The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Longevity.

Tang Xixue leaned against the brocade couch, gently stroking the ice crystal snowflake tassels that she had lost and then regained.

The candlelight shone through the translucent crystal, creating a shimmering halo in her palm.

Every angle reflects a soft, warm yellow, as if the old days have been condensed into a tangible warmth.

"Brother Huaixian..."

She murmured softly, her eyes slightly stinging.

"I'm so sorry—I almost lost it—"

During the years the transmigrated woman occupied her body, she gave this ice crystal tassel to Shen Xian. He must have seen it, right?

To see something he had personally carved over seven days and seven nights, imbued with the most sincere feelings of his youth, being so carelessly given away to someone else.

How heartbroken he must have been then.

But trapped deep within her body, she couldn't shed a single tear.

They could only watch helplessly as that pure and tender sentiment, as clear as the first snowflakes, was wantonly trampled upon.

"But at least now, it's back with me."

She carefully placed the tassel beside her pillow, a gentle smile curving her lips.

Outside the hall, the wind and snow howled, while inside, the candlelight provided warmth.

She gazed at the shimmering white light beside her pillow and gently closed her eyes.

It felt like stepping back in time to that corner of the observatory many years ago, where the air was filled with the scent of old books and bronze star charts.

She always loved to squeeze next to him, a small bundle nestled against the boy's slender arm, surrounded by the reassuring scent of cedar and plum blossoms emanating from him.

A faint warmth permeated the chilly air, like the winter sun shining on snow-covered pine branches.

At that time, his voice had not yet completely lost its youthful clarity, but when he recited classical texts, it already possessed a dignified gentleness:

"Observe the way of Heaven, and act in accordance with Heaven's will..."

She rested her head on his knees, looking up at his beautiful lips as they opened and closed, the words he uttered transforming into a slowly flowing river of stars in the night.

The obscure words that flowed from his mouth became the most moving lullaby.

"Human beings are in harmony with heaven and earth, and correspond with the sun and moon."

"In the principles of Feng Shui, obtaining water is of utmost importance, followed by sheltering from the wind."

"The earth has four directions, and energy flows from eight directions..."

Sometimes, when she was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping and her head was slowly sinking down, he would gently support her forehead and soften his voice.

The candlelight danced on his eyelashes, casting a soft glow on his alabaster profile, making her forget her sleepiness.

The fleeting smile in his eyes when he occasionally looked down at her—as clear as yesterday.

The dream unfolds like layers of gauze.

The boy's delicate, youthful face gradually blurred in the warm yellow light.

Her eyebrows and eyes had matured, her features had become more defined, and her plain white robe had transformed into a moon-white crane cloak, with wide sleeves that flowed like clouds.

But those eyes haven't changed.

Still as clear as a cold pool reflecting the moon, when you look at her, you will always find her unique gentle starlight hidden deep within.

The last layer of gauze curtain was lifted.

He stood amidst the misty air of the Hall of Longevity, his dark hair half-tied with a silver crown, a few stray strands brushing against his sculpted profile.

A near-divine tranquility and remoteness surrounded him.

A banished immortal descends to earth, amidst the frost and snow of the high mountains.

"Weaving—"

"I'm back."

In her dream, she reached out her hand, her fingertips about to touch the corner of his sleeve—

The icy tassels on the pillow suddenly made a soft "ding" sound.

Like a promise made over a decade, it finally echoes the reality.

The snowstorm outside the palace had stopped sometime earlier.

Moonlight broke through the clouds and, through the carved long window, quietly spread a shimmering white glow over her pillow.

It also illuminated the corners of her lips, which curved silently in her dream.

Meanwhile, the execution platform tonight is in stark contrast to the tranquility of the Hall of Longevity.

Inside the brightly lit torture chamber, a chilling atmosphere mixed with the stench of blood hung heavy in the air.

Shen Xian sat upright in the main seat, his official robes gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

He was carefully applying ointment to the open wound on his hand, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he felt no pain.

"Wu Jiu, the Execution Platform is not under your jurisdiction."

He didn't even raise his head, his voice remained warm and gentle, yet it carried an undeniable sense of aloofness.

"What are you doing here?"

Below the hall, Shen Cuo, dressed in a dusty, dark-colored outfit, had clearly rushed over upon receiving the news.

His brows furrowed with suppressed anger as his gaze swept over Shen Yan, who was kneeling on the torture bench.

Her thin back trembled slightly in the candlelight, like a withered butterfly in the wind.

"Brother! What did Hua'er do wrong? Why are you resorting to whipping her!"

"She's a delicate young lady, her body is fragile. What will happen to her if she's left with a scar?"

In the Shen family, Shen Yan was close to him since childhood. She was gentle and talented, and he always took good care of this younger sister, even taking pride in her.

"Second brother, don't blame eldest brother..."

Shen Yan looked up at the right moment, her eyes brimming with tears, her body trembling slightly, making her appear even more frail and delicate.

"It was my fault for accidentally bumping into Princess Mirror while delivering food to my elder brother... It's all my fault..."

Her frail and precarious appearance aroused Shen Cuo's pity and indignation.

"Brother, you've really lost your mind! For that scheming and wicked woman, you'd actually resort to such cruelty to your own sister?"

"Someone come here."

Shen Xian finally finished bandaging and threw the blood-stained strips of cloth into the copper basin.

The clear water instantly spread out in wisps of red, like cinnabar dissolving into a cold pool.

"Please ask all bystanders to leave."

"If you speak ill of His Highness again, you will also be kept here to receive punishment."

His gaze finally turned to his younger brother, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

"Brother!" Shen Cuo exclaimed in disbelief.

Two executioners stepped forward silently and grabbed his arms, one on each side.

Shen Cuo could only stare at Shen Xian, and was eventually half-invited and half-forced out of the torture chamber.

Before stepping out the door, he glanced back.

Shen Yan knelt on the cold stone bricks, her back straight, and the way she was trying to hold back her tears made his heart clench.

The courtroom returned to silence.

Shen Xian got up and took a soft whip soaked in tung oil from the rack.

The whip was slender and long, gleaming with a dark, somber light under the candlelight.

"Big brother...are you going to punish me personally?"

Shen Yan's voice trembled, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

"The subordinates don't know their own strength."

Shen Xian walked three feet behind her, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I'm coming in person, so please bear with me."

He waved his hand, and the remaining officials and soldiers in the hall all lowered their heads and retreated to the corridor.

Just then, a woman's figure drifted into the hall like smoke.

Holding a gilded token, he stood where the candlelight was brightest.

"His Highness ordered me to come and supervise the execution to prevent anyone from showing favoritism and turning a blind eye."

Shen Xian suddenly tightened his grip on the whip.

The joints were white, and a slight stinging pain came from the wound.

He didn't expect that she wouldn't even give him this much trust.

"Let's begin, Lord Shen."

He took out paper and pen from his sleeve.

"This servant must go back and report."

“Pah!”

The first whip lashed through the air and fell.

Shen Yan bit her lower lip, but still couldn't help letting out a short cry of pain.

The whip marks quickly spread in a dark color on her fabric, like red plum blossoms suddenly blooming in the snow.

"Yunhua, mistakes should be punished. You must remember this lesson."

Shen Xian's voice was low and deep.

"I... I've got it."

Shen Yan responded with a sob, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The sound of whips echoed in succession, reverberating through the empty torture chamber.

Each sound was accompanied by the woman's suppressed sobs, and each sound made Shen Cuo, who was standing in the corridor outside the door, turn ashen-faced.

He brushed his robes aside, lowered his eyes, and took notes. The rustling sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper was cold and precise.

Just as the fifteenth lash was about to fall—

The heavy doors of the execution platform were suddenly pushed open by a gust of wind!

A cold wind swirled snowflakes into the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

A tall and imposing figure strode in through the night, his crimson brocade robe with its dark lotus pattern billowing in the wind, and his sable-collared cape billowing with a sharp arc.

The newcomer had deep, chiseled features, sharp brows, and phoenix eyes that gleamed with an icy edge in the candlelight.

He stood in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crisscrossing bloodstains on Shen Yan's back. The air pressure around him suddenly dropped, as if the air had frozen before a blizzard.

"stop."

Bei Chenji's voice was not loud, but it was like muffled thunder rolling through the hall.

Shen Xian's hand holding the whip froze in mid-air.

He slowly turned around, meeting the intensely imposing gaze, and bowed respectfully.

"This humble official pays his respects to Prince Beichen."

His posture was respectful, but his back was ramrod straight.

A light suddenly shone in Shen Yan's eyes.

She looked up at the crimson figure, tears rolling down her cheeks at just the right moment, her voice weak as a whisper:

"Your Highness..."

That call contained grievance, dependence, and even more subtly, the relief of finally finding a savior.

Bei Chenji's gaze lingered for a moment on her tear-streaked face, his eyes growing even darker.

He turned to Shen Xian, his tone domineering and leaving no room for argument:

"I'm taking Shen Yan away."