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

Just then, Bai Chuan stepped forward and whispered, "Grand Preceptor, Liu Yun, a maid from the Princess's residence, requests an audience, saying she is concerned about the Princess."

Si Chen's gaze never left Chu Qingyue as he said calmly, "If the princess is willing to dine, then she will be allowed to see me."

Chu Qingyue stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled. Her smile was as bright as spring flowers in March, yet it carried a chilling coldness: "Eat, why aren't you eating?"

She got up and sat down next to the low table, staring straight at him, while picking up a spoon and feeding him spoonful after spoonful of porridge.

They swallowed mechanically, without chewing or tasting, as if performing some kind of ritual.

Si Chen looked at her.

Watching her struggle with each movement of her throat, watching the almost self-destructive calm on her pale face.

Only after swallowing the last mouthful of porridge did he say to Shirakawa, "Let her come up."

Shirakawa accepted the order and withdrew.

Before long, Liu Yun's footsteps approached from afar.

As she walked around the jade screen and caught sight of Chu Qingyue, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Her Highness, dressed in red robes that trailed on the ground, with her ankles bound by black iron, sat in the center of the high platform.

The morning light slanted in, making the cinnabar on her forehead look like a tear of blood about to fall.

He was clearly in the posture of a prisoner, yet his back was ramrod straight, and there was even a faint smile playing on his lips.

The silver-haired, purple-robed imperial advisor sat upright behind his desk, holding a star chart and reading it quietly with his eyes lowered.

The two were separated by a distance of three zhang, yet it felt as if they were separated by the entire River of Oblivion.

On one side, flames burn the heart.

On one side is ancient, frozen ice.

"This servant, Liuyun, greets the Imperial Preceptor and Your Highness the Princess." Liuyun curtsied and gently placed the gilded warm box in her hand.

Si Chen didn't raise his eyes, only saying calmly, "What is it?"

The flowing clouds bowed their heads, their posture respectful:

"Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, Your Highness has been residing in the Star-Picking Tower for some time, and everyone in the household is worried about you. This servant has specially brought Your Highness's usual daily necessities to comfort you."

She opened the insulated box, took out the neatly folded embroidered star and moon blanket and goose feather pillow, and presented them with both hands.

"Your Highness suffers from a chronic illness that makes you sensitive to cold and easily startled; you cannot sleep peacefully without this blanket and pillow."

Chu Qingyue's gaze fell on the familiar star and moon pattern, a faint glimmer of light flashing in her eyes.

She reached out, her fingertips brushing against the soft, plush blanket, the touch as warm as ever.

"Liu Yun is very kind," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Let it go. I will be staying here in seclusion for a while, spending my days with the Grand Preceptor. You need not worry about me."

"Yes, Your Highness," Liu Yun said, carefully laying out the soft carpet before quickly scanning Chu Qingyue's body with his gaze.

Only after confirming that there were no external injuries other than the anklet and the pale gold runes did she feel slightly relieved and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Does the Imperial Preceptor have anything else to say?" Chu Qingyue turned to Si Chen, her tone languid. "If there's nothing else, then let Liu Yun return. I... am a little tired."

Si Chen finally raised his gaze and landed on Liu Yun, his expression calm yet penetrating.

"The Princess needs to stay here for quiet contemplation and self-cultivation. Unless absolutely necessary, there is no need for you to come and disturb her with matters concerning the household."

Liu Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully replied:

"Yes, I understand. However... Your Highness is frail, and your old ailment may relapse at any time. If it is necessary to summon the imperial physician or obtain some specially made pills from the manor..."

"The Star-Picking Tower knows its limits," Si Chen interrupted her, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Step down."

Liu Yun dared not say another word, and gave Chu Qingyue a deep look. That look contained a thousand words, but in the end it all turned into one sentence: "Your Highness, please take care. This servant takes her leave."

She bowed and withdrew, her footsteps disappearing at the end of the stone steps.

Just as the door closed—

"Well--!!"

Chu Qingyue suddenly turned her head and vomited up all the porridge she had just forced to swallow!

She vomited violently, as if she were emptying her internal organs.

She only felt dry heaving before collapsing, her back against the low table legs, her long hair disheveled and plastered to her sweaty cheeks.

Her eyes were closed, her chest heaving violently, and her lips had faded to almost transparent color. Only the cinnabar on her forehead remained a breathtakingly red.

After a long while, she laughed softly and hoarsely.

"Look, Grand Preceptor..." she gasped, her voice as soft as a dream.

"Your 'human touch'... This body of mine, which crawled back from hell, is not worthy of it."

Si Chen slowly put down the star map and stood up.

The moon-white robe swept across the ground silently.

He walked up to her, lowered his eyes, and looked at her disheveled appearance, at the filth in front of her, and at the complex expression on her pale face that was a mixture of pain and mockery.

He neither summoned Shirakawa nor used his spiritual power to cleanse the area.

He simply squatted down, picked up a plain towel, soaked it in the copper basin of water, and wrung it out.

Then, he lifted her face.

The skin my fingertips touched was icy cold, damp with a faint sheen of sweat.

His movements were not gentle, even somewhat stiff, but he wiped away the stains on her lips and chin with unusual care.

The damp cloth wiped her delicate skin, leaving a temporary feeling of coolness, but it could not wipe away the desolate crimson in her eyes.

Chu Qingyue let him do as he pleased, her eyelashes fluttered, she opened her eyes and looked straight into his eyes that were so close to hers.

Those glassy gray eyes were still like a cold pool, reflecting her fragmented image, but they seemed...deeper than usual.

"Intentional?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Yes," she answered readily, even managing a forced smile, but her exhaustion made her appear fragile.

"I did it on purpose."

"Eat it, then spit it out... Does that count as consuming the Grand Preceptor's food? And does that count as... disobeying your orders?"

She was provoking, in a way that bordered on self-destruction.

Si Chen threw down the plain cloth in his hand, which fell beside the filth and was quickly soaked.

He didn't answer her question, he just looked at her for a long time.

Then, he suddenly reached out and touched her wrist.

Chu Qingyue instinctively shrank back.

She was panting, but her voice carried an almost manic clarity:

"There's no need to take my pulse. I'm fine. It's just that the food that was forcibly stuffed into my mouth isn't digesting properly. If the Imperial Preceptor feeds me personally next time, and I enjoy the food, then perhaps I'll be alright."

After she finished speaking, she reached out and gently brushed her fingertips across his robes, from the hem of his sleeves to his waist, the movement slow and full of blasphemous intent.

"Grand Preceptor, you imprisoned me, so you owe me something." She tilted her head back, her gaze sharp as a hook, as if to drag him down from his cloud-like heights.

"If I don't die, I will definitely... get my revenge."

"I will also tie up and imprison the Imperial Advisor then, but I am not as petty as the Imperial Advisor—"

She leaned closer, her breath brushing against his neck, her voice as soft as a lover's whisper, yet every word was venomous:

"The chains that bind you... I will use pure gold, and your meals... I will personally feed you."

"Even when drinking water...it's like...passing it across your lips..."

"I... will definitely raise you, my untainted imperial advisor, until... you can never escape my grasp... Hahaha..."

She chuckled softly, her laughter eerie and hollow.