Chapter 9
As the weather grew warmer, Yuli wore less and less. Today, she wore a speckled-bamboo-colored dress with a narrow-sleeved, front-opening brocade jacket, revealing her slender waist.
After nearly two months by his side, her face had filled out a little. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her complexion was excellent. Her lips were rosy, her cheeks had a cherry-pink hue, and her eyes were tranquil and moist, though she rarely looked at him.
As Yuli approached, Xie Yao caught a whiff of a fresh, warm fragrance, different from what he remembered in Xihe County, yet somewhat similar.
He didn’t miss a single detail about her. Even if he were to go blind again, he could recognize her by her scent and voice.
But he was certain that if they were to be separated for another two years, she probably wouldn’t recognize him even if they met face to face.
As Yuli got closer to him, her natural and relaxed smile faded, and she became reserved again.
She herself didn’t notice it. Yuli felt that over these days, she had come to see him as a friend, or perhaps a relative, just not a very familiar one.
She sat down beside him, as if to show him that she was at ease.
Xie Yao’s expression was profound as he looked at her smiling profile. “Yuli, if only you…”
…would take a good look at me?
Too humble. Xie Yao didn’t say it out loud. He wasn’t one to curry favor; he was born that way.
He had already given her so much time, yet she still only thought of him leaving after he had eaten.
“What’s wrong?” Yuli asked him.
She was looking at him, but she didn’t see him.
Xie Yao’s eyes deepened, as if capturing her gaze.
“In Xihe County, when I sent someone to propose, I asked your mother if you had a beloved. She said there was a scholar who often patronized your business,” Xie Yao said, watching her face, listening to her breath.
Yuli’s breath hitched slightly.
Xie Yao: “But she said that person had already left Xihe County and there was no news of him. So she betrothed you to me. But I feel that my mother-in-law lied.”
Yuli was so stiff she didn’t react at all.
Xie Yao: “Are you still thinking of your old flame?”
Yuli: “There was no old flame.”
Xie Yao: “Really?”
“Absolutely not,” Yuli said, looking into his eyes, almost wanting to swear an oath.
Xie Yao, unaware of how grim and terrifying his expression was, continued to coax her. “If you still remember him, I can divorce you and set you free.”
Yuli was steeped in his chilliness, feeling a coldness on her back.
She was so terrified that she became extremely calm.
She took the initiative to hold Xie Yao’s hand, gripping his fingers tightly. “I don’t have a beloved. I’m just not used to being close to people.”
Xie Yao’s gloominess did not change. “But you are very close to Xiyun.”
“Xiyun is a girl,” Yuli said.
“Can’t you treat me like Xiyun?”
Yuli was stunned.
Xie Yao was also taken aback.
A complex mix of emotions flashed across Yuli’s face. Xie Yao suddenly stood up to leave, letting Yuli’s hand slip naturally from his.
Xie Yao walked away quickly. Yuli vaguely remembered that she rarely saw his back. When she met him, he would be walking towards her. When she saw him off, he would watch her go back first.
He had actually said to treat him like Xiyun. He had no intention of hurting or forcing her. He just wanted her to be close to him.
Recalling the original novel, before he killed Mei Qing, he had given the original heroine many chances, all of which were squandered by Song Yi.
She was not Song Yi; she was Song Yuli. Their beginning was different, and their ending would not be the same. She shouldn’t foolishly wait for the plot to unfold naturally. She had to take the initiative to snuff out the possibility of angst.
Xie Yao had already reached the gate of Mingyue Residence. There was no one else in the courtyard. Every time Xie Yao came, Xiyun and the others would withdraw. Yuli mustered up her courage, stood up, and chased after him.
Before she could catch up to him, he stopped.
Xie Yao stopped and turned around. Yuli came to a halt right in front of him.
Two large, bright lanterns hung under the hanging flower gate, casting a delicate white light on them.
Only then did Yuli realize that the simple white clothes he wore had a faint golden sheen. The hair at his temples had a few soft strands, and he wore an ordinary jade crown.
It was the attire of an ordinary nobleman, but he was the regent. It was impossible for him to dress like this in the palace.
One could imagine that every time he came, he had to change his clothes. Although she didn’t know how far the Imperial Palace was from here, he must have spent a lot of time coming and going, yet he tirelessly came to eat with her.
Although his face was still gloomy and cold, since he hadn’t done anything to the original protagonist in the beginning despite her disgust, what was there for her to be afraid of?
Yuli once again took his hand and said to him, “I will try my best.”
Xie Yao glanced at her. “Try your best at what?”
He didn’t want to hear her say she would try to treat him like Xiyun. He had never been so humble in his life. He shouldn’t have said that.
Yuli: “Try my best to be a husband and wife with you.”
Xie Yao’s expression changed slightly. Yuli saw it clearly this time. Because of her words, he instantly shed his coldness, though he didn’t smile.
Xie Yao pulled his hand away. Yuli was a little surprised. He then held her wrist. Yuli could feel the force was not light, and the temperature was very high.
“You must keep your word,” Xie Yao said.
“Mm,” Yuli nodded.
A husband and wife should be intimate, share a bed, and cherish each other. This was what being a husband and wife meant in Yuli’s mind.
She had said it and promised to do it. But after Xie Yao left and she woke up from a night’s sleep, she regretted it a little. She had said such things out of fear and some unknown impulse. This was a huge KPI she had taken on for herself.
Xie Yao had left directly last night, probably because he had things to attend to. He didn’t say whether he would be back today.
Yuli was supposed to prepare his meals as usual, but he had told her to forget his preferences, which made things a bit difficult.
Besides cooking something delicious, she didn’t seem to be able to do anything for him.
Yuli was in a bit of a predicament, but since she had agreed to be a husband and wife, she had to be more attentive.
Yuli thought about it for a whole day but couldn’t come up with a solution. Fortunately, no one came to report that he was coming. He wouldn’t be coming today.
He didn’t come the next day either. Yuli began to suspect that she had angered him.
*
Early morning. Imperial Palace, Beast Garden.
The sun had not yet risen, but the fierce beasts in the Beast Garden were already awake. Their stomachs had been empty all night, and they were clawing at their cages, roaring for food.
The palace servant in charge of feeding brought a large bucket of meat, but was stopped. The servant was puzzled, then saw two guards in black armor dragging a dark figure over. A trail of blood was left on the ground where they passed.
The tiger cage was in the center of the Beast Garden, a sunken enclosure. The servants usually fed the tigers by going down the steps and throwing raw meat through the bars. The bars were only opened when nobles came to watch, and the tigers were let out.
The servant subconsciously looked up and saw a corner of a black robe with python patterns. He was so frightened he prostrated himself on the ground.
The figure was placed in the circular pit. The guards in black armor went up the steps. The feeding servant glanced at the dying person on the ground, then picked up a bucket of raw meat and scrambled up the steps, fleeing the scene.
Above the pit, the iron gate was closed. Someone ordered the tiger to be released.
The servant trembled uncontrollably, but did not dare to delay for a moment. He and his colleague worked together to pull the mechanism rope, and the tiger’s cage rose from the ground.
The tiger crouched and sniffed the ground. As soon as it could fit, it leaped out.
A roar echoed. The servant’s whole body went numb with cold. The figure on the ground was still alive. He saw it move, and its breathing grew heavier.
He was bleeding from his legs. It looked like he had been tortured, and his legs were probably crippled.
Tigers are bloodthirsty and love fresh meat. Seeing that today’s prey moved, it roared and bit into the prey’s thigh.
The dying figure on the ground screamed at the sky.
Above the circular pit, besides Xie Yao, there were many onlookers.
The man in the pit was their colleague, one of the master’s trusted confidants, who had been trusted and given important responsibilities.
Three days ago, the food-tasting eunuch had found poison in the master’s meal. Everyone in the Imperial Kitchen and anyone who had handled the food was thrown into prison, including him.
At first, no one suspected him, including the master. But after everyone else had been subjected to extreme torture and no one confessed, the master ordered him to be interrogated.
He confessed quickly. The master came personally to ask why. He said it was to avenge his beloved.
It turned out he had a beloved, a young lady from the Xie family. He thought they could get married after the master took over the capital, but unexpectedly, the master had enslaved the women of the Xie family. His beloved could not bear the humiliation and hanged herself.
From then on, he had hated the master and was determined to kill him.
Now that he was caught, he had no regrets and instead felt a sense of satisfaction.
When he was interrogated last night, he had arrogantly cursed the master as inhuman, a madman, a beast.
The master’s face was grim. He had his legs cut off and dragged him here.
The tiger tore off a large piece of his flesh. He finally felt fear. He had no legs, but his upper body was intact. He struggled to crawl forward, crying for mercy, for a quick death.
But no one moved.
In the dim morning light, Xie Yao looked down from above. The others did not dare to look away. Just listening to his screams was enough to make their skin crawl, but he had betrayed them first. They only found the methods terrifying and did not feel much pity for him.
Xie Yao wanted them to see the consequences of betrayal. The effect was very good.
It wasn’t until the tiger tore off one of his arms that he could no longer crawl. He was flipped over by the tiger, his belly torn open, and his internal organs spilled all over the ground.
The entire circular pit was covered in blood, with fragments of bone and flesh scattered everywhere. The prey was not yet dead. He only had one arm, a mangled upper body, and a piece of his scalp was torn off.
But his eyes were still moving, his muscles still twitching.
Xie Yao watched without emotion. Beside him, Song He was equally cold.
There was no need to watch any longer. Xie Yao turned and left first, and the others followed.
Only Song He remained.
Just before the tiger bit into his chest, Song He shot an arrow through his brow.
If he had chosen a different way to assassinate, he would not have met such a horrific end.
And if he had asked the master to spare his fiancée beforehand, the master might not have refused him.
But no one dared to ask him. How could a man who could kill his uncles and enslave his sisters and aunts listen to a subordinate’s request?
But the master must also know how terrifying he was, otherwise he wouldn’t have to hide his identity so strictly from that person, even if it made him seem strange.
There was only one such special person in the world. But Song He could see that she was not entirely docile. He was not sure what the master would do if one day even she betrayed him.
Song He did not stay long. He left after the tiger had eaten the man clean.
This time, Xie Yao’s anger subsided quickly. When Song He returned, his expression had already returned to normal.
Perhaps because he had been smiling more at Mingyue Residence recently and had practiced, his mouth was calm, though his eyes were still cold.
Xie Yao ordered someone to send a message that he would be going back today.
In the afternoon, the eunuchs brought dinner early. After two people tested it for poison with silver needles, two more eunuchs tasted it. It was only after another half-moment that it was brought to his desk.
After all this trouble, the food was already cold, but no one else could handle it. He ate it directly.
He ate quickly. The taste was not important; it was just to fill his stomach.
He still had to eat with Yuli later, so he only ate until he was half-full.
After the meal, he went into the inner chamber to change into a black shirt. He left the Imperial Palace and entered an official residence, where he changed into the usual attire of a wealthy nobleman.
He went out through the back door, which had been cleared by numerous shadow guards, got into a carriage, and traveled for two quarters of an hour. Halfway, he got out of the carriage, walked through two residential houses, and got into another carriage. After another quarter of an hour, he finally arrived at the Xie Residence.
Xie Yao got out of the carriage and entered the gate. He passed the screen wall, walked through the empty courtyard and the main hall, and saw the person waiting for him at the second gate.