Chapter 1432: Chapter 1431: Hidden Depths
The night falls, stars sparse.
Chu Qianli hurriedly arrived at Lingjiu Hall under the moonlight.
At present, the guards outside Lingjiu Hall are extremely strict.
But in the inner circle near Lingjiu Hall, there are hardly any guards.
This is the most sacred place in the entire Imperial Palace, or even the entire Nanming Country, and ordinary people dare not approach it.
Chu Qianli walked into Lingjiu Hall.
The design of Lingjiu Hall is different from that of typical palace courtyards.
There is no front courtyard; entering leads directly to a large hall.
Looking up, a gigantic statue stands in view, seemingly soaring into the sky, solemn and sacred.
However, tonight, in front of the statue, there was not a soul, and the entire hall was empty, making this already lifeless place seem even colder and more indifferent.
Chu Qianli walked through the hall and onto a small path behind the statue.
Passing through this path and continuing inward leads to a serene and elegant courtyard.
Lan Qing usually resides in this courtyard.
But now, the courtyard has only two attendants sweeping fallen leaves, and until now, Lan Qing still hasn’t awakened.
"Princess!" The two came forward to salute.
Chu Qianli nodded and proceeded to walk towards the back of the courtyard.
Beyond this courtyard is a larger yard.
The small courtyard is nested within the larger one, though not as broad as the Imperial Garden, it covers a considerable area.
Notably, the rockery is tall, and the trees tower skywards, resembling an outdoor forest.
The ice pool is situated at the deepest part of the courtyard.
This place doesn’t need guards for protection, as they cannot even approach.
The power of the ice pool is too overwhelming, even the siblings Fu Ning and Fu Long, who guard day and night, can only watch from a distance at the entrance to the ice pool.
"Ali! You really have returned!"
Seeing Chu Qianli, a gleam immediately appeared in Fu Long’s eyes.
He heard the princess had returned, but Fu Long had no free moment to leave his post guarding Lan Qing to greet her.
Chu Qianli nodded again, and as she approached the entrance, the aura in her chest began to stir gradually.
"Ali, your complexion has changed!" Fu Long quickly noticed this and immediately stopped her: "Don’t come any closer!"
"It’s fine, I can handle it." At any rate, she had to see how Lan Qing was by her own eyes.
With difficulty, she reached the entrance.
Looking up, Fu Ning was still guarding the other side of the ice pool, along with Fu Long, both protecting Lan Qing from the front and back.
And Lan Qing...
"How come he’s sitting inside? You guys..." Chu Qianli looked at Fu Long with surprise, "Can you approach the ice pool?"
How could it be? This ice pool is tough for even Feng Yexuan to touch from any proximity!
Could it be... "Has he awakened already?"
"No." Fu Long’s words made the delight in Chu Qianli’s eyes vanish instantly.
Fu Long could only explain: "Today Princess Ling came; it was permitted by the Emperor. Princess Ling can not only approach the ice pool but also touch the pool’s water."
"Did Princess Ling help him to sit inside?" In saying this, Chu Qianli understood.
She just didn’t expect Princess Ling’s abilities to be even more formidable than she imagined.
Truly, a hidden gem of a woman.
Fu Long nodded: "Princess Ling said that the ice pool is harmful to ordinary people, but it’s entirely beneficial to the National Advisor, allowing the National Advisor to sit inside, doing twice the work for half the effort."
Chu Qianli naturally didn’t understand this logic; if she did, she would have found a way to let Lan Qing sit inside the ice pool from the start.
"He... has never awakened?" Seeing Fu Long shake his head, Chu Qianli felt somewhat disappointed.
However, unexpectedly, as she raised her eyes to look at Lan Qing again, she noticed that Lan Qing’s complexion had visibly changed...
