The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

As dusk settled beneath the plum tree, the thin snow on my shoulders resembled a light veil woven from moonlight.

He watched as Tangxi Xue slowly descended the stone steps of Guanyue Pavilion, her snow-white cloak billowing like flowing clouds in the night wind.

Each step shattered the frost on the steps, producing a faint sound like glass breaking.

"Your Highness, has the Grand Preceptor... given his permission?"

He raised his hand to brush the snowflakes off his shoulder, his voice low, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the snowy night.

"Um."

Tang Xixue's lips still held a lingering smile, a smile tinged with the languor of contentment, her voice light and quick like the clinking of icicles under the eaves, threatening to melt.

"I convinced him."

Mu Liang could tell that His Highness was in an extremely good mood—as good as a cat that had secretly drunk a whole jar of imperial wine.

His gaze swept lightly over her exceptionally rosy lips, their color as vibrant as a newly blooming peony, soaked in night dew and moonlight, with even a faint trace of moisture remaining at the corners, shimmering with an alluring warmth.

Is she sure... she "persuaded" him with words?

"Your Highness, although the Grand Preceptor is as upright and virtuous as a clear sky, he is also as unfathomable as an abyss. I fear he..."

His unfinished words lingered in his throat.

That man was too dangerous, like a lonely moon hanging in the vast sky of the nine provinces, its clear light shining everywhere, yet also chilling to the bone.

The proud sons of various nations were willing to condescend to the Lintai Pavilion, and the monarchs of all nations showed him great respect, all because he was the one who controlled the celestial orbits and glimpsed the secrets of heaven.

Such a person should live forever atop the clouds, untouched by the mortal world.

"Why can't the bright moon shine alone on the Hall of Eternal Life?"

Tang Xixue raised her hand to brush away the fallen plum blossoms from her temple, her fingertips tinged with a cool fragrance.

Even if he is unfathomable—

"I must explore that abyss."

Her eyes were slightly upturned, and her gaze was filled with a fiery light.

Once you've gotten involved, you should get involved completely.

Your Excellency, you are clearly a blank sheet of white paper, so pure it makes one's heart tremble.

When she applied a touch of vermilion, his face flushed crimson;

She splashed a touch of dark blue, and he blurred it with misty rain.

Since he'll settle scores with her sooner or later anyway, she might as well take advantage of his unsettled state of mind now and add a few more bold strokes to completely transform him into a painting that belongs solely to her.

Her lips were fire, honey, and a poisoned poppy.

This made him dizzy and disoriented, leaving him with no time to pay attention to rules, regulations, or moral principles.

The Grand Preceptor's heart, which had just begun to calm down, was once again stirred up by her reckless actions tonight.

"If Your Highness is happy, then that's good."

As dusk settled and his gaze fell, snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, condensing into fine frost.

"The Grand Preceptor certainly possesses an extraordinary appearance, and is barely... worthy of Your Highness."

He recalled that before, he had personally tied that banished immortal to the brocade bed.

Looking back now, it seems almost absurdly fatalistic.

He secretly resolved that he must practice his swordsmanship even more after returning to the palace—if His Highness was so good at attracting people, how could he protect her in the future if he didn't become stronger?

But then she thought, with He Lichen's cultivation level, if he really didn't want to, how could His Highness get close to him?

The last time we took Chinese medicine was perhaps an accident, but tonight, amidst the snow-covered pavilion and our intertwined lips and tongues... could that also be an accident?

Mu Liang closed his eyes briefly, letting out a low murmur: "A refined scoundrel."

His Highness is so wonderful; to have won her favor is already a blessing that person has accumulated over three lifetimes.

The Imperial Preceptor should be sensible and submit to His Highness.

"Si Nian greets Your Highness the Princess."

A gentle voice came from deep within the plum blossoms, like jade striking each other, yet carrying the chill of the night snow.

Shen Xian emerged from behind the gnarled snow plum blossoms, his sky-blue robe stained with unmelted night dew. His usually refined and smiling face was now shrouded in a thin layer of melancholy, as if white jade had been covered in dust.

"Your Highness, Yunhua greets you."

Shen Yan followed behind him and gracefully bowed.

She wore a light blue dress, with a simple silver hairpin in her hair. When her eyes were lowered, she looked like a newly blooming gardenia, pure and pitiful.

Only the clenched fingers hidden in his sleeve betrayed a hint of resentment.

Tangxi Xue stopped upon hearing the sound.

As she turned around, the snow-white cloak swirled in a ripple-like arc, echoing the blooming red plum blossoms behind her.

She stood between the lamplight and the flowers, her posture elegant and perfectly poised, her entire being exuding a natural air of nobility.

Her lips were so brightly colored they were almost blinding—like rouge made from crushed red plum blossoms.

"Minister Shen, Miss Shen, you may dispense with the formalities."

She nodded slightly, her voice clear and crisp, like a lotus leaf glistening with dew.

"I am grateful for your tireless efforts in handling the matters at the hunting grounds, Your Excellency, who worked through the night."

My gaze fell on his hands hanging by his sides.

Dark red bloodstains clung to his slender knuckles, and a drop of blood slowly slid down the lines of his palm, blooming into tiny red plum blossoms as it fell into the snow.

Shen Xian, however, seemed completely unaware.

He just stared at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible hardness:

"Night has fallen, and the snowy path is difficult to traverse. Rong Sinian has sent men to escort His Highness back to the palace, to prevent... further danger."

"No need."

Tang Xixue raised her eyebrows slightly, her expression as cold and aloof as a frosty blade.

"There is no such close relationship between us."

"Your Highness!"

Shen Yan suddenly took half a step forward, her eyes shimmering with tears, but her voice carried an uncontrollable sharpness:

"You just broke off your engagement with your brother, and then immediately threw yourself into the arms of the Imperial Advisor. Isn't this behavior just like that of a fickle woman—"

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of a slap cut off her unfinished words.

Tang Xixue took half a step forward, the edge of her snow-covered cloak brushing against the snow-covered stone steps, stirring up fine snowflakes.

"When did it become your place to lecture me on my actions?"

His long-held air of authority suddenly burst forth.

The snowlight illuminated her jade-like profile, and in the way her eyes swept over people, one could vaguely see the shadow of Emperor Shengchen when he held court—a noble and domineering air that had been nurtured since childhood by being pampered by the emperor.

"Waaah..."

Shen Yan covered her face and staggered backward, tears streaming down her face.

"Brother..."

She looked up at Shen Xian, her eyes filled with grievance and pleading.

"Yun Hua," Shen Xian frowned, his voice turning somber, "you should be careful with your words and actions."

As the Minister of Justice and Law of the Court of Judicial Review, he knew better than anyone the strict rules of the palace.

Previously, Tang Xixue never used her status to oppress others, and was even quite tolerant of the Shen family members.

But now...

She didn't spare any face whatsoever.

"Since Miss Shen is unfamiliar with etiquette, then Minister Shen will personally instruct her."

Tang Xixue raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade:

"Take her to the execution platform and give her twenty lashes. Teach your sister a lesson about hierarchy and manners."

"This is the kind of upbringing your Shen family has to offer."

Shen Yan's delicate body trembled, and her face suddenly turned ashen.

"minister……"

Shen Xian's throat tightened. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he spoke again, his voice had returned to its usual flat and respectful tone:

"Yes, sir."

The snowlight illuminated his handsome profile, making his pale face even more striking, like plum petals that had suddenly lost all their color.

Yet he maintained the demeanor of a noble young master, slowly bowing and performing a perfectly proper bow:

"Si Nian, respectfully seeing Your Highness off."

Each word seemed to be ground out from between the teeth, yet it was gentle and proper, without the slightest hint of being out of control.

Shen Yan stared at him in disbelief, her body swaying as she almost lost her balance.

"Miss Shen," Mu Liang said coldly, her gaze as if looking at an ant, "please recognize your place from now on."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"How dare you, such a lowly creature, be so insolent before His Highness?"

Shen Yan was struck dumb, her whole body trembling.

She had been pampered since childhood, and had never suffered such humiliation.

At that moment, I felt a burning pain in my cheeks, as if my internal organs were twisted together, and I was filled with shame and indignation.

Tang Xixue stopped looking at her.

Just as she turned to leave, she suddenly took out a plain white silk handkerchief from her sleeve.

The pajamas were embroidered with fine snow patterns in silver thread, shimmering softly at her fingertips, like holding a handful of moonlight.

She gently placed the handkerchief into Shen Xian's uninjured hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, Shen Xian's palm trembled slightly.

"Your hands, sir," she said softly, "need to be bandaged."

How can he administer the whipping if his hands aren't properly bandaged?

By having Shen Shangqing carry out the execution, she preserved the deep bond between the siblings. How thoughtful of her!

After she finished speaking, she did not linger.

Mu Liang quietly stepped forward, his arm lightly supporting her side.

He glanced coldly at Shen Xian, inwardly cursing him with particularly vile words:

"Bah, you idiot who tries to pass off a fish as a pearl, how come he didn't bleed to death? His Highness even gave him a handkerchief, does he deserve it—"

The two figures leaped up lightly, stepping on the snow-covered plum branches. Their clothes fluttered like cranes soaring through the air, and they disappeared into the vast night in a few leaps.

The snow started falling again.

Shen Xian stood alone in the same spot, motionless for a long time.

He looked down at the silk handkerchief in his palm—soft and fragrant, still warm from her fingertips, yet burning his heart with pain.

Instead of using it to bandage his wound, he carefully folded it with his unblemished hands and tucked it into his bosom, close to his body.

Blood dripped freely from his other injured hand.

He suddenly remembered the past.

He wore a crystal snowflake tassel at his waist, which made a soft, clear sound as he walked, like ice cracking in early spring.

He used to find the noise disturbing, but now that the tassels have been returned, he feels even more agitated.

An inexplicable emptiness in my heart.

But tonight, high in the pavilion, her lips carry another's scent, her eyes reflect another's image, and there is no trace of him.

"Is he... really... more to your liking than me?"

Shen Xian gazed in the direction she had disappeared, his voice so soft it seemed to melt into the wind.

No one answered.

Only the winter plum blossoms silently bloom in the snowy night, their subtle fragrance drifting in the air, mingling with the lingering scent of blood, spreading into the winter night.

"How could she do this!"

Shen Yan's voice trembled and rang out, tinged with tears.

"Since she has an affair with the Imperial Advisor, how could she give her brother a silk handkerchief? Could she be trying to enjoy the blessings of having two wives? Such fickleness is simply absurd—"

"Cloud Painting".

Shen Xian interrupted her, his voice revealing an unusual weariness.

"Come with me to the execution platform to receive your punishment."

He turned around, the hem of his sky-blue robe leaving shallow marks on the snow.

"You've overstepped your bounds."

Shen Yan stared blankly at his straight yet desolate back, and suddenly felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.

Her upright, polite, and always gentle and composed elder brother now had a melancholy and... aloofness in his eyes that she couldn't understand.

"Brother," she took two steps to catch up, her voice trembling, "are you really going to punish me?"

Shen Xian did not turn around.

"That's the rule."

His voice was as serious as ever, yet it seemed to come from behind layers of ice and snow, distant and cold.

"If you are unwilling to follow the rules, then I will have someone escort you to be punished."

"I...I'll go."

Shen Yan's face was ashen as she staggered behind him, wiping away tears with red eyes all the way.

She glanced at her maid, Li'er, and told her to go and deliver the message.

In this Baiyujing, Shen Yan is admired by countless geniuses.

She refused to believe that Tang Xixue, that infamous good-for-nothing, could still control everything.