I turned my face away. "No, I want to be alone."
Lou Xiyue turned his head to look at me, remained silent for a moment, and then said nonchalantly, "The main hall is full of secret agents. Where do you want to be alone?"
I sat down with my knees curled up against a pillar and said weakly, "Right here."
Lou Xiyue sighed softly, scooped me up, carried me onto the roof, and then went down to a room in the South Palace.
Taking advantage of the darkness, we pushed open the door and entered. The room was uniquely decorated. A low couch was topped with four corners of purple-red gauze curtains, and underneath was a woolen felt with gold trim embroidered with dahlias. The cups and goblets were all inlaid with small, delicate gemstones, which shimmered in the light of the palace lanterns.
Lou Xiyue smiled and said, "There's no chaise lounge, but you can sleep on the princess couch."
I said, "That girl from earlier was a beauty."
Lou Xiyue raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Yes, beautiful lady."
I twisted my clothes, "Oh..."
Lou Xiyue sat to the side, propping her chin up as she watched me, occasionally picking up the bronze goblet on the high table and tapping it left and right to examine it.
I called out, "Lou Xiyue."
Lou Xiyue looked at me with a smile and said, "Mm."
I said, "That Zi Mo is the diviner I saw on the day of the sacrificial ceremony. He was behind the Emperor."
He said, "I know."
I said, "Are fortune tellers just people who tell fortunes? Are their predictions accurate or not?"
Lou Xiyue replied, "It should be accurate."
I whispered, "She just said she's going to die..."
Incense burned inside, its faint, lingering fragrance filling the air.
Lou Xiyue got up and walked to my side, slowly saying, "You're such a heartless girl. Seeing your beloved being taken away, you curse him to die young."
I bit my lip and remained silent.
Lou Xiyue moved closer, shrugged, and said, "I'll sleep with you tonight."
Then he began to undress.
I said, "I don't want to."
He spread his hands, "Leaving you alone in this room is really worrying. Luckily, there are people in the medicine pavilion, and I have nowhere else to go."
I ignored him, closed my eyes, and leaned on the high table. Zi Mo's expression kept replaying in my mind. She smiled ambiguously, as if whispering to an old lover, and said softly, "At this time, the orchids in Yangzhou must be in bloom."
I recalled Yangzhou three years ago, the sunset was like smoke, willow leaves were fluttering, and An Chen's eyes sparkled like stars. He smiled and asked me, "Whose girl are you?"
I also recall that night in Medicine King Valley, with summer insects chirping and moonlight flowing by, my master took a sip of pepper wine and said to me, "I don't remember there being such a girl."
Suddenly, I felt a tightness around my waist as Lou Xiyue pulled me close. He reached out and held the back of my head against his chest, wiping the corner of my eye with his fingertips. He whispered, "The princess couch is so big, it's a waste for one person to sleep alone."
I tried to push him away, but couldn't, so I reached out to punch him. Lou Xiyue grabbed my hand and placed it on his waist, then leaned back on the couch, saying lazily, "The noise is too loud, it'll attract the attention of the secret agents."
I was furious. "Let go of me!"
He closed his eyes and said casually, "I won't let go."
I said angrily, "If you don't let me go, I'll call for help."
He pulled me closer and said calmly, "I'll lend you my bed to warm tonight, what more could you want?"
I simply started crying, "You're bullying me."
Lou Xiyue patted my back gently, "Let them bully you then. You're tired, cry it out and go to sleep early."
I cried for a while, but I couldn't shake off the exhaustion, so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
She vaguely sensed movement around her, and thought she heard Ji Jiu and Lou Xiyue talking. She tried to open her eyes to see, but she was too weak and slept until dawn.
When Lou Xiyue woke me up, it was still dark, around 5 a.m. The morning bell was ringing in the hall, and a faint crescent moon could be seen outside the window.
He reached out and pinched my face, looking somewhat disgusted. "Why are your eyes so swollen?"
I glanced at him. "If it weren't for you, if you hadn't taken liberties with me, would I be like this?"
Lou Xiyue crossed her arms nonchalantly and said flippantly, "Are you going to say next: I ruined your reputation, so you have to give yourself to me?"
I said, "Submitting to you my ass."
He smiled and said, "The sacrificial ceremony will conclude at noon today, and the Emperor will return later tonight."
I asked curiously, "If we could infiltrate so easily, then assassinating the Emperor must be incredibly simple. Why bother with a large-scale war?"
Lou Xiyue said expressionlessly, "Then go and kill the Emperor in a very simple way."
"Did you and Ji Jiu find out who your third uncle had a grudge against?"
Lou Xiyue tapped the fan handle, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "I'm not quite sure yet."
He looked at me and said calmly, "Your master is here to treat the Emperor's illness."
I lowered my head and replied, "Mm."
Lou Xiyue turned around and asked me seemingly casually, "Young Master Chen, do you know?"