Chapter Fourteen: Such a ‘Game’

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“Whoosh—”

A sharp dagger tore through the air, flying straight toward Young Master Yue. He twisted aside, and the blade struck the screen behind him with a deep thud, burying itself three inches into the wood.

“I warn you—do not lay a hand on my son. Anyone who dares harm so much as a hair on his head will see his family destroyed and be left with nowhere to live and no way to die in peace…” Yan Ziyu radiated a chilling aura, murderous intent filling her eyes.

At that moment, Yan Ziyu resembled a fiendish god of slaughter who had crawled straight out of hell, her entire body seething with an oppressive killing intent.

“Ah…”

Young Master Yue shook his head and sighed softly. With a casual sweep of his hand, a fierce blast of palm force shot forth. With a sharp crack, the vase on the cabinet beside Rui’er’s head split down the middle and shattered into pieces.

“If I truly intended to kill you, how certain do you think you would be of escaping?” Young Master Yue calmly withdrew his hand. The smile on his face remained elegant and unruffled. “I, Young Master Yue, never break my word. I have never laid a hand on a helpless woman. I came here today intending to prove something, but I have changed my mind. I would like to play a game with Princess Consort Xiao. If you win, I will agree unconditionally to any one request you make. If you lose, my request is simple enough: I want you.”

You want me?

A sharp glint flashed through Yan Ziyu’s eyes. She raised her head coldly and looked at him.

“That sounds rather interesting. If I asked you to kill yourself before me, would you do it?” Contrary to Young Master Yue’s expectations, Yan Ziyu did not lose her temper. Instead, the corners of her lips curved faintly, and she regarded him with calm, detached interest.

“Hahahaha… The princess consort is truly amusing. If you can win, what does it matter if I give you my life?” Without the slightest hesitation, Young Master Yue made his position clear, revealing as well what this game truly meant.

“What courage. I wonder what sort of game could make the illustrious Young Master Yue place such a heavy wager. My curiosity grows by the moment. As for the words ‘I want you,’ I am afraid I do not understand their meaning. Forgive my ignorance, but perhaps you would explain yourself, so that we might avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

From his words, Yan Ziyu understood that the so-called game was certainly not as simple as it sounded. Yet given her present circumstances, this was an opportunity she could not afford to miss.

If she seized it properly, she would gain the capital to challenge Long Xiaoyan and stand against him. Otherwise, she would remain as she was now forever—a chess piece in another’s hand, bullied at will and utterly powerless to retaliate.

“Princess Consort, rest assured. Even if you lose, I will not commit any improper act against you. A woman as intelligent as yourself surely understands my purpose. Some things need not be spoken too plainly. Once made explicit, they lose their meaning. Do you not agree?”

Young Master Yue smiled as he spoke.

Looking at his inscrutable smile, Yan Ziyu suddenly recalled the words spoken by the masked man that night…

Could it be that he, too, had come for the so-called secret hidden within her?

Yan Ziyu lifted her head and studied him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a naked chill gleaming within them.

“You have already made your meaning clear enough. If I continue asking questions, I would only be making myself look unreasonable. I can play this game with you, but on one condition: you must protect my son. I do not care how you do it, but the moment he suffers any harm, I will end this game at once. When that happens, I believe the entire situation will become something neither of us can control. Perhaps that would prove even more interesting. Would you not agree, Young Master?”

When it came to threats, who was afraid of whom?

Yan Ziyu’s emotions were extraordinarily calm, and her voice remained gentle as she spoke. The meaning of her words stood in stark contrast to her tranquil tone.

“I am wagering myself to play this game with you. If you do not even possess the ability to protect my son, what right do you have to play against me?”

Her tone had begun to sharpen.

After a brief silence, Young Master Yue opened his mouth to agree, but she interrupted him once more.

“You had better think carefully before answering. I, Yan Ziyu, have always done exactly as I say. Rui’er is my one inviolable weakness. If he is harmed for any reason, I cannot say what madness I might commit. Perhaps I will destroy this entire world without regard for the consequences… Do not doubt my ability. If the thing hidden within me is used properly, accomplishing all that would be effortless, would it not?”

At this moment, Yan Ziyu had deliberately brought up the secret within her. Although she did not know what that secret truly signified, she was certain that Young Master Yue knew something.

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Sure enough, at her final words, Young Master Yue’s expression changed slightly.

“I have never gone back on a promise. To show my sincerity, I will offer you a warning first: beware the people of the Chiyang Kingdom.”

Young Master Yue looked at her meaningfully as he spoke.

Beware the people of Chiyang? What did he mean?

Yan Ziyu froze for a moment. The world was now divided among the three realms of Chiyang, Shengyue, and the Dayun Empire, where she currently lived. Why had he suddenly warned her to be wary of the people of Chiyang? Could there be some hidden significance behind his words?

“How is this game to be played? When does it begin, and what are the rules?”

Yan Ziyu knew that Young Master Yue would tell her nothing more. She did not continue pressing him about Chiyang, but instead brought the conversation directly back to the game between them.

A trace of admiration flickered in Young Master Yue’s eyes. This woman was indeed unusual.

“The game is very simple. It begins on the night after tomorrow, when you enter the palace, and will last for three months. What you must do is even simpler.”

He smiled.

“Stay alive. See? Truly simple, is it not?”

Three months. Stay alive?

“You mean that as long as I survive the next three months, I win?”

As Yan Ziyu listened to him, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Young Master Yue’s words reminded her of the devilish training her master had once put her through. Could that old demon have crossed over into this world as well? The thought stirred an unexpected excitement within her.

“Precisely.”

Young Master Yue smiled and nodded. “The rise and fall of kingdoms may occur in the blink of an eye, yet three months is more than enough time to prove many things. Since you know about the secret within you, you must also know of the mission resting upon your shoulders. If you cannot even endure these three months, what right do you have to become his successor? If you can survive them, then even if I place myself at your disposal, what would be wrong with that? Hahahaha… Yan Ziyu, you are the only person in all these years whom I have never been able to see through. I hope you will not disappoint me.”

A mission?

His successor?

Who was the “he” of whom Young Master Yue spoke? And what did he mean by his successor?

A flicker of confusion passed swiftly through Yan Ziyu’s eyes, but she concealed her emotions perfectly. She raised her head as though nothing had happened, her expression as calm and composed as ever.

Young Master Yue untied a grass-braided cord from his wrist and handed it to her.

“This heavenly bead has accompanied me for many years. I now give it to the young master, and pray that it will bring him blessings.”

So this was the legendary heavenly bead?

Yan Ziyu examined the dull, lusterless stone in her hand. It looked no different from an ordinary pebble and bore little resemblance to the miraculous heavenly bead of legend. Even so, she accepted it.

“Thank you.”

She nodded and took the bead.

“It is getting late. I shall take my leave. Otherwise, if His Highness catches a chill and cannot attend the palace banquet the night after tomorrow, it will become my fault. Hahahaha…”

With that, Young Master Yue moved like a gust of wind, leaping out through the window as he had entered.

Before leaving, he threw back his head and laughed provocatively. His profound inner force carried his voice far into the distance, and his laughter echoed through every corner of the entire princely residence.

Standing by the window, Yan Ziyu naturally heard what he said before departing. Her keen senses even caught a muffled groan. As the wind stirred the air, she detected the faint scent of blood.

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So that was it.

Yan Ziyu laughed coldly to herself. She had not expected Young Master Yue to leave her such a distinctive gift on his way out.

Excellent. Truly excellent.

After Yan Ziyu closed the window, a tall, coldly handsome figure stepped out from the shadows. Beneath the moonlight, a trace of red blood still stained the corner of his lips.

* * *

Over the following two days, Yan Ziyu reclaimed the keys to the household accounts and management of the rear court from Consort Yu, despite the latter’s resentful, gnashing stare. In full view of everyone, she ordered the storerooms emptied of a mountain of nourishing tonics and sent to Concubine Qian’s quarters. Even the maids serving Concubine Qian received an extra month’s wages, making the people in every other courtyard burn with envy.

“Purple Dress, did you deliver the things I told you to send to Concubine Qian?”

Yan Ziyu leafed through the account books on the table before suddenly remembering something and looking up at Purple Dress, who was serving nearby.

“Your Highness, this servant carried out all your instructions. This year, the fabric allotted for the clothes of every concubine and secondary consort has been cut in half. All the surplus was sent to Concubine Qian’s quarters. I also instructed the embroidery shop that every garment made for Concubine Qian this year must use the finest fabrics and the most exquisite patterns. Money is no object.”

“Mm.”

After listening, Yan Ziyu nodded. A satisfied smile touched the corners of her lips before she lowered her head and continued reading the accounts.

“Your Highness, this servant does not understand. Why are you being so kind to Concubine Qian? In the past, she bullied you and the young master terribly. Several times, she tormented you until you fainted…”

Seeing her mistress treat Concubine Qian so generously, Purple Dress felt deeply wronged on her behalf.

“Kind to her? Heh… Purple Dress, many things are not what they appear to be. You must look with your heart, and with your mind.”

Seeing the confusion on Purple Dress’s face, Yan Ziyu smiled but did not continue.

There was truly no way to explain it. Was she supposed to tell the guileless Purple Dress that she was not being kind to Concubine Qian at all, but merely using her to divert the other women’s attention, while letting the vicious concubine experience the pleasure of being raised to the heights before being cast down?

There was nothing wrong with Purple Dress knowing, but Yan Ziyu found it awkward to say so herself.

Yan Ziyu had never believed that repaying hatred with kindness would bring a good outcome. She had her own measure of right and wrong, and in her heart she always knew how to distinguish gratitude from resentment.

As she had expected, Concubine Qian was arrogant and vain. Once she gained favor, she became so conceited that she stopped caring about anyone else. With Yan Ziyu deliberately indulging her and secretly fanning the flames, her arrogance grew even more outrageous.

That very morning, she had accidentally smashed the Guanyin statue that Consort Li had painstakingly obtained in hopes of bearing a son. By evening, she had beaten Concubine Rong’s personal maid. That night, word came that she had punished Madam Liu of the small kitchen.

She had not stopped causing trouble for a single day.

Each day, Yan Ziyu listened as Autumn Lotus, Purple Dress, and the others reported the latest happenings. The amusement in her eyes grew ever deeper.

Excellent. The more chaotic the rear court became, the better she liked it. Only when the waters were muddy was it possible to fish—and only then was it truly interesting and fun.

The three days passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, the day of the palace banquet mentioned in the imperial decree arrived.

Yan Ziyu had not originally intended to take Rui’er into the palace. She had a feeling that this banquet was being held specifically to receive the envoys from Chiyang and Shengyue. Remembering Young Master Yue’s warning to beware the people of Chiyang, she could not shake the ominous premonition in her heart.

But that very morning, Long Xiaoyan sent someone to tell her to bring Rui’er along.

With that, she no longer had any way to hide or evade the matter. She could only take Rui’er with her to attend this banquet—this very banquet of hidden danger.