What about myself?
Si Xitong's eyes were filled with confusion, and a hint of conflicted emotions swirled within them.
Outside Lanzhang Palace, Xiao Xiu rushed to find Xie Lanzhi and told her everything about Si Xitong.
Xie Lanzhi simply told Xiaoxiu to go back, serve the girl well, and not to ask any more questions.
Xiao Xiu returned looking completely bewildered. She wondered, "What are my two masters doing?"
No one in Lanzhang Palace dared to discuss it.
In the afternoon, Si Xitong suddenly had a whim and summoned Zhang Ju, ordering him to bring the mother and daughter before her.
When Lu Qing saw Si Xitong again with her child, she asked rather rudely, "What business does Your Highness have with me?"
The little girl seemed to really like Si Xitong. She tried to break free from her mother's embrace and reached out to Si Xitong, saying, "Your Highness, hug me."
When Si Xitong ordered their arrest, she hugged the little girl. The little girl wasn't afraid of her at all; instead, she snuggled up to her. She was innocent and adorable, but her mother was no ordinary woman.
She instructed Xiaoxiu, "Take the child to the imperial kitchen and see what she likes to eat."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The little girl danced with joy. "Mother was right, Your Highness wouldn't harm a child."
Lu Qing immediately covered her daughter's mouth, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Si Xitong remained expressionless and ordered Xiao Xiu to take the child away.
Only Si Xitong, Zhang Ju, and Lu Qing remained in the hall.
Zhang Ju wore a mask specifically designed to protect against carbon powder, so he wouldn't be hit a second time. This woman, on the other hand, could only sprinkle some colorless and odorless powder; her martial arts skills weren't very good.
He deliberately placed Lu Qing at a safe distance, while Si Xitong sat on the throne, with Xie's personal guards protecting them on both sides.
Lu Qing glanced at Xie's personal guards and smiled meaningfully: "Besides Xie, Your Highness probably has no one else to use."
Even the Censorate was staffed by Xie Zhu.
How could she possibly trust a prince like that?
Si Xitong brought it up herself: "You went south to Jiujin first, deliberately showing your face, just to attract my attention?"
"If Your Highness is referring to the time when we first met and I touched Your Highness, there's really nothing to say about that," Lu Qing said dismissively, waving her hands at her sides.
Zhang Ju couldn't help but frown. This woman was really taking advantage of him. She looked like she was afraid of being beaten to death when she was facing the marshal, and she would confess to anything he asked.
The marshal simply wasn't interested in her and didn't ask many questions.
Si Xitong looked her up and down. She held the teacup to her lips with her fingertips but didn't take a sip.
Zhang Ju waited for his silent master to speak, but his master seemed to be lost in thought today.
"It's alright."
Si Xitong suddenly said, "If it's just about the face, you can confirm whatever you want. I'm right in front of you."
A dark undercurrent flashed in Lu Qing's eyes, but she did not answer.
However, Zhang Ju stood between the two of them, warning Lu Qing: "You will not be allowed to act recklessly."
The air seemed to freeze, heavy and oppressive. The scene was silent, yet everyone was sizing each other up.
Si Xitong said, "Zhangju, move aside."
Zhang Ju dared not disobey; he walked to the side and stared intently at Lu Qing.
Now that Lu Qing has come over, she is no longer as composed as before, but rather hesitant.
Si Xitong seemed to see through her thoughts, and she took the initiative to assure her, "I will not harm innocent children."
Lu Qing finally took a step towards the desk, gradually approaching Si Xitong, whose expression was becoming increasingly composed. Si Xitong kept her eyes straight ahead and finally took a sip of tea, by which time Lu Qing was already standing behind her.
Zhang Ju, standing beside her, stared wide-eyed, his hand already on the broadsword at his waist. If Lu Qing made any excessive movement, his sword would be enough to chop off her head.
The atmosphere was tense, like a drawn bow and arrow ready to strike at any moment.
Lu Qing raised her hands and gently touched Si Xitong's ears, massaging them continuously. As she massaged, her expression became more and more solemn, moving from behind the ears to between the eyebrows, and then to the forehead.
"Enough!" Zhang Ju drew his sword and stopped him, "Take your hand away!"
Lu Qing released her hand as soon as it touched Zhang Ju's forehead, lifted her into the air, made a surrender gesture, and walked to Zhang Ju's side.
“I have confirmed it. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.” She seemed relieved.
Si Xitong put down her teacup, raised her eyes, and coldly looked at Lu Qing: "Tell me, what are you confirming?"
Lu Qing didn't hide anything; she directly stated her purpose: "I was just examining Your Highness's bones and found that Your Highness does indeed have the appearance of a former master, just as my father once said."
The former ruler. This refers to the father emperor.
The Emperor's relationship with them was indeed very deep.
Si Xitong was not satisfied. She said, "No, you're not being honest. You haven't revealed your true purpose."
Lu Qing: "Your Highness only asked me what I wanted to confirm, but never asked about my purpose. That's another question altogether."
"Then another question: what demands do you intend to make of me?" Si Xitong asked in a calm tone, her previously icy expression now showing a hint of inquiry towards Lu Qing.
Lu Qing said, "It's very simple. Let me live in the palace, give me a token so I can occasionally take my daughter out shopping, and then I'll tell you slowly."
Zhang Ju immediately clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, this man is shameless. He not only loves women but also uses despicable means to deal with people. You must not let such a filthy woman stay by your side."
If the marshal finds out, he won't blame His Highness, but those of them as subordinates will surely suffer.
Not only Zhang Ju, but Xie's personal guards, upon hearing of the woman's danger, surrounded Si Xitong, keeping their blades pointed at Lu Qing. If Si Xitong gave the order, Lu Qing would be chopped into pieces.
Lu Qing, however, went her own way, glancing meaningfully at the people protecting Si Xitong: "There are quite a few guards. Any one of them could tear me apart, after all, all the bottles and jars on me were confiscated by His Highness's marshal."
“I am now powerless and can be disposed of at any time.”
Si Xitong ordered his men to retreat, but Xie's personal guards remained unmoved. Zhang Ju hesitated and took a half step back, but seeing that the guards hadn't retreated, he was about to stand back up.
With a series of "bangs," the entire set of glazed teapots and teacups on the imperial table were swept off by the long-sleeved palace robe embroidered with peacock feathers. Si Xitong's eyebrows and eyes were full of majesty, and the dark undercurrent in his eyes was growing stronger and stronger, like a bottomless lake at night.
Zhang Ju was startled, and so were Xie's personal guards, all staring in astonishment at Prince Feng Ning.
Si Xitong's thin lips parted coldly: "Everyone, get out."
Zhang Ju went out first, and the guards didn't dare to delay, but they were all astonished by the princess's actions. The princess was gentle and virtuous, and usually acted like a proper mistress, and was easy to talk to, but today her aura seemed slightly different.
Lu Qing was also slightly taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure: "Your Highness, please calm down."
Si Xitong said to her, "Now that it's just the two of us, you can tell me the truth. What was your purpose in touching my bones and giving me hints about my face?"
"You've brought up the Emperor again, implying that your father and the Emperor have a close relationship."
"Then, I need to ask you one by one."
Lu Qing no longer adopted a perfunctory attitude. At this moment, she raised her left hand and pressed it to her chest, performing a Hun-style bow: "This humble woman wishes to pay my respects to you before we begin our formal conversation."
After she finished her greetings and bowed slightly, she began to say, "This humble woman also examined the bones of Marquis Shi'an in Jiujin."
Si Xitong remained silent.
Lu Qing continued, "Of you and your brother, only you have a unique appearance. There is a small seven-pointed plum blossom mark behind your ear, which you usually cover with an earring. I suppose even when we are intimate every night... cough cough."
"Your bedmate hasn't noticed."
Xie Lanzhi and Si Xitong have not yet shared a room; their most intimate act was exchanging their first kiss, and they have not yet taken anything further.
Si Xitong's heart stirred, but her face remained calm and undisturbed.
"It also confirms to me that the person my father entrusted to me is not a dragon son, but a phoenix." Lu Qing's gaze fell on Si Xitong's hem, where embroidered peacock feathers were hidden in the sleeve.
"Then, I will answer all your questions, Your Highness, but it is best not to answer more than two a day."
That means one a day.
Si Xitong remained silent, then asked her first question: "What is your father's position in the Mo family?"
Lu Qing's eyes suddenly darkened, and she replied, "The giant of the previous generation."
"He passed away twenty years ago, killed in the pursuit of the retired emperor. After that, the Mohist disciples severed ties with your father and refused to accept any of his requests or letters."
"Until he died..."
Si Xitong's pupils contracted instantly.
Chapter 81 Si Xitong's Face
Lu Qing scrutinized her closely and indeed saw some regal bearing in her face. However, strangely, her regal bearing was not yet fully revealed, yet she already held a high position.
Furthermore, her dark aura remained untouched by misfortune, and even more strangely, a glimmer of light seemed to be suppressing the darkness between her brows.
Just as her father had predicted, she was born with extraordinary features and a life destined for hardship. But only 70% of his predictions were accurate.
She said, "The current Grand Master is highly regarded by the Xiongnu King and has never left the capital. I have come here to fulfill my father's last wish and to confirm the divination he performed."
"The divination of the former Grand Master was just to see if I was qualified?" Si Xitong completely avoided those two words. In the past, she would have thought it was shocking, because she did not believe in ghosts and gods at all.
But after meeting Lanzhi, she changed her mind.
Si Xitong said, "If I am, how could he not see through my contact with the priest of Zhaixing Tower?"
“Besides my father, I believe no one else can fathom this extraordinary phenomenon.” Lu Qing said, touching the large bump on her head, still feeling lingering fear.
As her father had predicted, Xie Zhu was indeed destined for misfortune, a solitary star by birth. The inauspicious palace made her sweep across all directions, and she could only unleash the full power of the palace when she was all alone.
Strangely enough, after Xie Zhu married the princess, not only was the Sha Palace not suppressed, but it also showed signs of growing stronger.
"Strange, very strange."
Si Xitong: "Besides that, your identity and your words do not convince me."
Lu Qing said, "I've said so much, and you've investigated so much, yet you still don't believe me. It's alright, I won't say anything."
"Because the unusual signs have not yet appeared, and according to my father's divination, it has not yet happened either." She observed Si Xitong again and saw that her forehead was full, her features were delicate, and all her fortunes were suppressed by a bright light, while her lower part was dark. This was an extremely auspicious and extremely inauspicious sign, with fortune and misfortune interdependent. However, she did not see any disaster at present, so it naturally became an auspicious sign.
But it's astonishing that this light could suppress a person with the appearance of an emperor so completely.
Could it be that two emperors will emerge in this chaotic era?
Lu Qing found the whole thing absurd. Two emperors? Her father had said only one could appear, and if two suns shone in the sky at the same time, one of them would inevitably perish. She wasn't worried about the other one, though, because a genuine imperial presence was right before her.
"Your Highness, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."