Volume One, Chapter 15: The Request (Part 1)

The sound of the heavy wooden staff striking flesh was dull and muffled. Because the prisoner had been gagged, no cries of pain escaped.

Wen Xi stood to one side, her expression somewhat complicated.

Shen Ran said indifferently, "Speak if you have something to say."

Wen Xi lowered her head. "I am naturally grateful that Your Majesty is willing to vent your anger on my behalf. It is just that the Empress is kind-hearted by nature; if this were to reach her ears, I fear..."

"Then do not let her know."

Shen Ran smiled. "It is merely the death of an insignificant noble lady; there is no need to dirty the Empress’s ears, nor is there any need to waste money or effort on her. Just find two guards, wrap her in a straw mat, and send her back to her family home."

His tone was exceptionally detached, as if he were not disposing of a person, but rather an inconsequential ant.

Wen Xi was slightly startled.

Whenever she saw how Shen Ran treated Xue Wu, she would always think he had changed. But now it appeared that this change was directed solely at Xue Wu alone. The cold, thin-blooded nature deep in his bones had not changed at all.

Wen Xi sighed inwardly, bowed slightly, and said, "Yes. It is only the death of a noble lady; Her Majesty the Empress will certainly not find out."

***

After returning to the Weiyang Palace, Shen Ran discovered that Xue Wu had not yet left. This was somewhat surprising.

He smiled. "Are you waiting for me, A-Wu?"

Having retracted the chilling murderous intent from his eyes, his face was undoubtedly highly deceptive.

Xue Wu was dazed for a moment before hurriedly rising to offer a formal salute.

"This consort greets Your Majesty—"

Shen Ran reached out to steady her. "I have already told you that there is no need for such formalities. Why can you never remember? If you do this again, I shall have to punish you."

Though his words spoke of punishment, there was no threat in his tone. It was more like an intimate, ambiguous joke. Whenever he wished, he could hide his brutality perfectly well.

For the past two days, everything that had happened felt to Xue Wu like an utterly unreal dream. And the Shen Ran before her also seemed like a figment of her imagination.

She flushed slightly, lowered her head, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, this consort, this consort..."

After a brief pause, Xue Wu bit her lip hard and took a breath. "This consort has one more favor to ask."

Seeing Xue Wu biting her lip, Shen Ran could not help but frown. He had clearly been extremely restrained, so why did Xue Wu seem so nervous whenever she was alone with him? Was he truly that terrifying?

Shen Ran lowered his gaze, staring at the woman’s moist, shimmering eyes for a moment. He endured and endured, but finally could not help himself; he reached out and pinched her jade-white chin.

The pressure was neither light nor heavy.

Xue Wu was forced to open her mouth slightly, but a bead of bright red blood had already seeped from the spot she had just bitten, trembling precariously.

Shen Ran’s eyes darkened. He felt the urge to kiss away that bead of blood, but worried about frightening her. In the end, he could only tap her forehead gently. "Why are you so nervous? If you have something to say, just say it. I don’t eat people."

After saying this, he pulled her to sit at the table. Without calling for a palace maid to serve them, he poured her a cup of tea himself and handed it over. "Try it?"

Xue Wu lowered her head and took it. She drank two sips slowly and found the tea to be mellow and rich, quite unlike the usual brew. After drinking it, her mood felt calmer than before.

Xue Wu then said, "This consort thanks Your Majesty for sparing Zhao Yuanzhuo and allowing him to serve as my guard."

Shen Ran smiled slightly. "You have already thanked me for this; there is no need to thank me again."

Xue Wu said in a low voice, "But Yuanzhuo’s sister is still in the Bureau of Music. From childhood, she and I were like sisters; I truly cannot bear to see her suffer such humiliation."

The implication was clear: she wanted Shen Ran to pardon Zhao Qinglan and release her from the Bureau of Music.

Shen Ran smiled. "Did Zhao Yuanzhuo ask you to do this?"

Even though Shen Ran’s demeanor and tone had not changed in the slightest, hearing him mention Zhao Yuanzhuo made Xue Wu’s heart skip a beat, and she recalled what Zhao Yuanzhuo had said to her earlier.

Xue Wu looked deeply at Shen Ran and shook her head. "No. He did not mention a single word about Qinglan. I know he does not wish to put me in a difficult position; this was entirely my own thought."

A trace of sadness flickered across her face, and she even forgot to refer to herself as "this consort."

This caused a surge of annoyance in Shen Ran’s heart.

An emperor is naturally suspicious by nature. He, too, occasionally suffered from this affliction. Although Zhao Yuanzhuo was young and somewhat impulsive, he was truly sharp and clever; if trained properly, he would surely achieve great things in time. Such a person, if he could not be made to submit sincerely, would be better off eliminated now; otherwise, he would be nursing a tiger that would eventually cause disaster.

He was only taking this risk for the sake of Xue Wu, and because in his previous life, even though Zhao Yuanzhuo hated him, he had never kicked him while he was down. This did not, however, mean he trusted Zhao Yuanzhuo implicitly. He had thought he was hiding his intentions well, so how had Xue Wu discovered it so easily?

Shen Ran’s eyes flickered.

He took Xue Wu’s hand. "A-Wu, do not be anxious. Even if you hadn't spoken to me about this, I had already intended to bring it up. Since I could even spare Zhao Yuanzhuo, why would I make things difficult for his sister?"

Unexpectedly, the conversation had gone so smoothly. Xue Wu was both surprised and delighted. "Then..."

Before she could finish, Shen Ran continued, "But since Liu Shizhuang has not fallen and the Zhao family has not been exonerated, I cannot simply issue an imperial decree for her pardon."

Xue Wu was stunned.

Shen Ran sighed. "A-Wu, before marriage, most noble ladies in the capital do not step out of their homes. Zhao Qinglan has spent so much time in the Bureau of Music; even if she remains chaste, who would be willing to believe it? Her reputation is already tarnished. Even if I were to release her, how would you have her conduct herself? Could she endure the pointing fingers of others? And even if she could endure them, could she bear to see others point fingers at Zhao Yuanzhuo because of her?"

Xue Wu remained silent.

Xue Wu lowered her eyes and said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Shen Ran continued, "A-Wu, it is not that I cannot issue a decree to let Zhao Qinglan leave the Bureau of Music just to make you happy, but that is not the best way. It would be better to secretly bring her out of the Bureau of Music first, find a place to settle her properly, and let her lay low for a while."

"If, in the future, Zhao Yuanzhuo proves himself capable, then we can reconsider the matter."

"And if, by chance, he does not, then Zhao Qinglan can find a place where no one knows her, so she will never be troubled by gossip. What do you think?"

After a brief silence, Xue Wu said, "This consort shall abide by Your Majesty’s decision."