Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 288 Cherish
Xue Sui chose to remain silent.

It's not hard to be a hard-hearted person; what's difficult is, in this tense situation, under Li Zhaochen's intense gaze, to utter those words of utter rejection...

She is a clear-headed and insightful person.

I don't want to intentionally hurt him...

But Li Zhao pressed on relentlessly, and the pain and resentment surging in his eyes made her throat tighten, forcing her to turn her face away.

"Xue Ping'an." Li Zhao suddenly leaned down, staring at her face, his nose almost brushing against her brow bone, his warm breath hitting her forehead, stirring a slight shiver.

"Give me a response."

"Your Highness." Xue Sui glanced sideways at the swaying tassels on the window frame, avoiding the overly hot breath.

"My injuries have mostly healed, I should go now..."

Li Zhao frowned.

Long, dark blue eyelashes cast sharp shadows beneath his eyelids.

"Zhang Huaicheng said that your lung meridians are still congested and you should not overwork yourself or take any risks."

“A living person can’t be trapped in a medicine pot to die. Nor can I be like a canary, confined to His Highness’s secluded bamboo grove…”

She paused and said softly:

"Besides, I have some personal matters that I need to take care of urgently."

"Private matters?" Li Zhao sneered, his Adam's apple bobbing violently at his white collar.

"Should we seek refuge with our former subordinates in the old mausoleum to resolve our predicament, or should we go and avenge ourselves against the vicious dog who stripped you of your clothes back then?"

Xue Sui raised his eyes.

The candlelight cast a half-light, half-shadow on the man's angular face, making it seem as if it were shrouded in an ancient, icy pool, yet deep within his eyes burned a blazing flame.

Her heart clenched suddenly.

"Since it is a private matter, Your Highness should not inquire about it."

"Is that so?" Li Zhao took a half step closer, the tip of his black boot landing firmly and powerfully on the blue brick in front of her.

"I've said it before, I snatched your life back from the brink of death, and I won't allow you to act recklessly."

“I know what I’m doing.” Xue Sui took a half step back, his tone distant and polite: “Your Highness, please rest assured.”

“You’re always like this…” Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently, his voice hoarse like a poplar tree worn by wind and sand, carrying the pressure of a superior, but revealing a hint of impatience at the end.

"Aren't you afraid that the assassination attempt on the Imperial Street will happen again? If I'm not by your side then, who will save you?"

Xue Sui remained silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the delicate flowers sway in the wind, yet there is no sigh.

As Li Zhao approached, he blocked the light, and their silhouettes overlapped on the screen. A thick, ambiguous atmosphere gradually fermented, as if crushing some kind of illusory tranquility...

"Your Highness." Xue Sui met his piercing gaze, her voice steady, but it felt like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

"Most things in this world are predestined and cannot be avoided."

"Have you considered the difficulties I would face?" Li Zhao asked.

"Your Highness should understand." The candlelight in Xue Sui's pupils shattered into two flickering clusters of light.

His taut face was reflected in the swaying branches.

"It is precisely for Your Highness's sake that I must leave. The path beneath Your Highness's feet is the imperial road leading to the throne, with the vast land before you, your reign over the world is just around the corner..."

She smiled, a bitter smile playing on her lips.

"Xue Liu is just a humble orphan girl. It is already a blessing that she could accompany you for a while. In this world, the beginning and end of relationships are all predetermined. They are but fleeting moments, so why not let each of us be at peace?"

The air solidified instantly.

The room was filled with the heavy aroma of medicine, weighing heavily on one's heart.

Li Zhao suddenly chuckled softly.

"You have such a silver tongue, you can really make black seem white."

Xue Sui shook his head and looked at him quietly.

“Your Highness, you are an extremely important person to Xue Liu. I grew up having to read people's faces and experienced the coldness of the world. Apart from my master and senior brothers and sisters in the Old Mausoleum, Your Highness is the only one who has ever given me warmth.”

Her voice suddenly trembled slightly as her fingertips traced the old scar on her wrist. "Xue Liu will never forget the fox fur coat His Highness threw to me in the snow at Puji Temple back then. That little bit of warmth sustained me through many cold nights. And that's why I must do everything in my power to protect His Highness's reputation..."

Li Zhao remained silent.

He had never heard such soft, honest, and unguarded words from Xue Sui's cold mouth before. They were so sincere that his heart tightened, and he couldn't bear to interrupt...

Xue Sui took a deep breath, met his profound gaze, and laid bare the cruelest reality:

“I do not wish Your Highness to be burdened with the stigma of colluding with the martial arts world and harboring assassins because of a woman of unknown identity and carrying a blood feud. Nor do I wish to leave any ammunition for criticism on Your Highness’s path to the throne. If Your Highness is to become an iron-fisted and wise ruler who bears the weight of the country, you should have a clean and upright imperial body without any stains, so that you can live up to the will of Heaven and bring peace to the people. You can command the submission of the world and leave your name in history.”

"Xue Ping'an".

Li Zhao suddenly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing against the newly grown white stubble at her temples, his gaze like an icy blade, low and dangerous.

"High-sounding reasons are nothing but excuses. You might as well just say it directly: you're not truly pleasing to me. If you liked me enough, why would you keep pushing me away and insist on leaving?"

He turned his head and gazed at her, his fingertips slowly sliding down, the calluses from the harsh winds and sands of western Xinjiang gently resting behind her sensitive ear.

The gentle caresses stirred a subtle tingling sensation on her skin.

His voice, too, seemed to have become low, hoarse, and burning from the action. "If you really want to consider my well-being—there's only one way."

"Please speak, Your Highness." Xue Sui did not flinch, letting the warmth of his fingertips touch her skin, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing the emotions in her eyes.

Li Zhao lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her pale lips.

"Let me settle all your deep-seated hatred and grudges."

"Your Highness knows it's impossible." Xue Sui's voice lowered, tinged with a helpless sigh.

"You are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of the nation. Your actions are crucial to the foundation of the country. Countless eyes are watching you in the court, and countless forces are waiting for their chance to act. Your Highness... must consider the bigger picture."

"The big picture?"

Li Zhao chuckled softly, his breath rippling across her forehead, his gaze sharp as he spoke each word with utmost deliberation.

"To me, you are the only big picture."

A gentle breeze swept through the hall...

The tassels at the corner of the curtain, rolled up, carried an almost suffocating chill...

The air currents inside the room were ambiguous and intertwined.

Looking into his burning gaze, Xue Sui suddenly placed her palm on his firm, warm chest. Through his clothes, she felt the steady, powerful beating of his heart, and a sharp, bitter feeling rose in her throat.

"Your Highness, I must leave."

She said softly, her fingers unconsciously curling up.

The warmth of his chest lingered on it.

"There are some things I must resolve myself before I can truly find peace..."

Li Zhao stared at her pale nape, watching the stubble of new hair gleam like pearls in the candlelight, his jawline taut.

After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out two words from between his teeth.

"what ever."

He released his grip on her arm.

As he turned around, he caught a glimpse of Xue Sui's hand clenched into a fist at his side, trembling slightly. In the end, he said nothing and resolutely left.

Xue Sui slowly sat down, as if all her strength had been drained. She felt a chill creep up from the soles of her feet, and her limbs felt numb as if they were immersed in ice water.

It's cold. It's really cold.

Suddenly, a very soft sound came from above.

"Xue Ping'an—"

Her heart skipped a beat as she met Li Zhao's gaze.

“Remember, your life belongs to me. You owe me, and I haven’t paid it back yet.” Li Zhao’s voice came from the doorway, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

"If you dare to lose even a single hair, I will tear down the old mausoleum and bury it with you."

The door creaked open, letting in a damp, chilly breeze...

Li Zhao stepped into the courtyard and walked further and further away.

The iron horse-shaped ornaments on the eaves were violently struck by the gale, making a rapid sound, much like the light, tinkling sound of the jade pendant at his waist as he walked through the snow on a bitterly cold snowy night many years ago at Puji Temple...

Xue Sui gazed at the empty doorway, her plain clothes fluttering in the wind.

Frail and courageous, she resembled a female bird about to take flight.
-
Xue Sui took his leave at dusk.

A light drizzle fell obliquely, wetting the bluestone path.

The horn lamp cast a warm yellow glow, making her face beneath the black veil appear pale.

Jinshu looked at her face and tightened her grip on the medicine bag strap.

Xiao Zhao bit her lip, turned around and gently closed the door.

Ruyi, however, couldn't keep a secret. She jogged to catch up, and her lantern bumped into Xue Sui's waist.

“Miss, this servant believes that His Highness the Crown Prince truly cares for you…”

"Ruyi!" Jinshu said in a deep voice, stopping her.

Ruyi let out an "oh," pouting as if she wanted to argue, but Xiao Zhao glared at her fiercely and pulled her so hard she stumbled.

"Sincerity should never be betrayed."

Xue Sui's words were as light as the wind.

With an undeniable resolve, it drifted into the unknown night...

“You have no idea how heavy the snow was at Puji Temple that year… If it weren’t for the fox fur coat that His Highness threw to me, I would have frozen to death under the artificial hill long ago.”

She crawled out of the mire, thinking her life was filled with nothing but blood and hatred, but in her darkest youth, she encountered the only light in her destiny...

The warmth he gave was too intense, too hot for her to ignore the thorns in his path, burdened by the weight of her blood feud...

Human kindness is something to be cherished.

She was merely a bloodstained shadow, not someone who could tarnish his path to the throne...

“This place is nice,” Xue Sui said softly, “but it doesn’t belong to me.”

In the courtyard of Youhuang Residence, the love flowers rustled in the night breeze, their red petals falling to the ground. The shadows of the master and servants were stretched long and thin by the lamplight, their footsteps shattering the light and shadow on the ground...