The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

An uproar erupted at the banquet. The women cried out in fear, and the officials, their faces pale, rose to look around.

On his high seat, Emperor Chu frowned, but showed little panic. He turned his gaze to the Fifth Princess, Chu Qingyao, below him and said, "Yao'er, how did those two treasures you and your mother kept in the Rare Beast Garden escape?"

Chu Qingyao stood up, her beautiful face displaying just the right amount of fear and composure, and curtsied, saying:

"Your Majesty, I suspect the servant guarding the tiger was too careless and let it escape from its cage. I have disturbed Your Majesty's presence and deserve to die."

She changed the subject abruptly and said with a sweet smile:

"But it's alright. Your Majesty, I originally intended for them to perform after the banquet. Now that they're out, consider it an earlier performance."

The Emperor of Chu waved his hand helplessly, his tone even somewhat indulgent: "Fine. Since that's the case, let's prepare the performance in advance. Let everyone broaden their horizons."

Amidst a tense yet curious atmosphere, only Si Chen, from the moment the tiger's roar rang out, fixed his gaze on Chu Qingyue, piercing through the chaotic crowd.

He saw her calm and composed, even with a hint of amusement on her lips. That smile was laced with poison and sweetness, breathtakingly beautiful, yet dangerously chilling.

As if sensing something, Chu Qingyue suddenly turned around and precisely caught his gaze. Their eyes met. She winked at him with her left eye very quickly, almost mischievously.

In that instant, the ice and snow began to melt, and a bewitching, ethereal beauty appeared.

Si Chen's breath hitched almost imperceptibly, then he turned his gaze away expressionlessly, though the star chart in his sleeve trembled slightly.

The heavy thud of footsteps, accompanied by low growls, drew closer. Guided by their tamer and Chu Qingyao, the two enormous creatures slowly entered the open space in front of the Linshui Pavilion.

One was pure white except for a single black stripe on its forehead, a magnificent and rare snow tiger. The other was a striped tiger with golden fur and black stripes, much larger in size, with fierce eyes; it was the infamous Siberian tiger.

Under Chu Qingyao's commands and the trainer's careful guidance, the two tigers actually completed several simple commands. They even performed two somewhat clumsy but astonishing somersaults, winning gasps of amazement and cheers from the audience.

The atmosphere seemed to ease, and people sat down again, whispering excitedly as if they had survived a disaster.

Chu Qingyue, however, kept her eyes fixed on Si Chen.

She saw his long, slender fingers twitch almost imperceptibly—a prelude to his divination. Once the horoscope was set in motion, all the events of the night would be exposed to the workings of fate.

We can't let him calculate it.

She swept to his side like a rosy breeze, and the moment he raised his hand, she firmly grasped his wrist.

The moment they touched, a warm sensation wafted through his slightly cool skin—in this world, only her touch did he not repel. And only her touch could make his body, which had lived for four hundred years and was long since numb, feel a trace of warmth.

Si Chen didn't look up. He didn't need to see to know it was her.

"Grand Preceptor," Chu Qingyue said, handing over a white jade cup, the liquid inside shimmering like amber. "I am deeply grateful to you for proving my innocence earlier. This cup of wine is a toast to you."

All eyes in the hall turned to her, but no one dared to question it. Who didn't know that the Ninth Princess was raised by the Imperial Advisor? This intimacy, though transgressing the bounds, seemed perfectly natural.

Si Chen then looked up at her. In four hundred years, he had seen the world change, the rise and fall of dynasties, but he had never seen such eyes—clear yet deep, innocent yet cruel, like honey laced with poison.

He took the glass, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The next instant, a suppressed cough escaped his throat, and a faint hint of surprise flickered in his usually calm eyes. For over four hundred years, he had been incapable of tasting flavors or feeling temperature, yet now, for the first time, this liquid burned his throat.

Spicy, stimulating, scalding hot... So this is what alcohol tastes like.

Chu Qingyue looked at his slightly reddened eyes and his unconsciously furrowed brows.

Looking at her, the Imperial Preceptor who was forever like a solitary moon in the sky, untouched by the dust of the world, she revealed a trace of human dishevelment, almost a mess.

She smiled softly. Not her usual cold, sarcastic laugh, but a genuine smile that radiated from the corners of her eyes and brows. In that smile, even the old scar on her forehead seemed like a cinnabar inlay applied by a goddess, breathtakingly beautiful and poignant.

She stretched out her slender fingers, picked up a bright red, juicy strawberry from the jade dish, and offered it to his lips.

Perhaps it was the rarity of that smile that swayed his senses; perhaps the intoxication blurred his senses; perhaps it was the food she offered that was the only solace he could taste...

Si Chen, as if possessed, lowered his eyelashes and, taking her hand, slowly ate the strawberry, bite by bite.

As he took his last small bite, his lips inadvertently brushed against her fingertips.

And in that instant, with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, her fingertips lightly and swiftly brushed against his cool lips. A strange, subtle, electric-like tingling sensation suddenly surged through Si Chen's spine.

Itchy... tingly... His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes—what was this unfamiliar feeling?

Just then—

Unexpected changes occurred!

The next second, the seemingly docile Siberian tiger suddenly roared in fury without warning, abruptly turning its massive body and lunging at the seat of the First Prince, Chu Xuanche, with lightning speed! It was too fast! From the sudden pounce to the shadow looming over him, it was only a flash!

"Ah—!" Chu Xuanche only had time to let out a short scream before he was fiercely pounced on by the hundreds-of-pounds beast and knocked to the ground. His jade crown shattered, his python robe was torn open by sharp claws, and the hot, bloody breath from the tiger's mouth sprayed onto his pale face.

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!" The shrill voice of the eunuch pierced the night sky.

"Che'er! My Che'er! Quick... quick, save the Crown Prince!" The Empress's scream was almost distorted.

Almost simultaneously, the white tiger also let out a low growl, ignoring the tamer's commands. Its green eyes flashed with ferocity as it pounced on Chu Qingyue, who seemed to be "frightened"!

Chu Qingyue lightly touched the table with her toes, her figure as nimble as a swallow, and suddenly floated backward, landing precisely on the pavilion roof in the center of the lotus pond, a dozen feet away. She looked down from her vantage point, her robes fluttering, her crimson palace gown rustling in the night wind, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The well-trained imperial guards finally reacted and split into two groups. One group drew their swords and blades to fiercely attack the two out-of-control beasts.

Another group rushed forward, trying to drag Chu Xuanche out from under the tiger's claws. The Siberian tiger went berserk, swinging its claws wildly. A master was unable to dodge in time, and his arm bone broke instantly.

The other two seized the opportunity to grab Chu Xuanche's arm tightly and pull him away with all their might.

Chu Xuanche cried out in pain and struggled, when the tiger slammed down with its claws, the sharp claws slicing right between his legs!

"Ugh—!!!"

A piercing scream, inhuman and shrill, shattered the sky. Chu Xuanche's lower robe was instantly soaked with dark red ink. His eyes rolled back, his body convulsed violently, and he nearly fainted.