The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Xiyin followed Tang Xixue back to the palace.

The hall was spacious and sparsely furnished, yet everything was tastefully arranged.

Those sharp edges that are prone to bumping and bruising have been carefully polished until they are smooth and rounded.

The floor was covered with a soft carpet, the candlesticks were embedded deep in the niches, and there were very few tables and chairs—it was clear that they were trying to prevent her from hurting herself.

Xingyu never mistreated Xiyin.

Her residence was clean and bright, and every detail exuded a sense of careful protection.

"Bring over the Empress Dowager's medicinal diet."

Xingyu looked at Xiyin and saw that she had calmed down, as if she saw her mother when she was young.

His nose tingled with emotion.

A strange warmth flowed through my chest.

I can't tell if I feel relieved or heartbroken.

"Mother, it's still a bit chilly. Would you please wear an outer garment?"

The climate of the Zhiyue Sea Kingdom is pleasant all year round, unlike the cold of Beichen and Kunlun Ruins, but the sea breeze still carries a chill.

Tang Xixue took the cloak off the rack and spoke softly.

The voice was very soft and gentle, like someone coaxing a child.

"it is good."

Hearing her gentle voice, Xiyin obediently responded.

There was no struggle.

There was no resistance.

He just sat there obediently, letting her drape his clothes over him.

Tang Xixue's fingers touched her shoulder, and through the thin fabric, she could feel the protruding bones.

She was so thin, it was heartbreaking.

As a child, even if her mother never raised her, she still deserved to be treated gently because her mother had raised her with great care and love.

"Then shall Zhizhi comb Mother's hair?"

Tang Xixue picked up a seashell comb from the shelf. The comb was polished smooth as jade and gleamed with a warm luster under the light.

"Mother's hair is all messed up by the wind. Zhizhi is back now, so Mother doesn't need to wait for me at the beach anymore."

She gently coaxed her, and seeing that Xiyin did not resist, she carefully combed her disheveled long hair neatly.

The movement was very light and slow.

The comb pierced through the hair, untangling the knots little by little and smoothing out the mess caused by the sea breeze.

After her care, Xiyin looked completely different.

It's not just about describing neatness anymore.

Most importantly, it's about her condition.

Very relaxing.

It's very quiet.

Even the swaddling clothes that had been held tightly loosened a bit.

"Mother, look at me."

Tang Xixue put down the comb and gently took her hand.

The hand was withered and thin, the fingertips were icy cold, but it gradually warmed up in her palm.

"I am your Zhizhi."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if taking her words seriously.

"Your Zhizhi has grown up. This little swaddling cloth can no longer hold me."

She paused, her gaze falling on the tattered swaddling clothes.

"It's dirty and broken, shall we put it down?"

Xiyin hesitated upon hearing this.

"Mother, do you want Zhizhi to be all dirty too?"

Tang Xixue's voice carried a hint of grievance and pity.

"Look how dirty it is!"

She pointed to the mottled stains on the swaddling clothes, the worn edges, and the fabric that had turned white from being soaked in seawater.

Xiyin followed her finger and looked.

Looking at that tattered swaddling clothes.

Then he looked at the clean and tidy young girl in front of him.

Her mind was still in a state of confusion, but her hand involuntarily rose up.

He gently touched Tang Xixue's cheek.

The touch was warm, soft, and real.

Then, she moved her hand down.

I touched that heart of the snow-covered mountain.

That instant.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Clatter".

It surged like a tide that had been suppressed for twenty years, finally finding its outlet.

She loosened the tattered swaddling clothes in her hands.

fall to the ground.

It made a soft sound.

She instinctively took Tang Xixue's hand.

very tight.

It's so tight that if you let go, you'll lose it again.

Subconsciously, she felt that this was what was truly precious.

Xingyu walked over and winked at the maid beside him.

Kui'er immediately took a new swaddle from the cabinet.

The styles are exactly the same, but the fabric is new, clean and soft.

Xingyu took it and gently placed it next to Xiyin.

Then, he bent down and picked up the old one himself.

Replace it.

"Mother, this is dirty."

His voice was soft, with a hint of coaxing gentleness.

"We changed Little Pearl's clothes to a clean one."

If someone else comes over, it will cause Xiyin to have an overreaction.

Only when Xingyu gets close will she not go mad.

"Yu'er—"

Xiyin raised her head and looked at him.

That haggard face now held both tears and laughter.

She took Xingyu's hand.

He placed his hand on top of Tang Xixue's palm.

"Zhibao, this is your brother Yu."

Her voice was hoarse, but every word was clear and distinct.

He will protect you!

Xingyu's hands were not hot; they carried the coolness of the sea creatures, like a piece of warm jade.

It seemed to be the first time he had ever been so close to someone.

I held Tang Xixue when I was young, but she was just a baby, a soft little ball, as light as a feather when held in my arms.

This palm-to-palm contact felt completely foreign to him.

But that was his sister.

He did not reject it.

He merely glanced sideways and gave her a slight smile.

There was a hint of reassurance in his gaze.

It seemed to be telling her: You did a great job, your mother looks much better.

Xingyu and Tangxixue were both surprised by Xiyin's actions.

But neither of them made any sudden move to break away.

Only after Xiyin looked away did they quietly withdraw their hands.

The movement was very light and natural.

It was as if they had planned it together.

"Brother isn't some kind of monster, little pearl, don't be afraid."

"Star Encounters said softly."

That voice was like a gentle spring breeze and tender moonlight falling on the sea.

He had a sinister look about him, the kind of look that didn't seem like a good person.

His eyebrows and eyes were sharp, his lips were cold and aloof, and he exuded a faint sense of detachment.

But when he looked at her, his aura of demonic power would subconsciously and carefully fold up.

I'm afraid the little pearls will get frostbite.

She should have been a sweet and gentle pearl, cherished and protected by her father, mother, and her brother as she grew up!

How pitiful they are... living a life of wandering and hardship outside!

Living under someone else's roof must be so hard!

"I'm not afraid."

Tang Xixue turned her face away, stubbornly retorting.

"It's just a pretty little star, why would I be afraid?"

Xingyu was stunned for a moment.

"Little Star?? Me???"

He realized what was happening and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

For the first time in my life, I've heard someone call him a beautiful little star!

Isn't this appropriate?

"Hmph, I've become a little pearl, why aren't you a little star?"

Tang Xixue retorted irritably.

She—Tang Xixue, the Empress of the Moon Weaving Ceremony! Is that alright?

"Okay, okay, little star it is."

Star Encounters has run out of ideas.

He didn't know how to coax his younger sister.

So, we'll just do whatever they say?

"My Empress, call me whatever you want, I'll do whatever you say."

He suddenly understood the indescribable expression on her face when he called her Little Pearl.

I must say, she's actually quite cute.

"You're smart to know what's good for you."

Tang Xixue discovered that he was indeed like an older brother to her, taking good care of her and showing her concern.

She was slowly accepting him in her heart.

We just need more time to understand it.

At least for now, she has a good impression of him.

Seeing her mother's subconscious reaction, she could keenly sense that her mother trusted her.

Very strange.

Although she had never spent time with her mother, she felt a sense of closeness when she met her.

That warmth wasn't something reason told her.

It seeped from the bones.

It is the bloodline that is speaking.

"Your Majesty, the medicinal meal has arrived."

The maid, Kui'er, brought over the cooked medicinal meal and respectfully placed it on the table.

Steam rose gently, carrying a faint aroma of herbs that slowly permeated the hall.

The broth in the bowl was clear, with a few thin, cloud-like petals floating on top, swaying gently in the sunlight streaming in from the window, as beautiful as a carefully crafted deception.

Xiyin's gaze fell on the bowl.

His previously calm expression instantly tensed up.

She suddenly turned her head.

She shrank back into the bed, like a startled mollusk hiding in its shell.

"I won't eat it."

Her voice was muffled, with a childlike resistance.

There is fear in that resistance.

There are things that are hard to explain.

Xingyu looked at her, a pang of heartache rising in his eyes.

He picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and gently blew on it.

"Mother, you need to take the medicinal food to stop your headache."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and lowered his voice.

After his mother went mad, she would often curl up in a ball, clutching her head, trembling with pain, but gritting her teeth and refusing to make a sound.

The imperial physician said it was a chronic illness, postpartum weakness, or excessive worry—and he believed him.

Because if she didn't take the medicinal food, the pain would get even worse, as if she were about to die at any moment.

She refused to eat properly and had become so thin that she was just skin and bones.

It takes a long time to coax them to eat each time.

"Your Highness, please have some!"

Kui'er stood by anxiously, her eyes reddening, her voice trembling with tears.

Xingyu didn't look at her.

He simply looked at Xiyin, his gaze filled with helplessness, yet he remained patient.

"Mother Empress."

"Eat well so you can get better sooner."

Xiyin frowned.

She slowly turned her head.

Looking at the spoonful of soup, and then at her son's face.

His eyes were dazed and confused.

But she still opened her mouth.

"This bowl is laced with the poison of mirage resin."

Tang Xixue's hand rested on the rim of the bowl.

Stop the spoonful of soup.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like an icicle, piercing straight into Xingyu's heart.

"After taking it, I never got better."

Xingyu froze.

He slowly raised his head and looked at his sister.

A chill ran through her eyes.

The chill was so deep, as deep as the eternal night at the bottom of the sea.

"If this mirage resin is not taken, it will cause a splitting headache, as if a thousand needles are piercing the brain."

Tang Xixue reached out her hand and touched the floating petal with her fingertips.

"But if you take it, you will go insane and be trapped in an eternal nightmare of fear."

She looked up and gazed at Xingyu.

His gaze was calm, yet it was impossible to look him directly in the eye.

"Day after day, she would see the most terrifying things in the world—perhaps her father's death, perhaps our corpses, perhaps the entire palace submerged in blood. She would scream in her hallucinations, exhausting herself in screaming, and finally…"

She paused.

The pause was brief, yet so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

"Finally, I died completely from fear."

Xingyu's hands began to tremble.

The soup in the bowl rippled, and the petal swayed as if mocking him.

They mocked his stupidity.

"elder brother."

Tang Xixue's voice was as soft as a sigh.

"Is this how you take care of the Empress Dowager?"

The words fell.

The vast sleeping quarters were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xingyu kept her head down.

No one could see his expression.

But on the back of his hand, the veins were bulging.

His knuckles were white, as if he were about to crush the bowl.

It's not anger.

Anger towards his sister? No.

It's anger at oneself.

He thought back to those days.

His mother grew increasingly thin, and he stayed by her side day and night.

original.

It turned out that he did it himself.

One spoonful at a time.

He fed the poison into his mother's mouth.

Those evil spirits are truly ruthless, killing not only the person but also their spirit.

Let him, as the son, kill his own mother.

Let his hands be stained with his mother's pain.