Chapter 47: Mystic Treasures Harboring Universes Within

Within the Luo衣院 (Royi Courtyard) of the Yeting Palace, Princess Yunlu was lazily reclining on a chaise longue, leafing through the sheets of draft paper scattered before her.

Behind her, two palace maids attentively waited upon her, while an instructing matron from the Yeting Palace whispered discreetly in her ear.

Her wide, flowing brocade robe of cloud-patterned silk was inlaid with exquisite pearls and gems, and her long hair was intricately woven into a complex bun, secured by a jade bone hairpin. At the tip of the hairpin hung a brilliant, luminous pearl that matched the white jade and pure gold earrings dangling from her earlobes.

Though Princess Yunlu's features were not particularly striking, the noble status of a "princess" imbued her naturally, and her bright eyes exuded a profound and majestic air.

At this very moment, this exalted noblewoman who governed the Yeting Palace was reviewing the poems and verses written by the young women of the inner court.

Yet, most of the time, she merely shook her head, occasionally tossing one or two of the sheets casually into the charcoal brazier beside the chaise longue, letting them burn to ashes.

The instructing matron stood to the side with her head bowed, looking somewhat nervous, yet meticulously noting down the signatures inscribed on those draft papers.

Once Princess Yunlu departed, those daughters of the Yeting Palace whose poems had been burned would naturally need to take heed of their own skin, as a round of whipping and punishment was inevitable.

However, today's poems were perhaps simply too atrocious.

The usually elegant and poised Princess Yunlu read through numerous verses only to find her brows knitting together in displeasure.

For a moment, the instructing matron and the several palace maids serving Princess Yunlu in the Royi Courtyard kept their heads deeply lowered, holding their breath in terror.

The elderly matron also kept her head bowed, a surge of vexation rising in her heart.

In such a vast Yeting Palace, with over six hundred daughters of extraordinary lineage, not a single one could write a decent poem about the peony?

If Princess Yunlu decided to place the blame on her, how could she possibly bear the consequences?

The instructing matron grew increasingly anxious, occasionally lifting her gaze to check Princess Yunlu's expression before hurriedly lowering it again.

"It seems today's luck is poor; a reprimand is unavoidable."

Just as the instructing matron was thinking this, Princess Yunlu turned to a new sheet of paper and let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

The instructing matron quickly looked up, only to see that the furrowed brows of Princess Yunlu had already smoothed out. She even sat upright on the chaise longue, reading the verses on the paper with meticulous care.

"Lianbi, Choulan..." A smile graced the corners of Princess Yunlu's lips as she suddenly asked, "Judging by this Ning Yu's surname, she must be the daughter of a ministerial official of the Ministry of Rites?"

The instructing matron hastened to reply, "Reporting to Your Highness, Ning Yu is indeed the daughter of Ning Zhongzhi."

"This poem is written exceptionally well, very much to my liking... Her Majesty also loves peonies, and I imagine she will adore this too.

This girl is talented. Let her leave the Yeting Palace and go to the Bureau of Ceremonies to serve as a ceremonial maid."

At that very moment, Ning Yu, who was racking her brains in the Study Room to memorize classic texts, could never have imagined that a poem casually written for her by the mysterious and young Chang'an visitor in White Jade Capital would so easily release her from the Yeting Palace she detested so deeply.

Thus, this pepper-tree maiden, born in a place of gloom, finally beheld the sunlight, no longer forced to sink her roots into this turbid and defiled soil.

—

Chen Zhi'an had no inkling that a poem by Shangguan Wan'er could evoke such profound fondness from a noblewoman in the palace.

On the nineteenth day of the third month, the vernal equinox, every household in the Suan Prefecture partook in spring vegetables, drank spring wine, flew kites, and offered sacrifices to the departed.

In Chen Zhi'an's courtyard, Xu Xiyue, accompanied by Xintong, brought him spring vegetables and spring wine.

Chen Zhi'an handed the final hundred seeds of the lamp-wick golden thread to Xu Xiyue, and the heavy burden that had long rested upon her shoulders seemed to lighten considerably.

For instance, Xu Xiyue, who always wore white and went completely unadorned, had today applied a delicate trace of rouge, making her look breathtakingly stunning.

At this moment, however, Chen Zhi'an lowered his gaze to look at a small box resting on the table.

The box was open, and inside lay a ring.

"Regarding the matter of the Songhuai Military medicine contract, had it not been for Master Chen, while it might not have been a catastrophic disaster for the Xu family, a sudden decline in our family fortunes would have been inescapable."

Xu Xiyue sat on a stone chair while Xintong poured tea for Chen Zhi'an.

"This Dew-Catching Ring was acquired by me on Mount Qingxia. Even among mysterious sect treasures, it is quite precious, containing within it a realm of heaven and earth measuring five feet square. It is considered extremely rare among items of this kind.

Because Master Chen delivered the Xu family from calamity, and because the Xu family greedily requested an additional hundred seeds of the lamp-wick golden thread, I must ask Master Chen to graciously accept this Dew-Catching Ring as a token of the Xu family's gratitude."

"It contains an inner realm of heaven and earth?" Chen Zhi'an curiously picked up the ring.

There were no elaborate decorations upon it; a simple dewdrop was engraved on the plain band, and aside from that, it looked entirely ordinary, not appearing precious at first glance.

Yet Chen Zhi'an knew that mysterious sect treasures possessing such inner realms were priceless and unavailable on the market; even if one were to spend two or three thousand liang of gold, it was doubtful one could purchase such a thing.

Moreover, the inner realm of this Dew-Catching Ring spanned five feet square, making it truly rare and valuable.

"This ring is far too precious. It is no ordinary mysterious sect treasure, and I fear it is not far off from a true mysterious sect spirit artifact," Chen Zhi'an sighed in admiration.

Even if he possessed ten of the mysterious sect treasure garments he currently wore, their value would likely still fall short of this single ring.

"Lady Xiyue is also a cultivator, and presumably she would have use for a treasure containing an inner realm. Why go out of your way to bring it to me?" Chen Zhi'an inquired.

Xu Xiyue had originally wanted to say that she had obtained two Dew-Catching Rings on Mount Qingxia, but then a sudden thought crossed her mind... two rings, one for her and one for Chen Zhi'an—she wondered if the young man before her might overthink it.

Therefore, she merely said, "I have another treasure of heaven and earth. Master Chen should simply accept this one; it is entirely fine."

Having said that, perhaps fearing that Chen Zhi'an would refuse, she added, "On that day when Master Chen was framed in the Imperial Academy of Painting, I originally intended to take this ring and seek out Lord Vice-Prefect in order to protect Master Chen.

It is just that Master Chen is blessed with natural good fortune and emerged from the prison very quickly, so this ring was spared and happens to be given to Master Chen."

Chen Zhi'an lowered his head in thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "I do happen to be quite fond of this heaven-and-earth treasure, and I have no desire to put on airs or make insincere refusals. Since Lady Xiyue wishes to thank me with this ring, I shall accept it.

Let this be considered the Xu family's expression of gratitude, and from this day forward, the Xu family will no longer owe me anything."

Chen Zhi'an's straightforward and generous manner caught Xu Xiyue off guard, as she was accustomed to dealing with shrewd merchants and evasive officials.

After weighing her words, she shook her letter and said, "Master Chen's immense kindness to the Xu family cannot be repaid by this single Dew-Catching Ring. Should Master Chen ever have need of anything in the future, you need only inform the Xu family.

Xiyue... will be returning to Mount Qingxia before long. For the time being, the household affairs will be managed by my cousin Xu... Jinshou, and he certainly will not neglect you, Master Chen."

Xu Xiyue uttered the name Xu Jinshou with a very awkward expression, which amused Chen Zhi'an: "There is really no need to go that far. Changing one's given name is no trivial matter. Since I share an affinity with the Xu family, I am hardly one to be relentlessly aggressive; you should let Young Master Xu change his name back."

"It was the Second Young Master himself who was unwilling to change it," Xintong whispered. "He said... Master Chen is only seventeen or eighteen years old yet already possesses an extraordinary bearing, favored by both the Iron-Armed General and the current Vice-Minister of War. In the future, he will surely accomplish great things.

This new name symbolizes his affinity with Master Chen and cannot be casually altered."

Chen Zhi'an's brow twitched slightly; this Xu Yuanshou was truly a ruthless individual.

Xu Xiyue, standing beside them, seemed to feel somewhat embarrassed and smiled awkwardly.

"However, how did Lady Xiyue manage to persuade the head of the Xu family? Once you ascend Mount Qingxia, the one wielding supreme authority over the Xu estate will be the Second Branch."

Chen Zhi'an asked out of curiosity.

Xu Xiyue smiled and replied, "Over these past dozen days, my father has taken a liking to the poetry of Yang Heyin, the white-robed chancellor of Great Xi. Perhaps it was when he read lines like 'The floating clouds of the world are not worth questioning; how can it compare to lying high and partaking in an extra meal?' or perhaps it was because the Xu family underwent this trial, allowing him to see things in a new light. In any case... he has permitted me to return to Mount Qingxia and no longer bear the heavy burden of the Xu household."

"What Lady Xiyue regards as a heavy burden is something countless people pray for," Chen Zhi'an said sincerely. "In any case, it is a good thing that it has fulfilled Lady Xiyue's wishes, so you won't have to wear a troubled expression every day from now on."

Xu Xiyue was momentarily stunned and asked, "Master Chen, did I always wear a troubled expression in the past?"

Chen Zhi'an nodded: "Frowning all day long, one could say you looked as though you harbored a deep and bitter grievance."

"Pfft," Xintong burst into laughter. Xu Xiyue turned to look at her, causing Xintong to hurriedly收敛 restrain the smile on her face.

"And what of Master Chen? What are your plans for the future?" Xu Xiyue inquired.

"I suppose I shall make a trip to the Hanging Sky Capital," Chen Zhi'an said, tilting his head. "There is no great rush, though; perhaps I will wait another two or three months before setting off."

"The Hanging Sky Capital is magnificent and grand in scale; it is truly a place worth visiting," Xu Xiyue remarked. "In two or three months, it will coincide precisely with the Grand Audience Festival of Great Yu, and on that day, the Quintessence Star of our Great Yu will even ride in a carriage and tour the city alongside the Emperor... My master will presumably attend by invitation, and by then, perhaps we can meet again in the Hanging Sky Capital."

...

Xu Xiyue bade farewell to Chen Zhi'an, as she would, barring any unforeseen circumstances, return to Mount Qingxia on the morrow.

Chen Zhi'an put on the Dew-Catching Ring gifted by Xu Xiyue. When his true essence probed into it, after spending a quarter of an hour branding his true essence imprint, Chen Zhi'an discovered that whenever his true essence re-entered the ring, it felt as though it had transformed into a palm, effortlessly perceiving the items contained within.

Chen Zhi'an tried placing the Yangsui Sabre inside.

As his left hand, wearing the ring, touched the Yangsui Sabre, the true essence infused into the ring flowed back out from it, and the Yangsui Sabre simply vanished into thin air.

As he controlled his true essence to probe into the Dew-Catching Ring once more, guided by his thoughts, the true essence within the ring moved according to his will, and then the Yangsui Sabre appeared in his hand.

"Not bad," Chen Zhi'an grew increasingly satisfied.

Just as he was studying the Dew-Catching Ring, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the entrance.

The footsteps were solid and rhythmic, as if the distance of every single step taken was exactly the same, without the slightest discrepancy.

Chen Zhi'an stood up and opened the courtyard gate.

Only to see Li Bodu standing on the flagstone path of Qihuang Street with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing intently at him.