Chapter 45: Beast

A cool, chilling draft rushed against her cheeks. Shen Quanyi closed her eyes for a moment and instinctively rubbed her fingertips, only to feel a piercing, agonizing pain that made her bite the corner of her lip.

"Did you notice something just now?"

As the words fell, a flash of worry crossed Mother Liu's face, but she quickly smoothed it away. She took a cloak and draped it over Shen Quanyi, and the two walked side by side.

Lowering her voice, Mother Liu whispered, "This servant cannot be certain yet. The moment we stepped inside, the room was overwhelmingly fragrant with flowers. Amidst that heavy scent, this servant sensed a trace of cloying sweetness. It was so fleeting, however, that I cannot yet be sure what it was."

"Logically speaking, no matter what kind of scent is used in the rooms of someone carrying a child, it should not be this heavy. Being fumigated with it for long periods is, after all, harmful."

Mother Liu frowned slightly. Suddenly, Shen Quanyi stopped in her tracks and caught hold of Mother Liu's sleeve.

"Everyone in the Eastern Palace knows that the Noble Consort is with child, and the Master regards this pregnancy highly. Yet today, the Noble Consort specifically named me to wait upon her."

Shen Quanyi's tone was heavy, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, making even her steps feel exceedingly weighty.

"You mean to say that the Noble Consort's pregnancy is afraid..."

Mother Liu did not finish her sentence. Shen Quanyi turned back, her dark, unfathomable eyes staring fixedly at her without a blink, making a chill run down Mother Liu's spine.

"You should have seen the Second Young Miss today as well. With the Crown Princess being such a cautious person, knowing full well that the Noble Consort's pregnancy is unstable, she still sent the Second Young Miss back to Chunya Courtyard. After such repeated occurrences, it makes one's heart skip a beat with fright."

Shen Quanyi let out a slow sigh. The two had already crossed the covered corridor and were passing the corner gate, nearly reaching Qingting Courtyard.

As they stood at the doorway, Qiuyue hurried out from the room to greet them, taking the hand warmer that had already lost its warmth from Shen Quanyi's embrace. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Shen Quanyi's solemn expression and Mother Liu's furrowed brow, and wisely shut her mouth.

Hushang was waiting in the main room and, seeing Shen Quanyi enter, immediately brought over a bowl of ginger soup. Shen Quanyi, however, frowned and pushed it away with a wave of her hand, "Enough, set it down. Eating this day after day leaves a burning spice on the tip of my tongue."

Hushang withdrew, holding the bowl, already sensing that the atmosphere was wrong. The few of them exchanged glances in silence until Mother Liu instructed Qiuyue to fetch hot water. Walking on eggshells around Gu Tan all day had left everyone utterly exhausted.

In the wooden bathtub, Mother Liu added some calming flower petals. Shen Quanyi sank in, the warm water completely enveloping her, and the breath finally released from her chest.

***

She soaked in the heavy warmth for who knows how long until Mother Liu came in to call her out.

Mother Liu helped Shen Quanyi remove her makeup and change into fresh clothes. Sitting before the dressing table, she looked at the familiar face in the bronze mirror, which was currently lightly furrowed in a frown.

"Yi Niang need not worry too much. This servant could see that the Noble Consort's belly is still very stable; today's appearance did not look like one that cannot be preserved."

Mother Liu glanced at Shen Quanyi's expression and spoke in a low voice. Shen Quanyi tugged slightly at the corner of her mouth and gently turned her stiff neck, "Do you know how many pairs of eyes are staring at her belly?"

"You went there for the very first time today and already discovered anomalies with those ink orchids. The days ahead waiting for delivery are still long, and no one can predict what might happen in between."

Her tone paused, and the corners of Shen Quanyi's mouth curved upward slightly, her eyes flashing with a strange brilliance. "Since she specifically named me, I cannot refuse. But tell me, if something goes wrong during the time I am there, I am afraid the very first person dragged out to take the blame will be me."

Hearing this, Mother Liu choked back her words. The candlelight on the table danced merrily, casting an orange halo that fell precisely across Shen Quanyi's somewhat pale, jade-like face, hiding her striking features in the flickering light, making her expression momentarily unclear.

At this moment, her own heart was pounding with dread, growing increasingly terrified. In the inner quarters, a single misstep meant plunging into an abyss.

"Do you think this fire will actually catch or not?" Shen Quanyi tilted her head, her slender neck curving slightly. Her fair skin appeared translucent in the glow of the light, so much so that the pulsing blue veins were faintly visible.

"Since it's so lively, why don't we add some firewood to the fire ourselves?"

A fine, glittering light flashed in Shen Quanyi's dark eyes like a momentary burst of starlight as she stared unblinkingly at Mother Liu.

Mother Liu trembled slightly and managed to avert her burning gaze. For a split second, she felt as though she had been trapped inside an inescapable sack. The woman before her, gentle and graceful in appearance, harbored a heart as dense as thousands of interlocking needles.

Those needles might not be instantly fatal, but that did not prevent them from being coated in deadly poison.

"What is Mama thinking about?"

Shen Quanyi spoke up, waking Mother Liu from her cascading thoughts. Mother Liu regained her composure and, not daring to raise her head to answer, merely gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hands as she wrung out Shen Quanyi's wet hair. She then picked up the osmanthus hair oil from the table, rubbed it lightly between her palms, and applied it from the scalp down to the ends of the hair.

"If we make a move, it is indeed extremely perilous; yet if we remain at the mercy of others, it is also certain death."

***

Shen Quanyi gently massaged her wrists, looked at her red and swollen fingertips, and pulled open a small drawer of her dressing table, taking out a small jade bottle. Upon opening it, a refreshing medicinal scent drifted out.

When applied to her fingers, it immediately felt cool and soothing, suppressing the burning sensation.

"Mama's craftsmanship is truly extraordinary. Shouldn't it be put to use now?"

With that, Shen Quanyi gently parted her rosy lips, breathing a soft sigh across her fingertips.

Mother Liu's face turned somewhat pale. "This servant has never done such a thing."

She turned her head away, unable to bear it, and bowed to Shen Quanyi.

Shen Quanyi stood up with a cold expression, dodging the bow. A soft laugh escaped her throat as she bypassed Mother Liu and walked over to the carved red-lacquered tall-legged table. Several lamps on the table had burned for a long time, leaving a curl of charred wick at the top.

Her delicate, scallion-white fingers picked up a pair of silver scissors lying to the side, approached one of the lamps, and neatly clipped off a section of the wick.

Once removed, the flame burned all the brighter.

"Whatever remains must be useful; otherwise, it is nothing more than dead weight. Yet it is a pity to discard it. To cut it off with a single stroke would sever it indeed, but it would inevitably draw a few drops of one's own blood, and that is truly hard to part with."

Shen Quanyi turned around, though she did not put down the scissors in her hand. "Mama, don't you agree?"

Mother Liu was speechless, once again struck dumb by her words. Yet the silver-gleaming scissors before her suddenly thrust toward her, stirring up a rush of wind that grazed right past her ear.

The scissors clipped away a strand of Mother Liu's hair, which drifted in the air before falling heavily to the ground. Mother Liu's heart leaped in terror; her ear burned fiercely. In that split second, she had nearly believed the scissors were aimed right at her face.

Her legs went weak on instinct, and she dropped to her knees on the floor.

"Mama, your heart must be settled. Matters having reached this point, you, I, and even Qiuyue and the others—we are all tied to the same rope. If I cower and stay out of it, simply waiting for others to harm me, then when I fall, none of the people in this courtyard will survive."