Chapter 85

Ten years ago, Nangong Yunshang had accompanied the imperial carriage to Jiangnan. On the way, they stayed at the Suzhou Xia Mansion. She found the scenery of Suzhou so enchanting that she ended up lingering there for about a month.

During that time, the youngest daughter of the Xia Family, Xia Qianhua, who was around the same age as Nangong Yunshang, became acquainted with her, and the two quickly formed a close friendship. Throughout this period, it was the eight-year-old Xia Qianhua who led Nangong Yunshang around, introducing her to the local delicacies and famous sights.

The moment Xia Qianhua first laid eyes on Nangong Yunshang, she thought this older sister was incredibly beautiful. Not only was her appearance striking, but she also possessed an innate nobility that set her apart from ordinary folk.

It was only after Nangong Yunshang departed that Xia Qianhua learned from her parents that they had come from the Capital City—and that her newfound close friend was none other than the Third Princess of the current dynasty.

Xia Qianhua waited two or three years for the imperial carriage to return, but instead, she encountered the ruthless Shadow Guards from the Southern Frontier. The leader of the Shadow Guards happened to catch sight of her. Within three days, the entire Xia Family had been massacred, leaving her as the sole survivor.

Tao Chuyi spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else’s tale.

“She took me back to the Southern Frontier, forced me to drink some medicine, and from then on, I forgot my home. I became a tool for killing in service to the Southern Frontier Royal Family. Senior Sister, tell me—can I ever go back?”

Fendie was at a loss for words. Every member of the Shadow Guards carried some tragic past to a greater or lesser degree—some had been abandoned as children, others hunted by their enemies with nowhere to turn. Rouying was the only one among them whose background had remained a mystery, and she had never imagined it would be something like this.

“Then… what about Master’s kindness to us? Are you just going to disregard it entirely?”

At those words, Tao Chuyi let out a cold laugh. “Senior Sister must be joking. Without her, I would still be the young miss of the Suzhou Xia Mansion. Without her, my parents would surely still be alive.”

Without that person, without the Southern Frontier, she would still be a proper citizen of Jingyun. She could have befriended Nangong Yunshang openly and honorably, perhaps even taking things a step further. She wouldn’t have to hide her true feelings like she did now.

By a twist of fate, she had become the prince consort, yet she could no longer be her true self.

“Between her and me, there is no kindness—only hatred. One day, it will be a battle to the death.”

Tao Chuyi spoke with iron determination. “Senior Sister, you should go your own way. The grudge between us has nothing to do with you. For the times you’ve looked after me, just pretend you were never here.”

Fendie stood rooted to the spot, her feet as if grown into the ground, unable to take a single step.

“But, Rou’er, don’t forget—as Shadow Guards, betrayal means death. It’s not just being hunted down; there’s already something planted inside our bodies. Without the antidote, we’ll die sooner or later.”

“I know.”

Tao Chuyi had considered all the consequences. Worst case, she would die—and as a Shadow Guard, the basic creed was to fear nothing, not even death.

Tao Chuyi said no more, merely gazing out the window. At that moment, footsteps approached from outside the door.

Seeing that she couldn’t persuade Tao Chuyi, Fendie leaped out through the window.

At the same time, Tao Chuyi rose and walked to the bedside, wiping away the footprints along the way to make it look as if she had been the one to open the window.

The door opened, and the maids filed in one after another. They neatly arranged the light snacks before withdrawing.

When Nangong Yunshang entered, Tao Chuyi was still standing by the window.

“Why are you up? Why not rest a bit longer?”

Tao Chuyi’s gaze was serene, but mist gathered in her eyes. Just before the person behind her drew near, she whirled around and threw her arms around Nangong Yunshang.

“What’s this? Acting spoiled again.”

At first, Nangong Yunshang thought it was just childish whimsy. But when she felt the wetness on her shoulder, her heart sank. She gently pushed Tao Chuyi back and examined her closely.

“Chuyi, you… you’re crying?”

A storm of emotions surged through Tao Chuyi, and she could no longer hold back her tears. To avoid arousing suspicion, she deliberately made her crying ugly, in a manner befitting Tao Chuyi.

“Sister, why were you gone for so long…”

Nangong Yunshang was about to say it was all because of her, but seeing that pitiful look, she couldn’t bear to tease her further. Instead, she coaxed gently, “Sister was a little late coming back this time. Look, there are treats here. We’ll eat them, and you won’t cry anymore.”

She had only asked for osmanthus cake originally, but Nangong Yunshang had brought back seven or eight items.

“See, here’s the osmanthus cake you wanted, longan red date soup, and your favorite preserved fruits.”

Nangong Yunshang pressed her shoulders down to sit. “Hungry, right? Eat more.”

At that moment, Tao Chuyi had no appetite whatsoever, but she couldn’t bear to disappoint her. So she picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, popped it into her mouth, and pretended to savor it with great relish.

“Delicious.”

“If it’s delicious, have more.”

Nangong Yunshang brought over the longan red date soup. “It’s sweet—want some?”

Tao Chuyi didn’t take it. “I want Sister to feed me.”

“Alright, you little clingy one.”

Nangong Yunshang said as much with her words, but her actions were sincere. She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and fed it over.

Tao Chuyi opened her mouth and ate it. Hungry or not, as long as it was fed by her sister, she would eat it.

Nangong Yunshang didn’t think much of it, merely assuming her little clingy one had grown even more attached. Little did she know just how attached.

When Nangong Yunshang spoke with others, Tao Chuyi would cling to their arm. When Nangong Yunshang practiced calligraphy, Tao Chuyi would embrace her waist from behind, pressing close to her back. If Nangong Yunshang was reading, Tao Chuyi could even sit on the floor and hug her legs. She could latch on from every angle, like a conjoined twin.

The servants attending them no longer dared to look up directly, fearing they might see something they shouldn’t.

In private, Yinghong and Zishan gossiped. “Do you think the prince consort’s illness has made their brain even more muddled?”

Zishan glanced at her and shook her head. “I think it’s sharper than ever. Haven’t you seen how Your Highness is completely wrapped around the prince consort’s finger?”

Tao Chuyi had not only become clingier but also quieter. She no longer ran all over the courtyard or climbed trees and scaled walls. Instead, she often sat by the window or on a stone bench, lost in a daze for hours on end.

The large entourage began heading back toward Hangzhou, but they were already delayed, so they sent word that they would be even later. There was no need to rush.

Inside the carriage, Tao Chuyi stared blankly at the layered mountains beyond the curtain or lay in Nangong Yunshang’s arms with her mind adrift.

Bored, Nangong Yunshang began to toy with her dark hair.

“What’s wrong lately? You don’t want to play with anything. When we get back, I’ll buy you a new rattle drum—a big one.”

Tao Chuyi shook her head. “No, I only want Sister.”

With that, she scooted even closer into Nangong Yunshang’s embrace, pressing so tightly there was no space between them.

Nangong Yunshang was helpless against her and could only hold her like this, patting and soothing.

The carriage arrived at an inn near Suzhou’s city gates as dusk fell, and the group decided to stay the night there.

The inn bustled with guests coming and going. The second-floor rooms were mostly occupied, leaving only one Heavenly Character Superior Room available on the third floor, along with two Earthly Character Rooms.

The moment Tao Chuyi entered the guest room, she sensed that the air inside was different from outside.

She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was—perhaps the addition of some kind of fragrance.

“Chuyi, what are you doing?”

Nangong Yunshang walked in to find her sitting before the bronze mirror, rummaging through the drawers.

“Sister, it smells so nice in here.”

Smells nice?

Nangong Yunshang sniffed hard and indeed caught the scent of incense that had been burned. But she couldn’t identify it—it didn’t seem like anything common.

Tao Chuyi kept searching, convinced the fragrance emanated from around the vanity. Finally, beneath a pile of rouge and powder in a hidden compartment, she found a black lump.

Pretending it was by chance, she pulled it out. “Sister, is this rouge too?”

Nangong Yunshang took the black lump and examined it closely. The more she looked, the more it resembled half a horn—black and glossy, with bits of incense ash clinging to the edge.

According to what she had read, burning rhinoceros horn incense allowed one to commune with ghosts.

Few people used rhinoceros horn incense as mere fragrance. Why would there be a half-burned piece here in this room?

“It’s just a stone.”

Nangong Yunshang pocketed it, not wanting to scare Chuyi by mentioning it—unaware that the current Chuyi was far more worldly.

Rhinoceros horn incense was infamous in tales of the supernatural. Everyone knew its smoke revealed ghosts, but few realized it also induced hallucinations. The so-called communion with spirits was merely seeing people one longed for or feared in those visions—and often, those people were already dead.

In short, this incense could trigger heart demons.

For a perfectly ordinary inn to have such a thing, Tao Chuyi’s lips curved slightly. It seemed this place was far from peaceful.

They had originally planned to dine in the room, but Tao Chuyi insisted on eating in the main hall, so Nangong Yunshang indulged her, and they went down together.

The main hall was crowded and chaotic—the perfect place to gather intelligence.

They chose a corner seat, surrounded by Zhao Linglong and the others, shielding them from prying eyes.

Night had fallen, yet the hall was still lively with patrons.

As Tao Chuyi ate her vegetables, she pricked up her ears to listen, piecing together scattered snippets of information to form a rough picture of the inn’s history.

The inn had been opened by three brothers—not blood-related, but bound by a friendship forged in life-and-death trials. Business had always been brisk, and the three lived right there in the inn. Three Heavenly Character Superior Rooms on the third floor served as their residences. They employed an inn waiter and a chef, and that was how they had kept it running until now.

“Sister, have some vegetables.”

Tao Chuyi picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Nangong Yunshang’s bowl. “Squirrel mandarin fish—delicious.”

Nangong Yunshang smiled and reciprocated by giving her some other dishes. “Good child, let’s eat together.”

Seeing this, Zishan couldn’t hold back either and piled Yinghong’s bowl high with food.

“Eat more, eat more.”

Yinghong stared at her like she was a monster, utterly baffled and wondering what had gotten into her.

Zhao Linglong sat unattended, so Tao Chuyi glanced over and promptly gave her a chopstickful too.

“General Zhao, eat up.”

General Zhao froze for a moment before hurriedly thanking her. In her mind, she frantically reviewed every encounter she had ever had with the prince consort.

While she fretted anxiously on one side, Nangong Yunshang beamed with contentment on the other.

“Chuyi has grown up. She even knows how to take care of people now.”

Tao Chuyi smiled, narrowing her eyes. She knew that Zhao Linglong had feelings for her sister, but there was no need to be so persistent or clash head-on with her. A small act of kindness was the perfect opportunity to display magnanimity.

Nangong Yunshang promptly served her a generous helping of dishes and even pinched her cheek.

Tao Chuyi ate contentedly. In this way, she could show how thoughtful she was while also flaunting their affection. Why not?

At that moment, a piercing scream echoed from upstairs. The inn waiter came tumbling down in a panic, blood staining his pants and shoes.

Terrified and utterly bewildered, the inn waiter stared with eyes wide in horror.

Trembling, he pointed behind him. “There’s a ghost! The ghost killed someone!”