Proofreader: Prof. Zhu Yuan

The Emperor was trying to get released from his pent-up fury as he heard some noise from outside. He roared: “Who is making noise over there!”

“Your Majesty, Princess Changle is coming over.” The eunuch reported with his voice trembling. The Emperor frowned in anger. Wearing a sullen look, he asked: “Who sent her here?”

The eunuch froze. He could not possibly know why Princess Changle was off her nut.

“Father, I’m going to the Yun Palace to see my uncle. He was attacked by an assassin. I need some escorts. I’m going to the Yun Palace right now!”Princess Changle had her mind all set on seeing Beiming Xuan, in reckless disregard of courtesy. Ridding herself of the guards following her, she rushed into the Imperial Study, and not even realized she should have had someone report to the Emperor in advance.

The Emperor frowned as he looked at Princess Changle. He even doubted whether he had heard her correctly: “Who are you going to see?”

“My uncle, indeed! He was attacked by an assassin in the Yun Palace. Did you know that?”Princess Changle said with obvious distress, not even noticing that the Emperor was pulling a long face.

“Who told you that? The Empress did? Who allowed you to go to the Yun Palace?”The Emperor stared at Princess Changle frostily as he managed to restrain his anger. Princess Changle was getting anxious.

She took a step forward and answered immediately: “I heard that from my mother, and I appointed myself to see my uncle.”

“Bastard! Somebody pulls her out!”The Emperor was filled with fury. “Send my message! Get the Empress here!”

What happened to Beiming Xuan had already infuriated the Emperor. The foolish acts of his wife made him even angrier. Seeing Beiming Xuan fawning over him? Fine, the Emperor decided to do something to let everyone know he, rather than Beiming Xuan, was the ruler of Tiansheng.

“Father, father, I’m going to the Yun Palace to see my uncle! He was attacked by the assassin!”Princess Changle was so stupid that the Emperor was getting more furious. His eyes flashed with rage.

The Emperor pounded the table hard and shouted in disregard of all formality: “Go tell the Empress, take off her phoenix coronet before she comes!”

Taking off the phoenix coronet would mean that the Empress would be stripped of her title. The eunuch standing beside who was responsible for sending the Emperor’s edict froze with horror. How came the Emperor suddenly thought of stripping the Empress of her title? Princess Changle, who kept asking for permission to meet Beiming Xuan, also froze.

“Father..”

“I’m here to see Your Majesty with respect!”

Princess Changle was interrupted by a resounding voice. The Emperor was getting more infuriated when he saw that man kneel down in front of him. He shouted in anger: “What are you doing? Also going to visit your uncle? You have truly received a good education from the Empress!”

“Father, it was mother who sent me here.”Beiming Ting, the seventh son of the Emperor, knelt down on the ground. He dressed himself in an embroidered robe, with an elegant bearing. He maintained his composure despite those harsh words from the Emperor.

With a murderous look in his eyes, the Emperor said angrily: “Fine, fine, Xiao Yulan, you are my good wife. It was very kind of you to send another one to persuade me!”

“Father, my mum was worrying Changle was likely to make you angry, since sometimes Changle could not make her point. So my mum decided to send me here to further explain what she meant.”Beiming Ting said as if he did not notice the Emperor’s sullen face. He gave Princess Changle a hard stare and said in resigned tone: “Father, Changle doesn’t know how to make her point. I’m afraid you have misunderstood her.”

“Interesting..”the Emperor sneered. “Have I misunderstood her? Changle said it was your mother that allowed her to see the Prince in the Yun Palace.”

Upon hearing that, Princess Changle wanted to make a retort. Silly as she was, she knew she had better say nothing. She felt it was not the right time to retort. Moreover, Beiming Ting’s hard stare truly scared her.

Beiming Ting, however, nodded his head: “It was no other than my mum.”

“Since it was precisely her intention, then why did you say I had misunderstood her? Somebody gets Xiao Yulan here!” The Emperor shouted in anger. He was calling the Empress by her name. Obviously, the Emperor was going to impose severe punishment upon her.

Beiming Ting stopped the eunuch who was responsible for sending the Emperor’s edict. He cupped one hand in the other and said to the Emperor: “Father, I would like to speak with you privately.”

“I don’t want to!”The Emperor answered.

Harboring such deep hatred for Beiming Xuan, he had almost decided to strip the Empress of her title. An emperor wouldn’t bear any embarrassment. What Empress Xiao did was a great humiliation for the Emperor.

“Father, the assassination attempt in the Yun Palace implicated numerous people, and my uncle is quite enigmatic. I guess you are pretty anxious now.”Upon hearing Beiming Ting’s words, the Emperor’s sullen face suddenly froze. He gazed at Beiming Ting for a while before he waved his hands and said: “All keep off the room except him.”

“What did you know?”The Emperor’s unfathomable-looking eyes were fixed on Beiming Ting.

Beiming Ting smiled: “I didn’t know anything. I came to share your burdens. I guess you care deeply about my uncle’s health, since you truly cherish your ties of brotherhood. You must be eager to know what is going on in the Yun Palace. However, my uncle was protected by so many guards, making it difficult for you to acquire more information. No one is skillful enough to be able to approach him. Changle, however, is an exception.”

The Emperor got his point: “Sending Changle to the Yun Palace?”

“Princess Changle is rash and reckless. You could not possibly stop her if she sets her mind on visiting her uncle.”Beiming Ting kept reading the Emperor’s countenance as he said unhurriedly.

Indeed! Princess Changle was the prime candidate. He needed to rack his brains to fabricate an adequate explanation for sending anyone to the Yun Palace, except for Princess Changle, because nobody could stop a willful person like her!

Seeing the Emperor was slightly recovering himself, Beiming Ting continued: “A willful person like Changle often acts impulsively. She hopes to be on intimate terms with uncle. As a member of an elder generation, our uncle knows it would be rude to refuse to see her.”

This time, the Emperor gave a nod of agreement.

Princess Changle was a younger member of the royal family. A little girl like her would not be viewed as a threat. It seemed that only Princess Changle could have much contact with Beiming Xuan without arousing suspicion. What’s more, she was not smart enough to give a distorted account of what she had experienced. The Emperor could, therefore, make use of Princess Changle to keep watch on what Beiming Xuan was doing.

Beiming Xuan had given a detailed account of that assassination attempt by letter. As the Emperor of Tiansheng, Beiming Xuan’s elder brother, he was honor bound to express his sympathy and solicitude by sending someone to meet Beiming Xuan.

And Princess Changle was the prime candidate.

“Your mother came up with that idea?”The Emperor gazed at Beiming Ting with a look of deep significance.

Beiming Ting didn’t claim the credit. He was the son of the Emperor’s legal wife, so he could share the credit with the Empress. The Emperor would have a better opinion of both of them if either of them did something favorable to him.

“It was truly my mother who came up with that idea. She was worrying Changle’s improper wording might make you angry, so she sent me to further explain.”

The Emperor smiled satisfactorily. He was glowing with pride: “My dear wife is virtuous. Award my wife 10 huof pearls. She could use them to decorate the phoenix coronet.”

“I would like to express gratefulness on behalf of my mother.”Beiming Ting said.

The Emperor nodded his head. He looked at Beiming Ting, with his eyes glistening as if something suddenly occurred to him. Then he said: “I will assign this task to you.”

“I will obey your command!”

Beiming Ting started to make arrangements for Princess Changle’s visit to the Yun Palace. The news spread to the Yun Palace.

“The Emperor sent Princess Changle to see you? Was he..”Was he too na?ve? Ning Chao cast a glance at his lord. Did Beiming Xuan ever show pity and care for women?

Never!

“She is courting her death.”Beiming Xuan said coldly.

Ning Chao shivered with fear. He could not help but start to worry about Princess Changle.