Chapter 14: Cannot Obtain

Su Wei was a very rigid person, especially when facing Su He. She listened to her master’s commands wholeheartedly. Occasionally, there were times she couldn’t hear clearly and couldn’t see her mouth to read lips, so she would tilt her head slightly, leaning forward to try and hear better. She was told: “Su Wei, you haven’t fully taken off your clothes.”

“And don’t bite off the ropes on your hands.”

“Be good, and don’t make a single sound.”

Su He’s whispers reached her ear. They were both soaked through. Her master’s hand avoided her wounds and told her: “It wouldn’t be good to be discovered.”

Yes, being discovered by others… that would be terrible.

The last thought Su Wei had as she drifted into unconsciousness was that she truly couldn’t escape anymore.

.

Su He was very busy in the following days, busier than the previous period. Su Wei hadn’t received permission to go out, so she stayed in the sleeping palace. She didn’t find it boring, though. In her spare time, she practiced calligraphy, but before long, she felt it looked too ugly to bear and gave up.

She would practice martial arts, but her wounds had recently shown signs of splitting open again, so she gradually slowed her pace. The only problem was there were few people to talk to here. Su Wei could see her kin hiding in the shadows, but none of them were willing to speak to her, a behavior that left her dejected for a long time.

But Su Wei had always been optimistic. She preferred to believe her kin had new assignments. After all, she wasn’t in the Shadow Guard Camp anymore, so she probably didn’t know the new rules.

“Su Wei.”

Su He had returned from the morning court session. She stopped a few steps in front of Su Wei and raised an eyebrow. “Come with Gu to a place. You must be feeling rather stifled these past few days.”

Su Wei walked to Su He’s side, knelt respectfully, and nodded, a smile she couldn’t hide in her eyes. “Yes.”

She just hadn’t expected Su He to bring her to the Imperial Punishment Department.

That was the place where she had been imprisoned before—

“Master.” Su Wei furrowed her brows slightly. “The smell of blood here is too heavy. If there is anything that needs doing, please leave it to—”

Su He raised a hand to silence her, casting her gaze downward. “Gu brought you to see someone. We will leave soon. No need to worry.”

Upon hearing this, Su Wei said no more. Just as she was about to retreat behind Su He, she heard a palace attendant call out to her master in a low voice. After exchanging a couple of hushed words, she was left alone in the Imperial Punishment Department.

Her master said: “Gu has a small matter to attend to and will be back soon. Go in first; someone will guide you.”

Su Wei agreed. She trusted Su He with her entire heart and mind. When she turned and walked in, she didn’t have the slightest hesitation. A palace servant led her deeper inside. She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, not looking at anyone else.

“You may wait here.”

The palace servant withdrew after speaking. Su Wei shifted her gaze, and her pupils involuntarily constricted when her eyes met those of the other person. It was Su Bai.

Su He’s half-brother from a different mother.

“You’re that Shadow Guard?”

Su Bai lifted his head, the chains around his neck clanking incessantly. His body was covered in lash wounds, and his face was filthy and smeared with dried blood. “Looks like you’re doing quite well.”

Su Wei was wearing Su embroidery today, incredibly expensive; just looking at her clothes made her seem out of place here.

“You won’t come to a good end following Su He.” Su Bai’s mental state was already quite poor. He laughed maniacally, then suddenly coughed up blood. “She’s a ruthless, venomous woman! Killed her own blood brothers and stole a position that never belonged to her. She should die!”

Su Wei frowned at his words. Out of respect for Su Bai’s status as a prince, she held back her response. But Su Bai only became more unrestrained: “You’re a woman too, tangled up with another woman. Truly disgraceful. And my little sister, fooling around with a Shadow Guard, not even caring how future generations will speak of her.”

“But you have some skill, being able to withstand five of my men. Why not join me instead?”

Su Wei faced Su Bai directly, her gaze indifferent. “You are now a prisoner. Every word you speak is enough for my master to have your head.”

“What is Su He, anyway?” Su Bai suddenly stopped, smiling at Su Wei mysteriously, and lowered his voice. “If you truly give your sincere heart to Su He, you’ll only die a miserable death.”

Unfortunately, Su Wei couldn’t hear a single word.

She frowned, turned around, and silently waited for her master to appear.

“Was King Hecheng talking about Gu?” Su He appeared behind Su Wei abruptly. She blinked with a hint of playfulness. “It seems Imperial Brother still hasn’t learned his lesson.”

Seeing Su He, Su Bai’s expression twisted into one of ferocity. He spat forcefully. “Su He, spare me your hypocrisy! Was it fun setting me up?”

Hearing this, Su He actually nodded, her eyes utterly sincere. “Of course it was fun. Gu laid the ambush long ago, waiting for a fool like you to obediently walk right into it.”

“Su He!” Su Bai was practically grinding his teeth to dust. “If you hadn’t altered the imperial edict back then, how could you be the one sitting in this position?! Father Emperor couldn’t possibly have passed the throne to a woman.”

Su He didn’t quite agree with his statement. “What you say is wrong. Father Emperor passing the throne to you—that’s what would have been impossible.”

“Imperial Brother, how can you be so foolish without realizing it?” Su He walked over and crouched beside Su Bai. She picked up a branding iron from the side, heating it in the fire until it glowed red, then brought it near Su Bai’s body, gesturing slowly. “Even if you don’t believe it, what can you change?”

“Gu is the supreme sovereign. One word from Gu can take your life, while you can only beg bitterly. Look, how pitiful.”

Su He suddenly pressed the branding iron onto Su Bai’s eye. The smell of searing flesh, accompanied by Su Bai’s screams, was exceptionally foul. She frowned with distaste. “You are trash, Gu is not. You couldn’t win against me and refuse to accept the truth. It’s fine, Gu will help you.”

“Brother.”

Su He picked up a silver needle between her fingertips, found the right spot, and pierced it into Su Bai’s skin with lightning speed, until the entire needle was embedded. Su Bai’s body trembled uncontrollably, and saliva drooled from his mouth against his will.

“How your birth mother and you murdered Gu’s mother, Gu remembers every detail with absolute clarity.”

Su He spoke this sentence very lightly, yet it fell clearly into Su Bai’s ears. Satisfied, she straightened up and stepped toward the exit. Casually, she raised a hand and flicked Su Wei’s earring, making it sway. She announced loudly: “King Hecheng confesses fully to his crimes. He shall be exiled to the frontier. Out of consideration that he is Gu’s Imperial Brother, make sure—the person remains alive.”

Su Wei followed behind Su He. As she took the last step out of the Imperial Punishment Department, she looked back once. That dark, deep corridor now seemed to have no way back at all.

“Su Wei.” Su He’s footsteps suddenly stopped. She seemed to be struck by an impulse. “The Ghost Festival is in a few days. Accompany Gu for a walk outside the palace.”

How could Su Wei refuse Su He?

She could never refuse her master, so she said: “Your subordinate will accompany you, Master.”

.

This year’s Ghost Festival seemed livelier than previous years. She and her master left the palace at night. The palace attendants did not follow; instead, several Shadow Guards were protecting them from a short distance away.

Both of them wore masks, weaving through the sea of people together.

“Su Wei, do you know of any good food nearby?”

Su He lowered her voice to ask. It took Su Wei a moment to understand her meaning. She lowered her head somewhat awkwardly. “I do not know.”

Shadow Guards could not leave the palace casually unless dispatched on a mission. But those were usually urgent matters. They needed to carry their own dry rations; she hadn’t really tasted any delicacies.

As for childhood memories, they were too distant. What she had eaten, what it tasted like—it had long since faded from memory.

“What a coincidence.” Su He chuckled softly. “Gu doesn’t know either.”

“Su Wei, go ask someone.” Su He patted Su Wei’s shoulder lightly. “Gu will wait for you right here.”

Su Wei nodded. She took a deep breath and asked a woman with a kind face, learning that there was a pastry shop and a noodle house not far ahead that were quite good. When she turned to find Su He, the person was already gone.

“…Master.” Su Wei murmured. She quickly moved through the crowd, trying to find Su He. Although she knew other Shadow Guards were protecting her from behind, she couldn’t help but worry.

Su Wei didn’t dare shout, afraid of exposing Su He. She could only weave swiftly through the crowd.

But there were too many people; every step was difficult, and she had to avoid bumping into others.

“Big Sister!” Just as Su Wei was growing anxious, a child suddenly hugged her leg and dropped to her knees with a thud. “Sister, I can’t find my father and mother.”

Su Wei stopped in her tracks immediately. She glanced down at the girl and moved to leave. “You should report to the authorities, not come to me.”

“Let go.” Su Wei couldn’t very well kick the child. She suppressed her impatience and urged patiently, “I have urgent business.”

But the child refused to let go no matter what, pulling at her clothes bit by bit as she stood up. “Sister, please help me.”

“The way you help is by stealing my money pouch?” Su Wei seized the child’s wrist, stopping her attempt to lift the pouch. “Now it seems I’ll be the one sending you to the authorities.”

The girl panicked and tried to break free. Su Wei hesitated, just about to let go, when she heard a familiar voice: “Don’t let go.”

Su Wei’s eyes lit up instantly, her brows curving. “Master!”

She never blamed Su He for not waiting for her. She was only happy that she had managed to find her.

Su He walked up behind Su Wei and signaled with a look to a Shadow Guard hidden in the darkness to take the child away.

“Master.” Su Wei anxiously gave Su He a full-body glance, only relaxing when she saw nothing was seriously wrong. “This subordinate thought she had lost you.”

“How could you?” Su He’s attention wasn’t fully on Su Wei; she wanted to set afloat a lantern on the river. It was only upon reaching the riverbank that she belatedly thought of Su Wei. Not too anxious, she walked back and immediately spotted her entangled Shadow Guard. “Accompany Gu in setting afloat some lanterns.”

Su He and Su Wei were actually similar in this regard; she wouldn’t blame herself, only find fault with others.

“Yes.” Su Wei didn’t dare lose track of Su He again. Her gaze fixed on her master, not leaving her for a moment.

They bought two very simple lanterns. Su Wei also received a brush; she could write down a wish or thoughts for her deceased loved ones.

Su Wei thought for a moment and wrote stroke by stroke: May my parents be safe, may my master be safe.

She was a simple person, incapable of thinking up elegant words. She could only cautiously express the blessings from her heart.

Even if they were utterly insignificant.