Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: A Mistake.

Yu Jing waited a while, then asked expectantly, "Does Master still remember anything else?"

"Hmm..." The Old Man of the Moon pondered for a moment, then smiled. "I don't remember, this is the one that left the deepest impression on me!"

Yu Jing was immediately deflated. She had originally hoped that the Old Man of the Moon could give her some insight, but now it seemed... he really couldn't be relied on.

"My dear disciple, this is all I can do to help you..." As the Old Man of the Moon was speaking, Yu Jing suddenly thought of A Yu and interrupted her excitedly, "Master!"

"You said before that Ayu is Shenghua's confidante. Is she reliable?"

When the Matchmaker heard Yu Jing ask this, he felt inexplicably gratified and replied with a smile, "Sheng Hua has no family background and has risen to the position of Empress Dowager through her own abilities. She is an unreliable person. Do you think she would use her?"

"As long as it's reliable." Yu Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

The Old Man of the Moon saw through Yu Jing's intentions at a glance and said with satisfaction, "This is all I can do for you right now. Goddess Zelan has invited me to play chess, so I'll head back to the Heavenly Palace now. I'll visit the Underworld from time to time. If the new Book of Fate is ready in advance, I'll send it to you."

"Yes, thank you, Master," Yu Jing replied. Although the Matchmaker was sometimes unreliable, his kindness to her was genuine. Since things had already turned out this way, she could only take it one step at a time.

After Yu Jing finished speaking, the Old Man of the Moon stood up and was about to make a hand seal. Yu Jing watched him as he was about to leave, when, as if suddenly remembering something, he walked up to her and conjured a white pill with a wave of his hand.

Yu Jing looked up at the Old Man of the Moon, puzzled.

“Weren’t you injured last night? This is something I borrowed from Laozi’s alchemy furnace. After eating it, your wound won’t hurt as much and will heal faster.”

Hearing what the Old Man of the Moon said, Yu Jing hesitated: "This is the elixir of the Supreme Lord Laozi. I am currently in a mortal body. If I take it, won't my injuries be completely healed?"

If everything is fully healed, that would be a really bad situation. I would have to stab myself in the back then, which is definitely not worth it.

"Don't worry, I used my magic. This will only make your pain less."

Reassured by the matchmaker's words, Yu Jing picked up the pill and put it in her mouth. It was cool and had a slightly bitter taste.

After taking the pill, Yu Jingzhen felt that the pain in her injury had been reduced by more than half. She gratefully said to the Matchmaker, "Thank you, Master!"

"Hey, if you really want to thank me, when you return to Heaven, tie more knots for the Matchmaker. With you gone, the Marriage Hall is short-handed, and I've already been tying knots for several days now," the Matchmaker hurriedly waved his hand and replied.

Seeing the Old Man of the Moon's expression, Yu Jing couldn't help but chuckle and agreed, "Okay."

The Old Man of the Moon isn't actually old; gods don't age, their appearance is fixed at a certain age. However, the Old Man of the Moon does indeed look somewhat old. So much so that when he stands next to the God of the Sea, Ze Lan, who is tens of thousands of years older than him, Yu Jing always gets the illusion that he's older.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. I'll take my leave now."

"Take care, Master," Yu Jing said with some reluctance. Although the Old Man of the Moon hadn't been of much help, he was still someone she knew well. Now that he was gone, she was all alone.

As soon as the Matchmaker left, Yu Jing lay back on the bed, thinking about how to tell A Yu later. Since the Book of Fate was out of the question, she could only pretend to have amnesia. She wasn't Sheng Hua, and A Yu, being Sheng Hua's confidante, would surely be the first to notice something was wrong. Rather than letting her suspect, it was better to confess first, so she'd have someone to help her in the future.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Just then, I heard Ayu's voice outside.

"Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Xian have arrived and are waiting at the palace gate."

"I am unwell, so I will not be seen."

"Yes," Ayu replied and went to report to the Empress and Consort Xian.

Yu Jing waited in the inner hall for A Yu to return, and gently called out, "A Yu."

"This servant is here."

"Come in." Yu Jing carefully considered her tone as the Empress Dowager.

With a creak, the door opened, and light footsteps slowly approached, stopping at a certain spot. Then, the sound of Ayu bowing could be heard, "This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

"Ayu, how long have you been by my side?" Yu Jing asked.

The bed curtains remained drawn. Ayu secretly glanced at Shenghua, but his figure was blurred and indistinct. She sensed that Shenghua was somewhat different from before. However, given Shenghua's sudden question, she truly didn't know how to respond.

"Your Majesty, I have been serving you for twelve years."

Even though Yu Jing was mentally prepared, she was still somewhat surprised. Twelve years was such a long time!

"Come forward," Yu Jing continued.

Ayu responded and stepped forward, lifting the gauze curtain to stand before Shenghua.

"look up."

Ayu raised her head, her brows furrowed, not daring to look Shenghua in the eye.

"Ayu, after my assassination attempt, I can't remember many things from before. If there's anything you don't understand in the future, please tell me." Although it was a question, her tone left no room for argument. As the Empress Dowager, she couldn't be too humble, otherwise she would easily give herself away.

Ayu was stunned for a moment, as if she couldn't quite process what Yu Jing had said. Then, with a calm expression, she knelt down in front of Yu Jing and replied, "This servant will serve Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and will do my utmost to serve her."

"But Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."

When Yu Jing heard A Yu pause at this point, her heart skipped a beat, and she listened anxiously as A Yu continued.

"Are you sure you don't need to summon Physician Xu to take a look?"

After hearing this, Yu Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Since the words were meant to show concern for her, she replied, "No need. Didn't the imperial physician examine her last night? Since he couldn't find anything then, he might not be able to now. Besides, the fewer people who know about this, the better."

As she spoke the last few words, Yu Jing looked at A Yu. A Yu immediately understood and nodded, saying, "This servant understands."

"Alright, you can leave now. I want to rest for a while."

"yes."

After Ayu left, the hall fell silent again. Now everything had settled down, but for some reason, Yu Jing's heart was still pounding with anxiety. Perhaps it was because the Book of Fate had been destroyed, and everything had become unknown; that feeling of being out of control was frightening.

As she pondered, Yu Jing grew weary again. Although the pain from her injuries had lessened, she was still a celestial being, and suddenly being in a mortal body was still quite a change. She should rest well and deal with the rest later.

Xie Xuan returned from the imperial prison and happened to see Ayu coming out of the palace. He casually asked, "How is the Empress Dowager?"

Ayu looked up and saw Xie Xuan dressed in a scarlet robe covered by silver armor. His black hair was tied up high, making him stand out flamboyantly against the snow-white backdrop. A dashing young man in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse—truly worthy of the name!

"Thank you, Your Excellency. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is doing well," Ayu replied.

Xie Xuan nodded: "That's good then."

Then he turned around and stood under the eaves.

Seeing Xie Xuan standing on the corridor again, Ayu initially intended to walk past him, but after taking a step, she couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Lord Xie, you were on duty all night, why are you here so early today?"

After asking the question, Ayu realized something was wrong and quickly explained, "This servant was worried that Lord Xie hadn't rested well."

Xie Xuan smiled and replied, "It's alright. I just went back to rest for a while. More than a day has passed, and the assassin has still not been caught. It's almost night, and I don't feel comfortable having someone else guard him."

After listening, Ayu nodded, said nothing more, and walked past.

When Yu Jing woke up again, the hall was already quite dark. The windows had been closed sometime during the night, and a charcoal fire had been lit, making the hall warm and dry. Having probably slept for too long, Yu Jing was now very hungry; her lips were terribly dry, and swallowing felt like being torn apart. It took her a while to recover. She tried to call for someone, but found her throat terribly hoarse and unable to speak. She then decided to get up from the bed and go to the table for a drink of water.

This was the first time she had stood up since entering Sheng Hua's body. Her injuries no longer hurt, but her legs were incredibly weak. She didn't know if it was because she had slept for too long or because she hadn't yet adapted to Sheng Hua's body. She finally managed to stand up by pulling on the curtain, and it took her a while to adjust before she could take one step forward, then another.

After taking two steps, Yu Jing thought she had gotten used to it, so she took another step. Who would have thought she was so delicate? Her left foot went weak and she knelt down on the ground.

Perhaps hearing the commotion inside the palace, a young palace maid's concerned voice came from outside: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Yu Jing wanted to respond, but her throat was too dry to speak.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" The palace maid's voice outside became urgent.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Then came a clear male voice, steady yet carrying a hint of youthful impetuosity.

"Your humble servant has been rude!"

With a loud "bang," the door was flung open. The cold air outside rushed into the hall.

Yu Jing looked up and saw Xie Xuan, dressed in armor and carrying a sword. His hair, which was tied up, flew with his movements. At that moment, Yu Jing was still wearing a thin undergarment and shivered from the cold.

Xie Xuan entered and saw Sheng Hua kneeling on the ground, her long hair disheveled and falling to her chest. She wore only a thin undergarment, and faint traces of red blood were visible on her right shoulder. It was almost nightfall, the sky was neither fully dark nor fully obscured, and the hall was dimly lit without candles. Xie Xuan could see Sheng Hua's face clearly without any obstruction. Her eyes were clear as a spring, and perhaps because she was not wearing makeup, her face was rather plain.

The palace maid who rushed in with Xie Xuan saw Sheng Hua kneeling on the ground and, without being surprised, quickly ran over to help Yu Jing up.

Seeing this, Xie Xuan quickly turned his back, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, I lost my composure in my haste. Please forgive me."

Yu Jing finally managed to sit back on the couch and clear her throat. The maid understood and quickly poured her a cup of tea, which she then fed to Yu Jing. After drinking the water, Yu Jing finally felt much better. Suppressing her still somewhat hoarse voice, she looked at Xie Xuan's kneeling back and said, "It's alright, my lord, please rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Hearing Sheng Hua say this, Xie Xuan finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief, replying in response.