Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 350 Invitation

"Your Highness." Xue Sui put down his pen, stood up, and greeted him.

Li Zhao's gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

"You may all leave now." He stood with his hands behind his back before the table, calmly instructing the attendants in the hall, "I have a few questions to ask Master Miaozhen."

"Here."

The palace maids bowed their heads and filed out, and the palace doors were gently closed.

Only two people remained in the side hall.

Xue Sui met his gaze, her eyes clear and bright.

"What can Your Highness do for you?"

Li Zhao stepped forward slowly, the undercurrent beneath his sharp eyes so swift it was impossible to grasp.

"What have you been doing these days?"

Xue Sui's eyes remained calm. "While at the Xue residence, I served medicine to my grandmother and aunt. Your Highness knows all my other whereabouts..."

Li Zhao did not respond, but simply took two steps forward.

The space in this side hall was not large to begin with. He was tall and upright, and as soon as you approached, the scorching heat he brought from the blazing sun forcefully invaded the air around Xue Sui, bringing an invisible pressure.

"Safety."

When he opened his mouth, his voice was lower than usual.

"Hmm?" Xue Sui felt a slight chill.

"I've heard some rumors..."

Li Zhao took out a thin letter from his sleeve.

It was ordinary bamboo paper, with irregular marks on the edges as if it had been cut by a sharp tool.

Li Zhao's gaze was fixed on her, his movements seemingly ordinary, yet he was unwilling to miss any subtle change in her face.

Xue Sui reached out to take it.

Just as her fingertips touched the paper, Li Zhao's hand lifted almost imperceptibly by half an inch.

"The Crown Prince just intercepted intelligence that the Old Mausoleum Swamp has been making frequent moves in the Western Frontier... Ping An, it seems you are being watched."

His voice was lowered even further, almost a whisper, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

"There are still people in the capital city who are colluding with Xiz's wolf guards? Ping An... is he aware of this?"

The last sentence carries immense weight.

Xue Sui's hand clenched slightly, and she suddenly looked up at him, decisively snatching the letter from his fingers.

Li Zhao: "..."

Watching Xue Sui's almost "grabbing" action, a very low chuckle escaped his throat, carrying a hint of helpless indulgence.

"Master Miaozhen is very agile."

"Compared to His Highness the Crown Prince's skill in climbing through windows and removing tiles, it's still far inferior."

"..."

Xue Sui lowered his eyes and quickly unfolded the letter.

The content is cryptic, pointing directly to the unusual activities of the Old Mausoleum Swamp in the Western Frontier, but it does not mention specific names or details about the Xizi Wolf Guard.

She calmly folded the letter and handed it back to Li Zhao.

“You shouldn’t have kept it from me,” Li Zhao said in a slightly somber tone.

"The time is not right, there's no point in saying more." Xue Sui looked up and stared directly at him.

“Xue Ping’an!” Li Zhao said in a deep voice.

This time, instead of accepting the letter, he took advantage of the situation to cover her wrist as she tried to pull it back, holding it firmly in his palm, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Is it because I'm not trustworthy that you're so wary of me?"

His fingertips, tinged with the heat characteristic of a martial artist, enveloped her wrist in an extremely ambiguous manner, his fingertips gently caressing her, the sensation hot and distinct...

Xue Sui's heartbeat went out of control for a moment.

"Your Highness doesn't tell me everything. We each have our own perspectives, so there's no need to reveal everything... Knowing too much about some things can actually be a burden."

Li Zhao's eyes were deep, and his fingers tightened slightly.

With a sudden pull, he drew her into his arms—

"You are mine, how are you a burden?"

Xue Sui glared at him, "I'm not yours, I'm mine..."

Li Zhao then said, "Then I am yours."

Xue Sui felt embarrassed but also somewhat amused. Just as she was about to push him away, the voice of a palace maid came from outside.

"Your Majesty, please slow down and watch your step."

"Your Highness, the Empress has arrived!"

broken!

Empress Xie has arrived.

Xue Sui's mind went blank; he felt guilty even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

She instinctively pulled her hand away.

Li Zhao remained calm and composed, seemingly unsurprised by his mother's appearance. He calmly tucked the letter into his sleeve, gently tapped two fingers on her forehead, then took a half-step back and walked expressionlessly toward the door, bowing respectfully.

"Why has the Empress Dowager come?"

Empress Xie's gaze lingered between the two of them for a moment.

The frost on their faces mingled with the chill of the ice basin, creating a barely perceptible stillness in the air...

Silence fell. Xue Sui was immediately in a state of utter panic.

After a long while, Empress Xie slowly walked in, gracefully sat down in the main seat, and tapped her nose with a smile.

"What is the Crown Prince still saying to Master Miaozhen?"

Li Zhao replied frankly, "Regarding the Empress Dowager's diet and medicine, Master Miaozhen has unique insights into pharmacology, so I asked a few more questions..."

Empress Xie glanced at him and said with a faint smile, "It's kind of you, Crown Prince, to have such filial piety."

As she spoke, she held a round fan, squinted her eyes, and gently waved it, as if trying to dispel the lingering ambiguity in the air...

"Is there anything wrong with my medical records?"

Xue Sui lowered her head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong. This humble nun has already prepared the prescription and will give it to Aunt Yu shortly."

"Hmm." Empress Xie responded, her gaze lingering on the woman's face for a moment, scrutinizing her for a sufficient time, before asking indifferently, "Does Master Miaozhen have any other instructions?"

Xue Sui calmly replied, "Your Majesty only needs to take the medicine as prescribed and rest quietly."

After saying this, he bowed and paid his respects.

"It's getting late. If there are no other instructions, I'll take my leave now."

She maintained her bowing posture, facing away from Li Zhao, without glancing at him or looking in the direction of Empress Xie.

The brief moment of physical intimacy and the instant she was caught made her feel as uncomfortable as a bird that had stolen someone else's rice.

I just want to escape this awkward Jiaofang Palace as soon as possible.
-
In June, the heat was intense both inside and outside the palace walls.

For several days in a row, Empress Xie did not send anyone to summon Xue Sui to the palace.

Xue Sui also kept a low profile, secretly gathering information on the movements of various factions in the capital.

That afternoon, Xue Yue'e's invitation to admire the lotus flowers was delivered to her residence.

On the exquisite gold-flecked paper, the small characters were written in a beautiful and graceful style.

She earnestly invited her sisters to a small gathering at the Prince's residence to admire the newly opened lotus pond, adding a note:

"The lotus breeze cools me off in the summer heat; I long to share this joy with my sisters."

Xue Sui sat by the ice chest under the window and put down the invitation.

“Go back and tell them that I am taking care of my grandmother at home and it is inconvenient for me to go.”

Jinshu replied, "Yes."

Ever since returning from the palace that day, a melancholy clouded the young woman's brow, and she became much quieter...

Especially last night, after receiving the secret letter sent by Tian Shu from the Western Frontier, the girl sat alone by the candlelight for most of the night, barely sleeping.

The eldest son said that there was progress in General Lu's case, but the situation was developing very strangely—before the incident, General Lu had three opportunities to break out, but he insisted on giving them up. Moreover, Xiao Yan arrested people without authorization and detained the commander-in-chief, and there has been no follow-up deployment for a long time.

In the letter, Tian Shu also subtly mentioned:
"There may be a mantis lurking around, waiting for the mantis to stalk the cicada. If Lu Youan is a bait deliberately laid out, then the Old Mausoleum Swamp is the fish that pounces... If we rush to rescue him, we may fall into a trap."

The girl burned the letter over the candlelight as dawn broke.

At this critical juncture, he naturally had no mind to deal with Xue Yue'e's formalities and etiquette.

"Sixth Sister..."

Seeing Jinshu about to leave with the invitation, Xueji suddenly called out to stop her.

Seeing that Xue Sui hadn't touched the bowl of mung bean soup in front of him, she gently advised him to stop.

Even if there are disagreements between sisters, they should still visit each other occasionally, so as to maintain appearances.

She picked up a round fan and gently fanned Xue Sui, "Besides... Ninth Miss, once you marry into the Wei Prince's mansion, you will be the Wei Prince's Consort, a position of great honor... She has taken the initiative to extend this olive branch; if you offend her, she will hold a grudge..."

Xue Sui raised her eyes and quietly glanced at her.

"Mother has never cared about these trivial matters of the inner quarters, but she's been talking a lot today?"

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Yukihime's face.

“In this world, gossip can be a real fear. I’m afraid… afraid that you’ll be gossiped about again, which will do you no good for your reputation…”

Xue Sui smiled faintly.

“In other people’s eyes, I am just a concubine’s daughter who has become a nun. Whether my reputation is good or bad, no one may really care.”

“I may not care, but if I am seen as a thorn in someone’s side, I will suffer humiliation for no reason…” Xue Ji’s eyes suddenly reddened. Thinking of her childhood experiences, her throat choked up as if a wad of willow catkins were stuck in it.

"Have you forgotten...? Those people thought we were easy to bully, so they pulled your hair, stole your cakes, gave you cold food, locked you in the woodshed, and you ran back crying, unable to even speak a complete sentence..."

The sun was blazing, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly.

The banana leaves in front of the steps were all curled at the edges from the sun, drooping listlessly...

Xue Sui glanced at Xue Ji's expression and gestured for Jin Shu to pick up the invitation. He paused slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Alright, Mother is right... If I don't go, people will say I don't know what's good for me. So let's go... Just consider it as going to see if there are any fish in the lotus pond at the Prince Wei's residence."

Upon hearing this, Xue Ji's eyes flashed with a relieved smile, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly: "That's exactly right. It's just admiring the lotus flowers and exchanging some pleasantries. Consider it... getting some fresh air and enjoying the scenery."

"Hmm," Xue Sui replied indifferently.

A gentle breeze blew.

Outside the window, a startled dragonfly crashed into the window screen and then flew away in a hurry.

"Jinshu, please prepare a gift for me, something appropriate for the occasion. Don't let anyone find fault with it."

"Sixth Sister..." Xue Ji's eyes were earnest, "The other day, Master bestowed upon me two bolts of cloud brocade with lotus scroll patterns. They are elegant and appropriate, and could be more fitting for the occasion..."

Xue Sui shook his head, looking at her eyes full of fervent expectation, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Mother, keep it for yourself and make a new dress."

Jinshu understood her meaning and said with a smile, "Don't worry, my lady, I will definitely not let you lose your composure... I will go and make the preparations now."

　Li Zhao: Xue Ping'an is getting bolder and bolder. He even dared to bring up the old grudge of climbing over windows and removing tiles in front of me. Will he count how many times I have climbed over the wall next time?
　　Xue Sui: I dare not count them, for they are probably more numerous than the weeds in Your Highness's garden.

　　Li Zhao: Damn...?
　　(End of this chapter)