“Your Majesty, let us proceed to dine first. The Emperor sent Eunuch Xiao Wanzi to convey that you are to await him in the Weiyang Palace after his morning court, and then they will depart together for the Yan Prince’s manor.”
Mingyue reported respectfully. The young maidservant’s face also showed happiness, as she and Hongxiu, as their mistress’s personal maids, would naturally accompany her to the Yan Prince’s manor.
“Mm, the Emperor is also going.”
Liu Liu raised an eyebrow. Hadn’t the Empress Dowager said the Emperor shouldn’t go?
Why was the Emperor still going? But thinking about it, how could someone as dominant as the Emperor hide behind others? If Feng Luo hadn’t been present today, perhaps he wouldn’t have cared. But with Feng Luo’s presence, he had to face it head-on.
“Let’s go have breakfast.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mingyue led the way, while Hongxiu offered her arm to support her mistress. The three of them proceeded to have breakfast. Upon exiting the sleeping quarters, they followed the long corridor to the adjacent rooms. From afar, they could hear Mu Xing’s laughter: “Cui’er, are we going to Brother Xin Hun’s residence today?”
“Yes.” Cui’er’s happy voice responded. She was also happy for Prince Yan and Princess Jielan. She knew her mistress’s deepest wish was for Prince Yan to find a good home.
“Then has Mother Empress woken up? Let’s finish breakfast quickly and go.”
Mu Xing became impatient and waved to Cui’er to check if his mother empress had woken up. This was when Liu Liu appropriately appeared. Upon seeing Liu Liu, Mu Xing jumped up with joy. “Mother Empress, hurry over! We’ll go to the Yan Prince’s manor after breakfast.”
“Alright.” Liu Liu nodded. It seemed Mu Xing was bored in the palace and eager to go out.
Mother and son had breakfast and chatted for a while before returning to the main hall of Weiyang Palace to await the Emperor’s imperial carriage. During this interlude, Liu Liu summoned Riying. “Riying, send two subordinates to the Nangong residence to see if anyone is still there.”
Riying cupped his fists and bowed, accepting the command. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He straightened up and started to leave, but then stopped, recalling a question. He turned back and spoke softly, “Your Majesty, is it the former Imperial Physician Nangong?”
“Yes, go and see.” Liu Liu nodded. She was too worried about Nangong Yue. Had something happened to him? She hoped he had just been acting strange last night and that nothing was wrong.
“Your subordinate obeys.” Riying nodded and walked out. Ever since the Emperor assigned him to follow Your Majesty, he had considered Your Majesty his own master and served with utmost diligence.
The imperial carriage arrived quickly. The Emperor, seated inside, lifted the curtain and gazed at Liu Liu with a gentle smile. The sunlight scattered from the sky, casting a warm glow like gold upon his handsome and noble face, making him radiant. He reached out his hand and spoke softly, “Come, Liu’er, come up.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Liu Liu nodded and placed her hand into the Emperor’s. Feng Xie gently pulled, and her body lightly flew up, landing steadily on the carriage. Mu Xing, following closely behind Liu Liu, cried out with envy upon seeing his mother’s movement.
“Father Emperor, I want to too! Father Emperor!”
Hearing his son’s cry, Feng Xie released Liu Liu’s hand and prepared to pull the little Mu Xing onto the carriage. Just then, a loving call sounded from another carriage behind them: “Mu Xing, come, come to your Imperial Grandmother.”
It turned out the Empress Dowager was in the carriage behind. Upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s voice, Mu Xing had already dashed behind. The great eunuch Qing An lifted him into the carriage, and he shared a carriage with the Empress Dowager. The palace maids who followed them sat in the last carriage, while the guards followed on horseback.
The sky was clear and cloudless today, a propitious day.
On both sides of the street, black canopies were erected as far as the eye could see. When the wind blew, they formed vast black waves, rolling and surging. Several luxurious imperial carriages were heading towards the Yan Prince’s manor. From afar, the sounds of silk and bamboo music could be heard incessantly.
Naturally, the wedding of the Emperor’s own brother, the Yan Prince, was not to be taken lightly.
“Your Majesty, knowing there is danger, why do you still leave the palace?”
Feng Xie’s narrow phoenix eyes flicked upwards, his dark, deep pupils as profound as a bottomless pool. A cold smile curled the corner of his lips. “He is coming for me. Don’t I have a responsibility to protect my people?”
Liu Liu said nothing. Since they were already here, she believed that so many people would not be able to deal with just one Feng Luo. Feng Luo’s terrifying aspect was not his unfathomable depth,
but rather his insidious, cruel, and ruthless nature. He could regard human lives as mere grass, but they could not. This was why they were often at a disadvantage.
“Your Majesty must be careful. Feng Luo must be hiding somewhere.”
“Mm, I know. Liu’er, there’s no need to worry. I will be fine.”
Feng Xie’s large hand tightly grasped Liu Liu’s small hand. His hand was unexpectedly no longer so cold; his palm contained a trace of warmth that spread to her hand.
The two looked at each other and smiled. The more dangerous the situation, the firmer their resolve became, generating a sense of sharing hardships together.
The imperial carriage continued forward, and they were soon about to reach the Yan Prince’s manor. Liu Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Feng Luo had not chosen to kill them here. However, just as her heart relaxed, she felt a killing intent wafting through the surroundings, a cold aura blowing against her face, carrying a heavy sense of death.
A chill spread across Liu Liu’s body, and her delicate face turned solemn. She looked towards the Emperor beside her.
“They have indeed come, and there are quite a few of them.”
“Mm.”
Feng Xie nodded and was the first to flash out of the carriage, standing proudly on its roof. He surveyed the black-clothed figures surrounding the carriage with a contemptuous gaze.
These people, apart from their eyes, were covered from head to toe, impenetrable. Liu Liu lifted the curtain to look up and clearly saw that on the black robes of these people, a vibrant, eye-catching crimson eagle was embroidered.
The eagle’s eyes were inlaid with gems, flashing like living things under the sun, ready to soar into the sky at any moment.
These people were clearly not assassins from the Azure Wolf Pavilion; they were a different group altogether. The cold air emanating from them was like icicles in winter. Anyone who approached them would undoubtedly be instantly frozen into blocks of ice.
“How dare you! Who are you? Show yourselves, Feng Luo!”
Upon hearing Feng Xie’s words, the leader’s pupils emitted a blood-red hue. He let out two sinister dry laughs. The laughter carried a sinister quality that made one’s skin crawl.
However, this person was not Feng Luo, because Feng Luo was short in stature, while the black-clothed man before them was tall and upright.
“Who is Feng Luo? Today, you shall pay with your lives!” xxs壹贰
As soon as the leader finished speaking, the people behind him gracefully moved, attacking from all directions.
Liu Liu’s delicate brows furrowed. What were they waiting for? Moreover, these people were clearly another group. However, she truly could not predict who they were. She couldn’t let them harm anyone now.
The lives of the Empress Dowager and Mu Xing were of utmost importance. Her form turned into a sharp sword, and she smoothly flashed out, landing in front of the carriage.
However, before Liu Liu could make a move, following the Emperor’s angry roar, “Come, capture these people!”
Shouts instantly echoed through the street. All the black curtains were torn down, revealing a large number of guards and cavalrymen hidden beneath them.
It turned out that the preceding black waves were formed by people hidden below. However, Liu Liu had not sensed the presence of these people. This showed that Feng Xie had put in a great deal of effort.
No wonder the sounds of silk and bamboo from the Yan Prince’s manor were so distant, and the sound of the carriage wheels was heavier than usual.
It seemed that all of this was to conceal these people’s aura, to lull those hiding in the dark. But they never dreamed that what appeared was not Feng Luo, but another group.
Liu Liu’s gaze swept over them, and she saw thirteen people. Her eyes suddenly fell upon the eagles on their chests, and her expression darkened. She spoke coldly.
“So it’s the Iron Blood Thirteen Eagles. I never thought the Iron Blood Thirteen Eagles from the great desert would be mobilized. Who has such great influence to invite even outsiders like you?”