Chapter 18: The Marriage Arrangement

With Lu Huaijin gone, she could not help but worry about what would happen if that old eunuch came for her again. Her body trembled slightly, and a chill surged from the soles of her feet straight to her heart.

In the dim room, Su Yao pulled the quilt tightly over her head. She did not know how much time had passed—or perhaps she was simply too exhausted—but she eventually drifted into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

When she woke, Chuntao entered with a basin of steaming water. "Miss, are you awake?"

Su Yao’s body ached so intensely that she lacked the strength even to lift her arms. "I am awake..."

"Please wait a moment, Miss. I am still preparing the water; it will be ready soon," Chuntao said, working with nimble efficiency.

"Did the Lord order you to prepare this?"

Chuntao shook her head and replied, "It was Nurse Chang. She said this would help you feel more refreshed."

Su Yao gave a self-deprecating smile. She had overestimated her own worth again. That man viewed her as nothing more than a plaything; he harbored no real affection for her, so why would he concern himself with such trivialities?

"Miss, what shall we do about Eunuch Hai?" Chuntao asked, her brow furrowed with deep worry.

"He is a wicked man, Chuntao. We must keep our distance from him."

Chuntao’s eyes reddened, her voice thick with unshed tears. "It is all because of me that you offended him. I am afraid he will continue to cause you trouble."

Su Yao reached out and patted Chuntao’s hand gently.

Meanwhile, after venting his fury, Eunuch Hai suddenly remembered to interrogate the young eunuch about how the entire affair had gone wrong. He strode over to the boy, but the lad was already at death’s door, lying on the ground without the strength to speak, emitting only weak, rattling breaths.

A moment later, a look of vicious cruelty crossed Eunuch Hai’s face. He glared at the motionless boy through gritted teeth and waved his hand. Several of his subordinates stepped forward, wrapped the boy in a white cloth, and dragged him away to the mass grave.

By the afternoon, Su Yao was carrying a tea tray, walking cautiously to serve the Empress Dowager. As soon as she stepped into the main hall, her heart tightened—she saw the very man who filled her with dread.

The moment Eunuch Hai spotted Su Yao, his gaze lingered on her with a gloomy, malicious look. He thought to himself, *It is a pity that little girl managed to escape yesterday.* However, he was not in a hurry. In the depths of the palace, they had plenty of time; there would be other opportunities.

Su Yao kept her head down, not daring to meet his gaze. She stood quietly to the side, watching as Eunuch Hai leaned in to whisper something into the Empress Dowager’s ear. The sycophantic display filled her with disgust.

The Empress Dowager laughed heartily at his words, covering her vermilion-painted lips with a finger adorned with a gold nail guard. "Very well, very well. I leave this matter to you to handle."

The Empress Dowager sat upright on her throne, surveying Su Yao inch by inch.

"Come here," she commanded after a long silence.

Su Yao’s heart tightened. She moved with hesitant, graceful steps, approaching the table where a roster lay open. At the very top, a scroll tied with bright yellow silk and decorated with peony patterns suddenly caught her eye. It was the registry for noble ladies of the imperial clan.

"For all these years, to support me and the Emperor, Huaijin has refused to take even a concubine," the Empress Dowager said, her fingertips stroking her jade prayer beads. "You are his bedfellow; you must know what kind of woman he prefers. Help him make a selection."

Su Yao kept her head bowed, her long lashes trembling and her lips pressed shut. A faint, metallic taste of blood rose in her throat. The bite marks Lu Huaijin had left on her shoulder during their intimacy yesterday were still burning, yet now she was being forced to push other women into his bed.

"This servant dare not," she whispered.

"If I tell you to pick, then pick. Why the hesitation?"

Su Yao tremblingly picked up the illustrated album and began to flip through it. She stole glances at the portraits, and she had to admit they were all beauties with alluring eyes and graceful figures. Yet, as she looked, she felt an urge to laugh. Was it truly appropriate to ask her to choose?

"Mother."

The bead curtains rattled, and the young Emperor entered, his bright yellow dragon-patterned robes carrying the chill of the morning dew. Su Yao hurried to kneel, but before she could, she saw the gold-threaded *Xiezhi* beast embroidered on Lu Huaijin’s dark court attire. The mythical creature’s eyes were wide with rage, mirroring the look Lu Huaijin now fixed upon the scroll in the Empress Dowager’s hands.

She quickly lowered her head again, clutching the edge of her sleeves.

The Empress Dowager took it all in and suddenly spoke: "Huaijin, you have come at the right time. We were just looking at a selection of ladies for you. Miss Su was just saying that the daughter of the Minister of Rites is the most pleasing to the eye."

The Empress Dowager tossed the scroll into Su Yao’s arms. "Look at those willow-leaf brows; they are three parts similar to your own."

Su Yao’s drifting thoughts were pulled back by the Empress Dowager’s words. The green jade rod of the scroll pressed painfully into her palm. She saw Lu Huaijin’s Adam’s apple bob within his stiff, dragon-patterned collar—a sign that he was suppressing anger. Her heart constricted, and she lowered her head even further, not daring to draw a full breath. Even without looking up, she could feel a chill creeping down her neck.

"Enough, put the scroll down. Since Huaijin is here, let him choose for himself. You, go and whisk the tea for us," the Empress Dowager said with a lazy wave of her hand.

"Yes," Su Yao murmured, her voice strained as she knelt to perform the ritual. She had been carefully trained in the art of tea whisking by the head nurse. Her hands moved with fluid grace—pouring, whisking, and frothing—until the tea fragrance rose and filled the hall.

"You have trained this one very well. I am quite satisfied. Are you in a hurry to take her back?" the Empress Dowager asked, glancing at Lu Huaijin with feigned indifference.

Lu Huaijin’s gaze fell upon Su Yao, his eyes distant and cold, as if he were looking at a complete stranger. "As long as the Empress Dowager does not mind her clumsiness, it is fine. Let her stay in the palace to serve you; it would be good for her to learn more of the rules."

Su Yao felt a sharp pain in her heart. Yesterday, he had said he could not take her out of the palace; now, it was clear that it was not that he *could not*, but that he *did not want to*. She saw it all clearly now.

Hypocritical! Heartless!

Lu Huaijin remained calm, not sparing Su Yao another glance. "I have safely escorted His Majesty to you, Empress Dowager. I have official business to attend to and cannot stay long. I shall take my leave."

"Every time I mention your marriage, you act as if you are trying to escape it."

Lu Huaijin’s expression did not change; he remained as calm as water. "My marriage is entirely at your discretion, Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager was momentarily stunned, her prepared words of persuasion stuck in her throat. In the past, whenever marriage was mentioned, Lu Huaijin would refuse point-blank. He hadn't even glanced at the birth charts of the noble ladies she had used to test him before. But what had he just said? *At her discretion?* Was he actually agreeing?

Her painted nails dug into her palms. It took a long moment for her to find her voice. "Then I shall have to choose carefully for you. I must find a young lady who is both talented and beautiful, and of a matching status."

Lu Huaijin bowed and took his leave. Once he was gone, the Empress Dowager’s face darkened instantly. Her anger grew, and she found Su Yao increasingly intolerable.

"Get out!"

Her gold nail guard swept across the table, knocking over the unfinished tea. The spilled Longjing tea bloomed like brown flowers across the hem of Su Yao’s pale white skirt. Her face flushed red, but she swallowed all her grievances and backed out of the hall.

However, no sooner had Su Yao stepped out of the main courtyard than Changting, Lu Huaijin’s personal guard, leaped down from a tree.

"Miss Su, the Lord requests your presence."