In the Imperial Ceremony Office, Leshuang was reading documents under the brightly lit candle.

A eunuch walked in at a fast pace and whispered something in Bingbi's ear.

Leshuang changed his look when he heard what was whispered. His beautiful face, wearing light makeup, seemed to be covered with a piece of thin ice under the swaying candlelight, making people's flesh creep.

He quietly put down the writing brush and suddenly walked out of the office.

...

It was in the Ninth Prince’s Mansion in Jing City.

Cowering on the red sandalwood-made rose chair, Commandery Princess Jingle drowsily held her face with her hand.

During the noon break, she put on Xi's official suit and hat, pretending to be a eunuch to sneak out of the Palace for her Ninth Uncle, Huanan He.

When she reached the mansion, she found out that the Ninth Prince was not there.

The mansion manager had tight lips. It was almost impossible to inquire her Ninth Uncle’s whereabouts from his mouth.

Being utterly helpless, the girl had to obediently stay at the flower hall. She vowed never to return to the Palace till Huanan He was back.

Soon the sun fell and the dim light of night descended.

Perhaps it was the absence of the male owner that made the courtyards of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion seem extraordinarily tranquil at night.

The girl stayed at the flower hall, which was the deepest yard of the mansion, without any appetite.

Her coming here was to ask her Ninth Uncle in person whether the scene seen by Xi yesterday was true or not.

She was wondering whether her Ninth Uncle felt dejected and sighed for the leaving of Lady Yun.

The gentle evening breeze made the candle on the table sway and sway. The girl felt lonely and gazed at the candlelight and gradually closed her heavy eyes before she knew it.

The dog in the outer courtyard barked suddenly and fiercely, followed by the sound of footsteps.

"It's getting so late. Hasn't my uncle returned yet? Never mind. I'll wait for him here."

The door of the flower hall was pushed open. A bright yellow gleamed with dim golden light under the light. The girl's eyes lit up, and her sleepiness was completely gone.

Surprisingly jumping out of the chair, Commandery Princess Jingle looked straight at the Huanan Xin in a strange manner, "Brother, why are you here?"

Huanan Xin was in a daze for a while. He squinted and resembled a smile yet not a smile. His eyes were filled with anger, with which he looked up and down on the girl,

"As a Commandery Princess, what a scandal that you wore the dresses of a eunuch and ran around! You have lived in Shuofeng Hall for some time. Where are the rules you have learned? What should you call me when you see me?"

The girl blinked in panic and pouted her lips. She bowed with hands held in front, “Show my respect to Your Majesty.”

Her unwillingness dissatisfied Huanan Xin. But he wouldn't argue with her, and he said, "You may rise."

The girl jumped closer to the emperor the moment she rose up. She grabbed his arm and asked softly, "Your Majesty, it is so late. Why don't you flip over the plaque (a plaque with a name on it with which the emperor used to choose whom to sleep with)? Why are you in Ninth Uncle’s Mansion?"

A pearl of sharp wisdom flashed over the emperor's eyes. He looked straight at somewhere aimlessly and cunningly opened his mouth,

"Nothing, it has been several days since the last time I saw him, so I miss him so much. I have some free time tonight to visit him. But unfortunately, he is not back to his mansion..."

"Your Majesty, who told you I am not in the mansion?"

A little hoarse and magnetic voice slowly came into the flower hall. He deliberately prolonged his unruly pitch.

A shadow came out of the darkness. It was a man with silver hair, walking to the emperor. He was in an azure-colored brocade robe with Tuan Embroidery of hibiscus flower leaves. His eyes presented a special indifference.

They looked at each other. The man with silver hair smiled, bringing out evil tendencies, which seemed to come from hell, making Huanan Xin a little terrified and raise his eyebrows.

The silver-haired man held his hand in front,

“Show my respect to Your Majesty.”

"Ninth Uncle!"

Before the emperor spoke, Jingle rushed to the man's chest recklessly.

Huanan Xin locked his sight on the man cautiously and seemed to find something special,

"Something wrong with your voice, my uncle?"

The silver-haired man smiled indifferently. He pinched his Adam's apple with his two fingers,

"Yes, I drank in excess recently. My throat was burned by liqueur, which made my voice abnormal."

Huanan Xin slightly nodded. His words were filled with deep concern,

"You'd better drink less in the summer to avoid suffering from excessive internal heat."

The man smiled, which was hard to understand,

"Thanks for Your Majesty's concern. What is Your Majesty for tonight in my mansion?"

Huanan Xin looked at the Commandery Princess Jingle with a casual look,

"I have some free time tonight. Hearing that Ying’er sneaked out of the Palace and went to your mansion, I come here to look for her."

Smilingly, the man looked straight at the emperor,

"It is for Jingle. I thought that Your Majesty missed me. I was happy for nothing just now."

Huanan Xin's look turned serious instantly. He stared at the self-proud man in a trance. It was hard for him to substantiate his statement.

At the moment, these two men were both in silence. When their sharp eyes came together, the throat-cutting conflict was undergoing a perilous situation.

The girl foolishly looked at the standing two men. From their conflict, she seemed to smell the acrid gun powder in the silent air.

Exactly at this moment, Huanan Xin put forward a straight question,

"My imperial carriage was just now arriving at the door of the mansion. There was no one coming to welcome. Where were all the servants?"

The man with silver hair teasingly squinted his beautiful eyes. He calmly answered in a provoking manner,

"I was drunk and slept over on the bluestone in the back garden. So I held up the welcome. I beg for Your Majesty's mercy."

"This crazy man. When does he become so cunning?" The emperor thought.

The emperor calmed himself down. He walked closer and closer to the man. When there were two fingers away from the man, he quietly sniffed.

Four hours ago, the spy in this mansion sent a secret report to the Palace, saying that Huanan He had gone to Yonglu Temple.

Huanan Xin was in a towering rage after he read the report. He immediately left all the government affairs and rushed out of the Qinming Hall. Then he commanded people to send an oral decree to the Eastern Depot. And he gathered the honor guards, blazing a trail out of the Palace to the Ninth Prince’s Mansion. When he arrived, it was night already.

After several tests, the result was beyond the emperor's expectations. There was no trace of sandalwood on this man.

The silver-haired man sensed the abnormal behavior of Huanan Xin. He smiled disdainfully, raising his arms and asking,

"Is Your Majesty finding something on me?"

Huanan Xin stepped back embarrassedly. He smiled indifferently,

"Well, nothing... Your sachet smells good. It seems to be the white sandalwood from the temple."

The silver-haired man gazed at the hypocritical emperor's face with his penetrating eyes. He said in a mystifying manner,

“How come? I was used to nard and borneol. There's no way I use other things.”

"Well, sure you do. I almost thought that you went into the temple and turned to be a monk if you didn't show up just now."

The silver-haired man raised his head and laughed,

"Ha-ha, Your Majesty is so humorous."

Jingle stayed at the side of the man with silver hair. She witnessed that those two men talked with each other, with their faces filled with pleasant but words sharp like knives. She was awkward as a listener.

The girl turned to Huanan Xin and puffed up her face unhappily,

"Do Your Majesty doubt Ninth Uncle? Why play riddle games between the lines? You don't have to doubt. I can testify for Ninth Uncle. He has been with me this whole afternoon. He was made drunk by me."

While talking, the girl turned her head and met the eyes of the astonished man aside.

She smiled happily, raised her head, and said,

"If Your Majesty still don't believe me, I will guarantee with a girl's credit. Ninth Uncle went nowhere today but played with me in this mansion."

Huanan Xin was in silence with his face turning into darkness. After a while, he reached for the girl,

"Don't talk nonsense, Ying’er. I am not doubting him. Alright, it's so late. You should come back to the Palace with me."

"Humph!"

Commandery Princess Jingle shook her head stubbornly and got closer to the silver-haired man.

Huanan He cooperatively held her waist and said to Huanan Xin with a cunning smile,

"Your Majesty, since she is unwilling to go back, she can stay in my mansion. When she gets tired, I will send her back."

Huanan Xin flung up his hands heavily and rebuked,

"Nonsense!"

Jingle supported,

"How is it nonsense? I will marry Ninth Uncle sooner or later. I don't want to come back to the Palace tonight."

Huanan Xin was suddenly in a daze. It seemed that he caught up with something, and his look turned from anger to happiness,

“Since you made up your decision, you have my permit then. Remember to explain to your Imperial Mother yourself when you come back to the Palace.”

The silver-haired man gazed at the emperor's receding figure, bowing his head and holding his hands front,

"Farewell to Your Majesty."

After all the honor guards left the mansion, Jingle followed the silver-haired man to the bedroom. She behaved obediently from the beginning to the end like a little bird relying on people, acting cute and helpless.

The man she admired cuddled her in front of the emperor just now, which made her joyful and excited.

The girl firmly believed that her Ninth Uncle loved her. They two were under one roof at a late night. What would happen was imaginable.

Jingle made a decision that she would not refuse anything Ninth Uncle might do to her later.

She loved her Ninth Uncle. She was willing to show her love with actions.

The moment the door was closed, the girl's nerves became intense, and her heartbeat turned faster and faster.

She moved slowly to the bed and sat down on it elegantly.

She put her soft hands in her sleeves and looked at the man with tenderness and love.

The silver-haired man kept a serious look after he entered the room, which looked widely divergent from the generous look just now. He sat beside an old-fashioned square table and drank tea without even looking at Jingle.

The girl waited for a long while. She felt unsatisfied with the sudden indifference.

Her fingers stirred in her sleeves. She raised her eyebrows with hidden bitterness, and then she called him in a seductive voice,

"Ninth Uncle, why do you ignore me?"

The man finally looked at her. His extremely sharp eyes made her shiver and speechless.

He stood up in her panic looking, gradually walking towards her. Suddenly, he slapped her with his powerful palm, which made her faint.