Nalan Xuan could not help wanting to ask, Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to say these things only now?
But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them again, because this time Nalan Xuan decided to believe Feng Xuanyi.
Completely.
That was why, if a person had already committed so many heartless and unforgivable acts, he should never allow himself to develop a weakness, much less expose that weakness before someone else. Even the slightest lapse could lead to irredeemable ruin.
Feng Xuanyi was sinister, cunning, ruthless, and cruel by nature. Anything he said could have been another trap planned long in advance. Yet at this moment, Nalan Xuan believed him without reservation. The suffocating heaviness that seemed to weigh even upon the air, together with the indescribable expression on Feng Xuanyi’s face, felt too real. His words themselves were only those same few phrases repeated over and over, almost painfully pale in their simplicity, and precisely because of that, they seemed genuine.
So Nalan Xuan believed that Feng Xuanyi loved him, and that this love truly was directed at him.
And if Feng Xuanyi loved him, then that was Feng Xuanyi’s weakness—a weakness he had voluntarily exposed before Nalan Xuan.
If he wished to love, then let him love. Let him love properly. Nalan Xuan needed only sit back and make full use of that love. Giving someone a taste of his own medicine—the thought almost filled him with uncontrollable excitement. Was this how Feng Xuanyi had felt back then? Watching Nalan Xuan tear open his chest and offer him a sincere heart, all while secretly mocking his cheapness and stupidity, enjoying affection that had been delivered willingly into his hands, calmly plotting and removing his enemies, advancing step by step toward the summit of power and savoring the absolute pleasure of victory and control? When the mood struck, he summoned Nalan Xuan over to toy with him. When he grew bored, he tossed him aside and allowed others to humiliate him. And now, at last, the wheel had turned.
Countless times Nalan Xuan had awakened from dreams in the middle of the night, countless times he had tossed and turned without finding a satisfactory answer. The greatest problem had always been that he did not understand Feng Xuanyi well enough. Without understanding him, Nalan Xuan could not identify the most effective direction for revenge. If everything he did ended up causing nothing more than an insignificant sting, he would rather continue enduring in silence and wait patiently for the right opportunity.
Perhaps Heaven had finally heard his request. Perhaps even Heaven could no longer tolerate watching Feng Xuanyi stand above everyone else and treat all living things like worthless grass. No plan could have been more perfect than the one Feng Xuanyi had personally delivered into Nalan Xuan’s hands. Everything Nalan Xuan had once suffered could now finally be returned to him one by one.
Whatever you care about, I will take from your side. Whatever you want, you will never obtain. Or perhaps I’ll let you believe you have it, when in truth it remains forever beyond your reach. Nothing could be more exhilarating than the performance about to begin.
Feng Xuanyi, you placed this weapon in my hands yourself. It would be rude of me to refuse it.
Ever since Noble Lord Han returned from Fengyi Palace, no one in Luoxiao Palace had noticed anything outwardly unusual about him, yet every servant there knew his mood was terrible—extremely terrible. While everyone else walked on eggshells and focused with all their strength on avoiding his wrath, Qing Zhu, who had always been the least favored person there, inexplicably seemed to be in excellent spirits. His usual clumsiness became even worse, with minor mistakes one after another, but Qing Zhu himself did not appear to care.
“He’s back, and you’re very pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” Late that night, Han Ruifeng arrived at Qing Zhu’s quarters and forcibly dragged him out of bed just as he was preparing to sleep. Han Ruifeng narrowed his eyes, his expression vicious. “You treat him like a brother, but perhaps he doesn’t treat you the same way. He’s been back for days, hasn’t he? The empress. The empress! How exalted he is now. Why hasn’t your wonderful brother thought to transfer you over there and let you enjoy a few comfortable days?”
“Save all that nonsense.” In private, Qing Zhu could not even be bothered maintaining the bare minimum of respectful address he used in public. He looked too lazy to pay attention and barely lifted his eyelids. “Just tell me plainly and simply why you came here. If you’re only here to vent your petty resentment about not receiving enough imperial favor and unload all your envy and jealousy on me, sorry, I’m too tired tonight. I don’t have time for you. Come back another day.”
“Heh! So you truly do favor one over the other.” Even after being contradicted so openly, Han Ruifeng merely laughed, though his tone became colder. “I never realized before how devoted you were to him. Tell me what you want. If you can stand on his side, you can stand on mine. Name it. Whatever you can ask for, I can give you. Power? Status? Wealth?”
“Han Ruifeng, don’t imagine everyone in this world is as filthy as you are. Money, power, and wealth are not the measure of everything.” Qing Zhu gave a derisive laugh. “For someone like you, talking about friendship makes less sense than trying to discuss feelings with a cow! Didn’t you say I side with him instead of you? Didn’t you accuse me of favoring one over the other and refusing to cooperate? There’s really no question of whether I’m willing. You’re the master, and I’m only a servant. I simply wouldn’t dare presume that high.”
“And don’t lump yourself together with Ning Xuan. Ning Xuan was my friend. Mo Qi was my friend too, a brother who shared hardship and suffering with me. But Han Ruifeng is not. He never will be.”
“But Han Ruifeng is Mo Qi, and Mo Qi is Han Ruifeng.” Han Ruifeng seemed amused. “What exactly are you insisting on? As long as you’re willing to work for me, I can arrange for you to remain beside Nalan Xuan. You help me keep track of his movements. I’m merely trying to protect myself, nothing more. Is that really so unreasonable?”
“Protect yourself?” Qing Zhu shook his head dismissively. “What exactly did you do that made him hate you so deeply he had to move against you, forcing you to retreat and start talking about self-preservation?”
“If you truly regarded Nalan Xuan as a friend, you wouldn’t have tried every possible method to seduce His Majesty behind Ning Xuan’s back while we were still in Prince Rong’s Residence. If you regarded Nalan Xuan as a friend, you wouldn’t have climbed into His Majesty’s bed only a couple of days after Ning Xuan was sent away. And if you regarded Nalan Xuan as a friend, his child would never have died!” Qing Zhu’s tone abruptly changed, all trace of amusement disappearing as his words turned razor-sharp. “Don’t imagine that because you never speak about the things you’ve done, no one else knows. Heaven sees what people do. You’d do well to repeat that to yourself every now and then.”
Han Ruifeng froze, clearly not expecting Qing Zhu to know so much. Yet his expression remained calm and composed. “What kind of man is His Majesty? Even if I hadn’t done those things, there would have been thousands upon thousands of other Han Ruifengs willing to do them. Since Ning Xuan was never destined to have His Majesty entirely to himself, then why not make the best use of the opportunity? I merely used my own efforts to obtain what I wanted. You know nothing about my circumstances, and you have no right to judge what I’ve done.”
“I don’t know, which is precisely why I’ve never bothered judging you or talking about your affairs.” Qing Zhu shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right. Even if you hadn’t done it, countless others would have rushed forward to fight for all that wealth and glory. But if your positions had been reversed, Ning Xuan would never have touched even the slightest thing that belonged to you. Understand? That is the difference between you and him.” Qing Zhu had no interest in discovering how many hardships or excuses Han Ruifeng carried, nor did he care to untangle who had been right or wrong. But asking him to exploit their old friendship for Han Ruifeng’s benefit was something he simply could not do.
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