Jiang Yunshu listened carefully for a long time but heard no third voice in the room.
"Please, Lord Nine Thousand-Year-Old, summon Xiazhi and Xiaoman for me," Jiang Yunshu said.
Xie Lin replied leisurely, "No, I’ve sent them on other tasks."
Jiang Yunshu froze. Taoye and Zhezhi wouldn’t return for three days, and now Xiazhi and Xiaoman had been reassigned by Xie Lin—she was left without a single attendant.
Under normal circumstances, Jiang Yunshu wouldn’t have been afraid.
But she had just lost her sight!
Without anyone to assist her, how could a blind woman survive? She couldn’t even walk from her chamber to the kitchen to fetch meals.
"Does Her Ladyship regret it now?"
"Did Her Ladyship not consider this day when making her decision?"
"Did Her Ladyship truly believe someone would care for her forever after she went blind?"
Xie Lin’s voice was smooth as honey, but to Jiang Yunshu, it dripped with venom.
He was doing this on purpose!
He wanted to see her consumed by regret, to watch her weep in despair.
Jiang Yunshu admitted she hadn’t fully grasped the hardship of being without attendants when she traded her eyes for Taoye and Zhezhi’s lives.
After all, she had been waited on since birth. Even after arriving at Weiyang Palace, Xie Lin had immediately assigned Xiazhi and Xiaoman to serve her.
In her mind, after losing her eyes, Taoye and Zhezhi would return and care for her forever, acting as her eyes…
She had been too naive. She’d forgotten that Xie Lin, this demon, thrived on others’ despair.
Jiang Yunshu’s instincts were right.
At that moment, Xie Lin’s gaze lingered on her face.
He eagerly awaited her collapse, like a starving ghost anticipating a feast.
A spark of amusement flickered in Xie Lin’s eyes as a brilliant idea struck him.
If Jiang Yunshu broke down in regret, he would tell her that her eyes were still intact—that she would regain her sight in three days.
She would surely be overjoyed.
And then, in the midst of her elation, he would truly gouge out her eyes.
What would those eyes look like then? Would they still hold traces of the ecstasy not yet faded?
Xie Lin stared unblinkingly at Jiang Yunshu, impatient to witness her despair…
Yet Xie Lin was disappointed.
Jiang Yunshu remained eerily calm.
Though panic churned inside her, she clenched her teeth, refusing to show it.
There was a stubbornness in her bones—the more Xie Lin wanted to see her break, the more she resisted giving him the satisfaction.
So what if she was blind and alone?
She would grope her way forward with outstretched hands—she’d reach the kitchen eventually!
But right now, Jiang Yunshu’s most urgent need wasn’t food—it was the privy.
Nature’s call was far more pressing than hunger.
Yet this was the one thing she could never bring herself to ask Xie Lin for.
She lay in bed, straining her ears for any sound in the room. Why… why hadn’t he left yet?
Shouldn’t the all-powerful Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord be swamped with duties? Why did he have time to linger and watch her humiliation?
"My Lord must be busy. There’s no need to stay with me—please attend to your affairs," Jiang Yunshu said.
Xie Lin replied, "Then this servant shall take his leave."
Jiang Yunshu listened as his footsteps faded toward the door—then abruptly stopped.
"I forgot to inform Her Ladyship that the numbing effects of the acupuncture will take several more hours to wear off."
"For the next few hours, Her Ladyship will feel weak in the limbs, unable to muster strength. It’s best to remain in bed."
"Is there anything this servant can assist with?"
Jiang Yunshu’s heart clenched. "N-Nothing," she forced out, feigning composure.
Xie Lin gave her a knowing look before stepping past the threshold.
Jiang Yunshu listened intently until his footsteps vanished entirely.
Alone at last, she immediately struggled to rise—only to confirm Xie Lin’s words. Her arms and legs were limp, devoid of strength.
She writhed on the bed but couldn’t even sit up.
Ancient acupuncture anesthesia was truly potent—no wonder she’d felt no pain when her eyes were taken.
How many hours did Xie Lin mean by "several"?
Her urgency grew unbearable—she couldn’t hold out for even one more hour!
If only… if only she’d swallowed her pride earlier and asked Xie Lin to carry her to the privy…
No! Impossible!
The mere thought made her wish the earth would swallow her whole.
Though she and Xie Lin had once been intimate, this level of shame crossed every line.
More importantly, Jiang Yunshu refused to let the man who’d just taken her eyes witness her vulnerability!
She could… she could stand on her own…
Summoning all her strength, Jiang Yunshu pushed herself up—only for her arms to give way, sending her crashing back onto the bed.
"Thud—"
Her elbow struck the bed frame, drawing a sharp cry from her lips. She bit back tears, reminding herself that crying risked infection.
Hurried footsteps rushed toward her from outside.
Xie Lin’s voice cut through the silence: "Did you fall? This servant warned you not to move recklessly."
The impact worsened the pressure in her abdomen. Worse still, she now knew she couldn’t rise alone—if she didn’t ask for help, the humiliation would only deepen…
Gritting her teeth, a tiny plea escaped her lips: "My Lord… I need the privy…"
Xie Lin perched on the bedside, gathering her into his arms. His broad palm pressed against her lower abdomen. "Does Her Ladyship need to relieve herself?"
Though his touch was light, the heat of his hand through her thin summer robes sent tremors through her.
Tears welled in her voice as she nodded frantically. "Y-Yes!"
Xie Lin effortlessly scooped her up and strode toward the privy.
"Can Her Ladyship sit unaided? Or shall this servant steady you?"
Jiang Yunshu’s face burned crimson. Weak hands shoved at his chest. "Out! Get out now!"
Xie Lin: "Then call for this servant when you’re finished."
Jiang Yunshu: "Go farther away!"
"Don’t come back unless I call you!"
She heard Xie Lin retreat to just outside the door—still too close.
At this distance, he would hear everything…
A sob rose in her throat, tears finally spilling over. She bit her lip hard to silence herself.
After a brief struggle, she forced the tears to stop.
She tried to stand, but her limbs remained useless. Xie Lin had seated her here—now rising alone seemed impossible.
Yet she couldn’t possibly call him back now…
Jiang Yunshu strained to lift herself, reaching to adjust her undergarments—
Suddenly, she tilted sideways and crashed to the floor.
Xie Lin burst in at the sound, finding her collapsed on the ground.
Her untied undergarments pooled around her ankles.
The scarlet silk of her skirt fanned across the floor. At the sound of his entry, Jiang Yunshu desperately clutched at the fabric to cover herself.
Yet her eyes could not see, and in her panic, covering one part only revealed another. Between the scattered folds of her skirt, a glimpse of skin as fair and smooth as jade shone through.
