【What are you muttering about?】
Lu Hexu returned in a foul mood.
In truth, his temper had been simmering for the past seven days, reaching a boiling point today until he finally found an outlet for his frustration.
Lu Hexu walked to the imperial desk and began flipping through documents with a heavy hand.
Wei Heng entered upon hearing the commotion. When he saw what Lu Hexu was doing, a look of astonishment crossed his face.
The Little Ancestor never looked at memorials.
Lu Hexu rummaged through the pile of scrolls until he finally unearthed an urgent report from the border.
The report stated that the army had successfully repelled the Mongol forces and would soon be returning to the capital in triumph. The general requested a reward from His Majesty, mentioning that he and the Daughter of the Song family were deeply in love and that he wished to ask for her hand in marriage.
Lu Hexu glanced at the name: Zhou Changfeng.
Lu Hexu leaned back against the dragon throne, holding the memorial. He lifted his eyes to look at Wei Heng.
Wei Heng stood there with his head bowed.
The young Emperor sat on his throne with a cold, sullen expression. Having neglected administrative affairs for a long time, his gaze was now dark and brooding. "Whatever this Zhou Changfeng wants, give it to him."
Wei Heng bowed and replied, "The Grand Secretariat’s opinion is that the Daughter of the Song family is already a candidate in the palace selection. This would be against the rules."
"Does this empire belong to the Grand Secretariat, or does it belong to me?" Though the youth was young, he possessed an unstoppable aura of authority.
"Get out."
Wei Heng hurriedly bowed and retreated.
The night was deep, yet the glass lamps within the bedchamber remained lit.
Suddenly, Wei Heng heard someone calling from inside.
"Wei Heng."
Wei Heng immediately pushed the door open and entered.
Lu Hexu tossed down an imperial edict.
Just as the edict was sent out, an uninvited guest arrived at Lu Hexu’s bedchamber.
The woman was dressed in magnificent robes and her skin was well-maintained, yet she possessed a head of silver-white hair. Her face looked to be in its thirties, but her hair made her resemble a withered elder.
Empress Dowager Gu stood before Lu Hexu and admonished him, "Your Majesty, the matter of the palace candidates is no joking matter. Zhou Changfeng is a mere low-ranking military officer, yet he dares to demand a woman from the Emperor."
It turned out she had specifically emerged from the Hall of Mysterious Ultimate because of the candidate named Song Lizhen.
However, Empress Dowager Gu’s words held no concern for Lu Hexu; they were filled only with disdain for military officers and fury that a small fry like Zhou Changfeng dared to challenge imperial authority.
Song Lizhen was the woman Empress Dowager Gu had chosen to carry on the Emperor’s lineage. For Zhou Changfeng to snatch her away—was he tired of living?
Lu Hexu leaned to one side, resting his chin on his hand as he sat on the throne.
Ever since "that incident," Empress Dowager Gu had not seen her son for years. Looking into the youth’s eyes now, she couldn't help but recall the scene from back then.
Amidst a floor covered in corpses and a sea of blood, the youth had stood there holding a long sword. His white robes were completely soaked in blood, clinging to his excessively thin frame. Yet, it was this broken, tortured body that had slaughtered every Daoist priest in the hall.
That day, the blood had flowed for hours without ceasing.
The young monarch had sat atop the pile of corpses, his slender sword—reputed to cut through iron like mud—plunged into the ground beside him.
The sword lived up to its name, cutting through flesh as easily as tofu.
Even now, Empress Dowager Gu could recall those severed limbs. Originally, she never wanted to see this person again, but the imperial physicians said Lu Hexu might not live long. She needed a child to inherit the throne to stabilize her own position.
Empress Dowager Gu steadied her nerves, intending to continue her persuasion.
Lu Hexu glanced at her sideways, then suddenly stood up barefoot.
Empress Dowager Gu watched as he walked to the horizontal weapon rack and picked up the sword with one hand.
"You... what are you doing? You wouldn't dare..."
Empress Dowager Gu’s face paled, and her voice began to stutter, her previous air of superiority vanishing instantly.
Lu Hexu curled his lips into a cold, sinister smile and threw the scabbard aside.
The long sword cleared the sheath with a sharp ring.
Lu Hexu held the sword, walking barefoot toward Empress Dowager Gu. He wore loose black robes embroidered with gold, his face devoid of emotion.
Empress Dowager Gu shrieked, hiked up her skirts, and fled. Her high-piled hair came undone, and pearl hairpins and jade rings scattered across the floor. She even lost one of her palace shoes in her haste.
Lu Hexu’s sword lunged down, piercing through the discarded shoe.
A jagged hole was torn through the silk.
"Hahahaha..." He stood there laughing hysterically, doubling over with mirth.
When he finished laughing, he straightened up. The violence had not faded from his face, and his eyes remained dark and terrifying.
"There’s one more," the youth muttered to himself. Might as well settle it all at once.
He walked out, sword in hand.
-
"That wench Su Zhenzhen is as good as dead this time."
At the mention of Su Zhenzhen, the old eunuch gnashed his teeth in hatred.
Last time, if he hadn't bribed the Imperial Guard who was administering the caning, his old life would have ended right there!
The old eunuch could not swallow this grievance.
He had received orders from above to plant a mole near Song Lizhen, and once the task was done, he was to dispose of the mole.
The old eunuch immediately thought of Su Zhenzhen.
The old eunuch was a supervisor of sorts and had his own room. Currently, a young eunuch was kneeling at his feet, washing them.
The old eunuch’s injuries hadn't healed yet, so he couldn't sit straight. He leaned to the side, cursing. When the water scalded him, he immediately kicked the young eunuch away.
"Stupid brat! Are you trying to boil me alive?"
Even after cursing, the old eunuch wasn't satisfied. He stood up and rained kicks down upon the young eunuch.
The young eunuch knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy. The old eunuch huffed, looking at the overturned basin. "Go get another basin of hot water."
The young eunuch carried the basin out. Once he reached the door, he turned his head and spat secretly toward the room.
The old eunuch sat on the couch, waiting for the boy to return and serve him. Unexpectedly, the room suddenly went dark.
When the young eunuch returned with the basin, he found the lamps unlit. He called out cautiously, "Eunuch?"
There was no response. Thinking the man had fallen asleep, the young eunuch quickly scurried away with the basin to avoid another beating.
-
In the cold, deep night of the imperial palace, the youth walked down the palace path holding a long sword.
Anyone who saw that bright yellow figure shrank back in terror.
Lu Hexu crouched by the pond in the Imperial Garden, watching as the old eunuch, brought there by secret guards, knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please spare my life! Please spare me!"
"It was... it was someone else who made me do it. It has nothing to do with me!"
"If Your Majesty spares my life, I can tell you who is behind me..."
Before the old eunuch could finish, a long sword ran through his abdomen.
Blood gushed from the eunuch’s mouth. His portly body fell backward and was kicked into the pond by Lu Hexu.
A plume of crimson bloomed on the surface before slowly fading into the darkness.
Lu Hexu stood there, lifting his sleeve to slowly and methodically wipe the blood from his blade.
He had zero interest in the mastermind.
He was only interested in one person right now.
Having killed someone, Lu Hexu was in a grand mood.
He changed his clothes and headed toward the Little Southern Palace.
-
Enjoy your final moments, Su Zhenzhen.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head back and downed a cup of cold spring water. "To our doomed lives," she toasted, then shivered violently from the cold.
So cold.
She huddled closer to the small stove, adding a few pieces of wood. She crouched there, hugging her ceramic jar tightly.
Faint glimmers of firelight reflected from the small stove, and Su Zhenzhen could hear the crackling of wood as it split in the heat.
The surroundings were deathly quiet, save for the sound of her own shallow breathing.
Su Zhenzhen let out a sigh.
Suddenly, a pair of black boots appeared before her.
Su Zhenzhen looked up, and the moment she saw the little eunuch, her eyes instantly lit up.
Lu Hexu tilted his head.
Like a puppy.
Lu Hexu, feeling in a rather good mood, reached out and patted the top of Su Zhenzhen’s head.
(Little baby~ )
Lu Hexu withdrew his hand expressionlessly.
"You’re here," Su Zhenzhen said, forcing herself to cheer up as she held out a ceramic jar to the little eunuch. "Like we agreed last time, this is for you."
Lu Hexu looked down at the jar. He sat down on a nearby small stool, opened it casually, and picked one out to put in his mouth.
The sour astringency of the green apricots had been neutralized by the sugar syrup; one bite released a sweet, fruity fragrance.
"Is it good?"
"Passable." After saying this, Lu Hexu picked out another one. "Too bland."
Bland?
One of these could be diluted into three bowls of water.
"If there’s a next time, I’ll make it ten times sweeter for you." Su Zhenzhen squatted beside the little eunuch with her hands around her knees, her voice sounding listless. "But there probably won't be a next time..."
Lu Hexu lowered his gaze, chewing on a green apricot as he looked down at her.
The little palace maid still looked to be in very low spirits.
A gust of cold wind blew past, making Su Zhenzhen shiver.
She glanced at the small stove near her side, then turned her head toward Mu Dan.
"Are you cold?"
Under the thin, winter moonlight, the little eunuch sat with his eyes closed, clutching the ceramic jar.
He looked as though he had just experienced a thrilling event, and now exhaustion was slowly creeping in.
Was he asleep?
He would catch a cold sleeping out here.
Su Zhenzhen approached cautiously, then carefully extended a pinky finger, lightly tapping the little eunuch’s finger.
(Hehehehe... touched his hand again.)
Lu Hexu opened his eyes to look at her. Su Zhenzhen immediately pulled her hand back and offered a thoughtful reminder: "Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold."
Your heart, my heart, let them touch.
The night was as dark as ink. Lu Hexu sat on a small wooden stool inside the Southern Palace—a stool that was worn but sturdy. He tilted the stool back slightly on its legs and looked down at his own hand.
A woman's hand really was warm; that heat seemed to linger on his fingertips.
Lu Hexu rocked on the small stool and suddenly reached his hand out toward Su Zhenzhen. "Do you want to hold my hand?"
Su Zhenzhen: !!!
Was this what it felt like when a meat bun fell from the sky?
Wait, was it a trap?
Su Zhenzhen nodded cautiously, still trying to find excuses for the both of them. "Look, the weather is really too cold, right?"
"If the two of us hold hands, we can stay a bit warmer."
"You know me, I'm an introverted person."
"My heart is as pure as a little white rabbit."
As she spoke, Su Zhenzhen’s fingertips brushed against the little eunuch's fingers.
They were slightly cold, with a smooth, jade-like texture.
Summoning her courage, Su Zhenzhen interlaced her fingers with his.
She felt the person opposite her freeze for a moment.
Su Zhenzhen’s mind also went blank, and then...
(So fragrant.)
(So soft.)
(So nice to hold.)
The two of them maintained this posture for a while.
The cold wind whistled between them. In her daze, Su Zhenzhen seemed to catch a faint scent of blood.
(Why does there seem to be a smell of blood?)
The little eunuch’s half-closed eyelids flicked upward as he fixed his gaze on the woman.
"Just now, I killed someone." The little eunuch squeezed Su Zhenzhen’s fingers tightly and leaned in toward her. His pale face was punctuated by blood-red lips, exuding an androgynous, bewitching beauty.
Su Zhenzhen stared blankly at the peerless face positioned right in front of her.
(What is he mumbling about? I want to kiss him.)
