“This servant would never dare.” Ji Yu immediately kowtowed and begged forgiveness.
That absolute awareness of rank, that overwhelming sense of superiority and command, was something Ning Xuan had rejected with disdain and never even taken seriously. Nalan Xuan, however, emphasized it relentlessly and kept it firmly within his grasp.
Resting one finger against his chin, eyes half lowered, Nalan Xuan waited until he had watched enough of Ji Yu’s nervous kowtowing before saying unhurriedly, “Right now, I’m interested only in that rumor. Whether or not you dare defy me holds considerably less appeal.”
Cold, cruel, ruthless—every one of those qualities was considered ugly and undesirable by the world. Yet gathered in one person and paired with peerless beauty, they somehow transformed into arrogance and nobility instead. One knew that every step closer led toward utter ruin, knew that the fragrance belonged to a deadly poppy, yet still could not resist, sinking deeper with every step.
People were simply like that: drawn to novelty, eager to conquer what seemed impossible, only to lose themselves within it until they sank too deeply to escape. Feng Xuanyi was no exception.
“There are rumors in the harem saying that although Her Majesty the Empress appears to enjoy boundless glory, the true master of the inner palace is Noble Lord Han. At first, this servant also thought it was complete nonsense. The harem is full of endless struggles, and gossip breeds trouble easily, especially with people deliberately scheming to stir up chaos. But the timing was simply too coincidental. That was precisely the period when His Majesty had grown cold toward Master, while Noble Lord Han enjoyed the greatest favor and attention. So this servant privately made inquiries at Yonghe Palace. Unfortunately, every palace servant around Noble Lord Han kept an extremely tight mouth. Either they claimed to know nothing or answered questions with something completely unrelated. But several young servants around Noble Attendant Liu once mentioned while chatting idly that on the day His Majesty summoned Noble Lord Han and had dinner with him, the conversation somehow turned to the imperial child. Noble Lord Han apparently said the timing of the pregnancy did not add up, which caused His Majesty to become suspicious.” Once Ji Yu began, he poured out everything he knew in one breath.
“Noble Lord Han?” Nalan Xuan stopped what he was doing and set down the teacup in his hand. It landed with a muffled thunk, as though the cup had struck not the table but something inside his chest. He relaxed back into the chair, sinking almost entirely into the soft cushions. His eyes narrowed slightly. There was no obvious anger and no surprise. His expression remained unchanged, his gaze deep and still as water, as though he had not heard anything Ji Yu had just said. He murmured almost to himself, “Han Ruifeng…”
Had Nalan Xuan flown into a rage, denied everything, or stormed off to confront Han Ruifeng, Ji Yu would have been far less worried. He would even have known exactly what to say to calm such a master. But those were things Ning Xuan would have done. Nalan Xuan would not. So his calm now only frightened Ji Yu more. It was the stillness before the storm, the prelude to waves of blood and violence.
“Master, there may be some trick behind this. Someone could deliberately be sowing discord.” Ji Yu had witnessed the friendship between Han Ruifeng and Nalan Xuan himself. At first, he had even wondered what kind of person Han Ruifeng must have been to earn Nalan Xuan’s genuine friendship. Only after learning that Nalan Xuan had lost his memories, forgotten his past, and no longer even known who he was did Ji Yu finally understand. “This servant did investigate privately. His Majesty truly summoned Noble Lord Han that day and for several days before and afterward as well. Noble Lord Han certainly had the opportunity to do such a thing, but that still does not prove he did it. After all, the information came from someone else’s mouth. How reliable it is remains to be verified.”
“Waves don’t rise without wind. Even if someone fabricated the entire thing from nothing, if you truly did nothing at all, there would still be flaws in the accusation. So whether it is true or false is no longer something you need to worry about.” Nalan Xuan looked at the anxious Ji Yu with a smile that was not quite a smile. “What interests me more is how concerned you seem to be about Han Ruifeng. That’s a good thing.”
Ji Yu’s heart jolted, and he hurried to distance himself. “This servant harbors absolutely no disloyalty. Master, please judge clearly.”
“I know.” Nalan Xuan laughed softly. “I merely said it casually. You’re the one who took it seriously.”
Ji Yu had never understood more clearly what people meant when they said the heart of one’s master was impossible to fathom and every step could become a mistake.
“As for the truth, I’ll obtain the answer from his own mouth. You, however, can help me find two people.”
“Please give your order, Master,” Ji Yu said respectfully.
“Two servants who once worked in Prince Rong’s Residence: Xiao Jiu and He Xiang.” Nalan Xuan spoke the names casually, yet Ji Yu stared at him in astonishment.
“Th-Those two? Why would Master suddenly want to find them? They—”
How could Nalan Xuan not know what sort of people Xiao Jiu and He Xiang were? During his days in Prince Rong’s Residence, he had endured no shortage of their mockery and gossip. The fact that they had survived until now almost made him grateful that they had shown some restraint back then. Feng Xuanyi had risen to the throne, and naturally those around him had risen with him, but with personalities so eager to flatter the powerful and cling to anyone who could elevate them, they had never managed to distinguish themselves even in the prince’s residence. In the imperial palace, where one wrong move could destroy an entire game and everyone schemed against everyone else, they would fare even worse. The fact that no one they had offended had already had them beaten to death in some forgotten corner counted as extraordinary luck. Compared with rats chased through the streets, their situation was probably not much better.
That was why Ji Yu could not understand what possible use Nalan Xuan could have for people like them now.
Nalan Xuan naturally understood what Ji Yu meant. But people like that were exactly what he needed beside him now—people who chased power and attached themselves to whoever could give it to them. Only such people would be ruthless enough for the sake of advancement, with fewer scruples and fewer worries about consequences. The easiest people to use were those with clear goals and clear “ambitions.” As long as Nalan Xuan could satisfy their demands and give them the power and influence they wanted, there would be nothing to fear. And with his current status as empress, he possessed more than enough authority to lay the groundwork.
“So now every decision I make requires your approval? I need to ask for your opinion first?” Nalan Xuan suddenly released the teacup in his hand and cast him an apparently casual glance, sharp as a blade.
“This servant would never dare.” Ji Yu explained in terror. Concern had made him careless. Even though he knew better, he had repeatedly crossed Nalan Xuan’s boundaries. “This servant will handle it immediately. This servant takes his leave.”
Only after Ji Yu’s hurried figure disappeared completely from sight did the ruthless light in Nalan Xuan’s obsidian-black eyes blaze without restraint. He murmured through clenched teeth, “Han. Rui. Feng… Heh. Very good. If you chose to betray me first, don’t blame me for returning the favor.”
If someone betrayed Ning Xuan, Ning Xuan would only blame himself—blame himself for trusting the wrong person and being blind enough not to recognize him. But betray me, Nalan Xuan, and I will make certain you never come back from it. I’ll make living worse than death.
“You’d better spend your free time burning incense and praying. Pray that you never fall into my hands. Pray that you manage to remove yourself from this completely, that whatever you did was flawless and left behind not even the faintest trace!”
In truth, Nalan Xuan had already sensed something strange about Han Ruifeng back when he was still Ning Xuan. Perhaps it had been the lack of sincerity in those eyes when they reunited in the palace. Perhaps it had been Han Ruifeng’s deliberate attempts to avoid Feng Xuanyi. Or perhaps, if he examined it more deeply, he had simply never truly trusted the man in the first place. Ning Xuan, however, chose to blind himself whenever something felt wrong, deliberately pretending not to know until the final possible moment. Nalan Xuan preferred to strike first.
He raised a hand and rested it against his flat abdomen. Once, a life had existed there. Now there was only silence. The corner of his lips slowly curved upward, beautiful and bloodthirsty.
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