Chapter 8: Teaching

Su Wei couldn’t see anything. She could only perceive the changes in light and shadow but not the sun hanging in the sky.

Master was punishing her.

Kneeling on the ground, her back straight, Su Wei wondered if it was because she hadn’t picked a beautiful flower, thus displeasing her Master.

Her hands clenched into fists on her legs. Su Wei’s physical condition had been declining. Since waking that morning, she’d felt feverish. The scorching sun seemed to make her dizzier.

Su Wei licked her parched lip, her eyes downcast and dazed. The wounds on her body pricked like countless needles, making her scalp feel numb. She didn’t know how long she had been kneeling. By the time someone pulled her up, she was almost losing consciousness.

This person…

Even in her last moment of consciousness, Su Wei was thinking: Not Master.

.

The Imperial Physician had become numb to it by the time he stepped into Su He’s bedchamber. He knelt on the ground to check Su Wei’s pulse. After a moment, he hesitated slightly, then prostrated himself. “Your Majesty, it’s the same as before. She needs quiet rest. It’s just… she has some fever. It seems like—”

Sitting to the side, Su He sipped tea nonchalantly. She gestured for the physician to continue, placing her teacup down neither lightly nor heavily. “Seems like what?”

The Imperial Physician took the hint immediately. “Nothing at all. It’s simply a fever caused by inflammation of her wounds.”

“Go back now. Be careful on the road.”

Having received Su He’s command, the Imperial Physician left quickly, hastily wiping the sweat beading on his forehead before leaving.

The Palace Attendant seized the right moment to step forward. “Your Majesty, there are still some official matters left unfinished today. You see… why not let this servant stand guard here and wait for her to wake?”

Su He raised an eyebrow. “No need. She’s already awake.”

She rose and walked towards Su Wei. Just as she reached the edge of the bed, the person had already scrambled up and was kneeling obediently on the mattress.

Su He bent down, drew close to Su Wei, tilted her head lightly, seeming somewhat surprised. “Oh, not pretending to sleep anymore?”

Su Wei looked up, her face flushed red from fever, even the corners of her eyes tinted red. She looked even more pitiful than the previous night. She explained, “This subordinate saw the Imperial Physician present and feared disturbing him.”

Actually, that wasn’t it. She was in so much pain she couldn’t open her eyes, and could only try her utmost to suppress her breathing, afraid of disturbing Su He.

A Shadow Guard was not permitted to speak of pain.

“So that’s how it is.” Su He seemed to have discovered a new curiosity. “Only now do I learn your heart is so kind.”

Su Wei understood how hollow her words were. Her eyes trembled, but she did not explain further. Instead, she lowered her body. “Please punish me, Master.”

Su He’s fingertip flicked at the White Jade Eardrop hanging from Su Wei’s earlobe. She spoke neither warmly nor coldly. “Your body hasn’t healed yet. How could I bear to punish you?”

She casually removed the White Jade Hairpin from her own hair and quickly used it to pin up Su Wei’s hair. Su He told her softly, “I have given you three items. Guard them carefully.”

Three items—

Su Wei’s heart trembled. She wanted very much to raise a hand to touch it, but feared her Master would be displeased. After all, she had previously been forbidden from touching the eardrop. But she was a Shadow Guard; she might accidentally damage it. Later, when she returned to her quarters, she would hide it away safely.

Su He didn’t pay much heed to Su Wei’s emotional fluctuations. She straightened up and addressed the Palace Attendant. “Dress her properly. Bring her to the Imperial Study to find me.”

The Palace Attendant bowed. “Yes.”

Su He’s mood likely hadn’t fully improved. She adjusted her sleeves and walked out, without even a lingering glance behind. The Palace Attendant watched her leave, then looked at Su Wei with a trace of pity.

“I don’t need your help. I can dress myself. Give me the clothes.” Su Wei spoke first. When Su He wasn’t present, her tone became much colder.

The Palace Attendant handed over the clothes. Her expression was complicated, but ultimately, she said nothing.

The sky outside the house had already darkened. Had Su He not returned to the Sleeping Palace and seen the extra bed, she probably wouldn’t have remembered Su Wei still kneeling in the Imperial Garden.

Su Wei dressed very quickly. She carefully touched the hairpin on her head, her brows immediately curving downwards in pleasure, but she quickly adjusted her expression. “Take me there.”

The Palace Attendant came back to her senses and led Su Wei to the Imperial Study. She stepped back, letting the person push the door open herself.

Su Wei first called softly for “Master.” Only after receiving permission did she cautiously push the door open, afraid of making too much noise and disturbing her Master.

“Close the door.” Su He didn’t even raise her head. She conveniently tore a memorial to shreds and tossed it on the floor like garbage. “Come here.”

Su Wei walked to Su He’s side, lightening her breath.

Su He put down her brush and asked, turning her head, “Do you know how to grind ink?”

“Yes.” Su Wei nodded. “We all have to learn a little of everything, in case a mission requires us to assume a different identity.”

Su He raised an eyebrow lightly. Her gaze swept over the hanging ink brushes, and she chose the finest one. “You can write, I suppose.”

Su Wei hesitated for a rare moment, but still nodded. “Yes, but it’s not pretty.”

She was originally sent to a private school to study as a child, but sadly, when she was too young, her entire family was slaughtered, leaving only her alive. The Shadow Guard’s requirement was only to recognize characters; there was simply no time to practice handwriting.

Hearing this, Su He’s interest grew. She pulled Su Wei over by her sleeve, placing the brush in her hand. As she did so, Su He also stood up, deliberately lowering her voice. “I do not disdain you. If you don’t write, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep well tonight.”

“I’ll write!”

She adjusted her grip on the brush. Just as she was about to put it to paper, she realized she didn’t know where to write. Su He promptly pushed a memorial over. Her Master whispered in her ear, “Just write the characters for ‘Not Permitted.’”

Su Wei thought it over; it wasn’t difficult. Her body was tense, her expression nervous, as if performing an extremely dangerous task.

In fact, her handwriting was truly bad. Each stroke was very neat and proper, yet when combined, they lacked any beauty or grace whatsoever.

Su He laughed out loud. She took the memorial away, now truly believing Su Wei’s words. She took out a blank sheet of paper and asked, “What else can you write?”

Su Wei pursed her lips, her earlobes blushing with shame. She had seen her Master’s handwriting before. The brushstrokes were forceful yet not the least bit petty. Moreover, ever since she was young, she had heard others praise Su He with words like “diligent” and “smart.”

She, on the other hand, was utterly unpresentable.

But if Master wanted to see, she would write.

Su Wei, even when she hadn’t been blind, couldn’t write well, let alone now when her eyes couldn’t see. She crookedly wrote the two characters for “Shadow Nine.” Because the brush was very fine, the writing was even uglier. Knowing her own level, she lowered her head and fell silent after finishing.

Su He, however, didn’t comment, but “appreciated” the work with apparent interest. “Not bad. But why did you write Shadow Nine and not your own name?”

Su Wei was momentarily stunned. “But Shadow Nine is also this subordinate’s name.”

As soon as she finished, she felt it was wrong. She shouldn’t have contradicted her Master. Su Wei quickly added, “Because the character ‘Wei’ is too hard to write. I haven’t learned it.”

Su He didn’t pursue the matter. She suddenly approached Su Wei from behind, reaching out to hold Su Wei’s hand. The Shadow Guard’s body visibly stiffened, completely unsure how to react.

“Lower your waist.” Su He found it amusing. She patted Su Wei’s lower back. “Let me teach you.”

Obediently, Su Wei pressed her waist down. Having lost her sight, her other senses became more acute. Her eyes fluttered rapidly, and she completely relaxed her hand for Su He to control.

She could feel the characters for “Su Wei” being written on the paper. She didn’t need to guess; they were surely extremely beautiful.

Su He’s breath puffed against Su Wei’s ear, but her gaze held no warmth at all. She told Su Wei to repeat after her. “Su Wei.”

Su Wei moved her lips. “Su Wei.”

—That was her name.

“Su Wei, your body is so hot.” Su He leaned closer, more deliberately pressing against Su Wei. She murmured softly, “How did this happen?”

Su Wei didn’t know. She propped her hands on the desk. If she moved upward, she would touch those memorials filled with the words “Public Sentiment.” So she gripped the desk tightly, not daring to move anymore.

Her robe was pulled halfway down, revealing her spine and back, covered in wounds that hadn’t healed over the years. And at this very moment, Su He was holding a brush, her expression serious, writing characters on it.

Su He seemed to write a lot, but Su Wei couldn’t guess a single one. Her body trembled continuously, and her ears were buzzing.

She heard her Master say: “Guess what I wrote?”

Su Wei shook her head helplessly. “This subordinate does not know.”

“So silly. I wrote—the name ‘Su He.’”