Chapter 29 Imperial Palace Treasures
She hurriedly returned to the Liu residence, saying, "Miss, you're finally back."
"What on earth happened? Why would the Emperor summon me to the palace at this time?" I rushed back as soon as I received the news.
Ping'er was also puzzled. "I don't know, Miss. You should go back to your room and change your clothes quickly. Hurry up and go to the palace."
The scent of medicine still wafted from the palace, and thinking of the news about the emperor's serious illness these past few days, my heart sank.
"This humble girl, Liu Feiyue, greets Your Majesty!"
"Get up... cough cough..."
I glanced up and saw that pale, slightly swollen face.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty..."
Turning my head, I saw Dugu Ye, dressed in a long black robe, his face as handsome as jade. Compared to the sullen and unassuming Fourth Prince, he appeared much more gentle. I was a little puzzled. Why had the Emperor brought me and the Crown Prince here at this time?
Dugu Ye seemed to glance at me, but then again, he didn't.
"Ye'er, come here... cough cough..."
Countless dark secrets of royalty flashed through my mind. I wondered if I'd stumbled upon some royal secrets. Generally, it's best to know as little as possible about these things. "I don't think I'm going to live too long," I thought, taking a step back.
"Miss Yue'er, what's wrong?" Dugu Ye looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"I, I, I..." Her eyes darted around, and she touched her neck. "Hehe... This room is too hot. I want to get closer to the window and get some fresh air..." She fanned herself with her hand, pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead. "It's so hot, oh dear... I'm sweating." She sniffed her hands under her nose, then wiped them on the curtain with a look of disgust.
Dugu Ye's eyes twitched, and he coughed a few times uncomfortably.
"You guys continue, continue... Don't worry about me, really... Just pretend I don't exist." Yes, yes, just pretend I'm air, don't pay any attention to me, completely ignore me.
"Moon..."
He shrank back, thinking, "Why are you calling me? I've already said I'm invisible." He raised his head, resigned to his fate—after all, that old man was the Emperor—and reluctantly moved over with a smile. "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"The royal family possesses a treasure called the Phoenix Crown Spirit Pearl. This pearl was once on the phoenix crown of Empress Chengling, the founding empress. It is said to be priceless, and that collecting three of these treasures can open a door to a secret treasure trove. If these items fall into the wrong hands, they could overthrow the government. I hope you can help me find them."
Dugu Ye's eyes darkened. So that's how it is. He'd heard about it before… His hand instinctively tightened its grip. If they found the treasure…
Is there a lot of money inside?
Dugu Ye was somewhat surprised. Had the fourth young lady of the Liu family lost her mind?
"Ahem... So many treasures, the wealth is comparable to that of the Three Kingdoms..."
"Really?" I've thought about this for a long time. I need lots and lots of money. Anyway, this country is on the verge of collapse, and the Liu family's position is in jeopardy. If I can find this treasure, I'll build my own country, spend my days eating, drinking, and having fun, and bring in a bunch of handsome men to do whatever they want. Wouldn't that be... Wahahaha...
Dugu Ye looked at Liu Feiyue, who was grinning foolishly, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Did he really need to coax this woman? Wouldn't that lower his IQ and class? It was simply too much of a waste for him.
"Yes, Father, rest assured. Your son will definitely complete this mission."
Dugu Ye kindly reminded the person who was lost in endless reverie, "Miss Liu, there is a threshold at the door."
"Thud..." He fell to the ground with a doggy-paddle motion.
"Why didn't you remind me!" he roared angrily.
Dugu Ye's hand tightened again. He was, after all, a crown prince, and no one dared to speak to him like that. But he had no choice; the emperor treated her very specially, and he couldn't act on her without permission.
He regretted it as soon as he said it; after all, the man was a prince. This was a feudal society, where social hierarchy and status were still very important.
“Miss Liu, you can leave Father’s affairs to me. You don’t need to worry too much. It’s getting late now, so why don’t I take you back to your residence?”
I wouldn't easily hand over such a huge treasure to you; I'm not a complete fool.
"I wonder what Miss Liu usually enjoys doing?"
"Well, I don't have many hobbies, just eating and playing. I especially love snacks, particularly the pear blossom wine and beggar's chicken from Zuixianglou, and the cloud cake and osmanthus cake from Guiyuelou. Oh, and..." Swallowing hard, he rattled off a long list of food, staring wide-eyed at the astonished Dugu Ye. He swallowed again, licking his dry lips, "Um... that's all for now."
Dugu Ye chuckled dryly a few times: "Miss Liu really does have a deep understanding of food...hehe..."
"Yes, yes. If you've ever tried these things, you'll definitely love them."
I looked up and exclaimed, "Oh, we've arrived at the Liu residence. Thank you, Your Highness."
"Then goodbye."
I had only taken a few steps into the yard when my mouth was suddenly covered.
"Mmm..."
With the help of the dim light, he finally saw the person in front of him and gestured for him to put his hand down: "Fourth Prince, it's you."
Suddenly, she noticed his eyebrow twitch, and realizing something, she quickly changed her words: "Jingrui, what are you doing here? And why did you put me up in the tree?"
He suddenly moved closer, startling me so much that my heart skipped a beat and my back stiffened. What...what is he going to do?
Although I admit he's handsome, with sexy lips, deep and captivating features, and he's quite good-looking for me, but...
She's still quite reserved. How could you skip the whole process of getting to know each other, holding hands, dating, and then just go straight to *that*? How could you...?
With a dull thud, that captivating face landed squarely on my shoulder.
Damn it! This makes me want to curse the heavens. Okay, okay, I didn't clean my eyes properly this morning, and they're all fogged up. How could I possibly think she was looking at me with such deep affection, wanting to use the hazy moonlight to... you know...? I...
He shook his shoulders a few times, but there was no response. "Damn, you..." He put his hand on his head and wiped it. Holy crap, it was still wet, and a strong smell of blood hit him.
Hmph... He's just taking advantage of the fact that I'm an honest person... I helped him up, looked up at the tree that was about a meter tall, and felt annoyed.
"Miss, what's going on?" Ping'er asked curiously, staring at the large sack.
It's not her fault. To get down from the tree, I had several servants pile up a pile half a person high, and then I found a black sack to drag Dugu Jing down.
"Oh, just leave it alone, go to sleep. Oh... look at your dark circles, quick, go to sleep..." He pushed her out while closing the door.
"Miss...Miss..."
I quickly locked the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking down, I saw blood seeping from the burlap sack, slowly overflowing. Oh God, if this goes wrong and someone finds out, they'll think I killed the Fourth Prince! If that happens, I'll be so wronged! The consequences... the extermination of my entire family!
Just thinking about it is terrifying. I leaned against him and listened to his heartbeat. Thankfully, it was still beating.
They dragged him to the bed; his clothes were soaked in blood. They wiped the blood off him, applied medicine powder, and bandaged him with a white cloth. They silently reminded themselves that their family must never find out about this.
She secretly took Dugu Jing's blood-stained clothes and threw them away. She had just thrown them away when she turned back...
"Moon, you're here..."
His face was powdered and his hair was slicked back, and a pungent, overpowering fragrance wafted towards me. It made me feel completely dizzy. And look at his bright pink clothes—so, so flashy…
"You, you, what are you doing here?" Oh my god, what bad luck! Why did I run into him again?
She flicked her fan and gave him a flirtatious wink, "I didn't expect Yue'er to be so excited and happy to see me. Actually, I am too." She quickly added, "My name is Shangguan You. Yue'er, don't forget your husband's name."
"You pervert, who are you husband? How could you..."
His pupils contracted sharply as a blood-soaked garment appeared before him. "You...you...you..." When did he find out? How did he...?
"Little Yueyue, whose clothes are these...? How come..."
Little Yueyue? Remembering that photo online, she immediately got angry, "You, you, you're not allowed to call me Little Yueyue, and this outfit..." She hurriedly grabbed at it.
Unfortunately, it was all for nothing. "Give me back this dress!"
Shangguan You narrowed her long eyes and stopped the hand that was about to step forward with her fan. "Little Yueyue, as long as you tell me whose clothes these are, I will return them to you."
"You..." After a few moments of internal struggle, she knew she couldn't tell him. But these clothes...
Gritting his teeth, he declared, "It's mine!"
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked around. "Little Yueyue, you have it in your hand?"
"No, I'm on my period." She glared at him defiantly.
"What?" A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
An inconspicuous servant whispered something in his ear.
"Oh, I see," Shangguan You handed over the clothes, glancing at them meaningfully. "Little Yueyue, you must take good care of yourself."
Surprisingly, this flamboyant transvestite man still has some humanity.
"In that case, we can't do that today. I'm sure Yueyue is very disappointed."
"What...what..." He looked at him with a disappointed expression, "Disappointed my foot, how far away are you from me..." He kicked and cursed, but the other man had already walked away with a smile.
At a bend in the road, Shangguan You suddenly stopped, and the playful smile on her face vanished instantly.
"My lord..."
He extended his ring finger, stained with red blood, and lightly licked it with his red tongue.
The subordinate's expression changed instantly. Wasn't this...? What's wrong, my lord?
A throwing knife swept past, but luckily the subordinate dodged quickly. "My lord, this blood..."
“It’s his.” A confident glint flashed in Shangguan You’s eyes. “He’s at the Liu residence.”
The subordinate's expression changed; his lord was never wrong. "Yes, then..."
Shangguan You waved her fan, "Let's make our move tonight."
"Yes."
Holding the clothes he had retrieved from Shangguan You, he decided to burn them all so that no one else could see them.
Author's Note:
Updates resumed... Keep up the good work in the new year!