The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

When Wei Yu and Mu Liang heard Tang Xi Xue's words, they were both amused and exasperated, but they had no way to refute them.

It must be said that what she said was absolutely correct.

"I must say, the more I look at this place, the more I like it."

Tangxi Xueguan observed the feng shui layout of this place and indeed found some problems.

But it doesn't matter, she was personally taught feng shui by the Imperial Advisor He Lichen.

Changing the feng shui of the house was not a difficult task for her.

"Alright, I'll go and get the land deed for you right away."

When Wei Yu heard His Highness say he liked it, the fear in her heart was instantly dispelled by a surge of heroic spirit.

So what if it's a haunted house?

So what if it's a curse?

If His Highness desires it, she will fight for it even if it means going to a dangerous place for His Highness.

She stood tall with her back straight, her eyes gleaming with unwavering certainty.

This is the competence and confidence honed over many years of managing foreign affairs for His Highness.

She has always been adept at social maneuvering and has a skillful and delicate hand.

"Do you need me to step in?" Tang Xixue asked softly, her eyes filled with a questioning light.

"This is a small matter, I can handle it."

Wei Yu shook her head, her tone carrying three parts coquettishness and seven parts arrogance.

"If Your Highness needs to handle everything personally, then what is the point of having me? Your Highness, please rest assured, the land deed will be delivered to you within three days."

As she spoke, she was already rapidly calculating in her mind:

This official property on the east bank of Jingyue Lake has been abandoned for many years, and the Ministry of Revenue should have had a record of its cancellation long ago.

The haunted house, abandoned for over twenty years, is now being offered for sale; those officials would be more than happy to do so…

Of course, it was absolutely impossible to ask for benefits from this; Princess Mirror was not someone they could control.

If things are handled properly and the process is expedited, it might be done by tomorrow.

"it is good."

Tang Xixue smiled as she looked at the light in Wei Yu's eyes.

"Then we'll leave it to our most capable Yu'er."

A slight smile appeared on her lips.

That smile was like the first pear blossom blooming on a branch when the spring snow melts—clear and bright, yet carrying a touch of lazy warmth.

Wei Yu was slightly taken aback, as if something had gently bumped into her heart.

"Aaaaaah! His Highness's smile is killing me—"

She screamed silently inside, but tried her best to remain calm on the surface.

"Damn it, another day of jealousy for Mu Liang. His Highness asked him to serve him in bed, and he actually hid away shyly. He really... he doesn't know how lucky he is!"

"Let's go back to the palace."

Tang Xixue took one last look at the mansion that stood silently amidst the lake and snow, then turned and walked out of the bamboo grove.

"Once we get the land deed, we'll come back and take a closer look. We can then adjust the feng shui of this place so it won't feel so gloomy."

Wei Yu quickly picked up her lantern and followed.

The figures of the master and servant gradually disappeared into the secluded bamboo path, their footsteps startling the snow accumulated on the bamboo tips, which fell in a soft rustling sound like shattered jade.

As the magnificent carriage, its crystal bells jingling, drove away from the lakeside, the sound of its wheels gradually faded into the night.

A figure in black slowly emerged from the shadows deep within the bamboo forest.

Mu Liang stood before the red camellia tree, raising his hand to catch a blossom that had been blown away by the wind.

The double petals, crimson like blood, with unmelted snowflakes clinging to their edges, lay in his palm, clad in a dark, fitted outfit. The contrast between red and black was breathtaking.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the house that had been silent for twenty years.

The moonlight cast a bluish glow on the white walls, and the silhouettes of the eaves resembled the crouching spines of beasts.

"Haunted?"

He repeated it in a low voice, his tone devoid of emotion.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the camellia flower was shattered into fine red powder by his internal force, which scattered into the snow.

At the same instant, seven or eight dark figures seemed to emerge from the night, silently landing about ten feet behind him and kneeling on one knee.

They were all dressed in black, with narrow blades at their waists and black scarves covering their faces, revealing only pairs of eyes as calm as a cold pool—the Hidden Dragon Guards.

"Eliminate all hidden dangers within a radius of one hundred feet in this area."

The sound of dusk was clear and cold in the chilly night.

"Agencies and sentries, traps and mechanisms, unknown objects—whatever they may be, this area must be cleared before dawn."

"Since Your Highness is going to reside here, there can be no room for the slightest impropriety."

"The bamboo path has been widened and leveled. Next time Your Highness's carriage comes, it should be able to reach directly to the gate."

"Yes, sir. Take command."

The Hidden Dragon Guards responded in unison, their voices low and hoarse, like the night wind whistling through a dry blade.

Mu Liang said no more, his dark robes suddenly unfurling in the wind like the wings of a night crow.

With a light touch of his toes on the snow-covered bamboo branches, his figure shot into the deep night sky like a cold arrow released from a bow.

With a few leaps, it swept across the vast bamboo forest and sped toward the west bank of Mirror Moon Lake.

The night wind howled in his ears, but his gaze remained fixed ahead.

The carriage, its crystal bells jingling, was traveling at a leisurely pace along the winding lakeside path.

Warm yellow light shone through the car windows, like gentle stars in the boundless darkness.

He sped up to catch up, and finally, like a shadow, quietly landed on the crossbar at the back of the carriage.

He sat down with his knees bent, his back straight like a lone pine tree, his black robes almost blending into the deep night behind him.

Faint laughter drifted from inside the carriage; it was Wei Yu enthusiastically planning how to arrange the courtyard and repair the house after obtaining the land deed.

Tang Xixue occasionally responded with a soft, languid laugh, her voice like gentle ripples on spring water.

Mu Liang listened quietly, her knuckles, which had been pressing on the hilt of the knife, slowly loosened.

He raised his head and looked back at the direction of the mansion that had been left far behind in the darkness of the night.

Under the moonlight, it was just a blurry, dark outline, standing silently between the lake and the snow.

But soon—he thought—there would be lights, cooking smoke and warm mist, the sound of a zither, and her laughter.

It will resemble a...home.

The carriage rolled over the snow-covered palace road, its bells ringing clearly as it drove towards the majestic outline of the imperial city.

Meanwhile, on the eastern shore of Mirror Moon Lake, the red camellias still bloom fiercely and dazzlingly.

The figures of the Hidden Dragon Guards appeared and disappeared inside and outside the mansion. Some silently swept the courtyard, while others swiftly cut bamboo to clear the way, silently cleansing away any potential dangers and filth.

The news that Princess Jing would be living outside the palace was also delivered to the Emperor's desk in Chengtian Hall by the Hidden Dragon Guard.

Emperor Tang Xiye's gaze lingered on that brief secret report for a long time.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze and cool down, plunging into a deathly silence and bitter cold.

The Grand Commander Shen Cuo, who was standing to the side, even slowed his breathing, feeling the chill seeping into the gaps in his armor.

He kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, but an inopportune thought flashed through his mind:

"Well, this time it's probably a complete freeze. I'll have to have the kitchen prepare the strongest wine... Of course, that's assuming I'm still alive to drink it after His Majesty calms down."

"Shen Cuo," the emperor's voice suddenly rang out, devoid of emotion, yet colder than the frost and snow outside the palace, "tell me—what is it outside the palace that is luring her in?"

"Why... does Zhizhi suddenly want to move out?"

Shen Cuo's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He forced himself to speak, trying to keep his tone steady:

"Your Majesty, the princess has come of age, and according to ancestral custom, it is only natural for her to live outside the palace. Why are you so angry? Her Highness will eventually have to choose a husband, and living outside the palace is actually more convenient for her."

"She's just a princess, not the empress..." he tried to persuade her, "Why do you insist on keeping her confined to the palace..."

"Shut up. If you can't speak, then pretend you're mute!" Tang Xiye interrupted him, her voice not loud, but it silenced Shen Cuo instantly.

Baby Zhizhi is running away.

This realization caused a strange sense of unease to stir deep within the heart of the emperor, who was usually as calm and unfathomable as a mountain.

"Isn't the Palace of Eternal Life good enough?" he asked himself silently.

If she thinks it's too small, too secluded, or too old...

It's not impossible for her to live in Chengtian Palace.