The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Yun Hua misspoke."

Shen Yan lowered her eyes and admitted her mistake, her long eyelashes concealing the fleeting resentment in her eyes.

Just because she is an orphan, while Tang Xixue is a princess of the Chenyao Dynasty, does that mean she can't even have complaints?

What makes Tangxi Xue so special?

Why did she once have the status of her brother's fiancée, and why is she now able to have her brother catch a murderer for her late at night?

Isn't it just because they have noble bloodlines?

Jealousy, like a vine, silently tightened its grip on the heart.

"My brother used to hate her so much, I just feel sorry for him having to do something he doesn't want to do."

She raised her eyes, her gaze filled with tears, a sight that evoked pity in me.

"I am standing here perfectly fine because she saved me in the hunting grounds. So, everything I am doing now is done willingly."

Shen Xian spoke calmly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze, yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

Recalling the scene of Tang Xixue riding a horse, drawing her bow, and shooting an arrow at a tiger during the day, his heart could no longer remain calm.

In that instant, she was no longer the gaudy and arrogant princess in my memory, but the blazing sun, radiant and sharp.

Its radiance was dazzling and blinding.

People used to say that Tangxi Xue was the most beautiful woman in the Nine Provinces, but he never thought so.

At that time, she was dressed in gorgeous clothes, adorned with gold and silver, her head full of pearls and jade that made it hard to breathe, and her makeup was so gaudy that it was disgusting.

But now, she is simply dressed in a white robe, without any makeup, as if she were a soul formed from snow and a spirit forged from moonlight, a celestial being who has mistakenly entered the mortal world.

"We really have to thank her."

"I never realized she was such a good archer..."

Shen Yan said insincerely, her gaze wandering, when she suddenly caught sight of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion high above.

The speaker paused.

She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the two figures standing side by side in the attic.

"Brother, look up at the Moon-Viewing Pavilion... isn't that Princess Mirror and the Imperial Preceptor? What are they doing? It can't be... a secret rendezvous, can it?"

She spoke the last three words very softly, yet they resounded in Shen Xian's ears like a thunderclap.

He suddenly looked up.

The moonlight was like silk, and the snowflakes shone like silver.

On the high platform of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, Tang Xixue and He Lichen, their robes fluttering, stood side by side in front of the open, carved window.

The distance was too far to see the expression clearly, but the figure was extremely close, so close that it... exceeded the bounds of propriety.

Shen Xian felt his heart being instantly gripped by an invisible hand, and a sudden, aching pain surged up unexpectedly.

"They might be having a meeting."

He heard his own voice, dry and rough, like sandpaper rubbing against his throat.

"Your Excellency, how could such a celestial being possibly have a secret rendezvous with her..."

Even I felt my words sounded weak when I said them.

"Your Excellency, it seems we've been discovered."

Tang Xixue said with a smile, her tone showing no panic but rather a hint of joy.

The moon sets over the snow, its bright light clearly outlining the figures of the two people.

"What was discovered?"

He Lichen was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly regained his composure.

It doesn't matter if they are seen; they haven't done anything out of line—at least not yet.

"They've discovered our... affair."

Tang Xixue tiptoed, her eyes clear and sparkling, like glass cups filled with peach blossom snow.

Taking advantage of the moment he was distracted, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed his beautiful, soft lips.

Since we're already here, wouldn't it be a waste not to try this high-altitude flower?

The moment their lips touched, He Lichen's eyes suddenly turned deep and unfathomable.

It's like a glacier breaking apart and a snowfield catching fire.

Those eyes, clear as a cold pool, were now shrouded in a misty haze, and the corners of their eyes gradually turned crimson, like cherry petals moistened by spring dew.

The snow instantly took on a lustful hue, and the ethereal, aloof beauty of the banished immortal suddenly burst forth with breathtaking allure.

Her beauty was unparalleled, like a pearl or a dewdrop, breathtakingly beautiful.

He Lichen felt his mind was in complete chaos, like a sudden downpour in midsummer, washing away all his reason.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to hurt my chest, and my blood was surging in my ears.

This time, he was fully conscious, and it was precisely because he was conscious that the fear was more real and more intense.

His whole body felt numb, and he didn't even have the strength to push her away.

He could only breathe heavily in a low voice, his Adam's apple bobbing. His suppressed gasps broke apart between his intertwined breaths, making one want to crush him, dismember him, and swallow him whole.

The Imperial Advisor is so passionate, it's almost too alluring.

Tang Xixue originally intended to just have a taste, but he seduced her so much that she became trembling with desire and fell into his clutches.

"Splash—"

The porcelain bowl shattered on the ground with a crisp, piercing sound.

Shen Xian stared blankly at the two figures that were almost merged into one on the high pavilion, the food box in his hand had already slipped from his grasp.

Hot soup was poured onto the snow, creating a white mist that blurred his vision.

An unfamiliar heartache suddenly pierced my heart like a dagger.

Pain.

His wife, whom he once looked down upon, is now embracing and kissing the Imperial Advisor, who is as pure and untouched as the bright moon in the sky.

The scene was so beautiful, like a dream, yet it pierced him awake.

It turns out that some things only hurt when you lose them.

I didn't like it before, but now that it's been taken away, I feel extremely sad.

"Brother, your hand is injured!"

Shen Yan saw the bloodstains on his hand from the broken porcelain and grabbed his wrist in alarm.

Fresh blood dripped from his palm, blooming into dazzling red plum blossoms on the snow.

Her face was also filled with shock, and a hint of barely perceptible jealousy.

Tang Xixue, how dare she—

That was their Lintai Siyue, a lofty flower admired by the entire Nine Provinces, a banished immortal from the clouds.

How did she end up... eating it?

Shen Yan suddenly thought absurdly—

Could Tangxi Xue offer a course?

High above the pavilion, the snow kissed by Tangxi melted the ice and snow.

Even as their breaths became ragged and they had to part, a thin strand of saliva remained between their lips, glistening faintly in the moonlight.

He Lichen felt that she had probably gone mad.

Otherwise, how could they find even a moment's separation unbearable, let alone...

They even shamefully craved that bit of warmth.

She was as sweet as frost soaked in nectar, more intoxicating than the strongest wine.

At that moment, he felt his whole body burning hot, from his lips and teeth to his fingertips, every inch of his skin was burning silently.

"The Imperial Preceptor has pleased me greatly," Tang Xixue said, tilting her head. Her white silk ribbons fluttered like butterflies in the breeze. "The moonlight tonight... is sweet, and it's also very hot."

She wasn't talking about the moonlight; she was clearly talking about him.

"Your Highness, please stop bullying me."

He Lichen's eyes were tinged with a thin red, and her voice was hoarse and out of tune, like a string that had been soaked in snow water and then dried by the wind.

That pure and ethereal demeanor was now shattered into pieces, leaving only an unspeakable shame and panic.

Tang Xixue smiled slightly, like a smug little fox, her eyes sparkling with a sly glint.

"Okay, then I won't bully you anymore."

She turned and left decisively, her snow-white cloak swirling in a cloud-like arc by the door before disappearing around the corner of the stairs in the blink of an eye.

He Lichen slumped back into her chair in a daze, as if all her strength had been drained away by that kiss.

He watched the direction she had left in, and heard Song Jun's footsteps approaching from afar. He hurriedly grabbed a soft blanket from the side and covered his knees with it.

"Sir, are you...are you alright?"

When Song Jun pushed open the door, this was the scene that greeted him—

The Imperial Advisor, who was always aloof and untouched by worldly affairs, now had reddened eyes, strikingly vibrant lips, slightly disheveled clothes, and was surrounded by a lingering, damp aura.

The overwhelming desire was breathtaking and captivating.

Songjun gasped, and the lantern in his hand swayed.

"You...you've already..." He choked, blurting out, "Sir, you wouldn't...be unable to perform, would you?"

He realized he had spoken out of turn and hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

But the words were already out of his mouth. Looking at the Imperial Preceptor's flushed face, he was momentarily at a loss for whom to pity—

Princess Mirror?

Or is it their own Grand Preceptor, who seems like an immortal but is probably not very experienced in reality?

"Songjun—"

He Lichen's voice suddenly rang out, trembling with shame and anger.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

He gripped the soft blanket on his knees tightly with his fingertips, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"Get out."

Song Jun shrank his neck, but still couldn't help glancing at his tightly covered knees. With a complicated look in his eyes, he retreated and gently closed the door.

The pavilion returned to silence.

He Lichen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Beneath the blanket, some unsettled emotions were still surging beneath the surface.

He recited the "Heart-Cleansing Mantra," the words rolling through his mind, yet unable to suppress the lingering fragrance of the crabapple blossoms.

—She is not snow.

It was clearly a wildfire that started.

With just one kiss, he almost burned away the ice and snow that he had cultivated for many years into a wisp of smoke.