After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

The day after the celebration ended, Jiang Yan sat in the study of the city lord's mansion reviewing official documents. His pen moved across the paper, but his mind was not on the documents.

My mind keeps replaying Liu Qingyi's words from last night.

"Don't let Tu Shan Ruoshui down."

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temples.

Ruoshui is still under house arrest in the restricted area, and the Jiang family is surrounded. Although Tianxin brought back news that they are temporarily safe, that was at the beginning of the coup.

I wonder how things are now.

The more I thought about it, the more restless I became.

Just then, Cangwu happened to pass by outside the palace.

Jiang Yan stopped him, wanting him to make a trip to the capital of Tushan to investigate the recent situation of Ruoshui and the Jiang family.

Cangwu is a member of the Feather Clan, and his speed is faster than that of an ordinary Fusion Realm cultivator. Unless a Mahayana cultivator personally intervenes to stop him, no one can hold him back.

Just as Cangwu was about to agree, a crisp voice drifted in from the palace entrance.

"I'll go."

Cang Yao walked in carrying a bowl of hot tea, a sweet smile on her face, her peach blossom eyes narrowed into two crescent moons.

She had been listening outside the hall for quite a while.

Jiang Yan was dumbfounded. Just as he was about to speak, Cang Yao put the tea on the table, ran over, grabbed his hand, and shook it.

"Don't you trust me? Just let me go."

Cangwu looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be studying the texture of the beams.

Jiang Yan had already told Cang Yao about Tu Shan Ruoshui before.

After listening, Cang Yao didn't say anything more.

Her tone was as gentle as ever, without any jealousy or accusation.

She felt that she had waited for eight hundred years, and being able to see Lin Chu again in the long years was the greatest satisfaction of her life.

She wasn't really bothered by Ruoshui's matter; she was just a little curious.

What kind of person is someone that her husband will cherish in his second life?

Jiang Yan looked at the face that was getting closer and closer and sighed helplessly.

With Cang Yao's Mahayana stage cultivation and her Hidden Dragon Body, there are few places in the entire Xuan Tian Realm where she cannot come and go freely.

Let alone gathering information, she could probably even bring Ruoshui directly out of the capital.

"Okay." He held her hand. "You have to promise me you won't do anything reckless."

Cang Yao narrowed her eyes and nodded vigorously.

She leaned forward and gently pecked him on the cheek, then nuzzled his face: "Husband, wait for me to come back."

After saying that, he dashed out of the palace and transformed into a pale golden streak of light, flying towards the capital of Tushan.

Jiang Yan stood at the entrance of the palace, gazing at the empty sky after the disappearing light, feeling somewhat helpless.

Well, Ruoshui will make them meet sooner or later anyway.

……

The capital of Tushan at this time.

After handling several of the most urgent government affairs, Ruoshui left the palace alone and went to the Jiang residence.

She didn't wear the Empress's court dress; instead, she changed into an ordinary light orange dress.

She didn't wear the gold crown that usually adorns her hair; instead, she simply tied her hair into a bun with a silver hairpin, a birthday gift from her mother a few years ago.

Standing at the entrance of the Jiang residence, I suddenly felt a little nervous.

Although she knew in her heart that these things were not her fault, she still couldn't help but worry that her uncle and aunt would hold a grudge against her.

But recalling her mother's words of advice before she left, the slight apprehension in her eyes turned into determination.

It was Jiang Wuchen who opened the door.

He saw Ruoshui standing at the door, paused for a while, and then quickly bowed.

Ruoshui quickly grabbed his arm and called out "Uncle Jiang" in a clear voice, her tone exactly the same as before, even with a touch more intimacy.

Jiang Wuchen was at a loss for how to respond.

The woman before me is no longer the little princess who stole osmanthus cakes in the Jiang family's kitchen; she is the new ruler, the empress of the Tushan Dynasty.

Ruoshui followed Jiang Wuchen into the main hall.

When Jiang's mother heard the news, she rushed over and paused on the threshold for a long time when she saw Ruoshui.

Ruoshui immediately stood up, went up to Jiang's mother, and took her arm. She sincerely apologized, saying that she had caused the two elders to suffer during this time and that she had failed to protect them.

He also said that his father and mother were both recuperating in the palace, and that his mother had said she would invite Jiang's mother to the palace for tea another day.

Her voice was soft as she spoke, and the way she held Jiang's mother's arm was natural and intimate. She had no airs of an empress at all, and seemed more like a daughter who had just returned home after being away for a long time.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang looked at Ruoshui with the same affection as before, their eyes filled with relief.

Ruoshui had already lowered her stance so much that the slight restraint they felt due to the difference in their social status completely dissipated.

Jiang's mother naturally knew about the changes in the palace. Looking at the little girl who used to act coquettishly in front of her, now having to shoulder the entire dynasty alone, she felt both heartache and relief.

She could clearly sense that Ruoshui had shed some of her childishness and gained more composure. Although her eyes still retained their former softness, they now held an undeniable firmness.

He looked Ruoshui up and down, said "You've lost weight," and then, disregarding all the formalities between ruler and subject, pulled Ruoshui to sit down and began to give her a long, rambling lecture.

Don't work too hard in the court. Eat on time and rest when you're tired. Don't take advantage of your youth to spend all day reviewing memorials.

Ruoshui listened obediently and agreed to each request.

After giving her instructions, Jiang's mother pondered for a moment and then took something out of her bosom.

A necklace with an antique feel and a warm, delicate sheen, clearly worn and handled by its owner for many years.

"This is a family heirloom of the Jiang family, passed down only to the eldest daughter-in-law," said Jiang's mother.

Ruoshui stared blankly at the necklace, her face instantly turning red.

But she didn't hesitate. Instead, her fingertips trembled slightly as she took the necklace, lowered her head, and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "...Thank you, Mother."

Then, as if realizing what she had said, her ears turned bright red.

Jiang Wuchen's action of serving tea froze in mid-air.

Jiang's mother paused for a moment, then laughed, her wrinkles around her eyes smoothing out. She said "good" several times, pulling Ruoshui into her arms and gently patting her back.

Jiang Wuchen put down his teacup, shook his head, and couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

After leaving the Jiang residence, Ruoshui did not ride in the imperial carriage.

She fastened the necklace around her neck, placed it close to her inner garment, and slowly walked back along the street where she had dragged Jiang Yan around all those years ago.

When she passed the roast chicken stall, she stopped and stood there for a while, remembering how she had offered the half-eaten chicken leg to Jiang Yan's mouth, then embarrassedly took the skewer back and casually lowered her head to continue eating.

At that time, she was not yet an empress, nor was he the famous Lord Jiang.

Ruoshui stared at the stall for a while, then, as if she had thought of something, a sweet smile appeared on her face. She turned around and continued walking back.

……

City Lord's Mansion.

Cang Yao stood at the door, turned around and waved to Jiang Yan.

"Remember what you promised me," Jiang Yan said.

"Don't cause trouble, don't do anything reckless." Cang Yao counted on her fingers. "Got it."

Jiang Yan smiled and gently rubbed the top of her head.

Cang Yao narrowed her eyes, rubbed her palm against his, and then transformed into a pale golden streak of light, soaring into the sky and flying towards the western horizon.

At this moment, in the city, beneath the Preaching Monument.

Zhou Caiwei was looking up at the golden characters on the monument when her junior sister started chattering beside her, but she didn't hear a word she said.

She was thinking about the discussions she had overheard in the city today—the city lord Jiang Yan and his wife Cang Yao.

At first, she thought it was just a coincidence of names.

How could Cang Yao possibly become someone else's wife? Over the past few hundred years, she has traveled to every corner of the Xuan Tian Realm, searching for Lin Chu. She even went to the Shang Qing Domain, where the sect leader of the Ling Xu Sword Sect personally received her.

How could a woman like that possibly marry someone else?

Suddenly, as if sensing something, she looked up.

A pale golden streak of light swept past overhead, its familiar aura causing her heart to skip a beat for a moment.

It is Cang Yao.

The city lord's wife really is her.

Zhou Caiwei's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

She stood motionless in front of the stone tablet, and a thought gradually surfaced in her mind.

My heart started racing.

Jiang Yan...

"Senior sister?" The junior sister waved her hand in front of her face. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Zhou Caiwei took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent thoughts, gripped her sword, and turned to walk towards the City Lord's Mansion. "You go back first, I need to see someone."

The junior sister looked at her senior sister's retreating figure and scratched her head.