The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Tang Xiye's face instantly darkened, and the pressure around her was frighteningly low.

"go out."

The two words are like knives, their cold edges tempered in snow.

"Yes."

Liu Fengchun felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

Their movements were so fast and skillful it was almost heartbreaking.

Only when the palace doors closed behind him did he dare to let out a long sigh of relief.

Inside the hall, Tang Xiye stood alone in the depths of the candlelight.

Drunken Immortal.

The medicine is colorless and odorless; it can enter the body by dissolving in the wind.

Back in the Hall of Longevity, He Lichen was poisoned by this very poison and lost her senses.

He raised his hand and pressed his temples, the burning sensation growing stronger, consuming his reason inch by inch.

"Damn it. When exactly did I get hit?"

He closed his eyes, trying to make sense of things amidst the chaos.

"Could it be that Shen Yan did something behind the scenes in the plum grove?"

For a moment, it was impossible to tell who was plotting against whom.

Shen Yan's original plan was also to target Tang Xiye. According to Sang Tingke's scheme, she would use the power of the Drunken Immortal to have Shen Yan accuse him of defiling her, ruining his reputation and seizing power.

But little did she know that she herself had become a pawn in someone else's game.

"No blame."

"Your subject is here."

Shen Cuo's voice came from outside the hall, calm yet wary.

"Issue the order: martial law immediately. No one is allowed to enter the palace."

"As you command."

After giving the instructions, Tang Xiye staggered as she removed her outer robe and stepped into the bathing pool in the hall.

The pool water reached waist-deep and was icy cold.

But the chill only touched the skin and flesh, and could not suppress the ever-burning fire deep in the blood.

The poison of the Drunken Immortal is indeed utterly unreasonable.

As expected of the poison personally developed by the Divine Physician Zheyue.

Inside the Purple Palace, a slender figure had been lying in wait for some time.

Tang Xixue hid deep inside the palace, listening to the commotion outside gradually subside. After waiting for a while and confirming that there was no more sound, she quietly peeked out.

"Finally, there are no outsiders left."

She curled her lips into a smile, a sly glint in her eyes.

"Now I can finally have a proper talk with my elder brother."

Her elder brother dismissed everyone, which made it easier for her to do her thing.

She tiptoed into the palace, each step cautious, her toes barely touching the ground, like a cat walking in the night.

The candlelight flickered red in the hall, the gauze curtains hung lightly, and the only sound was one's own breathing.

She was looking around, searching for that familiar figure.

"Where is my brother? Didn't he return?"

She was puzzled.

A sharp palm strike suddenly came from the shadows.

Before she could even cry out, she was pulled towards the bathtub by a strong force.

"ah--"

In the instant the water splashed, the hand that was about to choke her suddenly stopped.

He placed his palm on her waist, pulled her close, and pressed her against the edge of the pool.

Rippling water splashed onto the two of them, like shattered jade.

The veil fell.

Her dark hair fell loose, clinging to her slightly damp cheek.

She raised her wet eyes and looked into those eyes that were churning with turbulent waves.

Tangxi Ye froze.

Those eyes, which had always been deep and unfathomable, were now trembling violently.

Unbelievable, ecstatic, and a burning emotion that had been suppressed all surged within that single gaze.

"Zhizhi..."

His voice was hoarse and low.

"Is it really you?"

He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling as he touched her cheek.

The touch was warm and real, causing his eyes to suddenly redden and a thin mist of tears to rise from them.

Tang Xixue felt a pang of sadness when she saw him like this.

"Brother, it's me."

She spoke softly, her voice gentle and sweet, like the first bloom of a camellia.

"Don't you recognize Zhizhi?"

His eyes trembled violently.

The next moment, he pulled her tightly into his arms.

They held her so tightly, as if they wanted to melt her into their bones and blood, to knead her into their soul, and never be separated again.

"Zhizhi...my Zhizhi..."

He murmured, his voice trembling.

He buried his face in the side of her neck, his hot breath brushing against her ear, carrying the lingering fear and relief of having regained what he had lost.

"I thought... I thought I would never see you again."

Hidden within that fragmented sound were sleepless nights of tossing and turning, and longing gazes.

Tang Xixue raised her hand and gently stroked the back of his neck.

"Brother, Zhizhi is here."

She coaxed him softly, her fingertips running through his slightly damp hair, gently stroking it.

He slowly raised his head and looked at her.

There were too many emotions surging in that gaze.

There is also a kind of burning heat that is awakening.

The medicinal effects surged through my blood.

Wave after wave washed over her crumbling reason.

"Zhizhi..."

He called her name, his voice so low it seemed to rise from the abyss.

"Brother Emperor."

Tang Xixue looked up at him with wet eyes, her gaze filled with grievance.

"You bullied Zhizhi just now."

Her voice was as soft as wisps of cloud, lingering and captivating.

This was the first time she had been dragged into the water by her brother, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Bully?"

Tang Xiye chuckled softly, a hoarse laugh with a hint of danger, like a beast awakening in the dark.

"Zhizhi probably doesn't know what real bullying is."

His gaze lingered on her face, from her eyebrows and eyes to the tip of her nose, finally settling on her slightly parted lips.

The candlelight reflected on her lips, making them gleam with a moist sheen.

The color of her lips was like a red berry covered with a thin layer of frost, and a gentle touch would release sweet juice.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He raised his hand and gently stroked the corner of her lips with his fingertips.

The force was light, yet it carried an irresistible control.

Her lips trembled slightly.

"Zhizhi..."

He called her name, his voice hoarse and deep, like the night itself, or like the lowest string of an ancient zither, which, when gently plucked, resonated deep within her soul.

That gaze was too intense.

It was so hot that she almost dared not look him in the eye.

"Yes, I'm here."

But Tang Xiye refused to let her go.

"Be good, don't hide, look at me."

His long, slender fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Do you know what I want to do right now?"

Tang Xiye's slender fingers had distinct knuckles.

My fingertips slid slowly down her chin, across her neck, and landed on her rapidly beating pulse.

One after another, incredibly fast.

"Oh."

Tang Xiye chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, yet strangely alluring, making her heart beat even faster.

"Is Zhizhi scared? My heart is pounding in my chest."

Tang Xiye's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, yet she spoke very slowly and deliberately, with the composure unique to the elderly.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."

She bit her lip and looked up at him.

Her eyes were shimmering with moisture, carrying a hint of coquettishness and excitement.

"Brother Xuan Yin..."

Tang Xixue called his name softly, her voice lingering on him, making his heart itch.

Tang Xiye's eyes darkened.

The hand gripping her waist tightened suddenly.

But he didn't go any further.

He just stared at her, stared at her, as if trying to suck her whole being into the abyss in his eyes.

a long time.

Tang Xiye suddenly released her and took a step back.

"Zhizhi, I'm giving you a chance... now go."

Tang Xiye's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, with a restraint on the verge of collapse.

"If you don't leave now, I... I won't be able to resist..."

He didn't continue.

But the gaze that fell on her face spoke a thousand words.

She knew he was holding back.

I'm enduring it with all my might.

"Oh... okay."

Tang Xixue lowered her eyes and smiled, then stepped back from his embrace.

She was soaked to the bone, her dark hair clung to her cheeks, and water droplets trickled down her chin like morning dew sliding off flower petals.

"Brother Xuan Yin was so fierce just now."

Her voice was as soft as melting snow water, flowing clearly into the depths of one's heart.

"Zhizhi is scared, she's leaving first."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already turned around.

The force around his waist suddenly tightened.

She gasped as she was pulled back into that warm embrace.

In a dizzying moment, my back pressed against the cool pool wall.

Tang Xiye leaned down and pressed down on her, placing his hands on either side of her, firmly trapping her between the pool wall and his chest.

There is nowhere to escape.

Tang Xiye looked down at her.

"Leave? Where does Zhizhi want to go?"

"Go find another brother?"

"Um?"

The candlelight cast a soft glow, and Tang Xixue's eyelashes, glistening with moisture, resembled butterfly wings moistened by morning dew, each lash distinct, trembling gently in the light and shadow.

The faint red at the corners of her eyes deepened, and her lips, like cherry blossoms wet with night dew, awaited someone to pluck them.

She was like snow captured by the night, unable to escape or melt away.

"Weaving."

Tangxi called to her at night, each word dangerous as an arrow on a bowstring, yet low and tender enough to make one's ears burn and heart tremble.

"Do you really think you can escape?"

Tang Xiye leaned closer, her breath hot, a faint smile playing on her lips:

"I was just lying to you—"

"Now that you're here, don't even think about escaping."