The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Ranzhi, I'm sorry..."

Tang Xixue's voice trembled slightly.

"Does it hurt?"

Feng Zhuo's eyes reddened even more when he heard her words.

The boy's passion was once burning bright, but it was mercilessly extinguished by bloodshed.

That was a time-traveling woman deliberately deceiving Feng Zhuo, saying she was willing to be with him, in order to win over the war god of the enemy country.

Feng Zhuo was overjoyed and wrote a letter to Emperor Shengchen, asking for her hand in marriage.

However, he was betrayed by the person he loved most in the battlefield and military camp.

The head coach almost died, and they nearly lost that big battle.

If it weren't for Emperor Shengchen's intervention to turn the tide and boost morale, Princess Jing would have been doomed to die after causing such a huge disaster.

Feng Zhuo didn't even tell anyone about that incident; others only knew that a traitor had attempted to assassinate him.

"It's none of your business."

Feng Zhu shook off her wrist, secretly wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, and said fiercely.

The candlelight inside the hall flickered as the night wind suddenly swept in.

Si Xingxuan leaned against the window frame, looking like a thin, sickly beauty.

He was tall and slender like bamboo, with distinct finger joints. There were very thin calluses on the inside of his right index and middle fingers, which were caused by holding needles and rubbing medicine for many years.

A smile played on his lips, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. His gaze, like icy spider silk, slowly moved from Tang Xixue's still-drip-drenched neck to Feng Zhuo's reddened eyes.

"Yo—"

His voice was extremely low, yet clear as a blade, cutting through the silent air.

"So little time has made the young general cry..."

"When it comes to the ability to infuriate people, Princess Mirror is truly unparalleled in the world."

Tang Xixue stepped out of the bath, the warm steam still lingering around her, her skin flushed a faint blush.

A figure silently approached, as if dusk were falling—it was her bodyguard, Mu Liang.

A heavy, snow-white velvet cloak unfolded from his hands, like a night bird folding its wings, completely enveloping her wet body and that undisguisedly malicious gaze.

The cloak was lined with soft fleece, carrying his unique, crisp scent, like the dew at night.

Tang Xixue walked barefoot across the smooth, cool ground, leaving trails of water that meandered to a nearby rosewood chair where she settled down peacefully.

The evening chill has silently presented a snow-white cotton towel.

She took it and slowly wiped her still-dripping long hair.

"Who can compare to the Divine Physician Zheyue?"

She finally spoke, her voice slightly hoarse, yet each word clear and distinct, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate.

"In the middle of the night, you showed up uninvited and crawled under my bed..."

"Such refined tastes, if word gets out, will probably tarnish the reputation of the divine physician as pure and virtuous."

She knew this man all too well—he was most dangerous when he was all smiles, and when he went berserk, he could kill without blinking an eye.

"Oh--"

Si Xingxuan chuckled softly. The gloomy, ice-cold beauty looked eerily beautiful when she laughed.

"The area under the princess's bed is more interesting than any rare medicine cabinet."

He approached slowly, his shoes clicking silently on the ground, and his shadow gradually enveloped the area three feet around her.

"Turning you into a puppet wouldn't be bad."

His gaze fell on her extremely beautiful little face.

With such beauty, it's no wonder even the Imperial Advisor lost control of himself for her.

Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful the exterior, the inside is nothing more than stupid and poisonous weeds.

"Si Xingxuan".

A cold, harsh voice boomed from the direction of the bathtub behind him, shattering the dangerous silence.

Feng Zhuo stood there, completely soaked.

His bright red outfit had turned dark from being soaked in water, clinging tightly to his young and muscular body. Water continued to drip from his hair, forming a dark water stain around his feet.

He had just come out of the pool, not even having time to dry himself off. His bangs were disheveled and stuck to his handsome brow bone, and water droplets rolled down his taut jawline.

But his back was straight, exuding a domineering aura honed on the battlefield, and he blocked Tang Xixue's seat in a few steps.

He held no weapon, but his clenched fist and sharp eyes were themselves a drawn sword.

"You're not allowed to touch her."

General Feng's voice was not loud, but it was resolute.

Si Xingxuan raised his eyebrows, his face showing undisguised astonishment, an expression that bordered on absurd.

He slowly turned his neck to look at Feng Zhuo, who was dripping wet but exuding a fierce aura, as if he were looking at some kind of spectacle.

"Scorching Wind?"

His voice rose at the end, filled with disbelief.

"Were you poisoned by her, or were you given a love potion?"

This fiery and unyielding young general had just been bound to the bath by the princess, and after such humiliation, he should have wanted to tear her to pieces.

At this moment, he stood in front of her, soaking wet, like a loyal dog protecting its master.

"No way! Don't talk nonsense."

Feng Zhuo immediately retorted, his neck stiff, his voice slightly agitated due to his haste.

But the faster he refuted, the more the uncontrollable blush spreading from his ears betrayed him.

"In short, she—only I, the general, can bully her."

He deliberately lowered his voice, trying to maintain the cold, hard tone he used when issuing orders on the battlefield.

"???"

Who's spreading rumors outside that Princess Mirror and General Feng Zhuo are irreconcilable enemies?

In Si Xingxuan's view, they were not enemies at all, but rather just having fun together.

His gaze swept meaningfully over the wind-soaked, clinging outfit and the faint red marks left by the bindings on his neck that hadn't completely faded.

"You guys are pretty fancy at it."

"However, Princess Mirror destroyed the only copy of the Tai Su Dan Jue passed down in my Medicine Valley."

He tilted his head slightly, a few strands of unbound raven hair sliding down his thin, pale cheek, and the small, light brown mole at the corner of his eye, in the candlelight, resembled a meaningful seal at the end of an ancient painting.

"I'll take her life in return... that's not too much to ask, is it?"

He paused briefly, a mocking, silvery-gray glint flashing in his eyes, but his tone carried a hint of innocent regret:

"That rare copy of the book, I didn't even have time to turn a single page before it turned into dust at the bottom of the lake."

At this moment, he was not at all like the Yama, the devil who takes lives, but more like a secluded orchid in a valley under the moon, pure and otherworldly.

She wore an extremely precious cloud-and-water silk gauze dress, and when she moved, the hem of her dress flowed like clouds brushing against water, creating ripples.

He wore a sky-blue cloak with silver patterns and had a Medicine Valley Black Iron Token hanging at his waist.

"That rare copy of the Tai Su Dan Jue was indeed lost in my hands by accident."

Tangxi Xue's voice is clear, soft, and melodious.

She adjusted the slightly loose cloak over her shoulders, her wet hair cascading down her neck, making her skin appear even more radiant.

She looked up, her gaze meeting Si Xingxuan's eyes, which held a hidden storm within them.

"But just before it was lost, I happened to... have flipped through it once."

She paused, as if recalling something, her long eyelashes drooping, casting a small pale blue shadow under her eyes.

"I will write it down from memory and return it to you. In addition, I will offer three Heavenly Frost Orchids, unique to the palace, as an apology."

"What does Young Master Sixing think?"

She has just regained control of this body, and the mess left behind by those transmigrated women who usurped her place is too big.

Right now, calming down this extremely dangerous Divine Physician Zheyue is undoubtedly the most urgent task.

Si Xingxuan listened quietly to her finish speaking. Si Xing was his surname, his given name was Xuan, and his courtesy name was Zheyue.

"Oh?"

He responded softly, the last syllable lingering, carrying an undisguised skepticism and amusement.

"But I heard that when Princess Jing studied at Lintai, she seemed to be at the bottom of her class in every subject, whether it was classics, history, philosophy, literature, music, chess, calligraphy, or painting."

He took a half step forward, the hem of his flowing robe brushing against the cool ground, his gaze sharp as a knife, attempting to dissect the true intentions beneath her calm surface.

"Still want to memorize the prescription?"

"You?"

He chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter.

"That's a complete fantasy."

Faced with his blatant mockery, Tang Xixue did not get angry. She tilted her head slightly and asked in return:

"If you don't let me try, how can Young Master Sixing be sure that your Medicine Valley's inherited pill formulas have truly been lost?"

"Kill me, and that rare book will be completely destroyed with my death."

Even if I made mistakes in reciting it from memory, even if I only remember one or two incomplete prescriptions...

"Isn't it, for you, a tiny spark of light in the darkness, far better than utter nothingness?"

Her logic was clear and cold, laying bare her own worth before him.

Anyway, I'm right here, I'm not going to run away.

She finally leaned back in her chair, her posture relaxed, even a little languid.

Si Xingxuan stared at her with deep, dark eyes.

After a long while, that perfect smile seemed to deepen a little.

"OK."

He uttered a single word, crisp and decisive, yet carrying immense weight.

"Then I'll give you a chance."

A high-stakes gamble with life and death at stake has now come to a close.