That Young Master Shen, however, seemed to have opened a floodgate of conversation. He stepped a little closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of boastfulness and ambiguity, "Speaking of which, it really was a coincidence. A few days ago in Jiangnan, I was fortunate enough to meet the Eighth Highness… oh, I mean the former Eighth Imperial Daughter, Her Highness Linyue."
My steps faltered for a brief moment.
He did not notice my change at all and continued, "Although Her Highness is 'recuperating,' her bearing is no less impressive than before. She even mentioned you, Young Master—said the capital winters are cold and wondered whether your old ailment had relapsed, that she was very concerned." As he spoke, his eyes shifted, and suddenly he unfastened something from his waist and flicked it before my eyes—
It was unmistakably a ring-shaped jade pendant! White jade, with auspicious cloud patterns!
"Look," he said with a rather smug smile. "This was bestowed by Her Highness Linyue. She said it was crafted by skilled artisans in Jiangnan, more lively than the workmanship in the capital. Her Highness also said that this jade pendant only shows its true worth when given to someone fated."
The style of that jade pendant was almost exactly the same as the one in the embroidered pouch I carried with me! The only difference was that, from certain angles, Young Master Shen's pendant seemed not to bear the faintly engraved character "Yue." Perhaps it was merely a similar imitation? But why would Xiao Linyue bestow such a similar jade pendant upon a wastrel like him? Was it done casually, or… deliberately, so that word would spread into the palace, into certain people's ears?
Alarm bells rang wildly in my heart, yet on the surface I had no choice but to maintain calm. I said indifferently, "Young Master Shen jokes. His Majesty is on a southern inspection tour, observing the people's conditions. We remain in the palace to recuperate and dare not trouble anyone with concern. Farewell."
With that, I ignored the awkward expression on his face, signaled Aunt Qin, and left at once.
Back in the hall, my mind still could not settle. Young Master Shen's words and that similar jade pendant were like a thorn embedded in my heart. What exactly was Xiao Linyue trying to do? Did she not know how much trouble this could bring me? Or… was she doing it on purpose?
Sure enough, trouble came faster than I had imagined.
Before the southern inspection tour ended, Xiao Yuhuang returned to the palace several days early, traveling light and without fanfare.
The first thing she did upon her return was not to deal with the backlog of state affairs, but to head straight for Fengqi Palace.
It was a gloomy afternoon. She entered the hall still wearing her travel-worn black riding attire, unchanged, carrying with her the chill of the outdoors and a suppressed, storm-brewing pressure. Sensing the wrongness of the atmosphere, Aunt Qin and Chunyu immediately held their breath, lowered their heads, and retreated to a corner.
Her gaze, like icy blades, locked onto me in an instant. Step by step she approached, until she stood only one step away. That aura—mixed with the fatigue of travel, the biting cold wind, and overwhelming fury—completely enveloped me.
"Where is the jade pendant?" she asked. Her voice was not loud, yet so cold it seemed to freeze the air.
My heart sank. I knew the matter of Young Master Shen could not be hidden after all. Perhaps he had boasted about it himself, or perhaps it was the ever-present eyes and ears within the palace. Forcing myself to remain calm, I met her eyes, which churned with a terrifying storm. "Your Majesty… what object do you mean?"
"What object?" The corner of her mouth curved into an extremely cold arc, utterly devoid of humor. "Su Yuzhi, at a time like this, you still want to play dumb with me?" She suddenly raised her hand, her fingertip nearly jabbing my nose as her voice shot up, laden with barely restrained rage. "Xiao Linyue's jade pendant! The jade pendant she gave you! Where have you hidden it?!"
Deathly silence filled the hall; one could hear a pin drop. Aunt Qin and Chunyu were so frightened they nearly collapsed.
I knew there was no point in hiding it any longer. Calmly, I took the lotus-pink embroidered pouch from my robes and silently offered it to her.
She snatched it away, tore open the cord, and poured out the auspicious-cloud jade pendant. When her gaze fell upon that pendant—so similar in form to the one she herself had bestowed, yet secretly bearing the engraved character "Yue"—I clearly saw the last shred of rational light in her eyes shatter like fragile ice! Overwhelming fury, the violence of having her territory violated, and a nearly feral jealousy and panic surged through her entire being in an instant!
"Good… very good!" She clenched the jade pendant, her knuckles cracking from the force, veins bulging on the back of her hand, as if she might crush it into powder the very next second. "I've only been away from the capital for just over a month! And you're already so impatient?! Carrying on a secret affair with her?! Su Yuzhi, where do you place me?! And what do you take my feelings for you to be?!"
Her voice was hoarse with rage, her gaze as if it wished to devour me whole. This was not merely the anger of an emperor whose authority had been challenged—it was mixed with something intensely personal: the pain and madness of betrayal. It was the first time I had seen such a loss of control, such a near-destructive expression on her face.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" I hurriedly knelt and said urgently. "This jade pendant was not something Yuzhi actively sought. It was secretly delivered into the palace, and upon receiving it, Yuzhi was filled with fear and unease. There was absolutely no private exchange of affection! As for the Eighth Highness… since entering the palace, Yuzhi has never had any contact with her whatsoever! I beg Your Majesty to discern the truth!"
"Secretly delivered?" she cut in sharply, holding the jade pendant up before my eyes. "If the two of you did not already have an understanding, how could she have sent this thing into Fengqi Palace?! Similar form… ha, similar form! Su Yuzhi, do you think what I gave you was not good enough, or do you think that Xiao Linyue understands your heart better than I do?!"
These words were nearly unreasonable, yet they struck precisely at the most sensitive, most intolerable part of her heart—comparison, and the possibility of being "less than."
"Your Majesty!" I raised my head and looked directly into her furious eyes, a surge of inexpressible grievance and desolation rising within me. "Yuzhi's heart can be attested by Heaven and Earth! Since entering the palace, I have abided strictly by my place and never overstepped in the slightest! The appearance of this jade pendant is suspicious, and Yuzhi does not know the Eighth Highness's intentions either! If Your Majesty suspects me because of this, then Yuzhi… has nothing more to say!"
"Nothing more to say?" She stared at me, her chest heaving violently. After a long moment, she suddenly flung the jade pendant down onto the ground with all her strength!
"Crack—!"
The crisp sound of shattering exploded in the silent hall! The finest mutton-fat white jade instantly broke into pieces, scattering across the polished floor.
That sound seemed to strike my heart at the same time. I stared blankly at the fragments on the ground, at the tiny "Yue" character shattered among the broken jade, as a cold despair slowly crawled up my spine.
What she destroyed was not merely a jade pendant.
It was something that had been barely maintaining a fragile balance.
She stood there, panting, the wild fury in her eyes gradually replaced by a deeper, almost painful coldness. She looked at the fragments on the ground, then at me kneeling there, and the last trace of color drained from her face.
"Su Yuzhi," her voice returned to calm, yet it was more chilling than her earlier roar. "I will warn you one last time. In life, you are mine; in death, you are my ghost. This Fengqi Palace is your entire world. Everything outside it—including Xiao Linyue—has nothing more to do with you. If I ever discover that you harbor any restless thoughts again…"
She did not finish, but the chilling menace in her unfinished words was enough to make my entire body go cold.
She no longer looked at me. Turning decisively, she strode away. Her black-clad figure quickly disappeared beyond the hall doors, leaving behind only chaos and icy silence.
I remained kneeling on the ground, my gaze hollow as I stared at the shattered jade. Only then did Aunt Qin and Chunyu dare step forward, wanting to help me up.
I waved my hand to stop them. Slowly, with great difficulty, I stood on my own, walked to the fragments, crouched down, and reached out—picking them up piece by piece.
The jade was warm and smooth; even shattered, it still felt faintly cool to the touch. Like certain emotions—broken though they may be, the residual warmth lingers, leaving behind only edges that wound.
I gathered the fragments into my palm and clenched them tightly. The sharp edges pierced my skin, bringing a faint pain, yet it was nothing compared to the desolate, icy wasteland within my heart.