Mo Qianqiu put down the chisel and half-finished eagle wings in her hands, and said, "Does Your Highness know what my name means?"
"What does it mean?"
"Tianxuan."
Tianxuan is one of the seven stars of the Big Dipper!
Hearing the expected answer, Qin Zhao was very happy and asked again: "Then do you know Ziwei, the Emperor Star?"
Mo Qianqiu shook her head: "I don't know."
Qin Zhao was slightly disappointed, and immediately heard Mo Qianqiu say: "When I was eight or nine years old, I saw my father burn an ancient book.
When cleaning up the ashes, I saw the two characters Ziwei on the remaining pages."
Qin Zhao asked urgently: "What was that book called? Why did your father burn it?"
Mo Qianqiu said: "During my free time, I asked my father the same questions.
He only said that as a family heirloom that had been passed down for thousands of years in the Mo family, he originally wanted to pass it on to me, but accidentally saw a prophecy recorded in it!
My father said the prophecy was extremely unorthodox. If it was seen by someone with ulterior motives, it would likely bring disaster. So he burned it to ashes."
The prophecy Mo Qianqiu mentioned must be related to Ziwei, the Emperor Star!
Qin Zhao looked forward to the arrival of the fifteenth day of the fifth month even more, hoping Wei Chen would be able to solve her puzzles and not disappoint her.
Qin Zhao asked: "Anything else?"
Mo Qianqiu: "No more."
The Nangong family had a way to find Ziwei, the Emperor Star, and the Mo family should too, but her father even burned the family heirloom.
Of course he would no longer care about Ziwei, the Emperor Star.
But Qin Zhao believed that, imperceptibly, the will of heaven had its own arrangements.
She only needed to quietly wait for the outcome.
Qin Zhao patted Mo Qianqiu on the shoulder and said, "I won't disturb you anymore. I will go back to my yard and rest first."
Mo Qianqiu: "Farewell, Your Highness."
In her half-asleep half-awake state that night, Qin Zhao heard the sound of her window being lowered.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw a figure standing in front of her bed.
"Who is it? Qi Yan Su Luo?"
"It's me. I'm afraid of the dark. Can I sleep with you?"
"When you lived alone in your small yard, you were fine. How come you're afraid of the dark now?
Go back. I like to sleep alone."
Qi Yan Su Luo let out a soft hum, ignoring Qin Zhao's rejection, and climbed into bed beside her.
Qin Zhao helplessly said: "Fine, just go to sleep properly. Don't disturb my sleep, don't snore or grind your teeth or kick the quilt."
Qi Yan Su Luo complied: "I understand."
Qin Zhao closed her eyes and slept for some time. Suddenly, she felt the hem of her inner garment lifted up.
A hand reached in, first lingering around her abdomen.
Then it grew bolder, slowly moving up and pressing on her softness.
It intentionally, unintentionally stroked and touched.
If she didn't stop it, would it start kneading?
Qin Zhao could endure no more and said, "If you want to do something, stop beating around the bush."
Qi Yan Su Luo pressed her down and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
...
When she woke up again, it was almost noon. Ling Long came to wake her up, but was unsuccessful after calling her several times.
Qi Yan Su Luo had left. After Qin Zhao got dressed and opened the door, she saw Ling Long anxiously walking back and forth outside. Seeing her, she immediately paid her respects: "Greetings to Your Highness."
Qin Zhao said: "Rise."
"Your Highness, will you be having breakfast or lunch? This servant will go prepare it now."
Qin Zhao thought to herself: this sentence seems to be mocking me...
"Just prepare lunch. Have someone go change the bedsheets."
"Yes."
After Qin Zhao finished her lunch, she headed as usual to Mo Qianqiu's yard. On the way she ran into Ling Long, and saw she wanted to say something but hesitated. Qin Zhao asked: "What are you thinking about?"
Ling Long hemmed and hawed, "Your Highness, last night, did you...
wet the bed?"
Before she could finish, she hastily stopped herself, "Never mind, this servant will go do her chores now."
Ling Long ran off swiftly, still somewhat afraid. If she had said it outright, her head might be in danger!
As she rubbed her chest, she thought: She still had to remind Dong Rui, who was changing the bedsheets for Her Highness, that this matter must not be told to anyone!
Qin Zhao blithely arrived at Mo Qianqiu's yard, completely unaware of the great waves she had unintentionally set off in Ling Long's heart.
In the following days, Qi Yan Su Luo came on time every night to make waves in Qin Zhao's bed.
Ling Long no longer let anyone approach Qin Zhao's room. She personally came every day to change and wash the sheets.
The servants in the manor were all surprised that Ling Long, the princess manor's head female servant, suddenly competed with the maids to do chores.
It gave them no small sense of crisis.
As Mo Qianqiu fitted the carved eagle wings into the eagle body, she said to Qin Zhao: "Your Highness, go back and rest for a while.
You haven't even been here for half an incense stick's time, and you've already yawned thirty-seven times."
Qin Zhao shook her head: "No need."
"Has Your Highness not been sleeping well these past few days?
The dark circles under your eyes are almost the same color as your pupils."
Qin Zhao yawned again and said, "It's nothing, just tiredness. I guess it's because I'm still growing, so I need more sleep."
Mo Qianqiu: "..."
502: "Host, you're already eighteen, an adult!"
Qin Zhao: "Some people still grow taller at twenty-five. What's wrong with me growing my body at eighteen?"
502: "Host, you can fool Mo Qianqiu, but don't fool yourself.
Speaking of which, the female lead serves you so diligently every night, she must like you. Can we declare your task a success?"
Qin Zhao: "Little system is so naive.
Don't forget, Qi Yan Su Luo has a history of seducing the male lead in the original book.
She has just changed her target of seduction to me.
I'm suffering unspeakably. She spends hours tormenting me every night, and I can't show any rejection."
"Why not?"
"If she senses my refusal, she might think she has no power to attract me.
With her anything-goes approach to achieve her goals, she may turn to seek someone else, like the male lead."
502 exclaimed: "Then host you have to perform well!"
Qin Zhao: "No kidding, no need for you to say it."
On the fifth day after Qi Yan Su Luo moved into the princess manor, rumors spread within the residence.
That day, Qin Zhao lay on a reclining chair in the yard basking in the sun.
Ling Long reported everything she had heard to her in full.
"Your Highness, should this servant go drive away those loose-tongued servants?"
Qin Zhao waved her hand, "No need. Just some idle gossip, I don't take it seriously."
Moreover, some of it was factual.
She did like women, and she did bring Qi Yan Su Luo to the princess manor.
The rumors were so true she was too embarrassed to refute them.
A little maid hurriedly knelt in front of Qin Zhao and said, "Your Highness, Eunuch Liu conveys an imperial edict from His Majesty summoning you to immediately enter the palace and attend an audience."
"I understand."
Qin Zhao got up, went back inside to change clothes, then took the carriage entering the palace...
·
Jingyang Palace
Qin Zhao paid her respects, "Your child minister pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Rise."
After glancing at Zhou Quande, Qin Zheng said: "You may sit."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhou Quande moved a stool over for Qin Zhao.
After Qin Zhao sat down, Qin Zheng spoke: "I heard you brought the Princess of the Western Lin Kingdom to your residence?"
Qin Zhao: "Replying to Your Majesty, yes."
"Send her back to her original place tomorrow."
An emperor's words were law, not to be refuted.
Yet Qin Zhao said: "Your Majesty, your child wishes to keep her by my side."
"Insolence!"
Qin Zheng casually grabbed a wooden box and hurled it at Qin Zhao!
Qin Zhao did not dodge, taking the box's blow head-on.
Blood oozed from her forehead, flowing down her cheeks and dripping onto her palace dress, going drip-drop.
The box fell to the ground and split in two, and the pills inside slowly rolled to her feet...
