The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Wei Yu entered, carrying a roll of bright yellow silk and a land deed:

"Your Highness, His Majesty has sent someone to deliver the land deed for the house by Mirror Moon Lake."

"A verbal order was also sent: Young Master Pei is requested to attend the Plum Blossom Banquet in three days."

Tang Xixue took the land deed, her eyes flickering slightly.

Before she could even make a move, her brother had already arranged everything.

She looked through the land deeds and found that not only the house, but also the surrounding gardens were all registered in her name.

She didn't need to bother sending anyone to negotiate with the officials; Tang Xiye had already made all the arrangements for her.

"My brother...he knows I want to move out of the palace?" she murmured softly, then smiled brightly. "Indeed, in this Northern Chen realm, what can escape his eyes?"

Not to mention the Hidden Dragon Guards around her.

Although Mu Liang is the head of the Dark Guards, the rest of the Hidden Dragon Guards are all directly under the command of Emperor Shengchen.

In the past, those transmigrated women complained about this and felt suffocated, but for Tang Xixue, this was the strongest wall her brother had built for her.

She had been attached to Tang Xiye since she was a child. She would follow him wherever he went, and even at night she would stay on his bed and only fall asleep if he held her and coaxed her gently.

Later, when he ascended the throne, she had grown up and reached the age where the separation of men and women was forbidden.

For the first time, the young emperor hardened his heart and moved her to the Palace of Longevity.

She cried until her eyes were red, and he comforted her all night long before finally giving in—moving the memorials to the Hall of Longevity, standing guard by her side, and only leaving quietly after she fell asleep.

"Your Majesty sent A-Lin to the Plum Blossom Banquet because he admires your talent."

She blinked, a smile playing in her eyes.

"Ah Lin, you must make a good impression on your elder brother then."

Pei Yanchuan gripped the teacup tightly, his fingertips turning slightly white.

"Yes," he replied softly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, "I will."

To meet the Emperor.

The elder brother of the person you love.

It is also to see the most supreme emperor of the Northern Star realm.

How could he not be nervous?

But when I looked up into the gentle, smiling eyes of the person in front of me, a surge of unprecedented courage rose within my nervousness.

In order to stand by her side, he always had to leap over this dragon gate.

The woman he admired was of noble birth; he felt he had to reach higher to be worthy of her.

"Prepare two portions of pear frost, a soft and chewy pastry."

"Qingdai, bring me my sandalwood medicine chest."

Tangxi Xue's voice was as light and ethereal as shattered jade.

She turned around, her moon-white skirt casting faint shadows on the lapis lazuli floor, her gaze falling on Pei Yanchuan, who stood quietly to the side:

"Ah Lin, let's go."

"Let's go to the Plum Garden."

The carriage was already waiting by the palace gate, with its black shaft and red wheels, and the brocade curtains embroidered with silver thread lotus patterns.

"Your Highness."

Pei Yanchuan stepped forward first, bent down slightly, and extended his slender hand.

"Ah Lin is so thoughtful."

Tang Xixue gently placed her fingertips on his palm, using the leverage to climb onto the carriage shaft, a wisp of the refreshing scent of crabapple blossoms wafting through her sleeve.

The carriage was covered with thick, soft carpets, and the heater emitted a faint fragrance of plum blossoms.

"Please sit down."

Pei Yanchuan sat down beside her, his back straight, but his gaze was lowered, falling on his hands clasped together on his knees.

The carriage moved slowly, its wheels grinding against the thin snow on the palace road, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

The Hall of Longevity is only a few hundred steps away from the Lintai Terrace. The carriage passed through two hanging flower gates, circled a bamboo forest covered in snow, and stopped in front of a quiet courtyard.

White walls and gray tiles, with a small plaque hanging above the door:

Zanxue Residence.

"We've arrived."

Pei Yanchuan got out of the car first, then turned around and reached out his hand to her.

Tang Xixue held his wrist, stepped onto the footstool, and then stepped onto the bluestone steps with her embroidered shoes.

She looked up at the half-closed wooden door, from which she could faintly hear the innocent voices of children reciting poetry and the soft whispers of a woman.

Pei Yanchuan stood by the door, his fingertips curling slightly, before he whispered:

"Your Highness, please."

The wind swept across the courtyard wall, brushing away a wisp of snow from the eaves.

Tangxi Xue nodded and stepped forward.

At Zanxue Residence, the shadows of plum blossoms are sparse and oblique.

The moment the door was pushed open, the thin winter sun slanted across the eaves and into the room, turning the floating dust particles into a golden mist.

As Tang Xixue followed Pei Yanchuan into this simple yet clean courtyard, what she saw was a breathtaking beauty untouched by artifice.

Mei Ruohuan was leaning against an old couch by the window, wearing a simple, elegant robe that had been washed until it was slightly faded, which only made her look like cold jade.

Holding little Pei Ningran in her arms, she held a worn-out copy of "Thousand Family Poems" and gently taught her daughter to recite: "Wearing this body amidst ice and snow, I am different from peach and plum blossoms mingling in the fragrant dust."

Her voice was soft, slightly hoarse from a long illness, yet it possessed a clear, crisp quality, like spring water striking stone.

She lowered her head slightly while reciting poetry, revealing her slender, pale neck, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks.

Hearing the door open, she looked up with a gentle smile.

In that instant, Tang Xixue saw her face clearly.

Her fair skin and delicate bones were weathered by time; her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist; her eyes were like a cold pool reflecting the moon; a faint crimson tear mole at the corner of her left eye, like a plum blossom falling on snow, was extremely poignant and beautiful.

Although she looked sickly and haggard, the scholarly air and fragile beauty that emanated from her very being were more captivating than any elaborate costume.

Even without makeup, her beauty remains undiminished.

"Is Lin'er back?"

Mei Ruohuan put down her book, a gentle smile spreading across her lips.

When his gaze fell on Tang Xixue, his smile paused slightly, and a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes.

What a beautiful and pretty little girl.

With bright eyes and white teeth, and an elegant demeanor, she stood in the humble room like a pearl falling onto a jade plate, making the simple house seem brighter.

Looking at her usually aloof and quiet son, he was now standing obediently and gently half a step to her side, his brows showing a tenderness and affection she had never seen before.

His blue and white brocade robe and moon-white cloak were exquisitely made and well-tailored. At first glance, she felt as if time had reversed and she had returned to Beichuan Yunting. He was still the young master of the Pei family, who was surrounded by admirers and lived a life of luxury.

"You are..." Mei Ruohuan stood up, her movements slow due to weakness.

"Mother! It's the fairy sister!"

Pei Ningran had slid off the couch, tilting her little face up and looking at Tang Xixue with bright eyes.

The little girl wore her hair in cute double buns, adorned with a pair of tiny pearl flowers—the only decent headdress she had ever worn, earned by her brother after three days of copying books for someone on her fifth birthday.

Pei Yanchuan himself was only a teenager, but he had been gritting his teeth and shouldering the burden of this broken family since he was thirteen.

Copying books, doing odd jobs, even taking exams for others—all the hardships hidden in the night, unknown to her, turned into money for her mother's medicine, her sister's jewelry, and the old clothes he wore, washed until they were faded and mended again and again.

"This humble woman, Mei, greets Your Highness the Princess."

Mei Ruohuan bowed deeply, her demeanor elegant and graceful. Even in a humble room, her gesture was as beautiful as a poem or a painting.

She remembered her son saying that it was Princess Mirror who rescued her and her daughter from the evil servants and arranged this quiet place for them to stay.

Although she was dressed simply, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Time has not diminished her beauty, but has only added a touch of fragile melancholy and a profound tranquility to her.

"I haven't had a chance to thank Your Highness in person for your great kindness before," she said softly, like a spring breeze caressing the strings of a zither. "Thank you for your help, Your Highness, which allowed my daughter and me to catch our breath and provided us with this safe haven. I will never forget this kindness and virtue."

"Madam Mei, there's no need for such formalities."

Tang Xixue reached out to help, her gaze falling on Mei Ruohuan's face, the vague sense of familiarity in her heart becoming clearer and clearer.

That face... she must have seen it somewhere before.

Mei Ruohuan straightened up, a faint smile appearing on her pale face, like a plum blossom blooming in the snow, fragile yet resilient.

She was the last legitimate daughter of the Mei family of Beichuan Yunting. Her father was once the imperial tutor, and his students were all over the nine provinces.

She was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age and possessed abundant talent. She should have been a bright moon in the clouds, but she gradually fell into the dust.

"Fairy Sister..."

Pei Ningran tugged at her mother's clothes, looking timidly at Tang Xixue, wanting to get closer but not daring to.

The little girl's winter clothes were a bit thin, and the sleeves were even a bit too short, revealing her slender wrists.

"Ranran, I brought you some pastries."

Tang Xixue bent down and smiled gently at her.

The little girl immediately lowered her head shyly, her little ears turning red.

Pear Frost handed over the food box at the right time.

Pei Ningran first looked up at her brother, and seeing Pei Yanchuan nod slightly, she carefully took a piece of osmanthus cake.

She sipped it slowly, her eyes gradually widening until they shone like they were filled with stars.

"So sweet!"

She gasped softly, then realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing red.