Chapter 721

Empress Dowager Jiang laughed and said: "After you marry in, go thank her in person, but she will also come over these two days." She placed the Chazan on the stand, the tea already finished; although it was just a tiny gesture, it was meant to test the Dakang princess's expression.

Xi Yan was so quick-witted that with just a glance she understood the Empress Dowager's meaning; without waiting for others to act, she rose on her own and picked up the teapot to refill Empress Dowager Jiang's tea, every move showing extreme elegance, her speech and bearing revealing great cultivation.

Empress Dowager Jiang seemed quite pleased with Xi Yan's performance, smiling and nodding as she said: "I still have matters to attend to, I should be going; Xiao Dongzi, you hand over the things we brought to Hu Xiaotian."

Yes!

Everyone rose to see her off, but Empress Dowager Jiang waved her hand, allowing only Huo Shengnan to see her out; upon reaching the gate of Qichen Palace, Huo Shengnan smiled and asked: "Your Highness, are you still satisfied?"

Empress Dowager Jiang said: "This girl's looks may be somewhat ordinary, but given her noble birth, she possesses a bearing that no other family's child can match."

Huo Shengnan asked: "Why didn't the Empress come?"

Empress Dowager Jiang said: "It's not as if she's taking a daughter-in-law; if she shows too much enthusiasm, others will think she has ill intentions. Consort Shu already hates her over this, and has been coming to my residence to complain lately. The Emperor already has enough on his plate with state affairs; if I can help him relieve some worries or share some of the burden, the Empress cannot keep Consort Shu in check."

Huo Shengnan laughed, suddenly recalling what just happened, and whispered: "Actually, Prince Yan and Hu Xiaotian becoming sworn brothers must be because they have a request of him."

Empress Dowager Jiang laughed: "What mischief has he gotten up to that I couldn't possibly miss? At his age he still plays around like he did when he was young, showing no sympathy for the Emperor's hardships; even if he could help the Emperor share some governmental duties, it would be good."

Huo Shengnan said: "Everyone has their own ambitions; perhaps Prince Yan's aspirations lie elsewhere."

Empress Dowager Jiang said: "I actually like this Hu Xiaotian; not only is he capable, but his words are especially thoughtful."

Huo Shengnan said: "He does have some ability, but after all he is an envoy of Dakang."

Empress Dowager Jiang laughed: "Are you worried that I will adopt him as my foster son, after which you'd have to call him uncle for the rest of your life?"

Huo Shengnan laughed embarrassedly: "Not at all!"

Empress Dowager Jiang said: "Considering Shengjing, you should call him uncle."

I certainly won't call him uncle!

Empress Dowager Jiang sent a total of eight chests of gifts, besides silks and satins, wedding attire and phoenix crowns, etc.; there were also many gold, silver, and jewels. After Hu Xiaotian finished handing them over, he brought the phoenix crown and rosy clouds cape to Xi Yan's chambers.

Xi Yan looked at his frivolous, smiling face and coldly said: "What a servant's look!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's just acting; you and I are really no different, merely playing different roles." He plays the servant, Xi Yan plays the princess. Put bluntly, they are just two actors with different divisions of labor; neither is nobler than the other.

Xi Yan said: "What are you bringing this stuff over for?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Empress Dowager ordered that the Princess try on the wedding dress to see if it fits."

Xi Yan said: "Just leave it there; I'll try it on myself later."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I suddenly really want to see what the Princess looks like in the wedding dress."

Xi Yan blinked her eyes, then nodded and said: "Sure, I'll put it on for you to see right now, okay?"

Hu Xiaotian beamed and said: "I'll help the Princess change clothes."

A bewitching smile appeared at the corner of Xi Yan's mouth: "Sure! If you don't mind your hands swelling to twice their size, go ahead and help me change."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "To die beneath a pomegranate skirt, even as a ghost to be debonair. Not to mention hands swelling to twice size; even if the most vital parts swelled twice, I would willingly do it for you."

Xi Yan laughed till her branches trembled, and Hu Xiaotian joined in; they understood each other well, then suddenly both put on stern faces. Seeing his expression change faster than hers, the impending outburst she had been cultivating collapsed, and she exclaimed in astonishment: "What face are you putting on? What gives you the right to put on a face with me?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You treat my good intentions as donkey's liver and lungs; do you think I enjoy serving you? Goodbye!" This guy clasped his fists and actually left.

Xi Yan softly said from behind: "Don't go, can't I apologize to you?"

Hu Xiaotian stopped in his tracks, but then heard Xi Yan say: "How about this—let you help her take off her clothes, okay?"

Hu Xiaotian swallowed, slowly turned his head, only to see Xi Yan turn into a phantom, her delicate fist rising to strike his nose; Hu Xiaotian leaned back, and her punch missed entirely. His body wobbled like a roly‑toy, using his feet as axis, he astonishingly spun to her rear, then stood upright, arms outstretched to encircle her slender waist. As his hands barely touched her skin, feeling it slick and smooth, Xi Yan, like a spirit snake, slipped through the gap between his hands and lunged for his pulse point.

Hu Xiaotian clenched his right fist and struck toward Xi Yan's soft, jade‑like wrist; this move carries great force and weight—if it landed, her bones would surely break and tendons snap. Xi Yan withdrew her arm, tapped her toe, and floated two zhang backward; with a casual flick, a puff of pink smoke exploded with a bang, enveloping Hu Xiaotian.

Yet Hu Xiaotian was not driven back by the smoke; knowing her techniques all too well, he held his breath, burst through the haze, and appeared before Xi Yan in a flash.

Xi Yan hadn't expected him to come so fast; with a wall behind her, she could only move sideways, but Hu Xiaotian surged forward, extending his right arm—with a slap! his palm hit the wall, cutting off her escape route, while his left hand launched the Xuanming Yin Wind Claw toward her throat.

Xi Yan neither dodged nor avoided; she tipped her head back, exposing her snowy white neck fully to Hu Xiaotian's gaze, and cooed: "You ruthless thief, just choke me to death!"

Hu Xiaotian's gaze slid down the curve of her neck to her heaving bosom, then rose back to her neck and finally rested on her cherry lips; this guy suddenly felt lust well up from his heart, lowered his head, and attempted to plant a kiss on her lips.

But before his lips could touch hers, he saw her lips suddenly turn dark purple; Hu Xiaotian broke out in a cold sweat—it was poison! No matter how tempting, he couldn't go through with it; this guy pressed his lips together and, at the crucial moment, actually backed away.

Xi Yan's starry eyes half‑opened, her pretty face at once returned to its natural appearance, and her voice, languid and alluring, said: "What's wrong? I've been waiting for you."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What do you think I am? Although I, Hu Xiaotian, am not a paragon of virtue, I have read the sages' books and know the principle that men and women should not be overly familiar; moreover, liking someone does not necessarily mean possessing them—it means holding them in your heart with respect."

Xi Yan bit her cherry lips, which had turned completely black, her beautiful eyes full of mockery as she looked at Hu Xiaotian and whispered softly: "Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, how can you be even more shameless? It's just that you're afraid to die!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You only love when you fear, and you only fear when you love—don't you understand this simple truth?" The two stood close, breathing audible, eyes locked, yet each guarded against the other in their hearts.

Xi Yan said: "Do you like me?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

Xi Yan said: "I don't believe..." Before she could finish, Hu Xiaotian lowered his head and, unexpectedly, kissed her ink‑black lips; though it was a dragonfly‑touch, it was genuine contact. Xi Yan's delicate frame trembled, her starry eyes widened round, showing panic and bewilderment; her heart fluttered like a startled deer, her mind went blank for a moment. When she realized what had happened, Hu Xiaotian had already released her, smiling narrowly and said: "You're like a piece of stinky tofu—smells bad, but tastes pretty good."

Xi Yan said: "Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Since ancient times, who can escape death…" As he spoke, he felt his tongue growing stiff.

Xi Yan coldly said: "Quickly find a place, while you're still clear‑headed, dig a hole and bury yourself; it should still be possible."

Hu Xiaotian picked up a bronze mirror, looked at his reflection, and saw his lips already swollen huge, as if two sausages hung from his mouth; this girl is indeed poisonous, actually daring to poison his lips.

Hu Xiaotian put down the bronze mirror: "Antidote…" He had meant to ask for the cure, but now he could hardly speak clearly.

Xi Yan said: "You brought this on yourself—you weren't the one who said you'd die beneath a pomegranate skirt and become a debonair ghost? I'll grant your wish."

Hu Xiaotian extended his hand, looking pitifully at Xi Yan.

Just then, a voice from outside called—Yang Xuan's voice, but it was actually Huo Shengnan summoning Hu Xiaotian to discuss something.

Hu Xiaotian whispered pleadingly: "Antidote…"

Xi Yan said: "There are plenty in the outhouse!"

Hu Xiaotian cursed Xi Yan's ancestors eight generations over in his heart, yet there was nothing he could do about her; he could only walk out with his sausage‑lipped mouth. As soon as he stepped outside, Yang Xuan was startled—she didn't recognize that the person with a duck‑bill mouth was actually Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian was pondering how to explain when, from inside the room, Xi Yan's furious voice rang out: "Little mustache, if you do this again next time, it won't be as cheap as a slap." … This woman is vicious, kicking someone when they're down; now everyone knows I got slapped by her, which is why I look like this.

Hu Xiaotian's hatred—wasn't it just that she's good with poison? Someday when you fall into my hands, I'll torture you till you wish for life but cannot die. Yet he also realizes he doesn't know how to get past this obstacle right now, since the poison's nature is unknown—whether it's lethal, whether there are aftereffects. If one says today was entirely his own fault, Xi Yan's ink‑black lips look like a lump of charcoal; he could actually bring himself to put them in his mouth, this taste is far from ordinary. The fallout of acting on impulse is truly tragic—how did he ever lose his mind back then? He just had to take a bite, taste it. True love? Not quite, more like spiting himself out of spite—yeah, that's it. A viper's tongue, a wasp's sting—neither is poisonous; the most toxic thing is a woman's heart… (To be continued~^~)