The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

When Tang Xixue stepped into the Mirror Water Palace, the light and shadows were hazy, and the gauze curtains hung lightly.

Three identical handsome faces were lined up in the light and shadow. Even though she was used to seeing stunning beauties, she was still dazzled by their uniform beauty.

"Cold in the morning, chilly in the evening."

She smiled, her soft voice brimming with surprise.

"You've arrived. It seems Yin Kong's message was reliable."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two afterimages flashed before him.

Chao Han and Mu Liang knelt on one knee, their eyes slightly red, like two loyal dogs who had finally found their master.

I wish I could kneel down and bury all the worries I've accumulated over the past few days in the dust.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

Tang Xixue took off her veil and casually draped it over the rack, then bent down to help them up.

"How come you've lost so much weight in just a few days? Are we so poor we've run out of food?"

She gazed at their pale faces, a look of heartache welling up in her eyes.

Mu Liang lowered her eyes and replied softly, "No."

He just couldn't eat.

Those days when I couldn't eat, the sleepless nights of anxiety, and the fear of never seeing her again were all hidden in this brief reply.

"His Highness has never mistreated us."

Chao Han added, his voice steady as ever, but his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the turbulent emotions he was experiencing.

"Eldest brother, third brother, it's time to change how you address me."

Yue Zhongtian spoke at the opportune moment, his tone solemn.

"The woman before us is none other than our Empress Zhiyue."

Chao Han and Mu Liang exchanged a glance, then knelt down again to pay their respects, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"Moon Clan Guardian, Yue Chaohan."

"Moon Clan Guardian, Moonlit Cool."

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Tang Xixue nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the dark bloodstains that had seeped into their robes, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Get up. Go apply the medicine first. I've only been gone a few days, and you've all ruined yourselves like this?"

Before the words were finished, a clear and languid voice drifted from the palace entrance.

"Wow, the triplets are all here."

Xingyu leaned against the door frame, her long, silvery-white hair shimmering in the candlelight, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Then let the three of them serve my sister together tonight. The bed in Mirror Water Palace is spacious enough for four people to lie down comfortably."

Yue Zhongtian was about to take his brothers to the side hall for bandaging when he heard this and froze on the spot.

Chao Han and Mu Liang were also stunned for a moment, unable to react.

"Serve what?"

"I'll take care of him another day; he's still injured."

Tang Xixue waved her hand gently, her voice as soft as the morning dew of early spring, clear and nonchalant.

As soon as the words were spoken, the three figures froze in shock.

In the candlelight, the blush on those three handsome faces quietly spread from their ears, seeping deep into their collars, like rouge spreading on rice paper.

They walked towards the side hall, their steps unsteady as if they were walking on clouds.

Yue Zhongtian tripped over the threshold and staggered to regain his balance.

Chao Han slammed into the door frame and groaned.

Mu Liang tripped over his own feet and almost fell straight in.

"Pfft."

Tang Xixue couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The laughter was sweet and clear, like a spring breeze carrying apricot blossom rain, rippling gently through the quiet hall.

"Tsk, he can't even walk steadily, he really can't take care of his younger sister."

Xingyu frowned, watching the three figures fleeing in disarray, her tone full of disgust.

"Then—will my brother come in person?"

Tang Xixue suddenly leaned closer, her slender, jade-like fingertips gently lifting Xingyu's chin.

Her starry eyes gazed at him, as if they held hooks that could steal his soul.

Xingyu's gaze paused slightly, and a sudden panic welled up in her usually aloof and distant eyes.

The candlelight illuminated his reddened earlobes, like red plum blossoms quietly blooming in the snow.

"Little Pearl... Brother will go and bring Emperor Shengchen here to warm your bed in a little while!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared from the spot in an instant.

A loud "bang" was heard from the direction of the inner hall.

The door opened and closed quickly and efficiently.

Tang Xixue looked at the tightly closed door and couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.

"Ha, still laughing at Ah Liang and the others."

She turned around and looked out at the empty hall, her tone a mixture of helplessness and amusement.

"Isn't my brother just as bad?"

A night breeze carries the faint fragrance of plum blossoms from afar.

"Am I that scary? They all run faster than rabbits."

She murmured to herself, but a subtle smile curved her lips.

After delivering the message, Yin Kong did not return to the palace but secretly slipped away to the Biluo Palace.

There was the scent of its younger brother there.

Kong Sangyu was reviewing information about the mountains and seas by candlelight when he suddenly saw a small white cat with blue stripes leap in through the window and pounce straight on the little white cat in its den.

The two little creatures rolled around in a ball, licking each other's fur, being incredibly affectionate.

"Where did this little kitten come from?"

He put down the file and watched the scene with great interest.

Bai Tang, who was usually arrogant and didn't like to pay attention to other kittens, was unusually docile at this moment.

"They're so close to Bai Tang?"

He named the little white cat Bai Tang, and the little guy was quite arrogant.

These days, he sold several pieces of intelligence about the Heavenly Punishment Hall and built a mountain outside the city, just to the left of the Weaving Moon Court.

They are now ordering the construction of cat shelters to provide a home for those homeless creatures.

Since Shan Hai was not good at killing, he quietly sold intelligence.

"Meow."

Bai Tang rubbed against his calf, her voice soft and sweet.

"Hmm? Xiao Tang, you're saying it's your older brother?"

Kong Sangyu lowered her eyes and looked at Yin Kong.

"You brothers are quite different. Your elder brother, with his appearance, must be quite popular in the cat world. As for you..." He paused, his tone indifferent, "you're considered ugly in the cat world."

Bai Tang immediately meowed in dissatisfaction.

"Meow~"

"Oh? Your elder brother looks exactly like you?"

Kong Sangyu understood its words, and a thought suddenly struck her.

He had seen Sister Zhi's little white cat before.

That night, it originally ran towards him, but was eventually given to his sister, Zhi, by his younger sister, Kongsangling.

"Your master is Sister Zhi, right?"

"That night, you were going to choose me, do you remember?"

Yin Kong flicked his tail, too lazy to pay attention to him, and focused on playing with his younger brother.

Kong Sangyu wasn't annoyed; he simply watched them quietly.

The intelligence from the mountains and seas is never wrong.

That night, when Sister Zhi was attacked, some birds witnessed a white cat trapped in the Heavenly Fire Formation with her.

"Wakaori-neechan's tanuki is still alive..."

His fingers tightened slightly as he held the intelligence, and something subtly lit up the depths of his blue eyes.

"Then Sister Zhi will surely escape this calamity as well."

"A person as good as her, even the wicked God can't easily take her away."

Kong Sangyu wasn't in a hurry.

He also has Bai Tang; he can send his younger brother to find his older brother when the time comes.

The heart that had sunk into the abyss finally surfaced and began to beat slowly.

"Sister Zhi..."

He gazed at the moonlight outside the window, his eyes softening.

"I didn't want to fight for it before."

"I don't care about the throne or power, all I want is to raise cats and bask in the sun."

He bent down and gently cupped Bai Tang in his palm, his fingertips stroking the soft downy fur.

"But if you're not here, there's no point in letting the sun shine."

"If you were still here..."

"Then let's have a go at it."

"If I win this fight, I'll be your protector."

"I lost the argument... Ha, how could I have lost?"

He glanced down at his slightly disheveled clothes, his fingertips gently smoothing out the wrinkles.

Turning around and walking into the inner hall, he took off his outer robe, which was stained with the night mist. As warm water brushed against his cheeks, a rare hint of unease appeared deep in his blue eyes.

Will I be able to see Sister Zhi at tonight's Mountain and River Banquet?

He held the jade flute, feeling somewhat uneasy.

I fear that this newly emerging glimmer of firefly light is nothing more than another fleeting illusion, a mere mirage.