Soon, the annual Double Ninth Festival arrived again. As the ruler of the country, Leng Yue was to lead his ministers to climb the mountain to worship their ancestors.

Leng Yue has been relatively peaceful lately, pretending to sleep every night while actually practicing Taoist arts. However, due to having too many eyes and ears, coupled with the poor foundation of this body, Leng Yue's progress is not significant; it's better than nothing.

Qingluan still hadn't appeared, and Leng Yue had given up hope. A palace maid named He'er had taken her place, sent by Empress Dowager Feng. Leng Yue didn't know if He'er was Empress Dowager Feng's person; she only knew that He'er was no ordinary palace maid.

He'er was more serious than Qingluan, and she spoke to Leng Yue without any politeness. It seems that she had learned a lot from Empress Dowager Feng.

For example, right now, He'er, leading a group of palace maids, was giving them instructions while saying to Leng Yue rudely, "Your Majesty, the time is almost here, please change your clothes quickly."

Leng Yue knew that climbing mountains on the Double Ninth Festival was inseparable from her, the mascot. So she didn't refuse and obediently let the palace maids dress her up.

Today they're going to climb Mingyang Mountain, the imperial mausoleum, the burial place of all the Zhao emperors. Even the late Zhao father is buried there. As the current emperor and mascot, Leng Yue is indispensable.

However, this also means that Leng Yue can finally leave the palace for a procession today.

With everything prepared, Leng Yue, accompanied by a group of ministers, palace maids, and guards, marched in a grand procession toward Mingyang Mountain under the supervision of Empress Dowager Feng.

Leng Yue was, after all, an emperor, so the carriage was of a fairly high standard. Inside, there were soft benches, which were very comfortable, and the carriage ride was smooth. In the middle was a table laden with various pastries, clearly made by the imperial chefs. The pastries were exquisite, but Leng Yue wasn't hungry, so he didn't eat them.

The carriage traveled through the imperial city, and Leng Yue secretly peeked out. She saw crowds of people thronging both sides of the road, all curiously watching the royal procession. Soldiers were maintaining order and clearing the road. The buildings on both sides of the road were quite exquisite, with various shops lining the streets.

The people in the city probably all knew that the emperor would be making his procession today, so they all crowded onto both sides of the road to watch. Even the shops on both sides were packed with people, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Judging from the clothing and attire of these people, it resembles both the Ming and Song dynasties, though Leng Yue isn't entirely sure. Perhaps the headquarters was based on the Song and Ming dynasties in the design of this assessment world?

As Leng Yue was pondering this, she suddenly heard someone shouting, "Look! It's the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!" Leng Yue almost instinctively stuck her head out the window to greet them. Luckily, she reacted just before her head was about to leave the window!

Actually, Leng Yue's reaction was purely a side effect of becoming a celebrity. Because she had been a star in the entertainment industry before, she couldn't help but wave and greet people whenever she saw them.

Of course, if Leng Yue were in power at this moment, she could simply wave her hand and be fine; she would even be praised by the ministers and the people as a benevolent and kind emperor. However, she is currently powerless and insignificant, merely a mascot whose future hangs in the balance.

Forget waving to the common people, Leng Yue even had to sneak around the imperial city. She knew the saying, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Besides, the emperor Leng Yue was already a target of public criticism, constantly facing assassination attempts. If she were to act any more ostentatiously, who knew if she'd even see the sun rise tomorrow?

Now, Lengyue is only fit to be a low-key mascot. As long as life is manageable, living to a hundred is not a dream!

The imperial city was vast, and it took the carriage two hours to even leave the city.

Leng Yue couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. This was her first time visiting an ancient imperial city, and she didn't know if ancient imperial cities were really that big.

Once outside the imperial city, the scenery changed.

The leaves of the trees lining the road were beginning to turn yellow. A gust of wind rustled through the leaves. The sky was a clear, blue sky, and the air carried the scent of earth. Leng Yue couldn't help but take a deep breath, and her mood changed.

Everyone says that the crisp autumn air is perfect for climbing mountains and enjoying the view, and it's true. Even someone like Leng Yue, who was forced to come here, felt like climbing a mountain after leaving the city.

As the ancients said, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." Isn't that true? Putting aside everything else, the scenery along the way, seen with your own eyes, feels vastly different from what others describe in a few words in a book.

Leng Yue was enjoying herself when the carriage suddenly stopped. Caught off guard, Leng Yue bumped headfirst into the carriage.

Leng Yue couldn't help but cover her head and hiss as she breathed heavily. He'er glanced at Leng Yue a few times before asking, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Leng Yue glanced at He'er, "Do I look alright to you? Why don't you go out and see what's going on outside?"

Without saying a word, He'er lifted the curtain and went out. He'er said something, but her voice was too low for Leng Yue to hear.

He'er came in again soon. "There are some stones on the road ahead. The Imperial Guards are clearing them away. It will be fine soon."

Leng Yue nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "He'er, do you have any ointment I can apply? It still hurts quite a bit."

Leng Yue touched her forehead, feeling as if she had touched a large bump. It seemed that the impact had been quite severe.

He'er opened the hidden compartment under the soft stool, took out the ointment, and applied it to Leng Yue.

While applying the medicine to Leng Yue, He'er said expressionlessly, "She has developed red bumps, but this medicine is very effective. She will recover quickly after applying it."

"It's really good. It feels cool and the pain isn't so bad anymore." Leng Yue looked at He'er in surprise. "Where did this ointment come from? How come it works so well?"

He'er put the ointment back into the hidden compartment, explaining, "This was personally prepared by Imperial Physician Feng. It contains Tian Shan snow lotus, and there wasn't much of it made. It was originally intended for the Empress Dowager to use for beauty enhancement, but the Empress Dowager felt sorry for you, so she asked me to bring a bottle for you to keep on hand."

Leng Yue was completely unsure how to react. Her own mother had sent her a gift, and she only found out by asking an outsider. She really didn't know whether to say that the mother and daughter had a good relationship or not.

Finally, Leng Yue chose the safest response: "Then I am truly grateful for Mother's concern. Please remember to send some gifts to Mother to express my gratitude on my behalf. Do not forget."

He'er agreed softly, and neither of them mentioned thanking her in person. What was there to say? One was directly involved and knew that Empress Dowager Feng didn't want to see her. The other was Empress Dowager Feng's person and knew about the grudges between the mother and daughter. Why bother saying anything? It would only make them look foolish!

Just as He'er had predicted, the carriage soon started moving again. With the clattering sound of the carriage moving forward, Leng Yue began to feel drowsy.

Because of the daily court sessions, Leng Yue felt severely sleep-deprived. She was dragged out of bed at 3 AM every day, and after some commotion, she was forced to sit on the dragon throne as a mascot. Even back in her palace, she had to worry about her safety, what she ate, and what she needed; there was never a moment of relaxation.

Evening finally arrived, but Leng Yue was once again disturbed by various petty thieves. In any case, since arriving here, Leng Yue's overwhelming feeling was simply exhaustion!