Pin Shanhe

She had thought that the Great Yong Dynasty court was the most magnificent place she had ever seen, but compared to this place, it was far inferior.

Looking up, a vast expanse of heads lay prostrate at the foot of the steps, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Below the steps, four elderly men with gray hair and beards stood respectfully bowing.

"The Four Elders—Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Qilin—pay their respects to the Empress!"

Shen Fu had read the Book of Rites in the past and knew that the four constellations were the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, which respectively governed the four directions of heaven and earth.

With the mythical beast Qilin residing in the central palace, and all five directions gathered together, harmony could be achieved throughout the world.

The most important Azure Dragon is missing, but why is that?

Because of her intense thirst for knowledge, Shen Fu forgot that she was still arguing with a man and that she was in the wrong place, and blurted out what was on her mind.

Apart from Elder Xuan, the other three elders all developed feelings for her.

This woman is so intelligent that she even understands the Four Symbols and Five Directions. She is truly knowledgeable, and it's no wonder that the Lord is so fond of her.

Elder Baihu stepped forward and explained to her in a gentle tone.

"After returning to the Venerable One, Elder Qing, who was in charge of the Azure Dragon Hall, had passed away more than ten years ago. Logically, a son should take over the father's position, but his only son also died of illness, leaving only a granddaughter who was imprisoned in the dungeon for committing a serious crime and never released."

Shen Fu's curiosity was immediately piqued.

"What mistake did she make to deserve such severe punishment?"

"This...she offended the future Empress, so..."

"..."

The future Empress?

Is he talking about himself?

She was new to the place and didn't even know where she was. She hadn't met many people, let alone gotten into any conflicts with them.

Wait, Elder Qing!

Why does this name sound familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.

She remembered, the secret guard named Feng Zhu!

That day, he was caught red-handed burning Jin Mantang to take the blame for Hongluan, and was almost killed by Rong Yan with a single palm strike.

At that time, she was still a little confused as to why he was so angry.

She thought he was angry because she had rejected him, so he took his anger out on his rival's subordinate.

Later I found out that they were actually the same person!

How could a man, by his very nature, tolerate his subordinates disobeying him?

Feng Zhu's act of covering Hong Ling's escape and even attempting to take the blame is an unforgivable crime.

If she hadn't stopped him, the man would have really killed her.

Later, she asked Feng Zhu why he would help the wicked and risk his own life.

He just smiled bitterly, admitting that he had loved the wrong person, but he didn't regret it.

He added that this was also to repay her grandfather for saving his life years ago.

"The granddaughter of Elder Qing you're talking about, could she be...?"

"Your Majesty should know her. Didn't you already meet her back in Yongdu? Her name is Hongling!"

Sure enough it was her!

If it hadn't been brought up today, she would have almost forgotten about this person.

After Hongling escaped that day, she was never heard from again.

I thought she had found a place to hide, but it turns out she has already come back?

Judging from what they said, Hongling didn't die, but was thrown into the dungeon?

Someone once promised her that if they found her, they would kill her without mercy!

He lied to her again!

Upon seeing Shen Fu's gaze, the man's heart sank.

"Let me explain..."

He had indeed forgotten about it.

Hong Ling meant nothing to him, so how could he possibly care about something so insignificant?

"I won't listen! Since you're so reluctant to part with her, then go and marry her!"

After saying that, she flung the man's hand away and angrily started to walk down the steps.

Everyone present was stunned.

How dare she treat the Lord like this?

Countless women flocked to him, hoping to gain his favor, yet they never even had the chance to look him in the eye.

For example, water chestnuts...

As a descendant of Elder Qing, he had a bright future ahead of him, but he committed an unforgivable mistake because of his infatuation with the Lord.

They initially wanted to plead for her, but upon learning of her actions—that she had dared to audaciously plot against the Lord's beloved and attempt to ruin her reputation by throwing her into a beggar's den—they were shocked.

Let alone their grief and indignation, even if Elder Qing knew in the afterlife that his granddaughter had committed such a vicious act, he would probably die with his eyes wide open in disbelief!

However, everyone in the Underworld Palace regarded the Lord as a supreme god.

How could she be so rude as to embarrass him in public?

Elder Xuan, in particular, was wondering if she was about to cause a major disaster.

The Lord bestowed upon her the supreme honor of Empress, and not only did she not cherish it, she even dared to be arrogant because of this favor.

What happened next left him dumbfounded.

The venerable lord, who was like a god in his eyes, actually put aside all his pride and arrogance, and held that woman in his arms, gently coaxing her.

How could he now resemble the aloof deity he once was?

He's clearly a henpecked husband!

The other three elders stroked their beards and smiled with satisfaction.

They prefer their Lord as he is now; this is a person with flesh and blood, feelings and righteousness!

Before meeting Shen Fu, they did not approve of an outsider becoming the Queen of the Underworld Palace, but now they can understand the Lord's choice.

Besides, the future little master is about to be born, so we have to curry favor with him.

At this moment, Shen Fu was still angry and thought that the man was only letting her off because he couldn't bear to part with Hong Ling.

She has always been a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment and hates evil. Hongling's actions can no longer be described as sinful; they are simply insane!

They used such insidious means to frame her and even wanted to throw her into a beggar's den.

What if the man arrives late?

What if she actually succeeds?

Although things didn't reach the worst possible point, it can only be said that she was lucky, not that the other party showed mercy.

Hongling really wanted to destroy her, to make her wish she were dead!

Her hatred for Hongling was no less than that for Jun Qiyuan, so why should he forgive her on her behalf?

Left with no other choice, the man could only say that he would return to investigate the abnormality of her pregnancy. Hongling, holding Elder Qing's note, used Shen Fu's health and the safety of the child in her womb as leverage.

He dares not gamble!

They could only spare her life, but they also crippled her martial arts skills and imprisoned her in the dungeon.

Shen Fu's anger subsided somewhat when she learned that he did this for her sake.

Putting myself in his shoes and imagining the situation at the time, it seems there was no other choice.

The only mistake he made was keeping it from me!

Having said all that, there is one last crucial question remaining.

"Who...are you?"

Upon hearing this, the four elders and the Netherworld Palace subordinates in the hall were all taken aback.

What?

The Empress still doesn't know the Lord's identity?

Now that they're about to get married and have children, it's really going too far that they haven't been honest with each other.