The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Tang Xixue looked at the young general whose face was as red as a peach blossom, her eyes first showing surprise, and then turning into a gentle doting look.

"Burn it."

She waved to him.

"come over."

Feng Zhuo paused for a moment, then took three steps at a time to walk to the edge of the bed.

"Ah Xue, I'm here."

He stood by the couch, a full head taller than her, standing straight as a pine tree, yet he seemed at a loss, unsure whether to sit down or stand.

"What should I do next? I'll follow Ah Xue's instructions."

He gazed at her expectantly, with unwavering trust in her.

As he got closer, the heat from the soap stalk mixed with the boy's body temperature wafted over him, like a small, moving stove.

"Please sit down."

Tang Xixue reached out and took his hand.

Her fingertips were icy cold, like a piece of jade just pulled from snow water. When they touched his burning hot hand, both of them were slightly startled.

His skin was so hot that it felt like her fingertips were being branded.

Her hands were so cold that his heart tightened and his brows furrowed immediately.

"Ah Xue, why are your hands still so cold!"

Feng Zhuo sat on the edge of the couch, took her hand in his back, and wrapped both of her hands in his palms.

His palms were large and hot, radiating the vibrant energy unique to young men, with calluses on his fingertips from years of holding guns, which he roughly brushed against the back of her hand.

"You're not feeling well, so please stay in Baiyujing and rest until you're better before coming out. Otherwise, I'm really worried."

He lowered his head, took her hand to his lips, breathed on it, and then rubbed it.

The movements were clumsy yet earnest.

"Ranzhi, I have important business to attend to."

Tang Xixue explained to him gently and patiently.

She had a special fondness for this childhood sweetheart, always doting on him and never giving him the cold shoulder.

"Isn't Ranzhi also in the northern border region? It's so cold there, can you handle it?"

Feng Zhuo raised her head, her bright eyes filled with heartache and a hint of inexplicable grievance.

"Ah Xue, I'm not afraid of the cold. When I was fighting in the northern border region, I could practice shooting with my arms bare even in heavy snow."

"But you are different, Xue. You should be pampered and protected, and you shouldn't have to endure hardship."

He spoke as if it were perfectly natural.

What he can handle, she doesn't need to.

Everything he had, she also had.

"I'll share my warmth with you, then you won't be cold anymore."

Tang Xixue looked at him without saying a word.

Her fingertips were gradually warmed by his burning palm.

She has always been cold-sensitive, and it takes her until midnight for her to warm up in bed.

At that moment, his body temperature, like a blazing flame, traveled through her palms and warmed her heart.

"Then come on up."

Tang Xixue released his hand, moved closer to the couch, and made room for him.

Then she patted the bedding beside her and glanced at him.

"Didn't you say you wanted a warm tatami bed?"

"Um."

Feng Zhuo nodded heavily, the gesture as forceful as if he were receiving a military order.

He carefully climbed onto the couch.

He crawled to the other side of the blanket, shrinking himself into the smallest possible shape, his back ramrod straight, not daring to get too close to her.

His body heat, penetrating the brocade quilt, felt like a blazing furnace being stuffed into a cold bed, causing the temperature to rise rapidly.

Tang Xixue picked up a book on governance and began reading again.

She could feel the scorching wind beside her, her body stiff as a piece of wood, and she even breathed very softly.

But the heat was restless, continuously emanating from his body, seeping through the quilt, and warmly enveloping her in the space between them.

Her igniter is much more effective than a hot water bottle.

"Ah Xue".

Feng Zhuo suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Am I warm?

Tangxi Xue turned a page of her book.

"Mmm. It's warm."

Feng Zhuo curved the corners of her lips into a silent smile, as sweet as if she had secretly eaten a whole jar of honey.

He turned to his side, burying his face in the brocade quilt, revealing only a pair of bright, sparkling eyes, like a little wolf in the forest.

He felt incredibly satisfied just looking at her intently.

With her beside him, he felt warm all over.

He could share his body heat with her, for a lifetime.

He quietly moved an inch closer to her.

His arm pressed against the corner of her sleeve, his body heat seeping through the thin nightgown like a silent, spreading flame.

Tang Xixue paused for a moment while turning the pages, then continued turning the page.

She didn't dodge, indulging his little tricks.

Under the eaves, Qi Zhu stared in disbelief as General Feng secretly entered the main hall and then did not come out.

He almost dropped the food box in his hand.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! That young General Feng entered the Heavenly Physician's bedchamber and actually stayed overnight!"

He turned and ran wildly towards the direction of Zheyue Palace, almost slipping and falling.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! Your rival is raiding our base!"

In the Zheyue Palace, Si Xingxuan was leaning against the headboard, holding a medical book on strengthening the body and reading it over and over again.

She was still plotting how to drug her two rivals tomorrow—whether to put it in their breakfast snacks, their tea, or both.

Poison cannot kill them, but it also cannot make them too comfortable.

Suddenly, Qi Zhu rushed in, tumbling and crawling, bringing news that was enough to make him cry on the spot.

His fingers suddenly tightened.

"Little Wind Dog—"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes in the darkness. Then he threw off the covers, put on his outer robe, and ran towards the main hall of the Hall of Longevity without even putting on his shoes properly.

Qi Zhu chased after him, calling out, "My lord, slow down! Your shoes—"

"Shut up."

Si Xingxuan didn't turn his head, his voice as cold as a dark spring deep beneath Xuanxing City.

In the side hall, Yan Ci stood by the window, his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the main hall of the Hall of Longevity.

"Ranzhi, Ranzhi, you really are a whirlwind."

"But do you really think you can successfully serve Si Xingxuan in bed on his turf?"

"That lunatic is a real troublemaker..."

He didn't finish speaking.

The second half of the sentence was drowned out by the sound of the folding fan opening.

The moonlight fell on his long, silvery-gray hair, enveloping him in a cool, serene glow.

He stood there by the window, gently waving his folding fan, unhurried and calm.

Some people like to charge into battle, while others prefer to strategize and plan.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

Length of night.

Inside the main hall of the Hall of Longevity, Tang Xixue put down her medical book and blew out the last candle.

In the darkness, she could feel the presence of the boy beside her amplified infinitely.

His body temperature, his breathing, the rustling sound of the quilt rubbing against each other when he occasionally turned over.

Her hands and feet were still cold.

But his warmth was seeping in little by little.

Like a wildfire in spring, it silently burned down the entire wasteland.

She closed her eyes and slowly began to speak.

"Burn it."

"Um?"

"If the bed is still warm when I wake up tomorrow..."

Her voice carried a hint of languid sleepiness.

"That's all thanks to you."

In the darkness, Feng Zhuo's eyes lit up.

He turned to the side, gazing at her blurry outline, tracing her features in the darkness with his eyes.

His heart was racing, and his palms were sweating.

But he dared not move.

He was afraid that if he made a move, this dream would shatter.

He closed his eyes and murmured something.

"Ah Xue, even if you are ice and snow, I will still warm you up."