Xuanyuan Yonghao looked at her dazed appearance, his thin lips inadvertently curving into a smile.
His eyes were pitch-black, his face gentle and innocent,
"Can you write all these characters?"
His tone was indifferent, seemingly non-aggressive.
Upon hearing this, Su Yan said,
"I, I can’t write most of them."
Her voice much softer, tinged with distress.
Xuanyuan Yonghao’s gaze briefly lowered, masking the amusement in his eyes.
What kind of spy had his Eldest Brother sent him?
Full of holes, unable to hide anything, there was no need to investigate; she would expose herself in minutes.
He broke off a piece of the cake beside him, picked it up, and brought it to her lips,
"No need to rush, practice slowly."
Black eyes veiling the mockery within, he watched her eat bite by bite, his mood exceptionally good.
Three days passed in a blink.
In those three days, Su Yan practiced her calligraphy diligently, striving to forge a flawless booklet.
On the afternoon of the third day, as the sun was setting, Su Yan was not in the bedchamber.
Xuanyuan Yonghao sat on a chair, holding a stack of thick Xuan paper in his hand.
On it were densely packed characters.
The characters were neat, showing significant improvement.
This, to his surprise, was a revelation.
Nantang knelt before the desk, hands clasped, awaiting orders.
And his master seemed very interested in these used Xuan papers, flipping through them one by one.
Silver, Assistant Minister of Rites, Assistant Minister of War, Prime Minister Zhao, General Lin, embezzlement, bribery, lands.
He looked at the words; there were names that she was practicing, ones never mentioned in the black booklet.
A glimmer flashed in his eyes, a trace of excitement on his benign face.
Muttering softly,
"Is she creating a fake one?"
Looking at the names, the intent was crystal clear.
On the first day Su Yan entered the chamber, the Shadow Guard had already unearthed her background.
Originally, such spies had been many around him, all quietly eradicated by the Shadow Guards he fostered.
But Su Yan, perhaps from the first glance, was different to him.
That day when she fell into the water, as he turned over in the water and met her eyes for the first time, a desire emerged in his heart to possess her.
And such desire, with each passing day spent together, grew deeper.
That day in the backyard where his mother used to live, he intended to kill her himself.
Knowing that if left unchecked, she would become a major problem later.
Who knew, that evening, what happened changed his mind.
He found he absolutely loved the feeling of being with her.
Even if glued together day by day, his longing for her only increased day by day.
He wished he could tie her to himself and never part again.
Knowing she was his elder brother’s spy, and based on his agents’ reports, he had a rough idea of what kind of tasks his elder brother would assign her.
What surprised him was that this somewhat silly little maid had actually forged a fake one.
She said she wouldn’t deceive him, she would protect him.
It was true.
In that moment, he felt an immense joy, almost willing to die by her hand the next.
He, Xuanyuan Yonghao, born under an ominous sign, loathed by his mother, ignored by his father.
Born into suffering, it was unfair for him to live in hell while others lived in joy.
Initially, he thought to make the world suffer along with him, to let his Father Emperor and elder brother taste the agony of having their hearts gouged and stabbed.
Suddenly, Su Yan inexplicably barged into his life.
His little maid might be a bit silly, but somehow, he just liked her immensely.