Chapter 397 Little Taoist Luo'er Ventures into the Hot Springs!

Li Qingluo lowered her head and dared not reply.

Her two ears were the flaw.

I just hope that in the dark, the guards won't be able to see clearly.

Moreover, he had just come here with his grandmother during the day.

He felt that he was an unfamiliar face as a Taoist priest, but if she looked up and took a few more glances, he was afraid he would become familiar.

Ling Fengzi stepped forward, hands on his hips, and said, "What? Should I post the portraits and names of every young Taoist priest in our Qingsong Temple at this palace gate, so you'll have to check them every time before you're allowed to pass?"

“You must recognize all the more than one hundred Taoist priests in my Qingsong Temple.”

"However, be careful not to delay His Majesty's affairs, or he will hold you accountable!"

The guard then dared not linger and let them in.

After all, the Imperial Preceptor and the Taoist priests of Qingsong Temple have been the Emperor's favorites these past few days.

He goes in and out four or five times a day, always carrying the Imperial Advisor's badge.

Although the guards looked down on these Taoist priests, thinking they were all pretentious charlatans, none of them dared to offend them openly.

Ling Fengzi's deliberate swagger actually fooled people.

Li Qingluo then clearly realized that Emperor Yan's cultivation was probably on the verge of going astray.

Upon arriving at the Zichen Palace, Li Qingluo and the other young Taoist priests knelt and meditated outside the palace.

After quite a while, a young eunuch finally arrived.

"Young Taoist priest, the master requests your presence here."

Li Qingluo looked at Ling Fengzi.

Ling Fengzi nodded to her, and Li Qingluo quickly got up and followed the young eunuch as they left Zichen Palace through a maze of twists and turns.

Li Qingluo had already walked the roads in the palace twice.

But each time, he still finds himself on a new path he's never taken before.

In the pitch-black night, the young eunuch, carrying a lantern, led her through the quiet long street.

The palace servants who were passing by saw them and hurriedly avoided them.

It was as if I had seen something extremely terrifying.

Li Qingluo looked at the young eunuch's back and noticed that he was quite hunched over.

After an incense stick had burned, Li Qingluo was taken outside Guifu Palace.

Qingyangzi, dressed in a Taoist robe with his wide sleeves gathered, stood outside the palace.

When he saw her arrive, he nodded slightly.

“Miss Li, please forgive my rashness. I informed you of His Highness's news so that I could bring you to the palace.”

Li Qingluo looked around.

He said these things so frankly, wasn't he afraid of attracting attention?

Qingyangzi smiled frankly and said, "Miss Li need not worry. His Majesty already knows about my visits to Guifu Palace these past few days."

"Master said that Guifu Palace is filled with resentment, but it is also the most suitable place for cultivation in the entire palace."

"To clear away resentment, you need someone who is a close blood relative to you to use their yang energy to dispel it."

"So, this is the truth behind why the Sage found fault with His Highness and imprisoned him here."

"When the time comes, Master will perform another ritual, and the resentment here will naturally dissipate."

"And since His Highness is a grown man, in order to avoid being offended by the concubines in the harem, the area around Guifu Palace has long been a forbidden area."

"No one is allowed to approach except for this humble Taoist priest, the young Taoist priests, and this Eunuch Hai."

This is the reason why Qingyangzi can speak freely.

Although Li Qingluo was unsure of Yunhe Xianren's attitude.

But how could Qingyangzi not understand?

However, what Emperor Yan did still startled her.

This man is truly unfit to be a father!

Cold-blooded, selfish, and cruel are not enough to describe how disgusting he was.

Li Qingluo: "Does Your Highness know the truth?"

"Also, is there really some resentment within Guifu Palace?"

But the death of Consort Yue was full of injustice?

Qingyangzi simply stared at her and asked in return, "What do you think?"

Despite her resentment, Li Qingluo went inside without hesitation.

The eunuch Hai, the young eunuch, said in a low voice, "Princess, would you like to go inside and wait?"

"His Highness should be taking a bath at this time."

Li Qingluo looked around the entire palace and saw only a dim lamp hanging under the corridor, swaying precariously.

The direction from the sleeping quarters is the brightest.

The rest of the place was pitch black.

Li Qingluo nodded obediently, "Alright, please take me to a place where I can wait for Your Highness."

Eunuch Hai: "Please come with me."

After bypassing the garden, Eunuch Hai did not lead Li Qingluo directly to the palace.

Instead, he turned around and led her to another small hall behind the palace.

"Please go in by yourself, young lady."

"This servant will bring you some tea and fruit."

After saying that, Eunuch Hai slipped away.

I haven't run this fast all night.

Li Qingluo sensed something was amiss, but she still walked towards the palace in front of her.

I reached out and pushed the door open; the room was so dark I could barely open my eyes.

Only the innermost room was as bright as day.

Li Qinglu walked over with doubts in her heart, hesitated for a moment before slowly pushing the door open.

It turned out to be a completely different world inside.

A huge open-air pool is steaming.

Besides the beautiful stones surrounding the pool, there are also various pretty flowers and plants.

The flowers are in full bloom.

They gathered in clusters by the pool.

The branches of the willow trees drooped, and vines fell onto the water's surface.

Seeing this scene, Li Qingluo couldn't help but walk inside.

This is actually a hot spring bath!

She saw a natural hot spring in the mountains when she was ten years old, and ever since then, she has made sure to soak in it whenever she goes into the mountains alone.

The smell here seemed to have been introduced later, but Li Qingluo was already quite surprised to see a hot spring in this palace.

She hadn't soaked in a hot spring in a long time.

Although she was very tempted at the moment, she still had more reason to remain rational.

This must be the bathing area.

That eunuch Hai actually tricked me!

Although Duan Rongshi wasn't there at the moment, she was about to leave immediately to avoid the embarrassment of being seen later when she heard the sound of a door opening from the other side.

Li Qingluo looked up and was suddenly struck by what she saw: he was only wearing a single undershirt and trousers, and the undershirt was open at the chest and not tied with a belt!

Thus, Li Qingluo saw a vivid and alluring picture of a handsome man.

His firm chest and well-defined abdomen made her involuntarily swallow.

She hadn't felt this parched and panicked feeling when she undressed him in the cave last time.

Today, she suddenly had this strange and inappropriate feeling...

She actually had an urge to reach out and touch it herself!

Unable to face herself like this, she turned and tried to run away.

Duan Rongshi looked up and saw a young Taoist priest standing there, and was stunned for a moment.

He then grabbed a teacup from the side and threw it at them, yelling, "Get out!"

Li Qingluo dodged quickly, and the teacup only hit the door frame.

However, as she lifted her foot to step over the threshold, she tripped and fell hard!

Li Qingluo cried out "Ouch!" and fell to the ground.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Duan Rongshi's expression changed drastically.

"Luo'er?"

He strode over in disbelief.

After helping Li Qingluo up from the ground and seeing her face clearly, how could he not understand?

"Qingyangzi actually sent you in to me, how absurd!"

When Li Qingluo opened her eyes, she saw a patch of white, jade-like skin before her.

She quickly covered her eyes.

"Your Highness, please get dressed first."

Duan Rongshi's ears also turned red.

How could he have known she would suddenly appear?

It means that I just heard two footsteps in the garden.

I thought it was just some kind of mystification by the Taoist priests at Qingsong Temple.

He slowly and deliberately tied his belt.

Thinking of something, he paused, not fully tightening the strap.

"alright."

"Tell me quickly, what are you planning to do tonight, dressed up as a little Taoist priest?"

He looked down at her with a half-smile.

His tone was full of doting affection.

"Were you injured just now?"

Li Qinglu shook her head, parted her fingers to make sure he was dressed, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She was truly afraid that if His Highness continued to expose his masculine charms like this, she would lose control of her hands.

"Of course I came to see you."

"You haven't been heard from for several days. Why didn't you let Zhuiyu tell me what happened to you?"

“Your Highness, you told me not to hide anything from you, but you yourself have not set a good example.”

Duan Rongshi pulled her hand and led her to sit down.

"This is my fault."

"Luo'er, I am truly delighted by your appearance."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but hug her tightly.

Li Qingluo also raised her hand and gently hugged Duan Rongshi back.

Her eyes welled up with tears: "Your Highness, is it because His Majesty wants you to take more concubines and secondary wives?"

“I know you’re someone who doesn’t like to force yourself, but if…”

"if……"

Li Qingluo found herself unable to say it at all.

Duan Rongshi: "What if what?"

He suddenly buried his head and bit her shoulder hard.

Although it hurts, it's not to the point of breaking the skin.

Li Qingluo simply let out a soft cry.

Duan Rongshi: "Does it hurt?"

"I will never accept a person I do not want, even if it is an imperial edict from my father."

"Moreover, those things about the concubine were just excuses he used to cover up his deception."

Li Qingluo: "You... know everything?"

Duan Rongshi looked up and met Li Qingluo's eyes: "What if I told you that all of these things were originally my long-planned scheme?"

"Are you still worried about me?"

Li Qingluo was naturally shocked and surprised.

Was it all his planning and scheming?

Does that include moving into this Guifu Palace?

And that so-called Taoist temple, the resentment, were all orchestrated by him and his disciples, Qingyangzi and his disciples.

Emperor Yan actually fell for it.

Li Qingluo simply couldn't believe that someone like Immortal Yunhe was also conspiring with him to frame Emperor Yan.

She was naturally relieved.

He smiled with relief and said, "If all of this was originally within Your Highness's control, then of course it would be a great success."

"Your Highness, I am relieved to know that you are well."

"I……"

She got up to say goodbye when Eunuch Hai's voice came in.

"Your Highness, Consort De of Fule Palace has sent you osmanthus cakes again."

Duan Rongshi said in a cold voice, "Bring it in."

Grandpa Hai kept his head down, not daring to look at Li Qingluo.

She put down the osmanthus cake and immediately retreated.

When Li Qingluo saw Duan Rongshi pick up a piece of osmanthus cake, crush it, and then feed it to the rabbit in the cage next to him.

Li Qingluo: "Does Your Highness think this osmanthus cake is poisonous? Is this Consort De the mother of the Sixth Prince?"