Chapter 563.1: someone is missing (1/2)

An hour later, the Imperial Army Commander led a carriage full of ice blocks into the palace. Following Chu Xian’s instructions, he took half an hour to unload all of them into a dark room in the repose palace. After he was done, Chu Xian immediately carried Chao Mu into the dark room and set her on the wooden bed surrounded by ice blocks.

However, realising that the wooden bed could easily rot after getting wet from  the ice, Chu Xian decided that he needed to prepare a stone bed instead. Looking at Chao Mu’s remaining hair, it wasn’t falling off, but it could no longer be tied into a bun, nor could he put on a golden buyao[1] for her.

Chu Xian tied the few miserable strands of hair she had left together, setting the golden buyao beside her hand. Sitting on the wooden bed, he disregarded the icy air around him as he carefully took in her features.

She was so close to leaving me.

The Imperial Army Commander stood at the side and deferentially advised, “Your Majesty, regardless of how healthy you are, your body won’t be able to endure staying in an icy room for days on end. If the Empress learned of it, she would also not agree with your actions.”

“She hates loneliness, and she likes talking to people. She wouldn’t disagree with what I’m doing. She’d only be sad if this Emperor ignored her.” Chu Xian slowly said.

Having been together with Chao Mu for so many years, no one understands her better than me.

The Imperial Army Commander sighed to himself. He took out a letter from his sleeve and passed it to Chu Xian. “Your Majesty, a masked man clad in blue robes gave this to me.”

Chu Xian opened the letter and was greeted by Shi Mo’s handwriting. In the letter, he clearly detailed his conditions for having provided the ice. However, now that Chu Xian gave it further contemplation, he realised that the fire had broken out too suddenly.

Shi Mo must have purposely set the fire to force me into making a deal with him.

Ha, Shi Mo has challenged my bottom line. I don’t care who else he attacks, but to think that he dares set his sight on Chao Mu!

“Your Majesty, when this subordinate was receiving the ice, the man in blue robes said something.” The Imperial Army Commander raised his head to look at Chu Xian with an awkward expression.

Chu Xian furrowed his brow and coldly ordered, “Speak!”