Xie Xuanzhao rode back at full speed and found everything peaceful and calm. It seemed that he had arrived just in time.
She dismounted and first escorted Liu Qinglan back to the phoenix chariot.
Yan Mo immediately jumped off the carriage to greet them, followed by Lu Lu and Jiang Wen Wen.
"Empress, you are finally back!" Yan Mo seemed to have seen a savior and was almost about to hold the Empress' hands.
Xie Xuanzhao glanced at Jiang Wenwen behind her, knowing full well. Since Liu Qinglan had told her it was a sharp-nosed snake, she couldn't help but take a few more glances. "Yanmo, I need to go visit my brother. You come with me."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yan Mo breathed a sigh of relief as she could finally get rid of the person behind her temporarily.
Liu Qinglan stood aside and winked at the beautiful queen, indicating that he would wait here for her to come back.
Only then did Xie Xuanzhao go to the head of the Xie family with peace of mind.
Lulu waited for them to leave, then rushed over to carefully check Liu Qinglan to see if she was injured. "Your Majesty, where have you been with the Queen these past two days?"
Liu Qinglan smiled and said, "I'm going to do good deeds~"
"I can only sit here and wait. Oh, and the old lady is waiting with us too." Lulu concealed her gossipy expression and looked at Jiang Wenwen beside her.
Liu Qinglan felt a little guilty now, having told the Empress everything about Jiang Wenwen. So, she rolled her eyes and said, "Lulu, my mother is quite naughty, so you might have to work hard next. Take the old lady back to my carriage first."
Jiang Wenwen looked at the Willow Fairy in front of her with amusement. She was planning something. She just wanted to get her out of the way so that she could continue to be alone in the same carriage with her beautiful queen.
She thought of the evil spirits that had been surging nearby in recent days. For some reason, they were becoming more and more numerous, as if they were all gathering here. The Feifei in front of her had only been enlightened for a few hundred years, and her spiritual power was still shallow, so it was not enough to deal with these evil spirits. Therefore, Jiang Wenwen decided to go to the Peach Blossom Demon to discuss it. Now that Liu Qinglan was back, she could leave here with peace of mind for the time being.
Jiang Wenwen then said, "I've been here for a few days and I've found that there are too many rules and regulations. I really can't adapt. Well, I guess I'm not destined for wealth and luxury. I'd rather not join you in the palace and enjoy the good life."
Lulu was surprised, "Then did the old lady go somewhere?"
"Once we arrive in Kyoto, there will naturally be a place to rest. You don't have to worry." Jiang Wenwen waved her hand, then turned around and left tremblingly.
Liu Qinglan looked at her back curiously, wondering why she changed her mind again. She looked like she was going to do something.
"My Lady, why don't you ask your mother to stay? I think the old lady is old and it's really worrying for her to be alone outside."
Liu Qinglan came back to his senses, coughed, and said, "My mother is in good health, so it's okay. Keeping her here will only restrict her, which is not good."
Lulu didn't say anything more and began to ask in detail about what had happened in the past two days.
Before Xie Xuanzhao entered the door, he heard a few chirping birds.
She quickly lifted the car curtain and saw her brother sitting by the window with a fat little chick perched on his fingertips. The bird was very well-behaved and looked very cute.
"Ayin."
Patriarch Xie quickly withdrew his hand, and the fat little bird flew onto his shoulder and chirped a few more times.
"Is this the bird you raised?" Patriarch Xie asked when he saw the little fat bird suddenly getting excited.
Xie Xuanzhao smiled and shook his head. "She was raised in the mountains and is used to being free. But a friend of mine recognizes her and calls her Ah Yin. She was helping us deliver a letter, so why was she detained by my brother? Why not let her go back to the mountains?"
Patriarch Xie spread his hands. "That night, I was afraid she'd fly out alone and get into trouble, so I kept her there overnight. But the next morning, when I opened the window, she refused to fly away and just lingered by my side."
Xie Xuanzhao couldn't help but reach out and touch the plump little bird. Seeing that she really wanted to stay, he stopped talking. This bird was already a spirit, a spirit, so whether she stayed or left, she naturally had her reasons.
"Brother, I've returned from Qingfeng Town. It seems that the evil spirits were intentionally nurtured by Lin Yulang. Now he's feeding them with the souls of those who died from the plague. It seems his goal is to target the emperor."
Patriarch Xie's expression froze. "I've already warned His Majesty, but he can't get over the temptation of male beauty. Lin Yulang is incredibly skilled, and he's completely bewildered. We've warned him once, and if we do it again, he'll probably become suspicious and disgusted, thinking you're jealous of your male favorite. So, there's no need to bring this up again."
Xie Xuanzhao's face was solemn. "I'm afraid the emperor's life is in danger. Our entire clan placed him on the throne, hoping he would bless the Xie family and protect our mother clan. But now he's so foolish and incompetent. It's truly disappointing."
"Fortunately, we still have the young prince, so there's still hope for the future." Patriarch Xie said calmly, "Sister, you must not take the initiative to go to the emperor and accuse Lin Yulang. This evil spirit thing is too illusory. If word of it reaches the court, it will surely cause panic. So for now, we can only wait and see. If we find something amiss, we will take action immediately."
Xie Xuanzhao pursed his lips, afraid that it would be too late.
Yan Mo helped her get off the carriage. Xie Xuanzhao stood at the footstool and looked at the emperor's sedan chair.
"Miss, the head of the family has already warned you, risking suspicion. If you continue to make suggestions, I'm afraid it will be a thankless task. Concubine Yue is still waiting for you to return. Now there are people in the harem that you need to protect, so you should think about yourself."
Xie Xuanzhao nodded, "Yanmo, let's go back and not talk about this anymore."
Whether it is a blessing or a disaster depends entirely on fate.
The journey back to the palace was uneventful, and Xie Xuanzhao, thinking perhaps he had been overthinking things, felt relieved. This year's autumn hunt had concluded successfully, and the court officials and royal family had all returned safely, so it was natural for them to rest and recuperate.
Liu Qinglan had been trying to figure out how to find the Peach Blossom Demon along the way, but strangely, the Peach Blossom Demon never showed up. If Tao Xi hadn't been there the whole time, she would have thought the Peach Blossom Demon had left.
Because the Peach Blossom Demon said she couldn't go anywhere and could only stay by Tao Xi's side. If she didn't show up now, she might have deliberately hidden her tracks. Also, with so many people on the road, it really wasn't easy for her, a Peach Blossom, to show up too often.
Liu Qinglan was preoccupied with questions, and had so many she wanted to ask Taohua that she was practically raring to go. She'd been frantically reading the ancient tome she'd borrowed from Huai Dan these past few days, hoping to find a way to allow humans and fairies to share the same lifespan.
The result was naturally nothing. Liu Qinglan was very distressed. After returning to Qinglan Palace, he just squatted on the chair and sighed in a daze.
Xie Xuanzhao had no time to be in a daze. She had just returned to the palace and there were a lot of things waiting for her to deal with. In addition, the concubines who could not accompany the emperor this time and had to stay in the palace came to pay their respects and ask for rewards.
So after she returned to Chenxin Palace, before she had time to take a shower and rest, she was already in a rush. As the lights came on, the people who came to greet her gradually dispersed.
Seeing that her mistress looked tired, Yan Mo said, "My Lady, why don't you take a bath and rest for a while."
Xie Xuanzhao looked at her clothes and felt that it was not a good idea to go to find Liu Qinglan like this.
The air was filled with mist. Xie Xuanzhao, who had been busy for days, was now completely relaxed, soaking in the warm water with his eyes closed to rest.
Liu Qinglan naturally came to mind. This girl was absent-minded and distracted all the way. She must be blaming me for ignoring her along the way and not sticking to me like before.
When Xie Xuanzhao thought of her little appearance, the long-suppressed evil fire in his heart spread out again. It was normal to be addicted to the taste of meat for the first time. I guess Liu Qinglan was the same.
Thinking that she was suffering in Qinglan Palace just like himself, Xie Xuanzhao finished his bath as quickly as possible and then changed into a light palace skirt.
There is really no need to put yourself in such a difficult position, Xie Xuanzhao thought, holding a stack of treasures in his hands.
Lulu was guarding the door. When she saw the familiar glazed palace lantern from afar, her heart skipped a beat and she quickly stood up. When the person came closer, she realized that she was not mistaken. The Empress Dowager had come again!
Lu Lu was extremely apprehensive. She bent down and blocked the doorway, saying, "My queen is bathing and I'm afraid she can't come out to receive the queen right now."
Xie Xuanzhao curved his lips into a smile, "Then I came at the perfect time."
"?" Lulu was stunned, because the Queen's smile was absolutely stunning. This was the first time Lulu had seen her smile so charming. Then, Lulu watched helplessly as the Queen lifted the curtain and walked briskly into the steamy chamber.
It was quiet all around, with smoke rising from the incense. The incense was made of rose petals and borneol, which was very sweet and delicate. Xie Xuanzhao walked over quietly. Before he saw the little beauty bathing, he heard a faint sigh coming from behind the light pink gauze curtain.
The sigh of the little fairy Liu was gentle and lingering, just like a sad girl in the boudoir who was too lazy to go up to the Wangjiang Tower after washing and combing her hair, with the flowers falling before her eyes in the wind and water.
The Empress, feeling she had neglected the young beauty for too long, felt a surge of remorse and love. She reached out and parted the curtain, only to see Liu Qinglan soaking in warm water, her snow-white shoulders dimly visible in the mist. She was holding a yellowed book in her hands, sighing with every sentence she read.
Xie Xuanzhao watched this scene, then silently looked at the book in his arms. He thought that this girl was very conscious and felt very relieved.
She quietly walked over, covered Liu Qinglan's eyes with her hands, and said in a low and tender voice, "Let me see what this is."
Liu Qinglan was suddenly hugged from behind by the Beauty Queen. She frantically put the book away, as if it were something she couldn't face. She didn't want to be discovered searching for a way to achieve the same lifespan and fate. If there was one, the surprise would be gone. If not, her premature happiness would only lead to disappointment.
Xie Xuanzhao thought she was just shy because he'd caught her secretly reading that kind of book. So he tapped her nose and said, "Why are you shy? You have to learn anyway."
Liu Qinglan murmured, "Hmm?" What are you learning? Then she realized she was still naked in the warm water. Looking at the beautiful queen in the light gauze dress before her, she understood instantly.
The beautiful sister finally came to seek pleasure with me!
The author has something to say: Beauty Queen: Well, I know that you have been losing your appetite and absent-minded these days because I have neglected you.
Little Fairy Liu jumped up and down: No way, I’m thinking about something very important!
Beauty Queen: Oh, that means you don’t want to. Then I’ll go back.
A claw pulled her sleeve: Ahem, I need to warm up.
Finally all the foreshadowing has been laid, and what follows is basically the story of the two of them being affectionate in the harem.
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