Chapter 38

Night fell beneath a bright moon and a sky scattered with stars, while cicadas chirped in waves.

Inside the side room, Tu Shanjin sat before the table. The candlelight flickered, casting a sharp line of light and shadow across his face.

As this was a sacred Buddhist site, illicit relations between men and women were forbidden. Thus, although he and Yun Yaoyao lived in the same courtyard, they occupied separate rooms on the east and west sides.

That arrangement had made it convenient for Tushan Ze to sneak in tonight. Yet the courtyard was heavily guarded—nothing larger than a mouse could possibly get inside.

So how had he come to find him?

And during the day, how had Yun Yaoyao managed to become so friendly with Ning Ying so effortlessly?

The Ning family was one of the most prominent clans in the capital. The head of the family was the Minister of War, while his legitimate son was a great general. Quite a few members of the Ning clan also held military positions.

It ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍went without saying how influential the Ning family was. And yet, they maintained a neutral stance in court, refusing to involve themselves in political struggles and simply carrying out their duties.

Ning Ying was the Ning family’s only daughter and was highly valued by her household. After she returned to the capital, many factions began making plans. Everyone wanted their own legitimate son to marry her and climb onto the Ning family’s towering tree.

No one had expected Yun Yaoyao to get there first.

The legitimate daughter of the Yun family had become sworn siblings with the emperor. Now, even if the Ning family had no desire to wade into the murky waters of court politics, they had no choice but to get involved…

Why was Yun Yaoyao always so surprising? How could she be so formidable?

As he thought about it, only that name and those lively eyes remained in Tu Shanjin’s mind.

Suddenly, he felt something bump against his foot. Tu Shanjin moved his foot aside and looked down.

The next second, the wooden floorboards lifted, and a pair of peach-blossom eyes—eyes that seemed capable of gazing passionately even at a dog—poked through the opening.

“Yao’er!”

Tu Shanjin: “…”

So this peacock really had tunneled his way in.

After shaking the dust from his clothes, Tushan Ze sat down in front of the beauty and began passionately recounting the pain of his longing.

“Today, I saw you standing beside that tyrant. To declare war on me, he deliberately took you with him to pick apricots so intimately. My heart was torn to pieces. I wished I could bring you to my side at once!”

“But I couldn’t… blah, blah, blah…”

After listening to Tushan Ze’s nauseatingly cloying speech for quite some time, Tu Shanjin decided that if he did not respond with something, he would seem terribly discourteous.

He pitched his voice high and imagined that the man in front of him was his beloved throne before replying with equal passion, “Today, when I saw Your Highness standing together with Yun Yanyan, was my heart not bleeding as well? The person who should have been standing beside Your Highness was clearly me.”

“But I understand all the difficulties you face, Your Highness. Boo-hoo-hoo, Your Highness! … blah, blah, blah…”

After the two of them exchanged heartfelt confessions by candlelight, Tushan Ze finally revealed the reason for his visit.

“Yao’er, there is something I must ask of you.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

Tu Shanjin sneered inwardly. He had known this so-called “renewal of an old romance” concealed no good intentions.

“Yao’er, I know that because of what happened in the past, you resent your father. Now that Lin Qingti has risen to power, His Majesty intends to use him against the Ministry of Rites. If the Yun family truly meets the same fate as the Lou family, you won’t be able to remain untouched either. I’m worried about your situation in the palace…”

As he spoke, Tushan Ze placed his hand over the soft jade hand he had wanted to touch for so long.

Tu Shanjin instinctively recoiled in disgust and pulled his hand away, pretending to be angry.

“Yun Liang is not my father, and Lin Qingti is not my uncle! My mother and I suffered terribly in that household, and he never once offered us any help. Now he only comes fawning because I’ve become Consort Miao. Besides, Mother severed all ties with the Lin family long ago!”

“Only Your Highness showed me kindness in the past. Whatever you want me to do, just say the word.”

Tushan Ze was extremely pleased by how readily the other party understood him. No wonder the National Master’s auspicious prophecy had prompted him to show Yun Yaoyao some casual kindness back then!

“The Yun family is your true support. Lin Qingti must be eliminated. I already have a plan. You need only do the following…”

Once they had finished discussing the matter, Tushan Ze’s throat had grown somewhat dry.

Seeing this, Tu Shanjin poured two cups of tea.

Tushan Ze noticed that the cups were clean. He also saw his companion drink the tea, and only then did he pick up his own cup and drain it in one gulp.

Afterward, he asked, his eyes concealing deep urgency, “Yao’er, did you give that powder to the tyrant?”

Tu Shanjin nodded. “I did.”

It was in your cup.

Hearing this, Tushan Ze smiled with delight, his entire body seeming to relax. “You’ve worked hard, Yao’er.”

“Your Highness, what does this powder do?”

“Yao’er, there’s no harm in telling you. Once the tyrant takes it, he will never be able to have children for the rest of his life.”

“His line will be cut off?” Tu Shanjin’s pupils contracted.

“That’s right.” Tushan Ze’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He repeated the words slowly, one by one. “His line. Will. Be. Cut. Off!”

Having said that, Tushan Ze worried that this might damage his image in Yun Yaoyao’s eyes, so he hurriedly added in a tender tone, “Yao’er, I did all this for you. I knew you didn’t want that tyrant to leave behind any heirs, so I went out of my way to find this…”

Tu Shanjin met his hypocritical gaze and smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Your Highness!”

In any case, the powder had already been used on you.

What a eunuch of a prince~

Tushan Ze was in an exceptionally good mood. With a beauty before him, an itch began to spread through his heart.

Unable to restrain himself, he stood up and moved to pull the other man into his arms, intending to enjoy a little intimate tenderness.

“Yao’er, I’ve truly missed you…”

Tu Shanjin had been in an excellent mood himself, but the moment a grown man wrapped his arms around him, fury surged through his chest.

Damn that shameless peacock! How dare he hug him!

The beauty struggled, but Tushan Ze took it as coy resistance. And with their bodies brushing against each other now and then, the lust inside him gradually began to rise.

“Yao’er, my love for you is sincere. Seeing you so close to that tyrant today truly pained me. I only want to erase every trace of him from your body and leave behind nothing but my own scent!”

Being hugged and pawed at by a man who was puckering his lips and trying to kiss him, Tu Shanjin nearly vomited up last night’s meal. He told himself not to stoop to the level of a eunuch, and only then managed to suppress the urge to smash a teapot over the man’s head.

Tu Shanjin blew out the candle on the table, and the side room was instantly plunged into darkness. He then slipped free with ease.

“Let’s go to the bed.”

“Good!”

Taking advantage of the hazy moonlight, Tushan Ze made his way toward the bed. He secretly planned to get it over with quickly. If he could succeed on the first attempt and have Tu Shanjin bear him a son, that would be even better!

But just then, a knock sounded from outside the door, followed by a voice as loud as an ox’s bellow:

“Your Ladyship! This servant has brought you pigeon soup! Please have some before you rest!”

Tushan Ze’s heart lurched. He was just about to tell Yao’er to send the person away when the door creaked open. The intruder had actually pushed the door straight in!

Tushan Ze went limp with fright on the spot.

He hurried toward the secret passage, furious and panicked. How dare a lowly maid be so utterly lacking in manners!

Niu Xiu’er entered the side room carrying a bowl of pigeon soup and a lantern. She passed behind the screen and walked over to the table, just about to set down the soup.

Then she heard a faint crack, like the sound of a bone breaking, accompanied by a deliberately muffled groan of pain.

“What was that?”

Niu Xiu’er warily turned her head and looked around.

There was no one in the room. Only her mistress sat on the bed, the corners of her lips curled in a smile.

Hee-hee, her mistress was truly beautiful~

Tu Shanjin withdrew her gaze from the floorboard, which was slightly raised and had what appeared to be a broken finger protruding from beneath it. A broad foot was planted squarely on top of it.

Tu Shanjin rose unhurriedly and spread her arms. “Not a sound. Come over here and help me remove my outer robe and hairpins.”

Only then did Niu Xiu’er move, happily hurrying over to attend to her mistress. The finger immediately trembled and withdrew from the edge of the board.

If Miss said not to make a sound, then she must have her reasons!

Just as Miss had told her during the day that, once the candles in the side room went out at night, she was to enter directly and bring Miss pigeon soup—she must have had her reasons for that, too!