Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 489 Return
Forget your worries?

Xue Sui stared at him without saying a word.

Tian Shu frowned slightly, his gaze complex and unreadable.

"Even if we are lucky enough to find it, it may not be able to break the love spell between you and Li Zhao. Ping An, do you want to try?"

Xue Sui stood still.

Looking at him, it seemed as if they were trying to read something from his face.

Finally, she closed her eyes and said, "I'll try."

Tian Shu's pupils contracted slightly.

Even if it means nine deaths and one chance of survival?

"Of course. I want to live." Xue Sui's voice was clear and without the slightest hesitation. "As long as what Senior Brother says is true. As long as Senior Brother stops lying to me."

Looking at the pale yet stubborn face before him, Tian Shu seemed to see again the little girl who struggled to get up from the muddy Old Mausoleum Swamp, her eyes as fierce as a wild wolf.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Mount Ulan, the source of the Chishui River—whether you can find it depends on your fate."

"Okay. I'll go find it..." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute chill.

"But Li Zhao must never know about this."

Tian Shu felt a tightness in his chest and slowly nodded.

"I see."
-
When they returned to the palace, the lanterns were already lit.

Inside the brightly lit Pifang Pavilion, Li Zhao leaned against a soft couch, fully clothed, holding a book in his hand. His eyes were slightly closed, as if he had fallen asleep, and a trace of fatigue lingered between his brows.

Hearing footsteps, he immediately opened his eyes.

Upon seeing that it was Xue Sui who entered, his expression naturally softened.

"You're back? How's your mother?"

"He's asleep." Xue Sui walked over, stretched out her arms, hugged his waist tightly, rested her head on his shoulder, and absorbed that reassuring warmth.

“My mother suddenly remembered some old things and became agitated… She kept insisting on going back to Xiz.”

Li Zhao put down his book, put his arm around her shoulder, and gently squeezed it.

"Once this busy period is over, I will arrange for a grand procession to send her back to see her homeland."

"what about me?"

"Of course you can't leave." Li Zhao chuckled, flicking a strand of her hair with his fingertip. "You have to stay with me, watching the days and nights pass by, year after year."

Xue Sui didn't reply, but snuggled even closer into his arms.

He was the emperor, and his word was law; every word he uttered was a promise.

But the emperor was not free.

With the new dynasty newly established and everything in ruins, he couldn't leave the capital. Nor could he abandon everything to accompany her to the western frontier in search of that faint glimmer of hope.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp, clean scent of pine and ink emanating from him.

"Li Zhao."

"Ok?"

"I'm a little tired, give me a hug."

She never easily shows weakness, and even less often does she display such a tender and affectionate demeanor.

This moment of tenderness made Li Zhao warily lower his head and scrutinize her face.

"What's wrong? Did you suffer some injustice?"

Xue Sui shook his head and looked up at him.

In the candlelight, his eyebrows and eyes were deep and handsome, and his jawline was clear and sharp.

She suddenly reached out and touched his prominent Adam's apple, her fingertips teasing it.

"I was wondering, how could you be so...handsome?"

Li Zhao chuckled, grabbed her mischievous fingers, and kissed them.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I am a man, what use is this handsome appearance to me?"

Xue Sui smiled too, his eyes seeming to sparkle like stars.

"I feel happy looking at it."

"Then I will let you see it every day, see it to your heart's content, see it for a lifetime."

"overbearing."

“I’ll be domineering then.” Li Zhao lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers, their breaths mingling, his voice deep and seductive, “I came back early today on purpose, wanting to make up for the tenderness we missed last night, to have dinner with you again, and to listen to your idle chatter…”

His breath brushed past my ear, carrying an ambiguous invitation.

Xue Sui didn't answer, but instead leaned in and kissed his lips.

The kiss was lingering and deep, as if she had used up all her strength and passion.

Li Zhao was slightly taken aback, his eyes surging with emotion. He held her tightly in his arms and deepened the kiss, taking the initiative.

The book slipped to the ground and was ignored.

He carried her and walked step by step toward the inner palace.

The palace maids withdrew silently, and the heavy curtains were lowered.

The night was thick, the air thick with the scents of the night. Candlelight flickered around their intertwined figures, casting shadows on the warm tent, revealing delicate moments of tender intimacy. Even their breaths were tinged with sweat.

As the night deepened and all was quiet, the moonlight outside the window faded...

Xue Sui opened her eyes, lying in his arms, gazing at the blurry embroidery on the top of the tent, listening to the steady breathing beside her, her fingers unconsciously pressing against her heart.

Tonight, the love potion is unusually docile, as if it too has been tamed by that ultimate satisfaction...

But she knew that day would eventually come.

Siz, she has to go too.

Whether for her mother, or for herself and Li Zhao...

If one of them had to die in the end, she hoped that by then she would be far away. Only then could she sever his ties and weaknesses, freeing him from worries and allowing him to soar freely without distractions.

She gently turned over, and in the dim light, carefully traced Li Zhao's sleeping face, as if this moment were forever.
-
The following days passed peacefully.

Empress Dowager Xie took the little princess to a hot spring palace on the outskirts of Beijing for rest and recuperation.

With no elders in the palace and fewer constraints, Xue Sui felt much more at ease.

Li Zhao was as busy as usual, only returning to Pifang Pavilion during his lunch break and dinner. Xue Sui had plenty of free time, and became unusually patient and gentle.

She personally took care of his daily needs, and sometimes she would wait for him in the imperial study, brew a pot of hot tea, and keep him company as he read memorials until late at night. Sometimes, when the mood struck her, she would order a chessboard to be set up in the waterside pavilion, and they would play a few rounds of chess by candlelight to relieve their fatigue.

She even mastered the art of massage and acupressure, frequently easing his muscles and bones.

She was tired, so she leaned on his shoulder to rest for a while.

She was sleepy, so he carried her back to her bedroom.

Such days are peaceful and warm, like those of an ordinary couple in the city.

Li Zhao sometimes felt that she was a little too docile.

But upon closer inspection, all that could be seen was a smile and a look of satisfaction on her face.

He asked her if she was bored, and whether she wanted to summon a noblewoman to the palace to keep her company, or if she wanted to go for a walk outside. She always shook her head and said that this was fine.

He woke up late that night and found that she was not asleep, but was leaning against the headboard, quietly watching him.

Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft, warm glow on her face, but her eyes remained deep and unfathomable.

A sudden tightness gripped his heart. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"If I sleep too long during the day, I'll wake up after a short nap... but then I'll be too tempted to look at His Majesty's sleeping face, and then I won't feel sleepy anymore."

"Nonsense." His voice was hoarse from just waking up. He pulled her closer, his chin gently brushing against her smooth forehead, his tone full of affection and coaxing.

"How long have you been awake? Why didn't you call me?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly and leaned down to place a light kiss on his cheek.

"Seeing you sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bear to disturb your sweet dreams."

He chuckled, then wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Since I'm not sleepy, then... let's find something else to do?"

"Here we go again..." She reached out to push his shoulder, but it was too weak to move.

He had just tormented me before I fell asleep.

He easily grasped her wrist and pressed it against the side of the pillow, while his other hand reached under the quilt and gently tickled her snow-white ankle.

She flinched and couldn't help but gasp softly.

He chuckled softly, his breath mingling with light panting, his fingers like nimble little snakes, slowly tracing the contours of her skin, causing her to lean against him obediently. Only then did he lower his head and capture her lips, his burning heat slowly penetrating hers…

Sweat soaked their hair, their lovemaking intense and passionate, even time seemed to slow down...

Everything was peaceful.

It was as calm as a bottomless lake, concealing all the undercurrents beneath...

Li Zhao was busy with state affairs and did not delve into the unease that suddenly crossed his mind, assuming that it was due to his mother's recurring illness.

Until that day—

He summoned his officials to the Xuanzheng Hall and discussed matters until late at night. The officials argued heatedly about the issue of military farming in the northwest and the allocation of military funds, and their voices were so loud that they almost lifted the roof off the hall.

When he returned to Pifang Pavilion, exhausted, all was quiet.

The hall was brightly lit by candles, yet eerily quiet.

He suddenly felt a void in his heart.

"Safety?"

He called out, but there was no answer.

"Peace—" He strode into the inner palace, but the bedchamber was empty; the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.

The air was filled with her usual fragrance of orchids, and the quilt was neatly made, but it lacked that comforting warmth.

Li Zhao's heart sank.

"Xiao Zhao, where is Her Majesty?"

Xiao Zhao came in as soon as she was called, her face somewhat pale.

"His Majesty."

Li Zhao's gaze swept over her frightened face, finally settling on the desk by the window.

The celadon brush washer and calligraphy practice books that she used to keep there were now mostly empty.

Under the sandalwood paperweight, there was a plain letter.

He walked over and picked up the paper.

The few lines of ink on the paper, slender and powerful, seemed to express all the writer's determination.

"Your Majesty has finally become a wise ruler, but I am not a trapped bird. My mother is ill and longs to return home, so I have gone west. Do not think of me, do not look for me."

Li Zhao stared at the line of words, his expression suddenly changed, and his hands trembled uncontrollably...

Bang! A fist slammed onto the table...

The lamp tipped over, the flame flickered briefly, and then went out abruptly.

Acrid blue smoke rose in wisps, filling the bedchamber...

"Someone come here!" Li Zhao's voice was extremely hoarse, and a storm suddenly gathered in his eyes.

"Prepare the horses—"

The moonlight, like water, poured down for thousands of miles.

An ordinary-looking green-canopied carriage had already traveled a hundred miles out of the capital and was speeding along the official road toward the western frontier under the moonlight.

The rumbling of the cart shafts swiftly pierced the still night...

On either side of the vehicle, more than ten riders dressed in black collars and followed closely behind in two rows. Each of them was wiry and alert, scanning the open field.

Inside the carriage, Xue Sui shed her palace attire and removed all her hairpins and ornaments, revealing a neat and simple Hu-style outfit. Gone was her gentle charm; only a cold and aloof expression remained.

Jinshu and Ruyi stood silently by her side, their expressions worried.

On the soft cushion in the corner, Yukihime took a calming medicine and fell into a deep sleep. The carriage was bumpy, and she slept very restlessly, her brows tightly furrowed, and occasionally a few indistinct words escaped her lips.

"Mother, just bear with it a little longer, we'll be there soon." Xue Sui tucked the blanket around her and looked out the carriage window.

The night was dark and the distant mountains were like dark eyebrows, all was silent.

The wind lifted the carriage curtain, sending in the scent of sand and dust from the open field.

The road ahead is uncertain, and there is no end in sight.

(End of this chapter)