After several twists and turns, when the envoys from Great Liang finally arrived at the banquet hall of the King of Nanzhao, the place was already filled with Nanzhao’s noble ministers. Upon their arrival, a strange silence fell over the hall, followed by a burst of discussion. Many of the Nanzhao ministers looked displeased, and some were almost shouting, accusing the Great Liang envoys of being disrespectful by arriving late to such an important occasion, questioning their claim to be a great nation.
Several young officials from Great Liang, upon hearing this, turned red with anger and were about to step forward to argue, but were held back. Perhaps due to the numerous frustrating events that had occurred along the way, Shen Yushu, who had been in a state of anger, surprisingly remained calm. With a cold expression, he let out a snort and said bluntly, “As for the reason for our lateness, I would indeed like to discuss this with the esteemed ministers of Nanzhao. How exactly is the palace staff managed within these royal grounds?”
These were all covert tricks, and Shen Yushu’s directness made those who heard him fall silent for a moment. Clearly, the events that had occurred earlier had already reached them. The situation was too coincidental, making it seem deliberate. The Nanzhao ministers’ faces flushed with embarrassment, and just as they were about to argue, they noticed a figure entering from outside the hall, causing them to fall silent.
“Oh? Minister Shen has something to discuss? Why not say it aloud so that I can also hear?” A tall figure entered with a hearty laugh, causing the Nanzhao officials to kneel in unison, shouting praises of honor.
Shen Qingyao turned to look and saw the King of Nanzhao in magnificent attire. He was tall with a prominent nose and deep-set eyes, quite a striking figure.
The Great Liang envoys did not need to kneel. Shen Qingyao, following Lu Zhao, bowed slightly and raised her head, frowning. The King of Nanzhao looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen him before.
Behind him was the ever-smiling Princess Yonghe. Her demeanor was calm, not at all like someone who had been under house arrest for days and had her coronation delayed.
But considering that she had orchestrated this outcome herself, it seemed understandable.
[Host.] At this moment, the long-absent system suddenly spoke, startling Shen Qingyao. She instinctively grabbed Lu Zhao’s hand, drawing a concerned look from him.
Cursing the system inwardly, Shen Qingyao smiled at Lu Zhao and whispered that it was nothing.
“You’re still alive!” Since her transmigration, the system had always been with her. Its sudden disappearance and reappearance left Shen Qingyao feeling a bit emotional, and she couldn’t help but complain.
The system awkwardly tried to dodge the topic, [Uh… let’s talk about that later. Host, there’s something off about the guard next to the King of Nanzhao!]
Shen Qingyao raised an eyebrow, “What’s off?”
[He seems to also have a system.] Despite being a bit upset, the system had promised to help find someone and had been silently monitoring. As soon as the King of Nanzhao entered with his entourage, the detection radar went off, prompting the system to alert Shen Qingyao.
“What, someone with a system? That means…” Shen Qingyao was shocked, thinking she needed to inform her Second Sister quickly. She looked up sharply at the guard, drawing the King of Nanzhao’s attention with her sudden movement.
Their eyes met, and Shen Qingyao, feeling guilty, lowered her head.
“Is that… the Young Madam Lu?” The King of Nanzhao smiled, his eyes inquisitive.
Lu Zhao, shielding her, looked up and responded calmly, “Your Majesty, indeed it is.”
“Young Madam seems quite curious about me?”
“Madam is young. It’s her first time seeing Your Majesty’s countenance, so it’s natural she’s a bit curious. Your Majesty, please don’t mind,” Lu Zhao spoke calmly, as if the King of Nanzhao was making too much fuss over nothing.
“Is that so…” The King of Nanzhao chuckled ambiguously. At this moment, Princess An’ya suddenly stood up beside him, smiling as she said to the King of Nanzhao, “Elder Brother, looking at the Young Madam like this, I’m afraid Young Master Lu might not be pleased! I’ve long heard of Young Master Lu’s deep affection for the Young Madam, and now seeing it, it seems the rumors are true.”
Listening to Princess An’ya’s voice, Shen Qingyao found it somewhat annoying, but clearly, she was trying to help Shen out of the situation. Shen Qingyao had to acknowledge this gesture.
Princess An’ya continued, “Elder Brother, let’s quickly finish the official business so we can stroll around. I also want to have a chat with Young Master Lu’s Young Madam!” She said this with a smile, yet her eyes remained fixed on Lu Zhao, giving the impression that she intended to speak with Young Master Lu.
Shen Qingyao grew more irritated and frowned as she looked back.
Seeing this, Princess An’ya and even Princess An’yu, who was sitting behind her, smiled at her.
It was a polite smile, but Shen Qingyao couldn’t help feeling they were taunting her.
“Young Madam is as charming as ever! The Princess is right. This servant also wishes to go down and catch up with Madam Shen!” Princess Yonghe, who had been acting as a beautiful background, chimed in. Shen Qingyao felt this scene was quite eerie; her relationship with these three women was far from amicable.
The King of Nanzhao didn’t care about what she was thinking. He laughed heartily at their words and clapped his hands, saying, “You are all so taciturn, finding me too verbose? Very well, I grant you permission. Feel free to talk as you wish, no need to be restrained!”
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became lively.
Clutching the piece of paper in her hand absentmindedly, Shen Qingyao’s mind was elsewhere. They were all using her as an excuse, but when it came time for free activities, no one actually came to find her. She was getting anxious; she wanted to see what her Second Sister had written for her and also urgently needed to inform her Second Sister about the guard.
“Yaoyao? What’s wrong?” Lu Zhao noticed her anxiety and leaned over, asking with concern.
“It’s nothing…” Shen Qingyao shook her head, pursing her lips. “I’m just afraid they’ll really come talk to me. What’s there to talk about? I’m not familiar with them at all.”
The little girl wrinkled her nose in complaint, which made Lu Zhao chuckle lightly. He patted the back of her hand and said softly, “If you don’t want to talk, no one can force you.”
Shen Qingyao hmphed in response. She didn’t want Lu Zhao to know about the system, so she couldn’t open the note in front of him. But if Lu Zhao stayed by her side, she might not even get a chance to read it before leaving the palace.
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Qingyao suddenly covered her stomach. “Elder Brother Lu Zhao… My stomach hurts…”
Sure enough, Lu Zhao embraced her with concern. Shen Qingyao stopped him from calling the physician and blushed, saying, “It’s… it’s nothing. I just… want to go to the restroom…”
Lu Zhao was momentarily puzzled, then relieved. He was about to offer to accompany her when the girl seemed to guess his intention. Her face reddened even more, and she lowered her head. “There’s no need for you to accompany me! If you accompany me to the restroom, what will it look like? Even if you don’t care about your reputation, shouldn’t I care about mine?”
Lu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh at her words. He looked helpless. “Alright, then let Cui Qiao accompany you. Remember not to wander around. I’ll wait for you outside the hall later, okay?”
Blushing, Shen Qingyao agreed, then bent over and discreetly slipped away from the crowd. However, she didn’t realize that several people who had been watching her closely noticed her actions and, moments later, used various excuses to leave one after another.
As soon as Shen Qingyao left the palace, she claimed she had dropped something and sent Cui Qiao to help her find it. She hurriedly found a secluded corner and took out the note hidden in her sleeve.
The note unfolded, bearing the words “Visit Sunset Palace.”
Shen Qingyao was taken aback. Did this mean she was being summoned to Sunset Palace?
Without much thought, she trusted her Second Sister wouldn’t harm her. The system was concerned and tried to dissuade her, but for some reason, Shen Qingyao, usually cautious, was unusually dismissive. Ignoring the warnings, she waved her hand nonchalantly, saying, “I haven’t offended anyone in Nanzhao, who would harm me!”
[Host…]
The system could only watch helplessly as she grabbed a palace maid from Nanzhao and asked for the location of Sunset Palace.
Sunset Palace was secluded. As Shen Qingyao entered, there was no one around, eerily quiet like entering a deserted palace.
She shivered, belatedly feeling afraid.
“Second Sister?” Shen Qingyao called softly, but received no response. She began to realize something was wrong. If her Second Sister wanted to meet her, she could have found an opportunity without all this trouble. Why go through such elaborate means?
Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could fully comprehend her uncharacteristic and rash behavior today, she instinctively took two steps back. Suddenly, she bumped into someone.
“Uh!” The person behind her swiftly covered her mouth. Shen Qingyao’s cry of surprise was stifled in her throat, her distress audible through muffled sobs.
[Host!] Even the system exclaimed in alarm, but could do nothing.
“Shh… don’t scream. If you don’t, I’ll let you go!” The voice behind her was female, and Shen Qingyao was stunned—it sounded very familiar.
Princess Yonghe surrounded her in a manner that suggested close friends playfully wrestling, yet her hand covering Shen Qingyao’s mouth remained firm.
“Mmm! Mmm!” Shen Qingyao struggled a bit, realizing the person seemed determined not to let go. Helpless, she forced herself to calm down. After a moment, she nodded.
Princess Yonghe chuckled softly this time, keeping her promise and slowly releasing her.
Shen Qingyao breathed lightly, staring in disbelief at the person before her. After a while, she found her voice again, “You… you were the one who sent me the message?”
Princess Yonghe nodded, openly admitting, “Yes, I sent a casual message, never expecting you’d actually come, and that you’d know to avoid Lu Zhao. Quite impressive.”
“… ” Shen Qingyao wasn’t sure if she was being praised or mocked, her face turning dark as she remained silent. She cursed herself inwardly for being so naive. The maid Princess Yonghe used to deliver the message bore a striking resemblance to her Second Sister, leading her to believe it was her Second Sister in disguise.
How foolish she had been!
“What do you want from me?” Shen Qingyao took a step back, increasing the distance between them cautiously. “Let me tell you, if I don’t return soon, Lu Zhao will definitely come looking for me!”
Princess Yonghe chuckled again, “Of course I know. If anything happened to you, Young Master Lu wouldn’t spare me. I’m not that foolish.”
“Then what do you want?” Shen Qingyao glared at her, losing patience.
“I simply want you to help me with a favor,” Princess Yonghe said, “Specifically, to negotiate a business deal with Lu Zhao…”
“What… business deal?”
“I…” Princess Yonghe was about to explain when footsteps approached outside Sunset Palace. She immediately tensed, grabbing Shen Qingyao and pulling her behind the palace gate.
Shen Qingyao was pressed against by Princess Yonghe, her breathing heavy. The space behind the gate was narrow and neglected, emanating a damp, musty odor. Shen Qingyao took a deep breath, feeling nauseous, almost fainting from the smell, making it difficult to catch her breath. She could only follow Princess Yonghe’s instructions and peek outside through the gap she left.
The person entering was Lu Zhao.
Shen Qingyao was about to call out in excitement, but Yonghe covered her mouth.
“Come out!” Lu Zhao’s face was cold as ice. He was already irritated enough by not finding Shen Qingyao. Sensing a slight movement, he angrily shouted. Princess Yonghe and Shen Qingyao, who had never seen him like this before, trembled at his chilling voice.
Princess Yonghe didn’t move, but from another direction outside the palace gate, someone flashed out.
Shen Qingyao squinted her eyes. It turned out to be An’ya…
The people around relaxed a bit. Princess Yonghe smirked lightly and let go of her, leaning in close and saying softly, “What a great show. Miss Shen, wouldn’t you like to hear what they have to say?”
Shen Qingyao stiffened. Logically, she should have pushed the person away and run out, but inexplicably, she didn’t move.
Watching the two outside, the irritation, anxiety, and anger that had been tightly suppressed these past few days suddenly surged…
Thanks for the chapter!!!!