“My dear ancestor, are you trying to get me killed?” Song Qingshu cried out in alarm.
The yellow-robed woman raised her brows. “What do you mean, ancestor? That sounds awful.”
Song Qingshu gave a wry smile. “Heroine, fairy sister, if I don’t take you there, at most you’ll chop off my hands or refuse to unseal my acupoints. But if I take you to the empress’s bedchamber for an assassination, that’s a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!”
Song Qingshu was quite satisfied with his own performance. He felt that if he were sent back to his past life now, he could easily win an award for Best Actor or something like that.
“You just need to bring me to the empress’s bedchamber. The rest has nothing to do with you. Who would even know you brought me?” Seeing that Song Qingshu was still reluctant, The yellow-robed woman had no choice but to patiently explain. “You don’t need to worry. I’m definitely not going there to assassinate her.”
“Then what ‘is’ the heroine going to do?” Song Qingshu probed cautiously.
“That’s none of your business.” The yellow-robed woman was growing impatient. “Are you taking me or not? If you take me, you might not even get into trouble. But if you don’t… you’ll be in trouble right away. Your choice!”
Song Qingshu hesitated. Judging from Empress Pei Man’s attitude toward Xiao Xingguo, she seemed to be plotting something. He had been thinking of using that to his advantage, but taking this yellow-clad woman there now would surely disrupt the empress’s plan. Still, refusing her wasn’t an option either.
“Fine, I’ll take you there, Heroine. But I hope you’ll keep your word.” Song Qingshu put on a helpless expression and agreed at last. Besides, he was quite curious about what this girl wanted with Empress Pei Man.
And so, with the yellow-robed woman keeping a close watch on him, the two made their way toward the empress’s bedchamber. They had already spent most of the night over by the laundry courtyard, and now dawn was starting to break. Seeing this, The yellow-robed woman frowned slightly and called Song Qingshu to a halt. Instead of continuing at a slow pace, she grabbed him by the collar, and using Qinggong, began flitting swiftly through the palace grounds.
The whole way, Song Qingshu only spoke occasionally to guide her. The rest of the time, his attention was entirely on her fragrance, occasionally and deliberately leaning his body closer to hers to feel the softness of her graceful figure. After being ‘bullied’ by her for so long, wasn’t it time to get a little something in return?
The yellow-robed woman did notice his movements, but since he was a eunuch, she didn’t think much of it. She assumed he was just scared because he’d never experienced Qinggong before and needed to cling closely for security, so she didn’t stop him.
With Song Qingshu’s guidance, she successfully avoided the palace patrols and finally sneaked into the empress’s bedchamber. But to their surprise, the empress wasn’t there.
Song Qingshu couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief—he loved happy endings like this.
But before he could fully enjoy it, sounds came from outside the palace. Judging by the commotion from the eunuchs and maids, it seemed the empress had returned. The yellow-robed woman quickly scanned the room, grabbed Song Qingshu again, and leapt onto a crossbeam high above. Using the shadows to hide their figures, they concealed themselves.
“We’re done flying now. Isn’t it time to let go of your hand?” Her gaze fell on Song Qingshu’s hand, still wrapped around her slender waist, her expression growing slightly hostile.
“I was just nervous and grabbed you on reflex. I hope the fairy won’t take offense.” Song Qingshu sheepishly withdrew his hand.
“Shut up—someone’s coming. Don’t say a word.” She reached out to cover his mouth and focused her attention below.
Feeling her soft little hand over his lips, Song Qingshu was intoxicated by the sensation—so tender and smooth. He thought to himself: ‘So playing dumb comes with perks like this, huh?’ Then, a mischievous impulse struck, and he stuck out his tongue to lick her palm.
The yellow-robed woman felt something hot and wet on her hand and reflexively pulled it back. Seeing the smug grin on Song Qingshu’s face, she realized what had happened and grew furious. In a low voice, she snapped, “What are you doing?”
Song Qingshu chuckled. “I couldn’t help it… sowwy, sowwy…”
Hearing his nonsense and seeing his expression, The yellow-robed woman was ready to explode. But with people entering below, she had no choice but to swallow her anger. Worried he might pull another stunt, she sealed his acupoints to keep him from moving.
Song Qingshu had already anticipated this. With a slight internal shift, he redirected his meridians to avoid being sealed, but still pretended to be immobilized and focused his gaze on the palace entrance.
A group of eunuchs and palace maids led the way as Empress Pei Man entered, her regal eyes full of authority, her elegance and noble aura undiminished.
But Song Qingshu’s eyes were drawn more to the two young palace maids behind her. He hadn’t seen them during his previous visits to the empress’s chambers, so they were likely new arrivals.
What caught his attention was how stunningly beautiful they were. Compared to the other maids, they were like heavenly beings among mortals. A faint sorrow lingered between their brows, making them look even more delicate and moving. Their soft, graceful presence was the complete opposite of the passionate, bold nature of the Jurchens. Instead, they resembled daughters raised in the tranquil towns of Jiangnan.
Suddenly, Song Qingshu felt The yellow-robed woman tremble slightly. He looked over and saw her staring fixedly at the two young maids, her face filled with a barely restrained excitement.
‘Huh? Why such a big reaction? Could they be her long-lost daughters?’ Song Qingshu thought mischievously. But he quickly dismissed the idea—no matter how early women married in this world, there was no way the age gap between them was small enough. Though The yellow-robed woman was clearly older, she didn’t look nearly old enough to be their mother.
Empress Pei Man walked straight to the phoenix couch and sat down. The two young maids timidly knelt before her. Just as the empress opened her mouth to speak, a commotion erupted outside.
“What’s going on out there?” the empress asked, frowning.
“Reporting to Your Majesty—it’s King Wei… he insists on barging in,” a eunuch stammered.
“You dog servant! I came to pay my respects to Her Majesty. What do you mean ‘barge in’?” A young man dressed in a python-patterned robe swaggered into the hall. Without another word, he kicked the eunuch square on the backside.
A flash of anger crossed Empress Pei Man’s face, but she quickly composed herself and waved her hand lightly. “Xiao Zhuo misspoke. Someone, take him out and give him twenty strokes.”
From the beam above, Song Qingshu’s thoughts stirred. It was clearly King Wei who acted rudely first, yet the empress didn’t reprimand him—instead, she punished her own servant. ‘Who exactly is this man, that even the empress fears him?’