Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire room, followed closely by the rumble of thunder. Before long, the sound of torrential rain echoed outside as it poured heavily.

Tian Tian could no longer lie still. She flipped out of bed, put on her shoes, and quickly walked to the window. Opening it, she gazed out at the downpour.

Lightning and thunder lit up the Taihe Palace as rain relentlessly poured down. Tian Tian stared at the storm with a growing sense of unease.

Her feelings toward the guard were complicated.

The guard was handsome and kind to her. Truthfully, their nightly ventures to the kitchen and his constant care left her unable to ignore him, especially after last night’s kiss. She had even dreamed of him.

To say she didn’t feel anything for him would be a lie.

They were both young and in their prime; attraction between a man and a woman was natural.

But her mission came first. She couldn’t allow herself to fall in love.

She was now the Nine Thousand Years’ woman, a role she had to uphold, even if it meant living like a widow. She didn’t want to meet the original owner’s tragic fate of being turned into a beauty painting.

The rain continued to pour, and Tian Tian couldn’t bear it any longer. Grabbing an umbrella, she decided to step outside and take a look.

She hoped the guard would have left because of the rain.

But what if he was foolish enough to stay and wait for her? What if she didn’t show up—what would happen then?

Tian Tian was both angry and worried. That damn guard! She must have owed him something in a past life.

Holding her umbrella, she stepped out of Taihe Palace and into the rain. Sure enough, she spotted the familiar silhouette standing in the downpour. He stood tall and unmoving, drenched and utterly soaked, as if determined to wait for her no matter what.

When he saw Tian Tian approach, his face lit up with a smile, and he quickly walked toward her.

Seeing his drenched state, Tian Tian was both angry and heartbroken.

“It’s raining this hard, and you didn’t think to leave? What if you catch a cold? If you fail to serve the Nine Thousand Years properly, you’ll be punished!” Tian Tian moved the umbrella to cover his head.

Gao Heng chuckled. “I knew you’d come.”

Tian Tian urged him. “Go back quickly, change into dry clothes, and get some rest.”

“You haven’t eaten for two meals. You must be starving. Let me take you to get something to eat.”

How could Tian Tian think about food at a time like this? “I’m not hungry. Just go back and change your clothes.”

“I waited this long just to take you to eat,” Gao Heng insisted.

Tian Tian sighed deeply. Some things, it seemed, had to be made clear tonight.

“Guard, let’s stop seeing each other from now on. Even if we meet again, let’s pretend we don’t know each other. Our identities make it impossible for us to be together. One wrong step could bring death upon us both.

“It’s my fault for not considering this before. As the Nine Thousand Years’ woman, I should remain loyal and composed. I shouldn’t have accepted help from an outsider for something as trivial as food. This is my fault for losing propriety, and it has created such a misunderstanding.”

Gao Heng listened, and her words cut at him like tiny blades. Although she spoke with reason, and her adherence to propriety made her a good woman, her rejection hurt deeply because it was aimed at the real him.

Last night, he had thought it through—he genuinely wanted to spend his life with her.

“Jiang Chan, I don’t believe you haven’t felt anything for me.” Gao Heng trusted his intuition. There was no way she felt nothing. Her radiant smiles every night when she saw him, her lively demeanor—those couldn’t be faked. Even when he overstepped last night, she hadn’t slapped him but simply told him to stop.

“Jiang Chan, as long as you admit you’ve felt something, I can take you away. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll take you with me. I’ll love only you, and you’ll be the only woman in my life.”

Tian Tian shivered at his words. Even if it costs him his life? That was terrifying. She didn’t want to die, and she didn’t want him to die either.

“Put that thought to rest. I will always be the Nine Thousand Years’ woman. That will never change,” she said firmly.

Gao Heng’s deep gaze lingered on her, making her scalp tingle. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m wondering whether your loyalty lies with the Nine Thousand Years as a person or with his power. No—you can’t possibly like him as a person. You don’t even know what he looks like. And someone like the Nine Thousand Years, neither male nor female—no woman would willingly be with him.

“So, it must be his power. You won’t leave because you want to use his influence to achieve what you desire.”

Gao Heng’s mistrust flared. As someone who stood high in power, he was naturally suspicious. Tian Tian’s refusal to leave him made him doubt her motives. After all, no one willingly married a eunuch, let alone became a concubine in his household.

Tian Tian’s heart sank. Was this the same kind guard she had come to know?

“Why are you so paranoid? The Nine Thousand Years is my husband, and I am loyal to him. Is that wrong? Even if I do value his power, so what? It’s hard enough for women in this world. If I want to use his influence to secure a better life for myself, what’s so wrong with that?” Tian Tian said coldly. “Leave. I don’t want to see you again.”

Her sharp words momentarily silenced Gao Heng. It wasn’t wrong for a woman to seek a better life by relying on a man’s power. He realized he was being petty.

“If I could take you away from the Nine Thousand Years and provide you with a life of luxury, would you come with me?” Gao Heng softened his tone, taking a step back. He just wanted to know if he held a place in her heart. If she cared for him, he would cherish her. If not, he wouldn’t allow a threat to stay close by.

Tian Tian frowned at him. “Who are you, really?”

“I serve the Nine Thousand Years. He wants to make me his adopted son. If I asked him for you, he wouldn’t refuse.”

Tian Tian found his words ridiculous. In the original owner’s memories, the Nine Thousand Years had many adopted sons, but they were expendable to him, mere pawns without any real affection.

“I refuse. I will not leave the High Palace.”

Gao Heng’s temper flared. “What if I go to the Nine Thousand Years anyway?”

Tian Tian panicked. If he truly sought the Nine Thousand Years, she might be forced to leave with him and never have a chance to complete her mission.

“Fine, I’m the vain, power-hungry woman you think I am. You’re just a servant. Marrying you would mean returning to a life of servitude. I’ll never agree to it. Leave. Understand the gap between us,” she said, her tone high and mighty, choosing her harshest words to drive him away.

The Nine Thousand Years wasn’t someone who could be reasoned with. Even if the guard brought her out, the Nine Thousand Years might harbor murderous intent against him the next moment.

Tian Tian had no idea how much influence the guard had, but she couldn’t take the risk.

All she wanted was for him to live well and better than anyone else.

Gao Heng was truly wounded by Tian Tian’s words. He sneered coldly, “So in your eyes, it’s all about power. You really are a vain and shallow woman.”

“I am vain and shallow. Since I was a child, I’ve lived under others’ roofs and endured hardships. Is it wrong that I want to climb higher? Is it wrong that I want to live better?” Tian Tian locked eyes with him. “Before, I was willing to go to the kitchen with you because I thought you were simply trying to curry favor with me, knowing my beauty might catch the Nine Thousand Years’ attention. I had no idea you had such audacious intentions. And even more absurd—you actually think you can take me away? Someone like you? Are you even worthy?”

When she finished, she noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and a pang of pain struck her heart. Without another word, she held her umbrella and quickly returned to Taihe Palace.

She feared that if she continued speaking, the guard might have the mind to kill her. More than that, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsher. He was such a good man, and she truly didn’t want to hurt him.

Tonight, Gao Heng had fully witnessed the cruelty of women.

For the first time in his life, after years of facing life and death, he had given his heart to someone, only to have it ruthlessly trampled.

Fury surged through him as he gritted his teeth, his drenched and disheveled state feeling like a slap in the face—hot, stinging pain.

At twenty-eight, a man who had seen it all, he had made such a foolish mistake.

How laughable.

Gao Heng disappeared into the rain.

---

After returning to her quarters, Tian Tian couldn’t sleep. Her chest ached dully, and she tossed and turned, awake until dawn.

The next morning, her ten-day punishment was finally over. The kitchen sent up a sumptuous breakfast, filling the room with fragrance, but Tian Tian had no appetite.

Qiu Ju came in to serve her.

“Madam, you should eat something,” she urged. Two meals missed yesterday and skipping breakfast today—how could her body endure such neglect?

“I don’t feel like eating. Take it away,” Tian Tian said listlessly.

Qiu Ju sighed helplessly and instructed the servants to remove the food. “Madam, you’re expected to pay respects to Lady Liu later. Let me help you get ready.”

Tian Tian had no energy to eat, let alone the patience to deal with Lady Liu.

“Tell her I’m unwell and will not be attending.”

“Yes, Madam.” Qiu Ju immediately went to deliver the message.

---

When Lady Liu learned that Tian Tian was unwell and unable to pay her respects, she quickly approved.

After enduring a ten-day punishment, it was no surprise her body was weakened. If she stayed ill, so much the better—her chances of gaining favor would diminish even further.

Tian Tian was surprised that Lady Liu agreed so readily, but she was happy to stay in her room and rest.

---

After his fallout with Tian Tian, Gao Heng had been in a foul mood. For several days, he refrained from summoning anyone to his chambers.

Finally, Eunuch An could bear it no longer. Carrying two trays of name plaques, he entered the Thousand-Year Hall. “Your Grace, you’ve been working so hard these past days. Perhaps it’s time to summon one of the ladies to your side for some relaxation.”

Gao Heng’s temper had been so severe lately that the servants were constantly on edge. They hoped bringing a beauty to his side might soothe his spirits.

After a moment of thought, Gao Heng waved him forward.

Eunuch An quickly approached, kneeling respectfully while holding the tray aloft.

Gao Heng glanced at the plaques. “Liu Fu Ren, then.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Eunuch An replied, scurrying off to make arrangements.

---

That evening, Lady Liu was meticulously dressed by Eunuch An and wore a revealing outfit before entering the Thousand-Year Hall.

Her heart swelled with delight as she thought of her recent favor with the Nine Thousand Years.

But her smile faded the moment she saw him.

His heavily powdered face looked ghastly pale, his bloodshot eyes making the whites appear red. He stared at her with a chilling intensity, as if she were already dead.

A shiver ran down her spine, and her cheerful expression vanished.

“Concubine greets Your Grace,” Lady Liu stammered as she knelt, trembling all over. No wonder Eunuch An had warned her to tread carefully—clearly, His Grace was in a foul mood.

“Rise,” Gao Heng said, his voice high-pitched and feminine.

“Yes, Your Grace.” Lady Liu stood shakily, her fear evident.

Gao Heng could see her fear and found it distasteful. However, having summoned her, he couldn’t simply send her away immediately.

“Perform a dance to entertain me,” he ordered.

“Yes, Your Grace.” Lady Liu quickly struck a seductive pose and began dancing in the hall.

Her movements revealed glimpses of her pale arms and legs, creating a captivating allure.

Under normal circumstances, Gao Heng would have appreciated her beauty—he had always admired fair skin.

But tonight, halfway through the performance, irritation overtook him.

“Stop. Get out,” he barked, his mood soured by thoughts of a certain vain woman in Taihe Palace. Lady Liu’s stiff movements and forced smile only worsened his appetite.

Terrified, Lady Liu’s face turned ashen. She quickly knelt, bid farewell, and scurried out.

Eunuch An, waiting outside, overheard everything. Inwardly, he lamented. If even Lady Liu, the favorite, had been dismissed, the Nine Thousand Years’ temper was truly monstrous this time. When would this storm pass?

---

Three more days went by.

That evening, Eunuch An once again carried two trays of name plaques into the hall for the Nine Thousand Years to select.

This time, Gao Heng didn’t choose Lady Liu. Scanning the plaques, he frowned and asked, “Why isn’t Jiang Chan’s plaque here?”

Eunuch An quickly explained, “Your Grace, after Jiang Chan’s ten-day punishment, she has been ill. She hasn’t even left Taihe Palace these days. Lady Liu said she’s unwell and unfit to attend to you, so her plaque was removed.”

Gao Heng’s frown deepened. That vain woman was sick?

“Is she seriously ill?”

Eunuch An hesitated, unsure. Jiang Chan was an unremarkable beauty with no favor, so he hadn’t paid much attention. But now that His Grace asked, he quickly answered, “She seems gravely ill and may need months of rest to recover fully.”

Gao Heng’s expression grew darker. Was she really that sick?

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