Un sueño de transmigración

Capítulo 103

He wasn't annoyed at all. He stood not far in front of me and stared straight at me, asking, "Where did Yue'er get the Holy Golden Lock from?"

The Sacred Golden Lock? How come the little lock I'm wearing is the Sacred Golden Lock—the secret Sacred Golden Lock that Xi Lan mentioned about the Wangyue Imperial Palace? No way, this lock was given to me by Xiao Bai, not by Wangyue Zongning. But Xiao Bai impersonated Wangyue Zongning's attendant to find me before our farewell at the Tianqing Imperial Palace. Could it be that after he left, he went back to being Wangyue Zongning's attendant and followed him back to Wangyue? When I went to Wangzhou to see Xi Lan, I didn't stay there for long, but Xiao Bai said he heard I was there and made a special trip, only to find me missing. This means Xiao Bai must have been quite close to Wangzhou at that time. If the little lock I'm wearing really is the Sacred Golden Lock, then my earlier deduction might very well be true.

Xi Lan said that the Holy Golden Lock has its own secret, but now the Holy Golden Lock can summon the Holy Spirit Beast that has lived for hundreds of years in Xiu Ruo. Could this be the secret of the Holy Golden Lock? If this secret also involves Xiu Ruo Kingdom, could it be like Tian Qing, where the so-called secrets of the royal palace involve two countries? But with the intersection, only by piecing together the secrets of the royal palaces of the six countries can a complete secret be formed?

However, Wangyue has never shown any unusual interest in Xiu Ruo, but instead has the idea of launching a military campaign against Longyao. Could it be that the secret of Wangyue's palace is related to Longyao's palace? Looking at Xiu Ruo and the Holy Spirit Beast, so far, it seems that only Princess Qianhui of Hanxing has shown any unusual interest in Yaoyao. She even took Yaoyao's blood the day she injured her. Could it be that the secret of Hanxing's palace is related to Xiu Ruo? Furthermore, when Xilan saw Yaoyao, she showed no curiosity or interest in Yaoyao's non-hostile reaction to her. On the contrary, when Old Man Yun saw Yaoyao's attitude towards Xilan, he had a thoughtful look on his face.

Does Xiu know the secret of the Sacred Golden Lock, or not? If he does know, the old man should have understood from the moment Yaoyao followed me out of the house where it had been for hundreds of years. If he doesn't know, why did Old Man Yun say that? Was it because he noticed Yaoyao's unusual reaction to Xilan and started probing and guessing? Or was it because they made some kind of deal during their conversation later, or perhaps they jointly deciphered the secret of the palace—not just the secret of the two palaces, but the secret of the palaces of six kingdoms!

He couldn't be sure of the result even with wild guesses, and his mind was in turmoil. Not wanting Old Man Yun to find out, he casually replied, "I found it."

"Moon!" he called softly, his expression surprisingly calm, not at all angered by my words, which surprised me. I had thought that my frivolous behavior might slap him again.

I gently stroked my left cheek with my left hand. The memory of the burning pain from last time was still so clear. I couldn't help but chuckle. I stood up, patted Yao Yao's head, and met Old Man Yun's cold gaze without fear, saying, "If Father is unhappy, he can give Yue'er another slap."

His expression shifted instantly, and I laughed even harder, saying, "Since Father knows the function of the Golden Sacred Lock, why not take it and study it slowly? Yue'er is weak and helpless, so this is much easier for Father than getting information out of Yue'er."

He suddenly shifted his gaze to Yao Yao beside me, his eyes slightly lowered, and said in an emotionless voice, "Yue'er is becoming less and less like your mother."

My heart skipped a beat, unsure of what he meant. After a long pause, I said, "How could it not be? Does Father know of Mother's dying wish?"

He looked up and was slightly taken aback. I smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "By the way, how would Father know that Mother was just a little affair of Father's outside? Mother didn't even get to see Father before she passed away."

"What do you want to say?" His expression was inscrutable.

"What are you saying? I'm just telling Father that before Mother died, she held Yue'er's hand and repeatedly told her not to follow in her footsteps and to stay away from those royal men. She had resentment and hatred in her heart, but Father, love breeds hatred, and love breeds resentment. Since Father doesn't love Mother, why not treat your relationship with Mother as just a romantic encounter and give my brother and me our freedom?"

"What do you know?" he finally snapped, his voice slightly harsh.

“I don’t understand. When Father met Mother and built this Yun Mansion, was it because of his feelings for her or because of his own ambition? But no matter what his original purpose was, the result is the same. Father said that Yue’er is not like Mother. Yue’er can tell Father that Yue’er is just like Mother. Mother could wait for Father every day and be disappointed every day. For him, Yue’er even violated Mother’s last will. So why should I be afraid of Father’s obstruction?”

"Is he really that good?" he asked, his voice as cold as ever, his eyes sharp.

“He might not risk his life for me, but he has me in his heart, and Father should be able to see his sincerity. Besides, Father should be worried about something else right now.” I looked at him and saw a hint of doubt flash in his eyes. I smiled and said softly, “Princess Qianhui of Hanxing is also in Longzhou now, and she even took the opportunity to take Yaoyao’s blood. Don’t you think Father should be more worried about Princess Qianhui than about Yue’er?”

Upon hearing this, the look of surprise in his eyes was fleeting, almost like an illusion, but I knew I wasn't mistaken. He regained his composure, stared at me for a moment, and as he turned to leave, he left only one sentence: "From now on, no one is allowed to leave Yun Mansion."

The days passed by both boringly and quickly. Although I disliked Old Man Yun and occasionally dared to stab him with my own words, I still couldn't defy him at this crucial moment. So, he said I couldn't leave the Yun residence. Even with Ye Feng by my side, I obediently stayed in the Yun residence, never venturing out of the main gate, only occasionally stepping out of the second gate. News from the outside world was still brought back by Ye Feng or Cui'er.

Winter was fast approaching, and I heard that Ye Cang and Xiu Ruo had already dispatched their troops. I stayed in Xifeng Garden, passing the time each day with sighs and lamentations. My brother's letters were quite regular, but they were always the same few sentences, nothing more than warnings to be careful and asking when I would return to Xiu Ruo. Old Man Yun, on the other hand, stayed at the Yun residence. Occasionally, when I ran into him, his words about Yun Feng seemed to suggest that my brother was highly regarded by the old man. I smiled inwardly. Whether he was highly regarded or not, he was still just one of the four Court Judges, barely having the chance to attend court, let alone see the old man. I feared that when Old Man Yun said my brother was highly regarded by the old man, he meant that the old man often mentioned Yun Feng to him or asked about Yun Feng.

After that, Old Man Yun never asked about Jin Shengsuo again, nor did he mention Xi Lan and Tian Qing. Perhaps it wasn't appropriate to discuss such matters of love and romance with war looming. I breathed a sigh of relief. Old Man Yun remained busy. Although he had been staying at the Yun residence, as usual, it wasn't easy to see him, and I wondered what he was up to. Every day, I would hold Yao Yao's hand and watch the chrysanthemums in the small garden of Xifeng Garden bloom and fade. I remembered the first time I attended court and was kept behind for a private talk by the fox. At that time, the peach blossoms in the fox's imperial garden were in full bloom. Ah, that was the first time I truly looked at the fox. That enchanting beauty was beyond description, and it made me lose my composure for a while. Had I already been bewitched by that enchanting beauty since then?

I don't know what's going on with Ye Cang. Could it be that Ye Cang, the strongest among the six kingdoms, will be dismantled without his knowledge, as expected? And Han Xing, he should have noticed something's wrong by now. Perhaps he has already sent an envoy to Long Yao and Tian Qing.

That afternoon, I was taking a walk with Yaoyao in the small garden after lunch when I saw Old Man Yun come in from the entrance of Xifeng Garden. He's become increasingly unpretentious lately. When I first arrived, if he needed to see me, he would always send Zhang De to deliver the message and then meet me in his study. But recently, if he needs anything, he'll come to my door on his own initiative. I wonder if this change is a good thing or a bad thing?

"Father is here." I've been speaking more and more casually lately, and often I even pretend to forget to bow. Anyway, he doesn't remind me or mind, so I'm happy to be relaxed.

"Moon must be feeling really bored lately?" he asked bluntly.

Huh? Why say something so kind? It doesn't fit his gloomy image at all. I was also on guard; anyway, Old Man Yun usually laced the candy with arsenic, so I replied, "No."

"If you're bored, go for a walk," he suddenly said, adopting a fatherly tone.

"Okay." A chill ran down my spine, but I smiled, trying to say as few words as possible.

I suppose my attitude was rather harsh, because he was speechless for a moment. After a long silence, he said, "Yue'er is still blaming her father. Doesn't Yue'er understand her father's good intentions?"

"I understand, how could I not understand? For my Xiu Ruo, to go through fire and water, to sacrifice one's life, to shed one's blood, is the highest honor." I said this with a straight face and great seriousness, although what I really thought was completely different.

"Actually, in Father's heart, Yue'er is much more important than Hengsong and Xitang." He said this in a very serious and earnest manner.

By the way, Xiu Ruohengsong and Xiu Ruoxitang are Old Man Yun's other two children. Xiu Ruohengsong is the eldest, only one year younger than Yunfeng and me, and is eighteen this year. Xiu Ruoxitang is sixteen this year. Both of them are born to Old Man Yun's legitimate wife, and are the only "legal" heirs and princesses of the Hao Prince's Mansion so far. Well, I am a princess. Although Yunfeng has been recognized by the family and is the eldest, he can only be considered a concubine's son and has no chance of being officially named heir. However, it turns out that Old Man Yun knew Yun Yueniang first, and married his wife afterward. Moreover, it seems that Yun Yueniang and Yunfeng were already born when he married his wife.

“Yue’er understands. Not to mention Hengsong and Xitang, even though my brother returned to Xiuruo, he didn’t have Yue’er’s good fortune. So how could Yue’er not know where Father’s heart lies?” I said with a double meaning, and what I said was also true.

"Then do you know why Feng'er stayed in Xiu Ruo?" He wasn't annoyed, but suddenly asked this question.

"For Yue'er," I answered decisively, firmly believing in this.

"Now that you know the wind's good intentions, the moon should let the wind worry less."

He spoke so frankly, yet a chill ran through me, a coldness creeping down my spine. Now, though I've returned to Longyao, and as the fox said, staying there temporarily wouldn't be a problem, Yunfeng has gone to Xiuruo by some twist of fate. Or perhaps it wasn't a twist of fate, but that Yunfeng and I were destined to separate. Could this be a premeditated form of control?

Yao Yao suddenly became agitated, and Old Man Yun took the opportunity to slip away. I calmed Yao Yao down and signaled Cui'er to prepare the carriage. As a result, when that girl heard that I was leaving the manor, she was even more excited than I was. I found it quite strange, and when I asked, I learned that there was a "Hundred Chrysanthemums and Five Grains Festival" in Chang'an Street, the most bustling street in Longzhou City, which was held once a year and was very lively.

As I boarded the carriage, Cui'er's words intrigued me. The annual "Chrysanthemum and Grain Festival" in Longzhou wasn't just a chrysanthemum-viewing feast, but also a celebration of the harvest. Cui'er mentioned that not only inns and restaurants throughout Longzhou participated, but individuals with impressive culinary skills could also showcase their talents. A key part of the festival involved creating dishes using grains and chrysanthemums, primarily pastries and porridges, which were then sampled and judged. Each year, the most popular dish was awarded a golden chrysanthemum plaque to the previous year's winner, who was then crowned the "New Culinary Champion." This was the first time I'd heard of such a grand event. I suppose last year at this time, I was already in Tianqing. This year, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon it. Thinking of all the delicious food, how could I possibly miss it? Anyway, an hour and a half wouldn't make a difference. Seeing Cui'er's high spirits, I decided to first visit the festival, and then bring some food to Fox and Qinglin. We hadn't seen each other in a while; it wouldn't be good to "visit" empty-handed, hehe.

As soon as we got off the carriage, we found that Chang'an Street was already packed with people, as lively as during the Lunar New Year. I held Cui'er tightly with one hand, not wanting to get lost again at this time. Then I looked at Ye Feng, who nodded knowingly, and Cui'er and I began to stroll through the crowd.

With the night breeze by my side, I feel quite at ease.

To be honest, this "Chrysanthemum and Grain Festival" is really to my liking. I love food and am also a little flower fanatic. This festival has both flowers and delicious food. How could I not be excited? That's why I love Longyao the most. There are good reasons for it. You see, the festivals of Longyao are especially pleasing to me. How could I not consider Longyao my motherland?

We strolled around, ate, and even participated in the judging and scoring. The event was indeed mainly about pastries and porridge. The various chrysanthemum cakes and porridges were not only delicious and visually appealing, but they were also free. While I was eating for free and taking leftovers home, Cui'er kept tugging at my sleeve. I smiled sheepishly at her and said, "I didn't want to be so greedy, but they don't accept money!"

As I approached the end of the street, my belly was bulging from the food when I suddenly saw a woman carrying out a basket of steaming chrysanthemum cakes. The aroma was incredibly enticing. I went closer to take a look and saw that the cakes were golden yellow, with various chrysanthemum shapes, and were exquisitely crafted. In the center, the center of one of the cakes was a bright red.

"Auntie, this cake is so exquisite." I stood dumbfounded in front of the basket of chrysanthemum cakes with Cui'er in my hands, especially curious about the red center of the flower. "Is the red one in the middle made of sorghum? Or red beans? The color is so vibrant."

"Would you like to try some, young lady?" The middle-aged woman smiled broadly, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

I nodded, took the scalding cake with my hands, and took a bite. The chrysanthemum cake was soft and chewy, and after just one bite, the fragrance lingered on my lips and teeth. This old lady's skills were truly extraordinary. Although my stomach was already full, I still politely finished it all, and after praising it enthusiastically, I even asked to take some home.

The old lady smiled even more broadly, and then packed all the remaining chrysanthemum cakes into a bag and gave it to me, being incredibly hospitable. As I bent down to thank her, holding the steaming bag of cakes, I suddenly felt her eyes looked vaguely familiar. Oh dear!

Satisfied with our meal, and still carrying a large bag of groceries, we turned back to find the road we'd come from still packed with people. So, we decided to take a shortcut back to the entrance of Chang'an Street. As we walked, savoring the delicious food we'd just eaten, a sudden whooshing sound reached my ears. Realizing something was wrong, a gust of night wind shoved me aside. I snapped back to reality and looked frantically at Cui'er, only to see that several men in black had appeared in front of us.