Chapter 86 This is a Gift

stopped in her tracks and went back to look at the mirror; the woman had suddenly turned around so that her back was facing them. A clear orchid-shaped mark was imprinted on it. She instantly underst...Chapter 86 This is a Wedding Gift

Night Tianyu suddenly opened his eyes wide, looking at the old emperor and Night Tianyi in disbelief. He never expected that right after he and Yun Qianmo talked about their wedding here, his father would be arranging a match for him so soon, and it was with Yun Qianmo.

Yun Qianmo's pupils contracted suddenly as she looked at Night Tianyi. Seeing that Night Tianyi wasn't looking back at her but standing there in utmost respect, she turned to look at the old emperor, who had a smile on his face and didn't reveal what he was thinking. The expression on Night Tianqing’s face was complicated when he glanced at Yun Qianmo. Night Qingran frowned slightly as Duke De and Duke Xiao, among other military officials, all wore different expressions. After looking around, she fixed her gaze on Night Tianyu, who looked terrified. She suddenly smiled and said, "Alright then! Uncle Emperor, why don't you give us a royal decree of marriage"

The old emperor clearly hadn’t expected Yun Qianmo to agree so readily and was taken aback for a moment. His smiling eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness.

No expression could be seen on Night Tianyi’s face.

Seeing Night Tianqing, Night Qingran, Duke De, Duke Xiao, and others all instantly change their expressions as they stared at Yun Qianmo, everyone here knew that she had asked the Emperor for a royal decree of marriage to marry Prince Jing because they were betrothed. This news was widely discussed throughout the world and anyone could tell it was true rather than fake. However, seeing Yun Qianmo agree readily now, no one could figure out her thoughts.

"Sister-in-law Moon" Night Tianyu had clearly been shocked too; he turned to look at Yun Qianmo.

Yun Qianmo smiled gently at him and then said to the old emperor, "Uncle Emperor, if you can guarantee that your son will survive past his wedding night after you arrange a match for me, then you go ahead!"

The moment Night Tianyu saw Yun Qianmo’s gentle smile, he trembled. When he heard her last sentence, his face turned paler.

"Moon girl, what are you saying I arranged a marriage for you; how could Tianyu not survive his wedding night" The old emperor looked at Yun Qianmo with a stern expression on his face.

"If you don’t believe me, then let me tell you that it’s true!" Yun Qianmo’s smile didn’t falter as she scanned everyone present and finally fixed her eyes on Night Qingran. She suddenly had an ominous feeling, but before he could say anything, she smiled at him and said clearly, "Night Qingran, show my Uncle Emperor the seventy-two spring drawings I gave you!"

Night Qingran shuddered.

The old emperor was taken aback by this and turned to look at Night Qingran. "Qingran, what are these seventy-two springs"

As soon as the old emperor looked over, Night Qingran’s face immediately turned cold. He said with a solemn expression: "Uncle Emperor, I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"How can you not know" Yun Qianmo took a step closer and thought to herself that Night Qingran's face could change in an instant; it was faster than turning the pages of a book. She snorted at him: "You stole them from me yesterday! How dare you say you don’t know Only fools would believe you!"

"Those are filthy things, and they defile my eyesight; I destroyed them long ago," Night Qingran said in a dark tone. As Yun Qianmo approached him, he warned: "Tell you what, don't come any closer! Or else I’ll treat you roughly!"

"So what if I do" Yun Qianmo suddenly attacked Night Qingran.

Night Qingran immediately retaliated and the two of them started fighting.

"Qingran, stop it!" The old emperor commanded.

Upon hearing this, Night Qingran stopped instantly. However, Yun Qianmo didn’t stop but instead grabbed his wrist like lightning and reached into his sleeve to pull out a stack of drawings that she then showed the old emperor. She raised an eyebrow at Night Qingran: "Didn't you say you destroyed them What are these"

Night Qingran snorted.

Yun Qianmo turned and handed those drawings to the old emperor, saying, "Uncle Emperor, take a look. These belong to me; he took them from me but won’t admit it."

Night Qingran’s face darkened but the person with an even darker face was the old emperor who had seen what was on those drawings. The moment the old emperor read two pages, his temper flared up instantly: "Moon girl, these belong to you"

"Yes." Yun Qianmo admitted readily.

“Where did you get them from” The old emperor’s hand holding the seventy-two springs was trembling.

“I drew them,” Yun Qianmo blinked her eyes.

“You drew them” asked the old emperor.

"Yes, I drew them," said Yun Qianmo as she pointed at Night Qingran. "Ask him if you don’t believe me; he snatched it from me right after I finished drawing."

The old emperor looked at Night Qingran who coldly harrumphed and nodded.

"Why did you draw this" the old emperor asked in a heavy voice.

"It's for my uncle the Emperor’s birthday present!" Yun Qianyue looked at the old emperor with an innocent expression, saying mysteriously: "Aren’t you having your birthday soon I thought and thought about what to give you. Then I remembered that there will be a selection of concubines, so I had a brilliant idea and decided this would be the best gift for you. You are still full of energy in old age; with these instructions, those women can please you even more. So…"

"Nonsense!" The old emperor's face turned red and white in anger, finally interrupting Yun Qianyue: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll order someone to seal your mouth!"

Yun Qianyue looked at the old emperor with a pitiful expression and said softly, "I'm just stating the truth. It was indeed meant as a birthday gift for you."

"Stop talking!" The old emperor was both angry and furious.

Yun Qianyue turned her lips into a pout, stretched out her hand to snatch the blueprint from the old emperor's hand with one quick motion, then stuffed it into her bosom. As if she had just realized something, she said, "If you don't want it, forget it! I've spent so much time on these drawings and you're not going to use them I'll keep them for myself."

The people behind the old emperor were shocked when Yun Qianyue actually snatched a gift from his hand. The closest ones like Nite Tianqing, Nite Tianyi, Duke of De, and Duke of Xiu all saw those papers. Others only caught a glimpse. Nite Tianqing didn't expect that Yun Qianyue would give the picture depicting him and Qin Yujing as Seventy-two Springs to him as a birthday gift; his face turned red then pale then green in an instant. Nite Tianyi's gaze was calm, but there was a slight hint of displeasure at the bottom of his eyes. Duke of De and Duke of Xiu were both sweating coldly, thinking that only Yun Qianyue would do something like this.

The old emperor's hand felt empty; he became even more furious and shouted in anger, "Yue girl!"

"Here! Uncle Emperor, my ears are fine. They wouldn’t be deafened by your loud voice!" Yun Qianyue looked at the old emperor with a slight smile as she saw his obvious displeasure. "If you don't like it, forget it! If this gift doesn't satisfy you, I'll change to something else. Why are you so angry"

The old emperor took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Since it's for my birthday present, why did you draw..." He paused, glanced at Nite Tianqing’s unusually colored face, then said with a heavy heart: "The Crown Prince and Miss Qin from the Chancellor's Manor"

"Because Miss Qin is the first beauty in Heavenly Saint. It's pleasing to the eye to paint her. I painted her because it makes anyone who sees it feel comfortable! Moreover, I wouldn't dare to put someone else together with her. She will be the Crown Prince’s consort; of course, I drew the Crown Prince!" Yun Qianyue blinked innocently.

Nite Tianqing felt slightly better when he saw that Yun Qianyue didn’t reveal his possession of another copy of Seventy-two Springs.

The old emperor still looked furious and turned to Nite Tianyu, asking: "Why were you hugging together"

"He knew I was giving the birthday gift to Uncle Emperor so he kept pestering me to see it. When I said it had been taken by Night Qingran, he didn’t believe it so he hugged me and searched my body, afraid that anyone else would hear or see." Yun Qianyue snorted and glared at Nite Tianyu before turning back to the old emperor: "Uncle Emperor, if you're going to arrange a marriage between us, I'll use Seventy-two Springs on him so he dies before his wedding night!"

Nite Tianyu’s face turned pale in fear. “Father, I don’t want to marry her! Please don't arrange the marriage!”

"Didn't you just come back yesterday How did you know Yue girl drew this" The old emperor looked at Nite Tianyu and asked.

“When I arrived at the palace gate, I met my sister Yue who was coming in. She told me about her birthday gift that she prepared a good one, much better than Miss Qin’s hundred longevity pictures. I got curious so I wanted to see it.” Nite Tianyu lied as if he was telling the truth.

"Nonsense! Both of you are nonsense!" The old emperor glared at both of them in anger before turning to Night Qingran and saying, "You too! You all make me worry!"

Night Qingran’s face turned pale. “Uncle Emperor, just punish Yun Qianyue for your peace of mind! Otherwise, she will mess up everyone in Heavenly Saint Capital with her nonsense every day!”

"Are you any better You're not much different from me! Fifty paces laughing at a hundred! How did the title 'Little Demon King' come to you Wasn’t it because you stirred up Heavenly Saint Capital so thoroughly that you were driven out of the city by Duke of De" Yun Qianyue snorted and didn't give in.

"I've changed!" Night Qingran said.

“So have I!” Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes at him.

"Is this what you call changing How did Seventy-two Springs come about" Night Qingran snapped, "If you could change, even a dog can stop eating **!"

Yun Qianyue instantly grew angry. You damned Night Qingran, even if you were pretending, there was no need to curse so fiercely She immediately became furious: "You can change, then why can't dogs stop eating ** Did you not do many things that are as bad as a dog's before And yet you changed!"

Night Qingran’s face twitched and suddenly fell silent.

"Hahaha..." Nite Tianyu finally couldn’t hold back his laughter after getting over his fear.

The officials behind the old emperor looked black lines when they saw these two arguing. Only Young Prince Rong and Miss Shallow Moon could speak such coarse words. Whatever came out of their mouths was no longer surprising, nor were whatever actions they took.

"All of you shut up!" The old emperor’s face turned ashen with anger when he looked at Yun Qianyue and Night Qingran: "Utter nonsense! A Young Prince from Duke of De's Manor and the eldest daughter of Cloud Manor, plus my Fourth Son. Look at your status and look what you've done What isn't absurd"

Yun Qianyue pouted her lips but didn’t say anything more.

"The three of you, come here..." The old emperor looked at the trio with what seemed to be an unending rage.

"Your Majesty, they are still children and will inevitably act rashly. Today is Your Majesty's birthday; in my opinion, we should overlook it this time. If they misbehave like this again in the future, I assure you that we shall not show them any leniency." Prince Xingqin suddenly spoke.

Looking at Prince Xingqin, Cloud Qianyue thought to herself, It's rare for him! This old man is actually being so nice. She realized her Large Rejuvenation Pill didn't go to waste; of course, apart from the pill, there was also the effect of sending Linglian to thank him for his painting that Third Young Master placed on his desk. This was what one referred to as feeling guilty after committing a crime.

"Humph! Today I'll let you off due to my joy, but if ever again I see such nonsense, I will not spare you!" The old emperor snorted coldly and suddenly flung up his sleeves before striding away.

Ye Tianyi glanced at Cloud Qianyue and then followed the old emperor's lead, as did Ye Tiange. Duke Dede, Prince Xingqin, Chancellor Feng, and a few other officials also strode forward in quick succession. Then came the entourage of the old emperor.

In no time at all, they had disappeared without a trace, leaving only Night Qiyang still on the spot.

"You've scared me to death!" Ye Tianyu patted his chest and heaved a huge sigh of relief. He said to Cloud Qianyue, "Sister Moon, you nearly got me killed."

"Look at your useless self! Even if I had to be carried in an eight-by-eight sedan chair, I wouldn't enter your home!" Cloud Qianyue shot Ye Tianyu a look. She'd seen through more storms than this small commotion; she didn't fear it one bit. From the Imperial Martial Examination Conference when she and Rong Feng requested a royal betrothal to later when she and Rong Jing asked for a betrothal on the Qixi Festival, up until now with the old emperor suddenly announcing he would bestow upon her a marriage to Ye Tianyu, she had realized that the old emperor didn't intend to marry her off so early. To say that he was going to arrange such a match was merely to test Ye Tianyi. Now that Ye Tianyi had been ruthless enough, the old man should be satisfied; this was exactly what he wanted in an heir.

The movement of Ye Tianyu patting his chest froze at once as he stuck out his tongue. "Even if you were to marry me, I wouldn't dare take you." Then he suddenly grabbed her arm and asked with interest, "Father has left; show me that coital painting now."

Cloud Qianyue rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. "No way!"

"Oh come on, dear sister! You can give it to me, right It's actually Prince Taitian and Miss Qin's; seventy-two coital postures—really" Ye Tianyu said as he tried to pull Cloud Qianyue by the sleeve.

"Get lost!" Night Qingyan waved his hand away from Ye Tianyu.

"Why did you hit me" Ye Tianyu glared at Night Qingyan.

"Give it here." Night Qingyan held out a hand to Cloud Qianyue.

Cloud Qianyue looked at him and saw that although his face was cold, there was a hidden smile in his eyes. She realized he wanted the painting anyway, and besides, she didn't want Ye Tianyu to keep bothering her for it, so she immediately reached into her chest and handed the seventy-two coital postures over to Night Qingyan. "Here."

Night Qingyan put it in his clothes and then walked off toward where the old emperor had gone.

"Hey, you just gave it to him" Ye Tianyu looked at Cloud Qianyue with surprise.

"It was originally his anyway. Should I give it to you instead" Cloud Qianyue saw that the direction the old emperor left was the Imperial Gardens; presumably he and the officials would be having a pre-banquet chat there before dinner, so she didn't bother listening anymore to Ye Tianyu's complaints and walked toward Palace Ronghua.

Ye Tianyu hesitated for a moment and then went after Night Qingyan.

"Hey, aren't you going to pay respects to my aunt" Cloud Qianyue looked at him.

"I'll go later." Ye Tianyu waved his hand dismissively.

Cloud Qianyue stuck out her tongue. Ye Tianyu was certainly an oddity in the imperial family; although Night Qingyan hated Tiange, he and Tianyu had always been able to play together as kids. But if Tianyu wanted the throne, would Qingyang help him, or help Tianyi The Dede王府had a powerful influence that could decide the outcome of any succession battle; whoever won them over stood an 80% chance of winning the battle for the throne. However, the Dede王府had never interfered with changes in power throughout their hundred years of existence; they only served the emperor faithfully, regardless of who was on the throne. But while they didn't openly interfere, behind closed doors the Dede王府was far from simple. Each generation had been favored by successive emperors; it wasn't because of blood ties alone, but also due to their ability to offer something that made an emperor trust and rely on them.

"Young Miss, you really scared your two maidservants earlier!" Linglian and Yixue ran up and whispered.

"Why didn't either of you speak up when this was happening" Cloud Qianyue suddenly remembered that her two maids had been following behind her all along.

“We didn’t know what important thing you and the Fourth Prince were talking about, so we didn’t want to interrupt.” Linglian hurriedly replied. “But I never expected His Majesty would actually order a betrothal for you and the Fourth Prince because he saw you two hugging each other earlier!”

"You were right too!" Cloud Qianyue smiled. She had to inform Rong Jing about this news; she didn’t know if he’d found out about the Nine-Turned Mandala Gourd yet.

“Young Miss, when you agreed to marry the Fourth Prince just now, we were scared! Don't you fear that His Majesty would really bestow upon you a marriage with him” Linglian said softly once more.

"No need. He wouldn’t have done it anyway." Cloud Qianyue shook her head and looked coldly at the maidservant, reaching into her clothes to hand over a feather. "Linglian, leave the palace now and hang this feather on top of the pavilion roof."

Linglian was surprised.

"When the time comes, someone will naturally find their way to the Shanyu Pavilion. You should tell that person about how the old emperor secretly had a Nine-Times Mandala Goblet made by someone and intended to use it to kill the Imperial Tutor, leaving the goblet on Rong Jing's desk." Yun Qianyue instructed Ling Lian.

"Miss, is this information reliable Prince Yang told you," asked Ling Lian.

"It should be reliable. Even if it isn’t, there’s no harm in being prepared!" replied Yun Qianyue.

Ling Lian nodded. "Why not tell Shi Zhi Rui directly"

"Tell Nan Ling Rui about this first. If Rong Jing doesn’t know, he will find out! And if he does know, it would prevent those watching him from suspecting anything. Besides, if I go to Rong Jing and he asks me how I got the information, should I tell him that I was holding Night Tianyu when I found out" Yun Qianyue rubbed her forehead with one hand and waved Ling Lian away with the other. "You can go now."

"Yes," said Ling Lian with a mischievous smile as she nodded and walked towards the palace gate.

Yun Qianyue watched as Ling Lian passed by, and heard someone at the palace gate question her about why she was leaving. "My miss forgot to bring something back from the palace," replied Ling Lian.

The guard gave Yun Qianyue a glance before letting Ling Lian leave.

"Let’s go to Ronghua Palace!" said Yun Qianyue as she turned her gaze and beckoned Yi Xue.

Yi Xue nodded, and the two of them set off for Ronghua Palace.

The imperial palace was decorated with joyous reds and golds today. Every corner hung with lanterns that read longevity or blessings. Young eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting were all in new attire, brightly dressed, carrying items as they moved about from place to place; when they saw Yun Qianyue, they would bow respectfully.

Yun Qianyue walked without speaking, encountering no one but palace maids and eunuchs along the way. She arrived at Ronghua Palace.

Sitting in wait outside Ronghua Palace was Madam Sun; upon Yun Qianyue’s arrival, she hurried to greet her with a bow. Yun Qianyue waved her away, and she stood up, whispering, "The Empress is waiting for you inside the palace. Please come in."

"Alright," said Yun Qianyue as she nodded at Yi Xue. "You can wait here."

Yi Xue nodded in response. "Yes, Miss."

Yun Qianyue stepped inside and pushed open the door to the palace hall before pulling back the curtains; Empress Dowager was pacing around restlessly within. Seeing Yun Qianyue arrive, she immediately scolded her with a frown, “Why are you so late”

"I entered the palace quite some time ago. But something came up and delayed me," replied Yun Qianyue as she looked at Empress Dowager. Seeing how tired she looked—like she hadn’t slept all night long—she furrowed her brows in concern, “Auntie, what happened Why didn’t you sleep”

"Yes!" replied the Empress as she nodded and pulled Yun Qianyue towards the inner chambers.

Feeling how cold Empress Dowager’s hand was, Yun Qianyue thought to herself that Empress Dowager had always been composed in her years at court, but now something serious must have happened for her to look so flustered. She followed Empress Dowager into the inner chambers.

In the inner chambers, the Empress sat down and pulled Yun Qianyue over with her, whispering, "Yue, did you see the Southern Liang Imperial Tutor"

Yun Qianyue was taken aback. Could it be that this auntie knew about the old emperor having the secret Nine-Times Mandala Goblet made She shook her head in response. “I didn’t get to see him.”

"But you went out yesterday, right Did you not see him" asked Empress Dowager anxiously.

"No, he was riding a jade sedan chair and completely covered by golden curtains; I couldn't even catch a glimpse of his clothes. How could I possibly have seen him" replied Yun Qianyue as she shook her head. Then with another turn of phrase: “But we did cross blades.”

Empress Dowager was startled. "You crossed blades with him"

"Yes! At the third floor of Drunken Fragrance Tower, I used my inner strength to try and lift the curtains to see what Southern Liang’s Imperial Tutor looks like; but I lost to his force and was pushed back," Yun Qianyue recalled this episode with some vexation. She still had a lot to practice if she wanted to improve her martial arts.

"Did you get hurt" Empress Dowager asked, her expression changing.

"No, he withdrew his inner strength and didn’t injure me," replied Yun Qianyue as she shook her head.

“Good,” said the empress with a nod. She did not say anything further, but the look on her face was unlike any that Yun Qianyue had seen before.

"Auntie, what’s wrong" asked Yun Qianyue as she looked at Empress Dowager. Even from when she could remember things, she hadn’t ever seen Empress Dowager in such a state before.

"Before she passed away, your mother entrusted an item to me. She said that if you encounter any unsolvable major issues or disasters, I should give this item to you. Over the years, since everything has been peaceful for you, I haven't brought it out. Now that the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom has come to the capital city, after much thought, I believe it's best for me to give this item to you so that you can have a plan." The Empress hesitated before speaking softly.

"What is it" Cloud Qianyue was taken aback. Her mother left an item at her aunt’s place She didn’t know about this.

"You’ll see when you look at it!" The Empress left the bedside and squatted down, crawling under the bed to stretch out her hand.

Cloud Qianyue looked at her with confusion. Soon enough, she saw that the Empress touched something resembling a mechanism under the bed. There was a click before a jade token dropped into her hands. The Empress picked up the jade token and handed it to Cloud Qianyue.

Cloud Qianyue reached out to receive the jade token. There was nothing on the front of it, but when she flipped it over, there were auspicious cloud patterns carved in the middle with “Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom” inscribed on them. She was taken aback and looked at the Empress.

"Although this Palace can’t hide secrets entirely, it still manages to keep some hidden. This mechanism was set up by your mother. These years, even the Emperor hasn’t discovered it. This jade token has thus been preserved until today." The Empress said as she looked at the jade token.

Cloud Qianyue frowned. "Are you saying that my mother knew the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom"

"It should be! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have told you to hold onto this jade token and find the person inscribed on it during times of peril." The Empress nodded her head. "But your mother was from Nan Liang, so it’s not impossible for her to know the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom. Even if she wasn’t from there, I wouldn’t be surprised that she knew him. Your mother is someone who can accomplish anything in this world once she sets her mind on something. It’s just a pity that she had such a short life."

"Auntie, do you think my mother could still be alive" Cloud Qianyue held the jade token and looked at the Empress.

The Empress was shocked. "How is that possible I watched your mother take her last breath! Besides, you saw it too!"

"That’s true! But my mother’s tomb on Yunwushan Mountain was empty." Cloud Qianyue said.

The Empress was shocked again but quickly recovered. "This isn’t surprising either. Back then, the Emperor dispatched countless royal guardsmen to search for your mother’s origins all over the world, but they couldn’t find any clues. After her death, she didn’t want the Emperor to discover where she came from, so she was buried on Yunwushan Mountain. Perhaps her grave was moved to Nan Liang or taken away by that Daoist priest."

Cloud Qianyue remained silent. She did indeed see her mother take her last breath; she didn’t doubt the accuracy of her pulse diagnosis, but one couldn’t rule out the possibility of resurrection pills in this world either. She never dared to underestimate anything from this world. Some things were just that wondrous here, like internal strength, martial arts skills, Grand Returning Pill, Passion-Inducing Elixir, and Phoenix’s Tribulation. If there was a miraculous pill for bringing the dead back to life that had managed to evade everyone's notice, she wouldn’t find it strange.

"What are you planning to do with this jade token now" The Empress asked Cloud Qianyue, who remained silent. She then lowered her voice and said, "Do you know about the Phoenix Pass incident fifteen years ago Back then, the Emperor used it as an excuse to reclaim Nan Liang Kingdom. If he had succeeded, he would have launched another war against Western Yan and other small kingdoms. He was already prepared for several years but didn’t expect his expedition to be thwarted by the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom alone, who defeated Tian Sheng’s fifteen thousand troops and foiled the Emperor's grand plan. The Emperor fell ill in anger and even vomited blood, but there was nothing he could do about it. Later on, he abandoned the idea of conscription and restored friendly relations with Nan Liang Kingdom. If we were to talk about who the Emperor detests the most in this world, it would probably be the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom."

Cloud Qianyue didn’t make any comment. She wasn’t born back then, but she could imagine how infuriated the old emperor must have been. Just thinking about him vomiting blood out of anger made her feel a bit more sympathetic towards the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom.

"Now that the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom has come to Tian Sheng, the Emperor will surely seize this opportunity during his birthday banquet to make sure he never returns." The Empress sighed. "Although the Emperor doesn’t have the energy or ambition to reclaim Nan Liang Kingdom nowadays, he can only watch as it grows stronger day by day. But he’ll still take a deep breath and kill the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom in Tian Sheng to erase his humiliation."

"The Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom is an expert martial artist; whether or not the Emperor can defeat him remains to be seen!" Cloud Qianyue snorted, pondering where that Nine-Turned Mandala Vase might be. If she could get it in advance, she would study its mechanism and try to find a way to crack it. With this thought in mind, she carefully considered where the old emperor might have placed the Nine-Turned Mandala Vase: the Imperial Study The Palace of Sacred Yang The Golden Hall Or was he carrying it with him

"That’s hard to say. Although the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom is a powerful martial artist, this place is Tian Sheng and under the Emperor's jurisdiction." The Empress said.

Cloud Qianyue smiled but didn’t speak. It was indeed in the old emperor’s territory, but that didn’t mean he would control it himself. She fiddled with the jade token in her hand and told the Empress, "Auntie, since this person is related to my mother, and now my brother is the crown prince of Nan Liang Kingdom and seems to have a good relationship with that Imperial Tutor, I won’t let the Emperor kill him, regardless of whether he can or not."

"Hmm!" The Empress nodded. "Be careful in your actions! Don't let the Emperor know about my brother’s situation. Even less so should you let the Emperor know that you are connected to the Imperial Tutor of Nan Liang Kingdom because of your mother."

"I know." Cloud Qianyue nodded, and when she heard footsteps approaching from afar, she immediately tucked the jade token into her chest and told the Empress, "Auntie, I hear someone coming!"

The Empress nodded and stopped talking.

Soon enough, people arrived at the gate of Prosperity Palace. It wasn’t just one person but several. Cloud Qianyue and the Empress exchanged glances before moving away from the bed to stand by the window. Through a gap in the curtains, they saw Mingfei leading an entourage of concubines arriving at Prosperity Palace. Wearing plain attire with lotus flowers embroidered on her skirt hem, despite her simple dress, the red hairpin and jade pendant she wore added color to her appearance. She was already beautiful, but now among all the concubines, she stood out even more.

"Mingfei is an interesting person!" Cloud Qianyue suddenly said. Apart from those two months of amnesia, she had interacted with Mingfei quite a bit over the years, yet she couldn’t figure this woman out at all.

"Hmm! She’s just a pitiful woman." The Empress sighed.

"Auntie, what is a pitiful person" Cloud Qianyue tilted her head to ask the Empress.

The Empress was taken aback.

"Who among these palace women isn’t pitiful Truly pitiable are those who receive no favor. Auntie, compared with all these palace women, including you, can Mingfei be considered fortunate At least she has remained popular since her entrance into the palace." Cloud Qianyue raised an eyebrow. "Why Does she have no scheming mind or means Can this palace accommodate someone without any means"

The Empress suddenly pursed her lips, looking somewhat somber.

"Those who are pitiful always have something detestable about them!" Yun Qianyue chuckled. "Aunt, Princess Ming is not as simple as she appears on the surface! Take a look; wouldn't she be very similar to Empress if it weren’t for you"

The empress glanced at Princess Ming and noticed that all the concubines were lined up behind her with an air of superiority, akin to being the first among equals in their harem. Her expression darkened slightly as Yun Qianyue continued, "In matters of interest and within a man’s harem, there will never be two people without blood ties who can become as close as family. Under your long-term suppression, would she not have any thoughts Or to put it another way, her thoughts are not limited to just that."

The empress's gaze sharpened slightly at Yun Qianyue’s words, but the latter remained silent.

From the doorway of Rong Hua Palace, Princess Ming stopped and instructed Lady Sun, "The sisters in the palace are all prepared. The emperor is currently in the Imperial Garden, so I am bringing these sisters to pay our respects to Empress Sister. Should we go to the Imperial Garden to congratulate His Majesty first"

"Your Excellency went to bed late yesterday and just woke up this morning. Old servant will inform Empress Your Excellency!" Lady Sun bowed to Princess Ming, who nodded in agreement before she walked towards the door.

"This maid seems unfamiliar!" Princess Ming looked at Yixue.

"Servant greets Princess Ming. Servant is named Yixue and am a maid of Miss Yun Qianyue," Yixue hurriedly bowed in greeting.

“Oh! So this is the new maid that Miss Yun Qianyue hired recently These years, Miss Yun Qianyue has always changed her maids every half year. This year it’s two months late; I thought the rules had changed! But it turns out they hadn’t,” Princess Ming smiled and sized Yixue up a couple of times before nodding in approval. "Yes, she seems to follow regulations."

“Thank you for your praise!” Yixue's head hung low.

"So if you’re here, does this mean that Miss Yun Qianyue is at Empress Sister’s place" asked Princess Ming.

"Yes," Yixue nodded.

“Empress and Miss Yun Qianyue are as close as mother and daughter; it makes one envious.” A smile played on the lips of Princess Ming.

The concubines echoed Princess Ming's sentiment, smiling in unison and saying, “Indeed.”

"Your Excellency," Lady Sun respectfully spoke. "Princess Ming and the other noblewomen…"

“I understand!” The empress lowered her curtain, interrupting Lady Sun’s words, then turned to Yun Qianyue. "Let's go! We’re heading for the Imperial Garden!"

"Aunt, please go ahead first; my brother came over last night and spent the night at my place so I’m still sleepy now. Let me sleep here in this palace. When it’s time to start the banquet, send someone to call me," Yun Qianyue yawned while scheming.

“Alright,” seeing that Yun Qianyue was indeed very tired, the empress nodded and adjusted her attire before stepping out.

Yun Qianyue watched as the empress left Rong Hua Palace. She heard Princess Ming and company paying respects to the empress, then Princess Ming asked curiously, "Where is Miss Yun Qianyue"

"She Last night, the Southern Liang nation’s imperial tutor came into town and she went out to watch. Likely exhausted, as soon as she arrived here, she fell asleep in my chambers—no matter how much I called, it couldn’t wake her up. We should head for the Imperial Garden first," the empress said helplessly.

"Miss Yun Qianyue hasn't reached marriageable age yet; still has a childlike nature after all!" Princess Ming remarked with a smile.

The empress glanced at Princess Ming but remained silent. They left Rong Hua Palace and headed towards the Imperial Garden.

Seeing that Empress and company had departed, Yun Qianyue pushed open her room door and whispered to Yixue, "Stay here until I return."

"Where’s Miss going" asked Yixue as she looked at Yun Qianyue.

"I’m off to find the Lovebirds Gourd!" Yun Qianyue said. With a light tap of her foot, she flew out from Rong Hua Palace. The Nine-turning Lovebirds Gourd shouldn’t be on the old emperor’s person as he will have a retinue of ministers accompanying him until the banquet time arrives, leaving no room for him to act separately at that moment and make a spectacle by taking it out then. Thus, it must be kept in a secure place under lock and key; once she found the designated custodian, she would be able to see this Lovebirds Gourd before anyone else could, thereby cracking its secrets.

Yixue was alarmed and wanted to follow but couldn't find Yun Qianyue's figure anymore.

Moony’s illustration of the "Seventy-Two Springs" will soon be known across the land! o(n_n)o~

Night Tianyu was terrified! He probably doesn’t wish to marry Moony! o(n_n)o~

I’ve seen everyone’s monthly votes, love you all! Monthly votes reset at the end of this month! Manor, Yun Qianyue recalled that he was someone uneducated, lazy, and disliked by everyone. He had been stealing chickens and dogs but under the supervision of the clan leader, nothing serious had ha...