The bridalchamber was filled with the smell of incense, and together with the thick scentof perfume and powder, it made an overpowering mix that made her sick. LiWeiyang attempted a smile and whispered something in Lao Furen’s ear, whopromptly waved her hands in dismissal. “Go, go.”


  As Li Weiyangleft, only Li Changle paid her any attention; she briefly lifted her eyes toglance at her, before resuming her conversation with Jiang Yuelan.

  With thebreath of fresh air that came with her escape outside, Li Weiyang immediatelyfelt better. Baizhi asked curiously: “Xiaojie, why did you come out?”


  “Thefirecrackers outside are so loud, I’m afraid Min Zhi would be startled byit, so I told Lao Furen that I’ll go check on him.” Li Weiyang said with asmile.

  Min Zhi washer own brother, and at only 1 month old, he had already won Lao Furen’s heart.Of course, not only Lao Furen was charmed; Li Xiaoran also sent people to enquireafter him around 3 times a day, so Li Weiyang’s excuse for leaving was fullyunderstandable.

  As shestrolled past the pond, she saw that the numerous lotus flowers had wilted,leaving behind dead leaves and empty ripples on the water. Li Weiyang suddenlystopped in her tracks. “I want to walk by myself, Baizhi and Zhaoyue may staywith me. Mo Zhu, bring the rest of them back.”


  Mo Zhu knewthat her mistress’ mood was hard to predict, so she merely lowered her voice.“Yes, Xiaojie.” She left with the other Yatous, so there was only Li Weiyangand her trusted confidants at the lotus pond.

  “Xianzhu issmart.” A handsome man emerged from behind the trees casually, with a faintsmile upon his lips.

  Li Weiyangturned towards the source of the voice, wearing a similar smile as sherecognized its owner. “The banquet is hosted in the front courtyard. What hasbrought you here, Qi Huangzi?”


  Tuoba Yumerely smiled. “I still owe you a formal apology, so I simply told them I wouldlike to rest in the flower halls. That’s how I found myself here.”


  Li Weiyang regarded him with suspicion. “Apology?”


  A sliver ofcoolness flashed in Tuoba Yu’s eyes, but before he could explain himself, shehad already caught onto his meaning. “Haven’t you already apologised for that?”


  Both of themwere speaking strangely, but Baizhi and Zhaoyue guarded their senses,pretending as if they had overheard nothing.

  Tuoba Yucouldn’t help but quirk his brows in a smile. “I had thought you’d be angry fora long time.”


  “Even if I was very angry, seeing Qi Huangzi’seffort in sending me money…… as the receiver, I cannot possibly do nothing. Onthe account of your sincerity, I have to forgive you.” She was not losing outon the matters she had invested in, but since Tuoba Yu made such an attempt tosend her money, she definitely wouldn’t put on airs and reject it. Since De Feihad tried to harm her previously, she would take this as a form of payment.

  Tuoba Yulooked helpless. “After what had happened that day, my Mu Fei was bedridden foran entire 3 months; you should be appeased by that.”


  There was atrace of strangeness in Li Weiyang’s grin. “That’s merely interest repayment!”


  “Sorry thatyou had to show mercy!” Tuoba Yu smiled warmly, taking two steps forward. LiWeiyang took a step back, leaving his hand hanging in the air. His smileremained pleasant. “I only wanted to help you sweep away the leaves in yourhair……”


  Li Weiyang‘ssmile was warm as well. “There’s no need for you to bother yourself.”


  No matter howstrong Tuoba Yu was, a flash of hurt still crossed his eyes. “Do you hate mebecause of what happened with Mu Fei?”


  At the mentionof De Fei, some hostility surfaced in Li Weiyang, but she managed to cover itup with a restrained smile. “Qi Huangzi, what are you saying? I’m only a smallpawn, too insignificant to make an impact on the game.”


  Tuoba Yu shookslightly, unsure if it was due to the wind, or the shock. He had used thisexact sentence as an explanation to De Fei; no matter how hard he tried toconvince her that she was an ally, De Fei refused to believe it. It was not herfault, because who would trust that the series of blows aimed at San Huangziwere orchestrated by a sheltered Xiaojie. Not to mention, De Fei was alreadybiased against Li Weiyang, seeing her as a threat. So, to temporarily appease DeFei, Tuoba Yu had no choice but to pretend that he only saw Li Weiyang as anunimportant chess piece used for his own benefit, so that she would leave heralone. He never would have thought that Li Weiyang could find out what he did.

  “Qi Dianxia,there’s no need for you to panic. I’m not so capable to the extent that I amable to arrange spies to watch De Fei. I merely understand De Fei Niang Niang’scharacter very well; if you did not act indifferent towards me, she would nothave given up so easily.”


  Tuoba Yucouldn’t help but laugh. “If Mu Fei were to find out that you are the chessplayer instead, she would have been frightened to death.”


  “The chessplayer is neither me not Dianxia, it is the deity above. Previously we hadmanaged to destroy much of Tuoba Zhen’s secrets, has there been any action fromhim recently?” Li Weiyang simply smiled.

  Tuoba Yu frozeand attempted to calm his thoughts, frowning ever so slightly. “San Ge’s movementsoutside of court is not notable. He knows that Fu Huang’s health is not good oflate, so he invited a holy master to take a look. Initially, we didn’t caremuch about this person, but in the past 6 months, Fu Huang’s trust in him hasincreased, and he seems to have an influence on his actions.”


  “Yin Tianzhao?” Li Weiyang’s eyebrows knit together.

  “Yes,Xianzhu’s information is really accurate.” Tuoba Yu nodded in amazement.

  Li Weiyangsmiled bitterly. It wasn’t that her source of information was good; this MasterYin was someone from her past that she knew very well. Previously, Tuoba Zhenhad made use of this Master Yin to gain the Emperor’s trust and love; he was animportant player in Tuoba Zhen’s path to power.

  However,according to her memory, Master Yin should not have entered the palace untilanother 7 years later, but now…… could it mean that history is about to bere-written? No, ever since her rebirth, many things have changed. For example,she entered the Li Residence half a year earlier than in her previous life, QiYiniang and Min De had both managed to survive, and the birth of Min Zhi……Perhaps her very existence is a paradox. If she had not forced his hand, TuobaZhen wouldn’t bring such an important chess piece into play so much earlier.

  “How is Dianxia prepared to deal with it?” Li Weiyang said with a smile.

  A thread ofcoldness unwound through Tuoba Yu’s eyes. “This type of despicable liar cannotbe allowed to remain, I have already instructed someone to raise a petitionagainst him. We definitely have to find a way to remove him from thepalace.”


  Upon hearingthat, Li Weiyang couldn’t help but frown. This is exactly the same tactic that QiHuangzi had tried using previously, but the outcome? The Emperor had trustedand depended heavily on Master Yin, so he was extremely unhappy when hereceived the petition. He felt that his ministers had banded together to goagainst him, so he heavily chastised the three ministers who had submitted it,even removing them from their posts.

  The Emperor’sextreme attitude towards this matter made Tuoba Yu realise that Master Yin’sposition was not simple, and could not be shaken so easily. Three years later,on Master Yin’s advice, the Emperor had totally distanced himself from Tuoba Yu,and completely depended his divination lots to handle matters, thus effectivelyallowing most of the power to be controlled by Tuoba Zhen.

  Qi Huangzi’ssupporters, including Luo Guo Gong, had attempted to change the situation bygathering a few close ministers to congregate outside the palace, kneeling andcrying out. They had demanded that the Emperor dismiss Master Yin, or theywould remain on their knees until then. Usually this method could work, asappeasing public resentment is often crucial. However, the Emperor had alreadybeen ensnared by Master Yin, so hearing their cries made him extremelyfrustrated and angry instead. He ordered his imperial guards to arrest all 42ministers and throw them into the dungeons, and to flog them the next day. Evenso, Master Yin still harboured a grudge, instigating the Emperor to punish thetop 12 ministers again. After two days of flogging, 6 of the 42 ministers haddied, leaving 20 severely injured, and the rest did not dare to voice outagain. Qi Huangzi, who had originally been doted on, was pushed even furtheraway from the centre of power, and after an incident where he was framed by TuobaZhen, no one dared to speak for him anymore.

  Luo Guo Gong mightbe smart, but he was not made to meddle in politics, and most importantly, hedid not have the ability to guess the Emperor’s moods; hence a matter whichcould have been transformed into benefit turned into one down a path of noreturn, destroying a future which had potentially great prospects.

  Li Weiyangstudied Tuoba Yu, her smile deepening. “This…… I’m afraid it won’t beappropriate.”


  Tuoba Yu knewit was not the best idea, but ever since this Master Yin had entered thepalace, he had suggested all sorts of weird notions, so he could not sit idlyby and watch him grow his influence.

  “If you wantto defeat Yin Tianzhao, it’s easy. The hard task is his backer.” Li Weiyangsaid slowly.

  Tuoba Yuknitted his brows. “You are saying…… San Ge?”


  Li Weiyangcouldn’t control her smile from quirking. “You’re wrong, your San Ge is not theone who can protect Yin Tianzhao. His real protector is Bi Xia.”


  “My Fu Huang?”Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, and he seemed to have suddenly realisedsomething. “You are right. The one who really protects and trusts him is my FuHuang; so long as there remains a day he is in his trust, we cannot do anythingto him!”


  “Yes, exactly.Qi Dianxia, Bi Xia is fifty years old this year, and the women in the haremnumber by the thousands. With so many beauties by his side, isn’t it wasted ifhe can only look? Additionally, watching his sons slowly growing older andstronger, it is only natural that he feels fear.”


  Such wordsfrom Li Weiyang was completely out of line; thankfully Tuoba Yu had alreadyarranged for them to remain isolated from others. Hearing it still surprisedhim greatly, but she continued on, “Bi Xia firstly, wants to be immortal andenjoy peace, and secondly, to remain fit and strong so that he can enjoy thecompany of beautiful women and have a long line of descendants. He has pinnedhis hopes for these two wishes on Master Yin, so since Master Yin is able totreat his illness and make him strong quickly, it is no wonder that Bi Xialikes him so much.”


  Tuoba Yu didnot agree, though. “Those pills that he gave to Fu Huang, it is onlytemporary……”


  “Yes, it isonly a short term effect. But to a man at Bi Xia’s age, rather than suffer suchdiscomfort, even if it is false strength, he’ll accept it so long as he appearsfit. Also, how much does Dianxia know of Yin Tianzhao?” Li Weiyang said,smiling.

  “He is fromMin Zhou, a priest from Mount Xuanyuan’s Shang Qing Gong. Shang Qing Gong isthe ancestral home of Heavenly Masters, and Grand Master Zhang is the currentpresiding leader living there. Master Yin knew very well how to deceive thecommon people, so the locals believed that he could pray for rain and snow, andheal illnesses. That’s why Fu Huang felt that he had acquired a treasure.”Tuoba Yu reported his findings.

  Li Weiyangshook her head. “This Yin Tianzhao is nearing eighty years old now, but he hasa head full of hair and a rosy complexion, so he is definitely not without anyskill. As I know it, he also has a political mind; ten years ago, the rebelprince Tuoba Yu tried to recruit him to his cause, offering him 50 bars ofgold. He was never swayed, which showed that he was smart and knew how to judgewho was in power and who wasn’t; or perhaps he did know some heavenly secret wehave no idea of.”


  “Heavenlysecret?!” Tuoba Yu’s frown deepened. “I don’t believe he knows anything likethat! If he really knew, he wouldn’t be lured by Tuoba Zhen!”


  Li Weiyangsighed, in the past, she only had her suspicions; why would the usuallyreclusive Yin Tianzhao suddenly listen to Tuoba Zhen and come to the palace……Apparently Yin Tianzhao knew how to read the stars and perform divination, socould he have predicted that Tuoba Zhen was fated to become the Emperor……? No,maybe both of them had established a deal, but she could not guess anythingsolid, as Tuoba Zhen did not even tell her in the past. This man simply hadintentions so deep that she could not comprehend.

  “Dianxia, wouldyou agree that Yin Tianzhao is good at summoning the weather?”


  Tuoba Yu wasobviously not moved. “You’re referring to the incident where he successfullyprayed for snow to fall during winter, despite it not snowing at allpreviously? He was just plain lucky!”


  Li Weiyangsmiled and shook her head again. “It wasn’t mere luck, but neither is it hispowers like Bixia thinks it is. He simply managed to guess the accurate time ofsnowfall, so he bought time by ordering a praying platform be erected, then choosingthe specific timing to start praying for snow; hence winning more of Bixia’strust.”


  Tuoba Yuinitially only felt irritation and hatred towards this person, but afterhearing Li Weiyang’s words, he couldn’t help but suspect if this Master reallyhad some skill at predicting the future. However, Li Weiyang still had more tosay.

  “Not onlythat, I heard that two months ago, Bixia’s concubines Wang Mei Ren and Lu MeiRen became pregnant, almost at the same time.” Li Weiyang said softly. Thispiece of news was brought to her by Li Min De; it had caused much uproaramongst the commoners, as Bixia was already 50 years old and there were seldomsuch good news from his concubines anymore. But to have these tidings so soonafter Master Yin entered the palace…… it seemed like there was some hiddenlink between the two.

  Tuoba Yuseemed to have realised the connection as well. “Ever since Fu Huang followed YinTianzhao’s request to regulate his health and be more devout in religiousmatters, as well as drink the tonic he prepared, he did seem to have increasedenergy. He has recently been very doting to his concubines, so other than thosetwo, Zhang Zhaoyi is also pregnant.”


  “Therefore, since Master Yin has such power,how can Bixia not trust him? You all protest against his practice of Taoism andconsuming divine pills, but who else has the ability to summon rain and snow,to help the commoners in their crops? Who amongst you all would have the meansto let Bixia have a few more sons? You all cannot, but Yin Tianzhao is able todo so; and this is exactly the reason why Dianxia trusts and relies on him somuch.” Li Weiyang said with a smile.

  “But thisperson……” Tuoba Yu abruptly stopped, and a cool smile appeared, “San Ge reallycan resort to any tactics.”


  “Why would hesend a useless person into the palace?” Li Weiyang’s outstretched hand crushedthe fallen leaf in her grasp, her smile growing warmer.

  A murderousglint shone in Tuoba Yu’s eyes. “I can send him up to the heavens.”


  “If you getrid of Yin Tianzhao, Tuoba Zhen will simply send a second one!” Li Weiyanggazed at the fragments in her palm.

  “Then whatshould we do?” Tuoba Yu couldn’t help it; he faintly felt that his ability tosee through others is nothing compared to the lady before his eyes. However, hedid not feel disheartened, as he knew that each and every person had their forteand purpose. He was willing to use her strengths to make up for hisshortcomings, which was a rare thing to do.

  With a puff ofair, Li Weiyang scattered the remnants of the leaf, saying calmly: “There’s noneed to submit a petition against him. Dianxia, please have your men submit aproposal tomorrow, praising Master Yin’s achievements and push for a residenceof his own to be erected. Additionally, suggest to the Emperor to grant him apost as a Minister of Etiquette, with the rank of First Officer. In this way, Bixiawill definitely be delighted.”


  Tuoba Yu wasshocked. “We still have to reward him?!” In fact, his allies had previously suggestedthis, but Tuoba Yu had never liked dealing with the supernatural, andespecially hated people like Yin Tianzhao, whom he felt was a scammer and liar,so he never took any action as suggested. He never thought that Li Weiyang wouldgive the same idea.

  Li Weiyangsmiled. “This is just the first tactic; we counter poison with poison. The moreBixia favours him, the more you have to hold him up to the skies. The moment hefalls from his pedestal, it will crush him entirely. Bixia will feel that he wasmaking use of the favour shown to him, which is unforgivable. Additionally, thepeople who recommended him in the first place would also be dragged in!

  The secondstep is to divert the trouble. Yin Tianzhao has his powers, but his pill makingskills are not up to the mark yet, so he still makes mistakes. Every pill heformulates, he’ll let others try it first before sending it to Bixia. IfDianxia intends to do anything, you can attack via the pills! Of course, if youcan convince Bixia that since Tuoba Zhen is the one who introduced him, thepills should be tested by San Huang Zi himself. Furthermore, he should displayhis sincerity and filal piety by consuming it in front of everyone; that’ll bea great show to watch!

  And the laststep is to strike at the root of the problem. Dianxia might not know much aboutsurvival, but you should know that if you want to rise upwards, you shouldunderstand the theory that you need allies to support one another.

  YinTianzhao has 9 disciples, but they all have average knowledge and talent,except one called Zhou Tianshou. In terms of divination and weather prediction,he has surpassed his master, so Yin Tianzhao is extremely jealous of him andfearful that he would steal the attention. Due to that, Master Yin has refusedto bring him into the palace. If Dianxia is able to find this person and sendhim in to replace Yin Tianzhao, Dianxia will have a different position in Bixia’sheart, and Yin Tianzhao will be one step closer to death.

  However, nomatter which step of our plan, there is no definite success. Dianxia must knowhow to get along and make use of the people Bixia dotes on!”


  鱼帮水、水帮鱼

  – fish and water are beneficial to oneanother. Indicates a mutually beneficial relationship is needed for survival.

  Tuoba Yu shookhis head for the first time. “I can’t stand the thought of working with thesepeople!”


  Believerswould trust that they were the real masters of heavenly secrets, butunbelievers would feel that it was all a sham. Especially Yin Tianzhao, becauseother than the usual pills, he also gave the Emperor a red heart pill forlong-term consumption. This red heart pill had a blend of Chinese traditional medicine,animal innards, Qiu Shi, etc, but the worse of all was the menstrual blood ofyoung girls; which was unbelievably disgusting. However, these pills haveproven to be an effective aphrodisiac, so by using them, the Emperor believedin whatever Master Yin said about using yin energy to boost his yang energy. InTuoba Yu’s eyes, it was merely a harmful substance.

  Li Weiyangunderstood his feelings, and couldn’t help a smile. There’s probably no HuangZi of royal birth that could tolerate priests like this, as well as theministers at court too. But Tuoba Zhen was different, which allowed him anadvantage over them.

  “When it comesto pleasing Bixia, Qi Huang Zi hasn’t put in enough effort.” Li Weiyang statedslowly. That year, when Yin Tianzhao entered the palace, Tuoba Zhen had broughtin a huge pool of young women as well. To aid in the production of the redheart pills, many of the palace maids had been forced to have their menstrualcycle come early; Tuoba Zhen was indeed ruthless and cruel, but it gave theEmperor the impression that he was the most filial son, so his love for himeventually took over that of the Crown Prince, Tuoba Yu, and the rest of theprinces. The Emperor did not know, however, that the first thing Tuoba Zhen didupon his ascension was to kill all the priests at court and tear apart theirorder, as well as get kill off all witnesses! Deep in his heart, he despisedthem the same way as Tuoba Yu, but he had no qualms about using them in his bidfor power.

  “Dianxia, do you really want to lose the love and trust Bixia has foryou?”


  “Is it evenpossible that a person like Yin Tianzhao can distance me from Fu Huang?” TuobaYu did not understand why Li Weiyang would say such a thing, a confusedexpression appearing on his handsome face, lit by moonlight.

  Li Weiyang sighed,but she did not answer the question. “I’ve heard that Bixia has had problemssleeping of late, so he has taken to ordering different princes stand watch forhim, sometimes sending them supper, is that true?”


  Tuoba Yu wastaken aback at Li Weiyang’s accurate information, and he could only nod.

  Li Weiyang letout a breath; it seems like the Emperor’s habits had never changed. “I havealso heard that Tuoba Zhen would be extra nice to the eunuchs who bring theedict, treating them as if they were equals. Whenever it came to his turn, hewould be found reading petitions late into the night, sometimes even staying upand attending court the next day. Since the eunuchs had gained benefits fromhim, they of course would report this to the Emperor. Other than that, theywould also tell him that other princes would be asleep at this hour, so even ifyou’d really sacrificed your sleep for court matters, Bixia would thinkotherwise. Because they would not bother telling Bixia what you’ve done, butrather, they might actually speak ill of you.”


  Tuoba Yu gazedat Li Weiyang in disbelief, he had his men in place beside Bixia, but no onehad brought him information like this……

  Li Weiyang’sreturning smile under the moonlight seemed extremely cold. “Eunuchs are humantoo, if you have always treated them like servants, ordering them around, theymight turn against you easily. If Dianxia could treat them with the same amountof respect you would with the ministers at court, I believe that they wouldn’tbe used by Tuoba Zhen. Of course, after Qi Dianxia has achieved your goal,these people are up to you deal with.”


  No minordetail should be missed out, and Tuoba Yu was very clear on that. His agentsrepeatedly had pointers for him, but no one had thought of such a fine andsmall detail, because most people simply looked down on eunuchs. They felt thatgranting them gifts of gold and silver would be enough; to treat them withrespect was more than what the royal princes could tolerate.

  “So, Dianxiashould probably re-think your attitude towards these eunuchs from todayonwards.” Li Weiyang smiled, reminding him once again.

  “I willremember all that you’ve said.” Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, but at thesame time, he was proud. Previously, he would never have agreed, but he hadrealised that if he let his pride get into the way, one day Tuoba Zhen seizethe correct moment to destroy them all! When it came down to survival, it wasonly human to follow their instincts and fight!

  “I trust Dianxiawill know what to do tomorrow?” Li Weiyang asked tentatively, her deep eyesreflecting the moonshine.

  Tuoba Yuinhaled. “I will listen to your advice and withdraw those petitions against YinTianzhao, and submit the ones calling for his promotion instead. I will alsosend men to find that Zhou Tianshou.”


  “I shall wait for Dianxia’s goodnews.”


  Tuoba Yustudied Li Weiyang fixedly, finally smiling. “You……” but did not know how tocontinue. “I don’t have much power on your side, so please take care ofyourself.” He finally said, in a soft voice.

  He neverfelt that he was all powerful, and would be able to ease Li Weiyang’s troubles.But right now, he realised that he had neglected to consider the hearts of thecommon people at many occasions, and she had to remind him of that. So howcould he even promise that she would be free of worries?

  Li Weiyangknew that her point had been driven home, so she smiled gently. “Dianxia,please take care.”


  Once Tuoba Yuleft, a young man slowly came out from behind the artificial mountain. Hisbrows were thick and straight, his hair dark as ink and like a graceful flower,and his gaze was devastatingly bright. Although his beauty was slightly diminishedunder the cover of the night, he remained eye-catching. Li Weiyang saw himcovered in dust and could not help but giggle. “If I did not know you werehiding in that tunnel, I would have gotten a fright.”


  Li Min De frowned.“His secret guards are too useless, what if it had been someone else who hadbeen hiding here?”


  “Other thanyou, who would know this hidden tunnel? Stop the pretence, you’re hiding herepurposely to mock at him right?” Li Weiyang said with a sigh.

  “That’s not myintention.” Li Min De glanced at Zhaoyue, who immediately grabbed Baizhi andretreated 10 steps backwards.

  In the twoyears that Li Weiyang had returned to the Li Residence, she had seen how Li MinDe had grown from a child, and now surpassing her in height. She wondered whathe actually ate, and plus he was more gorgeous than other women; thatfrustrated her, because if she only had half of his beauty, she would be ableto save a lot of effort on her plans. She knit her brows. “It seems that LiChangle is no longer the first beauty in Da Li.”


  Li Min De didnot expect this sentence, which struck him as a little strange.

  “Every timeyou come back from a trip outside, your hands are full of gifts andtrinkets. You’re making me so envious! Li Changle’s title of the most beautifulshould be given up to you sooner.” Li Weiyang said with a laugh.

  Li Min De wasnot amused. “Why should a man be born with such beauty?”


  “Be it a manor a woman, with such outstanding features, it’ll please the people around them,so what is so bad about it?”


  Li Min De keptsilent, and at a glance, Li Weiyang knew that he was angry. She stepped forwardand caressed the side of his face. “Why, it is so easy to anger you! Let’sdiscuss something more serious then. You were eavesdropping from behind theartificial mountain, so what have you gained from that?”


  “Must you helpQi Huang Zi onto the throne?” Li Min De replied, laughing coldly.

  “It is hard toconvince him; this person is too righteous for his own good. He hesitates to dothe dirty work that he knows he should do, but it is exactly from this traitthat ensures he will not abandon the people who have helped him after his taskis complete.

  To me, that confirms my safety, isn’t it?” Li Weiyanggestured with a flourish.

  狡兔死，走狗烹
– once the sly rabbit isdead, the hunting dog joins it in the stew. To get rid of those who’ve helpedonce the aim is achieved.

  “I don’t think the same way, that mother of his……”


  Li Weiyang wasslightly taken aback. “You really know how to bear a grudge; it’s just a smallmatter.”


  Li Min Desimply raised his eyebrows in question; don’t you know how to bear grudges? Youeven managed to scare De Fei so much, she didn’t dare to leave her residencefor 3 months.

  Li Weiyangread the hidden accusation in his fiery gaze and realised that her thoughts hadbeen exposed. She coughed delicately. “Of course, a little warning isrequired.”


  He continuedstaring at her with his half-smile. His eyelashes were lush and thick, and hisirises like intricately carved pearls; you couldn’t bring yourself to lie whenlooking into them.

  Li Weiyang hadno such guilt, and deftly changed the topic. “If it was you, what would youdo?”


  She did notask clearly, but Li Min De understood at once. He grinned. “If I was Tuoba Yu……there are rumours that Bixia has recently been addicted to making priest hatsand gifting it to the princes. It’s a pity that everyone is too high up ontheir pedestals to wear it, including the very person who recommended YinTianzhao to the Emperor; San Huang Zi. Which goes to show that deep inside, helooks down on those priests, despite what his actions say. If I were Tuoba Yu,I’d wear that hat to court. It’s intricately made, and wearing it will demonstrateloyalty to the Emperor, so why not?”


  Li Weiyanglaughed, a true one this time. “You are more suitable to be a prince than TuobaYu.” A prince not only needed to manage his ministers, but before he gainedpower, pleasing the Emperor would be the first and foremost task. But gettinginto his good books was not such an easy job; you needed the right amount offinesse to not overdo it. “Such a pity you are not of royal birth, but well, itis also a blessing.” She concluded gently.

  Li Min Desmiled but did not reply. A distant wind blew towards them, ruffling his hairand shielding the strange expression in his eyes. In her relaxed state, LiWeiyang actually missed out such an occurrence. On the other side, however,Zhaoyue’s head was hanging down, as if she very much wanted to sink intothe floor——

  *****——

  Translator: Jaslynn

  Editor: Pending

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