488: Deep Palace Mistake

Only Li Xuan and Liu Airu remained in the side hall, and the layer of gentle pretense finally faded somewhat.

Li Xuan stepped forward. His Dragon Boots struck the golden brick floor, making a dull sound. Every step felt like it was treading on Liu Airu's heart.

“Beloved Consort, were you alone in Kunning Palace last night?”

He spoke, his voice still gentle, but wrapped in an icy coldness, like slivers of ice. The Emperor's pressure spread through the air, making it impossible to breathe.

Liu Airu's heart clenched suddenly, as if an invisible hand had gripped it. Her breathing paused for half a beat.

The fingertips hidden in her sleeves instantly clenched, her nails digging deeply into her palm. The sharp pain allowed her to barely maintain the gentle look on her face. She lowered her eyes, afraid to meet his gaze, and responded with a suppressed tremor in her voice, trying to sound steady:

“Yes, Your humble servant felt slightly weary last night, so I retired early.”

“Oh?”

Li Xuan's tone lifted slightly at the end, carrying a deeper meaning.

He stepped forward again, raising his hand to stroke her cheek:

“But I see fatigue in the Beloved Consort's eyes. Could it be that the palace servants in Kunning Palace did not attend to you properly, preventing you from sleeping soundly?”

The fingertip drew closer and closer, and a chill aura brushed past her cheek. Liu Airu subconsciously turned her head away, a movement so quick it was almost a lapse in etiquette.

This momentary lapse in composure, seen by Li Xuan, undoubtedly confirmed the suspicion in his heart.

He withdrew his hand, his knuckles slightly curled. The smile on his lips was so faint it was almost invisible, yet he did not press the matter, only saying lightly:

“Since that is the case, I shall have the Imperial Kitchen stew some Soothing Soup and send it over. Henceforth, I will increase the guards at Kunning Palace, lest unauthorized persons disturb the Beloved Consort.”

The seemingly considerate words were, in reality, the most direct warning.

Increasing the guards meant confining her to Kunning Palace and watching her every move; telling her not to be disturbed was a reminder that he knew something was amiss, and if she dared to overstep even slightly, the thunderous wrath of the Emperor awaited her.

Liu Airu curtsied, her skirt sweeping the ground, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration.”

As she walked out of Cining Palace, the sunlight on the palace path was brilliant, shining on the glazed tiles and dazzling the eyes, but when it fell upon her, only bone-chilling coldness remained.

Her back was already soaked with cold sweat, sticking to her undergarments and pressing coolly against her skin.

Li Xuan's suspicion was like a sharp knife hanging over her head, its edge resting against her hair, ready to fall at any moment.

She knew that from this moment onward, there was no room to breathe in this deep palace. Every step had to be taken as if walking on thin ice, and every word had to be carefully weighed.

Palace servants moved back and forth along the path, their footsteps light. The flowers by the roadside were in full bloom, their pink and white petals drifting down with the wind.

Liu Airu walked slowly, supported by the maid beside her. Her gaze inadvertently swept toward the end of the bluestone passage leading to Changle Palace in the distance, where a dark figure suddenly flashed past.

The figure was tall and straight, moving with a unique sharpness and casualness. His aura was clear and crisp like pine, so familiar that her heart trembled violently—it was Situ Jun.

Her steps suddenly halted. Her fingertips instinctively rose, wanting to call out to that figure, wanting to chase after him and ask him why he was still in the palace.

But just as she took half a step, a palace servant gently supported her from behind, and a quiet reminder reached her ear:

“Empress, it is time to return to Kunning Palace.”

Empress.

These four words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing all her impulses.

She was the Liu Clan's legitimate daughter, the Empress of Tianqi. Behind her hung the lives of hundreds of Family members, and before her were Li Xuan's ubiquitous spies.

If she were to chase after him now and be seen, it would invite gossip from others.

She bit her lip, swallowing the call that had reached her mouth. Lowering her eyes, she hid the turmoil within them, allowing the palace servant to support her as she walked step by step toward Kunning Palace. Her figure looked especially frail under the sunlight.

Night once again enveloped the palace walls of Tianqi Imperial City. Sparse stars dotted the ink-black sky, and palace lanterns lit up one after another, reflecting off the vermilion walls, adding a sense of tranquility.

Inside the Kunning Palace bedchamber, red candles burned brightly. The flames on the Dragon and Phoenix candelabra flickered, illuminating the gilded objects throughout the hall with shimmering light. Yet, compared to the passionate absurdity of last night, tonight's candlelight added a touch of desolation and chill.

The wax oil in the gilded candelabra piled up layer upon layer, slowly flowing along the pattern of the intertwined lotus vines, solidifying into wax trails—much like the complex and inexplicable emotions suppressed in Liu Airu's heart.

There was longing for Situ Jun, loneliness over Li Xuan's coldness, the heavy burden of Family responsibility, and helplessness regarding her own fate. All these emotions intertwined, clogging her heart and making it hard to breathe.

She removed the elaborate Court Crown and Palace Dress, shedding the pearls and jewels covering her body. She wore only a Soft Satin Sleeping Gown embroidered with orchid grass in moon white, her hair loosely coiled into a bun, as she sat upright before the Diamond-patterned Dressing Table.

Her delicate and beautiful face was reflected in the bronze mirror. The corners of her eyes and brows still held her customary gentleness. Her skin was crystal white, surpassing snow, making the moon-white sleeping gown appear even purer. Yet, deep in her eyes, a faint trace of expectation was hidden, mixed with a knowing sense of desolation. These two emotions intertwined, lending her an appealing vulnerability.

Her fingertip lightly traced the intertwined lotus pattern on the edge of the bronze mirror. The cool metallic touch of the bronze brought her a moment of clarity. The quiet footsteps of palace servants came and went outside the hall, but she never waited for that imperial yellow figure.

She should have expected this long ago.

Last night was the first night after the Grand Empress Investiture Ceremony. According to custom, the Emperor should have stayed in Kunning Palace, but Li Xuan used the excuse of reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study, abandoning her in the empty bedchamber and allowing Situ Jun to stumble in after getting drunk.

Tonight, he didn't even bother to find an excuse, merely sending an Inner Attendant to relay the message: “The Empress Dowager is having a small gathering; he will stay in Yuehua Palace tonight,” and then there was no further news.

She was not unaware of the Emperor's coldness, but to be truly discarded like a worn-out shoe still brought a fine, sharp ache to her heart.

Liu Airu sighed softly, her aura shallow, tinged with self-mockery.

She raised her hand and pulled out the last crimson gold Buyao Hairpin from her hair. The pearl pendants on the hairpin swayed slightly, making a faint noise. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, hanging down to her waist, making her shoulders appear even more slender.

Moreover, she had spent a night of tenderness with Situ Jun last night. The warmth of skin against skin, his deep voice, his domineering yet gentle touch—all were etched into her very being, leaving her heart feeling almost torn apart by contradiction.

She both hoped Li Xuan would come and spend the night in Kunning Palace, even if only for show, to make her feel that her position as Empress still held weight and could bring the Liu Clan more security.

Yet, deep down, she resisted Li Xuan's touch, fearful that he might actually demand her service, thereby brutally erasing the gentle yet domineering figure of Situ Jun from her heart.

She coveted the warmth given by Situ Jun, but could not escape the shackles imposed by her Family. Caught between the two, she was torn and bruised all over.

Thinking of Situ Jun, she couldn't help but recall the moment they parted this morning, when he looked at her with seriousness and expectation in his eyes and whispered, “Be my Dao Companion.”

The City Lord of the Northern Frontier, the Empress of Tianqi, Dual Cultivation Dao Companion, the entire Liu Clan... these terms intertwined like a suffocating net, trapping her tightly and making it impossible to breathe.

How she wished to escape this deep palace, abandon her identity as the Liu Clan's legitimate daughter, cast off this cold Empress Phoenix Crown, and follow Situ Jun to the Northern Frontier, where the sky was vast and the sea wide—to watch the sunset over the grasslands, listen to the desert winds, and be an ordinary woman who didn't have to be cautious or force a smile.

But she could not.

The lives of hundreds of people in the Liu Clan were tied to her position as Empress.

She was the legitimate daughter carefully groomed by the Liu Clan, destined to sacrifice herself for the Family since birth.

If she truly left with Situ Jun, abandoning her post as Empress and fleeing privately would be the capital crime of treason. Li Xuan would certainly use this as an excuse to confiscate the Liu Clan's property and slaughter the entire Liu Clan. At that time, her parents, siblings, and all the elderly and young of the clan would be separated from their heads, and she would become the eternal sinner of the Liu Clan.

This responsibility was like a thousand-pound boulder, pressing down on her until she could not straighten her back.