The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Pfft—"

Li Shuang was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, her voice as clear and crisp as a silver bell breaking ice.

"Would Your Highness like Mu Liang to serve you?"

"Mu Liang is strong and definitely more exciting than the weak scholar."

"In this freezing weather, you still managed to warm His Highness's bed up nice and cozy."

She followed Tang Xixue with small steps, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Tang Xixue stopped and turned her head to the side.

The candlelight cast a soft, warm gold hue on her perfect profile, softening her usual aloofness and unapproachability.

She reached out and gently touched Li Shuang's smooth forehead.

"Li Shuang, you've become utterly lawless."

There was no blame in his tone; instead, it was like a spring breeze caressing the newly thawed lake, conveying only a gentle indulgence.

Li Shuang covered her forehead, completely unafraid.

She was one of the four maids who had followed Tang Xixue since childhood. Although she was officially a mistress and servant, their bond was exceptionally deep.

"Really, Your Highness!"

"Mu Liang has such a great figure! You wouldn't believe it, his waist is so narrow, and then all that goes down are long, straight legs!"

She counted on her fingers to herself, her eyebrows curving into crescent moons.

"Oh? Really?"

Tang Xixue looked at her with amusement.

"Of course it's true! If Your Highness feels that Mu Liang alone isn't considerate enough, isn't there his twin brother, Chao Han?"

Li Shuang became even more excited when she thought of Chao Han, the commander of the guards of their Changsheng Palace.

"Those two, their features and builds are exactly alike, both are of superior quality!"

"If you put these together, wouldn't that be double the happiness?"

"Hmm, that makes sense."

Tang Xixue couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

"..."

Mu Liang stood there, completely numb.

His tall, upright figure, over 1.9 meters tall, was usually a silent and reassuring barrier in this deep palace, the most reliable support in the princess's shadow.

But at this moment, those broad shoulders and backs that could easily lift stone locks and break iron bones were taut like a fully drawn bowstring, every muscle stiff.

He could only straighten his back even more, making himself like a spear truly driven into the ground.

Using all his willpower, he suppressed the pounding of his heart that felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

Tang Xixue lay on the phoenix couch, the brocade quilt and embroidered blankets had been changed by Li Shuang, and were warmed by silver charcoal and infused with a faint calming fragrance.

"Tomorrow morning, have Fuyi take my warrant and retrieve several indentures."

"The four of you, plus Chaohan and Muliang. Don't leave out a single one."

Li Shuang paused in her movements, then looked up in surprise:

"Your Highness, this..."

"Take it."

Tang Xixue interrupted her, her tone resolute and unquestionable.

"In addition, you and Qingdai should take an inventory of all the unused ornaments, fabrics, and jewelry in the Changsheng Palace storeroom, except for those that were bestowed by the emperor and are on record as untouchable."

"Let Weiyu find a reliable way to secretly pawn everything and exchange it all for universally convertible silver notes."

"Your Highness!"

Li Shuang was truly stunned this time. She hurriedly took two steps forward, lowered her voice, and looked bewildered.

"What...what are we doing? Are we...going to run away?"

"right."

Tangxi Xue answered crisply and decisively.

"After all, we've attracted too much trouble."

"But Your Highness, His Majesty... His Majesty will always protect you, won't he? You are a princess!"

Li Shuang's voice was slightly choked up, but more than that, it was filled with confusion and worry.

"My brother will no longer protect me."

Tang Xixue gently interrupted her, her voice revealing a weary certainty.

"Shuang'er, we cannot place our hopes on the kindness of others."

"Especially in this palace..."

"The kindness of others is the thinnest and most fragile glass cup in the world."

After he finished speaking, there was complete silence.

Within the book of fate, four loyal and devoted young faces—Li Shuang, Qing Dai, Fu Yi, and Wei Yu—still so vivid with their smiles, have now become a few cold footnotes on the dossier:

He offended Princess Shenyan and was exiled to the northern frontier; the circumstances of his death are unknown.

There is also the chill of dawn and the coolness of dusk.

Those silent, upright twin brothers, one in the light and one in the dark, protected her for more than a decade.

The Book of Fate says that they fought to the death for her, the elder brother's blood stained the white marble steps of the Hall of Longevity, and the younger brother's bones could not even be recovered intact.

The thought sent a chill down my spine, freezing my limbs and bones. More than anything, I felt resentment.

She doesn't believe in fate! Nor does she accept it!

"Your Highness, don't be afraid."

A deep, steady voice came from the deepest shadows of the bedchamber.

Beside the heavy, brocade-woven curtains, Mu Liang had quietly risen to stand at the boundary between light and darkness.

The candlelight cast a warm glow on his silent profile, while the other half remained hidden in darkness, yet it did not diminish the resolute seriousness in his eyes.

He looked at Tang Xixue and spoke slowly, each word carrying immense weight:

"My brother and I will always protect you."

"Until the end of our lives."

Tang Xixue stared at the tall, unchanging figure at the edge of the shadows, her throat suddenly choked, and a surge of hot heat rushed to her eyes without warning, blurring her vision instantly.

She is not fighting alone; even though her reputation is now ruined, there are still people who remain loyal to her.

She will do everything in her power to protect her people.

"Your Highness, what about Shuang'er?"

Li Shuang's voice rang out at the right time, but it was less playful than usual and more solemn than ever before.

Even if... even if that day really comes, and His Majesty no longer wants you, and this palace can no longer accommodate you.

She sniffed, trying to make her voice sound more reliable:

"Shuang'er won't go anywhere; she'll stay by your side the whole time."

Tang Xixue suppressed her surging emotions and looked up again, her eyes now calm and deep as ever.

"Qingdai".

"This servant is here," Qingdai responded and stepped forward.

"I have no use for those medical books in the study."

Tang Xixue had already memorized all those medical books.

"You're in charge of taking inventory."

Qingdai's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately understood the princess's intention. She asked softly:

"Your Highness, these books... ordinary bookstores probably can't handle them, nor can they afford the price. What should we do with them?"

"Sell them all to the Divine Physician Zheyue, and remember to charge a high price. Si Xingxuan is richer than a country, so there's no need to pity him."

Tang Xixue tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening, like a little fox secretly fiddling with an abacus.

"This is a treasured possession that I reluctantly parted with."

Qingdai nodded seriously:

"Yes, yes, I've got it. I'll definitely get a good price for Your Highness."

"If His Majesty knew... that His Highness was selling off the imperial treasury and even discarding the medical books He had given His Highness, wouldn't he be furious?"

The sound of the light rain was extremely low, like a feather brushing against a taut string.

"Brother, he has already been angry because of me too many times, one more time won't make a difference."

Tangxi Xue said this very softly.

Anyway, he was completely disappointed in me.

Those five years consumed not only her own reputation and dignity, but also the repeated futile attempts and forgiveness of her elder brother, the supreme ruler, and ultimately, his heart turned cold.

"He gets tired too."

Tang Xixue lowered her head, looking at her clasped hands, her fingertips tightening slightly.

"I see."

Therefore, there is no resentment, no entanglement, and no expectation that the sibling bond, which has long since thinned to the point of morning dew, can be rekindled.

What she needs to do is stop being a burden or a hassle for the other person.

I will no longer trouble my elder brother.

This was the last act of compassion she could offer.

"By the way, why haven't I seen Chao Han all night?"

She looked around the warm pavilion, where candlelight flickered and curtains hung heavy. Apart from the twilight chill hidden in the shadows, the figure who always stood tall in the light, like a pine tree, guarding her before her palace, was nowhere to be seen.

A subtle unease crept into my heart.

Mu Liang's voice remained steady, but seemed a few degrees deeper than usual:

"My brother has been taken to the execution platform to receive his punishment."