Chapter 87: Rumors Abound

Several days passed, yet Zuo Quliye still did not receive the good news he had hoped for. The royal palace of Ji remained calm, as if nothing untoward had occurred.

He lingered in the posthouse for days on end, his patience slowly driven to its limits.

"My lord, there has been no word from the palace. It seems the King of Ji is a man of great composure." Yunwu reported on the situation within the palace, sweat beading upon his brow.

Hearing this, Zuo Quliye stood by the window, staring out at the heavy snow piled upon the earth. His lips curled into an ambiguous smile as he murmured, "Very well, very well."

He had underestimated Ji Wu Qing, and overestimated the place Xiao Xue held in the king's heart. To watch coldly as Xiao Xue suffered the torment of blood and tears—indeed, he was a man of remarkable endurance.

Yunwu could not guess the meaning behind those words, but he knew well that his lord must be seething within, though not a trace of anger showed on his face.

"It seems that without a stronger dose, he will always have a way out." The words slipped from his vermilion lips, tinged with a smile, but his beguiling features were like a poisonous peony—beautiful, yet too dangerous to approach.

Within the Royal Palace of Ji, in the Palace of Snow.

The gardens lay silent, a thick blanket of snow covering all, undisturbed and pure.

Suddenly, a palace maid crept furtively down the corridor, hugging the walls. Her small figure was easily overlooked in the quiet passageway, nearly invisible to an unobservant eye.

She edged closer to the sleeping quarters, moving as nimbly as a cat...

Yet, atop the roof, a woman in scarlet watched her every move with interest and curiosity. She squatted on the rooftop, quietly observing, eager to see what this maid intended.

But before the maid could reach the chamber door, she was caught head-on by Yu Zhi, who pushed open the door and stepped out. Yu Zhi eyed her suspiciously. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The woman on the rooftop watched, her interest waning. How dull—this maid was discovered so quickly. She still did not know what the maid’s purpose was.

The maid did not answer Yu Zhi’s question. Instead, her face contorted with terror as she began to scream, "A demon! There’s a demon..."

Her shrill, frightened cries quickly drew out all the maids and eunuchs of the Palace of Snow.

"What’s going on?" The maids gathered, puzzled by the sight of the terrified maid.

"Why are you screaming? Be quiet!" Yu Zhi hastily tried to intervene, fearing the commotion would disturb the consort's rest.

"The consort is a demon! Her eyes bleed! She's so frightening... She'll eat people, she’s a demon!" The maid shrieked in madness, struggling fiercely even as Yu Zhi tried to cover her mouth, her pallor and terror sending chills through all present.

"What... what is she saying?"

"She claims Her Highness's eyes bleed..."

The maids whispered among themselves, faces filled with confusion and fear.

"Why are you standing here? Gag her and take her away now!" Yu Zhi pushed the maid to the ground, both angry and alarmed, quickly calling to the approaching guards.

The guards obeyed at once, knocking the maid unconscious and dragging her away.

Those who had gathered fell instantly silent, heads bowed, not daring to move for fear of attracting Yu Zhi’s attention.

Seeing that they knew their place, Yu Zhi nodded in satisfaction. "In this palace, you should know what may be spoken and what should not, what may be seen and what must not. Keep it in mind."

"We shall obey, Aunt."

On the rooftop, the scarlet-clad woman had enjoyed the spectacle but now frowned in puzzlement. There was indeed something strange about the maid’s sudden outburst, her accusations of the blind consort being a demon clearly premeditated.

With this in mind, she dusted off her sleeves. She’d come into the palace to gather information for her master, but had unwittingly stumbled into this drama—at least she would have something to report when she returned.

She leapt soundlessly from the rooftop and slipped away unseen.

Within the bedchamber, Xue Xue slept fitfully, sweat beading on her brow, her face pale, a streak of crimson staining her cheek—a slanting line of blood.

When word of the incident in the Palace of Snow reached him, Ji Wu Qing hurried over at once.

"Did their commotion disturb your mistress’s rest?" he asked Yu Zhi, his face devoid of its usual gentleness, instead shadowed with a faint anger that made him seem forbidding.

"Your Majesty, Her Highness has not slept well these past days. As for the maid’s sudden madness, I find it difficult to understand," Yu Zhi replied, head bowed, recounting the incident in detail but not daring to speak much to the angered king.

Ji Wu Qing listened, then proceeded to the bedchamber. Miao Jian followed closely. "Your Majesty, I suspect this is a provocation orchestrated by the ruler of Wu."

"Indeed. If such rumors spread, Xue’er’s reputation will be ruined." Ji Wu Qing sneered coldly. "This is Zuo Quliye provoking me, forcing me, pushing me to surrender Xue’er to him."

But what could he do? He had already promised Xue’er—he could not bear to let her go.

Within the chamber, the air was thick with the scent of medicine, almost suffocating.

She lay on the bed, her face pale and sickly, devoid of her usual serenity and spirit.

This was his Xue’er—even tormented as she was, she was still his.

He approached, sitting by her side and gently caressed her cheek. "Don’t be afraid. We’ll find a way to resolve this soon." In truth, he had already found a method to restrain the bloody tears. He had been testing it in her medicine these days, and it could suppress the symptoms.

But it was not enough. He wanted her completely well.

"Zi Qing..." Perhaps sensing his touch, she slowly opened her eyes, their eerie crimson glinting with a strange light. Roused from her dreams, her mind grew clearer.

"What’s wrong? Did you miss me?" Ji Wu Qing laughed softly, drawing her gently into his embrace.

"Mm?" Her breathing was heavy. "Open the window... It's stuffy..."

"No, you’ve been taking medicine these days. If we open the window, all will be for naught." He nuzzled her forehead affectionately, his movements gentle and soothing.

"Very well." She closed her eyes, accepting his tenderness obediently.

Soon she drifted back to sleep. Since she had been poisoned, she spent her days either lying in bed or sitting drowsily in the corridor, her life passing in a haze.

"Sleep well. I’ll keep watch by your side."

In the posthouse, the woman in scarlet hurried back and recounted her experiences in the Palace of Snow to Gongshen Linger.

"Young mistress, what do you make of all this? It’s truly strange." The woman rested her head on her hands, utterly puzzled.

"It’s not that complicated. This is clearly our lord’s handiwork," Gongshen Linger said as she gazed out at the sky. Their lord wished to push the blind consort to the edge so he could intervene.

But would Ji Wu Qing really surrender so easily? She doubted it.

"Our lord is truly ruthless," muttered the woman in scarlet. "If the blind consort’s reputation is ruined, how will she survive in the Ji kingdom?"

"Mind your words," Qing Shu, standing nearby, rapped her on the head reprovingly.

"Sorry, young mistress, I spoke out of turn." The woman in scarlet quickly stuck out her tongue.

Gongshen Linger paid them no heed, instead sinking into thought. Zuo Quliye’s actions would easily spark conflict between the two kingdoms. She knew well that his ambition lay beyond mere kingship.

Thus, rumors spread like a surging tide throughout Ji, threatening to drown Xue Xue.

It was said that a highly respected Daoist had declared that the blood queen of Ji was a reincarnated demoness, a phoenix returned in evil form. This was based on the madness of the palace maid days prior, who claimed to have witnessed the queen weeping blood. The queen, by her very status, was an incarnation of the phoenix, and her bloody tears were an ill omen. Such a woman was a curse upon the nation!

The rumors spread throughout the palace and beyond. Zuo Quliye’s agents fanned the flames outside, while the Empress Dowager’s allies whispered within the palace. Xue Xue was enveloped in slander, becoming the talk of both court and commoners.

The subject of these rumors lay sleeping in her chamber, oblivious, while Ji Wu Qing stayed by her side for a while before leaving for the Imperial Study to attend to these matters.

In the Imperial Study, the scent of ink and incense filled the air, books piled high.

Ji Wu Qing, dressed in plain blue robes and with his hair bound in a white sash, exuded an air of leisure. His eyes were deep as ink, reflecting darkness as profound as a chessboard.

"Your Majesty, the purple-robed Daoist who spread rumors among the people has been captured. However, he refuses to confess and insists his words were a divination, not slander. He claims any talk of a mastermind is nonsense."

"In that case, he’s useless." Ji Wu Qing smiled coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Since he claims to divine fate, let’s see if he can predict his own end—what kind of death awaits him?"

"Your Majesty’s meaning?" Miao Jian asked, understanding dawning.

"He calls himself a Daoist? Then let him be reduced to ashes, ‘ascend to immortality.’ If the people believe in gods and demons, let’s see what they think when their Daoist becomes a ghost." He lowered his head, reading memorials, his tone utterly calm.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Miao Jian withdrew. Ji Wu Qing glanced at the memorials demanding the queen’s deposition, a cold laugh in his heart.

"Zuo Quliye, Mother, is this the outcome you desired? Too bad—I will never grant you your wishes." He tossed the memorials aside without another glance, a frosty expression settling over his handsome features.

"Your Majesty, the King of Wu has arrived at the palace. He is being escorted here now."

"He must be desperate, unwilling to waste any more time in the posthouse." He smiled faintly, as if donning a mask, his true thoughts hidden beneath the surface.