As the ceremony of adorning the hair concluded, the Empress Dowager returned to Shou’an Palace to rest. Su Muxuan spent the afternoon playing with Kebina and the others, and was then taken to rest by an old嬷嬷 from the Empress Dowager’s side.
The Empress also left to arrange the banquet. The Emperor, accompanied by civil and military officials, went to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the scenery while awaiting the banquet. Despite the departure of many people, the place was still lively.
Su Muqing returned to the main hall of Huaxia Palace. The next item on the agenda was for the invited officials and their families, who held official ranks, to present their gifts. Regardless of sincerity, everyone wore appropriate smiles, holding their gifts, and congratulated her one by one.
The first to step forward were from the Ping Wang’s residence. This time, Princess Ping was accompanied not only by Kebi Xiang, but also by a woman with a belly as round as a drum. This was presumably the Crown Princess of Kebi Yao.
“The Ping Wang’s residence congratulates Grand Princess Ning’an on eternal bliss.” After the female members of the Wang’s residence completed their greetings, before Princess Ping could speak,
Kebi Xiang reached out and picked up a painting from the tray. “This is a gift specially chosen for you by Cousin.”
Princess Yunxiang’s face bore a challenging smile, emphasizing the word “specially” as she spoke. As she spoke, she unfurled a scroll. Princess Ping’s brow furrowed, unsure what mischief her daughter was up to this time. However, when her gaze fell upon the painting’s content, her heart skipped a beat with shock…
The background of the scroll depicted red walls and green tiles, with a section of a tree branch abruptly extending from the side. Below the branch stood a pheasant, a type of wild fowl, with vibrantly colored feathers. Its plumage was exceptionally beautiful.
The pheasant spread its short, broad wings and flapped upwards in flight. Several superimposed images of its flight were depicted, indicating its ascent. Then, at the very top of the branch, another pheasant stood. This pheasant, however, had several phoenix plumes inserted into its head, and its wings and tail had been embellished with colors symbolizing the phoenix – fiery red and tail feathers.
Red walls and green tiles were the standard of the Imperial Palace. At least, in Tianzhao, only the Imperial Palace had such features. Hmph! Kebi Xiang was mocking her, suggesting that her elevation to princess was a transformation from a pheasant to a phoenix?
Su Muqing picked up the entire painting and examined it with great interest. When she saw the signature at the bottom, she was almost amused. The signature was “Fairy Yunxiang”? So this painting was actually drawn by this Princess Yunxiang?
Some observant wives of officials and young ladies in the vicinity, upon seeing the painting’s content, quickly raised their handkerchiefs to cover their lips. This newly appointed princess was clearly favored. They noted the praise written in the imperial decree granting her title, which explicitly mentioned her contributions to the nation.
Historically, only daughters born to the Empress Consort received the title of Grand Princess. Daughters of concubines were generally only given the title of Princess. All these signs indicated that she was no ordinary person…
These people from the Ping Wang’s residence were indeed daring to openly insult the newly appointed Grand Princess in such a manner. More drama was unfolding, and they wondered if this princess would be angered to tears. They certainly did not believe that Princess Yunxiang acted alone, but rather that the Ping Wang’s residence was attempting to put the princess in her place.
Su Muqing held the painting in one hand and appraised it for a while. Then, under the expectant gaze of everyone, she commented with great seriousness, “So it is a painting of a pheasant reflecting on itself. This painting vividly captures the pheasant’s inferiority complex and pitiable state, its fantasy of soaring to a branch and becoming a phoenix, and its ambitious gaze.”
The others present were instantly confused by Su Muqing’s words. Had they misread it? But upon closer inspection, they still couldn’t discern any meaning of self-reflection in the painting.
Was Princess Ning’an genuinely unable to understand the painting, or was she feigning ignorance? She knew that the Ping Wang’s residence was trying to make things difficult for her. But perhaps she was afraid of falling out with the Ping Wang’s residence, and thus created an excuse for herself?
Princess Yunxiang’s thoughts were similar to those of others at this moment. She assumed Su Muqing was merely beautiful but foolish. It was as well that she was sensible. Even if she had been conferred the title of princess, she was still a郡主 and a true royal bloodline, making her inherently nobler than a pheasant princess.
It seemed she had overestimated her before. With such limited capabilities, even if they were to live under the same roof in the future, she would be able to manipulate this princess with ease!
As everyone’s thoughts swirled, Su Muqing leisurely added, “I must say, even pheasants have such self-awareness these days. However, the artistry of this chicken spirit’s painting is… truly terrible. But then again, it is the level of a pheasant, so I cannot demand too much. It’s just that the signature is truly inappropriate. Since she understands what she is, why would she still call herself Fairy Yunxiang?”
Upon hearing this, Kebi Xiang understood everything. Su Muqing was sarcastically calling her a pheasant and implying that she herself had painted it! Furthermore, she was repeatedly calling her a pheasant!
This uncultured country bumpkin dared to insult her so! Did she really consider herself a princess? “You are merely…”
Kebi Xiang intended to retort, but Su Muqing gave her no chance to speak, and her words became increasingly harsh.
“A pheasant wishing to fly to a branch and become a phoenix is understandable, having ideals. But those impure chicken spirits inferior to pheasants who dare to call themselves fairies are simply shameless. Wouldn’t you agree… Princess Yunxiang?” Su Muqing asked this question, her eyes fixed on Kebi Xiang. A sinister smile played on her lips, but her eyes clearly held no hint of amusement.
The onlookers, seeing her fierce gaze, all felt a chill in their hearts. How could this Princess Ning’an’s eyes possess such a potent killing intent? Was she truly only fifteen years old?
Everyone present was a prominent figure in Rongcheng. Who didn’t know that “Fairy Yunxiang” was Kebi Xiang’s pen name? Although she had been divorced once, she was, after all, the daughter of a prince. Being publicly insulted as an impure chicken spirit was an unbearable disgrace…
However, everyone present knew that since Kebi Xiang used the painting to mock Princess Ning’an as a pheasant, it was only natural for the princess to retaliate with even harsher words. After all, she had started the provocation.
Kebi Xiang, seeing the peculiar smile on Su Muqing’s lips and the ferocity in her eyes, recoiled a few steps in fear. How could she forget that Su Muqing possessed martial arts skills, and was said to be highly skilled? What if she acted impulsively and attacked her?
Princess Ping, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quickly began to ponder. This matter was neither big nor small, but if it were to reach the Emperor, it would likely only bring misfortune to Xiang’er.
After all, there was pictorial evidence. Simply being accused of disrespecting the princess would only damage Xiang’er’s reputation. Princess Ping was extremely annoyed with her daughter’s recklessness! How could she act without foresight and not consider the potential trouble she could bring to the Wang’s residence?
“Oh! Wrong, wrong! How could I have picked up this painting? I originally intended to give a painting of a beauty to the princess, but I don’t know how I ended up with this one. This is all my fault, Auntie. I beg the princess to forgive this oversight.” Princess Ping feigned exaggerated surprise upon seeing the painting’s content, then stepped forward and performed a standard half-kneel before Su Muqing.
Su Muqing stared fixedly at Princess Ping for a long time, until her kneeling posture began to tremble, yet she did not speak, inviting her to rise. Instead, she provocatively looked at Princess Yunxiang, who was fuming beside her like a toad.
Kebi Xiang, seeing her mother being wronged, stepped forward decisively to support her. “Princess Ning’an, what do you mean by this? We brought the wrong painting, and we have already apologized. Why are you still treating my mother like this?”
Su Muqing suddenly turned, her robes swirling like an afterimage in the air. Despite wearing a bright and cheerful girlish outfit, she exuded an aura of empress looking down upon the world.
She raised her hand and examined it repeatedly, responding to Kebi Xiang’s words nonchalantly. “Princess Yunxiang, what were you trying to say? I haven’t said anything at all. Besides, your Ping Wang’s residence disrespects the imperial authority. Do you think a mere apology will settle this matter?”
“What are you talking about? How has our Ping Wang’s residence disrespected imperial authority? Don’t think you can spew nonsense just because you are a princess. This princess of yours still doesn’t know how to…” Before Kebi Xiang could finish speaking, Princess Ping turned and tightly covered her mouth.
The atmosphere became even more tense. Princess Ping quickly pulled Kebi Xiang along and bowed to apologize. “Princess Ning’an, please forgive us. Xiang’er spoke carelessly out of desperation. The gift was indeed accidentally misplaced. Since it was a gift for the princess, how could it be such an ordinary item! In fact, the real gift, besides the painting of the beauty, also includes…”
Su Muqing finally raised her head, asking with feigned interest, “Oh~ what else? What else is there? Could it be that your pheasant fairy has painted any other masterpieces? Perhaps a toad lusting after swan meat?”
As she said this, Su Muqing intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Lu Yuzhi, who was seated below. Unexpectedly, Kebi Xiang also turned her head to look.
*Pfft*… Did she have to be so self-aware? She hadn’t expected her to be so eager to identify with the description.
Princess Ping’s smile was exceedingly awkward. “The princess is joking. Of course, they are not such vulgar ordinary paintings. They are made of pure gold…”
Before Princess Ping could finish, Su Muqing interrupted her. “Oh~ I understand. Wangfei must be referring to a Great Buddha cast in pure gold and a Guanyin carved from jade?”
Princess Ping was taken aback by the question. She looked at Su Muqing’s face in disbelief. How did she know? “This, this, as long as the princess does not disdain these as common trinkets…”
“Wangfei need not worry about this. I myself am a commoner, so there is no question of disdain. I simply did not expect the Ping Wang’s residence to be so generous. Then, bring forth the gifts and let this commoner princess have a look!” Su Muqing said, then picked up her teacup, no longer looking at Princess Ping, thereby cutting off any chance for her to go back on her word.
Why did Su Muqing specifically ask about these two items? This was all thanks to Kebi Na, the local gossip. He knew about almost every rare treasure any family possessed.
Princess Ping gritted her teeth in anger, but she was now on the spot. If she returned home today, the Prince would surely give her a stern look. However, if she reneged now, the reputation of the Ping Wang’s residence would be lost.
No! This was a crucial moment. She absolutely could not implicate Yao’er or the Wang’s residence’s reputation!
Kebi Xiang, seeing her mother’s expression visibly waver, couldn’t help but cry out to stop her. “Mother, no! You promised me these two treasures as dowry headwear in the future. How can you give them to this…”
“Shut up!”
*Slap*~ Princess Ping, filled with frustration at her daughter’s lack of foresight, reprimanded Kebi Xiang, who was about to speak without thinking, and slapped her across the face. This daughter of hers was becoming increasingly brainless. If it weren’t for her unauthorized actions, how would she have lost these two treasures?
Kebi Xiang cupped her stinging cheek, and her crying instantly ceased. She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears and disbelief as she looked at her mother.
Princess Ping ignored her daughter’s resentful and wronged gaze. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth fiercely, and then turned to her personal嬷嬷 by the door, nodding reluctantly. The嬷嬷 cast a worried glance at them, bowed, and retreated. She hurried to the palace gate, found the Ping Wang’s residence’s carriage, and rushed back.
Su Muqing took in the subtle movements of the mother and servant with her own eyes. She maintained a perfect smile, but her words nearly sent the people of Prince Ping into an apoplectic fit.
“Even though Wangfei has presented me with valuable gifts, there are some things this princess must say today. Princess Yunxiang is already in her twenties, isn’t she? At her age, she should understand the concept of disaster stemming from careless words. Fairy, you must remember that not everyone in the world is your mother, and no one will always indulge you. You have not reached a status where saying something wrong and offering a light apology will make everyone forgive you. If you wish to speak impulsively, you must have the ability to bear all the consequences of your impulsive words. If you cannot, it is best to remain low-key. Otherwise, if you offend someone you shouldn’t, you might not be able to afford the ruin of your entire Ping Wang’s residence!” Su Muqing finished by taking a hearty sip of tea, then looked at them with an expression of “I’m doing this for your own good!”
As soon as her words fell, the scene was met with a deafening silence. The Ping Wang’s residence was, after all, a princely estate, and her words seemed somewhat severe. The gazes of others towards Su Muqing were complex, mingled with a hint of fear.
With such a commanding presence and terrifying demeanor, it was hard to imagine that this woman had only been made a princess today. Was she truly just an ordinary country girl before? A big question lingered in everyone’s minds.
“Thank you for your guidance, Princess. Your humble servant will certainly bear it in mind.” After a long silence, Princess Ping bowed and, with a calm expression, led Kebi Xiang aside.
The Crown Princess, with her swollen belly, followed the two. Su Muqing had seats arranged for them. Since they had presented gifts, there was no reason to make them stand.
Subsequently, other noble ladies came forward to offer congratulations and gifts. Su Muqing maintained a standard and gracious smile, appearing genuinely amiable.
Of course, if they hadn't witnessed the scene just moments ago, they might have truly believed that this princess was easy to get along with. As for their current thoughts, they would definitely need to be more cautious in the future.
After all the gifts had been presented, including the golden Buddha and jade Guanyin from the Ping Wang’s residence, the Empress’s attendant announced that they could proceed to the banquet hall. Everyone then rose and began to depart, chatting in small groups.
During the banquet, officials were seated at the outermost tables, with screens behind them. The female guests were seated in corresponding positions behind the screens.
Kebipeng and his party were unaware of the events that had transpired in Huaxia Palace, but this did not prevent him from casting an unfriendly gaze upon seeing Su Muqing.
He couldn’t quite explain why, but he felt that there was something sinister about this woman and worried that the current situation in Tianzhao might change due to the sudden appearance of this woman.
The food at the banquet looked exquisite, but the taste was not particularly good. However, for Su Muqing, who was accustomed to modern pop music and dance, it was still novel to eat while watching pure ancient-style singing and dancing.
The banquet proceeded smoothly and concluded at eleven o’clock at night. Apart from the Regent, who arrived late due to his involvement in the prisoner exchange case, nothing else significant happened.
However, Su Muqing and her companions left the banquet shortly after finishing their meal. They convened in Huaxia Palace, secretly hiding together to eat instant noodles. Eventually, the Regent, the Emperor, and the Empress also joined them, leaving the officials to their drinking and toasting in the banquet hall.
As midnight approached, Lu Yuzhi also returned to the Regent’s residence for the night. They had arranged to meet at the residence the next day. Kebite had already handed over the Fire Flame Fat to him two days prior and was waiting for Su Muqing to finish her grand investiture ceremony before helping him expel the poison.
Today had finally come to a successful end. Su Muqing, exhausted, returned to her room and immediately retreated into her space to take a bath. Little Milk Bun had grown very close to the Empress Dowager. After falling asleep that night, he was carried to Shou’an Palace.
Although Su Muqing was concerned that Little Milk Bun might look for her upon waking, seeing how much the Empress Dowager liked him, she agreed to let her take him. If he looked for her in the middle of the night, she would go and fetch him.
After a leisurely bath and drying her hair, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
She slept until noon, and upon waking, it was already past eleven o’clock. Little Milk Bun had visited several times, but she hadn’t woken up, so the Empress Dowager had taken him back to Shou’an Palace. Not only the Empress Dowager and Prince Yongrong, but even the Emperor and Empress had sent people to inquire about her a few times.
Su Muqing quickly got up, washed herself, then went to Shou’an Palace to pay her respects and pick up Little Milk Bun. She then rushed to the Empress’s palace to pay her respects and happened to encounter the Emperor, who was also there. The family had lunch together.
After lunch, Su Muqing, with Little Milk Bun in tow, hurried to the Regent’s residence. The Emperor had wanted to assign her a pair of guards, but she found it troublesome and refused them. She directly leaped onto the eagle’s back and flew away.
Black Bear was, once again, left behind in the palace. It was unwilling at first, but Su Muqing promised it many benefits, and it finally succumbed shamefully.
This was because the Emperor had recently become fond of playing with it. Whenever he wasn’t attending court, he would have Black Bear carry him around the Imperial Palace. Sometimes, when Black Bear lay on the grass, the Emperor would even lie on top of it.
At first, the Empress was greatly frightened by Black Bear. Later, after the Emperor and Su Muqing took turns to appease her, she gradually became less fearful, even starting to think that raising such a large pet was quite interesting.
Su Muqing rode the eagle and arrived above the Regent’s residence within minutes. Lu Yuzhi heard the eagle’s cry and quickly rushed to the courtyard. Upon seeing it, he realized it was indeed her.
Although she had overslept, at least she had made it on time. Since Lu Yuzhi needed to purge the cold poison from his body, the time chosen was the hottest part of the day, mid-afternoon.
Lu Yuzhi had not eaten breakfast or lunch, as he needed to maintain an empty stomach during the process of expelling the poison. Su Muqing did not exchange many pleasantries. After dismissing the servants, she only kept Leng Ren and Leng Feng to guard them, and even Kebi Na’s request to come was refused.
The two of them directly sat cross-legged on the lawn in the courtyard. Su Muqing took the box and opened it. Inside lay a solid piece of blood-red substance. When she carefully picked it up, she discovered that it was surprisingly soft.
Su Muqing held the Fire Flame Fat up to the sun and could see the flowing liquid within, much like the play-doh that children played with in her previous life.
Lu Yuzhi removed his outer clothing, revealing his well-built upper body. Su Muqing nodded at him when she saw he was ready. Then, she reached out and removed the Soul Suppressing Pearl from his neck.
As soon as the Soul Suppressing Pearl left his body, Lu Yuzhi frowned as his internal energy surged. The dozen or so strange forces within him instantly became like wild horses that had broken free from their reins, starting to run amok inside his body.
The strange forces had been suppressed for too long. Upon their sudden release, Lu Yuzhi found it difficult to control them. Black and blue transparent markings began to appear from his heart, gradually spreading to his shoulders and neck, and eventually covering his entire face. When he opened his eyes again, his pupils had turned blood red.
His current appearance made him look very much like the great villains who had fallen into demonic possession in movies. Leng Ren and the others quickly stepped forward, each pressing down on one of Lu Yuzhi’s shoulders.
Su Muqing, using her hand as a blade, cut through the thin membrane on the surface of the Fire Flame Fat. Then, according to the prompts on the space screen, she channeled the poured Fire Flame Fat through the skin and muscles, applying it to the rampaging strange forces.
During this process, Su Muqing also had to continuously channel healing spells into Lu Yuzhi’s body to prevent him from being counterattacked by the strange forces and completely transforming into someone else.
When the first drop of Fire Flame Fat hit a light spot of strange force, the red light spot and the ice-blue light spot engaged in a struggle. Lu Yuzhi, who had initially regained control, suddenly opened his eyes, his face contorted in pain, and struck at Su Muqing with a palm.
Su Muqing, who was concentrating on the light spots, did not notice his movement. By the time the alarm sounded in her mind, Lu Yuzhi’s palm had already landed on her.
The speed was so great that she had no time to react and was sent flying with a palm strike. Su Muqing, flying through the air, spat out a mouthful of blood. Enduring the severe pain in her body, she quickly flipped and flew back to Lu Yuzhi’s side. Just as he was about to go berserk, she dispersed the Fire Flame Fat in her hand and instantly struck it out, attaching it to the other light spots of strange force.
Lu Yuzhi, who had lost his senses and intended to attack indiscriminately, let out a sky-piercing roar as he was tormented by the sudden, intense pain. Leng Ren and Leng Feng were sent flying by his explosive inner energy, and both suffered varying degrees of damage to their heart meridians.
Su Muqing, unable to treat them at the moment, tossed a porcelain bottle to the two of them, then flew to Lu Yuzhi, who had gone mad.
Lu Yuzhi was in immense pain. Half of his soul seemed to be burning, while the other half felt like it had fallen into a frigid abyss. The two extreme and contrasting pains tormented him, interweaving and torturing him.
Life was not as painful as this.