Chapter 158 What Constitutes a Warning

In the small courtyard, moonlight poured down, and the surrounding scenery had settled into a profound stillness.

Xue Xue had never imagined that there would come a time when she could coexist so peacefully with Zuoqiu Liye. With a single table and a pot of wine, something was quietly changing between them.

"It was perhaps on a moonlit night just like this that I was merely an unfavored imperial prince, young, ignorant, and vulnerable to bullying." Whether due to the wine, Zuoqiu Liye seemed to have opened his heart, recounting his past in a very even tone. "It was not until I met Luyi that I began to understand anything. She was a princess raised in the palm of everyone's hand. She was my imperial younger sister, younger than me by a few years, yet domineering enough to turn the palace upside down... She grew up sitting on our imperial grandfather's lap, and could drink wine from a very young age. Heh, you could never guess how we became acquainted..."

Among brothers and sisters in the palace, there was no such thing as familial affection; there were only distinctions of high and low status.

And he was the low, while Luyi represented the exalted.

Xue Xue listened quietly to the subtle shifts in his tone, picturing the stark contrast between the noble princess and the down-and-out prince. Therefore, Luyi's uniqueness must have provoked him. Clearly, they were both imperial offspring, both noble descendants, yet their ways of living and the treatment they received were worlds apart.

"You probably became acquainted through blows." It was simply hard to imagine how a weak and bullied disgraced prince could ever bring himself to strike his own imperial sister.

Zuoqiu Liye, sitting opposite her, looked at her with a faint smile at the corner of his lips. "What you say is true, but in the end, Luyi won. It was only then that I truly realized my own insignificance and uselessness."

Because he was still young at the time, he had not yet developed a strict concept of hierarchy, and he had fought Luyi with all his might, yet he still lost in the end.

"I can tell that the bond between Your Lordship and the Princess was extraordinary." At this moment, she did not mind playing the role of a listener.

"It was indeed extraordinary. In the end, she truly died at my hands." He seemed to smile, a laugh teetering between a cold sneer and malice.

It was as if he wanted to frighten her, or perhaps to deny the deep sibling bond he had shared with Princess Luyi.

"Yet just now you said that the way I drink wine is very much like Princess Luyi, and quite amusing..." If he harbored not a shred of affection for Princess Luyi, how could he have such a feeling, seeing her drink and being reminded of Luyi? Holding her wine cup, Xue Xue said slowly, "Although death sounds terrifying, sometimes death is nothing less than a release, and you were the one who granted her that release."

A trace of sorrow burgeoned within her words.

Take herself, for instance; death had been a release for her in her past life.

Or take Yuan Xue; death must have been a release for Yuan Xue as well.

"Death is not a release, but a surrender." Zuoqiu Liye wagged his finger at her, his slender index finger swaying gently from side to side. "Take me, for example. If I had sought release early on, how could there be the Zuoqiu Liye of today, rather than a mere Wu Liye?"

"If you changed the name of the state as well, wouldn't that display your prowess even more?" She could not fathom why she had wanted to console him just then, especially since these matters had clearly nothing to do with her.

She merely sensed a lingering sorrow whenever Zuoqiu Liye mentioned that Princess Luyi. Things and people capable of making him sorrowful aroused her curiosity.

"Xiaoxue, in telling you all this, I merely want to let you know that no matter what differences Luyi held for me, anyone who blocks my path will receive no mercy from me." Sweeping away his previous melancholy and sorrow, he transformed back into the capricious and cunning monarch he always was.

Hearing this, Xue Xue raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Shouldn't it be so? Zuoqiu Liye, I hope you can be a qualified monarch. Although it is bitterly cold at the heights of power, it is best to walk the path you chose all the way to the end."

She had known it all along; Zuoqiu Liye's actions were merely meant to issue a warning to her regarding her behavior tonight.

"You speak very well, Xiaoxue." Zuoqiu Liye looked at her, the smile at the corners of his lips shifting in curvature. He stood up, clad in a crimson robe that imbued him with a sense of unfathomable mystery and wicked charm.

He walked behind Xue Xue, his steps so light as to be practically inaudible. "So, what is it that you truly want to know? If there is genuinely something you wish to find out, you could simply ask me directly, rather than going to such elaborate lengths and nearly injuring yourself."

With that, his hand rested on Xue Xue's shoulder, his palm sliding gently downward before gripping her arm tightly. And that very arm was the one grazed by the hidden weapon...

"A monarch's word is as good as gold," Xue Xue said calmly, offering neither refutation nor defense against Zuoqiu Liye's words. "It's just that right now, I have no questions I wish for Your Lordship to answer, and I have merely wasted your kind intentions."

Between her and Zuoqiu Liye, there was no need to speak nonsense while looking straight through the window; both of them understood each other clearly in their hearts, and she had no desire to play the fool any longer.

Everything she knew now pointed to the fact that the Madam Lüqi was no benevolent character, though what she intended to accomplish upon traveling to Taixi remained truly unknown to her. Even if she were to ask Zuoqiu Liye, he might not answer her truthfully; he was merely using the opportunity to toy with her.

"Then go back and rest; the night is already deep." Zuoqiu Liye did not press her further, instead releasing her arm and stepping back two paces.

It was not until she returned to her room that Xue Xue moved her arm. Removing her outer robe, she saw that the white undergarment beneath was indeed stained red in places. Although the wound on her arm was not severe, it still throbbed with a faint ache.

Zuoqiu Liye must have done it on purpose. Detestable, he truly struck with a heavy hand.

She sat down on the bed, her body carrying the faint, pleasant fragrance of the bamboo flower wine.

The fact that Zuoqiu Liye had suddenly brought up Princess Luyi still weighed somewhat on her mind; it seemed he had not mentioned her purely as a warning. Furthermore, had he intentionally prepared the bamboo flower wine solely to issue a warning to her?

That seemed to require a bit too much effort, and strained credulity...

Besides, what extraordinary traits did Madam Lüqi possess that she could be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility and sent to Taixi?

Could Ziqin and the others be in any danger?

At this thought, she collapsed powerlessly onto the couch. Lately, her mind was always racing with thoughts, and she invariably anticipated the worst...

Never mind; she might as well get a good night's sleep. The feeling of thinking too much yet being unable to take action was hardly pleasant.

She closed her eyes, determinately sinking into slumber. What she did not know, however, was that outside her door, a figure in a crimson robe stood for a very long time. Only when he sensed her steady breathing did he slowly turn and walk away.

The crimson robe fluttered lightly with his strides, and the gravity on his face seemed to dissipate as well.

He slowly walked back to his own chamber, situated merely a few paces away from Xue Xue's room. And right there within those few paces, Madam Lüqi had been standing for a long time. For as long as Zuoqiu Liye had stood outside that guest room door, she had waited.

"His Lordship is truly heartless toward this concubine." Seeing Zuoqiu Liye finally approach, Madam Lüqi spoke softly.

Her face carried the demeanor of a young maiden, and her tone held a hint of grievance.

"Do you have business with me?" Zuoqiu Liye glanced at her. Madam Lüqi had already pushed open the door to his room for him. "Tonight was supposed to be for discussing matters concerning Taixi. Has Your Lordship forgotten?"

Had he forgotten because of the snow in that winter?

A monarch like this was truly not the ruler she knew; that monarch was decisive in battle, and though he enjoyed playful cruelty in tormenting his enemies, he would never procrastinate to this degree. At present, the State of Wu had been driven into a desperate corner by the State of Ji, and such a situation was utterly wretched.

"Is there any problem with that matter?" He walked straight into the room. The quarters had already been redecorated according to his preferences: a magnolia-wood screen and brand-new tea sets characteristic of the Wu imperial palace.

Yet paying them no mind, he walked straight toward the couch, appearing ready to retire.

"For Your Lordship to trust this concubine so completely fills my heart with trepidation." Madam Lüqi walked to his side and skillfully performed the duties usually handled by attendants, removing his outer robe and hanging it on a nearby rack.

Zuoqiu Liye raised a hand without speaking, his eyes narrowing to reveal a trace of fatigue.

"Please rest, Your Lordship; this concubine will take her leave." Sensing his weariness, Madam Lüqi curtsied. "As for the affairs of Taixi, this concubine will certainly do her utmost. Your Lordship may rest easy."

When she received no response from Zuoqiu Liye, a flash of disappointment inevitably crossed her face.

Slowly, she walked toward the exit, and just as she reached the door, she finally caught Zuoqiu Liye's reply, "Mn, go ahead." He narrowed his eyes, rendering his expression unreadable.

"Understood." Reaching out to pull the door shut, Madam Lüqi's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the neighboring room—the very room where Xue Xue resided.

Living right next door to the monarch, she truly enjoyed the monarch's profound regard.

Just as Elder Yue had said, it was by no means an ordinary level of favor.

Her eyes narrowed, and a sharp glint flashed within her deeply restrained gaze. It was only a pity that this woman was the Queen of Ji, and moreover, the blind woman the monarch had been searching for; thus, it was utterly impossible...

Taixi.

Much like the situation in Zezhou, the forces of Ji were pressing against the city walls, occupying territory without launching attacks. Their encampment was close enough to be faintly visible to the Wu soldiers keeping watch atop the city gates, yet indistinct, as though veiled in a thick fog where everything appeared hazy and ambiguous.

Inside the Ji encampment:

"Has your king retired yet?" Luohua stood outside the tent belonging to the King of Ji and inquired, only to be blocked by the guards stationed at the entrance.

"Lord Luohua, His Majesty only just fell asleep not long ago. You might as well wait a little longer before coming back," the guard said politely.

"Luohua, come inside. You have a lot of nerve, trying to make decisions for Us." At that moment, the figure of Ji Wuqing appeared at the entrance of the tent. His robes were slightly creased, suggesting he had fallen asleep fully clothed.