Holding onto the carriage wall with one hand and stepping onto the footboard, Yun Wan lifted her skirt, preparing to attempt boarding once more.
As expected, she failed again.
Sighing, she suddenly noticed a hand appearing before her.
The palm was broad and upturned, fingers slightly curled—long, strong, and elegant.
Yun Wan looked up, meeting the gaze of the hand's owner through the half-drawn satin curtain. The unspoken offer was clear.
She froze momentarily.
Emperor Jingxuan's thin lips parted as he spoke in a cool tone, "What are you staring at?"
Flustered, Yun Wan stammered, "Th-thank you, Seventh Lord."
She placed her hand in his palm, their skin touching as a scorching warmth spread through her. His fingers closed around hers, and with a firm tug, she was pulled forward.
For a fleeting moment, Yun Wan felt weightless before landing securely inside the carriage.
Once inside, she couldn’t help but marvel. As expected of the most exalted man in the realm—his carriage was a masterpiece even from the outside, but the interior was truly extraordinary.
A carpet of deerskin and velvet, curtains adorned with jade and pearls, silk cushions so plush they absorbed every bump in the road. A cushioned divan, wide enough for one person, stood in the center, while delicate incense perfumed the air. Every detail exuded opulence.
Yun Wan settled near the satin curtain, legs pressed together in a proper lady’s posture, her head slightly bowed to obscure her expression.
As the wheels began to turn, she lifted the curtain to peek outside—they were indeed heading toward the Duke of Lu’s estate.
A faint sense of relief settled in her chest.
Then, a mocking voice cut through the silence, "Why not just sit on the carriage shaft, my lady?"
Meeting Emperor Jingxuan’s derisive gaze, Yun Wan smoothed her skirt and replied sheepishly, "My clothes are dirty. I didn’t want to soil your carriage."
Two luminous pearls from the East Sea rested atop an ebony table, their glow illuminating every corner.
With his sharp eyesight, Emperor Jingxuan immediately took in Yun Wan’s disheveled state under the light.
Her dark hair had loosened, stray strands escaping their pins to cling to her porcelain neck and temples.
Her once-neat dress was now wrinkled at the sleeves and hem, as if crumpled and hastily straightened. The pale fabric bore gray smudges and even tiny scorch marks.
His phoenix eyes narrowed as he studied her flushed cheeks before scoffing, "Did you roll around in a kitchen hearth?"
Yun Wan instinctively touched her face, only to smudge her pristine hand with soot. Her ears burned as she muttered, "It wasn’t like that..."
Amidst a fire, ashes were inevitable. She had tried to avoid the worst of the flames in Anifang, yet still ended up covered in grime.
This dress was beyond saving, she thought ruefully.
Unbeknownst to her, the man across from her saw her as nothing short of a jade-white dumpling rolled in soot.
Emperor Jingxuan’s lips curled. "How charitable of you. Shouldn’t firefighting and rescue be left to the authorities? Or did you think your two buckets of water could douse an inferno?"
Yun Wan gasped. "H-how did you know?"
He stared at her, silent.
Clad in a black robe that accentuated his tall, powerful frame, he lounged against the divan with an air of lazy dominance. His deep, fathomless eyes made her heart race, her breath hitching involuntarily.
Flustered, Yun Wan lowered her lashes, avoiding his gaze.
Just then, Jiang Fusheng’s voice came from outside, "Lady Lu, you may not know, but His Majesty was at Tianxiang Tower earlier and witnessed your heroic efforts firsthand. Truly, a woman of remarkable courage!"
Tianxiang Tower—a five-story restaurant diagonally across from Anifang—offered a bird’s-eye view of the entire district.
Jiang Fusheng’s words both answered Yun Wan’s question and deepened her embarrassment.
She forced a laugh. "You flatter me, Eunuch Jiang. I merely lent a hand where I could."
Heroic? Remarkable courage? The praise made her cringe.
But then—
She frowned at Emperor Jingxuan. "Why were you there?"
Today was the Cold Food Festival. Shouldn’t the emperor of Great Qi be at the Heavenly Altar, conducting ancestral rites? What was he doing outside the palace?
His fingers, which had been idly tracing a jade ring, stilled. His eyes gleamed with amusement. "Curious, are we?"
Yun Wan blinked, then shook her head hastily.
Even if she was, she wouldn’t dare admit it.
Emperor Jingxuan gave a faint smirk. "A foreign spy has been hiding in Great Qi for years. We finally caught a lead today, so I went to observe."
"A spy?" Yun Wan’s eyes widened.
Then, remembering herself, she waved her hands in protest. "Such matters of state shouldn’t be shared with me!"
If this ever backfired, she’d be the first to suffer.
Yet Emperor Jingxuan seemed unbothered. Shifting his posture, he drawled, "No harm in telling you. After all, you know the spy in question."
His gaze lingered on her, cryptic.
"Who?" Yun Wan asked before she could stop herself.
"The merchant Luo Yongcheng."
"Master Luo?"
Yun Wan stiffened, shock written across her face.
"I never imagined he was a spy... When I saw his body carried out after the fire, I actually mourned him," she murmured, voice tinged with disbelief.
"So the fire was..."
She stole a glance at Emperor Jingxuan—only to meet his piercing stare.
His lips twisted into a cold smile. "What’s that look for? Do you suspect I ordered the fire?"
Her heart lurched. "This humble woman wouldn’t dare!"
Emperor Jingxuan scoffed. "A desperate move. They thought flames could erase all evidence."
Understanding dawned on Yun Wan—the fire in Anifang was likely set by the enemy themselves.
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard him ask, "More importantly, why were you there?"
"I heard that foreign merchant had just returned from abroad," she explained softly. "I wanted to buy some rare spices from him."
"Spices?"
She nodded. "The incense you tasked me to replicate—I went out today hoping to find unique ingredients. I never expected to stumble into such trouble..."
A realization struck her. Her face paled as she stared at him in alarm. "Y-you don’t think I’m involved with the spy, do you?"
Her soot-streaked face only made her wide-eyed panic more vivid.
Emperor Jingxuan studied her fearful expression before replying ambiguously, "By protocol, everyone present at the scene these past two days is a suspect. They should all be taken to the Judicial Prison for questioning."
"Q-questioning?"
Her mind went blank.
Emperor Jingxuan remained aloof, every inch the untouchable sovereign.
The silence stretched until Yun Wan’s expression shifted.
"You must be joking," she said suddenly.
He raised a brow. "And why is that?"
Biting her lip, she replied, "If you were serious, you’d have sent me to the prison already. You wouldn’t be escorting me home."
Emperor Jingxuan remained silent, deepening Yun Wan's suspicions.
Outside the carriage, Jiang Fusheng muttered to himself, relieved that Madam Lu had reacted so swiftly. Had she burst into tears as before, who else would have been left to awkwardly console her but His Majesty himself?
At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—since when did the Emperor take pleasure in teasing others?
