Chapter 24
Chapter Summary: By Chance.
The Night Wanderer was stunned for a while: "Fairy Yu Jing, please don't make things difficult for this little fairy."
“You must have heard about the Heavenly Emperor and the Third Princess. If they fell in love at first sight, then tonight is of utmost importance,” Yu Jing analyzed. “Night Wanderer, please help me. The Heavenly Court will not notice if you use celestial magic in the mortal realm.”
"Night Wanderer!" Yu Jing called out again when he saw Night Wanderer hesitate.
The Night Wanderer pondered in silence for a long while before lowering his eyes and replying, "Alright, but Fairy Yu Jing, I will only grant you one hour. After one hour, my magic will disappear on its own. I hope you understand."
"Alright, one hour it is." Seeing that the Night Wanderer had finally relented, Yu Jing didn't dare to say anything more and immediately agreed, "Thank you, Night Wanderer."
“Fairy, you needn’t be so polite,” the Night Wanderer said. “However, you must remember that the magic will disappear in one hour.”
"Okay," Yu Jing replied.
That night, at the Zheng residence.
Even though it was raining, lanterns were still hanging high in front of the Zheng residence, and guests came and went in an endless stream. Xie Xuan and Xie Jin were sitting in the carriage. When they left the residence, it was still slightly light, but now that they had arrived at the Zheng residence, it was completely dark.
The carriage slowed down, and a lively murmur filled the air. Xie Xuan leaned closer to the window, lifted the curtain, and glanced outside. The rain, illuminated by the lanterns in front of the mansion, shimmered like glass beads. A little further away, servants were busy pulling carriages and guiding guests into the mansion. Even the rain didn't dampen the bustling atmosphere of the Zheng residence.
"General, sir, we've arrived." Xie Yi's voice came through the rain. The carriage curtain was quickly lifted, and Xie Xuan stood up first, jumping to the ground in the rain. A thin layer of water had already accumulated on the ground, and Xie Xuan's jump splashed up a small water droplet. His robes at his feet were wet, the colors varying in shade, but Xie Xuan didn't care at all.
After Xie Xuan dismounted from the carriage, a low stool was already placed under the carriage shaft. Xie Jin stepped onto the stool to dismount, and immediately a servant came over to escort the guest.
"This humble servant greets General Xie and Lord Xie." The servant greeted him with a smile.
Xie Yi reached out and handed over the invitation. The red invitation was quite eye-catching.
The servant took the package, but without opening it, he beckoned the men inside: "Please, gentlemen."
It was bustling inside; the sounds of people clamoring could be heard from afar. A servant led the people to the corridor and guided them eastward.
Yu Jing stood with the Night Wanderer under the eaves, watching the people coming and going. Yu Jing had just found the Third Princess, but Xie Xuan was nowhere to be seen. Yu Jing sighed anxiously, "Night Wanderer, the Heavenly Emperor hasn't arrived yet. Does that time count as one hour?"
"Fairy Yu Jing, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that it violates the heavenly rules!" Night Wanderer said helplessly.
Yu Jing reached out and patted the Night Wanderer on the shoulder, glanced at the sky, and said with a look of despair, "Half the time has already passed! When is the Heavenly Emperor coming?!"
The Night Wanderer keenly sensed Xie Xuan's presence and exclaimed excitedly, "Fairy, the Heavenly Lord... the Heavenly Lord has arrived."
"Really!" Yu Jing looked up and saw a servant leading Xie Jin and Xie Xuan towards them from a distance. Lanterns hung down, and Xie Xuan stood out the most among the crowd. His dark purple robes accentuated his fair and noble skin. He seemed to have little interest in the banquet, his eyelids slightly lowered as he casually followed along.
Yu Jing and the Night Wanderer followed behind them into the hall. Upon seeing Xie Jin and Xie Xuan enter, those drinking and dining inside rose to greet them. Yu Jing had already inquired with the Night Wanderer; perhaps due to the rain, the Zheng residence had divided the banquet area into two sections, east and west. The Third Princess was already seated on the west side, which was full, so Xie Xuan was seated on the east side. However, towards the back of the main hall, there was a row of guest rooms for guests to rest, accessible to guests from both sides. Zheng Leqing's boudoir happened to be on the east side, which was what Yu Jing needed to be wary of. It wouldn't be good if the Third Princess ran into Xie Xuan in the corridor on her way back to her room.
The two squatted in the corner, watching Xie Jin and Xie Xuan take their seats and talk to the guests at the table. Night Wanderer yawned and said, "Fairy Yu Jing, in my humble opinion, the chances of the Heavenly Lord and the Third Princess meeting are really slim. Perhaps we should head back soon."
“You don’t understand. Sometimes, fate and destiny just happen by chance,” Yu Jing replied. “Quickly use your magic to check if the Third Princess is still in her seat.”
"Alright," Night Wanderer replied, making a hand gesture.
The two sat nearby, watching them enjoy their meal. Yu Jing reached out and touched her stomach, thinking that she should have had a proper dinner before coming out, so she wouldn't be so hungry now.
Although Xie Xuan was a newcomer to the officialdom, he still had Xie Jin's influence, and his own official rank was not low, so many people offered him toasts. Amidst the passing of cups and the clinking of glasses, Xie Xuan drank quite a bit.
"Fairy Yu Jing, do you think the Heavenly Lord is a little drunk?" Night Wanderer asked, approaching Yu Jing.
Yu Jing looked up and saw Xie Xuan sitting in his seat, not very upright, and the tips of his ears were quite red. His eyes were a little hazy, and his face, which was delicate, was now covered with a thin layer of alcohol. He was also dressed in dark purple, which made him look even more like a playboy.
“I’ve only ever seen the Heavenly Emperor in his proper state before. Now that I’ve seen him as a mortal, showing this side of himself, it’s quite unusual.” As the Night Wanderer spoke, before he could finish, he reminded Yu Jing, “Fairy, the Third Princess has gotten up from her seat. It sounds like she’s going back to her room.”
Before the Night Wanderer myth could be finished, Xie Jin's voice rang out from the side.
"Xuan'er, would you like to rest in the back corridor for a while? Your father has had some hangover soup made."
Xie Xuan had been drinking and was a little slow to react. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, "Alright."
After saying that, he stood up and prepared to walk out of the hall.
"Fairy Yu Jing." Night Wanderer looked at Xie Xuan as he stood up and then anxiously looked at Yu Jing.
Yu Jing's mind worked quickly, and she immediately said, "You disguise yourself as a servant and lead Xie Xuan to the guest room, while I deal with the Third Princess."
As Yu Jing spoke, she turned and walked towards the west hall.
"Hey, Fairy Yu Jing, which room should we lead her to?" Before the Night Wanderer could finish speaking, Yu Jing's figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The Night Wanderer watched Xie Xuan walk away, sighed, walked to a corner, made a hand seal, and transformed into the appearance of a servant.
The Night Wanderer stood at the entrance of the corridor, waiting for Xie Xuan to come over and greet him, "Young Master, are you going to the back corridor?"
“Exactly,” Xie Yi replied after glancing at him.
"Let me lead you there, young master," the Night Wanderer continued.
"Okay." Xie Xuan followed the Night Wanderer.
The Night Wanderer was quick and soon led Xie Xuan to an empty guest room. "Please, young master."
Just as Xie Xuan was about to go inside, he suddenly stopped and turned around. Night Wanderer's heart was in his throat when he heard Xie Xuan say, "Ayi, go back to the banquet. There won't be any problems at the Zheng residence. When you need to go back to the residence later, just come and find me."
Xie Yi nodded and replied, "Yes."
Xie Yi didn't leave until he saw Xie Xuan go inside and the door close.
Seeing Xie Xuan enter the guest room, the Night Wanderer breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look for Yu Jing. In his haste, he didn't turn the sign in front of the door around.
Just as Yu Jing reached the west hall, she found a corner, recited the incantation that the Night Wanderer had instructed her to use before setting off, and transformed into a maid.
Since the Third Princess had just come out of the West Hall, she hadn't gone far. Yu Jing walked quickly along the corridor and soon saw Zheng Leqing's back in front of her.
Calming himself, he lowered his head and quickly walked to Zheng Leqing's side, saying, "Miss."
Zheng Leqing and her two maids were a little surprised to see a girl suddenly appear. Her head maid, Qingyun, first looked her over carefully, and then asked, "Where are you from? You look unfamiliar."
Yu Jing lowered her head and replied, "This servant works in the kitchen; you are probably unfamiliar with me, sister."
Yu Jing replied quickly and showed no sign of guilt, which put the others at ease. Qingyun then asked, "Did you come here for something?"
"My lord sent me to find you, Miss, saying he has something important to tell you," Yu Jing said resolutely. Her palms began to throb slightly. Startled, she realized the Night Wanderer's magic was about to end. She couldn't talk to Zheng Leqing any longer; she had to hurry and find the Night Wanderer.
Anyway, no matter how hard they search, they won't be able to find her, and if they want to hold her accountable, it won't be Yu Jing's problem.
"Really?" Qingyun asked, half believing and half doubting. "What could Master possibly want? Why didn't he send Ah Xin to deliver the message?"
"Well, this servant doesn't know. I was just serving the dishes when the master told me this. I've relayed his message. If Miss has no further instructions, I'll take my leave now." Yu Jing said, and quickly turned and walked towards the back corridor.
Yu Jing acted quickly, and another maid beside Zheng Leqing spoke up: "What an impolite girl! We must teach the maids in the manor a good lesson in the future. How can we allow them all to be so unruly!"
"Alright, since Father is looking for me, I should go and see. If something is wrong, it wouldn't be good to delay." Zheng Leqing said, glancing at Yu Jing's retreating figure.
"yes."
Yu Jing was walking down the corridor when she realized something was wrong. She quickly turned around and glanced at the signs in front of the rooms down the corridor. She had inquired with Night Wanderer earlier when they arrived; if there were guests in the guest rooms in the back corridor, the signs would be painted red.
Yu Jing glanced around, walked to the nearest guest room, and pushed the door open. As she reached out, Yu Jing noticed her ten fingers adorned with red nail polish. Luckily, she moved quickly; if she had reverted to Sheng Hua in front of Zheng Leqing, Zheng Leqing would probably have been terrified.
Yu Jing pushed the door open, breathed a sigh of relief, and closed it.
A candle was lit in the room, casting a dim light. Yu Jing walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, and was about to drink it when she heard noises from the inner room.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
When Yu Jing heard the sound, her mind went blank, and she stiffened, turning her head slightly to the side.
Xie Xuan stood in front of the silk tapestry landscape screen, looking at her blankly, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.
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