The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Qi Si stood still, his gaze like a deep, cold pool, slowly sweeping over Pei Yanchuan's eyes, which were filled with a gentle glow, and the faint blush that had not yet faded from his cheeks.

After a long pause, a faint, unreadable smile appeared on his lips, and his voice was deep and slow:

"It seems I was overthinking it. It appears Ying Lin... is indeed completely devoted and happy to it."

He knew Pei Yanchuan all too well. This young man had been influenced by the Pei family tradition since childhood, and the proud spirit of "rather die than be a broken jade" was etched into his bones.

If one were truly forced to submit, it would be impossible to display such an expression...like the first melting of spring snow and the blossoming of new buds on branches.

The light in those eyes couldn't be faked.

He truly gave his whole heart to this infamous Princess Mirror.

"If the Regent has come specifically for my Ah Lin," Tang Xixue's voice rang out at the right moment, light and graceful like a cherry blossom with dew on its branches, soft yet composed, "then please return to Yanlan Palace to rest. It is late at night and the snow is heavy; this is not a place for reminiscing."

Qi Si's gaze shifted slightly and settled on her.

It must be admitted that, in terms of demeanor and appearance alone, the person before me certainly has the qualities to be admired.

Clad in snow-white robes and with hair as black as ink, her eyes like cold stars, she stood amidst the blazing lights and the menacing swords, exuding an unwavering tranquility.

Pei Yanchuan's judgment... is not bad.

Unfortunately, his reputation is truly tarnished.

He stood calmly with his hands behind his back, wanting to see what this rumored eccentric and willful princess had to rely on to be so composed in front of him, and even try to influence his decisions.

"If I, the King, were to—" he began slowly, each word carrying immense weight, crashing into the stagnant air, "would I insist on capturing these remnants of the Pei clan?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue was not surprised at all; instead, she smiled gently.

The smile was faint, yet it spread silently, like a crack in the surface of ice.

"Is the Regent so determined to capture Ah Lin not, so that he might also be able to see Lady Mei?"

She looked up, her gaze clear as a mirror, reflecting his unfathomable pupils.

The moment the words "Madam Mei" were uttered, Qi Si's usually calm and handsome face froze almost imperceptibly.

Although it returned to normal in an instant, that slight stagnation, like a pebble thrown into a still pond, had already created ripples that could not be concealed.

Tang Xixue took in every subtle change in his expression, her tone becoming increasingly calm, yet every word precise:

"Madam Mei is currently residing at Lintai, quietly recuperating. If Your Highness truly wishes to see her, you can simply send a formal invitation and visit Lintai. Why go to such lengths, using my Ah Lin as a pawn?"

She paused slightly, her voice softening, yet carrying an undeniable certainty:

"Moreover, Madam Mei is currently physically weak and mentally exhausted, and she may not be able to withstand such a... shock from Your Highness."

She spoke the last two words casually, yet they were like an extremely fine needle, precisely piercing a certain spot.

A clear crack finally appeared in the frigid, winter-like aura surrounding Qi Si.

His gaze darkened slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed. The composed mask that had just given him an air of complete control now faintly revealed the turbulent undercurrents beneath.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, turning his gaze to Pei Yanchuan, his tone softening slightly, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation, "Yinglin, how is your mother now?"

His trip to Baiyujing was ostensibly for the Nine Extremes Alliance, but his most important secret purpose was to find that graceful figure who had haunted his heart for many years.

Capturing Pei Yanchuan was merely the most direct way to force Mei Ruohuan to reveal her whereabouts.

Unexpectedly, the other party had already seen through his intentions and laid everything out in the open.

Pei Yanchuan quietly looked back at him. The boy's clear eyes reflected the flickering candlelight, as well as the rare wavering in the Regent's eyes.

His thin lips parted slightly, his voice calm and still, each word as cold as ice:

"Thank you for your concern, Regent. My mother... is now bedridden and nearing the end of her life. If you truly wish to see her, then go and see her."

He paused slightly, his gaze seemingly fleetingly sweeping over Qi Si's suddenly tightening fingers, before continuing:

"But my mother has suffered from heart disease and sleepless nights due to years of wandering. If Your Highness had not happened to meet her and rescued her in time, I'm afraid my mother and sister... would have been sold into that filthy place long ago, and their remains would have been lost forever."

He spoke in an extremely calm tone, yet every word he uttered was like a soft knife coated with poison.

Qi Si's figure swayed almost imperceptibly.

The man, who had been as steady as a rock and seemed to be able to control everything, suddenly lost all color in his face, and even his thin lips lost their color.

The silk-pulling Gu, which had been dormant due to its proximity to Baiyujing, suddenly began to twist violently in his chest without warning.

It wasn't the usual gentle, subtle pain, but rather a sharp, red-hot blade that pierced and churned violently.

"How could this be...?"

He subconsciously raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"She was so beautiful... she was clearly..."

The figure I remember, leaning against the window reading a book, smiling sweetly, should have been bright and vivid.

Although her physique wasn't particularly robust, it certainly wasn't like this... completely exhausted.

Pei Yanchuan looked at his face, which turned as pale as paper in an instant, and the sudden, almost overflowing pain and bewilderment in his eyes. He felt no pleasure, only a cold and desolate feeling.

He recalled the records about "Silk-Pulling Gu" that he had secretly found out - a secret of the Qi clan, which requires the couple to have a real relationship before it can be planted, so that they can be of one mind and share the same fate, and feel each other's pain.

If one of them is dying, the other will also die from exhaustion.

The Gu poison in my mother's body was most likely planted by this person in front of me.

But what exactly happened between them?

Is it a helpless situation after mutual affection, or a one-sided and forced desire?

He doesn't know.

All he knew was that in this silent game of love, the one who loved more deeply and was more obsessed had already lost everything from the very beginning.

Just like Qi Si at this moment.

"It was just five years of wandering," Pei Yanchuan shifted his gaze to the deep night outside the window, his tone as soft as a sigh, "impoverished, struggling to make ends meet... and having to deal with a wicked servant with ulterior motives, who beat and kicked my mother because she refused to submit to him."

He paused, then looked at Qi Si again, his words clear and cruel, each one distinct:

"Your Highness, Regent, tell me—after enduring these days, how much of a person's body will remain?"

Qi Si suddenly closed his eyes.

The regrets, anxieties, and heart-wrenching pains that he thought had long been worn down by power and time suddenly overwhelmed him like a flood bursting its banks.

His upright figure hunched almost imperceptibly for a moment, the veins on the back of his hand pressed against his chest bulged, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

So this is how she endured these past five years... inch by inch.

"Hmm..."

A very low, hoarse gasp escaped from his throat.

Qi Si suddenly opened his eyes, a crimson hue appearing in them, and a violent, chilling wave of power, almost capable of destroying the world, surged forth.

He will not let any of those ants who bullied her, humiliated her, and drove her to this predicament go.

He wanted to show them what it meant to be unable to live or die.

"We are the remnants of traitors," Pei Yanchuan's voice rang out again, "We can only hide in the darkest corners, eking out a living in the shantytowns of the slums."

The boy's slender figure stood at the boundary between candlelight and shadow, his face pale, but his eyes were clear and piercing.

"It is Your Highness's mercy that has freed us from living in constant fear like rats and ants in a sewer, and given us a roof over our heads where we can stand tall. If the Regent wishes to arrest us, he may do so now."

He slightly raised his chin, his tone even carrying a hint of relieved weariness:

"We've had enough of this dark and hopeless hell on earth."

Qi Si's fingertips trembled suddenly.

"But," Pei Yanchuan's tone suddenly changed, his gaze meeting Pei Yanchuan's still-red eyes, his clear voice carrying an undeniable protectiveness, "I beg the Regent not to speak ill of Her Highness again, and not to vent your anger and resentment on her."

He took half a step forward, his slender frame possessing an aura of dignified strength, like a lone bamboo swaying in the wind.

"Your Highness is a beacon in our despair, a bridge across the abyss. Ying Lin will remember this kindness for the rest of his life and will not allow anyone to slight him—not even you, Your Highness the Regent."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

The candlelight flickered in his clear pupils, which held no fear, no pleading, only a magnanimous and unyielding sense of protection.

Qi Si stared at him intently, at this boy she had once personally taught, now standing on the opposite side of him with a completely unfamiliar, distant and wary demeanor, revealing his not-so-sharp claws for the sake of Princess Mirror.