Chapter 65 - 56: He Looks Best in a Green Gown

Empress Dowager Yan pulled Yan Ruxue to sit beside her. "Speaking of which, Ruxue, when you were eight, you fell into the Canglan River. When I heard the news, I was nearly scared to death. Thank heavens you were safe."

Yan Ruxue nodded and smiled. "I’m sorry to have worried you, Empress Dowager."

"To survive a great disaster means good fortune will follow." Empress Dowager Yan patted the back of Yan Ruxue’s hand. "Now, you are the most talented woman in all of Great Zhou. In the future, you will be our Empress of Great Zhou, and your child will be the Emperor of Great Zhou."

Yan Ruxue gave a shy smile, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Seeing the young woman’s charmingly shy and lovely appearance before her, Empress Dowager Yan grew even fonder of her.

"It’s a pity. According to the rites of our Zhou Kingdom, you and His Majesty cannot meet before you are wed. Otherwise, I would have His Majesty come over right now. If he saw you, he would surely be utterly captivated.

Why would he bother with that silly cultivation then? He’d be completely wrapped up in you."

Yan Ruxue just continued to smile, saying nothing more.

"Ruxue, what do you usually do when you’re at home?"

"I usually just read. Occasionally, I’ll cook something, tend to the flowers and plants, and sometimes..."

Yan Ruxue answered truthfully.

Empress Dowager Yan listened and nodded along.

The two of them first made small talk.

Then, Empress Dowager Yan explained some of the palace rules to Yan Ruxue.

Most of it was about how to manage the rear palace and how to conduct oneself as the future Empress of Great Zhou.

These were matters no one else could teach; only the Empress Dowager could.

Originally, Empress Dowager Yan had wanted to test Yan Ruxue’s knowledge of court etiquette.

But from the moment Yan Ruxue walked into Lingxin Palace, from her every word and action, her every move, Empress Dowager Yan knew that Ruxue had already passed.

Finally, Empress Dowager Yan took Yan Ruxue to Chunhe Courtyard to admire the flowers and fly a paper kite.

For Empress Dowager Yan, Ruxue’s entry into the palace not only further consolidated the Yan Clan’s status, but it also meant that here in the isolated palace, she would have a kinswoman to chat with, making life less tedious.

"Oh! The kite string broke..."

In Chunhe Courtyard, just as Empress Dowager Yan and Yan Ruxue were chatting casually while flying the kite, the string snapped, and the kite drifted down toward a nearby courtyard.

"Please forgive us, Empress Dowager." The Palace Maids of Lingxin Palace all knelt.

"I was the one who broke it, not you." The Empress Dowager looked toward where the kite had fallen. That seemed to be the direction of Xianxin Palace.

Empress Dowager Yan smiled faintly. "Ruxue, would you be so kind as to go and retrieve that kite for me?"

"As you command."

Yan Ruxue curtsied, then took her personal maid to retrieve the kite without asking for a reason.

After Yan Ruxue left, Chief Eunuch Huang whispered to the Empress Dowager, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty is cultivating at the Wendao Platform next to Xianxin Palace. Miss Yan has not yet officially entered the palace. If His Majesty and Miss Yan were to meet, I’m afraid it would be a breach of etiquette. If word of this were to get out..."

The Empress Dowager’s lips curled into a smile. "I’m merely having Ruxue fetch a kite. I didn’t deliberately arrange for her to meet His Majesty. If they happen to run into each other, it can only be called fate. What could the court officials possibly say?"

Chief Eunuch Huang: "..."

"Alright, there’s no need to worry about this matter..."

As she spoke, Empress Dowager Yan sighed.

"Ruxue is an excellent young woman who understands the bigger picture. She is entering the palace this time for the prosperity of our Yan Clan. When I entered the palace thirty years ago, I was filled with anxiety, not knowing what kind of person the late Emperor was.

Now, letting this child meet her future husband beforehand will at least give her some peace of mind when she marries him in the future."

"For the Empress Dowager to be so considerate of Miss Yan is truly Miss Yan’s good fortune."

"What good fortune is that?" Empress Dowager Yan chuckled. "We’ll see if fate brings them together."

「...」

「Meanwhile」

After bathing in Qingquan Palace, Xiao Mo changed into a fresh Daoist Robe and instantly felt much more refreshed.

As for the Dragon Robe, Xiao Mo couldn’t remember the last time he had worn it.

’If you’re going to put on an act, you have to go all the way. I can’t let my persona slip.’

Xiao Mo walked through the Imperial Palace alone.

He didn’t allow any Palace Maids or others to follow him.

Xiao Mo wanted to take a stroll by himself to clear his head.

However, when Xiao Mo arrived at a garden next to Xianxin Palace, he saw two women standing under a tree, looking up.

One was dressed as a young lady from a noble family, the other as a maid.

Following their gaze, he saw a kite stuck in the tree.

Just as Xiao Chun was at a loss, wondering how to get the kite down, she turned her head, saw Xiao Mo, and exclaimed joyfully, "Excuse me, Sir Daoist, could you please help us get this kite down?"

Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment before realizing the maid was talking to him.

At that moment, Yan Ruxue also turned and looked in Xiao Mo’s direction.

The moment Xiao Mo’s gaze met the woman’s eyes, his heart couldn’t help but tremble.

The woman’s oval face was fairer than snow, so fine and smooth that not a single flaw could be seen, as if carved from the finest white jade.

She had a delicate, straight nose, and below it, a pair of rose-colored, diamond-shaped lips. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, giving her a gentle and approachable warmth even when she wasn’t smiling.

Her neck was long and fair, its lines as elegant as a swan’s. Below her collar, the curve of her figure, cinched by a sash at her waist, was quite striking.

But it wasn’t her beauty that made Xiao Mo’s heart tremble.

It was the woman’s pair of peach-blossom eyes.

Her peach-blossom eyes were like two newly bloomed petals floating gently on spring water. The outer corners, as if meticulously drawn, tilted slightly upward, tinged with a moist, rouge-like color.

Xiao Mo was reminded of another woman.

Their eyes were so, so similar.

The only difference was that Ruxue’s peach-blossom eyes held a hint of playfulness and purity within their charm.

But that woman’s eyes seemed to hold a millennium of worldly-weariness.

A single glance was enough to stir pity in one’s heart.

It was as if she had endured millennia of loneliness, suffering through countless desperate days and nights all by herself.

"Daoist, why are you staring at my lady? That’s so rude!" Xiao Chun said with a frown.

"My apologies, my apologies. This humble Daoist was rude." Xiao Mo smiled and gave a Daoist bow. "Allow me to help you two get the kite down."

Xiao Mo stepped forward, leaped up, and took a few steps onto the branches to retrieve the kite from the tree.

’Although I’m only at the Qi Cultivation First Layer, I’m still capable of such a minor feat.’

’As for exposing my cultivation, it isn’t uncommon for an Emperor to cultivate up to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. Yan Shanao wouldn’t think much of it even if he found out, because in his eyes, it’s impossible for an Emperor to ever reach Foundation Establishment.’

"Here." Xiao Mo handed it to them.

"Thank you, Sir Daoist." Xiao Chun happily took the kite. "My lady, let’s go back."

"Mm." Yan Ruxue nodded and curtsied. "Many thanks, young master."

"It was nothing."

Yan Ruxue lifted her head, gave Xiao Mo one last look, and turned to leave.

Watching the two of them walk away, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but shake his head. ’Those eyes, they’re really so similar...’

On the way back to Chunhe Courtyard, Xiao Chun, holding the kite, finally realized something and asked in confusion, "Huh? My lady, why is there a Daoist in the Imperial Palace?"

Yan Ruxue covered her mouth and chuckled. "This is the rear palace of the Imperial Palace. Without His Majesty’s permission, ordinary men are forbidden from entering. Even if summoned by His Majesty, they cannot move about alone; they must be escorted by Palace Maids. Yet that man was walking openly through the rear palace all by himself. And considering His Majesty’s current fondness for cultivation... why do you think there would be a Daoist in the Imperial Palace?"

Xiao Chun froze in place as if struck by lightning, her face turning deathly pale.

"Then... my lady... Your servant... I was just... just dis... disrespectful... to His... His Majesty... Your servant..." Xiao Chun stammered, looking as though she was about to cry.

"It’s alright," Yan Ruxue said with a smile. "His Majesty isn’t that petty. He won’t hold it against you."

"R-really? But my lady, how would you know?"

"Of course I know." Yan Ruxue’s eyes curved into crescents as she turned and continued walking. "I’ve known for a very long time."

"Huh?" Xiao Chun hurried to catch up and walk beside her lady. "Does my lady know His Majesty very well?"

"You could say that..." The young woman nodded.

"Then what else do you know about His Majesty, my lady?"

"Hmm..." Yan Ruxue thought for a moment. "He doesn’t look good in Daoist attire."

Xiao Chun tilted her head. "Then what does His Majesty look good in, my lady?"

"Azure robes."

The young woman’s smile was like a blooming flower.

"When he wears azure robes,"

"he’s at his most handsome."