CTP C72

Chapter 72

Proofreader : Mim

“Prince Feng, wait!”

Xie Fengshao was almost at Cheng’an Gate, preparing to leave the palace, when a servant came running, robes lifted, calling out to him anxiously.

When the servant drew closer, Xie Fengshao recognized him as one of the attendants from Yaohua Palace.

“What’s the matter?”

“Your Highness, the Noble Consort insists you visit her before leaving. She sent out five servants to look for you, and I was the lucky one to find you first,” the servant said, bowing low with a fawning smile.

Xie Fengshao had no choice but to turn back toward Yaohua Palace.

The moment he stepped through the gates, he could hear Noble Consort Yi throwing a tantrum inside.

Xie Fengshao was long accustomed to his mother’s frequent bouts of childish temper, so he walked in without so much as a raised eyebrow.

“Where’s Father?”

“He left! Said he had to deal with memorials after waiting for you for a bit. Ugh, so infuriating!” Noble Consort Yi lay lazily on her chaise longue, her luxurious crimson robes fanned out like a flower in full bloom. A delicate maid was kneeling by her feet, carefully massaging them.

She waved the other maids away, leaving only Xie Fengshao in the room. Her tone was sharp with dissatisfaction.

“Feng’er, where have you been? I couldn’t find you anywhere in the palace!”

“Mother, I didn’t see you in the palace, so I just strolled around. I was about to leave,” Xie Fengshao lied casually.

Luckily, Noble Consort Yi didn’t suspect anything. Her attention had already shifted elsewhere.

“Your father has given the position of Imperial Guard Lieutenant to someone connected to Xie Lanxu. What was his name again?”

“Li Mingke,” Xie Fengshao supplied helpfully.

“Yes, that’s the one!” Noble Consort Yi slammed her palm on the armrest. “The Imperial Guard Lieutenant commands the Qian Niu Guards, the most crucial force in the capital’s defense! I’ve been keeping an eye on that position for you, only for it to be snatched away by someone else. Unbelievable!”

“It’s just the position of Imperial Guard Lieutenant. It’s no big deal,” Xie Fengshao said nonchalantly. “Besides, Xie Lanxu is one of us. Giving it to someone connected to him isn’t a problem. As long as it doesn’t go to Xie Jingtan’s faction, everything’s fine.”

“You never fight for anything! How can I rest easy with you acting like this?” Noble Consort Yi said, visibly upset.

“Not necessarily,” Xie Fengshao replied cryptically.

The two chatted for a while longer before Xie Fengshao stayed to have lunch with her. Only afterward did he finally manage to slip away from Yaohua Palace.

—-

After Xie Fengshao left, Noble Consort Yi prepared to take her usual afternoon nap. However, her regular attendant responsible for mixing her calming incense was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Zhang Hanlian?” she asked with a slight frown.

“Your Highness, Eunuch Zhang hasn’t returned yet,” one of the palace maids replied.

“What do you mean, hasn’t returned? All the others who went to look for Prince Feng are back—what’s taking him so long?” Noble Consort Yi snapped impatiently. “Go find him and bring him back immediately!”

The maid bowed and left to carry out her orders.

Two hours later, the servants of Yaohua Palace discovered Eunuch Zhang’s lifeless body hanging from a tree near an abandoned pavilion.

—–

When Li Zhi returned to her residence, she was greeted by Jia Sui’s knowing smile.

Li Zhi handed over a food container to Jia Sui and said, “Call Li Cien and Jia He to share this with you,” before stepping into her room.

Inside, Xie Lanxu was already seated, leisurely sipping tea with a book in hand. He seemed perfectly at home, as though her room was his.

Li Zhi shut the door behind her and walked over with a smile.

“What are you reading, Ah-Li?”

“The Chronicles of Mountains and Rivers. I pulled it from your bookshelf,” Xie Lanxu replied without looking up.

“Have you eaten yet?” she asked.

Xie Lanxu shook his head.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Anything you make, I’ll eat,” he replied, still absorbed in the book, as if its pages were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Li Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll go check the kitchen to see what I can whip up.”

As she opened the door to leave, Xie Lanxu silently followed her out, still holding the book in his hand.

Li Zhi entered the kitchen and surveyed the pantry. She spotted two grass carp swimming in a large water jar and decided to prepare a fish dish.

She reached into the jar to grab one of the slippery fish when Xie Lanxu suddenly asked, “Do you know how to clean fish?”

“I’ve seen others do it. Shouldn’t be too hard,” Li Zhi replied confidently.

Xie Lanxu put down his book, seemingly losing all interest in it. He rolled up his sleeves and pushed her aside, taking over the task of catching the wriggling fish.

In just a few quick moves, he had a fish flopping on the cutting board.

“Knife,” he said, holding out his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Huh? Oh—” Li Zhi quickly handed over the knife.

Xie Lanxu lowered his gaze, calm and unflinching, delivering a swift and precise stroke that ended the grass carp’s struggle.

To be honest, Li Zhi had always been somewhat averse to the messiness of scaling and gutting fish. Xie Lanxu taking over the task was a relief for her. She eagerly played the role of assistant, dutifully handing him the tools he needed and lifting his fallen sleeves as he worked.

Watching Xie Lanxu skillfully scale the fish, Li Zhi couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Ah-Li, have you done this often before?”

Xie Lanxu didn’t bother moving his lips, letting out a vague hum from his throat as a response.

“And what about your attendants?”

“There were a few during the first few years, but none after that,” Xie Lanxu said as he worked.

“Then who took care of your daily needs?” Li Zhi asked curiously.

“I took care of myself,” Xie Lanxu replied evenly. His hand, steady and quick, continued to scrape the scales from the fish. He spoke as if recounting an insignificant detail. “I looked after myself and my mother. When there was no food, I’d go down to the lake to catch fish. The fish in the Eastern Palace—just fat, foolish koi—would swim over at the sight of a human, thinking they were about to be fed.”

“Koi… Are they tasty?” Li Zhi asked before realizing how silly her question sounded. She immediately regretted it, comparing herself to the naïve koi in the Eastern Palace.

Fortunately, Xie Lanxu didn’t seem offended. He even took the question seriously, pausing as if to recall the taste.

“…The flavor is muddier than regular fish, and the meat is tougher,” he said at last.

His thoughtful expression made Li Zhi laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Xie Lanxu’s usual stoic demeanor returned, and he cast her a cold sidelong glance.

“I just suddenly thought…” Li Zhi chuckled, “Ah-Li is as endearing as the koi in the lake.”

“Are you calling me stupid?” Xie Lanxu raised an eyebrow.

“You think the koi are stupid, but I think they’re adorable,” Li Zhi replied with a teasing smile. “If they weren’t mistaking you for someone offering love and food, they wouldn’t have ended up as your meal.”

“They can’t even tell who’s feeding them. What kind of love is that?” Xie Lanxu scoffed, clearly disinterested in any romanticization of the koi’s life. “At least I know who I love and would never mistake them for someone else.”

“What if it were two people who looked exactly the same?” Li Zhi challenged.

By now, the fish had been cleaned and prepared. The silvery scales clung to Xie Lanxu’s knuckles, reflecting the moonlight streaming in through the window.

Xie Lanxu turned his sharp gaze toward Li Zhi and answered decisively, “Even if it were two identical seashells, I would still know which one is mine.”

The half-risen moon outside cast its cool light into the room, illuminating the night in a serene silver glow. Between the two of them, the moonlight seemed to weave an unspoken connection.

The fish scales glinting on Xie Lanxu’s hand resembled tiny shards of moonstone. Li Zhi, momentarily stunned by his intensity, avoided his gaze, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

“I’ll handle the next part,” she said, attempting to appear nonchalant.

With the fish now cleaned, it was time to cook.

Li Zhi picked up the kitchen knife, slicing the fish from the tail upward into two fillets, carefully removing the bones while leaving the fillets connected at the spine. She split the fish head, deftly discarding the teeth.

The fish was briefly boiled in hot water before being drained and set aside. Then, in a clean pot, she added the fish along with the strained broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, maltose syrup, minced ginger, and vinegar. She brought it to a simmer before finishing with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of the completed dish.

“What’s this dish called?” Xie Lanxu asked.

“Capital-Style Sweet-and-Sour Fish,” Li Zhi replied.

Xie Lanxu gave her a glance, a faint shadow of thought crossing his face.

“Is there something wrong with it?” she asked, puzzled.

“…No, nothing,” he replied curtly.

Once the fish was done, Li Zhi also prepared two bowls of noodles to go with it. Though the pairing was unconventional, it was quick and convenient. Luckily, Xie Lanxu lived up to his claim of being unfussy. He made no objections to the odd combination and ate everything without complaint.

The meal was served in the warm comfort of Li Zhi’s room. She added more coals to the brazier, and the two of them enjoyed their fish and noodles under its cozy glow. Despite Xie Lanxu’s earlier skepticism about the dish, he ended up eating the most—he even devoured the fish eyes.

After dinner, however, Xie Lanxu showed no intention of leaving.

Li Zhi waited. And waited. And waited some more. By the time the moon was high in the sky, Xie Lanxu had reclined on the daybed with a book, looking as if he were ready to fall asleep there.

Finally, he put the book down and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me to stay?”

Li Zhi was momentarily speechless.

“What… are your plans tonight, Ah-Li?” she asked cautiously.

“Not leaving,” he answered plainly.

After bathing and washing up, Xie Lanxu naturally settled himself on her bed. Li Zhi climbed into bed as well, only to notice his robe draped across the screen had fallen to the floor.

As she picked it up, the belt caught her eye.

Unlike his usual pristine attire, this pale purple silk belt was worn and wrinkled, with several frayed and scratched spots.

“Ah-Li, what happened to your belt?” she asked curiously.

“Scratched by a cat,” he replied, nonchalant.

“A cat?” Li Zhi turned to him in disbelief.

“A stray palace cat,” Xie Lanxu said. “I tried to feed it, but it nearly scratched my face off.”

Although she found it hard to imagine him feeding a stray cat on a whim, she decided to let it go. “At least it didn’t hurt you,” she said lightly.

Suppressing her doubts, Li Zhi hung the clothes back on the screen.

When she finally climbed into bed, Xie Lanxu pulled her into his arms, wrapping the blanket snugly around them. Li Zhi had braced herself for more, but all he did was hold her.

Though his usual cold demeanor seemed as distant as ever, Li Zhi had managed to slip through the walls he’d built around himself—just enough to glimpse the tenderness he kept hidden.

Face to face, Li Zhi rested her hands on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She had come to know its cadence well.

“Ah-Li, is something troubling you lately?” she asked softly.

Xie Lanxu’s expression didn’t change, but his response sent a chill through her.

“The food box,” he said abruptly.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Thinking back to the sound of stones and the strange movement in the woods, Li Zhi realized he must have witnessed her meeting with Prince Feng.

She scrambled to think of an explanation, but before she could speak, Xie Lanxu said, “Stay away from Prince Feng. Noble Consort Yi would never allow her son to marry the daughter of a criminal.”

Though his hand on her waist remained warm, his gaze was icy and piercing.

“If Noble Consort Yi discovers Prince Feng’s intentions toward you…” Xie Lanxu trailed off. He lifted his hand from her waist to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“There are too many mysterious deaths in the palace. If you want to live a long life, you need to know which people you can approach and which you cannot,” he said, his tone tender but laced with a warning. His voice softened as he called her nickname: “Do you understand, Banban?”

Meeting his gaze, Li Zhi felt a coldness seep into her bones, despite the warmth of his embrace.

“…I understand,” she whispered hoarsely.

Xie Lanxu smiled, a gentle curve of his lips.

He leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and the tip of her nose.

“I’ll protect you, Banban,” he murmured.