After Jiang Qingyi left, Yan Ruxue brought the carriage back to the scene of the incident and then awakened her mother, the maid, and the guards.
When Madam Yan woke up, she was startled and quickly asked her daughter if something had happened.
Yan Ruxue explained that they had encountered assassins, but fortunately an immortal had passed by and saved them all.
Hearing that her daughter was safe, Madam Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Yan no longer wanted to visit Hundred Lanterns Temple to see the Buddhist maiden. She quickly brought her daughter back to the residence and told her husband about the incident.
Minister of Rites Yan Zhen immediately went to the Yan's residence.
Upon learning of this, Yan Shan'ao was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Assassinating the family members of court officials was a serious crime, let alone the future Empress of Zhou Kingdom!
He suspected that other aristocratic clans, dissatisfied with the Yan family's further rise in power, had sent people to assassinate Ruxue.
Regarding the assassins' appearance, Yan Ruxue said they wore face coverings and she couldn't see clearly.As for why she didn't mention Jiang Qingyi, Yan Ruxue felt it would be useless to say.
Jiang Qingyi was the Ten Thousand Swords Sect Master. What could others do to her?
For now, she couldn't deal with Jiang Qingyi.
Jiang Qingyi also knew she couldn't deal with her.
Since that was the case, it was better to maintain this delicate balance without making a big fuss.
For Yan Ruxue, what she wanted was to peacefully hold her wedding ceremony with Xiao Mo.
This was her bottom line.
"Miss..."
Just as Yan Ruxue was embroidering in her room, a maid's voice came from outside the door.
"Enter." Yan Ruxue's eyes returned to normal.
The door opened, and Xiao Chun and Eunuch Huang walked in, followed by several palace maids.
"Greetings, Miss." Eunuch Huang bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Eunuch Huang." Yan Ruxue curtsied in return, her gaze turning to the several palace maids behind him.
"Miss Yan, because the empress coronation ceremony was delayed by several months, the Imperial Weaving Bureau has modified your phoenix crown and ceremonial robes again. Would you like to try them on? If you don't like them, they can be altered further." Eunuch Huang smiled.
"Then let me try them on." Yan Ruxue nodded without refusing.
"Dress the Miss." Eunuch Huang said to the palace maids behind him.
"Yes."
Several palace maids closed the door and removed the woman's dress.
When they saw the skin of the woman before them, their eyes couldn't hide their admiration.
They had never seen such fair and delicate skin, like silk made of white snow.
After two incense sticks' time, the clothes were changed, and the palace maids even applied makeup to Yan Ruxue.
When the woman wearing the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes stood before everyone, they were all stunned.
Yan Ruxue's beauty was world-toppling, her temperament dignified and elegant, her bearing majestic yet scholarly.
Who else but such a woman could be Zhou Kingdom's Empress?
Finally, after Yan Ruxue discussed some details with Eunuch Huang, she removed the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes. Eunuch Huang bid farewell and left with the palace maids.
"Miss, you looked so beautiful in the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes. Even though Xiao Chun is a woman, I couldn't help but be moved." Xiao Chun pulled on her mistress's arm, saying joyfully.
"What use is it if you think I look good? His Majesty must think I look good."
"His Majesty will definitely think you're beautiful. Maybe His Majesty will be like those in the history books, never attending morning court again," Xiao Chun said playfully.
"What nonsense are you talking? Aren't you embarrassed?"
Yan Ruxue gently tapped Xiao Chun's forehead and sat in a chair, taking out a book to read.
"Miss, I see many scholars reading this book 'Unity of Knowledge and Action.' I heard Master say that among Confucian works, 'Unity of Knowledge and Action' can rank in the top ten, and every Confucian disciple should read it once. But why doesn't this book have the author's name?"
Xiao Chun asked curiously.
Hearing Xiao Chun's question, Yan Ruxue's eyes trembled slightly.
After a long while, the woman looked up and said gently: "That's because, long, long ago, the scholar who wrote this book did something that made many people unhappy."
"What did he do?" Xiao Chun asked curiously. "Could Miss tell Xiao Chun about it?"
Yan Ruxue shook her head: "It's just a rumor. It may not be true."
"It's alright, Miss. This servant loves hearing such stories." Xiao Chun became even more interested.
"Very well."
Yan Ruxue smiled, organizing her thoughts before slowly speaking.
"This matter must be told from four thousand years ago. The world where the human race lived was called the Ten Thousand Laws Realm, while the world where the demon race lived was called the Demon Realm. At that time, the relationship between humans and demons was very tense.
In this environment, there was a scholar from a small fishing village who went to the North Sea Prefecture capital to participate in White Deer Academy's selection examination..."
At Hundred Lanterns Temple on Illustrious Sky Mountain.
As the sky grew darker, fewer and fewer pilgrims came to pray at Hundred Lanterns Temple.
Only after the sun had completely set did Abbot Huiming send away the last pilgrim and close the temple gates.
Huiming walked into the temple's main hall.
At the very front of the hall stood a massive golden Buddha statue, before the golden Buddha statue, a woman in monk robes knelt on a prayer cushion.
She raised her head, meeting the Buddha statue's gaze.
At the maiden's feet lay a round, fleshy ball with wings.
It was called Hundun, genderless, one of the four ancient fiends.
A thousand years ago, when Huiming was still at Leiyou Temple, he had seen this ancient fierce beast following beside the maiden when she returned.
"Today, I troubled Senior Sister to lecture the common people and the monks of Hundred Lanterns Temple."
Huiming, who looked like a seventy-year-old man, pressed his palms together and bowed to the maiden who appeared to be only sixteen years old.
"Mm." The maiden nodded and continued gazing at the Buddha statue.
"Senior Sister..." Huiming took out a letter from his sleeve. "Master calls for you to return. Master says his time is short and wants to see Senior Sister one last time."
"Grandfather is lying to me again." The maiden lowered her head. "Monks do not speak falsehoods, yet Grandfather has deceived me into returning four times."
"..."
For a moment, Huiming didn't know what to say. Their master was indeed quite different from ordinary monks but even so, their master remained the current leader of Buddhism.
Huiming changed the subject: "An official came from the imperial palace earlier. In four months, Zhou Kingdom's ruler will marry his empress. If Senior Sister is still here, they hope you can offer blessings."
The maiden didn't respond.
Huiming didn't press further.
He stepped forward and placed his master's letter and Zhou Kingdom's invitation beside the maiden.
Finally, Huiming pressed his palms together in respect, chanted a Buddhist phrase, and withdrew.
In the main hall, only the maiden remained alone.
"Migu..."
After one incense stick's time, the Hundun at the woman's feet woke up and flew before the maiden.
"You're awake." the maiden asked.
"Migu." The round ball nodded by shaking its body.
"We're now at Zhou Kingdom's Hundred Lanterns Temple."
"Migu."
"Yes, we'll stay here for a while. I have a feeling that here, we might be able to find him."
"Migu migu..." Little Hundun happily spun circles before the maiden but soon, little Hundun stopped, wings drooping as if hanging its head in disappointment: "Migu..."
"What if we find him but he doesn't recognize me?"
The maiden's eyes blinked gently.
"It's alright."
The maiden reached out and gently stroked little Hundun.
"Even if he can't remember me, it's enough that I remember him."