465: Xia Wei's transformation

The morning light was like fragmented gold, leaking through the carved window lattices of Changle Palace and casting a few wisps of warm light onto the water chestnut mirror on the dressing table, reflecting the slightly glamorous face of the person in the mirror.

The slight redness at the corners of her eyes had not yet faded, and her lips were faintly swollen, exuding a somewhat decadent charm.

Xia Wei sat before the mirror, holding a jasper hairpin between her fingertips, pinning up her long hair with extremely slow movements.

Her black hair fell like a waterfall through her fingertips before being coiled up layer by layer into a simple Floating Cloud Bun.

Her movements were very slow, as if she were deliberately stalling for time, while scenes from last night played repeatedly in her mind—Situ Jun's fiery gaze, his low voice, and that promise-laden sentence.

The traces of last night had not yet fully vanished; the slight redness at the corners of her eyes, the light swelling of her lips, and that clear, lingering scent around her nose all served as vivid reminders that last night was not a dream.

The sound of light footsteps came from outside the hall as the night-watch maid entered carrying water for washing. The water in the bronze basin was steaming, permeated with a faint floral fragrance.

The maid kept her head down and walked very slowly, yet she couldn't help but steal glances at Xia Wei out of the corner of her eye, her gaze filled with cautious prying and a hint of irrepressible curiosity.

Everyone in the palace knew that only yesterday, Your Majesty had issued a decree stripping Imperial Consort Xia of her position as Empress and appointing Imperial Consort Liu as the new Empress; today was the Investiture Ceremony.

Yet last night, the City Lord of the Northern Frontier, Situ Jun, had personally entered Changle Palace and did not leave for the entire night.

Now, seeing Xia Wei in this state, anyone could guess that something had certainly happened last night.

Xia Wei did not turn around, her gaze fixed on her own eyes in the mirror.

Those almond eyes, which used to be filled with pride and longing, were now as calm as a pool of deep water, without a single ripple.

Once, she thought her life would be spent trapped in this deep palace, serving as the Empress who was the Mother of the World, sharing in the honor and disgrace of the Xia Family.

But now, everything had changed.

Thinking of last night's tenderness even now made her fingertips feel hot.

Situ Jun's embrace was very warm, so warm that she found herself craving it.

His kisses carried an irresistible dominance, yet showed a hint of restraint in the finer details, as if he were afraid of hurting her.

The Spiritual Power he infused into her body was as gentle as a spring breeze, slowly flowing through her Meridians, dispelling the chill in her heart and awakening something dormant within her body.

That was a type of power, a power that belonged to her alone.

He had not actually taken her.

This point left Xia Wei with an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Was it relief? Perhaps a little.

She was, after all, an Imperial Consort of Tianqi; even if she wouldn't be in the future, she was still in the palace now, and that sense of reserve was etched into her very marrow.

If that boundary had truly been crossed, she wouldn't know how to face herself.

Was it disappointment? Perhaps a little of that as well.

Last night, she was like a small boat tossing in the wind and waves, with nothing to rely on, and Situ Jun was the only shore.

She had been so desperate to grab onto something, to prove she didn't have nothing, and to find a sliver of warmth in this cold, deep palace.

But he had stopped at the final step, looking at her with those deep eyes and whispering:

"Until you are willing."

Willingly.

Xia Wei's lips curled slightly into a very faint, almost vexed smile.

In her current situation, how could one speak of being willing?

Falling from the clouds to the dust, from a prospective Empress to a 'Cultivation Disciple' bound for the Northern Frontier—the instigator of all this was the very man who held her last night.

Did she resent him?

A little.

She resented him for brutally shattering all her beautiful dreams, for using the safety of the entire Xia Family to force her to bow her head, and for completely rewriting her life, pushing her onto a path she had never imagined.

However, when he honestly told her that staying in the deep palace was but a mirage and that her end would only be more tragic once the Xia Family lost power...

When he said that Cultivation could give her power that didn't depend on anyone else, Xia Wei's heart wavered.

She was no longer a naive young girl; she saw the deception and treacherous intrigue of the deep palace more clearly than anyone.

She was merely one of Li Xuan's many consorts; if she weren't beautiful, talented, and backed by the Xia Family, she would have struggled to even maintain a foothold.

Even if she were about to don the Phoenix Crown and become Empress, she would only be a tool for Li Xuan to consolidate Imperial power and a pawn for the Xia Family to cling to the powerful.

Once the Xia Family lost power, she would be like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

Li Xuan's compromise yesterday was the best proof—in the end, he could not protect her.

And Cultivation... Xia Wei raised her hand, gently stroking her wrist.

The warmth of his palm seemed to remain there, along with that wisp of warm Spiritual Power that still seemed to flow through her Meridians, nourishing her entire body.

That feeling of total comfort, as if every pore were breathing, was something she had never experienced before.

That was the taste of power, a power belonging to herself that required no reliance on anyone else.

Beyond this power, there also seemed to be a hint of an indescribable attachment.

She recalled the flash of annoyance and pity in Situ Jun's fiery eyes; she remembered his kisses, dominant yet restrained, and the tenderness in their lingering; she thought of the red marks she had left on his back when she lost control... Her face instantly burned, and she couldn't help but mutter shyly, raising her hand to pat her hot cheeks and forcibly stopping those wild thoughts.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study.

The morning light penetrated the window screens of the Imperial Study, falling upon the gilded crane-neck incense burner beside the Dragon Throne. The rising Dragons Saliva Incense mixed with the scent of plum blossoms drifting from outside; it was cloyingly sweet and stifling, yet it could not dispel the stagnant gloom in Li Xuan's heart.

He had not slept all night, with heavy dark circles under his eyes and a layer of dark stubble on his chin, making him look quite haggard.

His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the coiled Dragon carving on the armrest of the Dragon Throne as he stared blankly at the bluestone floor.

The sound of light footsteps came from outside as his trusted eunuch, Li Fu, tiptoed in, holding freshly brewed ginseng tea.

The tea cup was made of fine white porcelain, steaming and emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Your Majesty, you didn't close your eyes again all night."

Li Fu's voice was kept very low, carrying a hint of cautious advice:

"Today is the Investiture Ceremony; you must take care of Your Majesty's Dragon health."

Li Xuan did not take the tea cup, instead looking out the window with a heavy gaze.

The dawn was gradually lighting up the vermilion palace walls, making the glazed tiles radiant with flowing light, a scene of a flourishing age.

But this prosperity only made his heart feel stifled, as if something were deathly clutching his throat, making even breathing difficult.

After a long while, he spoke in a raspy voice, with an undetectable tremor in his tone and even his fingertips trembling slightly:

"Last night... where did City Lord Situ Jun go?"