Chapter 45: No Peace Even in Sleep

"My little Bones."

Little Bones?

Yun Xiaoge was taken aback. What on earth was this?

Dieyi, standing to the side, burst into a stifled laugh. Yun Xiaoge shot her a look, and Dieyi immediately widened her sparkling eyes, covering her mouth with her hands. Seeing that Wang Liang had not yet awakened, she leaned in close to her mistress, whispering into Yun Xiaoge’s ear, "Princess, she must be talking about her husband."

Yun Xiaoge couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips in amusement. She never would have guessed that the boisterous Wang Liang had such a cringeworthy pet name for her husband.

"Someone is coming." Wang Liang’s sudden remark pulled Yun Xiaoge back to the task at hand. Yun Xiaoge softly instructed, "Go and fetch some paper and a brush." Then, looking down at Wang Liang, she asked, "Who is it that is coming?"

Wang Liang shook her head. "I don't know; I cannot see clearly."

"Is it a man or a woman?" Xiaoge’s voice drifted through the air, cool and detached. Watching the scene unfold in her mind, Wang Liang answered truthfully, "A woman. She gave some silver to my little Bones."

"What are her distinguishing features?"

"She is wearing a veil and white gloves."

Yun Xiaoge sat down. Dieyi had already cleared the fruit and wine from the table. She laid the paper flat, dipped the brush in ink, and wrote down the words "white gloves."

"She is leaving." Caught in the depths of hypnosis, Wang Liang saw the person about to depart and immediately wanted to give chase, but Xiaoge’s cold, soothing voice calmed her urgency. "There is a chair behind you. You are already very tired. Do not chase her; sit down and rest for a moment."

"Another person has arrived. She is also wearing a veil."

"Very good. Now, I will clap my hands, and you will slowly approach her." Two crisp claps rang out in the room, hollow and clear in the stillness. As the sound faded, Wang Liang cried out in surprise, "It’s Mujin!"

Mujin?

The young woman frowned and wrote the name "Mujin" on the paper.

"Besides Mujin, what else?"

"She gave some silver to my little Bones, and now she is leaving too." Wang Liang’s voice began to grow agitated.

A trace of soft distress flickered in Yun Xiaoge’s bright eyes. She encouraged her, "You can hold onto her."

"There are bells." Wang Liang shook her head vigorously, as if struggling against something.

Bells? Yun Xiaoge lifted her brush, wrote the word "bells," and drew a circle around it.

"I can't hold her, she’s getting away!" Wang Liang’s emotions were becoming increasingly volatile. If she didn't wake her now, she would lose consciousness entirely. It seemed she could only go this far. Yun Xiaoge patted Wang Liang’s shoulder and nodded firmly. "You have done very well. When you hear me count to three, you may wake up."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

After the third count, Wang Liang slowly opened her eyes...

***

The morning light was just beginning to stir, and the air was filled with the chill of dawn. By the time Yun Xiaoge returned to the Princess’s Estate, she realized it was already morning. She let out a yawn and said, "Xiangcao, summon all the secret guards of the estate. Investigate every woman in the capital who wears white gloves. We must find her."

"As you command. Please, Princess, get some rest." After Xiangcao departed, Yun Xiaoge stretched, entered her chamber, removed her outer robes, and lifted the covers to climb into bed. She let out a contented hum like a kitten; there was truly nothing better than being tucked into bed.

She had hoped for a good sleep, but fate had other plans. No sooner had she closed her eyes than she heard a faint, shallow breath. She snapped her eyes open. Damn it—there was someone in her bed. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a long, slender, fair hand wrapped around her waist. A bare, burning-hot body pressed against her, rubbing suggestively. "Princess, it has been so long since you favored me."