The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Ice hairpins hang from the eaves, snow strings evoke poetry.

Sunlight filters through the crevices of the artificial rockery, a gentle breeze suddenly rises, swirling up a few plum petals, carrying with them delicate, glistening snowflakes, like scattered verses of time.

"Brother Xuan Yin, just now... you scared Zhi Zhi."

Tang Xixue looked up, her eyes still showing a slight tremor like a startled deer, but her voice had returned to its soft and gentle tone.

"Um."

Tang Xiye lowered her eyes, and the turbulent darkness in her eyes receded like a tide, turning into a gentle, apologetic ripple.

"It's my brother's fault."

He raised his hand, his fingertips brushing against the slightly disheveled strands of hair by her cheek, the movement as light as touching ice:

"What kind of compensation does Zhizhi want?"

He paused, then seemed to remember something, a very faint smile playing on his lips:

"And there's what we agreed on last time—if you pass the annual exam, I'll grant you a promise. Zhizhi, have you thought it through yet?"

The girl's eyes suddenly lit up, like a star suddenly bursting forth in the dark night.

She tiptoed closer to his ear, her breath as sweet as plum blossom petals:

"Zhizhi wants—"

His deliberately drawn-out tone revealed a sly glint in his eyes:

"Brother Xuan Yin".

"Are you going to give it to me or not?"

Her voice was soft and lingering, more beautiful than the first drizzle on the eaves of spring, and more subtle than the fragrance floating on a snowy night.

Each word is like a hook formed from honey frost, gently scratching at the heart.

Tang Xiye's eyes suddenly darkened.

His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, and he abruptly turned his face away, a hint of tension creeping into his voice:

"Zhizhi, stop fooling around."

"Change to another one."

"That--"

Tang Xixue blinked, her starry eyes staring straight into his unfathomable pupils.

"Zhizhi wants her imperial brother to forge a sword for her personally."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding air fell silent for a moment.

The Tangxi royal family established themselves through swordsmanship; their ancestors were a renowned ancient sword-making clan throughout the Nine Provinces.

The clan's members have been practicing weapon crafting since childhood, and the unwritten ancient covenant has long been ingrained in their blood—

Only for the love of one's life will one pour one's heart and soul into forging a sword by hand, and present it to the bride on their wedding night, symbolizing entrusting each other with life and death, and sharing honor and disgrace.

Swords forged by the emperor himself have always been given only to... the Empress Dowager, to whom the Phoenix Seal belongs.

Tang Xiye gazed at her silently.

Knowing full well that this request was presumptuous and transgressive, bordering on heresy.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant like an ancient bell:

"it is good."

A single word carries immense weight.

"My brother is the best! Of all the good things in the world, none can compare to even a fraction of what my brother is good."

A bright smile instantly bloomed in Tang Xixue's eyes, like the first ray of dawn.

She reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, then pointed to the string of shimmering, deep blue beads around her neck:

"And also—could you please investigate the origin of this necklace for me, Your Majesty? I want to know...where I came from."

She looked up, her eyes clear as a mirror:

"My youngest uncle said he found me in the snowstorm of the North. My elder brother has connections everywhere; surely... he already knew that I was the one who switched me into the palace?"

She knew her imperial brother all too well.

This seemingly gentle and kind emperor was actually meticulous and controlling at heart.

"Um."

Tangxi responded softly in the still night, her knuckles slightly clenching beneath her black and gold dragon-patterned sleeves.

"If it weren't for the fact that he sent you to my side—do you think I would have tolerated Bei Chenji's rebellious nature?"

He never hides his control.

Yuan Qi, the most trusted confidant of the Prince of Beichen, was a hidden pawn he had planted many years ago.

The so-called assassins in the mansion were actually all members of the royal family's shadow guards.

He had given Beichen Jisheng a path—to be law-abiding and live up to the honors of a prince;

If there is any disturbance, the first person to take his life will be the one he trusts most.

The art of rulership has always been a mixture of compassion and ruthlessness.

"Your Majesty's vision is boundless; in this grand game of chess across the Nine Provinces, only Your Majesty moves with composure."

Tang Xixue smiled radiantly, her eyes brimming with unreserved pride.

"My elder brother is the most amazing."

Her elder brother was a brilliant strategist, the North Star that never faded in the hearts of the princes, and the towering mountain that supported the empire.

There is only one weakness—it is her.

If it weren't for the transmigrated woman who possessed her body secretly poisoning her, how could her brother have been seriously injured and fell into a coma, thus being plotted against?

Even in that situation, the emperor, poisoned and unconscious, remained an unshakable faith in the hearts of the kings.

They kept the blood oath they made in their youth before their ancestors in the ancestral temple—to assist the holy ruler, guard the mountains and rivers, and protect the people.

No one seized the opportunity to usurp power, and no one harbored any disloyal thoughts.

The strategist Yan Ci orchestrated the plans from behind the scenes;

Prince Rui, Tangxi Moxing, rushed back from Mohai County overnight to take charge of the overall situation;

Even the Empress Dowager, who lived deep within the Huguo Temple, personally went to the Divine Medicine Valley to seek help from the successor of the Ghost Doctor...

The Tangxi royal family is an unbreakable unit, and this is no exaggeration.

Now that she has regained her rights, how could she bear to point the blade in her hand at her most cherished brother?

"If I cannot protect Zhizhi," Tang Xiye gazed at her, his voice like a solemn vow, "I am useless."

He reached out and smoothed her slightly disheveled snow-white cloak:

"Let's go. If you really want to find out about your background, let Yan Ce help you—the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion always has extraordinary methods."

He always doted on her to the extreme.

I had considered investigating her before, but when she was transferred to the palace, she had nothing else.

The woven moon necklace was collected by Bei Chenji, and even An Ziyuanqi did not know that it belonged to Tang Xixue.

Now that we have a token, we have a direction.

"This thing..." Tang Xiye's gaze swept over the dark blue hue between her collarbones, his voice pausing slightly, "...it seems to be a pattern from the Kingdom of Zhiyue."

At this point, his gaze abruptly shifted away as if he had been burned.

With the girl's clothes slightly loose, her white, jade-like collarbone shone brightly in the snow, and her exquisite curves already possessed a breathtaking charm.

His Zhizhi has really grown up.

His throat tightened for no reason, and he subtly took a half-step back.

"Okay, I understand."

Tangxi Xue was completely unaware, lifting her skirt and gracefully turning out of the shadow of the artificial hill.

Someone was waiting quietly by the bamboo grove.

She wore a white robe with ink patterns and wide sleeves, her long silver-gray hair was half-tied into a silver ink crown, and the black and silver patterned hair ribbons hanging down swayed gently in the wind.

The man held an unfurled bamboo folding fan, standing in the sparse snowlight, like a light ink painting.

When still, he is like a refined scholar engaging in quiet conversation under the moon; when in motion, he is like a sharp brilliance illuminated by candlelight in a tent.

Yan Ci, courtesy name, Yan Ce.

He was gentle and composed, a strategist who planned and strategized in the imperial court, and also sharp and insightful, as well as the head of the Tianji Pavilion in charge of intelligence.

One person with two sides, wielding sharp words as a blade and possessing wisdom and strategy as a soul.

"A-Ce!" A smile appeared in Tang Xixue's eyes.

"It's been a long time, Your Highness." Yan Ci bowed slightly, fan in hand, a smile as warm as spring ice melting. "Oh, by the way..."

He looked up, his silvery-gray pupils reflecting the snow's light and her clear silhouette. Each word he uttered was gentle and clear:

"I forgot to mention—welcome back."

Sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds and through the sparse and dense green bamboo, casting dappled, shimmering golden shadows on his shoulders.

The strategist Yan Ci stood at the boundary between light and darkness, his smile concealing a clear understanding of everything and the warmth of a long-awaited reunion.

"A-Ce is as smart as ever."

Tang Xixue took a few steps closer, carrying her ice-blue flowing fairy dress, her snow-white velvet cloak trailing behind her like a snow butterfly spreading its wings.

"It's really likable."

The aquamarine necklace on her forehead swayed gently with her movements, casting dappled light; the ice crystal pendants by her ears occasionally brushed against the side of her neck, making a soft, melodious sound.

The faint, ethereal fragrance of spring snow and crabapple blossoms mingled with the snowy air of the bamboo forest, making her seem otherworldly and ethereal.

"Cough." Yan Ce took three steps back the instant she approached, and his folding fan opened halfway, barely covering the lower half of his face.

"Your Highness, please maintain a distance of three zhang from me—"

He glanced up at the direction of the artificial hill, his tone sincere yet revealing a strong desire to survive:

"I do not wish to be burned to ashes by Your Majesty's jealousy, nor do I wish to kneel in this freezing snow... to experience firsthand the unpredictable power of a monarch."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already gracefully disappeared into the depths of the bamboo shadows, their white robes fluttering as they vanished without a trace.

Only two faint footprints remained on the snow, and a lingering sound in the wind that seemed like a sigh or a laugh.

"Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."

"Ha ha……"

Tang Xixue stood there, stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Laughter rippled through the air like silver bells, and she lightly followed after him, her toes barely touching the ground.

The icy blue gauze sleeves rippled in the wind, startling a handful of white petals from the bamboo tips, which then softly covered the path they had come from.

"A-Ce, don't rush off!"

Her voice still held a lingering smile, like a string of jade beads suddenly rolling down the snow.