Chapter 99
It was already afternoon when Ming Shu returned to the palace . The people of the Heavenly Temple and the emperor were all waiting for her . Upon her arrival, she was sent back to the Heavenly Temple, escorted by big crowds .
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The Heavenly Temple was located in the northernmost part of the palace . It included a complex of extremely exquisite palaces, which were dotted with bridges, flowing streams, and winding paths, looking like a hidden but beautiful getaway spot . The temple was surrounded by green bamboos, and within their circle was the area under the control of the Heavenly Temple .
“Little Ci, you’re back, is everything okay?” As soon as Ming Shu entered the Heavenly Temple, an old man wearing a benign expression came up and asked .
“Yes, it’s nothing . ” Ming Shu nodded her head .
This old man was the current Master of the Heavenly Temple . It could be said that the Host was raised by him, and he was like a real father to her .
However, because of the noble identity of the Host, the old man did not dare to be her “father . ”
“Good, that’s good . ” The old man patted Ming Shu on the shoulder and led her into the Heavenly Temple . “His Majesty will investigate this incident, so it will have an explanation, and those assassins will pay for what they’ve done . ”
Ming Shu curled her lips in a slight smile and said softly . “I’m sorry, Master, you must’ve been worried about me . ”
The old man sighed . “Everyone was worried about you . Right, I heard that King Huai sent you back?”
“Well, it seems like that . ”
“How did you meet King Huai?” The old man frowned .
“I met him halfway . ”
“Don’t worry about this matter, I will find a way to thank him for you . But don’t get close to King Huai in the future, do you understand?” the old man warned Ming Shu in a serious tone .
At present, the emperor was suspicious of King Huai . It was not appropriate for Little Ci to be connected to him . If he was a child of His Majesty, it would be easier to handle . But he was actually His Majesty’s brother . If something unpredictable happened, a relationship with him would cause a lot of trouble .
More importantly, that King Huai, how did he happen to meet Little Ci?
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Just a conspiracy theory . But it’s better to keep Little Ci far away from King Huai .
The old man escorted Ming Shu for a little longer before ordering people to send her back to her room to rest .
When passing through a hall, Ming Shu saw the little girl from before kneeling in the middle of the hall . Ming Shu asked the person next to her, “What is she doing?”
“Your Highness, Zhi Qi is being punished . ”
Zhi Qi left her owner to escape . Although it was ordered by Ming Shu, this was not in accordance with the rules of this era . Accepting the punishment was a lighter result .
Ming Shu nodded and didn’t speak for Zhi Qi right away . But after she returned to the room, she said quietly, “I’m a little hungry . You tell Zhi Qi to prepare some food for me . ”
“This…” The maid hesitated for a moment . “Yes, Your Highness, I will tell her now . ”
She sighed in her heart, thinking that Zhi Qi was lucky enough . Her owner was so kind and tried to stop her from being punished in this way .
Just as Ming Shu had put on clean clothes, the emperor’s imperial edict arrived .
Being the royal princess, Ming Shu wouldn’t have to follow all those sophisticated manners for accepting the edict . So all she needed to do was to listen to the eunuch with her head down .
The imperial edict mainly aimed to comfort her emotions, and the emperor gave all kinds of precious treasures to her as pacifying gifts .
“Your Highness, there will be a banquet in the palace of His Majesty the next night . His Majesty would be very glad to see you come . ” After announcing the edict, the eunuch conveyed a verbal message from the emperor .
Banquet equals food .
Food!
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Ming Shu immediately smiled and said, “I will go . ”
“Excellent . I will not disturb your rest, Your Highness . I’ll return to the palace now . ” The eunuch then said a few superficial words and bowed as he left .
Ming Shu let servants send him out . She wandered around among the big boxes, and opened one of them casually . Gold and silver jewels, as well as silk satins, were piled orderly inside, nothing more .
The things in the last box were a bit different though . There were a few calligraphy scrolls and paintings .
Zhi Qi was in low spirits with red eyes at the time, but when she saw the calligraphy scrolls and paintings in the box, her back suddenly straightened .
“Your Highness, it’s Mo Baisheng’s work . ” Zhi Qi carefully unfolded the painting . “His majesty gave this ‘World Peace’ to you . ”
Mo Baisheng?
It seemed the Host liked these calligraphy scrolls and paintings very much . Mo Baisheng was a painter that the Host liked very much . He’d lived in the dawn of the Wushang Dynasty, which was hundreds of years past . He left countless paintings and calligraphy scrolls to the later generations, which were praised and coveted by scholars and writers .
“World Peace” was one of Mo Baisheng’s most representative paintings and had been collected by the royal family when possible .
Now the emperor sent the painting to Ming Shu . The sincerity was true and touching .
“Hang them up . ” It looks pretty good, but unfortunately it’s not edible .
“Yes, Your Highness”
Zhi Qi asked others to hang the painting . “Your Highness, these things…”
“Keep some, and send the rest to the master . ” I have to keep some money for buying food, or what would I do when I’m about to starve to death someday?
The boxes were moved out and the room looked more spacious . Ming Shu lay on the beautiful couch and ate freshly baked desserts .
“Your Highness . ”
Zhi Qi suddenly knelt to the ground, tears dripping .
“What are you doing, I’m still living, why are you crying?” Ming Shu waved her hands . “I know what you are going to say . I ordered you to leave then, so it was none of your business . ”
Thinking of those wolves, Ming Shu was a bit angry . In order to get rid of them, she had expended great effort .
“But…” How could she leave her owner to escape by herself?
“If you want to cry, go back and kneel in the hall . ”
Zhi Qi was truly self-condemning in her heart, and she really went back to kneel in the hall, though she didn’t cry . Even if the princess had forgiven her, she couldn’t forgive herself .
“…” What a silly girl .
The banquet was held in a special palace .
Ming Shu leisurely arrived at the palace just before the start of the feast . Zhi Qi had a cold as she was kneeling a long time last night, so Ming Shu didn’t have a personal maid to accompany her . The rest of the servants were not allowed to go in, so Ming Shu went in alone .
“Princess, Princess, slow down and be careful . ”
“Uncle is back, where is he?” A petite girl ran in joyfully, while a maid followed behind and reminded her in worried voice .
Then the maid saw Ming Shu standing in front of her . She sped up the pace to stop her owner, reminding again, “Your Highness, the royal princess is here . ”
This girl was Princess Rong Hua . Because the Host was named the royal princess, a title a little higher than her own, this Princess Rong Hua had always disliked the Host .
“So what? Do I need to salute her?” Princess Rong Hua was very disdainful as she looked at Ming Shu . “Is she not from the Heavenly Temple? If it weren’t for the Heavenly Temple, she would be nobody . ”
“Why didn’t you die outside . ” Princess Rong Hua murmured in a low voice .
Ming Shu put on a small smile and said, “Since Princess Rong Hua is still not dead, how can I die . ”
Princess Rong Hua was startled, she said it so quietly…
Her bit on her lower lip lightly, and after a few seconds she snorted and ran away from Ming Shu .
I’ll not come for you today .
The maid nervously gave Ming Shu a salute, then chased after Princess Rong Hua to the palace .
Snap!
Suddenly a crisp sound came from the palace gates .
It was followed by the sharp roar of Princess Rong Hua: “You dare to hit me! Guard, take him!”
An eye-catching figure in bright yellow then stumbled out of the gates .
He was soon surrounded by Rong Hua’s people . Rong Hua ran out, lifting her the hem of her dress, and pointed at the man with impetuousness . She seemed to want to scold him, but with a glance around she saw too many people were with them, so she immediately changed her tone . “Brother, did you take your medicine today? Let Rong Hua send you back to take medicine, all right?”
“No, no, no . ” The prince was frightened and waved his hand . “I… I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it . ”
This was the male protagonist—Prince Mu Ze .