BSI Chapter 148 A New Day, Meeting Empress Li Yang
Chapter 148 A New Day, Meeting Empress Li Yang
His amber eyes adjusted to the darkness for a moment, bathed in the pale moonlight filtering through the window.
Xu Fenghua's gaze first fell on Qin Mu's face, who was standing close by.
As he slept, the usual languor and playfulness between his brows faded, and his features appeared exceptionally clear in the dim light.
He even possessed an almost pure kind of handsomeness, completely different from his imperial majesty during the day and his aggressiveness at night.
But this appearance only made her feel a deeper chill.
This man possesses too many contradictory qualities, making him as profound and unfathomable as an abyss.
Her gaze slowly moved past Qin Mu's shoulder and landed on Jiang Qingxue on the other side.
Just as her gaze settled, Jiang Qingxue opened her eyes.
Their eyes met suddenly in the dim light.
Xu Fenghua saw the lingering fear in Jiang Qingxue's eyes, the wet despair like a frightened fawn, and a trace of emotion she couldn't understand.
Jiang Qingxue, on the other hand, saw the unfathomable coldness in Xu Fenghua's eyes.
Xu Fenghua's lips moved very slightly in the darkness.
No sound.
But with the help of the dim light and their unspoken understanding, Jiang Qingxue deciphered the lip movements.
"dragon……"
It was just a single word at the beginning, yet it was like a lightning bolt that cleaved through Jiang Qingxue's chaotic mind!
Sister Xu wants to ask Brother Longxiang!
Is she trying to pass a message?
What is she planning here, by Qin Mu's side?
A wave of immense terror gripped Jiang Qingxue's heart, almost suffocating her.
Her blood seemed to freeze at that moment, and her scalp tingled.
Qin Mu is right in the middle!
He's a terrestrial deity!
Even if it seems to be asleep, who knows if this is another kind of test?
On Qinglan Mountain, he defended against enemies from afar and crippled a Celestial Phenomenon Realm elder with a few words; the shadow of Mo Shen's mysterious disappearance from Tingyu Manor...
These images flooded my mind.
No!
Absolutely not!
A look of intense horror flashed in Jiang Qingxue's eyes.
She bit her lower lip hard and shook her head with all her might, making a very slight shake of her head.
Xu Fenghua received it.
The glimmer of light that had just ignited in her eyes was abruptly extinguished when it met the deep fear in Jiang Qingxue's eyes!
She understood what Qingxue meant.
Here, any slight disturbance can be detected, and any secret communication can lead to unforeseen disasters.
Qin Mu's terror far exceeded their previous understanding.
She slowly closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, there was no longer any emotion in them.
The two of them stood silently facing each other in the dim light, against the backdrop of Qin Mu's even breathing.
Until the sky outside the window changed from dark black to a somber deep blue, the first faint crowing of a rooster could be heard in the distance.
Extreme mental stress and physical exhaustion finally overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.
In the moments before their consciousness sank into darkness, they almost simultaneously allowed themselves to fall into a brief and chaotic light sleep.
However, this sleep did not last long.
It felt like only a moment had passed, yet also like an eternity, when both of them simultaneously felt a gentle pat on their bodies.
The force wasn't strong, even carrying a hint of casual laziness, yet it jolted them awake like a thunderclap.
Qin Mu had woken up at some point and was propped up, looking down at them.
The morning light shone through the window paper, casting a soft outline of his face, but the usual ambiguous smile in his eyes had returned.
"Time to get up."
He spoke, his voice slightly hoarse with the characteristic urgency of early morning, calm and undisturbed, as if he were merely waking up his usual sleeping wives and concubines.
Xu Fenghua and Jiang Qingxue opened their eyes almost simultaneously. After a brief moment of confusion, a strong sense of reality, along with the memories of last night, crashed back down.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xu Fenghua responded first, her voice slightly hoarse, but she tried her best to remain calm.
She propped herself up on her arms and sat up. The neckline of her dark purple nightgown slipped slightly with the movement, but she quietly pulled it back up.
Jiang Qingxue's movements were a little slower.
She sat up, her body a little sore, her bright pink nightgown covering her completely. Head bowed, her long eyelashes concealing all emotion, she only whispered in response:
"Your Majesty, I obey."
A new day has begun.
.......
At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), before the morning light had fully penetrated the clouds, the imperial city was shrouded in a cool, bluish-gray hue.
Inside the sleeping quarters of Huaqing Palace, the heavy curtains were silently drawn back by the palace maids.
Morning light streamed through the carved window frames, casting dappled shadows on the carpet like scattered pieces of gold.
Xu Fenghua sat in front of the dressing table, her pale and serene face reflected in the bronze mirror.
She had changed into a formal deep purple palace dress with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. Her long hair was carefully styled into an intricate Lingyun bun by the palace maids, and a nine-phoenix crown was placed neatly on top of the bun.
Her makeup was exquisite and impeccable.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her lips like cherries dotted with rouge, and a light layer of rouge was applied to her cheeks, concealing the fatigue of a sleepless night.
But deep within those amber eyes lay a frozen, icy pool, its calm surface concealing an unfathomable depth.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready," the head palace maid reported in a low voice.
Xu Fenghua nodded slightly and slowly stood up.
The weight of her palace dress made it difficult for her to maintain her balance, requiring her to adjust her breathing.
The phoenix embroidered with gold thread gleamed with a dark luster in the morning light, as if it were about to take flight at any moment, yet was firmly bound by invisible chains.
She walked to the door of the bedroom and pushed it open.
A morning breeze swept over me, carrying the unique coolness of autumn and the crisp scent of grass and trees.
On both sides of the palace path, palace maids and eunuchs stood with their hands at their sides, their postures as submissive as soulless puppets.
Xu Fenghua straightened her back and stepped out of the bedroom.
His steps were steady and his posture dignified; every step was as precise as if it had been measured with a ruler.
.......
Meanwhile, the scene inside Yuxiu Palace was quite different.
Jiang Qingxue sat in front of the dressing table, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.
She looked at her pale and haggard face in the bronze mirror, her eyes filled with undisguised terror and panic.
"Your Highness, it's time to get ready," the palace maid Qiu'er reminded her cautiously.
Jiang Qingxue nodded slowly.
She closed her eyes and let the palace maids do her hair and makeup.
She donned a fuchsia palace gown, adorned her hair with a gold hairpin, and wore pearl earrings...
........
It was the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) in the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The interior of the hall was decorated in a solemn and elegant manner, with neatly arranged rosewood tables and chairs, landscape paintings by famous artists from previous dynasties hanging on the walls, and wisps of ambergris rising from a gilded incense burner in the corner.
Qin Mu sat in the main seat, still wearing that black robe with twelve embroidered symbols.
He simply removed the heavy twelve-tassel crown, and his long hair was loosely tied up with an ebony hairpin, with a few strands falling in front of his forehead, adding a touch of lazy and casual temperament to his appearance.
He rested his chin on his hand, his gaze lazily sweeping across the hall, as if waiting for an interesting show.
Xu Fenghua and Jiang Qingxue sat on either side.
Both women were dressed in formal palace attire, with exquisite makeup and dignified postures, looking like two well-behaved imperial concubines waiting to receive foreign guests.
But upon closer inspection, subtle differences can be observed—
Xu Fenghua sat upright, her hands folded on her knees, her chin slightly raised, maintaining the last vestiges of pride of a noblewoman and imperial concubine.
Her expression was calm to the point of being icy, with only a sharp glint occasionally flashing deep within her amber eyes.
Jiang Qingxue lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the palace fan, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.
He looked like a frightened rabbit, ready to jump up and run away at any moment.
The hall was completely silent.
Qin Mu's gaze slowly swept over the two concubines, a playful smile curving his lips.
"Nervous?" he suddenly asked, his voice as gentle as if he were chatting.
Xu Fenghua slightly raised her eyes: "Your Majesty, I was just... thinking about how to deal with Empress Li Yang."
Jiang Qingxue hurriedly raised her head, her voice barely audible: "This concubine...this concubine is meeting foreign guests for the first time, and I am somewhat... at a loss."
Qin Mu smiled and didn't press the matter.
Just then, the clear, melodious voice of the master of ceremonies came from outside the hall:
"Her Majesty the Empress of Liyang has arrived!"
The palace doors slowly opened.
A figure walked in slowly.