Chapter 56 A commoner girl hides a beauty in a dilapidated house because she is afraid of pain.
"Even with superb martial arts skills, it's hard to guard against people's hearts." Li Changling lowered his hand helplessly. "Besides, I'm no longer the number one in the world."
"Why did Consort Shu do this?" Wang Zhen released Shen Minghuai, the coldness in his eyes spreading throughout the room.
"Perhaps it's for the sake of King Wei."
Shen Minghuai had lost a lot of weight in the past month and remained silent throughout the journey, his eyes open only to keep moving forward.
"Young master, the person has arrived," Liu'er called from outside the door.
Wang Zhen hurriedly opened the door and asked anxiously, "How is it?"
"Our men found traces of the lady at the Laifu Inn. Following the clues, we found her..."
The one who came to deliver the message was Bai Baidao himself.
"What's wrong with her?!" Shen Minghuai shouted.
Bai Baidao blurted out in one breath, "Entered the palace."
Inside Huarong Palace, a kitten with heterochromia was held and played with by Consort Shu for a while before Yuan Chun took it outside to eat fish. Not long after, Qian Xu strode into the palace, then realized his impropriety and slowed down.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Consort Shu picked up a piece of sweet cake made of osmanthus and glutinous rice, "Has Huai'er returned to the capital?"
Qian Xu approached with small steps, "How did Mother know?"
Just as Yuan Chun was about to order someone to close the door, Consort Shu called out, "Bring some snow pears and grapes."
Just as Qian Xu was about to speak, Consort Shu added, "Huai'er loves these sweet cakes. Take some with you when you take them out of the palace. The ones made outside can never compare to those in the palace."
"Your Majesty, I have come here to inform you that Minghuai has found evidence to overturn my uncle's case." Qian Xu had been secretly observing his mother's expression, but he could not discern anything from it.
Consort Shu nodded slightly, "I have always believed in Huai'er's abilities."
Qian Xu casually asked, "Does Mother know Jingxin's whereabouts?"
"How would I know where that monk is?" Consort Shu's expression remained unchanged. "Huai'er has been chasing him out of the capital for months, and still hasn't found him?"
Qian Xu stopped what he was doing, looked up, and said, "That monk is in the capital."
Consort Shu seemed unsurprised. "In that case, they've made a wasted trip."
Qian Xu placed his hands on his knees, his fingers slightly clenched. "Does Mother still remember Wang Yan, the only daughter of the Minister of Revenue?"
Yuan Chun brought over the fruit platter, glanced at Qian Xu, then closed the palace door and left. Consort Shu then said, "You even called me in for a proper look at you at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, so of course I remember. What's wrong?"
Qian Xu then adopted an indifferent attitude, "Nothing much. I heard she was kidnapped by bad guys and has been missing for over a month."
Consort Shu's tone remained indifferent, "Such a thing has happened. Who kidnapped them?"
Qian Xu replied, "I have heard that the person's name is called 'Half-sound'."
"You mean, I kidnapped them?"
Qian Xuxuan quickly changed his tune: "That's not what I meant. It's also possible that Third Brother kidnapped him to threaten the Wang family."
Consort Shu said disdainfully, "If you want to win over the Ministry of Revenue, why not just change course? Why bother with all this trouble?"
“Mother is right.”
Having achieved his purpose in entering the palace, Qian Xu exchanged a few words of concern and was about to leave when Consort Shu called him back.
"Did you visit your father today? It seems Prince Su also came to the palace."
Qian Xu didn't take it to heart. His fourth brother was just a prince, and he could only enter the palace to pay his respects on a rare occasion. So how could he not be attentive to his mother?
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities." Emperor Yue was helped into the hall by Consort Chen. "I'm getting old and can't stand the wind. My head will start to ache soon."
"Empress Dowager is still in good health even at her advanced age, let alone the Emperor who is in his prime. Perhaps he hasn't rested well recently. Why don't you rest in my palace for a while?" Consort Chen replied gently.
Emperor Yue placed Consort Chen's hand on his and patted it gently. "Yao'er is in for a treat today. Those people in the Imperial Kitchen should really learn from you."
Consort Chen lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, "Your Majesty is making fun of me again. How can my cooking skills compare to those of the Imperial Kitchen? It's just that Yao'er has entered the palace, and as a mother, I always want to do my best and make a fool of myself in front of Your Majesty."
"No need to be modest." The Yue Emperor sat down at the table with a smile. "Today, I am enjoying a good day with the Fourth Prince."
Qian Yao followed slowly behind, saying, "It is your son who has benefited from Father Emperor's favor."
After lunch, Qian Yao tactfully left Yiyao Palace. Emperor Yue closed his eyes and rested his head on Consort Chen's lap, seemingly enjoying the massage.
"Your courtyard is quiet, but it's a bit remote."
Consort Chen was busy with her hands and her mouth at the same time. "I am not very good at talking and I don't interact much with the other ladies in the palace. I just like to grow some flowers and plants, which makes me happy."
"Flowers and plants alone are not enough."
Not long after Emperor Yue left, several boxes of brocade and jewels were carried to Yiyao Palace. Consort Chen leaned against the setting sun to express her gratitude for the imperial favor, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost time for the ceremony. Qin Zhu was helping Consort Chen undress when Yun Xiang rushed in in a panic and hurriedly bowed.
"Your Majesty, next door... next door..."
Qin Zhu gently scolded, "What's the matter? You're in such a panic, and you can't even speak clearly."
"Your Majesty, there's a ghost next door!"
Qin Zhu frowned and said, "How could there be ghosts in this world? Stop talking nonsense in front of the Empress."
Yunxiang suddenly knelt down, "This servant didn't lie! It really is..."
Consort Chen helped her up. "Just as Qin Zhu said, there are no ghosts or gods in this world. Perhaps you misheard. You don't need to keep watch tonight. You two can go and rest."
Yunxiang wanted to say something, but Qinzhu pulled her out.
"Sister Qinzhu, I heard it yesterday too, it really is true..."
In fact, Consort Chen also heard it. A dark figure leaped onto the roof, and a faint light shone from the long-abandoned courtyard next to Yiyao Palace. Footsteps gradually approached, and when the person pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped down from the palanquin, she realized that it was Emperor Yue! Hiding a mistress in a dilapidated house, he was so afraid of being discovered by Consort Shu.
Consort Chen crouched quietly on the roof, expecting to wait a long time, but unexpectedly, Emperor Yue came out coughing after only a short while. Only after Emperor Yue sat in his palanquin and left the side courtyard did she go back and quietly change out of her night clothes.
For the next three days, she checked the entrance every day. The Emperor only visited every other day, which was relatively restrained. However, the courtyard was so desolate that it didn't seem like he showed her much affection. Suddenly, she heard a cat meow.
This afternoon, Yunxiang noticed that Tuanzi was missing. She assumed Princess Xiangyang had taken her away again and that she would return in the evening, but it turned out she had gone to the side courtyard next door. She must have slipped in while they were delivering meals.
The Emperor Yue will not be coming tonight. Consort Chen originally intended to quietly bring Tuanzi back, but suddenly heard someone inside the room say.
Who is it?
Perhaps it was the kitten's meow that gave her away. Consort Chen, confident in her light-footed skills, landed without stepping on anything. She intended to leave immediately, but the person inside said again, "Could you leave this kitten here to keep me company?"
Wang Yan couldn't see where the person was, but she could sense that she hesitated. Then she spoke again: "I've been locked up here for almost half a month, unable to get out or in, and I don't have any friends to talk to. Could you please have mercy and let her stay?"
The girl's plea softened her heart, and Consort Chen put the dumpling down. The raccoon cat did not run to the door again, but just circled around Consort Chen's feet.
Wang Yan never saw the raccoon again, knowing it had returned to its owner. What did her feeding it matter?
She leaned weakly against the door and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Oh well."
The visitor, carrying a kitten, walked to the door and sat down, saying, "I'll keep you company for a bit."
Wang Yan turned around hastily, but didn't know where to begin. She was in a predicament, facing a complete stranger in a completely unfamiliar place. What could she talk about? What should she talk about?
After a moment of silence, the person outside the door did not leave, but said softly to her, "No rush, take your time to think about it."
Wang Yan's anxious heart gradually calmed down, and she remembered the snow fox.
"Let me tell my sister a story."
A young woman once went into the mountains to gather herbs and was caught in a heavy snowfall. A fox and an old woman rescued her. The young woman fell seriously ill as a result and never recovered. It was this fox who kept her company during those bitter days spent soaking in medicinal soup. The fox's cleverness seemed to be innate. This snow fox especially loved to drink. Once, she even dug up the osmanthus wine that her master had buried under a tree, drank it until she was completely drunk, and the smell of alcohol lingered for several days.
The young woman had always known that, for the two weeks since the fox had come with her, it would spend half an hour each day on the mountaintop, gazing at the unseen snow-capped mountain, at where it had come from. As the seasons changed, the young woman's illness gradually improved, and she secretly wished to stay a little longer. Unexpectedly, a hunter suddenly came to her door, wanting to buy her snow fox. After firmly refusing, she quietly descended the mountain that very night and sent the fox home.
Having just recovered from a serious illness, the young woman did not feel bitter despite the hardships of her journey, but rather enjoyed a carefree period. Only after seeing the old woman at the foot of the mountain did she feel at ease and begin her journey home.
Wang Yan stopped there. It was very quiet outside, and she couldn't see her shadow. Perhaps the raccoon was asleep.
The person outside the door tactfully asked, "And then?"
Wang Yan smiled into the darkness, but before the smile reached his eyes, he fell silent for a moment under the shadows before saying in a hoarse voice, "Hunting for the skin."
Silence returned outside the door. Wang Yan was not as good as Li Changling; his stories were always vivid and engaging. If she couldn't tell her story well, would she even be able to get out?
"Child, this is not your fault."
There was a rustling sound outside the door, and the person said again, "I will come to hear your story again in one more day."
That night, Wang Yan dreamed of the snow-capped mountain again. Wearing a crane-feather cloak hastily given to her by Ying Juntang, and holding a tree branch, she searched for the white lotus standing atop the mountain in the biting wind. She walked for an unknown amount of time; her feet were numb, she could only lift and lower them numbly, her heels frozen to her shoes, drained of color, and she felt no pain.
But this time she didn't fall. She chased after the snow fox, only to lose track of it again and again. The world was white, she was white, and the snow fox was white too. Who was she, and where was she?
A knock sounded at the door, and Wang Yan opened her eyes abruptly, cold sweat still beading on her forehead. She remembered what that person had said yesterday.
"Child, this is not your fault."
As night fell, when Emperor Yue appeared with a Taoist priest, Wang Yan was gazing intently at the osmanthus tree. She had picked up this osmanthus tree by the door when her maid wasn't looking.
"The scriptures say that to refine elixirs, one must take the blood from the heart when the person's qi and blood are abundant. Daoist, do you think it's the right time now?" Emperor Yue's cough seemed to be getting worse.
Wang Yan snorted coldly, "The scriptures were translated by my master's wife, and no one knows the ins and outs better than me. Does Your Majesty dare to believe the words of that quack Taoist priest?"
The Yue emperor roared, "You must not disrespect the Daoist priest!"
The Taoist priest waved his hand, looking at the thin girl in front of him with amusement, "Then tell me, what did your master's wife say?"
“It can be refined without heart’s blood.” Wang Yan put down the osmanthus flower and used the momentum to stand up straight.
Emperor Yue sat down, leaning on a chair. "I said I would let you go once the elixir was completed, and I would also send many rewards to the Prince's residence. The sooner the elixir is completed, the sooner you can return home. Why delay?"
Emperor Yue always intentionally or unintentionally displayed the majesty of the imperial family, and Wang Yan could only try his best not to care, his ten fingers twisting together under his sleeves.
"This humble woman is afraid of pain."
Before the two people opposite could speak, Wang Yan continued, "Heart blood is no different from other blood in the body. Moreover, my senior brother and I cultivate the Supreme Yang Heart Method, and our true energy flows throughout our entire body. It is not only heart blood that has this effect. Although taking heart blood will not be fatal, it will make a person extremely weak after one time, and it will take time to recover. If it is not effective after one time, can Your Majesty afford to wait?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all was silent. The Yue Emperor half-closed his eyes, gripped the wooden chair tightly with both hands, and frowned deeply.
"presumptuous!"
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