The shape of the young man’s nose bridge was perfect, fitting just right. His warm breath sprayed lightly against her, somewhat ticklish, making her curl her fingers involuntarily and tousle his hair.
The delicate silk had been soaked into a small, blurry patch.
It was the finest material, thin and soft, clinging to the skin as if it were nothing at all.
She stroked his hair, gently controlling the pressure, and leaned back slightly with her eyes half-closed.
Xue Yunyi vaguely heard the young man let out a muffled whimper, the sound buried in the soft brocade, hoarse and enticing.
Half an hour passed.
Her Little Dog lifted a face slick with moisture. His long, thick crow-feather lashes gleamed black from the dampness, and the tip of his nose and the center of his lips both shone brightly. He was beautiful.
He slowly licked his lips, his unfocused eyes gradually regaining clarity. The cool light in his gaze fixed on her face.
“Master.”
He called out tentatively. Realizing his throat had recovered, he grew bolder and called again several times, his voice coquettish.
Xue Yunyi felt languid all over and had no desire to get up just yet. She lightly tapped the armrest, and Wu Lang understood at once. He obediently leaned in, resting his head on her knee as he spoke with her.
“Master’s reward is so sweet. This slave loves it.”
It was his first time doing something like this, so the young man felt a bit shy, yet he still clumsily offered words to please her.
“Were you scared just now?” Xue Yunyi asked.
“…A little.” He didn’t dare deceive Xue Yunyi and answered honestly.
Xue Yunyi chided him affectionately. “Silly boy.”
He knew it would frighten him, yet he had refined such a terrifying medicine to use on himself, all just to please her a little more.
If that wasn’t silly, what was?
“This slave is both silly and stupid. Please don’t despise me, Master.” The young man played along with her words. Though scolded, his eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, filled with irrepressible joy.
Xue Yunyi couldn’t help curving her lips. She reached out to cover the young man’s eyes and took a wooden box from her sleeve.
“Master…?”
Plunged into darkness again, Wu Lang felt uneasy but made no move to struggle.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m just giving my Little Dog a gift.”
As her words fell, Wu Lang felt something cool dangling against his chest. In that instant, ripples seemed to tremble within him, and he grew inexplicably tense. When Xue Yunyi removed her hand, he stared down in a daze and saw a Peace Buckle hanging at his neck: black rope and white jade, starkly contrasting.
He widened his eyes in disbelief.
“This Palace thinks black suits you better,” Xue Yunyi said warmly, adjusting the jade buckle for him with a casual touch. “Vermilion is too garish. It doesn’t match Ah Lang.”
Wu Lang remained stunned, his heart pounding so fiercely it nearly burst from his chest.
This Peace Buckle… was a gift for him.
Not for the Eldest Princess’s beloved, but for him.
The white jade was flawless, utterly pure.
He couldn’t help lowering his head, carefully cupping it in his palm. In that moment, he felt as though all his past pains could be effortlessly dissolved. From now on, for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t let this Peace Buckle leave him for even a moment, not until his death.
“This slave… thanks Master for the reward.”
Wu Lang’s voice trembled, nearly choking with sobs. His mind was overwhelmed by immense joy, and it took him a long while to remember he should kowtow in thanks. He hurriedly bowed down, but Xue Yunyi swiftly stopped him.
“Enough. Your face is all dirty. This Palace will have Mo Ying prepare water. Go bathe first.”
“Yes.”
He always carried out her commands with swift obedience. Wu Lang stood, hastily wiping his face, and his figure soon vanished behind the screen. Sporadic sounds of water soon echoed from the washroom.
While bathing, Wu Lang clutched the white jade hanging at his neck tightly.
He was so happy. He could scarcely believe it was real. Not only had he been permitted to serve the Eldest Princess, but he had received such a precious gift from her.
He didn’t dare dream of becoming the Eldest Princess’s beloved. He only wished to be her slave beneath her, accepting her rewards and punishments one by one.
Steam flushed the young man’s fair cheeks with a thin layer of red. Wu Lang thought of the Sugar Box he had hidden under his pillow, still half full. Looking at the white jade in his palm, he suddenly felt emboldened, no longer plagued by anxiety.
After dressing, Wu Lang carefully tucked the Peace Buckle inside his collar, lest it gather even a speck of dust.
Returning to the inner chamber, he found Xue Yunyi seated at the desk, grinding a dish of vibrant Crimson Agate Mark. Without needing her to speak, Wu Lang knew what she intended. He obediently knelt and crawled to the side of her wheelchair, removing the shirt he had just put on.
Ten days had already passed, and the small patch of Longevity Tattoo she had drawn on his lower back by hand should have faded. Wu Lang hadn’t dared remind her, and she had only remembered a few days ago.
The good news was that yesterday, while searching ancient texts in the study, she had found a secret formula tucked between the pages of a book. Adding clear water, gall from a hundred herbs, and other ingredients to the Crimson Agate Mark would make the color sink deep into the skin, lasting for decades.
Once applied, it could not be altered.
Xue Yunyi explained this in detail to Wu Lang, then asked if he had any preferred pattern.
After all, it would stay with him nearly his whole life; she ought to consider his tastes.
Wu Lang’s face suddenly flushed red. After a long pause, he mustered his courage and pleaded, “This slave wants… your name. Is that allowed?”
Xue Yunyi paused briefly, then smiled. “The Eldest Princess’s name taboo cannot be casually inscribed elsewhere.”
The young man’s eyes dimmed. Of course. How could a lowly body like his sully the Eldest Princess’s name? He had overstepped.
As he opened his mouth to apologize, Xue Yunyi continued, “But Ah Lang is different.”
His heart jolted. Her fingertip lightly touched his shoulder. With no time to ponder her meaning, he obediently turned around, following the guidance of her hand until his palms were braced on the floor and his body lowered.
Dipping the color repeatedly was troublesome, so Xue Yunyi casually placed the ink dish on his right buttock.
The cool touch made the young man tremble uneasily. She reminded him just in time, the end of the brush handle tapping lightly on the bare, lean curve of his lower back.
“Don’t move.”
“Yes, Master.”
He responded hoarsely, his waistline tensing as he concentrated all his strength to keep the ink dish from falling.
Xue Yunyi first wiped away the faint remnants of the old mark with a cloth, then took up the brush and focused on drawing.
She depicted a neat ancient seal. Inscribed on it were the two Southern Frontier ancient script characters “Yunyi,” identical to the Private Seal she used when signing her paintings.
The vivid vermilion crimson fell upon the young man’s pale skin, like her signature stamped on fine paper.
Xue Yunyi pressed a thin layer with the back of her hand as usual, then casually picked up the Jade Seal from the corner of the desk and held it before his eyes for comparison, smiling at him.
“Do you like it?”
“This is This Palace’s Private Seal.”
“Once stamped, it can never be washed off in this lifetime.”
Her tone was half-joking, but Wu Lang stared at the Jade Seal in her hand, lost in a daze. The Eldest Princess had actually drawn her Private Seal on his body.
It was a mark belonging solely to the Eldest Princess—
A grace he had never even dreamed of.
“I… like it.”
Wu Lang’s cheeks burned red as he stammered his thanks.
Immersed in honey-sweet joy, his courage swelled beyond the usual. He grew rather spoiled by her favor, lingering at Xue Yunyi’s side the entire evening—reading and writing with her, pouring tea, grinding ink.
At the end of the hour of Hai, Mo Ying entered for the third time to remind Xue Yunyi that it was time to rest.
Wu Lang knew he couldn’t cling to the Eldest Princess any longer. He lowered his head in dejection and hoarsely took his leave.
“Master, rest early. This slave will pay respects tomorrow.”
Her Little Dog looked so wilted, clearly reluctant to leave her side.
Xue Yunyi curved her lips and called after him. “Ah Lang, stay and rest with This Palace tonight, alright?”
Her bed was vast.
Large enough for two.
Since he now bore her mark—
From now on, she would naturally keep her Little Dog by her side, rather than leaving him alone in the side room.
Wu Lang moved into the bedchamber.
Xue Yunyi specially ordered a spacious, clean compartment partitioned off for him, so he would have a quiet place to study medical texts or prepare medicines during the day.
As for sleeping—
Learning he could share her bed every night filled the young man with delight. He was practically wagging his tail at her.
Most of the time, Wu Lang was very quiet. During the day, while she discussed scholarship with Yuan Xiubai, he tended to his own tasks in the compartment. At night, the young man obediently knelt by the bed, helping her remove her stockings and change clothes. With her nod of permission, he would stand and lift her steadily onto the bed.
She had nurtured him well. Though he appeared slender, only Xue Yunyi knew how sleek and beautiful the lines of muscle were beneath his clothes. He could even lift her with one arm—his long limbs like sturdy, blooming vines, firmly encircling her waist.
At night, the young man curled cautiously at her side in shallow sleep. If she woke thirsty, a soft call of “Ah Lang” would have him instantly offering a cup of tea to her hand.
In short, days with her Little Dog were far better than Xue Yunyi had imagined.
She had thought years of solitude had made her accustomed to being alone, that adding someone by her side might feel awkward. Yet not only did she feel no discomfort, she slept more soundly than ever.
This day, with the sun already high in the sky, Mo Ying had no choice but to carefully call to her through the bed curtains.
“Your Highness, it’s time for you to rise. Lord Qi Yu from the Ministry of Works seeks an audience. He says he has important matters to discuss with you, and he has already been waiting in the side hall for half an hour.”
“Got it.”
Mo Ying’s footsteps faded beyond the hall doors before she gently pushed away Wu Lang’s hand, which had unconsciously wrapped around her arm. “It’s all Ah Lang’s fault. You made This Palace get up late again.”
The youth’s body heat had warmed the bedding like an inexhaustible charcoal fire, leaving her feeling languid all over. She had indulged in oversleeping for several days straight.
She really shouldn’t have.
Wu Lang’s face flushed a little. Seeing her gentle reproach, he quickly withdrew his hand and sat up properly. “This slave will help the Mistress change clothes.”
Xue Yunyi allowed Wu Lang to help her rise. Palace maids soon brought in a copper basin and cotton cloths before discreetly withdrawing. These days, such tasks were Wu Lang’s domain. Mo Ying found his service impeccable and was happy to slack off, only entering when Xue Yunyi called for her to do hair and makeup.
With her eyes half-closed, Xue Yunyi let the youth wipe her down while pondering the name Qi Yu in her mind.
Qi Yu was a fourth-rank vice minister in the Ministry of Works. Years ago, when he had fallen on hard times, he had served as an accountant for the Jiang Family. Empress Jiang, unwilling to see his talent wasted, had quietly given him some silver to secure him a minor post in the court. More than twenty years later, Qi Yu had lived up to her faith in him. Rumor had it that Minister Qi Min thought highly of him and had repeatedly recommended him to the Emperor, hoping Qi Yu would succeed him as Minister of Works.
Xue Yunyi could roughly guess why Qi Yu had come to see her.
A few days earlier, she had sent her revised Water Diversion Map straight to the Ministry of Works. Minister Qi Min had then led the officials in remonstrating with the Emperor, kneeling in the Imperial Study for half the morning until His Majesty finally relented. He had ordered Qi Min to take the map to Lang Province and implement everything according to her plan.
Even if Qi Yu hadn’t taken the initiative to visit today, she would have summoned him anyway.
Once dressed and made up, Wu Lang accompanied her through breakfast. Knowing she had business to attend to, he politely bowed and took his leave.
Xue Yunyi casually tugged at the black rope around the youth’s neck, drawing him close before leaning down to brush her lips lightly against his.
“Don’t work yourself too hard.”
She had seen how absorbed he became when fiddling with medicinal herbs—practically forgetting to eat or sleep. By day’s end, he reeked of them, and she often felt like she was sharing her bed with a medicine jar.