consort Jiang still enjoyed the Emperor’s unwavering favor. It remained to be seen who would emerge victorious.
Thus, he had prepared two lavish gifts today: one for Ninghua Palace and one for Azure Cypress Palace. This way, he could curry favor on both sides without constantly fretting over the court’s shifting tides.
The gift for the Second Princess was a Night-Luminous Pearl handed down through generations in the Wu family. Xue Qingzhi favored opulent luxuries, and this large, perfectly round pearl was sure to please her.
For the Eldest Princess, however, Wu Hanyu was less certain. He had heard she loved poetry and books, so he selected a few rare ancient texts from Madam Wu’s study. He wasn’t sure if they would catch her eye.
Lost in thought, Wu Hanyu entered Azure Cypress Palace and was about to ask a servant to announce him when he spotted several young eunuchs gathered under a nearby tree shade, chatting and laughing lewdly.
Curious, he listened closely and caught snippets of their conversation.
“This is quite the rarity—the Eldest Princess is keeping a man in the palace!”
“I thought the Eldest Princess was all about her books and hadn’t awakened to such matters yet. Turns out she just hadn’t met the right one.” A sharp-featured eunuch squinted and tsked. “You should have seen that face—devastatingly handsome. No wonder he’s captivated the Eldest Princess’s soul.”
The short one beside him teased, “Say, do you think from now on, the Eldest Princess will be so dazzled by beauty that she’ll follow the Second Princess’s example and keep a dozen or so by her side?”
The group burst into laughter. “What? You want to serve the Eldest Princess too? Dream on!”
The short eunuch’s face turned beet red. He spat and cursed with foul words. The group shoved and joked as they wandered off.
Wu Hanyu stood stunned for a long moment before snapping back to reality. He was thrilled—heaven was truly aiding him. He had been at a loss for what to gift Xue Yunyi, but for matters of the bedchamber, he had plenty of novel and intriguing toys. As someone inexperienced in such things, the Eldest Princess was bound to adore his treasures.
He slapped his thigh and summoned his trusted page, whispering instructions.
The page dashed back to the Wu Mansion and soon packed two chests full of Wu Hanyu’s private collection. With several sturdy servants, they delivered them to the palace.
Having handled Xue Yunyi’s gift, Wu Hanyu felt quite pleased. Humming a little tune, he headed to Ninghua Palace, only to be stopped by the guards outside.
“The Second Princess is in low spirits these days and receives no visitors.”
Wu Hanyu smiled politely. “Please announce me. Say it’s someone from the Wu family, and the Second Princess will surely see me.”
“No one is received,” the guard replied impassively, his expression cooling further at the mention of the Wu family.
Wu Hanyu had hoped to ask Xue Qingzhi directly about the marquisate today, but he was turned away at the door. She had accepted many of his gifts lately yet always evaded his requests, leaving him increasingly desperate.
On the way back to the mansion, Wu Hanyu fondled the unsent Night-Luminous Pearl, growing more irritated. “It must be that useless Wu Lang who failed to please the Second Princess, earning her wrath toward the entire Wu family—so much so that she won’t even see me.”
Fuming, he gritted his teeth and cursed. “Born with such a pretty face, yet too lazy to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, to secure the marquisate for his elder brother sooner. How did the Wu family produce such a useless thing? An ungrateful wretch!”
The page at his side kept his eyes downcast, murmuring agreement.
After venting, Wu Hanyu felt somewhat relieved. His trip to the palace wasn’t a total failure—at least he had succeeded with the Eldest Princess.
Those were treasures he had spent a fortune collecting.
A complete set of jade phalluses, all carved from the rarest snow-porcelain jade, icy cold to the touch.
Golden chains adorned with tiny silver bells, a long whip of finest snakeskin, and a pile of things Xue Yunyi had never seen before.
Xue Yunyi sat rigidly for a long while before slowly leaning down. Her fingertips brushed over a string of glazed beads, uncovering the source of the medicinal scent beneath.
The paper packet contained an aphrodisiac.
A note was thoughtfully attached, detailing the proper dosage.
Xue Yunyi felt her face heat up. She calmly tucked the medicine back under the silk cloth and picked up a jade phallus, holding it up for closer inspection.
Perhaps it was her lifelong thirst for knowledge at play—whenever she encountered something unfamiliar, Xue Yunyi couldn’t help but feel curious, wanting to study it thoroughly.
She had only read about such things in books.
Xue Yunyi couldn’t fathom why Wu Hanyu would send her these. If he meant to flatter her, the two yellowed medical texts in the corner of the chest would have suited her far better.
“Your Highness, this slave has brought Wu Lang,” Zhao Xi’s voice called from outside the hall, interrupting Xue Yunyi’s thoughts.
“Let him in,” Xue Yunyi replied offhandedly.
Wu Lang entered the hall and knelt down with his usual proficiency, about to pay his respects to Xue Yunyi. Inadvertently, his gaze fell on the contents of the chest on the floor. His eyes widened in shock, and he forgot to speak.
He was intimately familiar with every single item.
Nightmarish memories flooded over Wu Lang like a tide. He clutched his sleeves in terror, his eyes fixed on the jade in Xue Yunyi’s hand and the snake skin whip that she had casually picked up before returning it to the wooden box.
Xue Yunyi turned her head to instruct Mo Ying to quickly pack away all these odds and ends and return them to Wu Hanyu. She remained completely oblivious to the uneasy expression on Wu Lang’s face.
When she turned back around, the youth was already kneeling before her. His slender neck was bowed extremely low, his voice faint and tentative.
“Could you wait until this base slave’s wounds have healed a bit before…?” He swallowed hard, struggling to mask his fear as he pleaded ingratiatingly. “Just one day—one day would be enough. This base slave will serve Your Highness well and ensure Your Highness is fully satisfied.”