The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Morning light streamed through the carved windows, casting dappled golden shadows across the floor of the hall.

The incense smoke curled gently, mingling with the faint sweet aroma lingering from breakfast, creating a warm and gentle atmosphere in the room.

Shen Cuo strode into the hall, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the light.

He knelt on one knee, his voice steady:

"Your Majesty, the princes have arrived in Baiyujing. According to the schedule, they will enter the palace for an audience later tonight."

Tang Xiye put down the handkerchief in her hand and responded faintly:

"Yes, I understand."

He had finished his breakfast and was now facing Tang Xixue beside him.

He folded the plain white handkerchief between his fingers, then unfolded it again and gently covered the corner of her lips.

The movements were extremely light and slow.

It's like brushing away a drop of morning dew from a flower petal.

Shen Cuo lowered his eyes and, forcing himself to speak, added another sentence:

"Your Majesty, it's time—it's time for court."

Having served His Majesty for so many years, as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, he spends his days relaying messages and urging the court to convene.

Does this sound like a word?

But he dared not say it.

All we can do is silently pray that His Majesty will be more understanding of his subjects' difficulties and give him more time off.

"Wu Jiu is so thoughtful!"

A clear, soft voice rang out, carrying a hint of admiration.

Tang Xixue tilted her head, gazing at Shen Cuo, her peach blossom eyes, which seemed to hold deep affection for everyone, brimming with a bright, sparkling smile:

"She does several jobs at once, yet she's still so considerate."

"Your Majesty, you should raise his salary."

Her elder brother usually didn't like to bring eunuchs with him, thinking they were useless and easily killed by assassins. Therefore, he took Shen Cuo with him almost everywhere he went.

After all, Shen Cuo is hard to kill.

"hiss--"

Upon hearing this, Shen Cuo gasped, his heart nearly stopping.

He subconsciously looked up and quickly glanced at Tang Xiye.

The emperor's handsome face remained unchanged, and a faint smile even lingered on his lips.

But beneath that smile, a turbulent undercurrent was clearly brewing.

Shen Cuo felt a chill run down his spine.

He now knows perfectly well what His Majesty's shady intentions are.

Once this jealousy burns, it's probably impossible to extinguish it even if all the vinegar brewed in the imperial kitchen for a year were used up.

At that moment, he was praised by Princess Mirror.

The next moment, shouldn't we be facing His Majesty's thunderous wrath?

Shen Cuo took a deep breath and tried to shrink himself into a non-existent shadow.

Why are you praising this little rascal?

Is it a death sentence?

Life is already so difficult, why make it harder on yourself?

"Brother Emperor."

Tang Xixue tilted her little face up, looking at Tang Xiye with a hint of pride:

"How was it? Wasn't Zhizhi's judgment very good back then?"

His tone was full of eager anticipation for praise.

"Um."

Tang Xiye nodded, her smile deepening.

"My Zhizhi has always had the best taste."

"The name that Zhizhi gave to Wujiu back then was also very good."

He paused, his gaze falling on Shen Cuo. His gaze remained indifferent, yet carried a hint of imperial scrutiny.

"If it weren't for Zhizhi's pleas for me to keep him—"

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Tang Xixue again, his faint scrutiny instantly transforming into boundless tenderness.

"I won't even notice him."

In his eyes, there was only his Zhizhi.

No one else, no other thing, nothing else is worth a second glance from him.

"I remember, what Zhizhi said back then was—"

"Mistakes are made on whetstones, and without blame, they are made into useful tools."

He gazed at her, his eyes filled with pride and doting affection:

"Now it seems—"

"Wu Jiu has indeed become a capable person."

"Zhizhi, you deserve our gratitude for your kindness."

The words fell.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Shen Cuo was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He stood there, like a stone statue suddenly frozen in place.

Those bright eyes were now churning with turbulent emotions.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Tang Xixue.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.

The snow reflected the sunlight, casting dappled light and shadows through the carved window, illuminating that pure and ethereal face.

She sat there, her bright red dress radiant, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at him.

His eyes were filled with clear satisfaction and approval.

That smile was so warm and bright, like the first ray of sunlight shining into a deep pool in spring.

Shen Cuo suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.

"So—she was the one who discovered me?"

"She saw me."

"Me, as insignificant as dust, as fleeting as a shadow..."

Memories flooded back like a tide.

He recalled that many years ago, he was still that boy who was forgotten by everyone in a corner.

No one looked at him, no one called out to him, no one treated him like a human being.

He recalled the days when he followed the Crown Prince.

Princess Mirror was always by his side back then.

She wore a beautiful dress and exquisite pearl flowers; when she smiled, the entire East Palace lit up.

She never treated him differently.

But she never treated him coldly.

She would hand him a snack while he was on duty, nod at him as she passed by, and smile when their eyes met.

He carefully kept those small, unintentional moments of warmth in his heart, like collecting pieces of sunlight falling into his palm.

But he never imagined—

You can change your destiny.

They can be redeemed.

To have a decent identity, a reason to live—

It's because of her.

Yes.

He should have thought of that sooner.

In the Crown Prince's eyes, there was only Princess Jing.

How could someone like that lower their gaze to look at him, a shadow abandoned in a corner?

It turns out that she was the deity who had taken pity on him.

It gave him the first ray of warmth in the world.

And he cherished the words "no blame" for so many years.

It turns out that it was also bestowed upon her.

It was on that spring day, when pear blossoms were falling, that she gently tugged at the Crown Prince's sleeve and said in a soft, sweet voice:

"Mistakes are used as whetstones; no faults are used to make tools."

It was at that moment that she paved the way for all the roads that followed for him.

Shen Cuo's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, as if a thousand words were stuck there, but he couldn't utter a single one.

Those years.

During those years when she was pointed at and ridiculed throughout the land, did he ever say a word for her?

Every time she came to see His Majesty, he appeared respectful on the surface, but inwardly he was filled with impatience.

He felt that she was not worthy of her brother Shen Xian, a gentleman of noble character and integrity, and even more so of His Majesty.

How could the Holy Emperor, whom he regarded as a god, have such a disgraced sister?

He felt ashamed of her.

He thought she was indecent.

They accused her of tarnishing the reputation of the Chenyao royal family.

But now, the truth has come out.

Princess Mirror, whom everyone despised, the woman he had secretly disliked for five years, turned out to be the first ray of light to shine into his gloomy life.

But he repaid her with indifference and prejudice for five years.

Shen Cuo lowered his eyes, feeling as if something was gripping his chest tightly, making it so sore he could hardly breathe.

He felt that he—

That's really damn good.

At this moment, as he looked at her, only one thought surged wildly within him:

They are all unworthy!

My elder brother is unworthy, His Majesty is unworthy, no one is worthy!

She deserves the best of everything in this world.

He stood there.

a long time.

He spoke.

His voice was a little hoarse, as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, or as if too many emotions were stuck in his throat, struggling to come out.

But he still spoke clearly and solemnly, word by word:

"Thanks."

Those two words were spoken as softly as if afraid to startle a plum blossom from its branch.

But hidden within that gentle gesture was a decade's worth of gratitude.

In countless late nights, he would take out his personal token alone and, by the light of a solitary lamp, silently recite the words "Wu Jiu" (meaning "without blame") by tracing them over and over with his fingertips.

It holds within it all the past—the memories of being pulled from the mire, cleansed, cherished, and reshaped into a person.

"You're welcome, Wujiu."

Tang Xixue looked at him and blinked.

Those peach blossom eyes were filled with a clear smile, like a lake in spring, like the first melting snow, so gentle it made one's heart tremble.

"You saved yourself."

She paused, then spoke each word with utmost seriousness:

"You are very brave."

Shen Cuo was stunned.

"I should be thanking you."

Tang Xixue looked into his eyes, which were filled with shock and complex emotions, and curved her lips into a smile:

"Over the years, you have bravely protected my most important brother, the Emperor, in my place."

She paused, her smile deepening, just like the smile she had given him many years ago when she passed by him.

"Please continue to look after him in the future."

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a spring breeze brushing against your ear:

"Is that okay?"

Okay?

Those two words were like a pebble thrown into the deepest, calmest pool of his heart, rippling out gentle waves.

Shen Cuo lowered his eyes.

He quietly concealed the burning sensation in his eyes.

Then, he looked up.

Solemnly, word for word:

"it is good."

This single word, spoken with utmost weight, is as heavy as a vow.

The people his gods cherish are the guides who have led him step by step out of the mire, over the thorns, and to the heights over the years.

It is his Majesty.

He was a wise ruler whom he was willing to give his life to protect.

But now, he had another reason for holding the sword.

she was.

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.

Its light has shone over the vast land of China, over magnificent palaces and pavilions, and also on that figure standing in the light and shadow.

That figure once thought it was a piece of scrap iron born to be abandoned, a speck of dust destined to sink into darkness.

But at this moment, his heart burned hotter than ever before.

original.

Besides His Majesty, whom he revered, there was a light that always warmly enveloped him.

How fortunate he is.

I only wish to repay your kindness by repaying your kindness with my humble offerings.

He Lichen sat quietly to the side, listening to Tang Xixue's words, his face still cold and frosty, but there was no displeasure in his eyes.

He's known that since he was a child.

Tangxi Ye was the most important person to her.

On this point, no one needs to argue, and no one can argue with anyone else.

If Tang Xiye hadn't provoked him, he wouldn't have bothered to compete with him.

Empress Dowager Bai Yining gazed at Shen Cuo, at the loyalty and fervor surging within his usually calm eyes, and at the burning light in the young man's handsome features.

She suddenly laughed.

But within that smile lay a sigh, a sense of relief, and something that had been buried for too long and could finally be let go of.

Unstained.

She softly called that person's name in her heart.

You're not in the wrong.

It's not your kindness that's wrong.

How could it be the light's fault?

Some shadows, once illuminated, will turn against that light.

But some shadows, once illuminated, become light.