Lory's status as a new maid with a humble background was very low in the palace. Her existence was like grass since she had no support. She had to share her room with ten other girls and they all slept on a mattress on the floor. The floor was covered with a rattan carpet to protect them from the cold and there was also a small furnace at the center to warm the room. However, the nights were still cold. Thankfully, Lory had the necklace from Zhao Li Xin that prevented her from feeling cold.
It was almost midnight and most of the girls in the room were already asleep when a white smoke appeared. The faint smoke flew around the room knocking out the girls who were still awake. The smoke didn't affect Lory because of her protective necklace. She slowly pulled out her dagger from her left arm and readied herself for anything.
?
'Psstt'
The window next to her slightly opened and Zhao Li Xin's charming face appeared through the crack. Lory sighed with relief and sheathed her dagger. She carefully opened the window without a sound and Zhao Li Xin's dazzlingly smile heated her face. He gestured for her to jump from the window Lory quickly jumped and Zhao Li Xin held her. Lory circled her hands around his neck while he held her waist to make sure she did not fall.
Lory excited face made Zhao Li Xin's heart flutter and he got excited too. He easily carried her away from the maid's courtyard. The night sky was dark without the moon and only a few stars. The grey clouds hovered through the sky covering the flickering lights from the stars. The dark night was perfect for sneaking around the quiet palace.
"Where are we going?" Lory whispered.
"The Emperor's chamber. Hold on tightly," Zhao Li Xin increase his speed. His movement was so fast that even his own shadow guards couldn't follow them. Lory tightened her hold around his neck and buried her face in his chest. She closed her eyes and placed her faith in him as moving without her control make her nervous.
"We are here," Zhao Li Xin said.
They arrived close to the Emperor's residence and slipped in when the guard patrol left. The Emperor was usually guarded by his Imperial shadow guards but Zhao Li Xin's people had taken care of them beforehand. The Emperor's residence was luxurious. The screen door was made of dark wood, the pillar was painted in red and gold, a giant painting hanged on the wall and rare vases of different shapes were in every corner. A dozen square lampions were also hanging from the ceiling. The room was indeed suited for an Emperor.
Zhao Li Xin opened the door slowly and snuck in with Lory as he didn't feel any living presence in the room. Lory was stunned by the size of the huge room as she thought Zhao Li Xin's room was big.
"Are we looking for the crystal here?" Lory asked.
Zhao Li Xin nodded, "I found the palace's original floor plan. It shows the palace has been renovated a couple of times since it was built. I compared it to the previous floor plan and the only thing that hadn't changed is the Emperor's residence."
"You think there's a secret passage underneath? Like in your palace?" Lory was stunned.
"It's just a hunch," Zhao Li Xin said as he rummaged through the drawer. "The Emperor knew about the sacred tree as he managed to find the map for the tomb. He even sent his precious son to get the tree when most people thought the sacred tree was only a myth. I would not be surprised if he knew about the ancestor crystal too."
"He does know a lot. I wonder how long he has been investigating this," Lory opened a drawer near the bookshelf and also begun to search the room.
"All his life, I think. It is why he killed his own brother and his family, isn't it…? He's afraid of the power of the royal blood," He said with indifference. He was already used to the killing within royal families but Lory felt a shiver go down her spine.
Lory found a half globe made from gold with a carving of a dragon circle on a desk. The object was quite heavy yet it only had a small word on it. She couldn't read it at first and also thought it was a simple paperweight but she wasn't so sure after a second look. "Li Xin, look at this."
Zhao Li Xin walked towards her and stared at the weird golden object in her hand.
"There are words on it. Can't you read it?" Lory pointed to the words near the dragon head's carving.
"It's an ancient language… It says 'the path to the past resides beneath the dragon's nest'…" Zhao Li Xin and Lory frowned. Did they now need to find the dragon?
They were about to discuss it further when Zhao Li Xin felt the presence of a few men heading towards them.
"Someone is coming!" He warned in a hurry.
Lory's reflex was to find a place to hide. She quickly pulled Zhao Li Xin under the Emperor's bed. Zhao Li Xin was not someone who liked to hide but he had no choice but to comply when Lory pulled him. This was the first time for him to hide under someone's else bed. If only his shadow guards knew what their Lord had decided to do?
It was stuffy and dusty under the bed. The maid seemed to be lousy at their job. Lory covered her nose and mouth to prevent herself from sneezing from the dust. Someone abruptly opened the door less than a second later.
"Is there any news from the Immortal Tower Sect?" The Emperor's worried voice asked.
"They will help you deal with the Heavenly Jade Pavilion but they will not dare go against the Hei Shen Sect…at least not now," The bowing eunuch replied with a high pitch voice.
"Who needs them to handle the Heavenly Jade Pavilion sect? The Hei Shen Sect already marked them for death. It's the Hei Shen Sect I'm afraid of," The Emperor slumped on his chair. The plan he had carefully knitted for years was ruined. Nothing was going the way he planned and what scared him the most was losing the First Princess. There's no news about her. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. His son was dead his relationship with the Heavenly Jade Pavilion Sect was ruined and his wife didn't want to talk to him anymore as she blamed him for Huang Zi Feng's death.
Huang Yi Yi had lived like a spinster for years. No one knew she was his legitimate wife, even Huang Zi Feng only recently learned that his old spinster aunt was actually his birth mother and his father was an Emperor. Huang Zi Feng as a narcissist accepted this news with delight.
Huang Yi Yi had been ridiculed and mocked by outsiders for her lack of marriage. She accepted this ridicule as she was promised would someday be the Empress dowager and her son would become the Liangzu Kingdom's Emperor. Sadly, this dream was crushed as she lost her son and the glory she was promised.
The Emperor rubbed his forehead. The situation had gone from bad to the worse and he didn't know what Huang Yi Yi would do next. The Emperor sighed. He could only handle the problems one by one.
"About the offering to the Hei Shen Sect… How is it going? I heard they also wanted to give Huang Ning Yun to Long Ming. She's not as beautiful as Huang Ni Yang but she's more delicate and frailer. I heard Long Ming fiancée is the same."
Lory, who was under the bed, was perplexed to hear this. When did she become delicate and frail? Why didn't anyone tell her this and what the heck was this about sending her boyfriend a woman? Zhao Li Xin could tell his little savior was unhappy with the news. He wanted to tell her she had nothing to worry about but it was not the right time.
"I heard Long Ming burned the offerings from the Heavenly Jade Pavilion. Hei Shen Sect said if they dare to send a woman to their Lord, Long Ming would personally burn the woman like he burned Huang Zi Feng," The eunuch revealed.
The Emperor was dumbfounded by this. Long Ming was not easy to persuade like the rumors said, "What did Long Ming ask for in the end?"
"He demanded Huang Si Yun to personally apologize to his fiancée," The eunuch said.
'Pffftt', the Emperor burst out in laughter and repeatedly hit the table repeatedly while laughing so hard. "That arrogant old spine would never do that and his sect would lose its face completely if he does it."
"The clash between the sects is inevitable. Who knows who will win…" The Emperor wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. The Emperor thought of his useless daughter and snorted, "but I hope the Heavenly Jade Pavilion would win. This Long Ming is not easy to read and also hard to control. We now have enmity between us because of my stupid daughter. I wish Long Ming had just killed her so that we can wash our hands off the matter."
Lory eyebrows furrowed. She slightly pitied Ming Ru Yi for having a cold to the core kind of father.
"What should we do, Your Majesty?" The perplexed eunuch asked.
"If the Hei Shen Sect wants to kill Ming Ru Yi, let's just kill her. It's her own fault and we won't interfere," The Emperor casually said. It was like they were talking about another person's daughter. "Find where the First Princess is and tell the Immortal Pavilion I will only give them what they want after they agree to support me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The eunuch bowed respectfully.
Another eunuch entered the room, kneeled on the floor, and cupped his fists. He said in another high-pitched voice, "Concubine Hu is waiting, Your Majesty."
"Is it that time already?" The Emperor rose from his chair and left the room.
Zhao Li Xin and Lory crawled out of the bed and patted their clothes and hair from the dust when they could no longer hear the Emperor's footsteps. Zhao Li helped Lory clean the dust on top of her head.
"It's already late…what is he doing meeting his concubine at this hour," Lory shook her long hair, and dust left flew away.
"Spreading the dragon seeds," Zhao Li Xin responded with indifference.
Lory was suddenly nauseous, "Eeew…"
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