Ziyue exited the hall. He Jiao watched her, his eyes hinting at a strange emotion as he saw the palm print on her face.
"Princess."
Ziyue turned her head, unwilling to let anyone see her in such a disheveled state.
"His Majesty wishes for you to enter."
After saying this, he hastily departed.
He Jiao looked back in the direction she left, stood for a moment, then walked into the hall.
Ziyue felt the gaze from behind disappear. At a turn, she leaned against the palace wall, her hand caressing her slightly throbbing cheek, her eyes deepening.
Ziyue remembered the mad old wet nurse's words again. That day, the wet nurse had seen her and pointed at her, screaming hysterically, uttering nonsensical things.
"Your Majesty, infant, crying, dead..." Ziyue murmured, then her eyes suddenly fixed.
I must get to the bottom of this tonight!
After Su Li confessed to Princess Shaowen, she and Jun Mo left the princess's mansion together.
With no one following them, the two went straight to Fuyuan Inn.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Who is it?"
Su Li replied, "Master, it's me."
The door quickly opened.
"Master, here." Su Li tossed a jar of wine to Daoist Master Mingyang.
"This is?" Daoist Master Mingyang took the jar, opened it, sniffed, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"Good girl, you're still the most thoughtful!"
Su Li smiled, "Master, this is tribute wine from Xichen. Your disciple doesn't have much more, so drink it sparingly."
Mingyang stepped aside, allowing the two to enter the room.
"I just don't like Xichen. Too many bad people, and the wine isn't good either. This wine is barely palatable. Tianqi is so much better!"
Su Li and Jun Mo entered the room. Jun Mo smiled, "I apologize for Master's discomfort. Once we return to Tianqi, you can drink all the fine wine from my personal collection to your heart's content!"
Mingyang's greatest loves were fine wine and delicious food. Hearing this, his eyes brightened. "Then we must quickly get the Thousand-Layered Frost. This old master is eager to see your personal collection of fine wines."
The group sat around the table. Su Li poured tea for everyone.
"You all drink tea, I'll just drink wine," Mingyang said, pushing his teacup aside.
Su Li looked up and asked, "Master, where's Senior Brother?"
"I sent him to buy roasted duck from the West Market for me. I heard that roasted duck is good and requires queuing up to buy. That's about all he's good for."
No sooner had he spoken than Dai Wuya's voice came from outside the door: "Master, if you keep saying that, you'll find that your disciple won't even be good for that much anymore."
Daoist Master Mingyang glared at him. "You disobedient and unfilial child."
Dai Wuya entered, tossed the still-warm roasted duck towards Mingyang, and turned to close the door.
"If that counts as disobedient, then so be it," Dai Wuya grumbled.
Su Li chuckled softly, "Master, Ziyan and I are here to seek answers."
Mingyang gnawed on his roasted duck and drank his fine wine, thoroughly enjoying himself. He found a moment to reply, "Regarding Snow Lotus Mountain?"
Su Li nodded. "We seek Master's guidance."
Dai Wuya also said, "Yes, Master, you seem to know Xichen very well, even the secret passages."
Jun Mo also looked at him curiously.
Mingyang took a sip of wine. "That is a story from the past, you needn't delve deeply into it. To obtain the Thousand-Layered Frost, without a royal guide, you will find it very difficult to locate. But this old master happens to know the way, so we will find an opportunity to visit the Xichen Imperial Palace again."
Dai Wuya asked suspiciously, "Master, are you perhaps a prince of Xichen?"
As soon as he said this, he was rewarded with a sharp rap on the head.
"What are you thinking! This old master is a Tianqi native! However, your shiniang (master's wife) is indeed connected to the Xichen imperial family."
This was the first time Mingyang had mentioned the word 'shiniang.'
In her past life, Su Li only knew that her master had a beloved who had passed away.
Dai Wuya's eyes widened, asking curiously, "We have a shiniang too?"
Mingyang huffed, "Why wouldn't you? Your master is now a man of refined talent. In his youth, he was naturally dashing, captivating countless young ladies."
Seeing the confusion in Jun Mo's eyes, Su Li smiled and explained, "Don't disbelieve it. I've seen Master's true appearance, and it's indeed as Master said. Master is currently disguised. Master used to be a lay disciple of a Daoist temple, which is why he's called Daoist Master Mingyang."
Mingyang glanced at Su Li. "You girl, you certainly know a lot."
Dai Wuya pouted, "More than I know. I didn't even know I had a shiniang."
Su Li fell silent. This was an eternal pain in her master's heart. She only knew about it by chance after spending a long time with him in her past life. In this life, it was the first time her master had actively brought it up.
Dai Wuya continued to ask curiously, "Master, tell us more about shiniang. Your disciple wants to know what kind of extraordinary woman could captivate Master's heart." One had to remember that at that time, Master was still half a Daoist.
Mingyang glared at him. "You're nearly forty, why are you so curious?"
Su Li smiled, "Senior Brother, you've always worn a human skin mask. Those who don't know might truly think you're an old man, completely wasting your good looks."
Dai Wuya glanced at Daoist Master Mingyang. "Master always warned me not to easily dabble in romance, saying women are trouble. After disguising myself, I found it much more convenient to act than before, so I've kept wearing it."
Mingyang said coldly, "This master told you not to dabble easily, not not to dabble at all. How did your mind develop?"
Dai Wuya retorted, "This disciple also understands now that romance is indeed meaningless. It's better to focus on mastering medicine and poison, and traveling the world to save people."
Daoist Master Mingyang frowned, deeply suspecting if there was a problem with his teaching methods. At forty, he still hadn't tried romance. He was really worried that one day he might have an extreme thought and shave his head to become a monk.
Dai Wuya, seeing everyone looking at him, shrank his neck. "Master, we were asking about shiniang! How did it get to me? Quickly tell us about shiniang."
Mingyang took a sip of wine, looking at Su Li and Jun Mo. "You two also want to know."
Su Li nodded. She was also very curious.
What exactly was their shiniang's connection to the Xichen imperial family, and what was the history between Master and Emperor Zi?
Jun Mo, though silent, had an attentive expression, ready to listen.
Mingyang took another sip of wine, then sighed, "There's nothing that can't be said. It's all just old news, 'chen zhima lan guzi' [old sesame seeds and rotten grains, meaning old, trivial matters]."
Mingyang stood up and slowly walked to the window, memories surging.
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