The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

A surge of anger, a mixture of protectiveness and elder brotherly authority, once again overwhelmed all other conflicting thoughts.

He arrived so quickly; they probably haven't consummated their relationship yet.

He suddenly took a step forward, the corner of his black robe cutting through the stagnant air, and headed towards the bed with its brocade curtains hanging low.

At the very least, let's tear down that seemingly aloof and detached imperial advisor who is now behaving in a despicable manner!

Just as he was about to fully see the blood-pumpingly messy scene on the bed, and his peripheral vision also caught sight of the young general Feng Zhuo, who was also soaking in the bathtub, his face flushed, and he even vaguely spotted a dark figure hiding under the bed—

"The Imperial Preceptor..."

A soft, weak, tearful girl's voice, like a honey-scented hook, drifted gently into his ear.

"You...you're so hot..."

The meaning contained in that voice was enough for any adult to understand instantly, conjuring up an unspeakable scene behind the curtain.

"absurd--!"

Emperor Shengchen's breathing suddenly stopped, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat.

An unprecedented surge of anger and shame rushed to his head like magma, making him dizzy for a moment and even stagger half a step.

He couldn't bear to watch or listen anymore.

Fearing he might lose control, he drew his sword and killed the Imperial Advisor.

With a sudden flick of his dark dragon-patterned wide sleeve, carrying a resolute force, the sleeve wind was as sharp as a blade, extinguishing the candlelight in the nearest glass palace lantern.

The light and shadow suddenly dimmed in one corner, making his ashen face look even more terrifying.

Immediately, he turned around resolutely, his steps even carrying a hint of haste, as if behind him was not his sister's palace, but some kind of man-eating swamp.

do not care.

He didn't want to care about her anymore!

Reckless and unruly! Rebellious against the Heavenly Order!

He can't manage it, and he doesn't want to anymore!

"Bang--!"

He slammed the heavy doors of the Panlong Palace shut with a loud bang, slamming the absurdity inside.

It also instantly shut out the howling wind and snow and the biting cold outside.

Outside the door, Shen Cuo, a trusted bodyguard clad in black armor and wielding a sword, stood with his hands at his sides, like a silent reef.

He did not enter, but from His Majesty's dark, almost ink-black face and his unusually hurried, almost fleeing gait, he could tell that a great drama must have been unfolding inside the palace.

He kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, and cautiously took half a step forward, his voice extremely low:

"Your Majesty? No... they've rescued them?"

Emperor Shengchen did not stop, but even quickened his pace, squeezing out two icy, bone-chilling words through clenched teeth:

"Return to the palace."

The figure in black strode swiftly into the vast snowstorm, never looking back.

"Sigh, it seems His Majesty is truly furious this time..."

Shen Cuo hurriedly held up an umbrella and followed Tang Xiye. Although it was Princess Jing who had made the mistake, His Majesty was suffering even more.

He had been by His Majesty's side since childhood and clearly remembered how Emperor Shengchen had cherished Princess Jing.

Even the plaque of "Hall of Longevity" was personally inscribed by the emperor, with the gilded characters flowing in the sunlight, conveying a devout wish—that she may live forever.

This is more than just the name of a palace.

This is clearly the most direct expression of Emperor Shengchen's favor.

Princess Mirror was born with a deadly poison in her womb, making her physically weak. Despite her lovely and delicate appearance, she was as fragile as a glass cup.

Many renowned doctors and reclusive scholars shook their heads, predicting that she would not live past the age of fifteen.

Sure enough, on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, a sudden and severe illness struck, completely extinguishing her last remaining hope.

For seven whole days, she remained in a deep sleep, and medicine was ineffective; her breath was so weak that it was almost undetectable.

It was Emperor Shengchen, the young emperor who had just consolidated his power, who used an astonishing price: half of the imperial treasury's rare treasures, three personal visits to the Medicine Valley to humbly submit, and even made a promise that no one knew about.

Finally, they managed to persuade the eccentric and elusive Divine Physician Si Xingxuan to intervene and forcefully retrieve a wisp of their sister's soul from before the Yama Palace.

But the younger sister who returned from the River of Oblivion seemed to have left a part of her soul behind on the other side.

She woke up, but she had changed.

The memories of the past are like a shattered mirror, and can never be pieced together again to recreate the image of that timid little girl who tugged at his sleeve, her eyes as clear as the first snow.

Instead, there was a Tang Xixue who was unfamiliar to Emperor Shengchen—humble, timid, foolish, infatuated, and good for nothing except for her stunning beauty, and she also had a greed and scheming nature that made his heart tremble.

But the emperor said nothing.

He simply sheltered her from the wind and rain in silence.

That was his sister, Zhizhi, whom he had knelt before the Buddha for seven days, praying to Heaven to bring back.

If this is the price, then he will accept it.

She broke the jade ruyi bestowed upon her by the late emperor, and he found an even rarer one to replace it.

Her words offended the powerful Empress Dowager, who then quietly reduced the Empress Dowager's family's influence by three-tenths in the previous court, thus silently severing any potential revenge against her.

Later, she became even more unconventional.

To relentlessly pursue the aloof and detached Imperial Preceptor is almost blasphemous.

She seduced the fiery young general and then abandoned him, causing a great uproar throughout the city.

They used every means at the hands of that sinister and mad doctor, Zheyue, which made him utterly detestable.

She even dared to set her sights on the Holy Son of the Moon Brahma Kingdom, who had traveled a long way to become a devout Buddhist…

She offended almost all the proud sons of nations and powerful figures from all directions.

Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times.

He single-handedly weathered the countless storms and undercurrents caused by her.

He was even afraid—afraid that one of those proud and ruthless young men who had been provoked by his sister might lose patience and no longer care about his imperial dignity, and easily kill her in some corner beyond his sight.

That faint memory of Zhizhi from the past, like a candle in the wind, was carefully held in his palm.

But the candlelight was ultimately too weak.

The troubles she ignited grew increasingly intense and outrageous, challenging his bottom line as a ruler and an elder brother.

His patience, as steadfast as a mountain, was weathered into a crumbling sandcastle.

Until today, this scene has been witnessed.

The imperial carriage traveled through the swirling snow, its wheels crunching softly over the thick snow on the palace road, but this could not suppress the silent tremor in the emperor's heart.

Shen Cuo walked silently beside him for a long time before finally unable to resist asking in a low voice, with a hint of barely perceptible probing:

"Your Majesty, are you really... abandoning Princess Jing? Should I go and guard her outside the Hall of Longevity?"

After he finished speaking, the carriage fell into a deathly silence.

The only sound was the rustling of wind and snow hitting the curtains.

After a long pause, a very soft, hoarse sound, as if painstakingly extracted from the deepest part of the chest, finally escaped and dissipated into the cold air:

"That's not... my Zhizhi."

He paused, and the name he had called out a thousand times, hidden in the softest part of his heart, now felt like ice shards cutting his throat when he uttered it.

The last note dissipated in the wind, so light it was almost inaudible, yet so heavy it seemed to have used up all its strength.