“What do you need me to do?”
Jiang Lu's gaze drifted into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
“There is no need—”
The voice was low, sounding as though it might fade away at any moment.
As the voice faded, Jiang Lu was whisked out of the mountains and appeared at the foot of the peaks.
She turned around. As if the conversation just now had been an illusion, the entire mountain forest had grown tranquil. The trace of spiritual energy was completely concealed, making it indistinguishable from any ordinary mountain.
Jiang Lu took a deep look, patted the dust off her clothes, and headed back toward the Grand Princess's Manor.
...
In the imperial palace—
“Your child pays respects to Imperial Father.”
Gong Chenyue stepped into the hall, but she did not see the Emperor.
She gestured to a nearby attendant and asked in a low voice, “Where is Imperial Father?”
The attendant glanced toward the inner hall, then cautiously looked outside before whispering back, “To answer Your Highness... His Majesty is in the inner chamber.”
Hearing this, Gong Chenyue cast a deep look toward the inner chamber, concern flashing in her eyes. Just as she was about to give the attendant a few instructions, the Grand Chamberlain of Zhengding Palace stepped out. Seeing Gong Chenyue, he immediately hurried over to greet her.
“Your Highness, you have returned?”
Gong Chenyue smiled warmly at him. “Grand Chamberlain, is Imperial Father unwell?”
The Grand Chamberlain shook his head, casting a sidelong glance toward the inner chamber. “Your Highness, His Majesty has important matters to attend to. You...”
At this, Gong Chenyue understood. Her guess was indeed correct; her father was likely fooling around with yet another beauty.
“In that case, I will not disturb him. I have yet to pay my respects to Mother, so I shall depart first. Once Imperial Father is finished, please remember to let him know I came by, Chamberlain.”
The Grand Chamberlain quickly complied. “Ah, of course. Rest assured, Your Highness, I will inform His Majesty as soon as he is finished.”
Gong Chenyue glanced at the inner chamber and turned to leave.
Gong Chenyue arrived at Kunning Palace. The managing maid informed her that the Empress was currently handling affairs in the study.
She made her way over and saw the Empress sitting at her desk, busy with official documents.
“Your child pays respects to Mother.”
Hearing her voice, the Empress's face lit up with joy, and she hastily set down her brush.
“Yue'er, when did you return?”
Without waiting for the Empress to bid her rise, Gong Chenyue trotted over to her.
“Mother, I arrived just today.”
Gong Chenyue held the Empress's hand as they sat down together. Turning her head, she spotted the memorials piled on the desk. Her pupils trembled slightly, and she blurted out instinctively:
“Mother, what are these?”
The Empress picked up one of the memorials and placed it in front of her.
“Your father indulges in carnal pleasures day in and day out. For the past year, I have been the one handling all of his official duties.”
Gong Chenyue took the memorial and flipped through it. A trace of confusion arose in her.
“Imperial Father actually didn't appoint the Crown Prince to oversee state affairs?”
The Empress snatched the memorial back and tossed it casually onto the desk, her eyes filled with mockery.
“The Crown Prince? Your imperial brothers are all grown up, and the Crown Prince is no exception. If he were to oversee the state, your father wouldn't sleep easy.”
She then looked at Gong Chenyue, her tone carrying a hint of worry.
“Yue'er, which prince do you favor? We must make plans early. Your grandfather sent word that things are far from peaceful among the princes right now.”
“A prince?”
Gong Chenyue stood up, her hand brushing lightly over the memorials on the desk. Her eyes shone with an undeniable thirst for power.
“Mother, why must we favor any prince? I am Imperial Father's legitimate daughter and the officially appointed Grand Princess. If they can fight for it, why can't I?”
The Empress gasped in panic, hurriedly glancing toward the doors.
“You enjoy such freedom precisely because you are a princess. Do you have any idea what would happen to you if these words reached your father's ears?”
Gong Chenyue patted the Empress's hand reassuringly.
“Mother, since I dare to say this, I naturally have the confidence to back it up. Do you know what I encountered on my way back?”
Gong Chenyue recounted everything regarding her meeting with Jiang Lu. Upon hearing the tale, the Empress sat frozen in her chair, her mind in a daze.
Gong Chenyue remained silent, standing quietly as she watched her.
She believed her mother would agree.
“Are you certain he only has one month left?”
The Empress lowered her head slightly, her eyelashes concealing the cold glint in her eyes, a trace of madness creeping onto her face.
Gong Chenyue replied with absolute certainty, “Mother, I am absolutely sure!”
The Empress raised her head to look at her, a look passing between them that only mother and daughter could decipher.
“For this month, you only need to play the role of a dutiful daughter. Leave the rest to me and your grandfather. As for the immortal residing in your manor, we will only reveal her presence after your father passes away.”
Gong Chenyue naturally agreed. Her mother was by no means ignorant or naive; otherwise, the Emperor would never have allowed her to review the imperial memorials.
Of course, another reason was that she had no sons.
The two conspired further. After dinner, Gong Chenyue returned to the Grand Princess's Manor.
“Does the immortal have any requests?”
She summoned a maidservant to inquire.
The maidservant shook her head. “To answer Your Highness, the immortal has been meditating in the courtyard. The spirit tiger consumed a large amount of meat and has been resting not far from her. Does Your Highness wish to see the immortal?”
Gong Chenyue shook her head. Since the immortal had not summoned her, she would not disturb her.
If there were any matters, the immortal would surely call for her.
...
“Awoo—”
The White Tiger lay on the ground, staring at Jiang Lu with a deeply resentful look.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lu remained seated beneath the tree, meditating peacefully, completely ignoring the White Tiger's plaintive gaze.
Seeing this, the White Tiger blinked its large eyes, rose quietly, and stealthily crept toward Jiang Lu.
Its massive tiger face stopped just a fist's distance from Jiang Lu. When Jiang Lu opened her eyes, they locked gazes instantly.
Jiang Lu: ...
What is this silly tiger doing?
“Why are you so close to me?”
“Awoo—”
The White Tiger leaped backward, nearly tumbling to the ground, and let out a pitiful whimper.
It had nothing to do here and was incredibly bored.
“How about you go spend some time in the mountain forests? It is indeed a bit boring for you here.”
Hearing this, the White Tiger shook its head vigorously.
It didn't want to go at all.
Amused, Jiang Lu patted its head. Seeing how well-behaved it was, she gave it a Beast Spiritual Pill. The White Tiger was an intelligent beast; consuming it would significantly boost both its lifespan and strength.
Most importantly, a Beast Spiritual Pill was like a snack to spirit beasts. Once the White Tiger ate it, it would have to sleep for a while to digest it. This was perfect, as it would save the tiger from its boredom.
She turned her head toward the imperial palace, her divine sense enveloping the entire imperial city.
The Emperor's life force was on the verge of extinguishing; his current state was merely a final, fleeting rally before death.
At the same time, she also witnessed the scheming of various factions. Her brows furrowed. None of them would make a good ruler; the commoners would suffer greatly under their rule.
It would be one thing if they were merely peaceful rulers capable of preserving the status quo, but they clearly were not.
The Heavenly Dao hadn't even informed her of the original trajectory of fate. Now that she was involved, she would have to steer things according to her own will.
The Heavenly Dao: ...Did he forget? ⊙(・◇・)？
Jiang Lu's divine sense swept past, locking onto Gong Chenyue. Having observed her for a month, she couldn't help but marvel; this woman was a born ruler.
She possessed both benevolence and decisiveness.
Most importantly, the people backing her were competent, with no foolish allies to drag her down.
An empress regnant... wouldn't be a bad choice either.
Rate on N.U.
