Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Audience with the Empress
Chapter 38: Audience with the Empress
Looking puzzled, Qin Luo cast a questioning glance at Nangong Muyun, only to see her simply smile and say, "Is my child afraid?"
Hearing this, Qin Luo felt much more relaxed and said, "What’s there to be afraid of? I’ve heard that this Empress is quite beautiful. She’s in the mortal world yet ranks eighth on the Heavenly Beauty Ranking. I want to see just how beautiful she is."
"Ninth," Nangong Muyun reminded him.
Night fell in Qin Luo’s bedroom.
"This..." Qin Luo asked somewhat embarrassedly, looking at Lin Shuying in front of him. "What should I be aware of when meeting the emperor?"
Lin Shuying looked at Qin Luo, who seemed a little nervous, and covered her mouth with a light smile, saying, "The current emperor is the most enlightened monarch in history, having abolished many formalities and etiquette. The way the messenger treated me today is the same way you treat the emperor."
Recalling the soldier bowing in salute, Qin Luo nodded thoughtfully.
For Lin Shuying, although Empress Jiang Qingyu was the current emperor, perhaps because the Ning family of the previous dynasty was wiped out, Jiang Qingyu felt guilty towards her, and Lin Shuying always felt that she was like an elder in her family.
"It must be because of Su Yang’s lecherous affair," Lin Shuying said. Her feelings had been very complicated these past few days, and she was afraid that once Gu Hanyan arrived, she would no longer be able to stay by Qin Luo’s side.
"Oh?" Qin Luo thought so too, but he still frowned and said, "Is this a big deal?"
Lin Shuying didn’t speak, but a hint of resentment flashed in her beautiful eyes, and Qin Luo instantly understood.
"It’s quite something." Qin Luo smiled to hide his embarrassment and said, "This Empress is the only one in the mortal world who possesses cultivation. It seems she has also realized that this matter is unusual."
However, since this matter involves Qin Zheng, Qin Luo decided that even if the Empress asked, there were some things he couldn’t tell her completely.
Unfortunately, Qin Luo is still unaware that Jiang Qingyu was secretly assisting Nangong Muyun in her schemes in the lower realm.
The candlelight on the table was dim, and the atmosphere between the two gradually became romantic. Just as Qin Luo was about to embrace Lin Shuying, he suddenly heard a series of embarrassing sounds coming from Da Niu’s room next door.
After a series of dull thuds of flesh colliding, Nangong Muyun’s lewd voice suddenly rang out, and the scene from last night seemed to reappear before her eyes. Lin Shuying blushed and quickly sat up straight.
Qin Luo naturally noticed her unconsciously clenching her legs under the table. Recalling the scene, Qin Luo thought to himself, Why not take this opportunity to explain the special nature of the Overlord’s Manual?
Leaning forward slowly, Qin Luo whispered, "Shuying, what do you think of Da Niu?"
Lin Shuying’s delicate body trembled. Thinking of the fiery aura emanating from Da Niu, her honeyed orifice became even wetter.
"Hmm?" Lin Shuying shifted her body back slightly, lowering her eyes to avoid Qin Luo’s gaze.
"Do you know that Da Niu and my mother are..." Qin Luo persisted, moving closer again.
"Were you tempted at the silk shop yesterday?"
"What?" A hint of panic flashed across Lin Shuying’s pretty face.
"It’s nothing. I just wanted to tell you that it’s a normal reaction," Qin Luo said earnestly.
"Huh?" Lin Shuying was somewhat incredulous. She had always thought that it was her several sexual encounters with Bai Feizhang that had made her more and more lewd.
"My junior brother... um..." Qin Luo carefully chose his words, "...the cultivation method he practices is somewhat special."
"Simply put, the higher one’s cultivation level, the more one can arouse a woman’s desire."
"That’s why I said it was a normal reaction, and you don’t need to blame yourself."
Qin Luo tried to explain the special nature of the Overlord’s Manual as simply as possible. Lin Shuying seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said softly, "They were just afraid you would look down on them..."
He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on Lin Shuying’s hair, and said, "You saw my mother outside the window. Do you think I would look down on her?"
"You!" Lin Shuying instantly broke free from Qin Luo’s embrace, both embarrassed and anxious, and said, "How did you know?"
Qin Luo smiled slightly and said, "You’ll understand when you reach the third level."
Lin Shuying’s face flushed even more. Thinking of how Qin Luo had discovered her peeping at Nangong Muyun last night, she felt her face burning and wanted to disappear into the ground.
"Da Niu is already at the sixth level. Maybe he can help you break through to the next level," Qin Luo said with a smile.
Lin Shuying just wanted to get back to her room as soon as possible, but she stopped in front of the door and said, "You should also get some rest. We need to go to the jail to get Bai Feizhang tomorrow."
Qin Luo had intended to tease her a few more times, but remembering that he would be meeting the emperor tomorrow, he could only nod and say, "Don’t worry."
Passing by Da Niu’s door and listening to the sounds of flesh colliding coming from inside the room, Lin Shuying bit her tongue to force herself to calm down and went straight back to her bedroom.
Only when the fighting next door gradually subsided did Qin Luo, who was meditating on the bed, finally lie down. That day, seeing Zhao Qingshi, whose face was covered in blood, die in front of him, Qin Luo suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders seemed to have become even heavier.
The next morning.
There was already a bit of mist in the early autumn air. When Qin Luo arrived in the courtyard, he found that Lin Shuying had been waiting for him for a long time.
"The clothes are ready. Try them on to see if they fit." Lin Shuying, like a virtuous wife, followed Qin Luo back to the bedroom and gently helped him put on his new clothes.
These custom-made clothes were made of the finest silks. When Qin Luo put on this sky-blue robe, he surprisingly exuded the air of a scion of a noble family.
Lin Shuying’s eyes lit up, and she carefully straightened his collar.
"Well, the money wasn’t wasted," Qin Luo said, praising himself as he looked at the boy in the mirror.
Stepping out of the room again, Qin Luo saw Da Niu, who was also dressed in new clothes. Da Niu was leaning against the doorpost in a somewhat lewd manner and whispered to Qin Luo, "Senior Brother, tell me what the emperor looks like now that you’re back."
Qin Luo smiled and patted his shoulder. He and Lin Shuying pushed open the courtyard gate and were surprised to find a carriage and two rows of soldiers already parked in the alley.
The carriage was carved with a golden dragon pattern, and Qin Luo immediately understood that it was a person sent by the palace to pick him up.
Looking at the soldiers who almost filled the entire alley, Qin Luo couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement: As expected of the Empress, even receiving someone is so grand.
Lin Shuying, dressed in official robes, seemed used to it. She pulled Qin Luo onto the carriage and said to the leading soldier, "Let’s go to the Siming Pavilion prison first."
The soldiers received the order, and the two first went to fetch Bai Feizhang. Without lingering, the group went straight into the palace.
"It feels like this kid is about to die again." Qin Luo said with some worry, looking at Bai Feizhang’s listless face.
The lecherous thief was being held between two soldiers, his face filled with terror. Not understanding what was happening, he thought he was being taken away to be questioned.
"Perhaps it’s because prison is a place where you can’t see the light of day," Lin Shuying said. She could hardly believe that this cowardly man could pin her down and play with her at will.
Upon reaching the inner palace gate, after following Lin Shuying to the carriage, Qin Luo finally experienced the solemnity and grandeur of the palace for the first time.
Before him stretched a flat plaza that seemed to stretch to the horizon, beneath his feet a wide stone-paved road that could accommodate eight carriages at the same time, and in front of him flowed the Golden River that ran through the deep palace. Four unique long bridges stood side by side. Qin Luo gasped, thinking to himself that even the Hun Tian Sect, which was currently at its peak in the lower realm, paled in comparison to this imperial palace.
Qin Luo looked at Lin Shuying, who had a natural expression, and tried his best not to show his country bumpkin side. He walked with her into the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a slightly wooden manner.
Upon reaching this point, Lin Shuying took the sword from her waist and handed it to the bowing eunuch beside her. Qin Luo followed suit and was about to take the withered branch from his waist when he saw a maid-like girl quietly walk forward from the hall and say, "His Majesty has granted permission that Young Master Qin may wear a sword when he meets the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Qin Luo and Lin Shuying exchanged bewildered glances.
However, the two did not ask too many questions. The palace maid smiled slightly at Lin Shuying, and looking at Qin Luo who looked puzzled, Lin Shuying whispered, "This is His Majesty’s personal maid, named Qinglian."
"Oh, greetings, Lady Qinglian." Qin Luo quickly bowed his head in greeting.
The two burst into laughter at Qin Luo’s earnest bow, while Qin Luo stared blankly at the ornately decorated hall.
"This is where we usually hold court," Lin Shuying explained in a low voice.
Nodding as if he understood, Qin Luo followed Qinglian into the hall, where he finally saw the face of the reigning empress.
Wearing a nine-phoenix golden crown and a black and gold python robe, this was the first time Qin Luo had ever seen a woman with such a domineering aura. As for her appearance, Qin Luo couldn’t think of the right words to describe it for a moment, and only two words came to mind: noble.
Yes, she is a woman whose appearance alone exudes an air of unparalleled nobility.
No wonder she could rank ninth on the Heavenly Beauty Ranking despite being in the mortal world, Qin Luo thought to himself. It seems that the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion’s rankings are not arbitrary.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Lin Shuying bowed, and Qin Luo quickly regained his composure.
Jiang Qingyu, seated on the throne, slightly raised her hand and softly said, "Let’s skip these formalities."
Although she was speaking to Lin Shuying, Jiang Qingyu’s phoenix eyes were fixed on the withered branch at Qin Luo’s waist. After a long while, Jiang Qingyu finally came to her senses and looked at Qin Luo’s face, murmuring, "So alike, so very alike..."
The voice was so soft that the two people below the stage couldn’t hear it clearly. Lin Shuying just felt that the Empress was acting a little strange today.
"I heard that Fairy Lin has solved another strange case." Jiang Qingyu seemed to have finally remembered the important matter.
"Thanks to Young Master Qin’s help," Lin Shuying said, bowing her head, her eyes filled with undisguised joy.
"Oh? Judging from Young Master Qin’s appearance, he seems to be a cultivator from the lower realms. It seems his cultivation level is quite high." Jiang Qingyu asked knowingly.
"Your Majesty," Qin Luo said, and that extremely similar voice pulled Jiang Qingyu back into her memories.
"This matter is extremely complex and has connections to sects in the lower realms, which is why I took action."
Qin Luo’s words served two purposes: first, to clarify his identity, and second, to subtly inform Jiang Qingyu that this was a matter of the lower realm and had nothing to do with the mortal world.
"I understand, of course." Jiang Qingyu nodded and said, "The reason I summoned Young Master Qin here today is that I have an important matter to entrust to you."
Qin Luo frowned. He had already vaguely guessed what was going on. It seemed that the important matter the empress was talking about was also related to the lower realm.
But now that Nangong Muyun has gone down the mountain, Qin Luo only wants to accompany his mother to investigate the cause of his father’s death, so he immediately wanted to make an excuse.
"However, since Young Master Qin is a cultivator from the lower realm, he must be very busy, so you can refuse," Jiang Qingyu said calmly, her slightly cold voice echoing in the spacious hall.
"May I ask Your Majesty, what exactly is it...?" Qin Luo was about to ask when he saw Jiang Qingyu stand up and wave at him.
"Someone will relay the message." Jiang Qingyu turned and left the main hall, leaving the two bewildered individuals behind.
"This is..." Qin Luo scratched his head and said, "Did that lecherous scoundrel’s mention go unanswered?"
Lin Shuying also frowned, but as if she had thought of something, she looked at Qin Luo and said, "A promise is a promise. Let’s go back to Tianjiu Alley first."
The two left the main hall, seemingly unaware that the historian inside was writing furiously.
It was the end of year in the seventeenth year of the Tianzheng era.
A young man from the Qin family, sword in hand, met the Empress and was ordered to quell the great chaos in Hedong.
