The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

As the crowd dispersed, the clamor subsided into a cool breeze passing through the corridor.

Seeing that Tang Xixue did not rush towards Shen Xian as usual, nor did she have any quarrel with Shen Yan, but simply finished tidying up and left gracefully, Shen Nian was greatly disappointed, and his plan to watch the show completely failed.

At this moment, Tang Xixue, dressed in a scarlet skirt, brushed across the smooth ground, her steps unhurried, surrounded by an almost transparent sense of detachment.

This lofty and aloof appearance seems unattainable, as if separated by clouds.

She walked alone through the long corridor, turned past the peeling red lacquer moon gate, and at the corner of the snow-covered courtyard, she saw a figure standing quietly with a book under a vigorous snow bamboo.

Shen Xian.

He wore a moon-white inner robe, covered by a light blue brocade cloak, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and his figure was as slender as bamboo.

The fine snow fell silently on his shoulders and hair, but he was completely unaware, simply standing there as if he had been waiting for a long time.

This scene truly embodies the saying, "A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world."

He only looked up when Tang Xixue approached.

His gaze was calm and unwavering, and when he spoke, his voice was gentle and clear, yet like icicles on a cedar tree, it carried a chilling coldness.

"Just now in the lecture hall, it was crowded and Yunhua tripped and fell. I reached out to help her up, which was just a normal act of care between siblings, and I had no other intentions. I hope Your Highness will not make things difficult for her afterward because of this."

He stayed there instead of leaving with the others, just to plead his case to his sister Shen Yan and draw a clear line between them.

"Yunhua is just my younger sister. My future wife will only be you. You really don't need to be so paranoid, causing trouble and making things awkward for each other."

His gaze fell on her face, with an almost pitying scrutiny, as if he were admonishing an ignorant child.

"But Your Highness should also know that after you marry into the Shen family, you will need to be more restrained in your words and actions in front of your relatives and elders."

"The Shen family has a long tradition of scholarship and etiquette, and they value rules and regulations. If Your Highness continues to act impulsively, I'm afraid they... will make things difficult for you."

His words were sincere, and his demeanor was poised; he appeared to be concerned about his fiancée's future.

But beneath that gentle tone, every word exuded a cold detachment.

Tang Xixue listened quietly as he finished speaking.

Behind me, an old plum tree was blooming in the cold, its gnarled branches covered in snow and its red calyxes shining brightly.

She stood amidst the shadows of plum blossoms and the glow of snow, her soft, peach-colored silk dress seemingly adding a touch of poignant warmth to the surrounding chill.

The soft, snow-white cloak kept out the chill.

Her black hair flowed freely, and the icy tassels at her temples swayed gently with her soft breaths, refracting tiny, cold stars.

Her voice was very soft, like snowflakes falling in the quiet courtyard:

"Shen Sinian".

She called him by his courtesy name instead of the stubborn "Brother Xian" she used to call him.

"The marriage between us was something I forced upon you back then. I know you are unhappy about it."

Shen Xian was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to bring up this unspoken old story so bluntly.

Tang Xixue raised her eyes, which had once been filled with infatuation and love, but were now as clear as stars in a cold pool, and looked at him. There was no ripple in them, and not even a trace of the past emotions could be found.

"I don't want this engagement anymore. And I don't want you either."

"I will not marry you, so you don't need to lecture me."

"This is the end between us."

As she spoke, she extended her left hand.

On her fair wrist, she gently removed the fine mutton-fat jade bracelet that had been a gift from the Shen family during their engagement.

The jade bracelet felt warm to the touch, lingered on her fingertips for a moment, and was then placed into Shen Xian's subconsciously outstretched, slightly cool palm.

At the same time, her right hand reached towards his waist—where hung a jade pendant carved into a hexagonal snowflake shape, with an ice-blue silk tassel hanging down, which was the engagement token from back then.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her movements were swift and decisive. With a gentle hook, she unlocked the jade pendant that had been with him for many years.

"I'm setting you free."

She withdrew her hand and held the snowflake jade pendant in her palm, the cool jade against her warm skin.

"Young Master Shen, may we both find peace in the future."

After saying this, she stopped looking at the astonished expression on his face, nodded slightly, and completed the final courtesy.

She turned around, her peach-colored skirt sweeping across the snow-covered ground, raising a few fine snowflakes, and walked towards the outside of Lintai without looking back.

Shen Xian stood there, stunned.

He suddenly looked up and gazed at her resolute departing figure.

That peach-colored hue gradually disappeared into the shadows under the eaves and the swirling snow, light and resolute, like a snowflake that could not be grasped no matter what.

"Snow on Tangxi..."

Shen Xian murmured unconsciously, and the jade bracelet in his palm, which was still warm, suddenly became scalding hot.

"This must be... another one of your pranks, right?"

He didn't believe it.

He couldn't believe that the girl who had chased him throughout his youth, who had knelt before the emperor begging for this marriage contract, and who had devoted all her infatuation and joy to him, would personally sever all of this.

This must be her new tactic of playing hard to get, a little tantrum she threw because of his closeness with Shen Yan.

However, inside the imperial study, the bright candlelight illuminated a different scene.

"Nonsense!"

A deep, cold roar rolled across the silent palace like thunder.

Emperor Tang Xiye, dressed in a black casual robe, sat behind his desk with his brows furrowed and an aura of suffocating pressure emanating from him.

"Back then, you knelt outside the Chengtian Palace for an entire night to obtain this marriage decree! Now you think you can settle things with just a few words?"

"Tang Xixue, do you take my decrees as a child's game, something you can take whatever you want?"

Tangxi Xue was not intimidated by the emperor's wrath.

Instead, she stepped forward, extended her slender, fair fingers, and gently pinched the corner of Tang Xiye's dark sleeve, giving it a very slight shake.

When she tilted her head back, her eyes, as bright as stars, were misty with moisture, and her long eyelashes were wet, making the corners of her eyes slightly red.

"Brother..."

Her voice was so soft and sweet, it was so pitiful.

"Shen Sinian... he's not good to me. He only cares about his sister, protecting her at every turn, afraid that I might bully her."

She sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"Is it because my brother doesn't love me anymore that they dare to bully me like this?"

Tang Xiye pursed his thin lips into a sharp line, said nothing, and looked down at her with an eerie aura, as if a storm was brewing.

The next moment, the girl who had been tugging at his clothes and seemed timid made an even bolder move.

She deliberately bypassed the imperial desk and sat directly on the edge of the dragon throne, which symbolized supreme power.

Then she stretched out her arms and hugged Tang Xiye's arms without saying a word.

Warm breath, carrying the faint, cool fragrance of crabapple blossoms, brushed against the emperor's tense neck.

"Brother...please help me, okay?"

This call was filled with dependence and grievance.

Tang Xiye's body stiffened visibly for a moment, her broad shoulders and back taut as if made of iron.

But deep down, my heart is incredibly soft.

"Nonsense..."

"How old are you? Still acting like a spoiled child..."

He finally spoke, his voice still deep, but without the thunderous power of before, instead carrying a hint of indulgence.