Pleasure had never been something Wu Lang could even dream of.
Wave after wave surged through him, only to ebb back repeatedly.
But the outlet was long since sealed tight, leaving no possibility of even the slightest release.
Xue Qingzhi let out a light chuckle. Her fingertip hooked under Wu Lang’s jaw, forcing him to lift his face and meet her gaze.
“Call me that again, and This Palace will let you go today.”
Wu Lang fell silent for a moment. Those pitch-black, damp eyes stared at Xue Qingzhi. His thin lips parted, then closed again. In the end, he obeyed her wish and murmured softly, “Mistress.”
Eager to escape the torment, the youth lowered his gaze, becoming even more docile.
For once, Xue Qingzhi felt a rare twinge of softness in her heart. She ordered Wu Lang to clean the jade phallus and put it away. Then she patted the space beside her, signaling him to kneel and serve her.
Wu Lang obeyed without question. He handed one end of the iron chain to Xue Qingzhi. As usual, he positioned his cheek in the most convenient spot for her to strike, then knelt quietly.
The youth was very obedient, and Xue Qingzhi had no desire to hit him just yet.
She had wanted to pamper him properly, but as soon as her hand touched Wu Lang, his excessively gaunt frame pressed painfully against her palm.
Xue Qingzhi furrowed her brow, her interest vanishing in an instant. She looked at Wu Lang’s body with distaste, completely forgetting that the poor youth hadn’t eaten in a full day and night.
Wu Lang had no idea what he had done wrong this time. He only knew that Xue Qingzhi was displeased. His heart jolted, and he instinctively moved to kowtow and beg forgiveness.
Xue Qingzhi shoved him away in disgust. “Covered in blood—you’re filthy. Get out and wash yourself clean. Don’t dirty This Palace’s bed.”
The youth murmured a quiet assent. He slipped carefully off the bed and retreated on his knees.
The iron chain dragged heavily across the floor, its sound inexplicably grating on Xue Qingzhi’s nerves. She called out for a palace maid to bring some tea and snacks. Qingdai was nowhere to be seen, but Ah Xiao entered with his head bowed, carrying a tray. On it sat a freshly brewed cup of Emerald Snow Green tea and a dish of washed grapes.
“Princess, try this tea. Ah Xiao brewed it himself.”
Ah Xiao offered the cup, standing respectfully by the couch. He had deliberately changed into a clean, thin robe before coming, its sash half-tied to bare half of his muscular chest. On any other day, Xue Qingzhi would have yanked that sash aside and pulled him onto the bed long ago. But today, she clearly lacked the mood. Despite his efforts with the tea, she took only a light sip before frowning and setting it down on the nearby low table.
“Is the Princess in a bad mood?” Ah Xiao paused, then edged closer tentatively. “Would you like Ah Xiao to serve you and rest…”
His words were cut off by Xue Qingzhi’s irritated interruption.
“Don’t bother This Palace.”
Ah Xiao froze, his expression turning sour. Among all her male favorites, he had always been the most favored and rarely treated so coldly. Glancing inadvertently at the half-open carved floral wooden box by the pillow, his eyes darkened. He knew the item inside was meant specifically for that lowly thing, Wu Lang.
Ah Xiao fell silent. In the end, he said nothing. He might be favored, but even his usual coquetry and tantrums depended on Xue Qingzhi’s mood.
Taking a deep breath, Ah Xiao suppressed his resentment and turned to leave. But then Xue Qingzhi suddenly spoke up. “Wait.”
Ah Xiao’s heart leaped with joy. He stopped immediately. “What does the Princess command?”
In the corner of her eye, Xue Qingzhi saw the purple grapes in the blue-and-white porcelain dish. The sight brought an unwelcome image to her mind: Wu Lang’s cool, sweat-dampened face. She recalled his skeletal thinness and the shocking whip marks covering his body. Rubbing her brow, she issued an impatient order. “Go to the Imperial Hospital and get some medicine for external wounds for Wu Lang. Don’t let him die.”
Ah Xiao’s disappointment flashed across his face. He assented unwillingly, lingering with faint hope for a moment. Seeing that Xue Qingzhi truly had no intention of keeping him to serve her, he retreated in a sulk.
The hall fell silent, but Xue Qingzhi’s thoughts grew more restless.
She suddenly recalled the gaze Xue Yunyi had fixed on Wu Lang—
Her imperial sister had always been kind and benevolent. She must have pitied him greatly.
At the thought, Xue Qingzhi let out a cold snort.
No one in this world had ever dared refuse her. Back then, Wu Lang had been so ungrateful, treating her with such indifference. What he endured now was nothing more than what he deserved.
She was the most noble princess of the Southern Frontier. Anything she wanted, she got. And if not, she had ways to drag it to her side—to shatter every bone and toy with it however she pleased, all at her whim.
Wu Lang was hers.
And Xue Yunyi could forget about coveting what belonged to her.
Including—
That position as Crown Princess.
When Xue Yunyi returned to Azure Cypress Palace, the female physician Meng Jiang had been waiting for some time.
The palace maids brought hot water and poured it into a wooden tub along with the prepared medicinal decoction. They carefully carried it before Xue Yunyi.
Meng Jiang knelt on one knee and took out a set of silver needles from her medicine box. “This subject has recently developed a new acupuncture method. Combined with the medicinal bath, it might have some effect.”
Xue Yunyi made no comment, merely closing her eyes to rest.
In these past months, every method the Imperial Hospital could devise had been tried on her. She no longer held out much hope, but trying was better than doing nothing.
Meng Jiang carefully inserted the silver needles into the acupoints. She stole a glance at Xue Yunyi. The young woman’s lashes were gently lowered, her expression serene, showing no sign of pain from the needles.
Meng Jiang pressed her lips together, knowing full well that this acupuncture was likely futile. But she had to give Xue Yunyi some hope.
The Empress’s death had already grieved the Eldest Princess deeply. If these legs could not be healed, Meng Jiang truly feared she might lose the will to live and follow her mother.
After a moment’s hesitation, Meng Jiang spoke softly. “Your Highness, this subject has heard that the eldest young master of the Wu family returned to the capital by water route yesterday and has already arrived at the Wu Residence. Would Your Highness… like to see Young Master Wu? Perhaps he could find a way to cure your leg ailment.”
In the past, Madam Wu had possessed miraculous healing skills that once brought the Late Emperor back from the brink of death. For that merit, the Wu family had been ennobled as marquises, rising to prominence with endless wealth and glory. Though Madam Wu had passed away, her only son, Wu Hanyu, had inherited her talents. In recent years, he had opened clinics throughout the capital, curing many intractable diseases, and the Wu family’s reputation had only grown.
However, after the New Year’s, Wu Hanyu had gone to Chuzhou to treat his maternal grandmother and stayed there for over two months. Only with the capital’s spring thaw did he set out on the journey back.
Mo Ying’s eyes lit up at the news. “Your Highness, this servant will go out of the palace to invite Young Master Wu right away!”
Xue Yunyi opened her eyes. “Young Master Wu has just returned to the capital after a long and tiring journey by boat and carriage. He probably needs time to rest. It’s not too late to invite him into the palace in a couple of days.”
She had been crippled for so long already; whether it could be cured or not, there was no rush for this moment.
Mo Ying could only suppress her excitement. “This servant obeys.”
After the acupuncture, Meng Jiang packed her medicine box and took her leave. Mo Ying washed Xue Yunyi’s legs clean, then called two meticulous palace maids to carefully lift her onto the bed. They helped her lie down and began gently massaging her.
Sitting in the wheelchair for so long had made her bones and muscles feel as deadened as her legs. Only diligent rubbing could bring her body even slight relief.
She leaned against the headboard, idly flipping through a thick history book from the Former Dynasty—one thousand six hundred and thirty-seven pages, which she knew and remembered clearly.
For someone trapped in a cage, all that met the eyes was a tiny patch of sky and these sparse lines of ancient text.
Perhaps this was how she would spend the rest of her life.
Xue Yunyi did not believe Xue Qingzhi would truly give her the antidote out of kindness. Agreeing to paint for her was merely a delaying tactic. She only wanted to see what else Xue Qingzhi intended to extract from her.
She had already lost her mother and her legs.
She had nothing left.
The history book was dull and tedious. Xue Yunyi’s eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep against the soft pillow.
She had a strange dream. In it, someone held a dish of purple grapes before her eyes. The grapes swayed and swayed, then tumbled to the ground, rolling away with a clatter into the distance.
She tried to stand and retrieve them, but she could not move a step. She could only watch helplessly as they rolled farther and farther, vanishing into the vast white snow, never to be seen again.
The next day.
After breakfast, Xue Yunyi took the unfinished painting from yesterday and had Mo Ying push her to Ninghua Palace.
Two unfamiliar palace maids stood guard at the bedchamber door. When they saw Xue Yunyi, they curtsied hastily. “This servant pays respects to the Eldest Princess. The Second Princess is receiving a guest inside. Please wait out here for a moment.”
Xue Yunyi said coolly, “This Palace is the Eldest Princess, come to visit my own sister. Must I wait outside?”
The little maids panicked and explained, “This servant didn’t mean that. It’s just… the Second Princess truly has a guest today…”
“I’ve told you how many times—show respect to the Eldest Princess!”
As they stood in stalemate, Qingdai emerged from the hall. She put on a show of scolding the two maids. “The Eldest Princess and Second Princess share deep sisterly bonds. Coming here is like returning home. You two ignorant fools dare to block the Eldest Princess—if the Second Princess finds out, she’ll have you beaten with planks!”
With that, Qingdai turned to Xue Yunyi with a smile and bowed. “What bad luck. Today, the eldest young master of the Wu family has entered the palace to visit the Second Princess. They’re speaking right now. If Your Highness doesn’t mind the noise, please come in and rest. This servant will have someone bring tea and snacks.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Xue Yunyi’s eyes. She hadn’t expected the very person she planned to see to be in Xue Qingzhi’s palace.
The wheelchair was pushed into the hall, and from a distance, Xue Yunyi spotted Wu Hanyu’s figure. He was dressed in a robe of fine Shu embroidery in shades of blue, with a brocade sash at his waist from which hung a sachet and a piece of white jade—a picture of elegance, suave and debonair.
“These are all gifts I brought back from Chuzhou. I wonder if they catch the Princess’s eye? I hope the Princess will graciously accept them for a bit of amusement.”
Wu Hanyu handed the wooden box he was holding to a nearby palace maid, his words dripping with flattery.
Xue Yunyi frowned.
The man before her did not seem at all like the renowned young master of the Wu Family, celebrated throughout the world of medicine for his healing arts.
With a nod from Xue Qingzhi, the palace maid stepped forward and took the wooden box from Wu Hanyu’s hands.
“Young Master Wu, that was thoughtful of you,” Xue Qingzhi said. She clearly had little interest in his offerings, giving the box only a cursory glance before instructing the maid to put it away.
Wu Hanyu remained standing, making no move to leave.
Xue Qingzhi’s tone took on an edge of irritation. “Is there anything else, Young Master Wu?”
Rubbing his hands together awkwardly, Wu Hanyu said, “I entered the palace today at my father’s behest as well. I’ve heard that he sent Wu Lang to the Princess’s side a few days ago to provide some amusement. I hope his service has been to the Princess’s satisfaction?”
Xue Yunyi’s frown deepened.
Just then, the wheelchair reached the entrance to the inner hall and came to an abrupt halt. The young eunuchs hurried forward, laying a wooden plank across the high threshold.
Up close now, Xue Yunyi could see a youth kneeling beside a screen embroidered with scenes of vibrant spring life. His dark hair hung in disheveled strands over his shoulders, and he looked even more gaunt than he had the day before.
Wu Hanyu was still prattling on. “If Wu Lang has done anything wrong, Your Highness need only punish him as you see fit. He takes after his mother—born with the bones of a servant, the kind that won’t obey without a good beating.”
With that, he gave Wu Lang’s unsteady form a kick, as if trying to curry favor with Xue Qingzhi by forcing the admission. “Tell her yourself—isn’t that right?”
Xue Yunyi’s fingertips dug into her palms. Her chest tightened with discomfort as she watched the pale youth keep his head bowed, repeating the words in numb submission.
“Yes.”
“This base slave was born lowly.”
“The Princess may treat this base slave however she wishes.”