Sheng Xuanyin's face showed anxiety as he saw his mother's suffering, as if he were about to ask Zhao Yong to stop at any moment. But he managed to control his emotions.
Soon, the light vanished.
The Empress's screams gradually faded, and a fox's head clearly appeared in the mirror—a white fox.
Upon seeing this, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo exchanged a glance.
This white fox seemed somewhat familiar.
"A fox!" One of the palace maids, perhaps out of fear, stammered.
The Empress before them was clearly possessed by a fox.
Zhao Yong was also startled. According to the ancestral ancient texts, foxes were highly spiritual. The fox clan was divided into several types; ordinary fox demons could not possess people. They had to cultivate for many years to achieve human form. If they absorbed vital energy, it could rapidly increase their cultivation.
This one, however, could possess the Empress without being detected.
There was only one possibility: a great demon.
The Empress was now gaunt, yet her vital energy remained. It seemed this fox demon was not after the Empress's vital energy.
Naturally, it had other purposes.
The three of them understood. Zhao Yong's brow was tightly furrowed. Not many of the ancestral artifacts had made it to his possession. As for these two in front of him, he had tested them for a long time, and perhaps they were truly capable individuals.
This great demon would be difficult to eliminate!
Although Sheng Xuanyin was also frightened, he remained composed in comparison.
The Crown Prince now stood in the hall. The palace maids who had been in a panic earlier had also calmed down, no longer daring to shout or cry out. They stood in their places, watching, though their hearts had not yet settled.
Who would have thought that the Empress they had served these past days was actually a fox demon?
Silence suddenly fell upon the room. The Crown Prince Sheng Xuanyin spoke, "Do you have a way to break this? If you can drive this fox demon out of my mother's body, anything you desire, this Crown Prince will grant!"
Zhao Yong did not answer immediately. After glancing at the two beside him, he replied, "Your Highness, this is a great demon. We have not yet fathomed its weakness. Please grant us a few days. The three of us will do our utmost to find a method to eliminate it, how about that?"
The "three" Zhao Yong mentioned naturally referred to Xie Yun, the other person, and himself.
Sheng Xuanyin did not take the other two into consideration at all, seeing them merely as Zhao Yong's assistants. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright! Three days. If after three days, you still cannot save my mother, then the fate of those people will be your fate..."
Zhao Yong naturally knew the fate of those few people earlier; they had likely been imprisoned and were awaiting execution in the autumn.
"This is my father's imperial decree. I cannot save you either," Sheng Xuanyin emphasized.
Zhao Yong immediately agreed, and Sheng Xuanyin finally left with peace of mind.
"Three sirs, please follow this old servant!"
The old eunuch had a smile on his face, his demeanor completely changed from before.
*
"Jiujiu? Are you there?"
The Fifth Prince Sheng Huai'an had very few people serving him. The head palace maid had mysteriously disappeared for some unknown reason, so Qin Jiujiu was now the only head palace maid in the Fifth Prince's palace.
Lin Shuxue was still a fourth-rank palace maid and naturally could not have a room to herself. However, Qin Jiujiu's status was different, and she resided in a different courtyard.
Lin Shuxue had just finished tidying her bed and hurriedly went to the courtyard where Qin Jiujiu lived.
The room was brightly lit, yet no sound could be heard.
Lin Shuxue knocked again. She dared to knock so presumptuously because Qin Jiujiu lived alone in a separate courtyard.
There were actually four rooms in this courtyard, which only first-rank palace maids were allowed to inhabit. Therefore, only Jiujiu lived in this courtyard.
Still, there was no sound from within. Hesitating, Lin Shuxue left the courtyard.
She would find Jiujiu tomorrow.
"Xie Jing!" As Lin Shuxue left, the brightly lit room suddenly had its candles extinguished.
Qin Jiujiu was instantly plunged into darkness. She was held tightly in Xie Jing's embrace. This person was now acting strangely—the two of them were lying on the bed, and Xie Jing had pulled her completely into his arms. She could no longer move and could only struggle desperately.
However, the difference in strength was too great. Soon, Qin Jiujiu was exhausted and could only grit her teeth and call his name.
"What did you call me?" Xie Jing asked in a deep voice.
His face was pressed against her neck, his scorching breath spraying onto her skin, causing a ticklish sensation.
Feeling his unrestrained hands wandering over her body, Qin Jiujiu helplessly compromised, "Ah... Ah Jing!"
Due to shyness, her voice was a little loud, carrying a sense of impending doom.
The person did not stop his actions.
Qin Jiujiu's heart felt as if it were suddenly placed on fire and then plunged into an ice cellar. Amidst the alternating heat and cold, she heard the perpetrator say in her ear, "Do you still remember what you used to call me?"
Qin Jiujiu had no intention of thinking about it, but Xie Jing was not in a hurry. He said slowly, "Little Jiujiu used to call me—Brother Yanxing..."
Qin Jiujiu's heart suddenly jumped. She then heard him continue, "Good Jiujiu, call me once, let me hear it..." His voice was captivating.
"Brother Yanxing..."
"?!"
System: "Is this something I'm supposed to hear?"
Soon, the system consciously blocked all its senses. These two had become increasingly intimate lately, and it was the system that suffered, always being so oblivious to others, making things awkward.
Qin Jiujiu wanted to move to stop Xie Jing's mischievous hands.
But all her struggles only invited greater torment.
Finally, she was utterly defeated...
Fortunately, only she lived in this courtyard. Otherwise, the sounds she couldn't hold back last night might have caused trouble.
The moment Qin Jiujiu opened her eyes, she saw the face of the perpetrator sleeping innocently.
His arm was still around her waist, and beneath the covers, both were naked. If someone were to barge in now...
"Miss Jiujiu? The Fifth Prince is looking for you!"
It was the voice of a young palace maid.
Qin Jiujiu was startled and sat up from the bed in a hurry.
Fortunately, she had locked the door last night. Otherwise, if they were discovered now, she and Xie Jing would likely be beheaded as a guard and a palace maid having an affair in the palace.
"Mmm..." Xie Jing slowly woke up, feeling the person beside him leave. He let out a dissatisfied moan, but Qin Jiujiu quickly covered his mouth.
That voice was stifled in Qin Jiujiu's palm.