"The Empress Dowager knows who I'm talking about, doesn't she..." she said meaningfully.
Wang Shuyao's face turned somewhat pale. Her gaze towards Consort Ru was so intense it appeared terrifying, as if a taboo had been invoked, making her look extremely displeased.
"Consort Ru must be tired. You should return to rest early."
Consort Ru was originally a princess of the Manluo Kingdom. She was sent to the Shengqi Kingdom for a political marriage and was the birth mother of the eldest prince, Sheng Chengxuan.
Seeing Wang Shuyao's unhappy expression, Huan Yuru's lips twitched, and she didn't press further. "A Ju, let's go."
A palace maid behind her quickly came to support her.
"Your Highness, your room is over there."
Huan Yuru glanced at Wang Shuyao before turning to leave.
After the two of them left, Zhu'er dared to step forward. "Your Highness, our courtyard is over there. Let's go."
She whispered, and Wang Shuyao finally came back to her senses. Although her expression was still grim, she ultimately said nothing and left with Zhu'er's support.
"You and Yin Su will share this room. It's close to Consort Yao's chambers, making it more convenient to attend to her." The chief eunuch spoke in his high-pitched voice, arranged everything, and then left.
Qin Jiujiu shared a room with Yin Su.
Qin Jiujiu stood inside the room, her luggage still in hand, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Yin Su was probably a nine-tailed fox, or at least an accomplice of one. If they were to share a room, she feared she wouldn't know how she died.
However, rooms were limited on this trip. Each palace had brought only a small number of attendants, so the attendants from the same palace would naturally be housed together.
Yin Su was not currently present. As soon as they arrived at this divine temple, Yin Su had been summoned by Consort Yao. Therefore, Qin Jiujiu was the only one in the room at the moment, but the situation was quite tricky.
Thinking of something, she made her bed and then went out.
Although the divine temple was vast, it was naturally not comparable to the imperial palace. Perhaps because it was newly built, there were not many disciples in the temple, making it somewhat desolate.
Earlier, she had received a letter from Liu Jin, stating that they were to meet at the divine temple.
It was already evening, and with the night sky descending, it was rather cold due to it being winter.
Qin Jiujiu put on a thick cloak before stepping out.
The bell on her wrist jingled slightly, almost making a sound. Qin Jiujiu steadied her mind, and the bell ultimately remained silent.
Qin Jiujiu carefully observed her surroundings. The letter mentioned meeting by the Clear Pond, and she was currently in the only lake within this divine temple – the Clear Pond.
This lake had been on the mountain originally. It wasn't filled in during construction. The bottom of the lake was turbulent with many secret passages leading in all directions, though few people knew about them.
She wondered how Liu Jin had found out.
The moonlight shone down, and Qin Jiujiu could see her reflection in the lake.
A cool breeze suddenly swept past, bringing a chill.
This area was at the southernmost part of the divine temple. The residences were mostly gathered in the north and west, so there was almost no one here at the moment.
Qin Jiujiu turned around in place, waiting for Liu Jin to appear.
"Jiujiu." There was a towering tree by the lake. The voice came from behind the large tree. However, due to the darkness, Qin Jiujiu couldn't see what was behind the tree from her current position.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
By the time Qin Jiujiu could see clearly, she realized there were two figures.
Xiao Yuan was also there.
"Sister A Jin." Although the place was deserted, Qin Jiujiu lowered her voice to be cautious.
"Jiujiu, this is from the Daoist priest. He said you would need it."
Xiao Yuan stood by the large tree, carefully observing the surroundings.
Liu Jin walked towards Qin Jiujiu and took out an object from her embrace.
It was a jade pendant.
Qin Jiujiu took it. The jade pendant looked rather dull. She held it in her hand, flipped it over, and examined it carefully. She couldn't discern anything special about it.
"What is this for?"
The jade pendant had a small chip, looking as if it had been dropped.
Liu Jin shook her head and only said, "When the Daoist priest gave it to me, he didn't say anything else, only that it might be useful at a crucial moment... He said it concerned Xie Jing's..."
Liu Jin was also confused, but Qin Jiujiu became agitated upon hearing the latter half of the sentence.
She brought the jade pendant closer and noticed that the character "Yun" was carved on it. However, if one didn't look closely, the character "Yun" would be overlooked.
The character "Yun" reminded her of Yun Yaoyao.
"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Liu Jin asked when she noticed Qin Jiujiu's peculiar expression.
"During my time in the palace, I discovered some things that I can't explain clearly right now. Sister A Jin, I need to hurry back soon, or I might be discovered."
If Yin Su returned, she would notice Qin Jiujiu's absence.
"Alright. I'll find a way to stay in this divine temple and look for you later."
Qin Jiujiu nodded and finally asked, "Why did the Daoist priest give me this jade pendant?"
They had only met once, so why would he choose to trust her?
"That... he said you would eventually know the truth..."
Qin Jiujiu thought of the divination the Daoist priest had performed for her earlier. Connecting the two, perhaps he had divined something.
After all, these matters were metaphysical, and it was hard to say whether the Daoist priest knew she wasn't from this world.
"Sister A Jin, how did you and General Xiao meet?"
In her original world, Xiao Yuan had always guarded Liu Jin. He had even lost a leg saving her, and in the end, he had given his life for her...
But now, perhaps due to her butterfly effect, things had changed significantly.
The current Xiao Yuan was whole and healthy.
They had reunited when Liu Jin returned to Xiliu City.
"He had been hiding in Xiliu City all along. When I was stealing the corpse, he happened to be there..."
At this moment, Liu Jin's emotions had changed drastically when she spoke of Xiao Yuan.
Through their shared life-and-death experiences, she had perhaps also sensed Xiao Yuan's feelings for her.
Qin Jiujiu smiled. This might be much more fortunate for Liu Jin than before.
"Sister A Jin, I once told you to cherish the person in front of you."
"Jiujiu, I think I understand your words now. Let's go back."
Qin Jiujiu nodded and then turned to leave.
...
Along the way, Qin Jiujiu unconsciously quickened her pace. She hadn't encountered anyone. It was just that she hadn't paid attention when she came, the divine temple had planted so many trees.
The tree shadows swayed, rustling in the wind.
Amidst the wind, a woman's laughter could be heard.
"So itchy..."
Qin Jiujiu felt as if she had heard this voice somewhere before.
She stopped and hid behind a tree.
These trees provided good cover.
"Esteemed National Teacher, why is the Empress completely unharmed? You didn't fulfill your promise to me..."