Chapter 59

Inside the Moon-Asking Palace.

Xiao Shuang was reclining on a couch, playing chess with Consort Shu opposite her.

After playing for a long while, she casually dropped a piece, sealing off the white piece’s final escape route.

Consort Shu concentrated on the board, then put down her piece and smiled. “Your Highness’s every move is calculated. This concubine has lost.”

Xiao Shuang looked up at Consort Shu and said flatly, “You lost not because of this palace’s calculations, but because your mind is disturbed, no longer on the chess game.”

Consort Shu was startled, feeling that Xiao Shuang’s words carried deeper meaning.

As she tidied up the pieces, she said softly, “When playing against Your Highness, this concubine should give her whole heart. But lately, the idle gossip in the palace has grown increasingly frequent, disturbing this concubine’s peace.”

“If Qing’an feels annoyed, just kill them.”

Xiao Shuang spoke as she gathered the pieces, her tone casual. She spoke of killing with the same ease as talking about eating and drinking.

In reality, it was indeed like this.

Xiao Shuang was the esteemed Eldest Princess Zhaoyang of Qi. Whoever angered her only had one path—death.

Princess Zhaohua had been sitting on another couch, toying with a round fan in her hands. Hearing Xiao Shuang’s words, she couldn’t help but say helplessly, “Imperial Sister, the gossip Consort Shu spoke of is probably related to Jin’er.”

Xiao Shuang smiled faintly. “Oh? What does it have to do with Jin’er?”

Zhaohua thought to herself, wasn’t this something everyone in the palace knew?

Then she realized Xiao Shuang wanted her to say it out loud and let Consort Shu hear it again. So she said, “If Jin’er wanted to stand up for Princess Consort Yan, then just beating up the Fourth Prince would have been enough. Now he’s followed Chu Shao to Qingzhou to mess around and didn’t even return to the palace for the Lantern Festival. It’s truly…”

At this point, Zhaohua met Xiao Shuang’s gaze and paused for a moment. “Let alone chilling Consort Shu’s heart, even I think he’s gone too far with his mischief, spoiled beyond all bounds.”

Consort Shu’s expression looked somewhat unsightly.

After all, Xiao Jin had returned from her campaigns for so long, yet she had never come to pay respects to her, let alone occasionally enter the palace to inquire after her well-being.

Although she wasn’t Xiao Jin’s birth mother, she had done her utmost to raise the other.

Even raising a wolf cub should have warmed its heart by now.

Yet Xiao Jin’s attitude towards her remained neither warm nor cold. Not quite enthusiastic, not exactly indifferent. She fulfilled all superficial courtesies, but it was completely unlike how one treats an imperial mother.

Consort Shu sighed. “At the end of the day, one can’t blame Jin’er. It’s because of that catastrophe back then… I imagine if Jin’er’s imperial mother could have raised him to adulthood, Jin’er’s temperament wouldn’t be…”

Xiao Shuang suddenly spoke up, cutting off Consort Shu’s words. “There’s no need to bring up the events of that year again. Those who could be killed, this palace has already killed. As for those who couldn’t be killed, they too will die in the future.”

“People will always die. There’s no rush for this moment.”

Xiao Shuang dropped the last piece into the box and closed the lid.

Her tone was light, but it made Consort Shu sense a hint of chill.

Immediately after, Xiao Shuang changed the topic. “As for Jin’er, he is still too naive. Of course, young people are always impulsive and need more tempering.”

“Taking a trip around Qingzhou actually holds no harm. Moreover, isn’t there a Commandery Governor Xu in Qingzhou?”

Zhaohua had heard Commandery Governor Xu’s name before. “That person seems to have some talent.”

Xiao Shuang smiled. “Talent, not really. But he can be somewhat useful.”

Zhaohua frowned. “Imperial Sister, but Jin’er is all alone in Qingzhou. What if a sudden change occurs and he encounters assassins…”

“If Jin’er were so easily assassinated and killed, then this palace’s years of teaching him would have been in vain.” Xiao Shuang’s voice was very calm.

“Furthermore, he isn’t alone.”

Consort Shu recalled the assassination case on that rainy night and suddenly understood something. Shocked, she said, “Your Highness, could you be referring to that one?”

Zhaohua still hadn’t caught on to what riddle the two were speaking in, but she saw Xiao Shuang nod and reply, “Though this palace dislikes her and feels she may be a calamity, keeping her might still hold some use.”

There were only the three of them in the hall.

But Consort Shu understood: Xiao Shuang saying “keeping her” naturally meant she would not make a move against that person.

Since Xiao Shuang said she would not make a move, then no one in Qi would dare to act against Chu Shao again.

…

These past few days, Xiao Jin’s life had been rather surreal.

Apart from periodically interrogating the assassins locked in the dark chamber, she was busy sending people to search for Commandery Governor Xu’s life history.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

She still needed to fully understand her future ally to better manipulate him.

But Commandery Governor Xu was truly able to keep his composure. Only after the Lantern Festival did he send an invitation, arranging to meet Xiao Jin at Jade Splendor Tower for a talk.

Xiao Jin held that paper filled with most of Commandery Governor Xu’s life, feeling like a superior interviewing an employee, looking over a resume. And this resume was detailed to a maddening degree; it even recorded that when Commandery Governor Xu was five, he climbed a tree to poke a beehive and got stung all over his face.

If she still couldn’t get Commandery Governor Xu completely under her control with this, then she would have wasted Ye Juege’s exceptional investigative abilities.

However, what gave Xiao Jin the biggest headache right now wasn’t how to win over Commandery Governor Xu, but another time bomb lurking by her side.

Ever since the incident in the bath that day, Chu Shao, this time bomb, had become increasingly unfathomable.

Actually, Chu Shao discovering the original host’s true gender as a woman wasn’t really a big deal.

After all, Chu Shao wasn’t some normal person either. She probably wouldn’t care at all about things like gender fraud, let alone make it public.

Based on her understanding of Chu Shao, Xiao Jin believed Chu Shao wasn’t the least bit interested in whether she was male or female.

However, reality proved Xiao Jin’s guess was only half right.

Chu Shao’s attitude still seemed no different from usual.

Sometimes she toyed with the jade flute discovered on the pleasure boat, playing a tune. Sometimes she looked at her and curved her lips into a smile.

Even when Yin Zhu and Zi Ling showed vigilance towards Chu Shao, Chu Shao herself didn’t care at all.

She even asked Yin Zhu and Zi Ling, “You keep staring at me. Is there some important matter?”

Yin Zhu and Zi Ling had originally wanted to interrogate Chu Shao, but when the other spoke so gently, they suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Although they knew Chu Shao was definitely no simple character, looking at that beautiful face and the faint, clear smile at the corner of her lips—

A groundless illusion arose in their hearts: they always felt that someone with such looks probably couldn’t do anything truly bad.

If Xiao Jin knew their thoughts, she would definitely say they were too naive. As the saying goes, an angel’s face, a devil’s heart—this couldn’t be more fitting to describe Chu Shao.

If one was easily seduced by beauty, then one would lose.

Yet these days, Xiao Jin had lost rather thoroughly.

Ever since she knew Chu Shao had probably “laid hands on her” that night, every time Xiao Jin saw Chu Shao, she would instinctively avoid her gaze.

It wasn’t guilt, just sheer awkwardness.

Of course, this was just Xiao Jin’s self-comfort. After all, she rarely felt awkward before, and never as awkward as she did now.

This state had lasted for quite a while.

But today, it reached its peak.

Tonight, Commandery Governor Xu was hosting a banquet at Jade Splendor Tower. The invitation had already arrived at the residence.

Whether for friendship or principle, Xiao Jin definitely had to attend. But if she was going to attend, she had to bring Chu Shao.

Xiao Jin was in her room, pondering how to bring up the subject, when she raised her head to find Chu Shao already standing before her.

And Chu Shao was holding clothes in one hand, and a sandalwood box in the other.

What stunned Xiao Jin wasn’t the things Chu Shao was carrying, but the ochre-colored outer garment Chu Shao was wearing.

Ochre was originally a color of extreme authority.

But Chu Shao had removed the silver-blue flower ornament from her forehead and draped in ochre. The tear mole beneath her eye was set off like a single red plum blossom.

It didn’t seem authoritative; instead, it added a meaning both vibrant yet not wanton, even more captivating to the soul.

Xiao Jin didn’t understand how this plum blossom had drifted into her bedchamber. She only felt somewhat helpless.

Because her clothes had always been managed by Yin Zhu and Zi Ling, but now they were in Chu Shao’s hands.

What did this mean?

It meant the ancients didn’t deceive her. Beauty could confound people and topple kingdoms. Even her personal maidservants had been seduced by Chu Shao’s beauty and fallen in.

Chu Shao didn’t offer much explanation. Smiling, she looked at Xiao Jin and opened the sandalwood box in her hands.

She took out bandages and ointment and said to Xiao Jin, “There’s still an injury on your arm. Before going to the banquet, you should change the medicine.”

Her voice was pleasant to the ear, extremely patient, extremely gentle—a tone.

Inexplicably, very much like coaxing a child.

But Xiao Jin was long past being a child. Looking at the still-unhealed knife wound on her arm, certain rather unpleasant memories surfaced in her heart.

She originally wanted to directly say there was no need, but seeing Chu Shao’s smiling eyes fixed on her, she couldn’t well rebuff the other’s goodwill.

Anyway, it wasn’t like Chu Shao hadn’t applied medicine for her before.

Xiao Jin found many reasons for herself without any basis, and though they had absolutely no persuasive power, they were enough for self-hypnosis.

She maintained a calm facade, but inwardly she felt as grimly resolute as a warrior severing his own wrist. She nodded. “Thoughtful of you. Thank you.”

The moment she said this, Xiao Jin regretted it somewhat.

How could she… be so easily seduced by beauty?

But it was already too late.

Because as soon as her words fell, Chu Shao knelt down, took Xiao Jin’s wrist, and began applying the medicine and bandaging.

Perhaps because the nighttime temperature was low, Chu Shao’s fingertips were not as warm as before; instead, they carried a trace of coolness.

Her fingertips were cool, and the ointment was cool and refreshing.

Spread on Xiao Jin’s wound, it carried a tingling, numbing itch. Not like being brushed by fingertips, but more like being kissed by lips.

Soft, yet as if a tongue of flame had licked past, almost scorching.

Chu Shao’s fingertips lingered and swirled on Xiao Jin’s skin. After thoroughly spreading the ointment, she wrapped a layer of white gauze around.

Only after Chu Shao finished everything did Xiao Jin feel a sense of deliverance, as if she had survived a calamity.

Applying medicine felt like undergoing torture. It made her immensely pressured, feeling utter torment.

Xiao Jin thought it was finally over.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao stood up and looked at the bandage on her wrist. She suddenly asked, “Your Highness, when this humble wife applies medicine for you, do you feel pain?”

Xiao Jin froze.

Actually, if Chu Shao hadn’t asked, she would have almost forgotten she still carried an injury.

After all, this wound wasn’t serious, and she had cut it herself. She knew her limits; it was no big deal.

But being mentioned by chance, being asked if it hurt, one couldn’t help but feel some stir of emotion.

Xiao Jin was in the world of a book; she couldn’t tell others the truest feelings in her heart.

She wouldn’t be stirred. She just looked at Chu Shao quietly and said, most disillusioningly, “Princess Consort, this Prince is not a man. You should be well aware of this.”

Chu Shao wore a look of surprise, as if she hadn’t expected Xiao Jin to put it so bluntly.

Xiao Jin had wanted to continue: since both of us know the truth, there’s no need to pretend to be a loving couple when we interact.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao nodded.

Then she furrowed her brows and said to her with a smile, “This humble wife knows that… but, what of it?”

“Your Highness is not a man but a woman. Isn’t that even better?”