Only after the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, when the panting inside gradually quieted, did Nalan Xuan considerately allow the two of them to finish enjoying themselves before making his presence known.
He pushed open the door. Xiao Qi, still lost in the lingering aftermath, suddenly realized someone had entered and gave a startled cry. She hurriedly snatched up the clothes that had been crumpled and tossed aside and began putting them on with fumbling hands. Han Ruifeng also seemed to come back to himself only then. A little clarity returned to his eyes as he turned toward the newcomer, looking as though he had no idea what was happening.
Nalan Xuan, meanwhile, behaved as though he had not even noticed the two disheveled, sweat-soaked people before him. He simply walked to the seat of honor and sat down. Glancing at the half-finished tea they had been drinking, his smile deepened. “Noble Lord Han truly is a romantic. Even His Majesty’s woman is yours to enjoy as you please. Tsk, tsk. Impressive. Truly impressive.”
At those words, Han Ruifeng and Xiao Qi both froze. They turned toward each other almost at the same time and saw their own naked bodies reflected in the other’s pupils. A chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to their heads.
“This—how could this happen?! I… I…” Xiao Qi stared in horror at Han Ruifeng and at their bodies still tangled together. She was no innocent young girl; how could she fail to understand what had happened from the state of her own body? Even the fiercest woman would lose her composure if she were caught committing adultery with someone else, much less when she had somehow ended up committing adultery with a male consort—and the person catching them in the act was the empress who opposed her at every turn, the very person with whom she was constantly trying to destroy and be destroyed in return. Terror surged through her from every direction. She began trembling uncontrollably and immediately broke down in tears.
Without the slightest coyness, Han Ruifeng withdrew from Noble Concubine Xiao’s body. It was not that he felt no shock or fear. He simply cared more about what he should do next than about wasting time on panic or denial.
Unlike Xiao Qi, who was completely flustered, Han Ruifeng calmly bent down in full view of everyone, picked up the clothes scattered across the floor, and dressed himself layer by layer: underclothes, middle robe, outer robe, then jacket. Nalan Xuan was in no hurry either. He watched openly from beginning to end, the same ambiguous smile never leaving his lips.
“I wonder how long Your Majesty has been here. This minister failed to welcome you and has been discourteous.” Han Ruifeng tried to keep his voice steady, suppressing the tremor born of fear as much as possible. Outwardly, he still looked calm and composed, as though someone else entirely had just been tumbling in bed with Noble Concubine Xiao.
Nalan Xuan raised a brow in approval and shrugged pleasantly. “Not terribly long. It was a little lonely with no one here to receive me, but considering Noble Lord Han specially prepared such a marvelous performance for my benefit, I enjoyed myself immensely. Truly breathtaking. Look—this is the cleverest maid in my palace, and you actually managed to frighten her stupid.”
As he spoke, Nalan Xuan pointed toward He Xiang, who was still somewhat dazed, her cheeks flushed bright red. His expression was full of praise.
“Though I originally intended only to put on a little show and leave it at that, I never expected the two of you to be so… convincing. I thought you might stop once the point was made, so I didn’t feel right barging in and interrupting. I’ve been waiting outside for quite a while.” Nalan Xuan covered his mouth with one sleeve and laughed softly. The broad fabric concealed half his face while his utterly cold gaze pierced Han Ruifeng. “Well? Did the two of you enjoy yourselves? Should I step away for a while and let you have a little more time together?”
Han Ruifeng pressed his lips tightly together, his face deathly pale.
“Y-Your Majesty the Empress! Please listen to this concubine. I-I… I don’t know what happened either. I… I never meant for this to happen, Your Majesty! I-I only came here to chat with Noble Lord Han… truly, that was all! I don’t know how it became… Your Majesty, you must believe me. You have to believe me!”
There was none of Xiao Qi’s usual arrogance or spoiled pride left. Now she was merely a terrified woman, someone caught in bed with another person who knew disaster had descended upon her. Nalan Xuan could remember several women who had once been just as arrogant. Yet when it came to presence, intimidation, and sheer pride, Xiao Qi fell far short of Consort Meng. No wonder she was only a noble concubine. Whether in methods or personal caliber, the two were simply incomparable.
“Your Majesty…” Noble Concubine Xiao had cried until her face was a mess. Ordinarily, tears streaming down such a face might have inspired tenderness, but paired with her barely covered body and the white fluid trailing down toward her ankles, the sight was unmistakably obscene.
Nalan Xuan did not hesitate to lower himself and bend down, helping the crying, pleading woman kneeling beside his legs back to her feet. Without the slightest disgust, he gently wiped the tears from her face with his sleeve, treating her with such careful tenderness that he seemed afraid of hurting her. “Of course. Naturally I know you’re innocent. Both of you are innocent. You are both wholeheartedly devoted to His Majesty, so how could you possibly do something that deceives the sovereign, defies your superior, and violates proper relations?”
“Your Majesty…” The moment Xiao Qi heard this, her tears stopped. Overjoyed, she looked at Nalan Xuan’s exquisitely gentle expression.
“But if the two of you hadn’t forgotten yourselves so completely and enjoyed it to the fullest, wouldn’t that have wasted the ‘Fireworks’ I went to such trouble to obtain?”
“Wh… what…?” Xiao Qi’s emotions had been thrown up and down so violently that her head suddenly buzzed. For a moment she thought she had misheard.
“‘Fireworks.’ The finest aphrodisiac beneath heaven, something one can encounter only by extraordinary luck. Even with my present rank and power, I managed to obtain only this tiny amount. Tsk, how precious. Colorless, odorless, leaving no trace at all—and with only the slightest dose, even if the other party were a beast, it could make you love them desperately and refuse anyone else.” Nalan Xuan’s smile was so gentle it seemed almost capable of dripping water, yet every word he spoke sent the two people before him deeper into the abyss. “I wonder whether the two of you are satisfied with this small token of my consideration? His Majesty is always occupied with affairs of state, so naturally everyone in the deep palace becomes lonely. As head of the harem, it is my duty to relieve such worries and fulfill my responsibilities as master of the Central Palace. So, did the two of you enjoy yourselves just now? Has the longing and emptiness of these past days finally received some comfort?”
“You—!” Xiao Qi’s eyes nearly split with fury. Forgetting her state of undress, she rushed toward Nalan Xuan as though determined to fight him to the death.
He Xiang had been listening in stunned silence, too frightened even to make a sound. Seeing Xiao Qi charge forward, she immediately sprang into action and shoved the snarling woman hard enough to send her sprawling. A pampered young lady raised in luxury was hardly a match for a maid accustomed to heavy work. Caught off guard, Xiao Qi stumbled several steps backward and crashed to the floor.
“Has Noble Concubine Xiao gone mad? This is Her Majesty the Empress. You cannot afford the crime of attacking someone above your rank,” He Xiang said.
“Yes. Attacking your superior, deceiving the sovereign as well. Whatever the truth behind it, once people are dead there is no one left to testify. But as for what is before us now…” Nalan Xuan glanced with amusement at Xiao Qi sprawled inelegantly on the floor, then at Han Ruifeng standing beside her like a sculpture of ice. “Everyone can see it with their own eyes. If the two of you cannot bear the consequences yourselves, I imagine your families would be even less able to bear them.”
“Nalan Xuan!! Every debt has its debtor. What does this have to do with my family?” Xiao Qi knew she could no longer save herself. At the very least, she wanted to protect everyone in her natal clan.
Nalan Xuan returned to his chair and sat down, appearing to consider Xiao Qi’s words with great seriousness. “True. It does seem to have nothing to do with your family. But isn’t this how such things always work? One person is convicted, and the whole family is executed.”
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