The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

In the distance, the wind blows across the sea, which sparkles like scattered diamonds, creating layers of silvery white waves.

On the high pavilion of the Weaving Moon Palace.

Tang Xixue sat upright by the window, holding a cup of tea in her hands.

The wisps of tea smoke enveloped half of her delicate profile.

The smoke swirled gently around her eyes and brows, as if through a thin veil, making it difficult to see clearly.

Only in those eyes, when they occasionally lift up for a fleeting moment, can one glimpse the galaxy flowing within.

"The financial power of the Maritime Kingdom is actually in the hands of Zong Lantai."

She lowered her eyes and flipped through the intelligence report on the Sea Kingdom in her hand, the dense handwriting flashing past her eyes one by one.

The rustling sound of the paper turning was as light as the wind blowing through a bamboo forest.

"Tianxingque has had a really tough time these past few years, but my brother still went to great lengths to buy Yunzhi at an exorbitant price..."

Her gaze lingered on that line of text for a moment.

Yunzhi.

That's medicine for Xiyin.

It is worth a fortune.

Even in the face of hardship, Xingyu never lacked her medicine.

Little did I know...

"Your Majesty, the elders have been kneeling for a long time. Shall we summon them?"

Yuezhongtian came and asked a question.

"What's the rush? If they want to see me, they should naturally show their sincerity."

Tang Xixue lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath them.

She looked up and gazed at the ground outside the palace gate.

There, seven figures knelt upright.

"Since they keep claiming loyalty to the Moon Clan, then let the bright sun and earth judge for me!"

"Your Majesty is wise."

Yue Zhongtian felt that His Majesty was right.

The seven elders of Zonglantai knelt in neat rows.

The sun was blazing, and sweat beaded on their hats, soaking their robes so that they clung to their bodies.

But no one dared to make a move.

They didn't even dare to raise their hands to wipe their sweat.

They knelt devoutly, respectfully, as if they were truly welcoming their master.

But Tangxi Xue knows.

They probably harbored deep resentment and hatred for each other.

That hatred was hidden deep in the depths of his eyes, between his lowered brows, and in every seemingly submissive breath.

But on the surface, they still have to pretend to be loyal.

It’s really hard for them.

"Looks like they knelt quite well."

Tang Xixue withdrew her gaze, a slight smile curving her lips.

The arc was very light, as light as a feather falling.

"A reward will be given."

Her voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Let them kneel down a little more, so they'll know what it means to be different between ruler and subject."

They may or may not have realized the difference between ruler and subject.

But the emperor's power is unpredictable, and they now remember it vividly.

The wind blows outside the window.

The seven aged figures stood motionless in the wind, like seven stone sculptures.

Tang Xixue picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

The aroma of the tea, with its frost-covered buds and icy leaves, melts on the tip of the tongue, carrying a subtle sweetness.

"Zhizhi is right."

Xie Jinlian was watching the intelligence report from a short distance away.

He was originally a hermit immortal from Kunlun, and knew almost nothing about the outside world.

"Your Majesty, the intelligence is all here. If you have any further instructions, please let me know."

Wen Song stood to one side.

"Um."

Those conflicts, those power struggles, those treacherous human natures—none of them ever concerned Xie Jinlian.

But for the sake of his little apprentice, he was willing to venture into the mortal world.

I wish to read all the books and stories of this world, and to experience the depths of the hearts of all beings.

"The mortal world is a wordless book, and we are all poets who write its inscriptions."

His youngest disciple is still deep in the turbulent world.

He can't remain forever aloof and detached from worldly affairs.

At this moment, he lowered his eyes and flipped through the files in his hands, his long silver hair slipping down his shoulders, gleaming like the first snowflakes in the light.

Occasionally, he would look up at Tang Xixue.

"By the way, I have heard some recent news from various countries."

Wen Song's voice rang out, clean and clear.

The light purple robe exudes a gentle temperament.

He brought over intelligence from Kunlun Ruins about the Nine Provinces and only spoke about the important points.

"The Prince of Beichen led his army to raze many cult strongholds, but was met with a fierce counterattack from the cults."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"Shi Yin, a spy from the Heavenly Punishment Hall serving the Northern Star King, has betrayed him. The Northern Star King is seriously injured and his life hangs in the balance."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue frowned slightly.

"Is the young imperial uncle seriously injured?"

She couldn't help but feel a little worried.

But the next moment, she asked someone else.

"Is my elder brother well?"

Wen Song nodded slightly.

"Emperor Shengchen was hunting down a Heavenly Punishment Envoy from the Heavenly Punishment Hall and was unharmed. However, the capital city of Baiyu is now in a state of panic and turmoil."

Tang Xixue's eyes flickered slightly.

The wind howled and cranes cried, and the whole city was in turmoil.

She could imagine what the place where she grew up looked like now.

"In addition, General Feng Zhuo has been urgently dispatched to the northern border, supposedly to carry out secret military missions."

Wen Song continued to report.

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue's eyes flickered slightly.

Her burning.

That passionate young man whose smile was like the warm spring sun.

His feelings are the most sincere.

Being sent to the North is fine too.

At least, the closed military camp there shouldn't know about her situation.

They have no idea what she went through last night.

They would never have known that her life was hanging by a thread.

She never knew—she might never be able to go back.

They may never see each other again.

She couldn't hear what he said about their next meeting, or what he was going to tell her...

She lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting emotion that crossed them.

"Menghua has also changed its usual neutral stance and participated in the crackdown on the cult."

Wen Song's voice continued to come through.

"The Starry Sky Empire, the Other Shore Divine Kingdom, the Cloud River Empire, and the other three empires have acted in such unison for the first time, with their swords all pointed at the cult."

"The Mountain and Sea Alliance, which has been protecting itself for many years, has finally stepped into the fray this time."

His voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"The most surprising thing is still the Seventh Pavilion."

He paused.

"That legendary physician, who always sits alone on the high platform, actually issued an exorbitant bounty on the Heavenly Punishment Hall. It can be said that this has caused a huge uproar, after all, the Seven Generations Pavilion is the wealthiest in the Nine Provinces."

Tang Xixue was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

She looked up and gazed at Wen Song.

"Are they... all so righteous?"

"I never noticed before."

She lowered her eyes and looked at the cup of tea in her hand.

The tea smoke was still rising, blurring her features.

"Especially that black-hearted little dumpling and that poisonous little madman, they're clearly not good people..."

Her voice was soft, filled with doubt and confusion.

Xie Jinlian spoke slowly.

"Perhaps it's a sudden pang of conscience."

His voice was very faint, as faint as a breeze.

He knows.

He knew why Si Xingxuan had gone mad.

I know why Kong Sangyu went to sea.

I know why those people suddenly changed their attitude.

Not because of justice.

It's because of her.

But he simply downplayed it, turning those who went mad for love into those who rid the people of a scourge.

"I see. I didn't realize they had such great love in their hearts. I misjudged them before."

Tangxi Xue suddenly realized.

Last night, the aloof and detached physician Si Xingxuan was observing the mortal world from a high vantage point. Now, in front of his elder brother Si Xingzhou, he wept with tears in his eyes.

"elder brother--"

His voice was fragmented, like fallen petals crushed in the wind.

"Junior Martial Aunt...she was murdered. Those lunatics, they deserve to go to hell."

Every word was choked with sobs, squeezed out from deep in his throat, tinged with blood.

"Waaaaah—"

Si Xingxuan, who was once as pure and aloof as a rare orchid in a secluded valley, was reduced to dust at this moment.

His complexion, which had just begun to recover, was now as pale as paper, with not a trace of color on his lips.

He was like a shattered jade sculpture, scattered like glass, never to be pieced back together to its former glory.

"Zhizhi, she was perfectly fine yesterday."

He cried, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded, each word broken, each sentence stained with tears.

"She was perfectly fine..."

He raised his head and looked at Si Xingzhou.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her clothes and spreading out in a dark hue.

"Her name is still prominently displayed on the list of those who have served the emperor for eternity. Can't her accumulated merits over countless lifetimes buy her a sliver of hope?"

He looked at his brother, his eyes filled with utter bewilderment and despair.

Why?

His voice softened, becoming as soft as a falling feather.

Why treat her like this?

After a pause, the voice became even softer, so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"I didn't even have time to... say sorry to her."

As soon as he finished speaking, he cried like a child.