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Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
The Art of Tea. ‘If the Dragon Emperor had not exhausted his powers in trying to save his most-loved woman, the snow-wolf might not have been his match. Neither would Zisu have died saving him. ‘The snow-wolf was King, but only for Zisu. After his return to the mortal world, he transformed the last of Zisu’s peris.h.i.+ng soul into a tree. At that time, the wolves were immensely powerful mythical beasts wrecking much havoc within the mortal realm. Before Zisu died, she pleaded with the snow-wolf to take the Wolf Tribe into hand. After her death, the snow-wolf spent the last of its cultivation to seal the powers of the entire Wolf Tribe, finally dying under the tree of Zisu. ‘This garden was planted for the purposes of divination. In order to prevent the wolves from leaving the garden, in actuality, the most secure method isn’t to borrow the powers of the five elements. Rather, it the tree of Zisu that will lock the wolves within this garden, for wolves will never leave a place with the tree of Zisu. As the rain falls, the flowers of Zisu will blossom and its fragrance will dissipate through the entire gardens. When that happens, all the wolves will emerge from Cangshan to gather under the greatest tree of Zisu.’ ‘But why was the little wolf able to leave the Lin Gardens? Was it because it was also a snow wolf?’
‘I do not know.’ Although this was only a legend, whenever Xuanji thought about Zisu and the snow wolf’s ending, her heart grew unbearably heavy. She wanted to ask what had happened to the Dragon Emperor in the end, but Zisu was already dead, so what was there to ask… A moment later, she remembered, ‘Will the King of the Wolves also gather under the tree of Zisu?’ The wolves surrounding their tree continued to howl, and the more she stared at them, the more fearful she grew. ‘Will they climb up?’ ‘This is the greatest tree of Zisu. They will not come up,’ Long Fei-li said. After a pause, he continued, ‘But we have to go down.’ Xuanji was speechless. Long Fei-li suddenly turned, his attention on the skies. Puzzled, Xuanji followed his gaze, only to see a blur of white appear a distance away from the tree of Zisu. That figure seemed to be flying towards them. ‘Is that the little wolf?’ Yet a line appeared between Long Fei-li’s brows, and he swiftly removed something from within his robes. Due to the swiftness of his movements, Xuanji only saw the sweep of his sleeves just as the skies were lit with sparks… in the daylight, she could not see what they were. Were those fireworks? She was still confused, but she soon saw the little wolf extend its wings, turning as it flew in the direction of the fireworks. At the same time, several violet figures leapt through the air, disappearing in many different directions. Under the tree of Zisu, the intensity of the howls of the wolves increased. Several wolves leapt into the skies, chasing the little wolf, while the remaining wolves dispersed in all directions. ‘You’re letting the little wolf and your bodyguards draw them away?’ Realisation dawned on Xuanji, but she quickly grew worried again. ‘The little wolf’s injuries –’ Long Fei-li did not reply. The instant the wolves had dispersed, he immediately pulled her into his arms. With a few jumps, they had already leapt past numerous trees. Yet the howls of a hundred wolves soon chased them, even as a few wolves extended their wings and pursued them. Xuanji heard the loud howls issuing from behind her back, accompanied by a strange smell. But Long Fei-li’s movements were quick, and a silver needle immediately appeared within his outstretched hands. ‘Don’t they know how to fly?’ When Xuanji finally regained her breath to ask this question, the two of them had already successfully escaped the gardens. ‘Your Highness, though wolves have wings, only a minority of them still retain the ability to fly.’ There was a disturbance from the willow trees as someone walked forward from within. It was Xia Sang. He strode over with a bright smile on his face, but the moment his eyes landed on Xuanji’s body, he quickly lowered his head. In a low voice, Long Fei-li ordered, ‘Give it to me. And you can head over to Fengjiu Palace to bring a robe over for Concubine Nian.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ Xia Sang retrieved an embroidered pouch and handed it over to Long Fei-li before he withdrew. ‘You don’t have to come over to Chuxiu Hall tonight,’ Long Fei-li said. Xuanji did not understand, but she wordlessly accepted the item he handed over to her. ‘Zisu’s petals has a soothing effect on the nerves. Give this to the snow wolf. It likely entered the gardens in search of this.’ His calm voice was still lingering by her ears when his person had already disappeared into the willow trees. So this was what he had asked Xia Sang to retrieve earlier? A whine suddenly sounded from behind her back. Overjoyed, Xuanji turned to see the little wolf flapping its small wings while staring at her. Though blood mottled its snow-white fur, the little wolf looked extremely pleased with itself. ‘Oh – so you’ve learned to fly. Aren’t you great now?’ Xuanji laughed as she ran over. The little wolf jumped onto her body, snuggling against her. ‘It seems like your ancestor was an extremely impressive wolf. When will be as accomplished as him?’ Xuanji laughed, then said in a low voice, ‘So you’re not one who bears grudges, if you were willing to cooperate with Long Fei-li earlier.’ The little wolf let out a vicious howl, as though displeased with her mentioning Long Fei-li. ‘He was wrong to have hurt you, but even though his family name is also Long, he has nothing to do with that jerk of a Dragon Emperor from the Western Seas. Don’t…’ ‘En, all right. I think you can continue to hate him,’ Xuanji backtracked as she stared helplessly at the bite mark and saliva on her hands. Later that night, Xuanji finally understood what Long Fei-li had meant by attending to him – a pill. Thinking about this, she could not the heaviness in her heart. Beyond the swirling mists of steam, Diefeng said with a laugh, ‘Your Highness, others who don’t know better may think that Ruyi is teaching you how to stew pig trotters.’ Xuanji snorted, then looked at her hands which were swollen and red. Ruyi smiled faintly. ‘Ruyi, why did Jixiang not prepare tea for His Majesty during that banquet at Huayin Palace?’ Ruyi froze, the expression in her eyes cautious. ‘I’m not sure about this.’ Even though Xuanji knew that Ruyi was privy of the reasons behind Jixiang’s unexpected refusal to brew tea for the Emperor, she did not press further as it was clear that Ruyi did not wish to elaborate. Having spent some days living within the imperial palace, she had finally learned some restraint. At this moment, Ruyi said in a gentle voice, ‘Your Highness, as I still have some errands to run, can we continue the lesson tomorrow?’ Xuanji nodded and said gratefully, ‘Thank you for your help today.’ Ruyi was one of the few people who treated her well within the palace. She had once asked Ruyi why, but Ruyi had only smiled before saying that this was something she ought to do. Unable to obtain any answers… ‘Your Highness, it took me some time learning from Jixiang before I could finally brew a good pot of tea. In my humble opinion, I feel that apart from the techniques of brewing tea, another important factor in distinguis.h.i.+ng a good pot of tea from a normal brew would be the type of water that has been used. I have been using the water of an ancient fountain from a summer mountain villa near the palace. Unfortunately, this spring has begun to dry, so we can consider thinking about a new source of water tomorrow.’ Xuanji nodded earnestly. She hadn’t expected that so many factors had to be taken into consideration just to brew a simple cup of tea. If this were the modern world, a simple tea bag would do the trick. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the little wolf which was sprawled on the floor, gnawing on a mouthful of Zisu petals. At this image, an idea dawned in her mind and she quickly called Ruyi’s name as the latter prepared to depart. ‘Ruyi, does His Majesty detest the fragrance of flowers?’ Ruyi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, ‘I’ve never heard anyone say so.’ Xuanji beamed, and Ruyi departed with a smile. Another few days pa.s.sed, and still the Emperor did not visit Fengjiu Palace, as though the two nights they had once spent together was a mere dream on her part. According to the whispers, apart from Concubine Jin, the Emperor did not spend the night with any of his other consorts. Even as the conflicted feelings within Xuanji’s heart increased as the days pa.s.sed, her mood also became more serene. In fact, she had not even realised this until Diefeng’s casual remarks to her. Ever since the events of Qiuying Pavilion, she had grown closer to all her servants. Moreover, as she had never enforced the social hierarchy and allowed her servants to do as they pleased, the servants of Fengjiu Palace were soon on friendly terms with her. ‘Sister, don’t you agree?’ Xuanji looked up to see Consort Hua who sat by her side. Tactfully, she murmured in agreement, although in truth, she had not heard a word of what Consort Hua had said. Only, even though she hadn’t been paying attention, she could guess what Consort Hua had been saying. A few hours ago, Consort Hui and some other concubines had already paid a visit to Fengjiu Palace, arriving one after another in quick succession. Their motives were simple and uniform: they wanted an alliance. When facing a common foe, even enemies could be united to point their gun at a single target: to first eliminate Concubine Jin from the picture before thinking about the next step. So many women waited for the love of one man. And she was just one of them. Wasn’t it amusing? He had already expressed his disdain towards her extremely clearly, hadn’t he? Perhaps this was for her own good – to prevent her feelings, which had blossomed without reason, from deepening. In the recent days which had pa.s.sed, she had asked herself countless times why she had confessed her feelings to him. Like what Jia Yuhuan once said, in this world, there was no such thing as love at first sight… But Jia Yuhuan could declare that there was no such thing, only because she had not experienced this firsthand. Thinking about it now, for some reason or another, she had always felt as though she had known Long Fei-li from a distant past, for she felt strangely familiar to him. Knowing that he loved to drink the tea prepared by Jixiang and Ruyi, she sought their help to learn their ways of brewing a good pot of tea. Despite her initial failures, scalding her hands over and over, at last, she finally succeeded in learning the ways of making tea. During spring time in Xi Liang, there was a particular species of orchid which blossomed beautifully. Yet the flowers of this orchid did not grow on the stems of small plants the way they did in the modern world. Instead, they bloomed on extremely tall trees. Every day, before the sun rose, Xuanji would lead a few other drowsy-eyed eunuchs and servants to the imperial gardens, climbing the trees as they collected the dewdrops from the petals of the orchids. This was considered a tough labour, and now that she thought about it, it was also a ridiculous act. But after a few days, they actually managed to collect a small jar of dewdrops. Except, Long Fei-li had never visited Fengjiu Palace, so she never had the chance to let him try the tea she had prepared. After Xuanji saw Consort Hua off, she went to boil a pot of tea. Puzzled, Diefeng asked, ‘Your Highness, haven’t you stopped making tea these past few days?’ With a light pounce, the little wolf leapt onto the table, also looking at her through curious eyes. Xuanji said lightly, ‘I heard from Consort Hua that His Majesty has been feeling unwell in the last few days and wanted to make a pot of ginger tea… for him.’ The little wolf seemed to understand her words, and with a whine, it jumped onto her knees, staring at her indignantly. Yet Diefeng was excited, and quickly said, ‘That’s great! Your Highness, you’ve finally been enlightened!’ Xuanji was stumped. ‘What do you mean?’ An eunuch, Xiao Lüzi, who stood by the side, suddenly chimed in, ‘Your Highness, are you really unaware or are you pretending to be oblivious? In the last few days, the consorts of all the different palaces have been sending many things to the Emperor in order to have an excuse to visit him…’ Xuanji bowed her head. She had not thought about winning the Emperor’s favour. She only wanted to have a glance at him, and give him the pot of tea. Seeing that she had made up her mind, Diefeng wasted no time and carried the reluctant little wolf away, before she joined the other servants in helping her dress. Outside the room, the urgent voice of another of her eunuch, Xiao Shuangzi, sounded. ‘n.o.ble Lady Zhang requests to see Your Highness.’ Xuanji exchanged a glance with Diefeng, and Diefeng snorted with laughter, ‘Another person coming forth to propose an alliance –’ Xuanji had already heard Diefeng repeat this phrase multiple times over the last few days. By now, all her servants could already memorise Diefeng’s words. As Xuanji recalled that n.o.ble Lady Zhang was the precise person who had urged the Emperor to put the entire family of her young servant to death that day during the banquet of Huayin Palace, her heart grew heavy and she found that she did not want to meet Lady Zhang at all. Exhaling heavily, she glanced at the few servants within her room, just as an idea sprang into her mind. Brightening, she said, ‘Xiao Lüzi, I have a use for you now…’ Xiao Lüzi perspired in fright, and said with trepidation, ‘Your Highness, what are you planning now?’ Chuxiu Hall – the Emperor’s quarters. The guards patrolling the vicinity of the Emperor’s Chuxiu Hall vastly outnumbered the soldiers stationed around the rest of the imperial palace. Here, several guards stalked the perimeter of the Emperor’s palace. Hiding behind a large pillar, Xuanji bit her lips, waiting for the opportune time to step out. Before she had left Fengjiu Palace, she had dressed herself with Xiao Lüzi’s clothes. Then she had Diefeng inform Lady Zhang that she was not around, before she walked out of the front gates of Fengjiu Palace in plain sight. Except, before she had departed, an immensely strange thing had occurred. She finally found something that she had misplaced for some time. As she was changing into Xiao Lüzi’s clothes by her bedside, the little wolf had been rolling around her bed, throwing a tantrum, as though it was extremely displeased with her decision to visit Long Fei-li. As the little wolf tossed and turned, it unexpectedly fished out an item from the depths of her bed. It was the journal which recorded the events occurring in Yuncang: Xi Liang. This was the journal she had received from the blue-eyed man. After she had arrived in this era, the journal had mysteriously vanished the day the Emperor had saved her life. Though she had searched her entire room for it, she had been unable to find it. And now, it had reappeared. Yet she was sure that she had already searched her bed multiple times… Despite her unease, she had flipped the journal open to look at its contents. Even more surprising were the words which had appeared on the first page of the journal, which had clearly been devoid of any writing the last time she had taken a look at it. It wrote: 15th year of Emperor Qingjia’s reign. Summer. Together with Nian Xuanji, Long Zijin, Xia Sang and Qingfeng, the Emperor Qingjia departed the imperial palace to head for Yanxia prefecture in a secret mission in search for the military genius, Bai Zhanfeng.
Chapter Thirty
The Art of Tea. ‘If the Dragon Emperor had not exhausted his powers in trying to save his most-loved woman, the snow-wolf might not have been his match. Neither would Zisu have died saving him. ‘The snow-wolf was King, but only for Zisu. After his return to the mortal world, he transformed the last of Zisu’s peris.h.i.+ng soul into a tree. At that time, the wolves were immensely powerful mythical beasts wrecking much havoc within the mortal realm. Before Zisu died, she pleaded with the snow-wolf to take the Wolf Tribe into hand. After her death, the snow-wolf spent the last of its cultivation to seal the powers of the entire Wolf Tribe, finally dying under the tree of Zisu. ‘This garden was planted for the purposes of divination. In order to prevent the wolves from leaving the garden, in actuality, the most secure method isn’t to borrow the powers of the five elements. Rather, it the tree of Zisu that will lock the wolves within this garden, for wolves will never leave a place with the tree of Zisu. As the rain falls, the flowers of Zisu will blossom and its fragrance will dissipate through the entire gardens. When that happens, all the wolves will emerge from Cangshan to gather under the greatest tree of Zisu.’ ‘But why was the little wolf able to leave the Lin Gardens? Was it because it was also a snow wolf?’
‘I do not know.’ Although this was only a legend, whenever Xuanji thought about Zisu and the snow wolf’s ending, her heart grew unbearably heavy. She wanted to ask what had happened to the Dragon Emperor in the end, but Zisu was already dead, so what was there to ask… A moment later, she remembered, ‘Will the King of the Wolves also gather under the tree of Zisu?’ The wolves surrounding their tree continued to howl, and the more she stared at them, the more fearful she grew. ‘Will they climb up?’ ‘This is the greatest tree of Zisu. They will not come up,’ Long Fei-li said. After a pause, he continued, ‘But we have to go down.’ Xuanji was speechless. Long Fei-li suddenly turned, his attention on the skies. Puzzled, Xuanji followed his gaze, only to see a blur of white appear a distance away from the tree of Zisu. That figure seemed to be flying towards them. ‘Is that the little wolf?’ Yet a line appeared between Long Fei-li’s brows, and he swiftly removed something from within his robes. Due to the swiftness of his movements, Xuanji only saw the sweep of his sleeves just as the skies were lit with sparks… in the daylight, she could not see what they were. Were those fireworks? She was still confused, but she soon saw the little wolf extend its wings, turning as it flew in the direction of the fireworks. At the same time, several violet figures leapt through the air, disappearing in many different directions. Under the tree of Zisu, the intensity of the howls of the wolves increased. Several wolves leapt into the skies, chasing the little wolf, while the remaining wolves dispersed in all directions. ‘You’re letting the little wolf and your bodyguards draw them away?’ Realisation dawned on Xuanji, but she quickly grew worried again. ‘The little wolf’s injuries –’ Long Fei-li did not reply. The instant the wolves had dispersed, he immediately pulled her into his arms. With a few jumps, they had already leapt past numerous trees. Yet the howls of a hundred wolves soon chased them, even as a few wolves extended their wings and pursued them. Xuanji heard the loud howls issuing from behind her back, accompanied by a strange smell. But Long Fei-li’s movements were quick, and a silver needle immediately appeared within his outstretched hands. ‘Don’t they know how to fly?’ When Xuanji finally regained her breath to ask this question, the two of them had already successfully escaped the gardens. ‘Your Highness, though wolves have wings, only a minority of them still retain the ability to fly.’ There was a disturbance from the willow trees as someone walked forward from within. It was Xia Sang. He strode over with a bright smile on his face, but the moment his eyes landed on Xuanji’s body, he quickly lowered his head. In a low voice, Long Fei-li ordered, ‘Give it to me. And you can head over to Fengjiu Palace to bring a robe over for Concubine Nian.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ Xia Sang retrieved an embroidered pouch and handed it over to Long Fei-li before he withdrew. ‘You don’t have to come over to Chuxiu Hall tonight,’ Long Fei-li said. Xuanji did not understand, but she wordlessly accepted the item he handed over to her. ‘Zisu’s petals has a soothing effect on the nerves. Give this to the snow wolf. It likely entered the gardens in search of this.’ His calm voice was still lingering by her ears when his person had already disappeared into the willow trees. So this was what he had asked Xia Sang to retrieve earlier? A whine suddenly sounded from behind her back. Overjoyed, Xuanji turned to see the little wolf flapping its small wings while staring at her. Though blood mottled its snow-white fur, the little wolf looked extremely pleased with itself. ‘Oh – so you’ve learned to fly. Aren’t you great now?’ Xuanji laughed as she ran over. The little wolf jumped onto her body, snuggling against her. ‘It seems like your ancestor was an extremely impressive wolf. When will be as accomplished as him?’ Xuanji laughed, then said in a low voice, ‘So you’re not one who bears grudges, if you were willing to cooperate with Long Fei-li earlier.’ The little wolf let out a vicious howl, as though displeased with her mentioning Long Fei-li. ‘He was wrong to have hurt you, but even though his family name is also Long, he has nothing to do with that jerk of a Dragon Emperor from the Western Seas. Don’t…’ ‘En, all right. I think you can continue to hate him,’ Xuanji backtracked as she stared helplessly at the bite mark and saliva on her hands. Later that night, Xuanji finally understood what Long Fei-li had meant by attending to him – a pill. Thinking about this, she could not the heaviness in her heart. Beyond the swirling mists of steam, Diefeng said with a laugh, ‘Your Highness, others who don’t know better may think that Ruyi is teaching you how to stew pig trotters.’ Xuanji snorted, then looked at her hands which were swollen and red. Ruyi smiled faintly. ‘Ruyi, why did Jixiang not prepare tea for His Majesty during that banquet at Huayin Palace?’ Ruyi froze, the expression in her eyes cautious. ‘I’m not sure about this.’ Even though Xuanji knew that Ruyi was privy of the reasons behind Jixiang’s unexpected refusal to brew tea for the Emperor, she did not press further as it was clear that Ruyi did not wish to elaborate. Having spent some days living within the imperial palace, she had finally learned some restraint. At this moment, Ruyi said in a gentle voice, ‘Your Highness, as I still have some errands to run, can we continue the lesson tomorrow?’ Xuanji nodded and said gratefully, ‘Thank you for your help today.’ Ruyi was one of the few people who treated her well within the palace. She had once asked Ruyi why, but Ruyi had only smiled before saying that this was something she ought to do. Unable to obtain any answers… ‘Your Highness, it took me some time learning from Jixiang before I could finally brew a good pot of tea. In my humble opinion, I feel that apart from the techniques of brewing tea, another important factor in distinguis.h.i.+ng a good pot of tea from a normal brew would be the type of water that has been used. I have been using the water of an ancient fountain from a summer mountain villa near the palace. Unfortunately, this spring has begun to dry, so we can consider thinking about a new source of water tomorrow.’ Xuanji nodded earnestly. She hadn’t expected that so many factors had to be taken into consideration just to brew a simple cup of tea. If this were the modern world, a simple tea bag would do the trick. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the little wolf which was sprawled on the floor, gnawing on a mouthful of Zisu petals. At this image, an idea dawned in her mind and she quickly called Ruyi’s name as the latter prepared to depart. ‘Ruyi, does His Majesty detest the fragrance of flowers?’ Ruyi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, ‘I’ve never heard anyone say so.’ Xuanji beamed, and Ruyi departed with a smile. Another few days pa.s.sed, and still the Emperor did not visit Fengjiu Palace, as though the two nights they had once spent together was a mere dream on her part. According to the whispers, apart from Concubine Jin, the Emperor did not spend the night with any of his other consorts. Even as the conflicted feelings within Xuanji’s heart increased as the days pa.s.sed, her mood also became more serene. In fact, she had not even realised this until Diefeng’s casual remarks to her. Ever since the events of Qiuying Pavilion, she had grown closer to all her servants. Moreover, as she had never enforced the social hierarchy and allowed her servants to do as they pleased, the servants of Fengjiu Palace were soon on friendly terms with her. ‘Sister, don’t you agree?’ Xuanji looked up to see Consort Hua who sat by her side. Tactfully, she murmured in agreement, although in truth, she had not heard a word of what Consort Hua had said. Only, even though she hadn’t been paying attention, she could guess what Consort Hua had been saying. A few hours ago, Consort Hui and some other concubines had already paid a visit to Fengjiu Palace, arriving one after another in quick succession. Their motives were simple and uniform: they wanted an alliance. When facing a common foe, even enemies could be united to point their gun at a single target: to first eliminate Concubine Jin from the picture before thinking about the next step. So many women waited for the love of one man. And she was just one of them. Wasn’t it amusing? He had already expressed his disdain towards her extremely clearly, hadn’t he? Perhaps this was for her own good – to prevent her feelings, which had blossomed without reason, from deepening. In the recent days which had pa.s.sed, she had asked herself countless times why she had confessed her feelings to him. Like what Jia Yuhuan once said, in this world, there was no such thing as love at first sight… But Jia Yuhuan could declare that there was no such thing, only because she had not experienced this firsthand. Thinking about it now, for some reason or another, she had always felt as though she had known Long Fei-li from a distant past, for she felt strangely familiar to him. Knowing that he loved to drink the tea prepared by Jixiang and Ruyi, she sought their help to learn their ways of brewing a good pot of tea. Despite her initial failures, scalding her hands over and over, at last, she finally succeeded in learning the ways of making tea. During spring time in Xi Liang, there was a particular species of orchid which blossomed beautifully. Yet the flowers of this orchid did not grow on the stems of small plants the way they did in the modern world. Instead, they bloomed on extremely tall trees. Every day, before the sun rose, Xuanji would lead a few other drowsy-eyed eunuchs and servants to the imperial gardens, climbing the trees as they collected the dewdrops from the petals of the orchids. This was considered a tough labour, and now that she thought about it, it was also a ridiculous act. But after a few days, they actually managed to collect a small jar of dewdrops. Except, Long Fei-li had never visited Fengjiu Palace, so she never had the chance to let him try the tea she had prepared. After Xuanji saw Consort Hua off, she went to boil a pot of tea. Puzzled, Diefeng asked, ‘Your Highness, haven’t you stopped making tea these past few days?’ With a light pounce, the little wolf leapt onto the table, also looking at her through curious eyes. Xuanji said lightly, ‘I heard from Consort Hua that His Majesty has been feeling unwell in the last few days and wanted to make a pot of ginger tea… for him.’ The little wolf seemed to understand her words, and with a whine, it jumped onto her knees, staring at her indignantly. Yet Diefeng was excited, and quickly said, ‘That’s great! Your Highness, you’ve finally been enlightened!’ Xuanji was stumped. ‘What do you mean?’ An eunuch, Xiao Lüzi, who stood by the side, suddenly chimed in, ‘Your Highness, are you really unaware or are you pretending to be oblivious? In the last few days, the consorts of all the different palaces have been sending many things to the Emperor in order to have an excuse to visit him…’ Xuanji bowed her head. She had not thought about winning the Emperor’s favour. She only wanted to have a glance at him, and give him the pot of tea. Seeing that she had made up her mind, Diefeng wasted no time and carried the reluctant little wolf away, before she joined the other servants in helping her dress. Outside the room, the urgent voice of another of her eunuch, Xiao Shuangzi, sounded. ‘n.o.ble Lady Zhang requests to see Your Highness.’ Xuanji exchanged a glance with Diefeng, and Diefeng snorted with laughter, ‘Another person coming forth to propose an alliance –’ Xuanji had already heard Diefeng repeat this phrase multiple times over the last few days. By now, all her servants could already memorise Diefeng’s words. As Xuanji recalled that n.o.ble Lady Zhang was the precise person who had urged the Emperor to put the entire family of her young servant to death that day during the banquet of Huayin Palace, her heart grew heavy and she found that she did not want to meet Lady Zhang at all. Exhaling heavily, she glanced at the few servants within her room, just as an idea sprang into her mind. Brightening, she said, ‘Xiao Lüzi, I have a use for you now…’ Xiao Lüzi perspired in fright, and said with trepidation, ‘Your Highness, what are you planning now?’ Chuxiu Hall – the Emperor’s quarters. The guards patrolling the vicinity of the Emperor’s Chuxiu Hall vastly outnumbered the soldiers stationed around the rest of the imperial palace. Here, several guards stalked the perimeter of the Emperor’s palace. Hiding behind a large pillar, Xuanji bit her lips, waiting for the opportune time to step out. Before she had left Fengjiu Palace, she had dressed herself with Xiao Lüzi’s clothes. Then she had Diefeng inform Lady Zhang that she was not around, before she walked out of the front gates of Fengjiu Palace in plain sight. Except, before she had departed, an immensely strange thing had occurred. She finally found something that she had misplaced for some time. As she was changing into Xiao Lüzi’s clothes by her bedside, the little wolf had been rolling around her bed, throwing a tantrum, as though it was extremely displeased with her decision to visit Long Fei-li. As the little wolf tossed and turned, it unexpectedly fished out an item from the depths of her bed. It was the journal which recorded the events occurring in Yuncang: Xi Liang. This was the journal she had received from the blue-eyed man. After she had arrived in this era, the journal had mysteriously vanished the day the Emperor had saved her life. Though she had searched her entire room for it, she had been unable to find it. And now, it had reappeared. Yet she was sure that she had already searched her bed multiple times… Despite her unease, she had flipped the journal open to look at its contents. Even more surprising were the words which had appeared on the first page of the journal, which had clearly been devoid of any writing the last time she had taken a look at it. It wrote: 15th year of Emperor Qingjia’s reign. Summer. Together with Nian Xuanji, Long Zijin, Xia Sang and Qingfeng, the Emperor Qingjia departed the imperial palace to head for Yanxia prefecture in a secret mission in search for the military genius, Bai Zhanfeng.
