Chapter 145: Director of the Palace Wardrobe (Part Three)

In a dense forest beside Wu Youxu’s outer residence in Songyang, a person dressed in black was surrounded at the center by several burly men in black. The figure in black had a slender and graceful waist, clearly revealing her to be a woman.

"Would my master wish to see you?" Juedei asked, his hands behind his back as he stepped slowly out of the shadows, his footsteps entirely silent.

This question came out of nowhere, lacking any context and carrying an inexplicable, unearned familiarity.

The person in black was evidently baffled by the inquiry as well, and said coldly, "If I said no, would you let me go?"

Juedei nodded earnestly, "Yes."

Seeing this reaction, the person in black was in no hurry to leave after all. "Do you know who I am?"

Juedei nodded. Back when Quan Ce served as the Grand Commander of the Plum Blossom Guard, the Nameless Stele had taken the opportunity to conduct a great deal of thorough investigative work. Since peers were natural rivals, one had to figure out the inner workings of the Plum Blossom Guard, just in case they turned from friends to foes at any moment. He knew that the person before him was the Green Snake Lady, a ruthless high-ranking official of the Plum Blossom Guard who harbored an absolute devotion to her master. Otherwise, she never could have reached the side of Quan Ce’s bed.

"Hah, it was you lot who made Aohan and the others bite the dust, wasn't it?" The Green Snake Lady quickly came to her senses, removing her veil and tucking away an unassuming piece of green bamboo joint she had been holding in her hand.

Juedei let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing this. *A green bamboo viper's mouth, a hornet's tail sting; neither is truly venomous, the most poisonous is a woman's heart.* The Green Snake Lady’s weapon was a green bamboo sword, coated in poison and equipped with an internal spring mechanism capable of firing toxic darts. Combined with her identity as a woman, she possessed all three quintessential elements of lethal danger.

Juedei smiled without a word, repeating his previous question, "Would my master wish to see you?"

A momentary look of confusion crossed the Green Snake Lady's face, and she shook her head with a bitter smile. "Meeting me would bring him no benefit. Can this answer satisfy you and make you let me go?"

Juedei furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "No. My master does not always place benefits above all else."

The look of perplexity on the Green Snake Lady deepened. She murmured softly, "If I see him, I will only bring trouble upon him. What about that?"

Juedei stared at her for a moment and waved his hand. The burly men in black opened up a path, and without the slightest hesitation, the Green Snake Lady fled into the distance and vanished in an instant.

"Boss, that chick has a killer figure and a pretty face. Even if she's of no use to the master, it would have been a fine thing for us brothers to capture her and have some fun. Letting her slip away just like that is a terrible waste," mumbled one of the burly men in black, his mouth full of filth, causing many of his companions to frown deeply.

Juedei's expression turned gloomy as he glanced sideways at Fanyu and Yueying. Of the Eight Steeds, only the three of them remained. To fill their ranks, they had recruited a large number of men, and the newcomers were a mixed bag. "Deal with it. Let this be the last time."

Fanyu nodded with a villainous twist to his face. "Leave it to me. These boors have never witnessed the master's grand affairs; they're simply too low-class."

In the guesthouse, Quan Ce woke up from a heavy hangover. He knocked on his forehead, feeling a dull, persistent throbbing. Although his stomach wasn't churning, it was intensely uncomfortable. In his groggy state, he noticed a green brocade pouch tied around his wrist. His eyes suddenly widened, and the hangover symptoms vanished instantly. He quickly grabbed the pouch, looked all around to confirm that no one was in sight, and carefully untied it. Inside lay a grayish-yellow wax pellet. He squeezed it hard a few times, but it refused to break.

"Master, are you awake?" Shazha Fu's voice sounded from outside. Quan Ce put the wax pellet away and gave a vague response. A moment later, several maidservants entered carrying washing utensils to attend to Quan Ce as he got up.

Once the maids had withdrawn, Quan Ce handed the wax pellet to Shazha Fu. "Consult with Juedei and find a way to extract what is inside."

Shazha Fu took it and reacted just as Quan Ce had, squeezing it firmly. Though his strength far exceeded Quan Ce's, he still failed to crush the wax pellet. Realizing that the object was extraordinary, Shazha Fu stopped forcing it, tucked it securely against his chest, and hurried off to find Juedei.

Quan Ce shared a morning meal with Wu Youxu and the others, then reported for duty at the imperial procession's encampment, departing with the Grand Carriage toward Mount Song.

Empress Wu ascended Junji Peak, the main summit of Mount Song, to offer sacrifices to the Supreme Deity of Heaven, and later held abdication and sacrificial rites for the Earth Deity at the foot of Mount Shaoshi. From then on, the god of Mount Song was officially elevated to the divine title of Heavenly Central Emperor of the Sacred Peak, and the Henan Circuit was ordered to renovate the Dengfeng Altar, the Fengsi Altar, and the Chaohui Altar in Mount Song, while renaming Songyang County to Dengfeng County. Mount Song's scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, and Empress Wu, lingering and reluctant to leave, established her temporary imperial residence at Songyue Temple.

Princess Taiping accompanied the Empress throughout the entire journey. As her subordinate official, Quan Ce enjoyed freedom of movement, and he took the opportunity to visit the reclusive Quan Yi at the Songyang Academy. Quan Yi was dressed in a loose-fitting gentleman's robe, holding a toddler and smiling happily, while a youthful beauty with a face like blooming flowers leaned affectionately against his side. With a wife and child, and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoing nearby, it was undeniably a pleasant and joyous scene.

Counting the days, this child should be about four months old.

"Dlag, come look at your brother," Quan Yi said in high spirits, beckoning Quan Ce to look at the child with a gaze full of paternal affection, like a leisurely and carefree country gentleman.

Quan Ce stepped closer, took a brocade box from Quan Zhong's hands, and presented it to Quan Yi while bowing slightly to the concubine. "This is a gift from Mother for the concubine and my little brother. With household affairs in a flurry, Mother had no time to come personally, and I hope the concubine will not take offense."

The young woman's cheeks flushed red, a mix of shyness and lingering panic, leaving her at a loss for what to do.

"Your mother?" Quan Yi raised his head and frowned for a moment before saying, "It's thoughtful of her. Since your father is not at home, you must shoulder the responsibilities of the eldest son and take good care of your mother." With that, he handed the toddler back to the young woman and strolled leisurely back into his room.

Quan Ce watched him depart without a word, politely declined the young woman's somewhat timid invitation to stay the night, and left on his own accord.

His father was here, but this was not his home.

At the secluded courtyard deep within Mount Song, Quan Ce was met with two cold faces.

Ruilai rested her cheek in her hand, leaning against the railing of the pavilion. She glanced at him, let out a cold snort, and turned the back of her head toward him.

Yuni was somewhat better. She welcomed him inside and personally attended to washing his face and changing his clothes. Though her pretty, petite figure bustled about busily, her face was as stern as clear water, devoid of the slightest trace of a smile.

Quan Ce felt a pang of guilt. Doing a mental calculation, he realized that ever since the Six Paths Emissary incident, he had not set foot on Mount Song for well over a year. While correspondence had never ceased, it had always consisted of ordering them to carry out tasks.

Yuni was fine; she could travel everywhere under the guise of executing missions. Ruilai, however, strictly adhered to their agreement. Aside from returning to Luoyang last time to take charge of the overall situation and rescue Quan Ce, she had truly not stepped a single step out of this courtyard.

Taking Yuni by the hand, Quan Ce shamelessly ingratiated himself and sidled up to Ruilai. "Ruilai, Quan Li has sold off those properties. The one-million-guan agreement has been fulfilled, and you are free."

Ruilai spun around abruptly, raised her hand high, brought it down gently, and slapped Quan Ce across the face. "Say that again."

"Don't misunderstand, Ruilai. What I mean is that you can move about freely and no longer need to be confined to this courtyard." Quan Ce pressed her hand against his own face.

Ruilai pulled her hand back, rolled her eyes, and her expression softened considerably. "Since you've entered Princess Taiping's estate now, keep a closer eye on Chongmin and Chongxing." With that, she turned and walked away. Quan Ce started to follow, but she stopped dead in her tracks, and the two nearly collided.

Ruilai whirled around, tightly gripping both of Quan Ce's arms, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Dlag, human hearts are made of flesh. If you ever dare to be this heartless again, you will never see me again."

Having said her piece, Ruilai shook him off and strode rapidly away.

Quan Ce stood frozen in place, feeling somewhat helpless. He had prepared himself to accept their resentment and hatred, but now, as their entanglements grew deeper, matters were heading in the complete opposite direction.

Yuni walked up behind him and said softly, "Master, Lady Ruilai suffers greatly. When you stay away for too long, she has nightmares and wakes up crying in the night. Sometimes she calls out for Wu Youji, sometimes for her child, and sometimes... she calls out for you."

Quan Ce let out a dry laugh. The abrupt upheaval in Ruilai's life had been caused by Empress Wu, but he had been her shameful accomplice.

When night fell, Quan Ce sat alone by the table, laden with delicacies and amber wine, tapping a rhythm on his knee. Before him, Ruilai wore light gauze and danced gracefully, the melody being none other than *The One is There, Where the Lanterns are Fanning Out*.

When the dance ended, Ruilai sat down beside him, poured herself a cup, and reprimanded him with feigned annoyance, "Lord Quan Dlag, you're becoming more and more like a grand master. Now that you've watched a dance, you're even stingy with a round of applause."

Quan Ce shook his head and looked her up and down, causing Ruilai to flush with irritation and slap him once more before he finally spoke. "Ruilai, do you know Xie Yaohuan?"

"Of course I know her. She's the female general you elevated, isn't she?" Ruilai asked with a puzzled look. "What does she have to do with me?"

Quan Ce began to play the mystery, shaking his head with a smile and remaining silent.

Frustrated, Ruilai was about to pinch him hard when footsteps sounded outside the door, and Yuni and Juedei came seeking an audience together.

"Master, the wax pellet could not be broken by external force. When we heated it over a fire, it melted away, and we found this inside," Juedei said, handing over an object shaped like tree bark.

Quan Ce reached out to take it, but Ruilai stopped him. She took it instead, sniffed it under her nose, and said, "Pine bark, fire-resistant. What's written here is... 'Luling'? What does that mean?"

Juedei quickly chimed in, "Master, the person who came last night was the Green Snake Lady."

Quan Ce took a deep breath. The Green Snake Lady did not know about the trial task Princess Taiping had given him; she had likely only heard rumors that the two of them were at odds and had delivered the message as a warning. 'Luling' presumably referred to the Prince of Luling, Li Xian. Did this mean Wang Tongjiao was one of Li Xian's men?

Such covert and secretive matters, even for the Plum Blossom Guard, could not be uncovered overnight; investigations must have begun long ago. As Empress Wu's eyes and ears, the only person who could order the Plum Blossom Guard to look into this was Empress Wu herself.

Why would Empress Wu want to investigate Wang Tongjiao? And how would she react once she discovered the roots of Wang Tongjiao's backing?

The corners of Quan Ce's lips curled upward in a trace of amusement. Perhaps dealing with Wang Tongjiao wouldn't require him to lift a finger after all.