Chapter 84: Visiting the Palace

That night, Ye Liyan, who had lived in the Duke’s Mansion for many years and suddenly changed to a new environment, was not used to the environment and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Shen Yian was a little tired from the tossing and turning, and finally, they were too tired and fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as the sky brightened, Shen Yian woke up. According to the rules, he had to go to the palace to pay his respects to the Emperor and Empress.

He turned his head to see Ye Liyan, who was still sleeping, her face flushed with a hint of shyness, her body leaning against his arm.

Hmm?

Shen Yian smiled mischievously and gently slid his fingers over Ye Liyan’s delicate skin, causing her to tremble slightly.

It seemed that someone was already awake, but was pretending to be asleep.

Thinking back to last night’s tossing and turning, Ye Liyan was already feeling embarrassed, and Shen Yian’s gentle touch made her lose her composure.

In an instant, Shen Yian felt like he was holding a warm and cozy treasure, and he asked softly, “Are you awake?”

“Uh-huh…”

Ye Liyan knew she had failed to pretend to sleep, and she responded with a hint of shyness, trying to sit up, but she felt a sudden pain and instinctively pressed her hand against Shen Yian’s chest.

“Liyan, it’s still early, let me help you heal your wounds,” Shen Yian said seriously, holding Ye Liyan’s hand.

It was only fair that he took responsibility for his actions, especially since he had hurt her and made her bleed.

Ye Liyan’s face turned bright red, and she nodded stupidly, agreeing to Shen Yian’s words.

The healing process went smoothly, and everything was fine. Shen Yian held Ye Liyan’s hand, and they walked out of the room together.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness,” Jinxiu and Jinlian bowed and greeted them.

The two women were Ye Liyan’s attendants, and from now on, they would be part of the King of Chu’s household.

Shen Yian nodded and instructed Mendu to take care of some trivial matters. Then, he and Ye Liyan separated to bathe and change their clothes, preparing to visit the palace.

“Ah…”

In the bathtub, Shen Yian used his fingers to create a three-foot-long sword out of water droplets.

The effects of the Two Qi Marrow Fruit and the dual cultivation method had not disappointed him.

Ye Liyan had successfully broken through to the mid-stage of the Free Realm from the Mysterious Realm in one night, and could have broken through to the half-step Heavenly Martial Realm in one go.

However, Shen Yian had suppressed her breakthrough, fearing that her foundation was not stable.

When her foundation was stable, she would naturally break through.

As for himself, he had attempted to enter the Divine Wandering Realm, and the breakthrough process had produced some unusual phenomena. Fortunately, he had set up a isolation formation in advance.

Had he succeeded?

He could only say that he had half succeeded. His Divine Wandering Realm was not perfect, but his strength had increased significantly, and he no longer needed to borrow a sword to defeat the barbarian king.

Last night, he had been too tired to think about the reasons.

This morning, he had finally realized the cause.

It was because his heart was not at peace, which affected his Divine Wandering Realm.

It was indeed difficult to achieve a perfect heart, and one could not force it.

Perhaps one day, he would suddenly understand something while eating, and his heart would become at peace.

Indeed, he was still too young.

After bathing, the two of them simply finished their breakfast and boarded the horse-drawn carriage to head to the imperial palace.

There was no morning court session today. Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Wu sat with his hands tapping the armrest in a rhythmic motion, his eyes half-closed, exuding an air of tranquility. Beside him sat a majestic woman in a phoenix-patterned robe, her demeanor elegant and refined.

She was Murong, the Empress of Great Qing, the mother of two children, and although she was nearing thirty-nine years old, her face and skin showed no signs of aging.

Before long, Shen Yian and Ye Liyan arrived, and Emperor Wu opened his eyes, sitting up straight, his gaze shifting towards the two of them.

“Your son and daughter-in-law have come to pay their respects to Your Majesty and the Empress!”

Shen Yian and Ye Liyan bowed, their knees touching the ground, their voices filled with respect.

Zhao Hai presented a tray with a red cloth, checking for any signs of menstruation.

After finding none, two eunuchs in red robes brought in two cups of tea, and the ritual of offering tea began.

The elaborate ceremony finally came to an end, and Empress Murong gave some polite instructions.

Shen Yian responded with a calm expression, showing no signs of emotion.

As the two of them left the hall, Emperor Wu’s large hand suddenly grasped Empress Murong’s hand, causing her to look at him in surprise.

“Your Majesty…”

“Do you regret it?” Emperor Wu asked, his face dark and his eyes slightly sunken.

Back then, Empress Murong had not participated in the case of the Xiao family, but as the mistress of the harem, she had tacitly approved of everything that had happened.

He was angry, he was sorrowful.

Everything had happened, and he could do nothing about it, because back then, he was an emperor who needed women to stabilize the situation, and he could only vent his anger on those who were insignificant.

“What’s the use of regret now?” Empress Murong asked with a bitter smile.

She knew that the Emperor had spent nineteen years nurturing a powerful and ruthless dragon, a dragon that could devour them all.

The Zhao family was already ruined, and everything they did now was just a futile struggle.

The two other noble consorts of the Zhao family were living in fear every day, and their fate was unknown, but the fate of their families was already clear.

The Murong family might be next, or perhaps they would be the last.

Should they inform them early and make a desperate last stand?

That would only lead to the Murong family’s downfall even faster.

The dragon was not to be feared, but the people who supported the dragon were.

He was no longer the emperor of the past, and several families had already taken things from him that needed to be repaid with interest.

In a few years, the so-called noble families would probably have already collapsed.

Empress Murong gazed deeply at Emperor Wu.

“Since there’s nothing else, stay and keep me company today.”

Emperor Wu pulled Empress Murong into his arms.

“Your… “

There was no need to respond, as Emperor Wu had already picked up Empress Murong and walked towards the back of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhao Hai quietly dispersed the eunuchs and palace maids to start cleaning up.

Meanwhile, Shen Yian led Ye Liyan to the Jin An Palace, the former residence of the Xiao family, where he had lived during his confinement.

After he left the palace, the place had become desolate and quiet, with only a few small eunuchs and palace maids coming to clean up every day.

In the large courtyard, a tall silver apricot tree stood tall, its branches full of lush green leaves, although it wasn’t autumn yet. Although it didn’t have the same eye-catching golden color as in autumn, it still evoked a different feeling.

Shen Yian stood in front of the tree, his thoughts gradually drifting away.

Ye Liyan quietly released Shen Yian’s hand and knelt down, speaking seriously, “Please don’t worry, Mother Xiao, I will…”

Shen Yian interrupted her, stretching out his hand to stop her.

“What are you doing, Liyan?” Shen Yian asked, laughing and helping Ye Liyan up.

“Husband…I…”

Shen Yian sighed and laughed, “This is just a relatively large silver apricot tree, Mother Xiao’s tomb is not here.”

Ye Liyan realized she had made a big mistake and wanted to explain, but her words got stuck in her throat due to nervousness.

“Mother Xiao will definitely know your intentions, you’re such a beautiful and understanding daughter-in-law, she’ll definitely like you.” Shen Yian put his arm around Ye Liyan and affectionately rubbed his forehead against hers.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you for a stroll around here.”

“Yes, husband…” Ye Liyan nodded obediently.