Chapter 13 Su Yuyao is missing

Su Yuyao listened to the lectures all morning as if she were being tortured. If she relaxed or lost focus even slightly, she would be punished with a ruler by Granny Su'e.

Finally, lunchtime arrived, and Su Yuyao dared to speak, "Your Highness Qingyue, it's time for lunch, so I won't disturb you any longer!"

After saying that, he got up to leave.

"Stop!" Qingyue stood up and said, "You'll have dinner with me."

"Huh?!" Su Yuyao suddenly felt dizzy.

On the dining table was an overly bland meal: a few plates of blanched vegetables and a few small white steamed buns.

Su Yuyao stared at the vegetables in front of her with a bitter face, thinking, "This is no human food! Even rabbits would refuse vegetables..."

She looked up and saw Qingyue glaring at her, and suddenly realized that her thoughts had been heard again!

Qingyue said slowly, "Yao'er, if you want to be Xuanfeng's woman, you must be broad-minded, well-mannered, and have a sense of propriety. You must not be petty, never be willful, and always consider Xuanfeng's feelings..."

Su Yuyao sensed something was amiss and interrupted Qingyue, "But Your Highness, I don't want to be Xuanfeng's woman. Do I really need to do all this?"

"You...don't want to be Xuanfeng's woman?" Qingyue asked hesitantly.

"Why would I want to be his woman? I only need his help! I help him achieve his goals, and he helps me get revenge." Su Yuyao said somewhat forlornly, "Once I've gotten my revenge, I'll leave..."

Qingyue frowned as she looked at Su Yuyao, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Yao'er, do you know what Xuanfeng is going to do next?"

"I don't know," Su Yuyao shook her head and said, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Qingyue smiled and said, "Never mind, let's eat."

"Um... Your Highness, I won't be Xuanfeng's woman. Can I not eat these things and not practice meditation?" Su Yuyao said with a smile. "Besides, you've gone to great lengths to train me to be so smart and clever. Wouldn't others know at a glance that I'm useful and would kill me?"

Qingyue looked at Su Yuyao with great surprise. This girl seemed willful and unreasonable, yet she actually had such thoughts?

After Su Yuyao finished speaking, she suddenly realized something: if someone is useful, they will be silenced!

Father was murdered just after guiding Xuanfeng! It seems... someone wants to bring Xuanfeng down! Everything Xuanfeng did was for self-preservation; handing over the Wuji Dao was perhaps a last resort, which explains his dejection. He even asked me when I could retrieve the Wuji Dao... The Earth over Lake hexagram... Kun, representing external use, life force, and the mother element? Who could it be?

Qingyue looked at Su Yuyao and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. "Since you think my cooking is bad, then go back and eat. But remember what you said: don't be Xuanfeng's woman!"

"Of course not! I swear! I will never be Xuanfeng's woman!" Su Yuyao looked up with her chubby little face and raised her chubby little hand, making a solemn promise.

Little did she know that in the near future, she would be proven wrong by those words, and slapped hard.

Although Qingyue couldn't see what future Su Yuyao could have, she felt that the child must have some extraordinary talent. She didn't know if letting her grow up freely was the right thing to do, and she was also afraid that restricting her too much would stifle her talent.

"Sigh..." Qingyue rubbed her temples. What a troublesome child.

"Um..." Su Yuyao carefully lifted her bottom, "Your Highness, I'll take my leave now..."

Before Qingyue could even agree, Su Yuyao lifted her skirt and ran off in a flash.

"White fungus! White fungus! Is there anything good to eat?" Su Yuyao ran into her small courtyard and shouted loudly, as if she had been granted a pardon.

"Eh? Miss Yao'er, you're back?" Bai Er said in surprise. "I thought you were going to dine with the Empress, so I didn't cook..."

"Get me some of the pastries Xuanfeng bought." Su Yuyao entered the room, took off her fur coat, lay down on the bed, and said with her legs crossed, "I'm so bored! I even got a slap on the hand from Granny Su'e! Besides, Her Majesty eats too much vegetarian food! I can't get used to it at all!"

Su Yuyao squinted and thought for a moment, then sat up and said, "Bai Er, there are lots of delicious things to eat in Huangshang City. Let's sneak out and have some good food before we come back."

"That won't do!" Bai Er brought over some pastries and handed them to Su Yuyao, saying, "If we get caught, we'll be punished!"

"As long as we don't get caught, that's fine, isn't it?" Su Yuyao said, rolling her eyes.

"Miss Yao'er, you'd better stay put. The Empress is definitely watching you now!"

"Hey! You're right!" Su Yuyao lay back down, chewing on a pastry as she said, "It's so boring!"

A few days later, Qingyue received a letter from the Heavenly Palace. She unfolded it and saw it was indeed an invitation to Zeyuan's investiture ceremony. She didn't want to participate, but out of respect for her mother, she couldn't refuse. So she deliberately delayed, setting off only at the last minute, hoping to make it in time for the celebratory banquet after the investiture.

Su Yuyao, perched on the rooftop, watched Qingyue and Su'e depart on cranes, cloaks draped over their shoulders. Excitedly, she shouted, "Great! Bai'er! Bai'er! Her Highness and Granny Su'e are off!"

After saying that, she skillfully climbed down from the roof ridge.

"Miss Yao'er! Be careful, don't fall!" Bai Er said anxiously, watching Su Yuyao climbing up and down.

"It's okay! I used to climb trees all the time, I never fell!" Su Yuyao dusted herself off and tugged at Bai Er's sleeve, saying, "Come on! Let's go down the mountain and go to the city for some good food!"

"Ah? This won't do!" Bai Er said timidly.

Su Yuyao, pulling on Bai Er who was half-heartedly resisting, said, "What are you afraid of? The Empress and Granny Su'e are both gone. Which of the remaining fairies would dare to touch me? I was sent by Lord Xuanfeng!"

"But I'm afraid..." Bai Er was pulled out of the courtyard by Su Yuyao, "I'll be punished..."

"Don't worry! If you get punished, I'll take the blame for you! Besides, it's worth it even if you get a beating, as long as you can go out and have some fun!"

Under Su Yuyao's careful persuasion, Bai Er finally gave in, "Alright, Miss Yao'er, but don't come back too late, it would be terrible if something happened."

"No, don't worry!"

The two of them ran down the steps hand in hand and found Bai Migao, who was chewing hay with his eyes closed in the stable.

"Bai Mi Gao! I'm here!" Su Yuyao said, patting Bai Mi Gao's even more chubby belly. "Take us to the city down the mountain for a while!"

"Chirp chirp!" The white rice cake also got excited.

The two children clumsily harnessed themselves to the carriage, put on their fur coats, and drove the carriage toward the mountain gate.

"Miss Yao'er! Bai Er! Where are you going?"

Sure enough, before he had taken more than a few steps, he was blocked by several fairies.

“We’ve already spoken to Her Majesty about going out, and she’s given her permission! Go ask her if you don’t believe me!” Su Yuyao said matter-of-factly.

"Ask Her Majesty? Her Majesty has already set off, where are we supposed to ask? Don't try to find a loophole, hurry back!" The fairy clearly didn't believe Su Yuyao's lie.

"If you can't find out, don't blame me! It's your fault!" Su Yuyao flicked the reins and said, "My horsemanship isn't very good, so don't blame me if I bump into you!"

Upon seeing this, the fairies quickly unfurled their shawls and formed a net in front of the carriage, saying, "If you don't go back, we'll tie you up and take you back!"

"Tie me up?!" Su Yuyao put her hands on her hips and shouted, "You dare?! I have Xuanfeng backing me up! Hongzhu was sent back after she spilled my face powder! If you tie me up, you'll be kicked out!"

Upon hearing this, the fairies were somewhat at a loss. They looked at each other, none of them daring to reach out and tie up Su Yuyao.

Su Yuyao swaggered past several fairies and said, "Get out of the way!"

The fairies were so angry they jumped up and down, "Miss Yao'er! You can't go out!"

Su Yuyao turned around, made a face, and said, "I'm going out!"

Several fairies, seeing this, were about to chase after her again, but they watched as Su Yuyao quickened her pace and drove the carriage through the mountain gate.

"You still dare to chase after me? I only came out with permission! If you step out of the mountain gate, you will be punished!" Su Yuyao spoke righteously, which intimidated the fairies again.

Bai Er was crouching in the car, trembling with fear, when she saw Su Yuyao wink at her with a grin and whisper, "It worked!"

The descent was smooth. Although Bai Er had lived on the mountain for many years, he rarely had the chance to go down and play. This time, he was tricked down the mountain by Su Yuyao, and even though he was being punished, he was still very happy.

Huangshang City was bustling with activity. Bai Er stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, at the people coming and going on the street.

"Miss Yao'er, this place is wonderful! Every time Granny Su'e comes, she brings Hongzhu; I've never been here before!"

"White Ear! You're just too honest! You're not as lively as Red Pearl, of course you're not favored!"

"But I can't learn Hongzhu's tricks either!"

"Hey! Don't you dare try to be like her. I'm not saying this to be mean, but Hongzhu is too cunning, but she doesn't know how to hide her true intentions. She'll get herself killed sooner or later! Just be yourself, and you'll definitely live to be a hundred!"

Su Yuyao parked the carriage in a spacious area, climbed down, and said, "Now, we need to earn some money! With money, we can buy food!"

Bai Er got out of the car and asked, "How do you make money?"

"Come with me!" Su Yuyao pulled Bai Er into the crowd, observing as they walked.

"This time, I really don't know what to do. With the new Heavenly Emperor taking over, I wonder if he'll touch the people below him..."

"That's right. You all think Lord Xuanfeng did a great job, smoothing out all the difficulties and troubles, so why did he hand it over?"

"Xuanfeng?" Su Yuyao quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw a noodle stall where several warriors carrying swords and clubs were eating noodles.

Su Yuyao pulled Bai Er over and asked, "Do you gentlemen also know Lord Xuanfeng?"

"Huh? Where did this little girl come from? Go play over there!"

"I've met Lord Xuanfeng once before. I just heard you talking about a new Heavenly Emperor? What about Lord Xuanfeng?" Su Yuyao asked, seizing the opportunity.

"You've met Lord Xuanfeng before?" A burly man with a full beard looked at Su Yuyao incredulously.

“Exactly!” Su Yuyao said proudly, raising her head. “I have made judgments for Lord Xuanfeng!”

"What?! You?!"

"Yes! It's me! If you don't believe me, ask me a few questions. If I'm right, give me a copper coin, okay?"

"Little girl, you don't look like a beggar..."

"Who said I'm a beggar? What beggar brings a maid?" Su Yuyao angrily interrupted the burly man. "I only asked you for a copper coin because of a family rule that divination never fails! If I really made money this way, would I only ask for a copper coin?"

The burly man became interested and asked, "Then take a look at me... is my wife pregnant with a boy or a girl?"

"Your wife?" Su Yuyao lowered her head in thought, then noticed five bowls on the table. She cast a divination; the bowls represented the Zhen trigram, the upper trigram was Zhen, and there were five bowls in total. She then took the Xun trigram, the lower trigram was Xun, resulting in the primary hexagram, Thunder over Wind (Heng). The time was noon, the first line was moving, and the changing hexagram was Thunder over Heaven (Da Zhuang). The external hexagram was Qian, all yang lines, and it restrained the primary hexagram…

"You're lying!" Su Yuyao looked up and said, "You don't have a wife!"

"Oh?!" The burly man was somewhat surprised. "How did you know?"

"I have my own way of doing things. Just tell me, am I right or wrong?"

The group exchanged smiles, and the burly man nodded, saying, "That's right. Then... let me ask you..."

"Wait! Pay first! One copper coin per question, not more, but not less!"

"Good!" The big man smiled and took out a copper coin and placed it on the table.

Su Yuyao turned to the stunned Bai Er and said, "Bai Er, collect the money!"

"The second question is, if a new Heavenly Emperor takes office, what will our future hold?" asked a refined-looking man.

"The road ahead..." Su Yuyao looked up unintentionally and saw a wine flag stuck at the entrance of the tavern next door. Her heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Without solid ground underfoot, head hanging from a beam, swaying in the wind, it is of no practical use."

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this.

"Little girl, what do you mean?"

“If you were Lord Xuanfeng’s former subordinates, you might have been sidelined and rendered useless because of him,” Su Yuyao said earnestly. She hadn’t expected to catch such a glimpse and deduce such meaning.

It seems that Xuanfeng's situation is truly difficult...

"Alright! Here's the money!" The refined-looking man took out a copper coin and placed it on the table. Bai Er carefully put it away.

"The next question is, how should we conduct ourselves?" the refined man continued.

“Isn’t it obvious how to conduct yourself?” Su Yuyao said. “Since you are being sidelined because of Lord Xuanfeng, no matter how hard you try or how much you try to please him, the result will be the same! If you are being swayed by the wind, then just go with the wind and you will naturally find your place.”

"Good!" the refined-looking man nodded and said, "This little girl is indeed remarkable; a few words have enlightened me."

He took out a handful of copper coins and placed them on the table. "Here, take all of these! Consider the extra a reward!"

Su Yuyao glanced at the table; there were five people in total. She found nine copper coins on the table, handed them to Bai Er, and then turned around and curtsied, saying, "For the last two questions, I'll take one copper coin from each person. Subtracting what I already gave, I've taken nine copper coins. I won't accept the reward; please keep the rest. Thank you, sir!"

After saying that, he ran out with Bai Er.

"Uncle! Two candied hawthorns!"

Su Yuyao and Bai Er each held a candied hawthorn stick and strolled down the street, eating as they went.

"Miss Yao'er, how are you so amazing? You know everything!" Bai Er said, looking at Su Yuyao with admiration.

"I'm not that great, I just spoke to their hearts!"

How do you know what they're thinking?

“If they didn’t want to leave, they wouldn’t have asked how they were going to manage. Besides, they’re already here; who knows, they might have already resigned!” Su Yuyao had one candied hawthorn left, so she found a big tree and buried it at the base of the tree.

Bai Er looked somewhat puzzled, but seeing Su Yuyao's slightly sad expression, he didn't press further.

Su Yuyao dragged Bai Er to buy meat buns again. When they ran out of copper coins, they found a few more people, settled a few more disputes, and earned more copper coins, which they used to buy some snacks.

With only two copper coins left, Su Yuyao thought for a moment, then went into the wine shop to perform divination for the owner, exchanging the two copper coins for a pot of strong liquor.

It was getting late. Su Yuyao and Bai Er had played enough and eaten their fill, so they returned to the carriage and, while sipping strong liquor, hurried towards Binglun Palace.

"Miss Yao'er, this wine is so spicy!" Bai Er said, frowning and sticking out her tongue.

"It is a bit spicy! But it's more potent than osmanthus wine!" Su Yuyao took another sip, and a spicy sensation spread through her chest, making her nose start to sweat slightly.

Bai Er, who was drinking for the first time, quickly fell asleep, leaving Su Yuyao alone to drive the chariot in a daze.

Soon, Su Yuyao also began to feel drowsy.

Whoosh!

Su Yuyao felt a chill on her head, reached up to touch it, and huh? Where's the hand warmer?

She looked around in a daze, but the hat wasn't in the carriage. She stopped the carriage and got out to check. The road was covered in snow, and the hat was white. How was she supposed to find it?

Suddenly, Su Yuyao spotted an arrow in the snow in the distance.

"How could this be here..."

"Su Yuyao?"

"Huh?" Su Yuyao turned around and saw a man wearing a veil standing behind her.

Who are you? How do you know me?

The man did not answer, but suddenly grabbed Su Yuyao by the collar and plunged the dagger into her chest with his other hand.

Su Yuyao felt a jolt in her body, and her stomach felt like it was boiling water, churning up and down, and a feeling of suffocation slowly crept over her.

She struggled to raise her hand and grasp the man's wrist. She opened her mouth to speak, but spat out a mouthful of blood.

Bai Mi Gao was shaking his head, waiting for Su Yu Yao. When he saw Su Yu Yao's situation, he quickly pulled the cart and ran away.

The man, holding a dagger, frowned and applied more force, causing Su Yuyao to spit out another mouthful of blood.

I feel so awful, I can hardly breathe; I'm so tired, I just want to sleep...

Su Yuyao lowered her arms, closed her eyes, and suddenly collapsed.

The man picked up Su Yuyao and walked up the snow slope.

Bang!

Below the cliff on the other side of the snow slope, a blood-stained withered flower lay...