Chapter 55

The rain outside intensified, washing over the roof tiles as the music shifted tone, from delicate notes to a surging crescendo.

Nangong Yunshang stroked Tao Chuyi’s head and said softly, “You can’t eat bamboo, but bamboo shoots are fine. When we get back, have the kitchen make stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork.”

“Okay!”

Tao Chuyi shook with delight, practically dancing for joy.

The attendants brought in tea and refreshments before withdrawing silently. Qimen black tea paired with strawberry cream cheese, along with preserved plums and raisins for a quick bite.

Nangong Yunshang didn’t allow anyone else to serve in the private room. She poured the tea herself and beckoned Tao Chuyi over.

Tao Chuyi paid little attention to the rest, utterly fixated on the strawberry cream cheese. She devoured an entire piece the size of her palm.

“Delicious!”

Nangong Yunshang picked up a brocade handkerchief. “Look at you. Come here.”

Tao Chuyi obediently leaned in and tilted her head back. She felt the soft fabric gently wipe the corner of her lips, carrying her sister’s fragrance.

“So fragrant.”

She followed the handkerchief closer until she bumped right into Nangong Yunshang’s lips.

Sweet and fragrant—far better than the strawberry cream cheese.

Nangong Yunshang steadied her, her own cheeks tinged with a blush of rouge.

“Sit properly.”

Tao Chuyi was brimming with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she pointed to her lips.

“More.”

“No.”

Nangong Yunshang turned sideways toward her. Her heart was already in turmoil, but she feigned composure.

Tao Chuyi was unrelenting, planting several quick pecks on her cheek.

“I want it. I want it.”

The two chased and dodged each other for quite a while until Nangong Yunshang finally relented and took the initiative.

Tao Chuyi licked her lips, gazing at Nangong Yunshang as if she were a massive slab of strawberry cream cheese. She pounced without hesitation.

“Enough. Stop fooling around.”

Nangong Yunshang dodged left and right, her face smeared with saliva. Her makeup was utterly ruined.

Tao Chuyi was like a puppy, showering affection through licks. Smearing her face wasn’t enough—she dipped her head toward the crook of Nangong Yunshang’s neck.

Nangong Yunshang pushed at her. “No, Chuyi.”

The rebuffed Tao Chuyi looked aggrieved but didn’t let go. Instead, she switched targets and went for the sash at Nangong Yunshang’s waist.

Nangong Yunshang let out a startled cry and clamped down on her sash with both hands.

But Tao Chuyi had discovered a delightful new game. Whenever Nangong Yunshang guarded her sash, she attacked the neck instead. As soon as the neck was defended, she went back to the sash. She went back and forth tirelessly, endlessly amused.

Nangong Yunshang couldn’t cover both at once. After a few rounds, she was utterly exhausted.

“Enough, Chuyi. If you keep this up, I’ll get angry.”

At those words, Tao Chuyi’s antics finally ceased. Nangong Yunshang’s garments were wrinkled, her hairpins askew—a picture of disheveled beauty.

“Tao Chuyi, you’ve grown bold, haven’t you?”

Nangong Yunshang straightened her collar and pinched her ear. Who had led her sweet Chuyi astray?

Tao Chuyi hung her head and played dead, as docile as a kitten lifted by the scruff of its neck—as if the mischief-maker hadn’t been her at all.

Just as the scolding was underway, a sudden commotion erupted outside.

Chairs toppled, porcelain shattered, and screams rose in a cacophony.

“Protect Your Highness!”

With a sharp command, blades flashed and swords gleamed fiercely. The entire Listening Rain Pavilion was surrounded by assassins. The guards clashed with them, and the whole structure trembled.

Tao Chuyi’s ears twitched. She pulled Nangong Yunshang behind her.

“I’ll protect Sister.”

The fighting outside grew more fierce. It was impossible to tell who held the advantage amid the pouring rain and crashing thunder.

Blood stained the door red. Suddenly, a longsword thrust through it, slashing several gashes in the frame.

“Chuyi! Chuyi, come back here!”

Nangong Yunshang tugged Tao Chuyi backward, desperate to keep her from the danger.

But at that moment, two figures burst through the window—black-clad assassins wielding treasure swords, charging straight for Nangong Yunshang.

Tao Chuyi seized bowls and plates from the table and hurled them at the intruders. When those ran out, she grabbed the teapot. Finally, she flipped the table entirely.

The assassins’ treasure swords splintered the wooden table into fragments. Sword clashes rang out unceasingly, as if they would not stop until blood was spilled.

As a sword tip thrust toward her, Tao Chuyi seized the blade bare-handed. Fresh blood instantly covered her palm.

“Chuyi!”

Nangong Yunshang cried out in alarm, but no one could come to her aid—they were all held back outside.

The blood only spurred Tao Chuyi onward. She wrenched the treasure sword free and slit the assassin’s throat.

Excitement gleamed in her eyes. The more blood flowed, the fiercer she fought. The treasure sword blurred in her grasp, too fast to follow. After dispatching the intruders in the room, she swept a cold gaze toward the window. Petty villains still lurked outside.

“Chuyi, where are you going?”

Nangong Yunshang rushed over but couldn’t stop her in time. She watched helplessly as Tao Chuyi leaped from the windowsill.

“Chuyi!”

Tao Chuyi landed lightly. The assassins on the roof pursued her into the bamboo grove, tumbling down one after another.

“Kill the Prince Consort first, then the princess!”

At the command, dozens of assassins swarmed forward, their swords thrusting toward Tao Chuyi in unison.

She vaulted into the air, whirling her treasure sword as she descended. Sword qi swept outward in a devastating arc.

When she landed, not a single living foe remained around her.

From upstairs, Nangong Yunshang watched in shock. It was the first time she had witnessed such domineering martial prowess firsthand.

But moments later, one of the fallen assassins staggered to its feet. Hunched over, with a gaping wound in its chest, it moved as if unharmed. Abruptly, it dropped into a beastly hunting stance—hands planted on the ground, hind legs coiled tight, eyes blazing with feral menace, poised to strike.

Nangong Yunshang’s heart clenched. She lacked the lightness skill to intervene. Fortunately, the guards had dealt with the assassins inside and rushed in to protect her.

“Quick! Help the Prince Consort!”

Yinghong led the guards in leaping from the pavilion. But by the time they reached the bamboo grove, they saw Tao Chuyi hack through a bamboo stalk and impale the pouncing assassin upon it.

The assassin was skewered on the pole yet thrashed wildly, even gnawing at the bamboo.

In the next instant, Tao Chuyi flung her treasure sword, severing the creature’s head.

The head rolled to the base of the bamboo stalk. At last, the assassin went still.

The guards stood frozen, all but stupefied.

“Chuyi!”

Nangong Yunshang ran up, panting, only for Yinghong to block her path.

“Your Highness, stay back—it’s dangerous.”

The figure standing amid the blood-soaked ground seemed utterly unfamiliar. Her face bore none of Tao Chuyi’s usual expressions, only cold detachment. Blood and gore enveloped her, yet she paid it no mind, as if inured to the carnage.

“Chuyi? Chuyi, do you recognize me?”

Tao Chuyi tilted her head toward Nangong Yunshang but offered no other response.

The bamboo grove was a scene of devastation. The corpses needed clearing, but no one dared approach.

Nangong Yunshang said anxiously, “It’s me, your sister. Chuyi, look at me. Think carefully.”

After a long moment, Tao Chuyi raised a hand and scratched the back of her head. The icy glint in her eyes softened into harmlessness at last. She finally spoke. “Sister! Sister!”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Nangong Yunshang brushed Yinghong’s hand aside. Ignoring the stench of blood, she ran to Tao Chuyi and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

Feeling the warm hold, Tao Chuyi reverted to her usual foolish self.

“Sister, I was scared!”

Nangong Yunshang held her close, soothing. “Don’t be scared, good girl. Sister’s right here. It’s all over now. Chuyi was the bravest.”

Once Nangong Yunshang had escorted Tao Chuyi to the carriage, the others snapped out of their daze. They transported the assassins’ corpses to the Dali Temple, calmed the panicked folk of the Listening Rain Pavilion, and handled the aftermath.

Tao Chuyi was covered in bloodstains. Upon returning to the estate, she changed into fresh clothes. She went through outfits quickly on ordinary days, so spares were a necessity.

While Tao Chuyi bathed, Yinghong came to report the Dali Temple’s findings. The assassination was inextricably linked to the Southern Frontier, but without hard evidence, the Emperor wouldn’t antagonize them over the Third Princess. Reporting it would be pointless.

Yinghong hesitated but couldn’t hold back. “Your Highness, the Prince Consort, he…”

Nangong Yunshang cut her off. “Tell everyone below to watch their tongues.”

“Yes, this servant understands.”

Risking severe reproach, Yinghong pressed on. “The Prince Consort’s skills aren’t the sort learned in an ordinary household. That style is vicious, unrelenting to the death. Only killers and dead soldiers are trained that way. How could the young master of the Tao Family have learned it?”

Nangong Yunshang had long suspected Tao Chuyi’s background wasn’t simple, but she preferred not to dwell on it.

“Sister!”

Tao Chuyi ran over and wrapped her arms around Nangong Yunshang’s waist, claiming her embrace entirely. Fresh from her bath, she carried a clean, fresh scent—the picture of her usual little fool.

Nangong Yunshang gently stroked her back. “I’ll protect you with everything I have, for as long as you need me.”

Tao Chuyi straightened up. “What are you talking about, Sister?”

“Nothing.”

Nangong Yunshang smiled and changed the subject. “In four days, there’s the Royal Hunt. You’ll come with me. No need to hunt—just stay by my side and enjoy the food and drink.”

She couldn’t let anyone notice Chuyi’s oddities, much less expose her martial prowess.

Tao Chuyi agreed enthusiastically. She had no interest in riding and hunting anyway—she just wanted to be with her sister.

“Is there roast whole lamb?”

“Yes. Anything you want, there’ll be.”

Nangong Yunshang set aside all her heavy thoughts, savoring the present moment. At least for now, her Chuyi was still by her side.

By tradition, the Prince Consort had to take the field personally for the hunt. Nangong Yunshang hoped she wouldn’t hit a single thing—at least that way, she’d be safe. Fortunately, the Southern Frontier delegation had already departed, so there was no worry of their interference.

During the hunt, Nangong Yunshang was unable to accompany the Prince Consort and had no choice but to send attendants in her stead. She felt somewhat uneasy about entrusting the task to just anyone, so she asked Yinghong to find someone from the rear guard.

An unfamiliar guard clad in black appeared at the Princess Mansion, drawing furtive glances from the little maids.

“Not bad. You’re quite the heartthrob,” Yinghong teased, leaning against the railing.

The guard gave an embarrassed smile. “It’s all because Your Highness insisted I disguise myself as a man, just to provide protection for the Princess’s precious darling.”

“Enough of that cheek,” Yinghong said, hopping down the steps. “Come on, let’s go meet the Prince Consort—your new charge.”

At that moment, Tao Chuyi was in the back garden, chasing after Fifteen and working up a full sweat.

A pair of black boots entered Tao Chuyi’s line of sight. When Tao Chuyi looked up, a black-clad guard stood beside Yinghong.

“Greetings, Prince Consort!”

Tao Chuyi bounced to her feet and circled the guard twice before asking innocently, “Are you fun?”