Cao Yi's gloomy face twisted into a sinister smile. Moving like a ghost, he silently closed in behind Lin Qinghan.
The bloodstained blade in his hand still dripped with lurid blood, blooming into dazzling red plum blossoms across the ground.
The Palace Maids sent by the Crown Prince to watch over and protect Lin Qinghan had died at Cao Yi's hands just like that.
"Miss Qinghan, please come to the imperial palace with me. His Majesty has summoned you..."
Cao Yi deliberately drew out his words, giving them a sickeningly sticky quality.
"You wouldn't want to..." As he spoke, he greedily drew in a deep breath.
The orchid-like fragrance in Lin Qinghan's hair mingled with the stench of blood and slipped into his nostrils.
A few steps away, Cao Yi's eyes went blank, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Even as a eunuch, he could not conceal the besotted look on his face.
Cao Yi extended his scarlet tongue and licked his lips, yet could only swallow futilely.
With this crippled body of his, even fulfilling the most basic desires had become an extravagance beyond reach.
Before such a peerless beauty, there was nothing he could do apart from drool all over her face.
Besides... Cao Yi suddenly shuddered.
This was the woman personally chosen by His Majesty!
Let alone a eunuch like him—even a real man, so what?
If he dared entertain such thoughts about Lin Qinghan, then when His Majesty flew into a rage, he feared not even a complete corpse would remain.
Thinking of the Eastern Depot's spine-chilling punishments, Cao Yi's overheated mind immediately cleared by more than half.
Lu Xuan's indifferent gaze swept over Lin Qinghan, utterly ignoring those beautiful eyes brimming with bone-deep hatred.
To him, such hatred was merely the fury of an ant,