The path to the side courtyard privy was lined with the occasional servant.
Not far off, scullery boys swept the ground; maidens hurried by holding flower trays; old women passed with food baskets. A small handful of people moved about, not in crowds, yet lending the air the ordinary bustle of a household.
Yun Xiu walked ahead, quietly keeping a small distance from Qin Ruhai, sticking to open, well-trodden paths. She did not dare turn back, but with familiar servants and courtyards all around, her unease slowly faded into calm.
This was the Su residence.
It was here that Miss Su had taken her in, pitying her loneliness, raising her as her own. This was her only home in the world, her safest haven. Besides, servants wandered everywhere, and there were eyes all around.
What had happened last time at Qin Ruhai's place had been on his territory, with no one to help her. But this was different. This was her territory. People were only steps away. If she so much as made a sound, someone would come at once.
What's more, she was certain of one thing—Qin Ruhai needed her.
He wanted to get close to Miss Su, to stay in the Su residence, to win Master Su's trust. He needed her help for everything. He had something to gain from her. He would never ruin their arrangement here, of all places.
With that thought, she relaxed even further, her steps lightening.
Two sweeping maids approached, bowed when they saw Yun Xiu. "Sister Yun Xiu."
Yun Xiu nodded faintly.
The maids glanced curiously at the gentle-looking scholar behind her, then hurried away without a word.
Nearby, two young servants carried firewood, murmuring:
"The kitchen made stew today; maybe we'll get some later…"
"Keep your voice down, or the steward will hear you."
Their voices drifted clearly over, easing Yun Xiu's mind even more.
With so many people around, how could anything happen?
She even secretly laughed at her own paranoia.
She did not notice that the seemingly gentle figure behind her had followed quietly all the way. Qin Ruhai wore a faint smile, the picture of a refined scholar, but beneath his sleeves, his eyes were like a lurking wolf—dark, cold, fixed unblinkingly on her back.
No one knew what he was thinking. No one guessed that this man would bare his fangs so suddenly, even within the busy Su residence.
At last, they reached the secluded privy at the far corner.
It was a low, square hut built of blue tile and mud, with two small stalls on each side. The wooden doors were old and blackened, tucked away quietly, rarely visited.
As soon as they arrived, Yun Xiu wanted nothing more than to leave. She gestured vaguely.
"Master Qin, we're here."
She turned at once, one foot already lifted to flee.
Qin Ruhai was faster.
His gaze flicked quickly over the stalls—doors wide open, completely empty.
Confirmed alone, he struck.
In an instant, he clamped his hand around her slender wrist and dragged her roughly inside!
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Click!
The latch locked tight.
Inside, it was dim and cramped. The air hit her thick with stale mildew and a foul, damp stench, heavy enough to make breathing difficult. The walls were stained and rough, the floor sticky and damp. Every corner reeked of long-neglected filth.
Yun Xiu stumbled, her heart jolting in terror. Yet she held fast to her cold, proud composure, her voice tight with strain:
"Qin Ruhai! What are you doing?!"
Qin Ruhai pressed her against the grimy mud wall, leaning close, his voice low and eerie, like a devil whispering in her ear:
"You were in such a hurry to turn away… trying to run?"
Yun Xiu's face paled, but she still snapped threateningly:
"This is the Su residence! You cannot act so recklessly!
You need me to get close to Miss Su, to stay here, to win Master's favor!
Continue this, and I will stop helping you entirely. You will get nowhere."
Qin Ruhai chuckled softly, counter-threatening her with cruel calm:
"It's true—I do need your help."
"But you misunderstand. Here, in the Su residence, the home you cherish above all else…
Out there, I might not be able to touch you. But here… in this filthy, stinking privy…
Do you dare to shout?"
He leaned closer, his breath low:
"Look at yourself. Pinned here in this filth, disheveled, surrounded by this stench…
Aren't you ashamed?
If the servants saw you like this… if Miss Su, whom you love so dearly, saw you in this place, in this state…
Do you think she would still keep you?"
Yun Xiu froze. Shame and terror crashed over her, and her calm cracked completely.
Just then, soft footsteps came from the next stall—someone had entered!
The privy was already quiet; every small sound felt heart-stopping.
Qin Ruhai spoke one line that shattered her completely:
"Go on. Shout a little louder. Let everyone see."
Yun Xiu went cold. She dared not make another sound.
Her cold, proud spirit broke completely, in this dark, stinking, filthy little room.
That was what Qin Ruhai wanted: for her to feel this shame deeply, to know her weakness was clenched tightly in his hand.
After a long while, the footsteps next door faded away.
Qin Ruhai slowly let go, tidying his robes calmly.
He looked down at Yun Xiu, crumpled on the ground, hair messy, face pale, yet still breathtakingly beautiful. In his mind, the bright, innocent face of Su Liwan slowly appeared.
A dark, terrifying glint flashed in his eyes.
One day, he would bring that lofty young lady of the Su residence down to this same level—filthy, broken, completely at his mercy.
He turned back to Yun Xiu, speaking coldly:
"Remember this.
Stay close to Miss Su. Touch her, get close to her, draw her to touch you in return. Make her used to your presence."
Yun Xiu trembled violently and lifted her head. Her cold, beautiful face finally crumpled into desperate pleading.
She was loyal to the bone. To her, Miss Su was a goddess, pure and untouchable.
And now she was trapped in a filthy privy, stained beyond measure. How could she dare to lay a hand on her goddess?
Her voice shook, tears thick in her throat:
"…Please… don't make me touch her…
I'm filthy like this. I don't deserve to even brush against her…
She's so pure. I can't…"
Qin Ruhai's smile turned colder, his eyes suddenly sharp.
He leaned down, grabbed her jaw, and forced her to look at him.
Yun Xiu's gaze met his unexpectedly—and in the deep, dark reflection of his pupils, she saw her own filthy, broken, shameful self. The shame nearly suffocated her.
"You don't get to decide if you're worthy.
Disobey me, refuse to do as I say…
and I'll have someone come in this instant. I'll let the entire residence know what the Su family's most loyal maid was doing in the privy.
If that happens, you won't be the only one shamed. Su Liwan will be disgraced because of you too."
Yun Xiu shuddered, her face draining of all color. She could not utter another word of protest.
Qin Ruhai released her gently, his voice flat again:
"Choose.
Obey, or ruin yourself… and ruin Su Liwan."
Yun Xiu collapsed to the ground, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She surrendered completely.
In the home she called her safe haven, in this most humiliating, filthy corner, she had become nothing more than a pawn. Even her last wish—to protect her lady's purity—had been crushed to dust.