The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Below the white marble steps outside the Hall of Longevity, the accumulated snow has been cleared to create a narrow passage.

Two palace maids were directing several eunuchs to carefully lift batches of items wrapped in brocade onto small, green-canopied carts.

The objects were of various shapes, yet they shimmered with a jewel-like luster under the sunlight, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary items.

This commotion, though small in scale, quickly reached the ears of Shen Cuo, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, because it involved the Hall of Longevity.

"What did you say?"

Shen Cuo put down the military report in his hand, his sharp brows furrowing slightly.

"Are the people of the Hall of Longevity selling off the treasures displayed inside?"

The deputy general who came to report bowed his head and said:

"It was Miss Weiyu who personally handled it. Three carts have already left the west palace gate, carrying Princess Jing's private orders."

Shen Cuo rubbed his temples, feeling a throbbing sensation in his forehead.

His future sister-in-law is truly a woman who, when she speaks, is astounding.

Yesterday they forcibly broke into the execution platform, and today they're already selling off the items in the bedroom. This kind of behavior is simply reckless and arbitrary.

He stood up abruptly, his black and silver-patterned commander's uniform tracing a clean arc in the air.

"I will go and see for myself."

In the courtyard in front of the Hall of Longevity, a light rain was falling as someone stood under the eaves.

She was dressed in a misty, rain-colored palace gown, her hair meticulously styled, adorned only with a single pearl hairpin.

He possessed a calm and capable demeanor, and at this moment he was looking down at the book in his hand, seemingly indifferent to the scene of people moving around him.

"Miss Wei Yu".

Shen Cuo's voice came from in front of the moon gate, carrying the imposing aura of someone who had long held a high position.

He walked slowly over, his gaze sweeping over the boxes of items ready for shipment, before finally settling on Wei Yu's calm face.

"Are you planning to take advantage of Commander Chao Han's recovery to...empty and sell off your Highness's Palace of Longevity?"

Upon hearing the voice, Wei Yu looked up and saw that it was Shen Cuo. She calmly curtsied, her posture respectful, but her eyes showed no fear whatsoever.

"Commander Shen, are you well?"

Her voice was clear and melodious, neither hurried nor slow.

"His Highness has decreed that many of the old items in the palace have become tiresome over time and need to be replaced with some newer styles."

"This is an internal matter of the Hall of Longevity, and we servants are simply following orders. Surely the Grand Commander wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters?"

Shen Cuo almost laughed in anger.

Little things?

If it is a small matter to so openly transport imperial treasures and palace tributes out of the palace and sell them, then what is a big matter?

"Your Highness really does act on a whim."

He suppressed the helplessness he felt for his brother Shen Xiansheng, and his tone became heavy.

"All items in the palace are recorded. Has this disposal been reported to the Imperial Household Department? Is there a written edict from His Majesty?"

Wei Yu remained calm, only taking out a small jade token from her sleeve and holding it in her palm.

The jade token was translucent and lustrous, with a flamboyant "snow" character engraved in the center and surrounded by dragon patterns.

It was Tang Xixue's personal keepsake, and its authority, in some respects, was even more direct than that of palace rules.

"Your Highness, you will take responsibility for this matter."

Her tone was calm, yet she remained unyielding:

"If the Grand Commander finds this inappropriate, he may take this order and inquire with His Highness in person after His Highness has finished his studies."

Shen Cuo stared at the jade token, speechless for a moment.

He certainly wouldn't bother Princess Mirror about this matter, and he knew that even if he did, he would most likely be making a fool of himself.

Just as the atmosphere became tense, a deep, cold voice came from the side pillar:

"The matter of the Hall of Longevity is none of Lord Shen's concern."

As soon as he finished speaking, a person slowly walked out.

The courtyard was filled with white snow and red plum blossoms. The newcomer was dressed in a dark blue outfit, with broad shoulders and long legs, and a tall and straight figure like a lone pine tree standing on a mountain.

It was Chao Han, the commander of the guards of the Hall of Longevity who should have been recuperating from his injuries.

His face was still somewhat pale from blood loss, but his back was straight and his steps were steady.

His slender fingers rested casually on the hilt of the silver-sheathed longsword at his waist, his knuckles clearly defined.

Her long, dark gray hair cascaded down like raven feathers, each strand distinct, gleaming with a cool sheen in the thin winter sunlight.

"Zhao Han, you're still alive?"

Shen Cuo raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of smug gloating.

"He won't die."

Chao Han's face was the kind of handsome with a sharp edge, a high nose bridge, and thin, tightly pursed lips.

The corners of his eyes are slightly upturned, and his pupils are an extremely deep black, like a bottomless, icy pool.

At this moment, he calmly looked at Shen Cuo with those eyes. Although he was just recovering from serious injuries, the explosive power and dangerous aura that had been tempered by countless blood and fire and was hidden beneath the smooth lines of his clothes still permeated the air silently.

"I have already made other arrangements for the transportation."

"Commander Shen's duties are simply to patrol the palace. As for the internal affairs of the Hall of Longevity, Your Highness and I will handle them."

Shen Cuo's gaze lingered for a moment on Chao Han's seemingly calm yet subtly sharp face, then swept over the jade token in Wei Yu's hand, finally turning into a soft hum that revealed no emotion.

He turned away with a flick of his sleeve, leaving behind only one sentence:

"Take care of yourself."

The figure in black quickly disappeared at the end of the palace road.

Wei Yu let out a soft sigh of relief, looked at Chao Han, and said with disapproval in her eyes, "Chao Han, His Highness told you to take good care of yourself..."

"It's alright."

Chao Han interrupted her, his gaze sweeping over the boxes of items.

"His Highness's matter is of utmost importance. I will personally oversee it from now on."

"Have all the buyers outside the palace been contacted?"

His voice was deep, and the slight hoarseness from lingering cold added to its rugged quality.

"Contact with the Seventh Pavilion has been completed."

"Within the Nine Provinces, no one can rival them in terms of reputation and financial resources. The manager they sent inspected several items and quoted a price that was quite fair."

Wei Yu handed over a contract bearing the special seal of the Seven Generations Pavilion.

"Seven Generations Pavilion..."

"That was a prudent choice."

Chao Han glanced at it and nodded.

"In that case, I will arrange the escort. The goods leaving the Palace of Longevity must not be damaged in the slightest on the way."

"Thank you for your trouble, Commander." Wei Yu curtsied.

Meanwhile, deep within Lintai, in the secluded courtyard where the medicine shop is located.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse bamboo shadows and fell on the rattan chair covered with a thick velvet blanket.

The Divine Physician Si Xingxuan was half-closing his eyes, with a thin blanket draped over him. One hand was casually resting on the armrest, while the other held an ancient medical book with its curled edges worn and frayed.

The scent of herbs mingled with the crisp winter air, and the only sound was the occasional soft rustling of pages turning, creating a tranquil atmosphere as if time had stood still.

Suddenly, the tranquility was broken by the sound of unhurried footsteps.

Si Xingxuan didn't open her eyes until the footsteps stopped under the eaves, and a clear, melodious female voice came through the bamboo curtain:

"I am well, Physician Zheyue. This servant, Qingdai, has come to deliver a message on the orders of Princess Jing."

Si Xingxuan lazily opened a slit in his eye and glimpsed a dignified figure dressed in a light blue palace gown through the gap in the bamboo curtain.

"Speak." His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he had just woken up, and he didn't seem to care much.

The next moment, what Qingdai said jolted the person in the rattan chair awake:

"His Highness says she is willing to give up all the treasured medical classics and ancient books in her study. She asked the divine physician if he would be interested in acquiring them?"

The medical book in Si Xingxuan's hand slipped and fell onto the blanket between her knees.

He sat up abruptly, not caring that the thin blanket had slipped halfway down, and the languid indifference in his narrow phoenix eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.

"Tang Xixue, has she gone mad?!"

The sound that escaped his lips was exceptionally clear in front of the silent medicine hut.

Qingdai stood outside the curtain, still respectful and polite:

"These are all rare and precious books, hard to find in this world. His Highness has instructed that if the Divine Physician is not interested, they should all be handed over to the Seven Generations Pavilion for auction. What is the Divine Physician's opinion?"

"I'll take them all."

Almost the instant Qingdai finished speaking, Si Xingxuan's voice rang out decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

He stood up, walked a few steps to the bamboo curtain, and stared at the blue-green hues outside through the sparse shadows.

Qingdai nodded slightly: "The divine doctor is straightforward. It's just that the price..."

"At twice the market price of a rare copy."

Si Xingxuan quickly replied, his eyes burning with the unquestionable eagerness of a medical fanatic facing a peerless classic.

Outside the curtain, Qingdai seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking softly:

"Twice as much? If they were sent to the Seven Generations Pavilion for public auction, given the rarity of those books, perhaps..."

"Is your prince so poor he's gone mad?!"

Si Xingxuan impatiently interrupted her, his brows furrowed, his tone urgent and sharp:

"Ten times! Ten times the market price of a rare copy! Cash payment, no delays! Not a single page of those books can be allowed to leave the country!"

The bamboo curtain swayed slightly, revealing the outline of Qingdai's lips, which seemed to be curved into a smile.

"In that case, let's do as the divine physician says, ten times the price. May this transaction satisfy both of us."

"Li Shuang will arrive later with a detailed list of books and a total price list to verify with the divine physician. Once the verification is complete, she will send someone to deliver the books to the medicine hut."

Si Xingxuan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, or perhaps he finally came to his senses and realized his earlier loss of composure.

He coughed lightly, bent down to pick up the blanket from the ground, patted it off casually, and draped it back over his shoulders, reverting to his lazy and nonchalant demeanor, though the light in his eyes had not faded.

"As soon as possible."

He uttered two words, then turned and strolled back to the wicker chair.

"Suddenly selling books and treasures, Tang Xixue, what exactly are you trying to do?"