Footsteps came from inside the room, then the door in front of them was pushed open. The Empress, wearing a bright red brocade jacket with her hair styled high and no cosmetics applied, looked at everyone before her with an angry expression.
Everyone bowed their heads and knelt to pay respects.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Qin Yining also performed a deep bow: “This subject’s wife greets Your Majesty.”
Following proper etiquette, the guards dared not raise their heads to look directly at the Empress’s jade countenance. The several guards who had come with Xing Baoshan now regretted their actions immensely.
What could have happened to the Empress? They had disturbed the Empress’s quiet cultivation—this was bad!
Nanny Sun looked at the “Empress” before her in amazement. While breathing a sigh of relief, she also gained new understanding of Qin Yining and Prince Zhongshun’s mansion’s capabilities.
To be able to produce someone identical to the Empress—what great ability this was!
The “Empress” looked stern, flicked her sleeves, and turned to enter the hall.
Nanny Sun immediately rose tactfully, carrying the food box toward the hall door. “Her Majesty wishes to retreat for blessings. Everyone please withdraw.”
“Yes.” After bowing, Qin Yining rose and led her people away readily.
Xing Baoshan and the guards looked at each other, all standing up somewhat awkwardly.
He Bin said quietly, “Brother Baoshan, let’s go outside to stand guard first.”
Xing Baoshan nodded and walked out dejectedly with everyone, constantly explaining in low voices: “I suppose I was overthinking things. I also meant well, acting this way because I was worried about the Empress’s safety.”
He Bin was also extremely shocked by the “Empress” who had appeared just now. Since Prince Zhongshun’s mansion had let him, someone in the know, learn such a big secret, they wouldn’t silence him afterward, would they?
Thinking this way, He Bin’s palms broke out in cold sweat. His mind was calculating, and he didn’t pay attention to Xing Baoshan’s words.
Seeing He Bin’s silence and remembering how he had earnestly tried to dissuade him while he refused to listen, Xing Baoshan felt somewhat embarrassed now. He smiled and said, “You’re still the perceptive one, brother. In the future when things come up, I’ll have to rely on Brother He’s guidance.”
He Bin came back to his senses and shook his head impassively: “Not at all.”
“I’ll treat you brothers to drinks later,” Xing Baoshan said with a smile.
The group walked out. Though Xing Baoshan appeared cheerful, he was actually worried inside. Just now he had been verbally disrespectful to Princess Zhongshun. Now the Prince wasn’t here, but if the Prince returned and learned of his disrespect toward the Princess, that fierce god would probably skin him alive!
It was better to have fewer troubles than more. In the future when on duty, it would be best to turn a blind eye to most things—he dared not stick his neck out like this again!
However, there were still suspicious aspects to the situation on the mountain.
Thinking this way, Xing Baoshan secretly sent a report to Li Qitian about the Empress’s retreat and Pang Xiao’s disappearance.
In the Guanyin Hall, Nanny Sun set down the food box and looked curiously at the “Empress’s” back. Seeing the Empress wave her hand dismissively at her, then kneel back on the meditation cushion, she knew she wouldn’t get any explanation here. She bowed and withdrew.
Back in the meditation room, Qin Yining smiled and said to Xie Yue, “This time we truly owe it all to Master Xie’s skillful hands, otherwise this crisis would have been hard to overcome!”
Xie Yue smiled: “It’s nothing much. I was fortunate to have brought complete tools. The difficult part was finding someone who was refined-looking, had seen the Empress, and could imitate the Empress’s bearing and voice. Fortunately, His Highness has hidden talents and abundant capable people around him, so we managed to pull it off in time.”
Qin Yining asked curiously, “Sir chose someone from His Highness’s people? Which one? Do I know them?”
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi exchanged glances and both burst into laughter: “The Princess naturally knows this person. The one currently chanting in the Guanyin Hall is none other than Tang Xiu.”
“Ah?” Before Qin Yining could speak, Ji Yun exclaimed in shock with wide eyes, “Sir, you’re saying that person is Tang Xiu?”
“Exactly.”
“But Tang Xiu isn’t that short.”
“Didn’t you see how wide that skirt was?” Xie Yue laughed. “Actually, if you looked carefully, you could see the flaws, but according to etiquette, no one can look directly at the Empress when they see her. The accompanying guards are the same. So although there are Elite Tiger Guards who are refined-looking and of suitable height, I still chose Tang Xiu because Tang Xiu can imitate the Empress’s voice.”
Qin Yining clapped in admiration: “Thanks to Sir’s wisdom and strategy. Indeed, when we see the Empress we must kneel and bow—who would dare raise their head to scrutinize her? Without Sir’s help, this crisis would have been very difficult to overcome.”
Xie Yue waved his hand with a smile, then said, “Today’s fog seems to have dispersed somewhat.”
“Yes.” Qin Yining said seriously, “Once the fog clears and we can see the other side clearly, the suspension bridge can be repaired quickly.”
Both Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi nodded.
However, they all felt somewhat uneasy at this moment.
Because no one knew what had happened on the other side of the suspension bridge. With the waterfall’s sound covering everything, when they shouted to the other side they couldn’t hear each other clearly. They were also afraid of alarming the Empress’s people, so afterward they no longer made any sound. They could only confirm that Pang Xiao was still alive, but didn’t know how the Empress was doing.
They could only hope both were unharmed. Otherwise, more troubles lay ahead.
With Tang Xiu dutifully impersonating the Empress in the Guanyin Hall, plus the cooperation of Nanny Sun and He Bin, the next two days passed without incident on the mountain.
However, Xing Baoshan’s attention shifted from the Empress’s safety to Prince Zhongshun, who still hadn’t appeared. When occasionally encountering Elite Tiger Guards, he would try to inquire about Pang Xiao’s whereabouts through casual conversation, but received no useful answers.
Xing Baoshan reported all of this secretly to Li Qitian.
On the sixth day of the seventh month, the thick fog finally began to gradually disperse.
Qin Yining was finally able to see clearly the other shore that she hadn’t been able to make out since arriving on the mountain.
Indeed, as Abbot Yun had said, it really wasn’t very wide here. By Qin Yining’s estimation, if Mu Jinghu were here, he might be able to leap across using lightness skills.
The vegetation on Destiny Peak was lush, and she could see several rocky outcrops on the summit where spring water trickled down to form a pool. She could vaguely make out two human figures resting by the woods and pool beside a campfire.
Qin Yining didn’t dare shout loudly for fear the Empress’s guards would hear. But seeing Pang Xiao’s silhouette, her heart truly leaped with joy.
Qin Yining vigorously waved toward the other side.
Pang Xiao had been constantly watching the other side and now noticed Qin Yining. He rose and walked toward the cliff edge.
“Yining!”
The voice wasn’t small, and though muffled by the waterfall’s sound, if you listened carefully you could still faintly hear someone calling.
Qin Yining quickly made a shushing gesture and pointed behind her toward Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple’s back courtyard.
Pang Xiao thought for a moment and understood, smiling and nodding. His phoenix eyes were full of tender affection as he looked at Qin Yining.
He had been trapped here for several days, and his Yining had worried for several days. The Empress’s people weren’t fools either—besides thinking of ways to rescue him, she also had to find ways to conceal the news of the Empress’s disappearance. Otherwise, once the news spread, they would all fall into trouble.
When he had crossed the suspension bridge, he already knew the distance between the two sides wasn’t far, but with the thick fog preventing him from seeing the other side clearly, and with the Empress beside him, he didn’t dare act rashly.
Now that the fog had finally cleared, Pang Xiao’s heart was filled only with the desire to quickly return to Qin Yining’s side. If not for the Empress being there, he would have wanted to try having the Elite Tiger Guards throw him a rope so he could use lightness skills to return.
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi were now enthusiastically discussing with the master craftsmen building the suspension bridge.
The Elite Tiger Guards went to guard the entrance to this area to prevent the Empress’s people from seeing the people on Destiny Peak.
With the powerful Elite Tiger Guards there, plus Pang Xiao’s cooperation from the other shore, ropes were quickly strung between the two sides.
Pang Xiao strode back to the pool and said sternly, “Your Majesty, please return with this subject.”
The Empress’s long hair hung loose, and though her red clothes were worn properly, the sleeves and hem showed multiple tears. Her bare face appeared even more dull and lackluster, and having survived on wild fruits these past days, her complexion was even worse.
Thinking that once she returned, she would again be Great Zhou’s Empress with no more opportunities to be alone with Pang Xiao, the loss in her heart could not be hidden no matter what.
That day, the nun had told her that if she wanted her prayers to succeed, she needed to come to Destiny Peak to undergo tribulation.
She hadn’t understood then and had believed the words of that person skilled in Buddhist teachings, coming to Destiny Peak only to be immediately surrounded by a group of snakes. She had screamed anxiously, but no one came to rescue her. Those snakes surrounded her—if she stood still it was fine, but whenever she tried to move, the snakes would close in on her.
When she thought she would be trapped and die there, Pang Xiao had appeared from the thick fog like a banished immortal, driving away those snakes for her. With the suspension bridge collapsed and no way back, these past days Pang Xiao had been dutifully taking care of her.
She knew that Pang Xiao regarded her as the Empress to be loyal to, as a sister-in-law to be respected. But her heart didn’t think of it so simply. She could barely control her love that grew wildly like vines.
She even hoped the fog wouldn’t clear and the people on the other side wouldn’t discover them. How wonderful it would be if she could be trapped here with Pang Xiao for a lifetime…
The Empress silently walked toward the cliff edge, looking at the rope now swaying in mid-air, looking at Qin Yining’s young face on the other shore, finally understanding in her heart.
The nun hadn’t deceived her.
She had indeed come to undergo tribulation: emotional tribulation.
“Your Majesty, forgive my offense.”
Pang Xiao bowed with cupped hands, then swept the Empress into his arms, using lightness skills to leap onto the rope. His form was as graceful as a soaring eagle, reaching the middle of the rope in the blink of an eye. Perhaps carrying a living person, he used all his strength, and borrowing the momentum from his body’s descent, Pang Xiao grabbed the rope with one hand for leverage, spun a circle in the air, then shot forward another great distance. His feet touched the rope to borrow force again, and in another blink he reached the other shore.
Pang Xiao released the Empress and immediately embraced Qin Yining. His lips touched her cheek and ear as he whispered, “Yining, I’m back. It’s alright now, it’s alright.”
Qin Yining’s nose tingled and tears nearly fell.
“It’s good that you’re fine. I knew you would be alright.”
Pang Xiao’s large hand gently patted her back. “I frightened you that day, didn’t I? I couldn’t hear what you said clearly, but I heard your anxious calls. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine, and Her Majesty is also safe—we were just trapped by a group of snakes.”
Only then did Qin Yining remember there was still the Empress, and that there were quite a few people around. Blushing, she pushed Pang Xiao away and turned to pay respects to the Empress. “Your Majesty.”