Chapter 144: Exquisite Dice Embedded with Red Beans (Part Two)

Going to the palace for a banquet? Moreover, a New Year's Eve vigil banquet? What could that possibly have to do with her, or with the Yun family? Chuxiu was filled with doubt and confusion, but she did not let it show on her face. With a smile, she said to Eunuch Wang, "This wife shall naturally attend on time. Thank you very much."

Eunuch Wang nodded. "At the You hour, this servant will wait to welcome you at the palace gates."

Chuxiu smiled and agreed, then looked toward Steward Zhang, who was waiting nearby.

Steward Zhang immediately understood. He retrieved a bright red envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Eunuch Wang. After the latter offered a few polite refusals, Chuxiu smoothly persuaded him, "Eunuch has made a hard trip, so this is only right. Besides, today is New Year's Eve; just take this as a token of good fortune so that you will be blessed with immense luck in the coming year, no?"

Only then did Eunuch Wang accept it with a beaming smile, offering a few more flattering remarks. "Tonight, the Emperor is hosting a banquet, and Prince Mu will also be in attendance. Only favored consorts and imperial princes are qualified to attend this banquet—not a single princess is permitted to go. This just shows how highly His Majesty regards you!" As he spoke, he did not forget to give a thumbs-up, rattling off words of praise.

Chuxiu felt a trace of disdain in her heart, thinking to herself that no one coveted a banquet bestowed by Emperor Nie. However, upon hearing Eunuch Wang's words, her mind settled somewhat. With so many consorts and princes present, surely Emperor Nie would not openly do anything to the Yun family. Furthermore, with Prince Mu in attendance, it was only fitting that she go and lend some support. Thus, she smiled again, "I am indebted to Eunuch's auspicious words."

"Then this old slave will return to the palace to report back." Only when it came time to take his leave did Eunuch Wang raise his head to look at Chuxiu. At just a single glance, a wave of profound astonishment washed over him. He had seen countless beautiful imperial concubines and palace maids in the palace and considered himself well-traveled, but this Madam Chuxiu...

Eunuch Wang was, after all, a man who had weathered great storms, and as a eunuch, he knew precisely when to look and when to look away. He immediately shifted his gaze to the person standing beside Chuxiu, and was once again slightly startled. "Oh! This is... Young Master Shen." The title "Young Marquis Shen" stopped right at his throat as Eunuch Wang timely remembered that the Wenchang Marquis Manor had fallen.

Shen Yu replied with a chilly tone, "It is truly a supreme honor that Eunuch Wang still remembers me."

Eunuch Wang offered a dry laugh. "Look at what you are saying! You are still His Majesty's adopted son!"

Shen Yu sneered, not taking up the remark.

Eunuch Wang instantly felt awkward. At that moment, Chuxiu smiled to smooth over the tension. "Tonight is New Year's Eve, and my son-in-law and the eldest miss have come over to keep watch through the night together. Eunuch should hurry back to make your report as well, lest His Majesty grows impatient waiting."

Eunuch Wang nodded hurriedly and retreated.

Only after watching him walk far away did Shen Yu scoff, "A dog-like slave." In the past, this Wang Quanfu would always greet him with a smiling face and endless flattery, yet now he avoided him like the plague. How the world had grown cold and fickle—truly so.

"Why bother to bicker with him?" Chuxiu gently scolded. "Offending Wang Quanfu is no good thing; you need to rein in that temper of yours."

"I have no temper only toward you," Shen Yu blurted out, gazing at her with burning eyes.

The atmosphere instantly reverted to what it had been just moments before, fraught with an unbearable awkwardness.

"When I saw Zhuyang come looking for Xiangrong, I guessed it must have been you who sent her with a message... I knew Xiangrong refused, but I still couldn't help coaxing her to let me come... I wanted to see you, even if it meant just sharing a meal at the same table," Shen Yu confessed in a deep voice. "It was my fault for putting you in a difficult position. I shouldn't have come today."

Clearly, he had wanted to hold back, and felt he had no face left to see her. Yet, the moment he remembered she was in the same city as him—the moment he recalled her tears, her kiss, her soft skin, and her lush, abundant hair—he could not endure the bone-deep yearning.

Shen Yu knew very well how reserved Hanchun was. How could she have suddenly allowed herself to embrace and passionately kiss him that night, letting him bind her dark hair? He dimly understood that she was sacrificing her charms to help him regain his footing, but stubbornly, a tiny thread of hope still lingered in the depths of his heart, praying that if his sincerity was deep enough, even stone and metal might be melted by him.

Call it self-deception if he liked, or anything else—at least for now, he was filled with momentum. He did not want to hate, nor did he want to exact revenge; he only wished to become a man worthy of her, able to shelter her from the wind and rain just as Yun Ci had. Even if they could not remain together for a lifetime—to take a step back—he could still aid her and protect her in the capacity of a brother-in-law.

He would stay by her side; either he would perish, or she would accept him.

Shen Yu gazed infatuatedly at Chuxiu's hair, where a jade hairpin was stuck at an angle amidst her lush, black tresses—the very same one he had used to bind her hair that night! A surge of joy welled up in his heart, and unable to restrain himself, he took a step closer and called out, "Hanchun..."

Subconsciously, Chuxiu stepped back to maintain an appropriate distance from him, lowering her gaze in silence.

Seeing this, Shen Yu could not help feeling desolate. He slowly spoke again, "It seems... I frightened you."

"It's not that I was frightened," Chuxiu replied simply, offering no further explanation. It was not fright, but rather an inability to repay him. The depth of his deep affection and righteousness was something she could hardly bear, nor did she know how to accept it. Standing between her and him was Yun Ci—an eternal, unhealable pain in her heart.

For a time, both of them sank into their own thoughts, silent and forlorn. Struggling to find a safe topic of conversation, Shen Yu searched for a long while before finally asking Chuxiu, "Why did the Tongsheng Emperor ask you to enter the palace?"

Chuxiu shook her head. "I do not know, but surely it cannot be a banquet at the Feast of Hongmen."

Shen Yu still knitted his brows, deeply uneasy. "Should I have the Third Master accompany you?"

Chuxiu chuckled softly. "You are borrowing trouble with needless worry. At a time like this, he would not dare to make a move against me. Furthermore, Prince Mu is also there."

Shen Yu said no more. Perhaps he truly was worrying over nothing, but whenever the matter concerned Hanchun, he was utterly incapable of remaining rational. Care breeds anxiety—he understood the logic, but knowing and acting upon it were two entirely different things.

Shen Yu's handsome, refined gaze revealed lingering concern. "Take Zhangying and Zhangyang with you, and take good care of yourself." He paused, then added with conviction, "I will wait for you to return."

***

Having received the imperial decree to attend the evening banquet at the Yingyuan Palace, Chuxiu left Yun Xian in charge of hosting the family banquet and instructed that rooms be prepared for both the second and third branches, so that anyone overcome with sleepiness during the vigil could take a nap.

In truth, Chuxiu was quite at ease and harbored no fear of encountering danger upon entering the palace this time. However, to keep Shen Yu from worrying, she still brought Zhangying and Zhuyang along. Yet, what actual use would bringing these two serve? If an ambush were truly laid inside the Yingyuan Palace, could mere Zhangying and Zhuyang possibly turn the tide of heaven and earth?

Arriving punctually at the palace gates at the You hour, Eunuch Wang was already there waiting to welcome her. After exchanging a few polite pleasantries with him, Chuxiu transferred to a palace sedan chair and entered the grounds. Had she entered the palace four or five years ago, she would undoubtedly have been unable to restrain herself from looking left and right, marveling endlessly at the grand and majestic sights of the deep palace.

Yet now, there was no person and no scenery left in this world that could catch her eye, unless that person were to rise from the dead. Chuxiu lowered her gaze to look at the brocade dress she wore; this was only the second time she had worn anything other than white since Yun Ci's death. The first time had been for Yun Xian's grand wedding, so what was the occasion this time? Let it simply be for the family's honor.

Chuxiu smiled self-deprecatingly, feeling as though she truly had unburdened herself quite a bit. As long as he remained in her heart, she cared far less about her attire and ornamentation.

Looking back, time truly was a cruel executioner, yet at times, it was also the finest physician.

The palace sedan chair halted in front of an ornate hall. Chuxiu gracefully stepped down, her gaze immediately falling upon several nameless flowering trees, each more than an armspan thick. They stood tall and upright, possessing a unique, celestial grace. One could only wonder what variety they were to be blooming so furiously in the dead of winter. A faint, lingering fragrance drifted over on the breeze—light, ethereal, and refreshing to the spirit.

Looking a second time, beneath the central flowering tree stood a figure clad in a purple brocade robe, exuding an aura of nobility. The sharp corners of his lips curved upward, carrying a very faint, handsome smile. This smile made his sharply chiseled facial features appear even more distinct, resembling the multi-hued purple clouds of a melting sunset, his gaze lingering and profound.

At that moment, a gentle breeze swept by, stirring the hem of Nie Peixiao's brocade robe. He stepped forward from beneath the flowering tree, truly embodying the very definition of the phrase "a jade tree facing the wind." This was the first time Chuxiu had seriously appraised Nie Peixiao's appearance and bearing, and also the first time she realized that this Ninth Prince, the Prince of Cheng, possessed extraordinary looks and an exceptional demeanor, standing in no way inferior to Prince Mu.

"Oh! Why have Your Highness come out?" Eunuch Wang's shrill, grating voice suddenly rang out. Chuxiu snapped back to her senses and offered a deep, graceful bow to Nie Peixiao, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Nie Peixiao glanced briefly at Eunuch Wang, but his words were addressed directly to Chuxiu. "This Prince received an imperial decree to come and welcome Madam."

Lowering her gaze with a gentle smile, Chuxiu spoke in a sweet, soft, and melodious tone, "You trouble Your Highness; this wife is overwhelmed with trepidation."

Nie Peixiao looked at Chuxiu and said nothing more. Today, she had changed into another dress, which, compared to the peach-pink of a few days ago, exuded even more opulence and magnificence, while retaining her dignified elegance.

He could tell that she had dressed up specially for today. Her hair bun was rather unpretentious, adorned only with a pair of jade-peony tassel hairpins, but the emerald-inlaid gold earrings hanging from her lobes, and the intertwined-flower white-butterfly gold bracelet on her wrist, were both rare and extraordinary items.

Nie Peixiao's gaze lingered upon Chuxiu's face, then slowly drifted down to her jade-white neck. The intricate, dazzling gold embroidery on the collar of her jacket caught the light brilliantly, resembling a peerless blade flashing with a chilling gleam that struck his heart with sudden force.

Before him stood Hanchun, the foremost beauty of Southern Xi, whose fragrant soul had passed away years ago yet whose renowned beauty remained undimmed. None in the realm of romance could rival her, and past admirers vied to keep her memory alive.

She was also Madam Chuxiu, the matriarch of the Yun family—a woman capable of assessing the times to make crucial choices, wielding both tender affection and iron-fisted resolve, a dazzling heroine amidst troubled times.

Without her, Seventh Brother Nie Peihan's grand enterprise would never have progressed so smoothly; this daring spirit alone was enough to make countless heroes sigh in self-reproach. Furthermore, she possessed this appearance and disposition, capable of driving so many men into an unswerving obsession, willing to shatter their bodies and bones, plunging into eternal perdition.

At least, he had fallen willingly into this ruin.

It had been merely ten-odd days since they last met, yet it felt as though a long lifetime had passed. Nie Peixiao felt that Chuxiu was even more beautiful than before—radiating a bright charm amidst her delicate loveliness, carrying a gentle composure within her calm demeanor, and harboring refined grace beneath her reservation. She resembled a swaying white peony, graceful and ethereal yet utterly captivating to the soul.

Indeed. At first it was yearning, which later turned into admiration, then deep immersion, and now she had captured his entire soul and mind.

Nie Peixiao recalled the two occasions when they had played music together across a dividing wall: the qin and xiao harmonizing, their melodies blending, and their hearts surely communicating as well. How could he make her understand the heart that was currently being slowly tormented? And how could he bring himself to ask her for liberation in love?

"Your Highness?" Chuxiu's puzzled voice rang out softly, pulling Nie Peixiao back from his reverie.

"What?" he asked, looking somewhat lost.

Chuxiu's red lips parted slightly, her tone laced with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine." Nie Peixiao hurriedly gave a light cough to mask his distraction. "We should go in. Let us not keep His Majesty and my imperial brothers waiting too long."