When Su Su regained consciousness, daylight had already broken outside.
The bed beneath her was soft, and even without opening her eyes, she knew she had left the dungeon.
Looking around, she found herself back in Chengqian Palace.
A restrained sensation around her wrists drew her attention—a transparent rope loop encircled her slender wrists, tethered to the imperial bed.
Su Su: "..."
Curved Jade said, "Don't struggle. It's Ruoshui."
So Su Su lay back calmly. The bed held only her; Tantai Jin was nowhere to be seen.
Curved Jade continued, "Last night, he carried you back, stared at you with a grim expression like a madman for a long time, and finally bound you with this Ruoshui rope loop."
Su Su lowered her eyelids, pursed her lips, and said, "I hate this."
Last time, it was because of the Ruoshui rope loop that she could do nothing, allowing the Puppet Technique to be cast on her, leading to Xiao Lin's death.
Curved Jade knew of her lingering trauma but found no words to comfort her.
Letting Pang Yi Zhi escape had clearly provoked Tantai Jin's fury, not to mention Su Su had even beaten him up to ensure Pang Yi Zhi's getaway.
Master and servant fell silent. After a while, a young palace maid entered with a meal tray. "This servant is here to assist the young lady with her meal."
Su Su replied, "I have no appetite."
The maid said sternly, "His Majesty has declared that whenever the young lady eats, Old Madam Ye will also eat."
Su Su had no choice but to say, "Bring it here."
The maid tried to feed her, but Su Su refused. She sat up on her own and took small sips of the porridge. Having not eaten for two days, the soft, fragrant congee was soothing.
The young maid stole a glance at Su Su.
This woman held no official status, and rumors swirled that the Emperor despised her, that one day he would exhaust all means to torment her.
Yet, after all this time, she remained completely unharmed.
The girl drinking porridge had a pale complexion. Her clear, cool gaze softened the inherent tenderness in her features, lending her a vibrant vitality.
The maid thought, She's quite beautiful.
A different kind of beauty from Princess Zhaohua—lacking even that delicate, peerless grace the Princess possessed.
This young girl's aura was like a spring rain, or perhaps the plum blossoms blooming outside Huayin Palace these past few days. It was precisely because her eyes held a touch of aloof indifference that one longed even more to see her smile.
Only after Su Su finished the porridge did the maid realize she had been somewhat entranced.
She hurriedly took the items from Su Su's hands and excused herself.
Su Su began to ponder her options. Since Tantai Jin intended to use Old Madam Ye to threaten her, refusing to eat was clearly not a viable strategy.
Curved Jade, having learned from its past mistake, now resolved to hide nothing from Su Su. It tattled, "Little master, while you were unconscious, Tantai Jin kissed you."
It paused, then added shyly, "For a long time."
Quite indecent, really.
Su Su touched her lips and said, "I know."
Curved Jade was surprised she wasn't angry. Su Su had changed—a transformation that began the day Xiao Lin died.
She used to save Tantai Jin, sympathize with his suffering, and fear her Dao Heart wasn't steadfast enough.
But now she had her own resolve, and her determination to complete the mission had strengthened considerably.
Curved Jade sighed. Before, it had worried its young master would be too stubborn to compromise for the mission. Now, seeing her learn flexibility and compromise through hardship, it felt an inexplicable sorrow.
The weight of all living beings pressed upon such young, fragile shoulders—how heavy a burden.
Su Su didn't sulk in anger. Instead, she calmly closed her eyes to rest.The palace servants stood at a distance, and it was unclear whether Night Shadow Guards were hidden in the darkness.
The usual time for Tantai Jin's return had long passed, yet he still hadn't come back. Su Su slept another stretch before hearing someone enter.
The palace maids added several more lanterns, brightening the room instantly.
After resting all day, Su Su—a naturally vibrant person—had mostly regained her energy.
She sat up and saw a eunuch helping the young emperor change his robes.
Tantai Jin spread his arms as the eunuch, a head shorter than him, nervously removed the intricate black dragon-embroidered outer robe.
His frame was slender, perhaps due to a difficult youth—while he had grown tall, his body still carried a gaunt, almost bony quality.
Combined with his narrow, gloomy eyes, it instantly shattered any impression of youthful beauty.
He resembled a snake hissing with its tongue flickering.
Meeting Su Su's gaze, his expression darkened swiftly, looking at her as if she were his father's murderer.
If not for her trust in the curved jade, Su Su would have thought the words—
"You were kissed by Tantai Jin while you were unconscious."—were a joke.
Since it wasn't a joke, his current expression seemed rather amusing.
The Ruoshui binding rope wasn't short; at least within the confines of the dragon bed, Su Su could move freely. Her expression remained calm, devoid of fear, her jet-black hair cascading down to her slender waist.
Su Su sat cross-legged, clearly intending to have a talk with him.
The palace servants withdrew outside the hall, and Tantai Jin approached. His face cold, he completely ignored her and lay down on the outer edge of the bed, still clothed.
The dragon bed was spacious. Su Su, bound on the inner side, shifted closer without a word, simply gazing down at him.
The young man's raven-black lashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
A slight curve touched Su Su's lips.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before he could bear it no longer and snapped his eyes open. "Get off!"
Su Su said, "My hands are tied; I can't roll off. Untie me, and I'll leave immediately."
Tantai Jin said, "Do you truly believe I won't punish you?"
Su Su replied, "Why would you think that? I've always expected you to punish me. But you haven't. Why haven't you?"
Under the glazed lamp, the girl looked at him with confusion.
His body stiffened. He coldly turned his neck, facing away from her. "You still have uses."
"What uses?" Su Su asked, genuinely puzzled. "The Ye family is gone, Xia State has become your vassal, and you know I won't be as obedient as my second brother. If you need someone who understands magic, the old Taoist can serve. You suspect I've sabotaged your plans—you should kill me."
"Not like this," Su Su said. "Tantai Jin, have you read Chapter Three, Section Two of Qiyi? Do you remember what it discusses?"
He didn't move, his dark pupils like eerie, cold will-o'-the-wisps.
It spoke of love.
The girl's voice behind him drifted like a passing breeze, murmuring by his ear: "You like me..."
His fingers abruptly clenched the bedsheets. Enraged, he rose and pinned her down on the bed, his hand gripping her throat.
Tantai Jin seethed with murderous intent. "Shut up!"
Bound by the Ruoshui, the girl didn't struggle. Her clear, bright eyes calmly watched him. His entire body was tense, radiating the fury of someone exposed.
She raised her hand as if to slap him. He didn't dodge, but instead of striking, her fingers gently brushed his cheek.
Tantai Jin broke out in goosebumps all over. Where she had touched him felt feverish. He seized her wrist, his voice icy. "Don't try anything. Under the Ruoshui's restraint, you're nothing but a waste!"The girl beneath him suddenly laughed, as if she had discovered something amusing.
"You're afraid of me?"
He pressed his lips tightly together, not uttering a word.
Su Su roughly understood the situation—the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl Tears in her embrace, sensing the Demon God's emotions, were already answering for him.
The girl whispered softly, "Tantai Jin, untie this for me. It's uncomfortable."
Her attitude was surprisingly good, and the young man's slightly lowered eyes scrutinized her coldly.
It was as if her schemes and tricks would burst forth at any moment, beating him until he was covered in blood once again.
"I promise I won't run, and I won't ruin your plans. I'll stay with you. How does that sound?"
"Stay with me?" He froze, unconsciously repeating the words in a low voice.
The girl laughed, the innocence in her eyes fading somewhat, replaced by a gaze that seemed to bloom with scorching flowers. She nodded, "Yes, stay with you. I am your wife, after all."
"No, no one will stay with me." He seemed to snap out of some indescribable emotion, his dazed expression suddenly turning vicious. He sneered, "Who are you helping this time? Pang Yi Zhi ran away, didn't he? Or do you pity the Eighth Prince? Do you think he's more suited to be emperor than I am? Are you going to help him now?"
"First Xiao Lin, then Pang Yi Zhi—you'll never help me. You clearly despise me in your heart. You damn liar!"
Su Su: "..."
The curved jade said, "...He's quite clear-headed."
Although he couldn't bring himself to kill his little master, the young man's suddenly frenzied dark eyes made it clear that she had tried to outsmart him only to end up worse off.
Su Su had thought that mortal emotions were like soft water. If someone liked her, a gentle attitude would make Tantai Jin more willing to listen to her—that was how it worked in the storybooks!
But now, as Su Su stared hopelessly at the man who seemed like a lunatic before her, she realized she had been terribly mistaken.
His dark lashes trembled, his thin lips pale and bloodless. At first, he had looked at her as if she were his father's murderer, but now it seemed as though she had wiped out his entire clan!
Knowing he was likely imagining she meant to harm him, Su Su stopped smiling at him. Her face turned cold as she lifted her leg and kicked him.
Too engrossed in his ferocious expression, he failed to notice her leg. When her kick landed, Tantai Jin let out a muffled groan.
But the terrifying rage faded from his face. The lean young man lowered his eyes and calmed down.
He looked at her with a condescending gaze.
"I am the emperor," he suddenly declared.
Su Su didn't understand what he meant.
Tantai Jin said, "I can have anything I want. Ye Xi Wu, you're nothing more than an object."
Oh, so after all this time, he had finally reacted and was refuting her earlier claim that he liked her.
Su Su glared at him coldly, thinking, To hell with your "object"!
When the girl wasn't smiling, that distant, sacred aura returned to her.
He stared at her unblinkingly, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Su Su had a bad feeling.
The young man suddenly leaned over and pressed down on her. His lips landed on the hollow of her neck, his voice muffled yet deliberately cold as he firmly repeated, "I can have anything I want!"
It was unclear whether he was trying to brainwash her or convince himself.
Su Su hadn't expected the conversation to spiral so out of control.
She yanked his hair fiercely, "Get off! Get away from me!"
His hands roamed over her body, his breathing quickening. Su Su tore out several strands of his hair. With his abundant hair, he only grunted in response, ignoring it completely as he moved to kiss her lips.She turned her head away, dodging and evading, which was more exhausting than fighting.
"You idiot! If you don't like me, why are you touching me? If you're in heat, go kiss this cotton quilt—it's just an object too!"
Tantai Jin's scalp ached from her pulling.
"You're like a madwoman," he said angrily.
Su Su retorted coldly, "A madman has the nerve to call others mad!"
However, weak as he was, he was still a man after all. Su Su, bound by the Ruoshui, couldn't escape from the dragon bed.
"Don't move, or I'll kill your grandmother!"
"Ugh, you're so shameless, why don't you just die!"
Su Su felt something hard pressing against her. Even with scratches on his face from her nails, he still refused to give up.
Just then, someone outside the hall reported tremblingly, "Your Majesty, Princess Zhaohua is unwell and has vomited blood."
The man's movements abruptly stopped.
His eyes were still hazy with desire, and he was panting heavily.
But the maid's words were like a bucket of cold water, suddenly sobering him up.
He glanced at the young girl pinned beneath him, who glared back coldly. Without a word, he got up from her, dressed, and went out.
As he stepped out of the hall, the chilly night breeze brushed his face, finally clearing his mind a little.
Nian Bai Yu looked at the wounds on Tantai Jin's face in surprise. "Your Majesty?"
Tantai Jin shot him a cold glance.
Nian Bai Yu lowered his head, not daring to speak further.
Tantai Jin resumed his aloof demeanor and asked the palace maid who had come to report as he walked, "What happened to Princess Zhaohua? Has the imperial physician been summoned?"
The young maid's eyes were red. "Your Majesty, please save the princess. The imperial physician has examined her and said she is suffering from excessive melancholy and accumulated depression. If this continues, she may not live more than three years."
Tantai Jin frowned. "How did this happen?"
The young maid trembled in fear.
"Speak!"
"It's been a long time. Rumors are spreading throughout the palace about Princess Zhaohua's past, and they say... Your Majesty dislikes her. Even now, you haven't given her a proper title. Bringing her here was only... to humiliate the deceased Prince Xuan."
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