Chapter 679.1: Come out
While Hua Zirong was contemplating how to deal with Hua Ziqing, a woman clad in a blue changshan with a wooden hairpin adorning her hair walked in. “Monarch, please hold on.”
Hua Zirong’s gaze became complicated when he saw who had arrived.
“What brings you[1] here?” The respect in his tone surprised those present.
Who is this person? I’ve never heard of her before.
“My divination told me that Xiliu was in danger, so I left the mountains.” The woman in the blue changshan held an astute spark in her eyes.
Hua Zirong’s eyes turned slightly cold. “You came for Prince Qing, right?”
The woman didn’t answer, but instead walked to Hua Ziqing and gave him a fierce slap. “Kneel down!”
“Great Ancestor, your grandson knows my mistakes.” Hua Ziqing knelt in front of her.
There was a cold look in Pei Qianhao’s eyes. It seems like Hua Ziqing is being protected. I’ve heard about a woman with a special status in Xiliu, and it seems that I’ve finally met her.
Du Ling’s expression became solemn. She has already become a nun, yet she is still interfering with affairs of the mundane world.
The officials were completely taken aback, while Prime Minister Wen was silently praying in his trembling heart for the woman not to take notice of him. However, his prayers would turn out to be futile.
“Prime Minister Wen, do you still remember what you said back then?”
Prime Minister nodded with a deferential expression. “I don’t dare to forget.”
“That’s good then.” The woman in the blue changshan gave a curt response before walking towards Su Xi-er.
Su Xi-er met her gaze straight on with a confident expression.
“Princess Consort Hao, since you are becoming a mother soon, you should avoid bloody scenes.” The woman warned with an incisive gaze before whispering into Su Xi-er’s ear. “After occupying someone else’s body, it’s best that you do more kind deeds.”
Su Xi-er sneered. “I could say the same for you; after entering the path of Buddhism, you have still come to interfere in secular matters.”
Viciousness flickered in the eyes of the woman in the blue changshan, but she quickly supplanted it with a smile. “It seems like we do not speak the same language.” She then walked back to Hua Zirong.
“You don’t mind giving your Great Ancestor a seat, right?”
Hua Zirong replied with a gentle expression. “Please have a seat, Great Ancestor.”
“Among all the officials, only Prime Minister Wen has seen me before. As a person of Buddha, I have long washed my hands of secular affairs. However, after divining that Xiliu was in danger, I left the mountains on a special trip. I hope all the officials can assist the Monarch to create another prosperous era for Xiliu.” The woman in the blue changshan addressed everyone in an imposing manner.
Although Hua Ziqing was still kneeling, a cold smile lurked beneath his eyes, as if everything was within his grasp.
On the other hand, Hua Zirong’s fists were tightly clenched. I didn’t expect her to show up. Hua Ziqing, this is the ace you’ve kept hidden, right?
Du Ling snorted. “So, the person in charge of Xiliu is not the Monarch, but instead an unknown woman.”
The woman in the blue changshan glimmered with coldness. “Western Region King, we are in Xiliu. Although you are our esteemed guest, don’t you think that you are meddling too much?”
“Esteemed guest? I don’t agree.” Du Ling mocked.
Hua Zirong had an indifferent gaze. “Great Ancestor, you haven’t been in touch with the mundane world for a long time. Things have changed a lot since the days that you were around.”
Indignation seeped into the woman’s heart, but her calm countenance belied nothing. “Indeed. I shall watch quietly then.”
“Prince Qing, I permit you to confine yourself in Liuhua Courtyard.” Hua Zirong quickly meted out a punishment, catching the woman in the blue changshan off guard. Her heart quickly turned cold, but she remained composed.
Suppressing his shock, Hua Ziqing nodded, staying quiet as the guards took him away. Even if I’m confined, I am still free.
1. The ‘you’ used here is a formal ‘you’, and shows respect for the one being addressed.