"Prince Su Mu?"

Hua Qingcheng, holding a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads, found herself back in that place where the sun was shining, flowers were blooming, and butterflies were dancing.

"Your Highness, I don't want to disturb your rest, but I have something important to ask of you." Su Mutiansheng, dressed in a golden palace dress, bowed to Hua Qingcheng.

"Prince Su Mu, if there is anything you need Qingcheng to do for you, just tell me." Hua Qingcheng also bowed to Su Mu Tiansheng in return.

This is Brother Li's biological father, so it's only right that he should be treated with respect and courtesy...

Upon hearing this, Su Mutiansheng immediately took off the black jade hanging on the vermilion and white jade belt around his waist. He raised his hand and stroked it gently. Then Hua Qingcheng saw Gongsun Muxue, who looked dignified and beautiful, wearing the palace dress of the Crown Princess, appear in front of her.

"Mother."

Hua Qingcheng remembered that the last time they met, Gongsun Muxue had nervously asked her if she could call her "Mother Consort." Thinking of this, Hua Qingcheng simply addressed her as "Mother Consort" this time.

"Daughter-in-law~"

Gongsun Muxue didn't expect that as soon as she came out of the black jade, Hua Qingcheng called her "Mother", which made her heart almost melt.

"Father, Mother, do you have any important tasks that you would like Qingcheng to complete for you?"

Since they already called Gongsun Muxue "Mother Concubine", Hua Qingcheng wouldn't mind calling Duo Su Mutiansheng "Father". Hua Qingcheng knew that these two were very well-educated and would never disturb her when she was sleeping for no reason.

"Brother Sheng, our daughter-in-law is really considerate!" Gongsun Muxue's eyes were slightly red. She glanced at Su Mutiansheng and smiled bitterly.

"Your Highness, to be honest, I asked you to come here because I actually hope you can pay respect to Li Zhen on our behalf."

Su Mutiansheng held back the bitter tears that wanted to burst out, his eyes filled with loneliness and sadness.

"Li Zhen?"

"Who is that?"

Hua Qingcheng twisted the sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hand, a look of confusion on her face.

"Li Zhen, he is Li Ge's younger brother..." Su Mutiansheng's eyes were long, as if he was recalling painful past events.

"Li Ge's younger brother?"

Hua Qingcheng was quite shocked when she heard this. She didn't expect that Brother Li actually had a younger brother, but why had she never heard Brother Li mention it?

"Li Zhen died less than half a day after he was born. Li Ge was only one year old at the time. We didn't tell Li Ge about it because we didn't want him to be sad. So Li Ge didn't know he had a younger brother."

As if to clear up Hua Qingcheng's confusion, Gongsun Muxue's rather sad voice drifted into her ears.

"Today is Li Zhen's birthday, and also... the anniversary of his death." Gongsun Muxue burst into tears, her throat choked with sobs. Su Mutiansheng wiped her tears with his sleeves.

"Birthday? What a coincidence..."

Hua Qingcheng's mind flashed back to the time when Wu Chen smiled and said today was his birthday and asked her to eat a bowl of noodles with him at the noodle stall in the city...

"But……"

Hua Qingcheng looked embarrassed.

"Father, Mother, it's already three quarters past midnight. I'm afraid all the shops outside are closed. In this huge palace, where can Qingcheng find incense and silk for you?"

Unless it is a period of national mourning, sacrificial items such as ingots, incense sticks, candles, etc. are naturally not allowed in the imperial palace, otherwise it would be a crime of great disrespect.

"Daughter-in-law, is there really... no other way?" Gongsun Muxue looked at Hua Qingcheng with eyes full of anticipation.

"It's not that there is no way out. At worst, Qingcheng can just act like a 'gentleman on the beam' and go directly to the paper-making shop in the city to 'borrow' some money. Of course, I will give you the money." Hua Qingcheng twisted her Buddhist beads and thought for a moment.

"Your Highness, it is... not necessary to have scented silk." Su Mutianjun's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Father, please speak."

"The princess's concubine, Yu Liang, is the Holy Son of Zhaoyang State. He comes from the Yu family, which is skilled in soul-conducting and spiritual communication. If we can ask him to find Li Zhen's soul for us, and appease and liberate him, that would be fine."

"Okay, then I'll ask Xiaotian to come over and try it later." Hua Qingcheng couldn't bear to see the two of them sad, so she agreed.

"Your Highness, this jade token is the 'Life Jade Token' that we asked Master Kurumu, the abbot of Tianlong Temple, to consecrate for Li Zhen before he was born." As she spoke, Gongsun Muxue had already taken out a jade token from her waist belt and handed it to Hua Qingcheng.

"What is the Vitality Jade Plate?"

Hua Qingcheng looked at the jade token in her hand with considerable confusion.

This plaque was carved from a crystal-clear, milky-white, yellowish-great jade. It felt warm to the touch, and its color and texture were both excellent. Furthermore, it was engraved with "Su Mu" on one side and "Li Zhen" on the other.

"Your Highness! The 'Life Jade Plate' is unique to the Zhaoyang royal family. It is consecrated by a high-ranking monk before the birth of each prince or princess. It is not only a symbol of royal status, but also a plate that indicates the vitality of the jade plate's owner." Su Mutiansheng explained.

"I can't see any difference between it and an ordinary piece of plaque." Hua Qingcheng rubbed the jade plaque in her hand and looked at it for a while, but couldn't figure out what it was.

"Your Highness, please look!"

Then Hua Qingcheng saw Gongsun Muxue take out another jade token, which also had "Su Mu" written on one side and "Qing Ge" written on the other side. However, the color of this jade token was dull and lifeless.

"Mother, what is this?" Hua Qingcheng looked at Gongsun Muxue in confusion.

"Before Li Zhen was born, we prepared two jade tokens, one for a boy and one for a girl. After Li Zhen was born, the girl's jade token was automatically invalidated, so it looks grayish black."

"According to what my mother said, this jade token will be connected to its owner. But why does Li Zhen's jade token of vitality still look so crystal clear?" Hua Qingcheng asked in confusion.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!