Xizi Love Story works

Chapter 12: Too Good to Grow

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Tianqiong's sudden action and looked at him in disbelief; they never expected that he would request for a royal marriage from the emperor.The old emperor clearly hadn’t anticipated this, either, and...Chapter Twelve: Too Good to Be True

If that woman is the head of the Blue Family among the Ten Great Clans, then why would she steal the jade seal from Southern Yunnan Does it indicate that Ye Tianyi and the Blue Family have already made contact He intends to use the jade seal to control Ye Qian and Southern Yunnan; the head of the Blue Family stole the seal for his benefit. Only this way does everything make sense.

Ye Tianyi...

Yun Qianyue smiled bitterly. How could she forget about the blue orchid mark on Empress Consort Lan's back and that there is indeed a Blue Family among the Ten Great Clans

"Sis Moon, are you sure about what you just said" Night Tianyu returned and stood at the door looking at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue looked up for a moment, not quite grasping his meaning. "What did I say"

Night Tianyu's expression darkened slightly. "Although you don’t want to cooperate with me, you said you can help rescue Night Tianqiong."

"Oh! That one Yes." Yun Qianyue nodded. Night Tianqiong mustn't die yet; his release would allow him and Night Tianyu together to restrain Night Tianyi. Alone, Night Tianyu was too weak for Night Tianyi's match. Although she wouldn’t cooperate with them, it didn’t hinder them from acting on their own.

"That’s good!" Night Tianyu nodded, stepping in. "Let's discuss how we can save him."

"Rescuing him is simple; just a word from the emperor." Yun Qianyue said lazily.

“But Father Emperor doesn’t allow anyone to mention his name now. How could it be that easy If it were, I wouldn't have come to you.” Night Tianyu sat down with a poor expression. “Moreover, Seventh Brother is currently acting as regent; everything has to go through him. Even if Father Emperor agrees, getting past Seventh Brother isn’t easy either."

"There are two methods!" Yun Qianyue thought for a moment and said slowly.

“What methods” Night Tianyu immediately asked.

"Firstly, you unite the officials to submit a joint petition, defending Night Tianqiong's release. Also point out that the incident at the banquet has nothing to do with him; it was merely someone intentionally setting him up." Yun Qianyue said.

“How can a joint petition from all officials be easily achieved” Night Tianyu frowned, “There are various factions in court, how could they unite for one matter"

"Secondly, you go to the palace and seek help from Empress Aunt. You were both raised under her care and have a legitimate mother-son relationship. Empress Aunt is currently carrying the crown prince; although he may be trouble in the future, he's still a protective shield now. If she uses him as leverage, forcefully defending Night Tianqiong should succeed partially." Yun Qianyue added.

"Is this feasible Would Mother agree" Night Tianyi frowned tightly and questioned doubtfully.

“Empress Aunt isn’t stupid; with the crown prince in her belly, she won't ignore the situation. Why wouldn't she agree” Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

"Alright! I'll go right away!" Night Tianyu nodded and stood up, stepping to leave.

“If you use both methods simultaneously, the emperor will be pressured by the court and palace, ensuring Night Tianqiong's release. If only one method is used, there’s only a fifty percent chance of success.” Yun Qianyue said again.

Night Tianyu stopped in his tracks. "But how can the first method work"

“Of course it works! Go visit Rong Wangfu to check on Rong Jing’s illness; he has been itching to make small moves this morning, involving all officials. If you hold their handles, do you think they would follow your lead” Yun Qianyue said slowly: “Regardless of whether they belong to the emperor, Prince Consort Xiaoqin, Duke De, Chancellor Feng, Cloud王府的人，還是夜天逸的人，不想醜態百出，就會投鼠忌器。皇上不想朝綱大亂，便會放了夜天傾。”

“好！”夜天煜點頭轉身就走。

雲淺月坐著不動，想著夜天傾出來的話，便由太子變成了普通皇子。不過他這麼長時間的心裡準備應該不至於太過頹廢。

夜天煜走到門口忽然停下腳步，回頭對雲淺月道：“月妹妹，念你這次幫我，我也不白讓你幫。告訴你一件事情。”

雲淺月挑眉。

“東海王向父皇遞了拜帖，說東海國的洛瑤公主已經上路，請榮王府世子前去東海迎接。”夜天煜說完見雲淺月一怔，補充道：“拜帖剛剛到，如今應該送往榮王府了。若我猜測不錯的話，拜帖現在景世子手裡。”

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Chapter Twelve: Too Good to Be True

Ye Tianyi...

Yun Qianyue smiled bitterly. How could she forget about the blue orchid mark on Empress Consort Lan's back and that there is indeed a Blue Family among the Ten Great Clans

"Sis Moon, are you sure about what you just said" Night Tianyu returned and stood at the door looking at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue looked up for a moment, not quite grasping his meaning. "What did I say"

Night Tianyu's expression darkened slightly. "Although you don’t want to cooperate with me, you said you can help rescue Night Tianqiong."

"That’s good!" Night Tianyu nodded, stepping in. "Let's discuss how we can save him."

"Rescuing him is simple; just a word from the emperor." Yun Qianyue said lazily.

"There are two methods!" Yun Qianyue thought for a moment and said slowly.

“What methods” Night Tianyu immediately asked.

“How can a joint petition from all officials be easily achieved” Night Tianyu frowned, “There are various factions in court, how could they unite for one matter"

"Is this feasible Would Mother agree" Night Tianyi frowned tightly and questioned doubtfully.

“Empress Aunt isn’t stupid; with the crown prince in her belly, she won't ignore the situation. Why wouldn't she agree” Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

"Alright! I'll go right away!" Night Tianyu nodded and stood up, stepping to leave.

Night Tianyu stopped in his tracks. "But how can the first method work"

“Of course it works! Go visit Rong Wangfu to check on Rong Jing’s illness; he has been itching to make small moves this morning, involving all officials. If you hold their handles, do you think they would follow your lead” Yun Qianyue said slowly: “Regardless of whether they belong to the emperor, Prince Consort Xiaoqin, Duke De, Chancellor Feng, or Cloud王府的人，還是夜天逸的人，不想醜態百出，就會投鼠忌器。皇上不想朝綱大亂，便會放了夜天傾。”

“好！”夜天煜點頭轉身就走。

雲淺月坐著不動，想著夜天傾出來的話，便由太子變成了普通皇子。不過他這麼長時間的心裡準備應該不至於太過頹廢。

夜天煜走到門口忽然停下腳步，回頭對雲淺月道：“月妹妹，念你這次幫我，我也不白讓你幫。告訴你一件事情。”

雲淺月挑眉。

INFRINGEMENT_NOTICE

Yun Qianyue narrowed her eyes slightly.

The night sky suddenly smiled and took a step out of the room.

Yun Qianyue thought that Rong Jing was originally in Yun Yue Hall, but he returned to Yong王府 not long ago. Was it because he received the Duke of Donghai's visiting card She stood up and walked towards the door, but after a few steps she suddenly stopped, rubbed her forehead with her hand, smiled bitterly, and turned around to sit back on the sofa.

Soon after she sat down, there were footsteps entering Yun Yue Hall. She immediately stood up and looked out of the window, then slowly sat back down when she saw that it was Prince Yun who had entered.

"Miss, the prince has arrived!" Ling Lian reminded her from outside.

“Mm.” Yun Qianyue responded somewhat absent-mindedly.

The Prince of Yun pushed open the door and walked in. Noticing that Yun Qianyue's expression seemed off, he hurriedly said: "Qianyue, I just returned from the palace. The emperor has decided to depose the crown prince and designate your aunt’s child as the new one. Our kneeling outside of Shengyang Hall was useless; the Emperor wouldn’t even see us. Is there any way you can make the Emperor revoke his edict"

"No!" Yun Qianyue shook her head.

“Ah…” The Prince of Yun sighed and walked over to sit down in a chair, looking somewhat dejected: "The glory of the Honor王府 is truly now at its peak. Father really fears that things will revert when they reach their extreme!"

Yun Qianyue remained silent.

"I just returned home and heard that the Emperor has bestowed Yun Li with the title of Prince of Yun, and also wedded Princess No. 6 to him. Princess No. 6 is infatuated... she’s already at a state where she can’t eat or sleep for it. This really isn't a good match..." The Prince of Yun sighed again.

Yun Qianyue seemed not to hear, still silent.

"Qianyue, why aren't you saying anything What are your thoughts" The Prince of Yun looked at Yun Qianyue and then noticed that her expression was off.

"I have no opinion! Let them do whatever they want." Yun Qianyue suddenly kicked off a floral shoe, leaned back, and lay sprawling on the sofa. She said somewhat carelessly: "Does Father know about locusts after autumn"

The Prince of Yun was taken aback: "What do you mean by that"

"Locusts in autumn are destined to jump around for only a short time." Yun Qianyue closed her eyes, thinking of the princess from Donghai who had a name and surname—Lu Yao Lu Yao… “Qianyue, do you have something on your mind” The Prince of Yun looked at Yun Qianyue, feeling that she seemed off today, with an overall aura that was dark and gloomy.

"Mm." Yun Qianyue replied.

“Is it because Yun Li's betrothal to Princess No. 6 or your aunt” The Prince of Yun guessed.

“Father, I see that you look weary and have been under the hot sun outside Shengyang Hall for a long time; go back to rest.” Yun Qianyue tried to dismiss him. She might have been curious about why her father had his memories altered after suffering from the phoenix disaster two days ago, but she now couldn’t muster any interest in it at all. She always knew that Rong Jing influenced her greatly, yet she never expected this influence was so profound. She suddenly understood Rong Jing's reaction to her little whims; upon hearing the visiting card, she felt an urge to rush off to Honor王府.

“Indeed, Father is feeling quite drained!” Seeing Yun Qianyue wasn’t willing to talk more about it, The Prince of Yun didn't press any further and stood up to leave.

Hearing the Prince’s footsteps fade away, Yun Qianyue lay back on the sofa with no energy left in her body.

A bunting bird flew in through the window and perched on Yun Qianyue. She opened her eyes to see that its legs were tied with two pieces of paper; she quickly took them off and opened the first one, seeing Feng Jin's handwriting written in pinyin: "The Feng family has made their decision!" Seeing these four characters, she immediately felt relieved in her heart. Then she opened the other piece which read: “The Feng family is betrothed to the Lan family; my intended is Master of the Lan family, Lan Yi.”

Upon seeing this sentence, Yun Qianyue’s body shot up from where it had been lying down—her sudden movement scared the bunting bird perched on her and caused it to flutter away.

"Miss!" Ling Lian and Yixue heard the noise in the room and rushed in immediately.

Yun Qianyue thought that this world was truly beyond imagination. The Feng family was actually betrothed to the Lan family, with the current young lord of the Feng family, Feng Jin, fulfilling the engagement. As for the Lan side, it would be fulfilled by their clan head, Lan Yi. And since Feng Jin belonged to her, and if Lan Yi was the person who had a hand in stealing the jade seal from Nanyang and fighting Mo Li, then he must have some connection with Ye Tianyi; therefore, he should also belong to him. Looking at these notes in her hands, she couldn’t describe what kind of feeling she had.

“Miss, is there anything that happened” Ling Lian looked at Yun Qianyue and seeing the changes on her face, was concerned and asked.

"Nothing!" Yun Qianyue looked at them and shook her head. She asked: "Where's Hua Sheng"

"When Sister Hua Sheng found out that the Rui Imperial Prince is Miss's older brother, she was worried and didn't want anything to happen to him. So, she personally escorted the Rui Imperial Prince back to Southern Liang," Ling Lian said.

Yun Qianyue nodded. "Apart from you two, who else is still in Hong Ge" Yun Qianyue asked again.

"Cang Lan, Feng Yan, and Feng Lu all followed Sister Hua Sheng to secretly escort the Rui Imperial Prince! Besides us two, only Hua Luo remains behind in the capital. He stays here just in case Miss encounters any trouble so that he can keep in contact with us easily. Currently, he’s at Willow Pavilion," Ling Lian said.

Yun Qianyue nodded and asked them both, "Does Hong Ge have any information about different countries across the land Including the East Sea Kingdom and the Ten Concealed Families."

The two were stunned. Ling Lian said, "Hong Ge has collected a lot of inside secrets since Master established it. From day one, an extensive network of covert agents was set up all over the world. In the book pavilion on Hong Ge’s Moutaintop Cliff there is a special secret room that collects confidential information about every notable person in the world. Someone manages and oversees this place. There should also be records related to the East Sea Kingdom and the Ten Concealed Families. However, the two of us have never entered the book pavilion, so we’re not very clear on it."

"You both joined Hong Ge when you were little but haven’t been in the book pavilion" Yun Qianyue raised her eyebrows.

I Xue nodded and continued, "Master once ordered that only the Pavilion Master and the seven elders could visit the secret room. The young master just took over Hong Ge, so he hasn’t yet held a reception ceremony at Moutaintop Cliff. We have to wait for him to hold the ceremony before we can be personally appointed by the young master as the seven elders and thus gain access to the secret room."

"So it’s like that!" Yun Qianyue nodded, lowering her head in thought.

Ling Lian and I Xue looked at Yun Qianyue but didn’t say anything more.

A moment later, Yun Qianyue suddenly raised her head and said to them both, "I’m going to Moutaintop Cliff!"

The two were startled. Ling Lian immediately asked, “Miss, when do you plan on going”

"Tonight after midnight," Yun Qianyue replied.

“Are you able to leave now” Ling Lian looked at Yun Qianyue and said bluntly: "The Empress is pregnant right now. Cloud Li has been adopted as the marquis, becoming the heir of the Marquis House. They’re already making preparations for the adoption ceremony. Once everything is ready, they’ll conduct it a few days from now. You can’t miss that. Moutaintop Cliff is a thousand miles away from the capital. Even on horseback at full speed, it would take two days to get there. But Moutaintop Cliff is an impassable fortress; you need half a day just to reach the mountain’s peak. After getting up to the book pavilion, even if nothing holds you back on the way and you read all the records quickly, that still takes a day at least. Then you’ll take another half-day to go down the mountain and two more days to return to the capital. So, it would be a minimum of seven days."

“Then we can postpone the adoption ceremony for Cloud Li by seven days,” Yun Qianyue said.

"That may work, but what if His Majesty calls you back to court tomorrow" Ling Lian asked again.

I’ll say I’m ill!” Yun Qianyue recalled that the old emperor wanted her to play chess with him tomorrow. She sounded cold as she said: "Since he issued an imperial decree today and tricked me by granting Lord Rong Jing his title, also setting up a marriage between Sixth Princess and Cloud Li while doing so, I’m sure he knows I am unhappy about it and that I am angry. Even if he sends someone to summon me tomorrow, I won’t want to see him."

"That might work, but the seventh prince is very intelligent; we can't fool him," Ling Lian said.

“We’ll try for a few days if possible,” Yun Qianyue said calmly. "Rong Jing isn’t going to receive the princess from the East Sea Kingdom"

Ling Lian was shocked, “Young Master Rong is going to pick up the princess of the East Sea Kingdom Miss, are you not going”

“I’m not going!” Yun Qianyue shook her head. "Knowing the enemy as well as yourself will ensure a hundred victories. I know very little about the Ten Concealed Families and the East Sea Kingdom right now; this is detrimental to me, so I need to visit Moutaintop Cliff’s secret room for more information."

“But Young Master Rong has been telling everyone that he's bedridden with injuries. How can he go receive the princess of the East Sea Kingdom” I Xue asked.

"He will definitely go. Starting his journey despite being seriously injured shows sincerity, doesn’t it" Yun Qianyue suddenly smiled and said to Ling Lian: "Send a message to Third Young Master; tell him to come here tonight. After I leave, he’ll disguise himself as me. You two stay here, and Hua Luo will lead the way for us."

“Miss” Both Ling Lian and I Xue were shocked and shook their heads. “Moutaintop Cliff is a thousand miles away; we must go with you. Although our martial arts skills aren’t as good as Miss’s, how can Hua Luo alone protect you We two are also able to protect Miss.”

“You both need to stay here in order to cover my tracks. If I leave, and the two of you leave too, no one will be left at Shallow Moon Pavilion. Moreover, your martial arts skills are good, so you can stay here to assist Third Young Master as circumstances demand. Keep me informed via messenger whenever something happens. I’ll travel light with Hua Luo and it would be faster. Don’t worry; others won't easily hurt me,” Yun Qianyue said.

Ling Lian and I Xue nodded, though they still felt worried despite believing in what Yun Qianyue had said.

“Go tell Hua Luo to wait for me outside the southern gate after midnight," Yun Qianyue then instructed.

The two of them nodded. Seeing that Yun Qianyue no longer gave any further instructions, they turned around and left.

The room fell silent. Yun Qianyue bent her head in deep thought for a moment, then stood up from the soft couch and walked to the table. She picked up a quill pen and wrote on a piece of paper: "Received, please be cautious." Afterward, she called over the lark that had been waiting nearby, tied the note to its leg, and released it.

The lark flapped its wings and nimbly flew out of Qianyue Pavilion. It soared high into the sky until it became a small dot beyond sight.

Yun Qianyue stood by the window looking outside. The window was open, allowing some cool wind to blow in, ruffling the curtain hanging in front and dimming her figure intermittently.

No one came to Qianyue Pavilion again; the courtyard remained quiet even throughout the day, with the entire Yunwang Manor unusually still.

Yun Qianyue continued standing by the window from noon until sunset. The black curtain of night fell, and she stayed unmoving as the moon rose high and stars spread across the sky.

"Miss, it's now midnight! You haven't eaten yet!" Ling Lian finally couldn’t hold back and spoke softly.

“So quickly, it’s already midnight!” Yun Qianyue turned around; having remained still for a long time made her body stiff. She asked Ling Lian: "Has the Third Young Master arrived"

"He has!" As Yun Qianyue spoke, a shadow fell into the courtyard. He flickered and moved slightly as the gauze curtain behind him swayed gently; in an instant, he was already inside.

Yun Qianyue watched the person enter with surprise. He wore a set of purple Yunyan Luo clothes identical to hers, his hairpins and cloud coiffure matched perfectly with her appearance, and even the accessories around his waist and on his wrists were exactly alike. She stared at the Third Young Master for some time before suddenly smiling, "Where did this beauty come from"

"From Rongwang Manor!" The Third Young Master huffed irritably.

"Rongwang Manor" Yun Qianyue arched her eyebrow.

The Third Young Master didn't answer and walked to the mirror. After turning around a few times, he looked at himself for a moment before reluctantly saying: "Indeed, it's Jing Shizi, naturally gifted and not undeserving of his reputation. Even such disguise techniques can be executed so flawlessly."

"You mean Rongjing disguised you to look like me" Yun Qianyue blinked.

“Yes, otherwise do you think I could pull off a disguise this lifelike” The Third Young Master turned around and sat tiredly at the table. He picked up a glass of cold tea on it and gulped it down in one go. After a moment he set the empty cup down and said: "I was hassled all night long, not even able to drink a drop."

“How did Rongjing know” Yun Qianyue thought back to her not telling him she would leave.

The Third Young Master glanced at Yun Qianyue. “How should I know how he found out He intercepted me on the way here, turning me into this. It seems you can't do anything improper or else your whole life will be trapped in a cage.”

Yun Qianyue looked towards Ling Lian and Yixue; both shook their heads simultaneously. “Miss, we’re very discreet; there’s no way Jing Shizi could have found out through us.”

"Mm!" Yun Qianyue nodded and said to the Third Young Master: "There must be Rongjing's people around you."

“How can he feel secure otherwise I was here in the middle of the night." The Third Young Master pursed his lips. “It’s not just me; if even a male mosquito were to fly into Qianyue Pavilion, he wouldn’t let it go.”

Yun Qianyue turned away with amusement and ordered Ling Lian: "Serve the meal! After eating I'll set off."

Ling Lian nodded and immediately left. Soon after she returned with the food; Yun Qianyue sat across from the Third Young Master at the table. Gazing at him, who resembled her so closely in every movement, she felt as if she were looking into a mirror. An odd sensation rose within her heart; thinking that anyone else would certainly mistake this person for herself.

“How is it Isn’t it too much of a likeness to make you lose your appetite” The Third Young Master watched Yun Qianyue, his voice now hers even with careful listening hard to distinguish.

"Mm, quite similar. But I can still eat," Yun Qianyue shook her head.

“Before, I felt somewhat disgruntled; wondering why you favored Rongjing. Now I understand, a man who’s so familiar with the tiny mole on your chest isn’t all that strange for you to fall in love with.” The Third Young Master glanced at Yun Qianyue's chest and said oddly.

Yun Qianyue dropped her chopsticks, nearly letting them slip from her hand; her face flushed red. She stared daggers at the Third Young Master, grinding his teeth as she asked: "He actually told you this" “Humph! He even marked a mole just like yours on my chest!” The Third Young Master pointed to his chest and said gloomily, “It’s right here. If you don’t believe me I can take off my clothes for you to see.”

"This... It doesn't need such scrutiny!" Yun Qianyue struggled out a sentence, thinking of Rongjing this scoundrel; he was indirectly proclaiming his dominion.

The Third Young Master pointed at the dishes in front: "From your expressions and actions to what you eat and how you walk, to what you say facing different people, for one entire night he taught me everything. I’m starting to think that I am now exactly like you.”

Yun Qianyue smiled with pursed lips, her amusement reaching her eyes and stretching to the corners. Though her smile was subtle, anyone who saw it felt she was genuinely happy inside and out.

The Third Young Master rolled his eyes, "You can actually still laugh even though a man has seen through you from the inside out"

"Being loved by a man inside and out, whether I'm good or bad, he loves me. Why wouldn't I smile" Yun Qianyue put down her chopsticks and waved at Ling Lian, "Pass me my bag."

Ling Lian hurriedly handed the packed luggage to Yun Qianyue and warned, "Miss, be extremely careful on your journey!"

"I know. Don't worry," Yun Qianyue no longer had any worries now. Even if the Third Young Master pretended to be sick or walked out of his room, as long as he didn’t encounter overly familiar people, nobody would recognize her as a fake. She stepped towards the door and suddenly stopped to warn him: "Try not to appear in front of Yè Qīngrǎn and Yè Tiānyì."

"Why did Róng Jǐng tell me I should be showing up more often before them" The Third Young Master raised an eyebrow.

Yun Qianyue frowned, sizing him up from head to toe, then dropped two words: "Do as you wish." With that, she lightly touched her foot and floated out of the Moonlit Chamber.

The Third Young Master seemed to mutter something in his room, but Yun Qianyue didn’t hear it clearly. Her figure was incredibly swift; before long, she had left the Cloud Manor. She paused outside its wall, looked towards the Prosperous Prince's Manor, and then headed south toward the city gate.

It was already midnight now. In Heavenly Saint City, everyone except those guarding the gates and patrolling for night watchmen were asleep with their lamps extinguished. After two sticks of incense time, she arrived at the southern city gate where she silently leaped over the wall and set off towards the south using her skills.

After walking ten miles out, she saw someone waiting by the Wàng Jūn Pavilion along with two horses: this man was Hua Luo. Dressed in tight-fitting attire, he sat gracefully atop his horse, looking like a peach blossom in spring and stunningly handsome. He left people breathless upon first sight.

Yun Qianyue approached Hua Luo, stopped her figure, took a look at him, and asked with a smile: "Have you been waiting for long"

"Servant greets Young Lady!" Hua Luo dismounted the horse and bowed to Yun Qianyue respectfully. He shook his head politely, "Not that long."

"Alright, let's go then." Yun Qianyue nodded her head, hung the bag in front of a horse, and mounted it.

Hua Luo did not speak further and remounted his horse.

The two simultaneously kicked their horses' reins, causing four hooves to rise into the air as they left the Wàng Jūn Pavilion.

Nearby on a half-mountain ridge, a lone figure stood in moonlight white, watching those two horses depart side by side. His thin lips slightly pursed, his expression was quite intense under the dark night sky.

"Young Master, didn't you come to see off Miss Qianyue How can you just let her leave like this" String Song, dressed in black, stood behind Róng Jǐng and looked at the two horses leaving side by side. He was puzzled as he stared at Róng Jǐng.

"He knows I have to go receive the Eastern Sea Kingdom’s princess; he doesn’t want to see me." Róng Jǐng's voice was very soft.

"You were sick in bed anyway, you don't necessarily need to receive the Eastern Sea Kingdom’s princess," String Song frowned and looked bewildered.

"I must go! I have been heavily injured yet still went to greet her; this shows my sincerity." Róng Jǐng said casually: "The Eastern Sea Kingdom should not be underestimated. Although it is separated from Heavenly Saint by the sea, it's a wealthy and strong nation, vastly different from today’s ragged Heavenly Saint. Moreover, one hundred years ago, our ancestor Prince Prosperous went to the Eastern Sea Kingdom and borrowed the Evil-Averting Pearl. Even now that a century has passed, we still owe them this favor."

"But what if Princess Luoyao insists on demanding you fulfill your engagement after meeting you" String Song frowned tighter.

Róng Jǐng didn't answer String Song's question; instead, he looked at the direction Yun Qianyue had left and his voice softened with some depression: "That man is too good-looking!"

String Song was stunned.

"What’s his name" Róng Jǐng asked.

"Young Master, are you referring to the male who accompanied Miss Qianyue out just now" String Song couldn't follow Róng Jǐng's train of thought.

"Mm-hmm!" Róng Jǐng nodded his head.

"Servant doesn’t know! I’ve never heard of such a person." String Song shook his head.

"Shadow!" Rong Jing called softly over his shoulder.

"Young Master!" A shadowy figure landed gracefully behind Rong Jing, like a cloud of mist.

"Who is that man" Rong Jing asked.

The person surnamed Hua and named Blossom is one of the seven newly appointed elders of Red Pavilion. He comes from the Hua family among the top ten noble families. Along with two other Red Pavilion elders, Cang Lan and Feng Yan, he is renowned for his beauty," Shadow reported, "However, Red Pavilion usually keeps its operations secret, so I could only gather this much information over the years."

"Mm!" Rong Jing nodded.

Shadow withdrew.

"Young Master, what is Miss Shallow Moon's relationship with Red Pavilion" Xian Ge asked in surprise.

"Red Pavilion..." Rong Jing murmured, then smiled after a moment and said, "She is currently the minor master of Red Pavilion. If my guess is correct, she must be heading to Sky Piercing Cliff at Red Pavilion. The Secret Chronicles Hall there records secrets about the top ten noble families and Eastern Sea Kingdom. She's probably investigating something."

Xian Ge nodded, wanting to say something but hesitated before finally speaking up, "Young Master, I feel that your interaction with Miss Shallow Moon is rather peculiar."

"Hm" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

"Miss Shallow Moon never inquires about your affairs; I mean, she doesn't care about your networks and power. And you don’t interfere with her activities either. This... it just feels off..." Xian Ge weighed his words carefully, trying to describe the strangeness but unable to find the right words.

"It's nothing unusual!" Rong Jing smiled calmly. "These external matters are of little importance. What I want is her person, and what she gives me is also her person. That’s enough. Having too much complexity only makes things less pure."

Xian Ge nodded half-understandingly.

"I really wish to follow them!" Rong Jing rubbed his forehead, sighing softly but heavily, making Xian Ge blink in surprise before he added, "Blossom is too good-looking!"

Xian Ge finally understood and twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"It's said that the Hua family, Cang family, and Feng family produce handsome men. Looks like the rumors are true," Rong Jing’s tone was somewhat gloomy and irritated. "And they all serve her—this makes me want to get rid of them..."

Xian Ge didn’t say anything but twitched even more severely at his mouth.

"From the capital city to Sky Piercing Cliff, then back to the capital from there, it will take a minimum of seven days. Which means she'll be spending seven nights and days with Blossom..." Rong Jing's poetic eyes were shrouded in mist.

Xian Ge couldn’t bear this any longer; when had their Young Master ever been so melancholic When had he ever worried over someone to the extent of adding new worries on top of old ones Never! He coughed, reminding him, "Young Master, you're supposed to meet Princess Lu Yao from Eastern Sea Kingdom. She is said to be extremely beautiful; it should be Miss Shallow Moon who's anxious."

Rong Jing paused in rubbing his forehead before smiling, "True!" With that, he turned and walked back the way they came. "Let’s head back."

Xian Ge breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate it was that he had no women to trouble him like this; he wouldn’t have remembered his own name if it involved Miss Shallow Moon.

———

The beauties are rebelling again! o(n_n)o~

If Mo Yue really goes against Night Tianyi with underhanded tactics, do you think she’s doing the right thing (╯▽╰)╭

Be good now! Whoever's upset can come to me and I'll give them a hug... o(n_n)o~

I’ve seen all of your votings for monthly tickets; I love you!

Thank you to the following readers who sent diamond tips, flowers, and votes! Kissing hands!ough. His thin lips were half-smiling but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.Yun Qianmo naturally did not know that her brief appearance had caused such a stir in the main hall; she briskl...