Chapter 78
Chapter 78
A Plan Exposed
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Moonlight poured in and spilled across the floor, followed swiftly by pink gauze skirt hems as a slender figure stepped in, lithe and graceful.
Liu Yi had been living there for more than half a month; she had grown a little more flesh, and looked more comfortable and gentle now as compared to her thinness in the beginning. At this moment, she was carrying a red lacquered wooden tray, approaching the desk carefully.
“Your Excellency——” Liu Yi called out.
In the flickering shadows of candlelight, the man’s eyes, which were usually deep and cold, were now tinged with a little red. His gaze contained a lingering wateriness, making Liu Yi’s heart speed up, and she couldn’t help but hang her head.
“This civilian has come to deliver hangover soup to Your Excellency.”
She could feel the State Preceptor’s gaze pause on her body, before finally resting on her face.
“Third Lady Liu?”
“Yes, it’s—it’s me.”
“Don’t dress like this in the future.”
Liu Yi was embarrassed, but still, she bit her lip and answered softly, “Yes.”
“Leave me.”
“Your Excellency!” Liu Yi raised her head reflexively, but when she met Cui Wang’s eyes, she couldn’t help shrinking back.
He had once again become the immortal on the top of the sacred mountain, uncontaminated by the dust and worldly trifles of the mortal realm. He looked at her like she was just a rock in the mountain stream, like a grass or a tree by the roadside—utterly unworthy of mentioning.
But Liu Yi clearly remembered that Cui Wang’s eyes were not like this when he looked at Zheng Wan. At that time, there were scorching flames in his eyes, a warm gurgling stream, a bright moon accompanied by a light breeze, the rising sun and rosy clouds of dawn——
“This civilian has boiled this hangover soup for a long time, it’s very refreshing. Your Excellency, why not have some.”
Cui Wang looked steadily at her and suddenly asked:
“What are your intentions?”
Liu Yi was momentarily stunned, then revealed a soft smile. “This civilian is afraid that Your Excellency’s body will be hurt by the alcohol, and so, brought this hangover soup here.”
“No need.”
Cui Wang filled the white jade cup and downed it in one gulp before saying, “I don’t need it when I want to get drunk, and I won’t get drunk if I don’t want to. Take it back.”
“Your Excellency!”
Liu Yi took a step back and touched the ground with her head. “Your Excellency is so distinguished, why do you have to feel so dejected and drink away your sorrows for a mere mortal girl?”
There was a long silence in the room.
Just as Liu Yi was becoming cold from kneeling, the hem of a snow-coloured robe suddenly appeared in front of her eyes. The robe was edged with faint dark patterns, like clouds on the horizon. She clenched her fingers that wanted to reach out to touch it.
“Today’s incident, how much did you have a hand in it?”
“This, this civilian does not understand what Your Excellency means.”
Liu Yi raised her head; unexpectedly, a harsh wind struck her in the chest, sending her flying and landing heavily on the ground.
“Your Excellency!”
A sweetness filled her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Pleasing words spoken in an artful manner, full of falsehoods. Take this as a lesson,” said Cui Wang coldly. “Scram.”
“Your Excellency!” Liuyi abruptly walked forward on her knees, “Your Excellency, please listen to this civilian’s explanation!
“Yes, this civilian is at fault. This civilian is at fault for not informing Lady Zheng in time that there was something that would be unfavourable for her in the palace, but why would this civilian do so?”
“In the past half a month, even if this civilian avoided the manor, I couldn’t avoid her ridicule and harsh criticism. Besides, this civilian’s zan——Hasn’t Your Excellency ever had any doubts about that? Who in the capital doesn’t know that Lady Zheng has been arrogant and domineering ever since she was a child? Even the Princess’s carriage would have moved aside when their carriages meet, so why has she been subservient only to Your Excellency from the very beginning?
“Can’t Your Excellency see through all the things that are going on here?”
The room fell into a dead silence for a while; there was only the rustling sound of the wind brushing through the leaves outside the window.
Liu Yi didn’t even dare to breathe too deeply; her head was hung low, and she only felt a scorching gaze trained on the top of her head, as if intending to roast her.
After a long time:
“What does it have to do with you?”
Liu Yi bit her lower lip hard; she kowtowed once more, and when she straightened, replied:
“This civilian just doesn’t want to see Your Excellency be deceived again. Your Excellency should be the moon in the sky, the crane amongst the clouds, roaming the endless, wide skies, instead of being trapped here, unable to extricate yourself!”
“In that case, on a night like this, you bringing soup to me while wearing the same clothes as her, is it all to warn me not to indulge in a woman’s charms?”
Cui Wang paused. “But it seems to me that you harbour the same intentions as her.”
Liu Yi’s face turned red and she raised her hand in oath.
“Your Excellency may deride this civilian and call me shameless, but there is nothing false in this civilian’s heart towards Your Excellency. If there is any falsehood, may the heavens strike me down with five thunderbolts!”
“I am a cultivator. Every vow will come true.” Cui Wang said.
“I am ready to die for Your Excellency, with no regrets.” Liu Yi kowtowed deeply.
Cui Wang watched her defection in silence.
This person had saved him when he was at his most desperate, and even pawned the little accessories she had for him, and was demonstrating such sincerity at this moment. Yet, his heart of stone seemed to have been frozen, and not a ripple stirred.
“All the world’s infatuated deserve pity indeed.”
The old ancestor said, “Xiao Wangwang, your love life is pretty rich huh.”
“Didn’t the old ancestor tell me that there were no anomalies?” Cui Wang said suddenly. “If that’s the case, why not test it out?”
“Test what out?”
In the old ancestor’s bewilderment, Cui Wang suddenly leaned down; the fragrance that seemed to be orchids, yet not exactly like it, enveloped Liu Yi. She heard him say, “Stretch out your hand.”
“Yes.”
Liu Yi stretched out her hand in confusion, but the person in front of her grabbed it.
His fingertips were cold to the bone; the snow-coloured robe slid around her wrist, causing an itch. Liu Yi’s heart began to pound, but she soon sensed that something was wrong.
The hand that was holding hers actually started trembling slightly.
Soon, the extent of the trembling grew stronger and stronger. Liu Yi raised her head, and in the hazy moonlight, saw that the sweat had actually begun to drip down the man’s jade-like face. Soon, the drops of sweat clustered at his lower jaw, wetting the lapels of his robes. Because of his extraordinary whiteness, the blue veins standing out on his forehead were particularly clear, and he seemed to be enduring an inhuman pain.
“Your Excellency? Your Excellency?”
Liu Yi instinctively wanted to wrap her arms around him.
As her arms reached out, the door that had been closed just a moment again was pushed open all at once. A figure in pink gauzy robes entered, and in a flash, rushed in front of Liu Yi, knocking her away.
She fell to the ground on her knees, still unable to return to her senses.
“Lady Zheng?”
Liu Yi looked at the other party in surprise.
Only to see that, in candlelight, Lady Zheng was glaring at her as if she wanted to eat her alive.
“What are you intending to do here by pretending to be me?” While hugging Cui Wang’s trembling body, she turned her head and ordered the servant waiting outside the door, “Take Lady Liu into custody. His Excellency will decide what to do when he wakes.”
“Lady Zheng, you’ve misunderstood.”
Liu Yi looked left and right at the servants who came to take her, and shook her head, “Your Excellency, save me——”
“Hold on.”
Cui Wang brushed Zheng Wan’s arms away and stood up slowly.
“Send Third Lady back to the guest house and serve her well.”
“Cui Wang!”
Zheng Wan stomped her feet and turned her head, about to say something; but when she met Cui Wang’s eyes, she forgot everything.
She had never seen him look at her with such eyes. They were icy cold, as if able to freeze and decimate everything in the world; even the galaxy, spanning tens of thousands of miles, had become a cold, eternal silence.