Volume One, Chapter 20: The Hush Money
“Who exactly are you?”
Su Qingxue’s voice was like ice in the dead of winter, each word striking the silent air with piercing cold.
Ye Xuan smiled.
There was no hint of panic in his smile at being unmasked. Instead, it carried a touch of amusement and admiration, as if he were watching a beautiful yet fierce Persian cat trespassing into his domain.
He turned slowly, his gaze drifting from the shimmering lake and bamboo shadows outside the window back to Su Qingxue’s ethereal, aloof face.
“Who else could I be?”
His voice was soft, yet it bore the unmistakable authority of a superior.
“Just a stray dog, framed by my royal brother, deposed by my father the emperor, stripped even of my fief, forced to scavenge for survival on the run.”
He paused, the mocking curve of his lips deepening.
“Now, I merely scrape by with an ancestral craft.”
“So?”
Ye Xuan stepped forward, his invisible aura instantly enveloping Su Qingxue.
“Miss Su, are you here to clean house for the Crown Prince and drag this ‘escaped fish’ back to the imperial prison? Or perhaps send me off to Beiliang?”
His words were like poisoned daggers, aimed precisely at Su Qingxue’s vulnerable spot.
The Crown Prince.
Those two words stirred a tidal wave in Su Qingxue’s otherwise calm, unfathomable eyes.
Her feud with the Crown Prince was a well-known yet deeply taboo secret among the capital’s nobles.
The man before her was deliberately using the most gentle tone to speak the most cutting truths!
He was probing her.
Testing her intentions, testing her stance.
Storms raged within Su Qingxue, yet her expression remained cold and detached.
She slowly shook her head, long lashes lowering to veil all emotion from her eyes.
“The Eighth Prince is joking.”
Her voice regained its composure, as if the momentary lapse had never occurred.
“I am but a mere woman; the intrigues of the court, the princes’ struggles—what concern are they of mine?”
“I’m neither skilled nor interested enough to meddle in the Crown Prince’s affairs.”
She rose gracefully, smoothing her impeccably neat skirt, her posture elegant yet radiating a distant aloofness that kept others at bay.
“Today’s matter was purely accidental.”
“Now that I know Mr. Ye’s true identity, I shall keep silent and utter no more.”
“Farewell.”
With that, she turned to leave, swift and decisive as if lingering another second might drown her in the secrets of this room.
Just as her hand reached for the door—
From behind her came Ye Xuan’s unhurried voice.
“Miss Su, please wait.”
Her steps faltered slightly.
But she did not look back.
Only Ye Xuan’s calm voice echoed softly, tinged with an all-knowing serenity.
“Miss Su, you have been frail since childhood; every rainy day brings chest tightness, shortness of breath, and cold limbs, isn’t that so?”
***
This sentence struck Su Qingxue more profoundly than his revelation of his royal identity.
They had only met once, yet he already knew of her ailment!
Could his medical skill truly be that formidable?
“Your illness shares a root cause with Liu Yuexue’s cold marrow disease, yet differs in nature.”
Ye Xuan’s voice was like a devil’s whisper, each word clear and deliberate in her ear.
“Liu Yuexue suffers from cold poison invading the marrow, whereas you carry a congenital coldness embedded in your heart meridian since birth, which deepens as you grow older.”
“The imperial physicians in the capital must be helpless, right?”
Su Qingxue spun around sharply; for the first time, her icy eyes revealed undeniable shock.
She stared at Ye Xuan intently, as if trying to see through him.
What sort of monster was this man?
“You…”
Her voice trembled faintly for the first time.
Meeting her astonished gaze, Ye Xuan’s lips curled into a confident smirk.
“I can cure you.”
His tone was low but resolute.
“Consider it…”
He looked at Su Qingxue with playful intent, enunciating each word.
“A hush payment.”
At that moment, Su Qingxue’s heart fell into complete turmoil.
Reason urged her to flee from this dangerous man, to put as much distance between them as possible.
Yet her body’s instinct, the desperate will to survive, held her rooted.
She gazed into Ye Xuan’s fathomless eyes, as if they could swallow everything whole.
Long moments passed.
She said nothing.
Only cast a deep, complex glance at Ye Xuan—shock, caution, struggle, and a flicker of hope even she had not realized.
In the end, she turned away, opened the door, and silently walked out.
Her steps lacked the resoluteness they once had.
Ye Xuan watched her graceful figure disappear beyond the door, his smile deepening.
He knew the fish had taken the bait.
Su Qingxue, you cannot escape.
Whether it is your illness or yourself, you will become the most vital piece on my chessboard.
He slowly sat back on the cushion, eyes half-closed, resuming his meditation as if the intense confrontation had never occurred.
***
Outside the Listening to Rain Pavilion, in the main hall—
Liu Chengye sat restlessly, like an ant on a hot pan.
He kept glancing toward the pavilion, his heart filled with anxiety and curiosity.
Did they recognize each other?
Or not?
What was the true relationship between those two?
Just as his worry peaked, the door creaked open.
Su Qingxue emerged, her complexion cold and composed.
Liu Chengye hurried over, a caring smile plastered across his face.
“Niece Qingxue, how did it go? What did you discuss?”
He cautiously inquired, “Mr. Ye… did he say anything about your illness?”
Su Qingxue looked paler than before, her gaze somewhat distracted.
Hearing Liu Chengye’s question seemed to bring her back to herself; her long lashes fluttered.
“Sort of,” she replied faintly.
“Sort of?” Liu Chengye was dumbfounded, confusion darkening his features.
What kind of answer was that?
Either it’s there or it isn’t—what did “sort of” mean?
Was this illness something that could be ‘calculated’?
He was about to press for clarity when a servant burst in from the back garden, breathless and wildly excited.
“Master! Master! Wonderful news!”
Liu Chengye snapped sharply, “What’s this rush? Control yourself!”
But the servant, flushed with excitement, barely paused, gasping as he shouted—
“Miss! Miss has awakened!”
“Miss… she’s awake!”
Boom!
Liu Chengye felt his mind buzz, all confusion, worry, and curiosity swept away in an instant.
His body trembled with overwhelming joy, eyes instantly reddening.
“Yuexue… my Yuexue is awake?!”
He grabbed the servant’s collar, his voice trembling.
“Truly? You saw it with your own eyes?”
“Absolutely, Master! Miss not only woke up, she even called out ‘Father’!”
“Good! Good! Good!”
Liu Chengye repeated the words thrice, tears of joy filling his eyes.
He released the servant abruptly and grasped the still-dazed Su Qingxue’s hand.
“Qingxue! Quickly! Come with me to see Yuexue!”
“Divine Doctor Ye… truly a living god!”
At that moment, Liu Chengye’s reverence for Ye Xuan soared to its peak.
He pulled Su Qingxue along, nearly running toward the rear chambers, all the questions raised by the “sort of” answer temporarily forgotten.