The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Brother Emperor."

A languid, soft girl's voice gently interrupted the emperor's impending thunderous wrath.

The sound came from behind the gauze curtain.

Tang Xixue did not get up, remaining in the position of half-lying on the Imperial Preceptor He Lichen.

She simply turned her head slightly, peering through the hazy veil at the furious figure.

She adjusted her position, making herself more comfortable nestled in the cool embrace of the person beneath her.

Then, in a tone that was almost innocent yet tinged with sweet distress, she slowly began to speak:

"The Imperial Advisor and I... are deeply in love and perfectly matched."

"The spring night is too short, Your Majesty, your presence disturbs my peaceful dreams..."

She paused, drawing out the last syllable, her tone carrying an obvious hint of coquettishness and complaint.

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

After he finished speaking, the bedchamber fell into a deathly silence.

Only He Lichen's suddenly heavy, yet desperately suppressed breathing could be clearly heard in the silence.

Tang Xixue could even feel the ice-jade-like body beneath her tense up to the extreme, as if it would shatter completely in the next instant.

A smile curved her lips, and she breathed softly into He Lichen's ear, like a lover's whisper:

"Your Excellency, what do you say... is it or isn't it?"

At the same time, her hand quietly slipped into his disheveled clothes, her fingertips icy cold, with an irresistible force, and caressed his firm and slightly trembling chest, slowly drawing circles.

The posture was incredibly tender, yet her eyes, in the shadows, shone with an astonishing light, devoid of any lust, containing only a blatant, all-or-nothing threat—

Go along with her, or they'll both fall into the abyss.

He Lichen closed his eyes, the celestial dew and pearls were stained with dust, and snow fell at night.

Long eyelashes cast deep shadows on her pale, almost transparent face, like the wings of a dying butterfly.

The surging medicinal power within him was tearing his reason apart.

What made him even more desperate was that this crazy woman on top of him was really capable of anything!

The mad, do-or-die glint in her eyes left him no doubt that if he were to utter a single "no" at this moment, she would absolutely dare to do something even more shocking and leave him speechless in front of the Holy Emperor!

He almost ground his teeth to powder, and his tongue tasted a faint metallic rust.

After a long pause, a single, extremely low, hoarse word, as if forced out from the depths of the throat, escaped brokenly:

"……yes."

His voice was extremely dry, completely different from his usual clear and melodious tone, yet strangely, the hoarseness and restraint added a touch of indescribable compromise and ambiguity.

Outside the gauze curtain, the emperor's pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost crushed the jade thumb ring on his hand.

He even doubted whether he had heard correctly.

Inside the gauze curtain, Tang Xixue, having received a response, chuckled softly, a laugh so sweet it was almost intoxicating.

She even went so far as to press her cheek against He Lichen's neck, nuzzling him, then raised her wet eyes to look at her elder brother outside the gauze curtain, urging him in a sweet voice:

"Your Majesty, you see... even the Imperial Advisor said..."

He Lichen's body was stiff and cold, as if she had been completely frozen by ice and snow.

He could feel the emperor's gaze falling like a solid ice blade.

He had to end this farce as soon as possible because he felt he was about to lose control.

Using all the self-control he had ever possessed, he forced himself to speak again. His voice was still hoarse, but it carried a forced air of cold, dignified authority befitting the Imperial Advisor.

"His Majesty……"

"Please leave."

"Don't... disturb us."

The last few words were so soft they were almost inaudible, yet they struck like a heavy hammer in the silent palace, and also in the ears of Emperor Shengchen.

Tang Xiye was completely stunned. The surging anger in his heart almost made him want to draw the sword at his waist and chop the Grand Preceptor into mincemeat.

He stood outside the hazy veil, watching the indistinct figures inside, and listening to the unprecedented, almost indulgent order to leave, spoken by the usually noble and aloof Imperial Advisor.

Emperor Shengchen stood beside the magnificent screen, his knuckles white from clenching his fists beneath his black dragon-patterned wide sleeves.

Throughout his life, he had been a master strategist with keen insight into human nature, yet at this moment, his mind was completely blank, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Imperial Preceptor...He Lichen?

That person, dressed in simple white robes, untouched by worldly affairs, was regarded as a banished immortal, a celestial being of the empire, a being of pure and untainted beauty.

Is this... being possessed?

He wasn't known for being a clean freak, not allowing anyone to get within three feet of him?

He was not detached from worldly desires, regarding beautiful women as withered bones, but was secretly admired by countless noble ladies as an unattainable ice and snow from the heavens?

At this moment, those slender, jade-like hands, which held only a divination board and a vermilion brush, actually touched his imperial sister.

What a beast in human form!

Hypocritical!

What an utterly despicable thing!

An unnamed rage surged through his mind.

He had rushed here to uphold justice after hearing that the Imperial Preceptor had met with misfortune at the Hall of Longevity, and had even prepared to severely punish his audacious younger sister.

More importantly, he secretly worried that the imperial advisor might kill his sister in a fit of anger.

But in that fleeting glimpse, through the gaps in the disheveled gauze curtains, the Grand Preceptor's eyes, usually as calm and still as an ancient pool, seemed to be pierced by blazing embers, churning with an undercurrent he had never seen before.

And that almost inaudible response, yet clearly carrying suppressed gasps and indescribable emotions…

The position of Imperial Advisor was voluntary.

This realization was like a poisoned ice needle, pricking his temples and making them throb.

He was even more enraged than when he heard that the Imperial Advisor had been forced!

He would rather He Lichen be a victim, a helpless puppet under the "Drunken Immortal" miracle drug!

At least that way, everything still has a logic to follow, and guilt can be determined!

But if it's voluntary...

Then what is he, the emperor, standing here at this moment?

In a passionate and mutually agreeable affair, what is the most unsightly and superfluous onlooker?

Absurd! Utterly absurd!

His face was a mixture of pale and bluish-white, with faint veins visible on his forehead.

No! We can't let them continue to be so confused!

Even though his sister's personality changed drastically five years ago, and her behavior became increasingly eccentric and unpredictable, causing countless troubles, she was still his sister after all.

Even the most powerful imperial advisor in the land could not possibly sleep with her in such an ambiguous way!

not to mention……

Suddenly, the image of his younger sister's pale and fragile face since childhood flashed through his mind, her delicate constitution requiring careful nurturing and unable to withstand the slightest hardship.

How can anyone bear... at this moment, the national master of traditional Chinese medicine might lose his mind and make insane demands?