Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 380 A Pact of Love

Xue Sui lay on the soft couch, watching Xiao Zhao grind ink.

Ruyi stumbled in, her face deathly pale, her voice trembling with tears, "That Lord Zhou, in front of the East Palace gate, smashed his head against a pillar. Blood was everywhere! He was... he was still shouting... shouting for Your Highness to kill... that witch..."

She couldn't continue speaking; tears streamed down her face.

Xue Sui frowned and looked out the window.

The sky had darkened at some point, with thick clouds forming.

"No wonder...it's windy..."

Her voice was very soft, almost like she was talking to herself, "It looks like it's going to rain again."

“Miss…” Xiao Zhao walked to her side, “Do you need to pack your luggage?”

Xue Sui turned around and glanced at her.

After many years together, Xiao Zhao still understands her heart best.

“There weren’t many of my things here to begin with…” She stood up, her movements unsteady from illness, but her tone was unusually calm.

"Keep it light, just bring the necessary clothes and medicine."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the outside of the hall, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"But my mother... I'm afraid she'll have to stay at the Crown Prince's Palace for the time being."

Xiao Zhao nodded, "This servant will go and make the arrangements."

Ruyi then realized what had happened and hurriedly asked, "Miss, should we leave here? Should we... inform His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Bring me pen and ink," Xue Sui instructed her.

Within the Eastern Palace, how could her every move escape Li Zhao's eyes? His immediate arrival at the scene of the upheaval at the Xue residence was proof enough that he was always watching her. Therefore, all she needed to do was leave a letter explaining the situation.

The ink spread across the plain paper, writing a long, flowing piece...

She looked at it for a moment, then finally brought the letter closer to the candlelight beside her.

I picked up my pen again and wrote only eight characters.

[Let's temporarily avoid the turmoil and wait for your safety.]

The letter was folded neatly and placed securely under the vanity case.
-
It got completely dark very quickly.

A fierce wind howled, and large raindrops pelted down, shrouding the world in a misty haze.

Xue Sui changed into the clothes she had brought from the Shuiyue Nunnery. She hadn't touched any of the magnificent brocades that Li Zhao had prepared for her these past few days.

The texture of the coarse cloth evokes a long-lost sense of familiarity.

She looked closely at her newly grown gray hair in the bronze mirror, then picked up the plain gauze hat she hadn't worn in a long time and carefully put it on.

A white veil fell, concealing her pale face.

Without alerting anyone, she led Xiao Zhao and Ruyi through the many corridors, holding an umbrella as she headed towards the side gate of the East Palace.

The guards, seeing the three of them arrive in the rain and dressed like this, were astonished and quickly bowed, "Sixth Miss Xue, what brings you here...?"

Xue Sui spoke calmly with a smile through the white veil of her veiled hat.

"By order of the Crown Prince, I am leaving the palace on business. Please open the door, sir."

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Crown Prince's high regard for this young lady was known throughout the palace.

They had doubts, but dared not stop it.

The small door slowly opened, and the wind and rain, carrying a damp and cold atmosphere, rushed in.

The world was in chaos, and the cold was biting.

"Young lady, take care of yourself."

Xiao Zhao quickly stepped forward, using her slender body to shield Xue Sui from the wind and rain, her voice full of heartache, "If I had known it would be so cold outside, I really should have brought that thicker cloak..."

Xue Sui smiled and gently patted the back of her hand to indicate that it was alright.

The three of them walked quickly out of the palace gate. Xiao Zhao found a carriage shop with familiarity with the place and hired a slightly worn donkey cart with a green canopy. She helped Xue Sui get in and sit down.

Unexpectedly, before they had gone even half a mile, a heart-stopping sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

"Xue Ping'an!"

A roar pierced through the heavy rain and mist, echoing down the long street.

Ruyi shuddered in fright.
"Miss, it's His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Xue Sui heard it.

She sighed softly and drew back the curtain.

The thunderous hoofbeats pounded through the puddles of the long street. Li Zhao's figure was like a black lightning bolt tearing through the rain curtain. In the blink of an eye, the man and his horse charged forward.

Mud and water splashed.

The horse neighed loudly and reared up, blocking the donkey cart.

"Road!" The driver, an honest old man, was terrified when his straw hat tilted to one side.

"You, you...who are you...at the foot of the imperial city...what are you going to do..."

Li Zhaojing tightened the reins, his eyes blazing as he looked at the donkey cart.

"Xue Ping'an, where are you going?"

He was soaked to the bone by the rain, and didn't even have time to put on a cloak. The thin brocade robe clung tightly to his body, and water droplets rolled down his cold, hard chin, making him look extremely disheveled...

Seeing this, Xiao Zhao gave the driver some silver, saying, "Uncle, could you please take shelter under the eaves over there from the rain? My young lady needs to say a few words to this gentleman... Thank you for your help..."

The driver took the silver and fled as if he had been granted a pardon.

Li Zhao dismounted and rushed to the donkey cart. He pulled back the curtain, and his tall figure, carrying a heavy dampness and a sense of oppression, instantly enveloped the small carriage.

"Speak, I want to hear what you have to say."

Xue Sui met his gaze through the white veil.

"Your Highness, please let me go."

"Don't even think about it." A terrifying storm was raging in Li Zhao's deep eyes.

He suddenly grabbed her wrist with such force that Xue Sui let out a low groan, feeling as if her wrist bones were about to be crushed.

"Be gentle, you're hurting me."

"Pain?" Li Zhao's voice was terrifyingly low, each word seeming to be forced out from his chest, carrying burning anger.

"You think you can just leave without causing me pain?" "Don't you understand my feelings, Your Highness?" Xue Sui looked at his handsome face, washed by the rain, and his eyes filled with anger, trying to keep her voice calm. "As long as I stay in the Eastern Palace, Your Highness's crimes will be confirmed. Lord Zhou's blood, flowing on the steps of the Eastern Palace, will also flow into the hearts of the people of the world. That will be Xiao Yan's excuse for sending troops, and it will become a target for those people to attack Your Highness."

"You think they'll shut up just because you left? That Xiao Yan will withdraw his troops? Xue Ping'an, when did you become so naive!"

Xue Sui said softly, "At least if I leave, Your Highness can deal with those treacherous officials without worry..."

Li Zhao leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming even more intense.

"No. If you leave, they'll only escalate their actions, saying I'm guilty, that I'm incompetent, that I can't even protect my own woman..."

Cold rainwater drifted in through the open car curtain.

The clothes of the two people were soaked.

"Let me tell you, if this empire falls because of a woman, then it deserves to fall. They want to say I'm bewitched by women? Fine! I'll show them! They want me to hand you over to appease their anger? They'll have to step over my dead body..."

He stared at Xue Sui's suddenly changed face and sneered dangerously, "Xue Ping'an, listen to me clearly—in my life, I have wronged everyone in the world, but I will never wrong you."

These words struck Xue Sui like a heavy blow.

“Your Highness…” Xue Sui began, a sudden lump forming in her throat, “That’s precisely why I must leave. I cannot, and do not wish to, become Your Highness’s Achilles’ heel, the knife the enemy uses to stab Your Highness… and I cannot allow Your Highness to bear the blame for me…”

"Can't I bear this infamy?" Li Zhao roared. "I don't care. Anyone who dares to use you against me, I'll rip out their tongue and chop off their head. Killing one isn't enough, I'll kill ten! Kill a hundred! Until no one dares to speak out..."

That chilling killing intent was made without any attempt to conceal it.

Xue Sui frowned and said, "Your Highness, using killing to stop slander will only allow resentment to fester. It will give the enemy more excuses to stir up trouble..."

"So what?" Li Zhao seemed to have heard the most absurd joke. He suddenly tightened his wrist, pulling her forward from the carriage and causing her to crash into his soaked, cold embrace.

"Xue Ping'an, you underestimate me. I don't care about the infamy I bear, or how much blood I shed... As long as you are here, watching me... how I present this vast land to you!"

The heavy rain poured down relentlessly.

Their warm bodies pressed tightly together through their clothes, and Xue Sui could clearly feel his rapid heartbeat...

She tilted her head slightly, looking into that almost obsessive gaze, and amidst her utter helplessness, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"Where does Your Highness think I should go?"

She softened her voice, her tone both soothing and sly.

"My mother is still lying in the Eastern Palace, her life hanging in the balance. How can I leave? The blood debt is not yet settled, and the great revenge is not yet taken. Where can I go?"

Li Zhao stiffened and looked down at her.

"Weren't you going to leave me?"

"It's just a stopgap measure." Xue Sui took the opportunity to gently withdraw his hand, rubbing it through his sleeve. "You see, after all this commotion, everyone saw it, and His Highness had no choice but to comply with public opinion and send away the witch..."

Li Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly understood.

"...Xue Ping'an, are you plotting against me again?!"

Let everyone watch him arrive in a rage, watch them confront each other in the rain.

This woman...

She's both incredibly clever and utterly despicable...

Li Zhao angrily wiped the rain off his face, straddled the donkey cart, yanked down the curtain to block out the rain and mist, and stared intently at Xue Sui...

Just when she thought he was about to interrogate her, he suddenly lifted the thin veil in front of her eyes and lowered his head to kiss her.

Xiao Zhao and Ruyi blushed and tactfully turned away.

The patter of rain masked the slightly hurried breathing...

Xue Sui froze at first, then slowly softened in that cool gentleness...

Their breaths mingled, and raindrops clung to her eyelashes like shattered stars.

Li Zhao cradled that little face in his hands, unable to hide the tenderness and warmth in his heart...

Xue Sui's eyes softened, her heart swelled with the warmth of the rain, and she breathed heavily as she leaned against his shoulder. "I'm going to stay at Wen Jia's villa for a few days. It's quiet there, and... I can also take care of a personal matter. I'll come back after this storm has passed and Xiao Yan's rebel army has been wiped out..."

Li Zhao slowly released her, his forehead pressed against hers, his eyes red: "Really?"

Xue Sui asked with a smile, "When have I ever lied?"

"Anytime." Li Zhao said coldly, his voice muffled.

"Nonsense..."

“You…” Li Zhao lowered his head and couldn’t help but kiss her cheek again.

He paused for a moment, then his gaze fell on her brow, earlobe, and neck, lingering for a few more kisses...

"If you dare to deceive me, I will not forgive you."

"I wouldn't dare." Xue Sui looked at him, her eyes seemingly filled with tears, and smiled slightly. "If Your Highness delays any longer and catches a cold, I will truly become a source of trouble. Let's go back. Ruyi and Xiao Zhao are here; that's enough."

Li Zhao looked at her intently.

After a long pause, he exhaled a heavy breath and released her. "Be careful in everything you do. Don't let me regret letting you go."

"Understood, Your Highness..." Xue Sui's lips curved into a smile. "Go back quickly and change into some dry clothes. Ginger soup will warm you up. As for the injury on your back... let the imperial physician take a look."

"Mmm." Li Zhao tapped his cheek, signaling her to take the initiative to be affectionate.

Xue Sui's ears burned, and he poked him hard with his finger.

"Let's go quickly. Does Your Highness lack confidence in yourself? Are you afraid I'll run away?"

"You heartless little brat!"

Li Zhao glanced at her with complicated emotions before reluctantly getting out of the car, standing with his hands behind his back, deliberately keeping a straight face.

"Xue Ping'an, you'd better watch yourself..."

Having said that, he abruptly flicked his sleeves and mounted his horse.

With a long neigh, the horse galloped away, carrying that tall figure, and plunged into the rain, quickly disappearing around the street corner.

Xue Sui lowered the carriage curtain, leaned against the carriage wall, and sighed silently, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

"Let's go."

The wind and rain are dark and gloomy, and the road ahead is unclear.

It won't be easy for her to stand shoulder to shoulder with him and carve out a path to survival amidst the chaos of this world...

　Li Zhao: It's almost the end of the month, ladies, don't forget to send Xue Ping'an your tickets!

　　Xue Sui: ...It was clearly what I wanted.

　　Erjin: Hand raised! I admit it, it's me!
　　(End of this chapter)