Seeing him remain silent for so long, Xue Yunyi couldn’t help but tease, “Is it really that hard to choose?”
The youth moved his lips, his voice hoarse as he replied, “In response to Mistress, this slave thinks the red one looks nicer.”
Xue Yunyi pondered for a moment before withdrawing her hand. She placed the two thin cords on the sheet of paper in front of her and examined them carefully.
The raw xuan paper was snow-white, much like the youth’s porcelain-pale skin. The vermilion cord was indeed beautiful, but on Wu Lang, it seemed a bit too flashy. The black one, however, complemented the color of his dark eyes and suited his aloof, otherworldly demeanor far better.
Xue Yunyi had made up her mind, but she had no intention of telling Wu Lang her choice just yet. She wanted to leave him a surprise.
Wu Lang’s gaze followed her movements as she took out a small, exquisitely carved hollow wooden box and carefully stored both cords inside.
He couldn’t help wondering what expression the Eldest Princess’s beloved would wear upon receiving this gift.
It would surely be one of delight and excitement.
Such a precious gift was made from the finest jade, personally carved and polished by the Eldest Princess herself, with cords she had woven and selected by hand.
In that instant, his thoughts drifted far away.
The Eldest Princess would eventually marry her beloved. When that day came, would she still want him? And what role would he play by her side?
He suddenly recalled the promise of those thirty candies.
He had already eaten a few. The days were drawing closer—perhaps that was his only chance.
He had to receive the Eldest Princess’s favor on that day, at the very least. He needed her to see him as a satisfactory toy, one capable of pleasing its mistress.
Only then would he have any value worth keeping. Only then would he avoid being discarded.
Wu Lang’s hands, resting on his knees, slowly clenched into fists.
“What are you thinking about?” Xue Yunyi glanced over.
“N-Nothing.” Wu Lang looked at the half-polished piece of white jade in her hand and murmured, “Mistress’s craftsmanship is truly impressive.”
“It was decent enough in my younger years, but I’ve been out of practice lately, so it’s barely passable now.” Xue Yunyi smiled and bent her head back to her work.
She wanted to finish this gift as quickly as possible. She couldn’t wait to see Ah Lang’s face when he received it.
Wu Lang kept his eyes lowered, silently listening to the faint scraping sounds of knife on jade from the Eldest Princess’s hands. Something seemed to cross his mind, for his gaze deepened as if he had resolved himself to a certain decision. He bit his lip without a sound.
Qixia Palace.
The bedchamber was a mess. With the gauze curtains in disarray, Consort Jiang wore only a thin spring robe as she sat expressionlessly on the damp bedding, waiting for Caiqiu to bring the contraceptive decoction.
Caiqiu entered while casting nervous glances behind her, afraid the Emperor might return and discover the consort secretly drinking the medicine.
“Noble Consort, please heed this servant’s advice. Why put yourself through this? With Your Grace’s current favor, conceiving the dragon heir is only a matter of time. If you bear a prince, he would be the rightful crown prince by law. His Majesty wouldn’t need to worry about the Crown Princess anymore—what a perfect solution for everyone.”
Of course, there was one thought Caiqiu could only keep to herself.
—If they were counting on the Second Princess, unless the Emperor had truly lost his mind, that position of Crown Princess would never fall to her.
Consort Jiang drained the bowl in one go and said coldly, “Having This Palace bear another of his children would be less merciful than killing me outright.”
Caiqiu was someone she had brought from her family home, so there was no need to mince words.
Self-harm among the consorts was a grave offense. Over these years, if not for the sake of her father and her two married sisters who had borne children, she might have ended it all long ago.
Every night spent with the Emperor filled her with utter revulsion.
The only rebellion she could manage was to gulp down a scalding bowl of contraceptive decoction after he left in satisfaction. Even so, she had still conceived Xue Qingzhi.
That night had been Empress Jiang’s birthday. The Emperor was supposed to rest in Phoenix Peace Palace, but for some reason, he had arrived at her door in the dead of night, reeking of alcohol.
His eyes bloodshot, he was like a raging bull, leaving her body aching and limp, utterly drained.
The drunken Emperor cradled her tear-streaked face, his gaze hazy with confusion as he kissed her. In a low, raspy voice, he confessed the affections of his heart.
“If only Yuanruo were as gentle and compliant as you.”
Yuanruo.
Jiang Yuanruo.
On her bed, the Emperor had murmured the Empress’s name all night long.
Dazed in his arms, she had failed to take the decoction in time. Just that once—just that one time.
And yet, Xue Qingzhi had been conceived.
Caiqiu sighed and advised softly, “But Noble Consort, even if you don’t care about yourself, you must think of Young Master Yuan. He entered the capital on imperial orders and with Prime Minister Lin’s recommendation—his future is boundless. His Majesty values you so highly; if he learns of your past with Young Master Yuan, forget the young master’s career—his life itself might be forfeit.”
“This Palace merely sent him a set of robes as a thank-you gift. Nothing improper about that. And the attendants who accompanied me are all trusted members of my household—they won’t breathe a word.” Consort Jiang replied indifferently.
“Noble Consort, have you forgotten? When you went to deliver the robes, the Eldest Princess was still there watching.” Caiqiu gritted her teeth. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll see through it?”
Consort Jiang leaned back against the soft pillow with her eyes closed. “This Palace only exchanged a few words with Brother Xiubai. What could she possibly see?”
After a pause, a bitter smile curved her lips. “Even if she did notice something and uses it to bring This Palace down, I would have no complaints.”
She owed Empress Jiang too much. Though it hadn’t been her intention, she had still wronged the Empress.
That said, Caiqiu was right about one thing.
Her own fate was inconsequential, but she could not drag Brother Xiubai—or her father, far away in Lang Province—down with her.
For several days in a row, Consort Jiang did not visit Azure Serenity Pavilion again.
At first, Xue Qingzhi held out hope and even sent servants to Qixia Palace to inquire. But she learned that Consort Jiang had fallen ill, and the Emperor was personally tending to her at her bedside.
“The Noble Consort’s illness came on strangely—perhaps from the summer heat and sleeping with the windows open at night. She should have recovered after taking the medicine, but even after days of rest, there’s no improvement.” The reporting palace servant looked worried. “His Majesty has kept vigil at her bedside for days and has lost a full circle of weight. Second Princess, would you like to go see her?”
Xue Qingzhi had already been unable to focus on her books. Seizing the excuse, she asked Yuan Xiubai for leave, claiming she needed to attend her mother consort.
Hearing this, Xue Yunyi merely gave a cold smile. When Mother Empress had been gravely ill, when had the Emperor ever shown such diligence?
With Xue Qingzhi gone and her own body inconvenient, Yuan Xiubai took the initiative to offer lessons at Azure Cypress Palace.
Xue Yunyi naturally agreed.
These past few days, Wu Lang had come early each morning to pay his respects. After sharing breakfast with her, he would retreat to the side chamber and busy himself grinding medicinal ingredients.
The bedroom was filled with the scent of herbs all day long.
Xue Yunyi focused on polishing the peace buckle and paid him little mind. That day, she finally finished it, threading it onto the black cord and placing it in the wooden box.
Since it was done, there was no difference between giving it now or later.
After some thought, Xue Yunyi tucked the box into her sleeve and instructed Mo Ying to wheel her toward the side chamber.
Along the way, she pondered the best way to present the gift for maximum surprise. Imagining Ah Lang’s dark eyes sparkling as he looked at her, she couldn’t help curving her lips.
When she arrived, she saw the narrow desk neatly arranged with various ground powders, each portioned into paper packets labeled with names and dosages—presumably for her use.
She hadn’t expected Ah Lang to be so diligent.
Delight deepened in Xue Yunyi’s eyes. She was about to ask if he was tired when her gaze inadvertently fell on a large bluish pill wrapped in paper at the corner of the desk. It looked quite odd.
She hesitated for a moment before asking, “What is that?”
Hearing her voice, the youth looked up in alarm. Seeing her eyes fixed on the blue pill, he grew even more flustered.
“M-Mistress, why have you come over?”
Xue Yunyi frowned. Wu Lang always answered her questions directly and had never been so evasive before.
She reached out, picked up the pill, and sniffed it.
“What exactly is this?”
In the pause as she spoke, the youth had already dropped to his knees. His thin lips parted and closed as he hesitated, finally murmuring, “It’s… it’s something this slave made. It can make someone lose their voice and sight, and their hearing as well… a drug.”
Xue Yunyi’s frown deepened. “Why would you make something like this?”
Wu Lang kept his head bowed, his long fingers twisting anxiously together. He didn’t know how to explain.
“Mistress could… make this slave swallow it. Then… then use this slave however you wish. This slave wants to ensure Mistress’s complete satisfaction.”
He had originally planned to use this drug when the Eldest Princess finally favored him.
Back in Ninghua Palace, he had been taught many rules and forced to read books on how to serve nobles. The young eunuchs had laughed as they instructed him that in the Former Dynasty, the Southern Frontier had even more open customs. Beyond the imperial family and nobility, many aristocratic ladies kept private servant slaves. They liked to poison them mute, blind them, and deafen them with medicinal washes, turning them into obedient puppets for their amusement.
Xue Qingzhi had entertained such ideas about him before, but the drugs she obtained hadn’t worked well enough, so she had given up.
Wu Lang thought that if he could become even more obedient, even more compliant—if he could make the Eldest Princess find him more appealing—
He was willing to become a doll. A doll that could neither speak, nor hear, nor see—existing only to be manipulated at the Eldest Princess’s whim.
And so, he had secretly used the herbs in this compartment to refine the pill. He had meant to hide it away first, but he had been caught red-handed by the Eldest Princess.
Wu Lang’s heart pounded with anxiety. He had no idea if she would like it. He knew nothing of the arts of seduction and flirtation; all he knew was how to make medicines—medicines that could be used on his own body, to amuse her and relieve her boredom.
But right now, the Eldest Princess’s mood was clearly foul.
She let out a deep breath, as if struggling to suppress the irritation churning in her chest. “Do you think This Palace likes this?”
A flicker of bewilderment passed through the young man’s eyes.
In his limited understanding, other people always delighted in his suffering. It had been that way in the Wu Family, and it was the same in Ninghua Palace. The more he suffered, the more pleasure they took in it.
Had he done something wrong…?
Xue Yunyi’s fingertips tightened, nearly crushing the pill.
“How can you be so foolish?” she murmured to herself. How much pain must he have endured, how many beatings must he have taken, to develop this instinct to please others through his own torment?
But she didn’t need that. She didn’t want that.
All she hoped was that her Ah Lang would live out the rest of his days in peace and safety, always moving forward without looking back.
Gazing at the anxious young man before her, Xue Yunyi sighed.
She realized she needed to teach her little dog something very important—
No matter the time, no matter what form he took, she would never harm him.
“Is there an antidote for this pill?”
Seeing her speak, the young man hurriedly shook his head. “Once swallowed, the effects last only half an hour. No antidote is needed.”
He paused, then added cautiously, “This slave can increase the dosage. At most… this slave can endure an hour.”
Any more than that, and it would damage his body. He wasn’t sure he could withstand it.
Xue Yunyi’s eyes darkened slightly. She bent down and held the pill to his lips.
“Eat it.”
The moment the words left her mouth, he swiftly bit down on the pill she offered. His throat bobbed as he chewed and swallowed it in one fluid motion, without the slightest hesitation.
Only after carrying out her command did Wu Lang belatedly remember the pill’s effects. A trace of fear crept into his eyes.
He was still afraid, after all.
The drug took effect quickly. He watched, wide-eyed, as Xue Yunyi’s wheelchair slowly receded from him. He wanted to call out to his mistress, but his throat was hoarse, unable to produce even a whisper.
Gradually, his vision grew blurry and mottled, like a bronze mirror splattered with raindrops, everything indistinct and hazy.
The wheelchair rolled across the floor. Wind rustled the window lattice. Birds chirped under the eaves. The sounds mingled in chaos, growing fainter and fainter.
Until he plunged into utter silence.
Darkness. Dead stillness. An airtight shroud enveloped him. He opened his mouth wide in terror, but no words came out. In his mind, he could only call helplessly for his mistress, over and over.
Only by the Eldest Princess’s side did the darkness not frighten him so much. But now, he felt like an abandoned dog tossed into a cage—unable to see his mistress, unable to cry out for help.
He was on the verge of breaking down. His whole body trembled as he groped his way forward. His knee struck something, sending a sharp pain through him.
Wu Lang paid no heed to the pain in his body. He sniffed desperately, searching for his mistress’s scent.
A blind, mute little dog had only its nose left to be of any use.
Stumbling past the edge of the table, Wu Lang finally caught a whiff of that familiar magnolia fragrance. His fingertips brushed something soft—like scattered magnolia petals. Wild joy surged through him. His sightless eyes glimmered faintly with light as he dropped to his knees, inhaling deeply while crawling forward, following the scent.
Xue Yunyi sat in her wheelchair, watching her little dog sniff frantically and urgently at the traces she had left behind, stumbling toward her.
She had always thought his wet, adoring eyes resembled those of a puppy. Now, he seemed even more like one.
Her little dog was identifying her scent. Memorizing her scent.
Her little dog was terrified, yet still striving desperately to get closer to her. She saw his hand accidentally collide with a stool leg—a sharp thud. Rough splinters scraped his knuckle, and beads of blood welled up, staining the snow-white magnolia petals red.
She frowned slightly and gripped the armrest tighter.
Her little dog couldn’t hear, but he felt the pain in his hand clearly. He paused for a moment, his throat bobbing in what seemed like a silent whimper.
A sharp pang stabbed at Xue Yunyi’s heart.
She softened. She regretted it. She shouldn’t have taught her little dog this lesson in such a way.
But she couldn’t stand up. She could only watch as he propped himself on his injured hand and dragged his body forward with difficulty—so determined, so pitiable.
The sound of her little dog sniffing intently stood out sharply in the palace’s silence.
One breath after another, her own heart seemed to throb in rhythm.
At last, he reached her, but unable to pinpoint her exact position, he halted there in helpless confusion.
Tears streaked her little dog’s face.
Xue Yunyi didn’t know when he had started crying. He made no sound, and silent tears blurred his vacant eyes, smearing the dust on his cheeks. Her little dog was filthy.
Xue Yunyi picked up the ruler from the table and tapped its end against the floor, pushing it toward his fingertips.
His fingers touched the cold object, and it was like grasping a lifeline for the dying. His dark eyes lit up. He clutched the ruler tightly with both hands, gratitude and devotion in his grip, and slowly crawled along its guidance to her side.
She couldn’t wait another moment. She tossed the ruler aside and leaned down to embrace her little dog.
He trembled violently in her arms.
He clutched her sleeve gingerly, as if terrified of being cast away, refusing to let go no matter what.
She stroked his head, kissed him, soothed him. Her little dog was still uneasy, but he submitted obediently to her touch, her comfort.
It was his mistress.
Whimper… Being used by his mistress.
Wu Lang gradually calmed, even though he still couldn’t hear or make a sound. He felt the Eldest Princess’s hand thread through his disheveled black hair, holding him firmly in place. Her familiar scent enveloped him, drowning him in a dizzying haze.
A long, deep kiss.
Until faint sounds reached his ears: the soft clink of the beads dangling from her step-shake hairpin, her suppressed breaths, and her voice, gentle and repeated—
“Ah Lang, This Palace will never do anything to harm you.”
“Even if you can’t see or hear. Even if you can do nothing at all.”
“Don’t make this drug again. If This Palace sees it once more, you’ll be banned from entering This Palace’s bedchamber for a month.”
His eyelashes quivered, fresh tears threatening to fall uselessly. This doll was supposed to be chained to a bedpost like in the stories, or used as an ornament to hold trinkets. Yet here he was, enveloped in the Eldest Princess’s floral embrace. He was a fortunate doll.
Slowly, he lifted his face. Tear tracks still marred his cheeks, and his unfocused, sightless eyes resembled shattered glazed beads—the most beautiful treasure in the world.
Xue Yunyi’s breath hitched.
Her Ah Lang was so beautiful.
Such a beautiful, docile young man deserved to be cherished, not bullied and abused, not used for idle amusement or venting frustrations.
She couldn’t ignore the sudden flutter in her chest. She reached out to ruffle the young man’s hair, her grip tightening unconsciously.
He obediently lowered his head, his breaths laced with the familiar herbal scent. His vision was still a blur, and his handsome nose bumped into something soft. He inhaled a damp, sweet fragrance.