Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 200 The Shackles of a Trapped Beast
The drizzle dampened the window paper, like clouds and mist drifting by.

Xue Sui held the wine cup high, staring intently at Li Zhao, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Your Highness, please..."

The plum wine, heated by the glowing embers of the charcoal fire, creates ripples of light and shadow.

"You think you can get rid of me like this?"

Li Zhao leaned closer, the hem of his dark robe sweeping across her feet like a silent snake coiling around her ankles, his eyes flashing crimson.

"Xue Ping'an, you are more poisonous than this Love Silk Gu."

The charcoal stove made a soft popping sound, and a spark landed on his sleeve, leaving a scorch mark.

Xue Sui suddenly remembered that ten years ago, when they were trapped under the artificial hill at Puji Temple, the boy's raised sleeve also had a similar burn mark, like a naughty child who had done something foolish...

Later, nestled in that warm fox fur coat, inhaling the crisp fragrance of the fine fabric, she vaguely thought that perhaps it was a golden boy sent by the Bodhisattva to save her from suffering. Thus, she deeply engraved the warmth of that boy into her heart.

Xue Sui straightened his shoulders slightly and curtsied.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me from freezing to death in the snow cave back then. I, Xue Liu, will never forget your life-saving grace. However, Prince Duan's suspicions are growing stronger every day, so I urge Your Highness to temporarily avoid confrontation..."

Li Zhao let out a cold laugh.

He has already bowed his head to the Crown Prince, even if it means accepting the label of "adulterer," being imprisoned by the Love Curse, and being condemned to eternal damnation, he is willing to do it all...

But she was heartless.

We agreed to walk side by side, but halfway through, I'll push him into a desperate situation.

"The powerful and influential in the court are deeply entrenched, the Xiao family's faction is everywhere, Consort Xiao wields immense power in the harem, and Prince Duan, Li Huan, is even more cunning and scheming... Xue Liu, you will need my help in the future..."

He was willing to inflate his "exploitable value" just to gain a little pity.

For a heartless and ungrateful woman, she has fallen to this state.

He felt utterly ridiculous...

Xue Sui, however, was determined not to use his former benefactor again.

"No need. Please return first, Your Highness. I will do everything I can to remove the curse from Your Highness."

Li Zhao's expression changed slightly, as if his heart had been torn in two.

Half of it remains aloof and solitary, like the bright moon in the clouds.

Half of it has already fallen to the dust.

"Xue Ping'an!"

Li Zhao's eyes were bloodshot, like burning red sand, fragmented, but when he saw the dazed look in her eyes, he suddenly chuckled, his eyebrows curving into crescent moons.

"If you remember this kindness, then keep your promise. You helped me bring down Prince Duan, and I will ensure that your name is cleared..."

Xue Sui's fingertips dug into his palm, but his voice remained restrained and calm.

"Does His Highness intend to continue the transaction?"

Li Zhao lowered his eyes and glanced at her, his gaze deep and serious: "In that case, it's not impossible."

Xue Sui asked, "What will you exchange it for?"

"Take this—" Li Zhao chuckled, his laughter tinged with broken ruthlessness, as he stuffed a golden tiger tally into her hand. The lines of his palm rubbed against the back of her hand, burning hot.

"The six guards of the Crown Prince's palace are at your disposal. Is that enough?"

Xue Sui clutched the golden tiger tally; even through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could feel his scorching body temperature. The Love Silk Gu surged within her blood, and she suddenly felt breathless.

Li Zhao has gone mad.

He must have been bewitched by love and gone completely mad.

Xue Sui gritted her teeth and pushed it back, "Not enough!"

Li Zhao suddenly leaned forward, pinning the man against the wooden table, and ripped open the collar of his black outfit—

Beneath his loose robes lay a taut physique, damp with a thin layer of sweat. His shoulder line was sharply defined, and a gruesome arrow wound pierced his left arm, still covered in unhealed scabs.

The wound was deep.

Xue Sui suddenly felt uneasy.

Almost instinctively, she pressed against his chest.

Li Zhao chuckled softly, his warm breath mingling with the scent of plum wine, guiding her hand to trace the throbbing of his veins and then to the scar.

"How about adding me?"

His voice, tinged with suppressed pain, uttered another low, hoarse murmur.

"My fate, my body."

The moment their skin touched, Xue Sui looked at the blazing fire in Li Zhao's eyes and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

"Your Highness, you are of noble birth and worth a fortune. How can you be so cheap?"

"Only for Consort Xue." He tightened his long arm, lifted her onto the wooden table, bit her collarbone, and spoke in a muffled voice.

The fabric Xue Sui was wearing was very light, thin, and soft, so smooth that it made him lose his senses, spreading a sweet and unbearable tingling sensation throughout his body.

"Li Zhao!"

"Shh-"

Because of the height difference, Li Zhao had to bend his knees against the wooden table and hunch his back to subdue her. Xue Sui took the opportunity to elbow him in the shoulder, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it around. Helpless, she reached into his waist and tickled him.

Li Zhao grunted and retaliated, pulling her back, his knee accidentally bumping into an embroidered stool...

The two of them immediately fell into a heap.

"Your Highness, what kind of nonsense is this?"

"Consort Xue, I've come to collect a debt!"

The rage, coupled with the iron chains of identity, was scorched by the Love Silk Gu, causing one's blood to surge.

Li Zhao didn't understand the art of pleasing women; he only knew how to express his desires in the most direct way, his obsession seeping into his very bones. He was fierce and manic, like a hungry beast devouring its delicious prey, wanting nothing more than to eat her whole...

He was not a rigid scholar who clung to traditional ethics, and he never cared about worldly opinions...

Before this imperial edict, we could still deceive ourselves.

But once he is recorded in the clan genealogy, how can he break free from the constraints of social norms and titles?
Xue Sui was the designated Princess Consort of Duan, and she was related to the Emperor's elder brother...

"I will defy the will of Heaven."

“But Your Highness is now pushing me into a fire pit.”

"You're saying I'm... a pit of fire?"

boom!
The sleeves fluttered.

The spilled plum wine, mixed with the cool fragrance from Li Zhao's clothes, brewed into an intoxicating poison in the cramped space.

"Back then at Puji Temple, I saw you trembling in pain, yet you gritted your teeth and remained silent. I knew then that..."

"What do you feel?" Xue Sui couldn't see his face clearly, but she felt that his scorching breath was like a bonfire burning in the cold night, making her back tremble.

“There is light in your eyes.” Li Zhao gently touched her earlobe, his fingertips stroking her hair, and held her even tighter.

"The same is true now."

Xue Sui remained silent and motionless.

But he did not go any further.

Instead, he quietly stared at her blinking eyelashes, half-kneeled on the ground, and slowly helped her sit up. His gaze followed her disheveled clothes to that patch of white jade, marked with scars of varying depths.

Even after using the scar removal ointment he sent, the scars still haven't faded completely.

"Does it hurt?"

he asked again.

Then he kissed the faint old scar, like a knight taming a wild horse soothing a frightened cub...

The sound of rain hitting the eaves became clearer.

Tick ​​tock!

Tick ​​- tick -

Like a disordered heartbeat, or a broken, mournful melody, Li Zhao's trembling Adam's apple could barely conceal the whispered words tinged with grievance.

"Ping An, please help me..."

His forehead pressed against hers, his voice tinged with an unprecedented vulnerability. "I can't hold on any longer."

The hem of her dress brushed against her calves, sending a shiver down her spine.

Xue Sui struggled only for a moment.

A barely perceptible moment.

She was tightly bound by a large hand, glanced at the prescription for relieving the poison, and quietly fell to the ground, soaked in plum wine.

The jade belt fell to the ground with a deep, muffled thud.

She obediently followed Li Zhao's lead, letting him vent his dissatisfaction, feeling his rapid heartbeat beneath her clothes, her breath seemingly stolen from her...

"Safety."

Li Zhao stared intently at him.

His eyes swirled with an almost obsessive greed.

"Don't look at me like that..."

He closed his eyes slightly, his voice becoming hoarse and strained as he breathed heavily and whispered.

"I didn't want to be like this... so despicable..."

"His Royal Highness..."

Xue Sui's words were cut off by his kiss.

The kiss carried a punitive undertone, an extreme crushing force, yet it softened when his gaze fell upon her furrowed brow. His nose brushed against her sweaty temple, like a wounded beast soothing its equally aching prey…

It gradually slowed down.

Gradually tightening...

The sound of rain fell into their clasped hands.

"Peace," he whispered hoarsely.

The exhilaration spread through my spine, reaching straight to my mind...

He gripped her supple waist, his mind going blank for a moment...

An unprecedented level of exhilaration.

It corrupts people.

He heard himself let out a low sigh, like a silkworm at the end of spring, spinning out its last thread.

Addicted, trapped in the gentle haven created by the love potion...

"I shouldn't have let you go to the Prince Duan's mansion back then." He sighed contentedly, his fingertips tracing the scar on her lower back.

Xue Sui looked up at the red-hot charcoal stove.

A moth, its charred wings curled, clung to the embers with a hissing sound, like the joyful cry of a love potion coursing through its veins…

She knew that something had shattered in tonight's rain...

For example, reason; for example, a way out.

"I'm leaving." Li Zhao bent down and kissed her sweaty temples, then hooked his hand in hers.

Seeing that she was silent and not looking at him, he paused in the act of fastening his belt.

"From now on, my life belongs to you."

"The mountains and rivers are our bond, life and death are our curse."

The last few words were mingled with the whistling wind from the eaves, as light as the trembling sound of lingering rain falling onto a bluestone slab.

The plum wine on the table had long since gone cold, but Xue Sui felt a burning sensation in his heart.

She sat by the window, watching the morning light bathe the half-rolled medical book on her desk in soft light, her fingertips tracing the watermarks winding down the windowpane, and suddenly sighed.

Whether it's the love potion or the life-saving grace, they have now become the threads of this grand scheme, inextricably intertwined.

The only thing she was certain of was that from this night forward, her fate and Li Zhao's were intertwined, like wine and water in this rainy night, inseparable...

Unless, on the day the love curse is lifted.
-
At the fourth watch of the night, the sudden rain had just stopped.

Li Huan stepped into the mansion through the muddy bluestone slabs, his boots splashing up tiny water droplets.

The guard hurriedly crawled out from under the corridor and saw that his face was as cold as ice and his hair was still damp from the rain. He hurriedly greeted him.

"How was last night?"

Li Huan glanced at the tightly closed windows of Tanqiu Courtyard, his voice carrying the chill of an autumn night.

The guard lowered his head, his back tense.

"Your Highness, the candlelight in the concubine's room went out around 3 AM, and I did not see anything unusual."

Last night, a sudden downpour came, and the two of them took shelter in the side room to warm themselves by the fire. Unexpectedly, the warmth of the charcoal brazier made them sleepy, and they couldn't keep their eyes open no matter what they did, until they were awakened by the sound of the night watchman's drum.

They genuinely had no idea whether anything unusual had happened.

However, fearing the prince's wrath, they dared not reveal the truth.

Li Huan frowned slightly.

Thinking of how he had gone to see the imperial envoy in the rain last night only to be disappointed, he remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Go down."

Turning around, she caught a glimpse of half a purple magnolia petal on the ground, the color Xue Sui often wore in her hair.

He walked over, then turned back to pick up the petals, glanced at the lintel of Tanqiu Courtyard covered with fallen leaves, went back inside to change and wash, and then rode off to court.
-
The fifth watch drum sounds, and the golden palace bell tolls.

The court officials, their robes fluttering, filed in single file along the imperial road according to their rank, heading towards the Zichen Palace.

Li Huan walked slowly forward, stepping on the morning bell, and happened to see the Eastern Palace ceremonial guards turning past the coiled dragon screen wall.

Li Zhao dismounted from his carriage before the steps.

The sunlight after the rain shone on the white marble steps, making his python-patterned court robes shimmer and ripple. His black hair was perfectly styled, and his jade-like profile was bathed in a soft glow, making him look as handsome as a god descending to earth.

Li Huan deliberately stood at the foot of the steps, waiting for him to approach before bowing in greeting.

"Wishing Your Highness a good morning."

Li Zhao raised his hand in a gesture of support, his eyes smiling as he said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities."

The morning breeze carried the warm, lingering scent of ambergris from the prince's robes, mingling with the crisp, clean scent of the rain-soaked flagstones, gradually permeating the golden palace after the rain...

Li Huan straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the Crown Prince's brows, and he was slightly startled.

His Highness the Crown Prince today truly radiates with health and vitality, like the morning sun in spring.

Li Huan smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince looks very well. Is there some good news?"

Li Zhao turned the jade thumb ring on his thumb, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The Imperial Pharmacy has just presented me with benzoin, and I slept soundly last night, hence my refreshed state."

Li Huan casually asked, "Three days from now, I would like to host a banquet at my residence to celebrate the investiture of my concubine, Lady Xue, as she is to be granted the title of Imperial Concubine. Would Your Highness be willing to grace us with your presence?"

Li Zhao touched the black jade pendant at his waist, his smile clearer than snow and autumn water.

"Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated. I will certainly attend the banquet..."

Looking at his nonchalant and carefree demeanor, Li Huan unconsciously tightened his grip slightly under his sleeve.

Could it be that he guessed wrong?
Li Zhao had no improper thoughts about Xue Liu.

Neither of them overstepped their bounds.
-
When the court session ended, Gu Dianbu, the newly appointed official of the Court of State Ceremonial, was waiting in a side hall.

He was wearing brand-new official robes, his hair still glistening with morning dew, and his face was very solemn.

Seeing the two princes approaching while talking, he quickly adjusted his hat and belt, and bowed deeply to the ground:
"Your humble servant Gu Jie greets Your Highnesses."

Li Zhao's eyes darkened slightly as he looked at him without saying a word.

Li Huan gently raised his hand and smiled, "Lord Gu, there's no need for such formalities. I've heard that you've made great strides in your new post as a registrar at the Court of State Ceremonial, which is truly commendable..."

Gu Jie looked at him with a beaming smile and gave a slight bow.

"Your Highness, I have come to present the envoy's visiting card."

Li Huan gave an "oh" and smiled, "His Majesty is resting in the side hall at the moment, so it may be inconvenient to summon him. If Lord Gu has important matters to attend to, he may entrust me to convey them..."

Gu Jie bowed slightly, his voice steady, "Your Highness, High Priest Amenlah of Xiz has sent an envoy to the capital, presenting coral and jade discs as gifts. He hopes to cease hostilities with Great Liang, establish trade relations, and maintain friendly ties for generations to come..."

Li Zhao: Everyone, who is Ping An saying is crazy?

Reader: ...Some idiot has gone mad!