The wine was still simmering on the stove, but Xiao Man's gaze fell on Nangong Yu's arm. It was still bandaged as she had done it that day. Frowning slightly, she got up, took the medicine box, and sat beside Nangong Yu, re-bandaging him.
Seeing this, a smile flickered in Nangong Yu's eyes. As the water boiled, he reached for the wine pot. "Don't fuss, didn't I tell you to go back to your manor and have the imperial physician re-bandage it? Have you no sense of being injured?"
Nangong Yu watched Xiao Man, who was earnestly bandaging him with her head bowed, a smile spreading across his lips. "Does your face still hurt?"
Xiao Man smiled upon hearing this. "It's just a slap, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Why didn't you dodge when she hit you?"
"Your Highness, it wasn't that I didn't dodge, it was that I couldn't." After bandaging Nangong Yu, Xiao Man took out the boiled wine and poured a cup for him. "If I had dodged, who knows what His Majesty would have thought? After all, the Fifteenth Princess died because of me."
"If she hadn't harbored ill intentions towards you, how could she have been ambushed by others?" Nangong Yu picked up his wine cup and drank it in one gulp. "Is this osmanthus wine?"
"Yes, it's osmanthus wine brewed this year." Xiao Man placed a pot of wine in front of Nangong Yu, allowing him to serve himself. "Your Highness, you must have come for a reason, right?"
Nangong Yu drank three cups before slowly speaking, "Murong Shengrui slaughtered tens of thousands of palace maids and eunuchs in the Yunqi palace."
Xiao Man's expression changed slightly. "Did it... succeed?"
Nangong Yu nodded. "It succeeded. Murong Shengrui was furious and went on a killing spree in the palace with his sword. All those serving in his palace, except for the chief eunuch Wei Wuji, died by his sword."
Xiao Man fell silent. She knew that Murong Shengrui would purge the palace of spies after the desecration of Dugu Man's corpse. She hadn't expected him to kill indiscriminately.
"What were the losses of Tianji Pavilion this time?"
Nangong Yu quietly looked at Xiao Man and after a long while asked, "When did you discover my connection with Tianji Pavilion?"
Xiao Man picked up a pastry, bit into it, and said, "When I was attacked by Pojun and Your Highness came to my rescue."
Nangong Yu understood immediately. He had been chasing Tian Gan at the time and hadn't changed his clothes. He had then brought Xiao Man back to Tianji Pavilion. With her keen mind, how could she not have guessed? "Why didn't you expose me?"
"Everyone has their secrets. Your Highness has them, and so do I. If you don't want people to know, I won't ask. Besides, this is not a big deal." Xiao Man finished the pastry in her hand and then had a cup of wine. Her expression was somewhat bewildered. Dugu Man had completely vanished from this world, but the hatred would not disappear; instead, it grew deeper with the passage of time.
Nangong Yu looked at the expression on Xiao Man's face, a mixture of sadness and helplessness, a bewilderment that ached the heart. "I received news that the National Preceptor is about to return."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Man's eyes finally focused, but a moment later, they erupted with inexplicable hatred. Though brief, Nangong Yu captured it. Xiao Man hated Feng Tianlan. Why?
"Your Highness, we are allies, aren't we?"
"Yes." Nangong Yu knew Xiao Man was a bit drunk. This was the best opportunity to pry information, but he didn't want to. In his eyes, Xiao Man was fragile and helpless, like a lost kitten with innocent and pitiable eyes that melted his heart.
"Will we become enemies?"
Nangong Yu shook his head firmly. "No."
Xiao Man smiled upon hearing this. "No matter what my identity is, we won't be enemies?"
"Never." Nangong Yu remained unwavering. "No matter your identity, in my eyes, Nangong Yu, you are simply the woman I love!"
Xiao Man leaned on the small table, her gaze hazy, her fingers tracing the rim of the wine cup. "We won't be enemies? If one day, I stand on the opposite side of you, what will Your Highness do?"
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's drunken, misty appearance and sighed. "Then don't stand on the opposite side of me. Come to my side."
"No," Xiao Man mumbled. "I have my own stance."
"Then I will come to your side," Nangong Yu drank the last cup of wine. "That way, we won't be on opposite sides."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Man's lips curved into a satisfied smile, and she fell into a deep sleep. The wine cup tipped over, rolling onto the floor. Nangong Yu got up and carried her to bed. Looking at Xiao Man's sleeping face, his heart softened.
"Only when you're drunk are you defenseless against me," Nangong Yu leaned down and kissed Xiao Man's forehead. "Do whatever you want, and do it boldly. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you."
Xiao Man sleepily opened her eyes in her dream, seeing Nangong Yu's face so close. She blinked, then suddenly reached out, hooked her arms around Nangong Yu's neck, and kissed him.
Nangong Yu froze, his heart pounding like a drum. He seemed to have not expected Xiao Man to be so proactive. After a moment, he turned passive into active. "Xiao Man, you asked for this!"
After a long while, Nangong Yu finally released Xiao Man, who had fallen asleep again. Her lips were red, like ripe peaches, glistening invitingly to his body and soul.
Nangong Yu took a deep breath, calming the heat within him. "If it weren't for the unresolved蠱 poison, I would let you know the consequences of provoking me. I'll let you off today, but next time... you'll face the consequences!"
In the Yunqi palace, the palace maids and eunuchs were all replaced with new faces. That day, blood flowed like a river. The white jade steps were stained crimson, and the bluestone paths turned black. The young emperor, like a madman, hacked and slashed through the palace with his sword, resembling a vengeful spirit that instilled fear in people's hearts.
Wei Wuji pushed open the tightly shut palace door. The strong smell of alcohol emanated, almost making him gag. In a pile of wine jars, a person was curled up. The blood-stained sword lay neglected in a corner.
"Your Majesty, it is time for you to attend court." Wei Wuji's voice was flat. His gaze fell on the figure curled up in the corner. "You have not attended court for many days, and the civil and military officials are quite disgruntled."
"Tell them to die, all of them," the young emperor lay motionless on the ground, his voice hoarse. Since Dugu Man's corpse had been dissolved into a pool of blood with corpse-dissolving water, Murong Shengrui had become like a madman, killing indiscriminately. Afterward, he became self-abandoned and listless.
Wei Wuji knew that Murong Shengrui's sole hope was gone. He had long lost hope in this world. However, he could not allow Murong Shengrui to abandon his responsibilities.
"Your Majesty, the Scarlet Feather Iron Cavalry has moved."
The young emperor's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixing on Wei Wuji. "What did you say?"
"Our people received word that the Scarlet Feather Iron Cavalry has moved and appeared within the borders of the Wuyue Kingdom." Wei Wuji watched the light erupt in the young emperor's eyes. He knew that as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would desperately grasp it. Although the dead could not be resurrected, there could be countless substitutes.