Chapter 479: You Must Take Away the Person from Anhua Palace

Just as Ji Qingwu stepped inside, a white jade chess piece rolled to a stop at her feet.

She bent down to pick it up and said with a smile, "So it’s you, Master."

Master Liao Ran had already schooled his shocked expression. He stood and said, "My respects to the Empress."

With an outsider present, Ji Qingwu’s etiquette was impeccable. She walked over to the Emperor.

As it was still the newlywed period, she was required to wear red. She had changed into a phoenix robe of bright yellow brocade, trimmed with crimson and embroidered with lotus patterns. The hem of her skirt swayed as she walked, each step as graceful as a blooming lotus.

Ji Qingwu turned to the side, curtsied, and greeted him in a respectful and gentle tone.

"This consort greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed."

Zhao Mingyan was gratified to finally hear the Empress use the formal address of "this consort," and the corners of his lips lifted in a smile.

"Come here, to my side."

Wearing a dress, Ji Qingwu couldn’t sit cross-legged like a man, so she could only kneel.

Zhao Mingyan gazed at her and said, "Ah Wu, why did you hurry over so quickly? You have sweat on your forehead. No one was rushing you. You should have taken your time."

Master Liao Ran, who had waited all morning for the Emperor to finally arrive, silently watched as His Majesty picked up a handkerchief and expertly dabbed the sweat from the Empress’s brow, even smoothing the strands of hair at her temples that the wind had disheveled.

Master Liao Ran averted his gaze and sighed.

Ji Qingwu had indeed rushed, because she was eager to find out who their visitor was today.

She studied the renowned master. He looked no different from when she had last seen him in the meditation chamber at Hanshan Temple.

Although he was a monk who had not shaved his head, he still exuded an air of refined tranquility. He appeared to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old.

Ji Qingwu’s eyes flickered with thought. ’I saw Master Liao Ran lose his composure the moment I walked in. His relationship with Liang Muhui must be complicated.’

Zhao Mingyan tapped the chessboard on the table with a long finger. Li Yuzong immediately came over to clear it away, replacing it with six plates of exquisite pastries.

Master Liao Ran glanced at the pastries and was about to reach for one, but the Emperor moved the plate of crab roe crisps in front of Ji Qingwu.

Zhao Mingyan said with a smile, "Have a taste. See if it’s any different from the ones Ah Wu had at Cining Palace."

Ji Qingwu’s mind wasn’t on food, but since Emperor Wu Su had said so, she could only absentmindedly pick one up and take a small bite.

It was fragrant and crispy, with a rich filling. Ji Qingwu nodded and narrowed her eyes in appreciation, and Zhao Mingyan, pleased, took a sip of his tea.

Master Liao Ran felt a strong urge to recite the Heart Sutra to calm his mind. He said, "Your Majesty, how can you be so stingy with even a single piece of pastry?"

Zhao Mingyan replied, "Because these were not prepared for you. If you want to eat some, I’ll have the Imperial Kitchen pack them up for you before you leave."

Master Liao Ran said, "Accepting a gift from Your Majesty means I’ll have to repay the favor sooner or later. I shall not take any, then."

Zhao Mingyan poured a cup of tea and placed it by Ji Qingwu’s hand. He said casually, "You don’t have to take the pastries. But you do have to take the person from Anhua Palace."

Both Master Liao Ran and Ji Qingwu froze.

Ji Qingwu turned to the Emperor, frowning. "That’s not what I meant."

She had no intention of driving Liang Muhui out of the palace. Even if this former princess of the previous dynasty once had a marriage agreement with the Emperor, it was all in the distant past.

Zhao Mingyan took her hand, which was hanging below the table, and squeezed it tightly.

Ji Qingwu pressed her lips together, glanced at him, and said no more.

Zhao Mingyan said, "She is a remnant of the previous dynasty. If her identity is discovered by others... you know I will not be able to spare her life."

"But if she is in your care, I will be at ease."

Master Liao Ran’s palm was pressed flat on the table, his knuckles white from the force. He looked nothing like a monk whose senses were supposed to be pure and detached from worldly affairs.

Zhao Mingyan said, "Shen Wei, it’s time you went to see her."

*

「Anhua Palace.」

A maze had been laid out at the entrance, the same formation as the one in the backyard of the meditation chamber at Hanshan Temple.

Liang Muhui was lying on a woven vine rocking chair, reading a book, when the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Since no one had come by in a long time, the gate’s hinges were rusted and let out a piercing CREAK.

Without looking up, she said, "The Emperor is a newlywed enjoying his bliss. Does he really have time to visit me?"

Within the Imperial Palace, no one could break this formation besides Emperor Wu Su.

Liang Muhui flipped a page of her book and said cheerfully, "Last time, Yan’er saw your new Empress at the gate. She said she’s beautiful and has a good temperament. Your Majesty really lucked out."

The visitor remained silent and walked right up to her. Liang Muhui frowned. "Excuse me, could you move aside? You’re blocking my light. I’m just getting to the part where Zhang Sheng betrays his beloved and gets hacked to death with one slash."

The man took a step to the side, and the light fell on Liang Muhui’s face once more.

"Mumu, I’ve come to take you home."

At the sound of his voice, Liang Muhui’s hand froze.

Goosebumps erupted all over her skin. She threw the book at the man’s face.

She glared at him and shrieked, "Are you out of your mind, Shen Wei?! Who gave you the right to call me Mumu? If you’re looking to die, go find some other grave to haunt! Don’t you dare defile my territory!"

Her maid, Yan’er, heard the commotion and ran in from the back courtyard. She grabbed Liang Muhui, who looked about to go berserk, and saw that the man standing in the yard was Shen Wei.

Yan’er stammered, "Commandery Princess, please don’t be angry. It’s bad for your health."

Liang Muhui pulled a rusty sword from out of nowhere and said, "When I get angry, it’s usually bad for someone else’s health!"

With that, she thrust the sword into Shen Wei’s side, though it didn’t go all the way through.

Liang Muhui cursed again, seeming rather disappointed.

The sword was dull, and it took a great deal of effort to pierce his skin. Liang Muhui’s strength was no longer what it was in her younger days of swaggering about the Imperial City and stirring up trouble.

Still, blood gushed out, quickly staining the blade red.

Liang Muhui pulled the sword out without a shred of mercy. "Who are you putting on this lovesick act for, Master? Even a dog wouldn’t want to see it."

Shen Wei acted as if he couldn’t feel the pain. "Come with me," he said.

Liang Muhui said, "Let me guess, what sort of madness has seized you this time, Master? You’re not drunk, and you’re not poisoned... Oh, I know."

She raised her eyebrows. "His Majesty ordered you to kick me out, didn’t he? He’s no longer willing to keep a Heavenly Killer Lone Star like me around?"

Shen Wei said, "You are not a Heavenly Killer Lone Star."

Seeing that he didn’t deny the first part of her accusation, Liang Muhui knew his stubborn nature all too well. He certainly wouldn’t have come to see her of his own accord. He would only appear if he had absolutely no other choice.

Liang Muhui said, "Get out! And don’t you dare die here."

Outside the palace walls, Ji Qingwu peeked her head over, saw the scene inside the courtyard, and gasped before quickly ducking back down.

She whispered, "Your Majesty, the Master was stabbed and fell! Should we send someone in to help him?"

Zhao Mingyan said calmly, "No need. It’s nothing serious."

Ji Qingwu straightened up again to peek. "Oh my, Liang Muhui just stomped on his wound several times."

Zhao Mingyan said nonchalantly, "He won’t die."

Ji Qingwu let out a sound of surprise. "Liang Muhui is gone. She must have gone back inside. Your Majesty, you can put me down now."

The palace wall was three meters high. Ji Qingwu had been terribly curious about what was happening inside, so Zhao Mingyan had volunteered to be her human ladder, hoisting her up for a look. Since there was no one else around, she had ended up sitting on the Emperor’s shoulders.

But before her feet could touch the ground, another person appeared by the main gate.