The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Your Majesty, this servant truly did put away those Buddhist beads and jade pendants safely."

Granny Lan's face turned pale, and she knelt down with her knees bent, her forehead touching the ground, her voice filled with fear and grievance.

She had served the Empress Dowager for over thirty years and had never made such a mistake before.

Now that the contents of the brocade box have vanished, she is more anxious than anyone else.

"Military Advisor Yan, investigate thoroughly."

The Empress Dowager's voice turned cold, and her usually kind face was now covered with a layer of frost.

"Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground in the entire Jade Capital, we will find it."

Her gaze fell on the empty brocade box in her hand.

Just as Yan Ci guessed, the begonia jade pendant was the one that Tang Xixue grasped during her first birthday celebration, the first object she actively grabbed after coming into this world.

She tied it to her Buddhist prayer beads and wore it close to her body for more than 20 years, never taking it off day or night.

She had twirled each of those prayer beads hundreds of times, and each one was imbued with her prayers.

Jade is the best for nourishing the soul; it is something the soul likes to cling to.

This small jade pendant, bearing the love and expectations of a mother for twenty years, is very likely to contain the soul of the Snow Queen of Tangxi.

But they've disappeared.

"My lord, I obey your order."

Yan Ci's expression was also solemn.

From the very beginning, he identified several items that were most likely to be possessed by a soul, with the begonia jade pendant being the most prominent.

That was the thing the little princess grabbed during her first birthday celebration; it was her first connection with the world, the first stroke of her destiny.

But no matter how much he planned, he never expected it to be stolen.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, A-Ce."

Tang Xixue looked up at him, her eyes like misty rain, carrying a light sorrow, yet seemingly hiding the stars in the Milky Way.

When that gaze fell on Yan Ci, he felt as if his heart had been gently squeezed.

He can't refuse anything; he just wants to grant her whatever she asks for.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely find out where it is."

Yan Ci's voice softened slightly, but it was even more resolute than before.

He immediately took the brocade box, his slender fingers gently tracing the edge of the lid and the creases of the lining, not missing a single minute detail.

After completing the inspection, he slightly raised his hand and waved it towards the outside of the hall.

This was a secret code between him and the shadowy figures of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, silent yet signifying that all the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's spies in Baiyujing would be mobilized for this matter.

"This matter will be handled by Military Advisor Yan. Zhizhi should eat well."

The Empress Dowager took Tang Xixue's hand and led her to a soft couch by the window to rest, and personally arranged for someone to serve her a meal.

As someone in a position of authority, she wouldn't do everything herself, but she wouldn't neglect any task that needed to be done.

"These meals are all made with water drawn from the well inside the palace."

The Empress Dowager pointed to the few small dishes on the table, her tone tinged with relief.

"Nowadays, the water sources outside are probably not clean anymore. Fortunately, the ancient well in Qianqiu Palace was dug by Emperor Taizu himself, and its water is clear, sweet, and has never run dry."

"Mother, don't worry, Zhizhi will think of a way."

Tang Xixue responded softly, her gaze falling on the remaining snow outside the window, her voice tinged with regret.

"If I had known, I should have studied harder when my senior brother was going to teach me Gu techniques."

"Zhizhi has been afraid of poisonous insects and snakes since she was little. Isn't it making things difficult for you to learn Gu magic?"

The Empress Dowager smiled, her eyes full of doting affection.

It's not that her daughter Zhizhi can't learn Gu magic.

She's so smart, she can learn anything in no time.

She was afraid, afraid of those crawling insects, so afraid that she didn't even dare to look at them for long, let alone keep them by her side.

"If they were all as cute as my senior brother's little ice snake, I wouldn't be too scared."

Tang Xixue thought of the little ice snake that her Ghost Doctor brother Jiu Fangzhi raised; it was particularly cute and intelligent, but not scary at all.

But the Gu worms of others are not so docile.

She had never made things difficult for herself before, only learning medicine and some poison techniques, while leaving the Gu technique untouched.

Looking back now, I do regret it a little.

When you're out and about, having more skills is never a bad thing!

"By the way, speaking of which, I can ask my senior brother. He definitely knows what the nemesis of the Crimson Dust Gu is."

Tang Xixue's eyes lit up. She immediately laid out paper, ground ink, picked up her pen, and wrote a letter, which she had someone send to her brother, the Ghost Doctor Jiu Fangzhi.

"Writing letters is too troublesome. I should exchange communication talismans with my senior brother."

She raised her head, looked at the Empress Dowager, and spoke with a hint of coquetry in her voice.

"Mother, let's make a communication talisman too. Next time, Zhizhi can use it to let you know she's safe."

Thinking of this, she realized that they had never prepared communication talismans before.

At that time, she was in the palace every day. If there was anything, she could get there in just a few steps. She never thought she would need a communication talisman.

Moreover, each communication talisman is priceless, requiring extremely rare spirit stones to be crafted; even if an ordinary family were to exhaust their entire fortune, they might not be able to obtain just one.

"The Empress Dowager has already sent people to make preparations."

The Empress Dowager said with a smile.

She had already sent someone to purchase it from the Seven Generations Pavilion.

Her daughter was always away from home, and she couldn't let her daughter not even have the chance to let her know she was safe.

"The Empress Dowager is indeed very thoughtful."

Tang Xixue nodded, "My mother is reliable."

She held a bowl of almond tofu in her hands and ate it in small bites.

The tofu is made by grinding sweet almonds into a paste, adding water, boiling it, and then letting it coagulate naturally.

With a smooth and delicate texture, paired with osmanthus syrup and a few goji berries, it is sweet but not cloying, and melts in your mouth.

"I have also prepared plum blossom soup dumplings for Zhizhi, made with soup simmered with an old hen, to help Zhizhi nourish her body."

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on Tang Xixue, noticing how she leaned weakly against the couch today.

His voice was softer than usual when he spoke, and the anger in his heart flared up again.

"Yin'er, you really have no self-control."

"My brother didn't do it on purpose..."

Tang Xixue's voice was barely audible, and a faint blush rose on her face.

"He was drugged and thought it was a dream..."

She knew this wasn't Tang Xiye's excuse; he had indeed been drugged by the Drunken Immortal.

Otherwise, he might still be saying, "Zhizhi is my sister."

Speaking of which, from childhood to adulthood, her mother doted on her more.

Tang Xiye's status in this family is below hers.

When Tang Xiye made a mistake as a child, his mother would punish him by making him copy books, kneel down, and beat him, never showing any mercy.

When she made a mistake, her mother would at most scold her a couple of times, and then turn around and make her something delicious to coax her.

"I haven't even made a move yet, and Zhizhi is already protecting me?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head helplessly, her tone a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"If Zhizhi keeps indulging him like this, how will she control him in the future? He'll become completely unruly. He needs to be taught a lesson! What do you think, should she make him kneel as punishment, or use family discipline?"

"Mother—please don't punish me."

Tang Xixue thought of Tang Xiye's noticeably haggard face, and couldn't bring herself to punish him.

"I can control them."

"That's true."

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Yin'er has never been willing to lose his temper with you; at home, Zhizhi still holds a higher position. I was overthinking it."

"That's natural."

Tang Xixue immediately raised her chin proudly, like a little swan that had learned to spread its wings, showing off to her mother.

That sight eased the Empress Dowager's heavy heart somewhat.

"Mother, that camellia hairpin was prepared for you by Zhizhi. Do you like it?"

"I like it very much."

A smile appeared in the Empress Dowager's eyes as she raised her hand and gently touched the camellia hairpin in her hair.

The hairpin was carved from the finest mutton-fat white jade, with layers upon layers of petals, lifelike, and a ruby ​​the size of a grain of rice embedded in the stamen.

She loved it so much that she had already put it in her hair.

"Zhizhi knows that Mother loves camellias. The camellias in Qianqiu Palace are always the best blooming."

Tangxi Xue looked out the window.

Outside the palace, the ice and snow had not yet melted, and a thin layer of frost clung to the carved window frames.

Through the small, openwork opening, one can vaguely see several white camellias quietly blooming in the cold wind.

The petals are pure white like snow, with a faint, cool fragrance, like moonlight scattered on the branches.

"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Yan has arrived!"

Granny Lan's voice rang out from outside the hall, carrying a hint of solemnity that was barely perceptible.

She had just been kneeling and begging for forgiveness, but now she had composed herself. The fact that the Empress Dowager did not blame her meant that she was still deeply trusted.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager put down her teacup and responded with a faint "Yes."

"Yan Xun is here? Please invite him in."