Chapter 14: The Unlikely Encounter in Yandu

A single sentence from Xuan Sibei made the diviner sneer. However, as their subordinate, even if they had the courage, they would never dare to go against the Master. In their heart, Ji Wuchao was merely a child in spirit; if it weren't for the support of Li Deshun, he would likely have not survived in the treacherous imperial palace past the age of three.

Still, some words of caution were necessary: "Master, your personal entry into Yandu could be dangerous. As for the assassination matter, it can be entrusted to..."

"Without entering the tiger's den, how can one catch the tiger cub? Besides, I am somewhat curious about the emperor of Yan... I suspect he is not quite as the rumors portray him. It seems I was too careless. Anyone who can live safely in the palace won't be so simple," Xuan Sibei's dark eyes glistened with coldness, a sharp contrast to his youthful face. "This mission is not one for just anyone; I must confirm it personally."

If Ji Wuchao was truly as incompetent and foolish as the Rumors claimed, he could let him live a few more days. But if he was merely hiding his true abilities... then he must be removed before he grows stronger. Perhaps even through assassination, if necessary.

Slowly turning away, he absentmindedly twisted the crumpled letter in his hand, his thoughts drifting back to Song Yue.

She said she was running a small business in the capital of the Great Yan...

After feeding the rabbit for a few days, he increasingly felt that the pure white rabbit resembled its owner—a bit foolish. However, unlike the letter from her, there had been no further news. Sometimes, when looking at the rabbit, he felt a sudden urge to strip its skin and devour it whole, his cold eyes gleaming.

But thinking of her instructions, he reined in his thoughts. These past days, he had wondered if his feelings for this woman in her thirties, were somehow more than they seemed. However, after some thought, he realized it wasn't dependence, but rather a strange feeling—something different from anything he had experienced before.

Raised in the imperial palace since childhood, he had naturally categorized people into two types: those who were useful and everyone else. Yet, she seemed to fit neither category.

It was strange. He wanted to understand why. Not just the curiosity that stirred within him, but also a hidden thought deep inside, a desire to explore her—her past, her present—until he became a constant presence in her life, someone she could never escape, someone she would always see.

So, for these past few days, he had been planning to visit Yandu. The diviner's failure this time sparked a new idea in his mind—after visiting Song Yue, he would conveniently enter the palace and personally investigate Ji Wuchao.

Three days later, on the busy streets of Yandu.

Song Yue, dressed in casual clothes and holding a white folding fan, leisurely strolled through the market, showing no intention of returning to the palace to handle official documents. She seemed in a good mood—three days ago, she had sent away the self-important Wu Daxian, and now no one dared to whisper bad things about other officials in her ear. Her ears had been much quieter since.

Although she lived in ancient times, she hadn't had the chance to explore her own capital all these days. Today, finally free, she decided to take a break and enjoy herself.

At this moment, Chief Steward Li Deshun, dressed in a dull gray coarse cloth tunic and pretending to be her attendant, furrowed his brow as he looked at the crowded streets. Yet, he dared not go against her wishes: "Your... Young Master, it's getting late, do you think...?"

Just yesterday, the Emperor had summoned him with a serious expression, which made him think something major was happening. To his surprise, the Emperor had proposed a "disguised inspection." He had first described the decaying chaos in the capital, then seriously expressed the need to begin reforms in Yandu. Li Deshun, recalling the Emperor's recent actions, actually believed the Emperor had finally woken up, so he didn't oppose the idea.

As soon as they left the palace, the Emperor seemed to return to his usual carefree self, dressed in scholar's white robes, carrying a folding fan. From a distance, he looked like a charming young man, full of grace and elegance... Along the way, the Emperor had only been interested in new and interesting things, joining in the fun, but he hadn't done a single serious thing.

Li Deshun felt somewhat frustrated. He should have guessed that the Emperor's words were simply an excuse to leave the palace and have fun... Well, never mind. He's still childlike at heart, so let him have his fun for a while longer.

"It's still early, it's not even noon yet. What's the rush?" Song Yue waved her hand, smiling at the young women who frequently cast admiring glances at her. With a swift motion, she opened her folding fan.

[Host, don't be so narcissistic. With your height, trying to pass as a scholar, you're lacking in presence. Why don't you hurry back to the palace and deal with the memorials?]

Song Yue: "Yandu doesn't have anything else interesting to do. Actually… well, I want to visit a brothel."

[Calm down, you don't have that function.]

Song Yue: "As a time traveler, if I haven't been to a brothel, then what's the point of coming to the ancient times? I'm just curious, okay?"

Her main purpose for going out today was indeed to observe the current environment of Yandu and experience the local customs. Otherwise, if she stayed in the palace all the time, only hearing reports from the servants, it would feel unreal.

Because aside from Li Deshun, she couldn't trust anyone in the vast imperial palace. She didn't even dare to stay in the consorts' palaces and had to sleep on the Empress's chair in the alchemy room under the pretense of refining medicine. Life was quite hard for her.

Fortunately, many people had already assumed that Ji Wuchao wouldn't live much longer and paid little attention to this emperor who didn't manage state affairs. So, she ignored the harem, and no one cared. In fact, when she squatted in the corners, she overheard palace maids gossiping about the secret affairs in the palace—specifically about the number of times Emperor Ji Wuchao had been cuckolded. It seemed that, although they acted afraid of her, no one truly took her seriously.

The task issued by the management bureau wasn't just to help Ji Wuchao out of his current predicament but to address the chaos in the entire Great Yan and even in the world. The workload kept her up at night, and she had decided to start from herself, beginning in Yandu, to gradually improve things step by step.

Waving her folding fan, Song Yue silently encouraged herself. Before she realized it, she had walked from the bustling marketplace to a quieter street. Fewer young women were casting flirtatious glances, and more elderly people were selling vegetables at their street stalls, making her, a young man in white robes, stand out a little.

"Take it slow, Young Master, take it slow…" Li Deshun, being older, struggled to keep up with her pace.

At that moment, two figures suddenly turned the corner, clearly a master and servant. It was a young man dressed in white, with a cold and distant demeanor, followed by a woman wearing a black veil. The young man's face was ordinary, but his eyes, deep and dark to the extreme, were unforgettable after just one glance.

Song Yue's proud smile, which she had worn since leaving the palace, immediately froze on her face.

—It was Xuan Sibei!

This shouldn't be! According to the timeline, he shouldn't have arrived in the capital so early. Could it be that she inadvertently caused a butterfly effect?

Even if Xuan Sibei had changed his appearance, the cold, sinister aura around him hadn't changed at all. Perhaps it was because, in the ancient times, she hadn't met many people, but he left a particularly strong impression on her. The chill she felt in that moment reminded her of the look in Xuan Sibei's eyes when he first grew up after her reincarnation.

Since her rebirth, she had never felt such a lethal threat from the young Xuan Sibei, and had always viewed him as a child. But now… perhaps her education of him needed to be strengthened.

Li Deshun was puzzled. Earlier, the Emperor had been walking with a light step, and for the first time since taking a consort, he hadn't cast an impatient glance at the women. Li Deshun had even wondered if the Emperor was starting to think about women and no longer liked the consorts in the harem… But now, it seemed the Emperor's thoughts were becoming even more inscrutable.

Song Yue slowed her pace, trying to blend in with the crowd and not stand out too much. She slowly raised the folding fan in front of her face, covering half of it, and gestured behind her to Li Deshun: "I think… the weather's nice today."

For this outing, she had slightly aged herself to avoid being recognized. She darkened her complexion and painted on thick, coarse eyebrows, which made her look more masculine and heroic. If someone only saw the upper half of her face, they would likely mistake her for a passerby.

At that moment, Xuan Sibei cast a questioning glance in her direction, seeing a handsome young man in white holding a folding fan in front of his mouth, whispering something to his servant, before retracting his gaze.

Perhaps he had seen wrong just now.

Li Deshun was becoming more confused, not understanding why the Emperor had suddenly started talking about the weather in such a mysterious way. He could only softly agree: "Yes… yes."

The two of them gradually moved further away, brushing past Xuan Sibei and heading in the opposite direction. It wasn't until they turned a few more streets that Song Yue let out a breath, thinking about Xuan Sibei's intentions.

She only knew that he hated the Yan Kingdom, and that alone gave him enough motivation to enter the palace and assassinate her, or cause some sort of chaos in Yandu. However, he had just walked down the street by the market, which was in the opposite direction from the palace. This meant he wasn't planning to do anything to her for now, but was likely going to cause some trouble in the market area…

Wait!

She suddenly realized she had once told him that she was doing business in Yandu, and those small-time merchants usually gathered near the busiest markets! Could it be that this troublemaker was coming after her?

Seeing the Emperor suddenly stop in his tracks, Li Deshun's expression changed, thinking something had gone wrong: "What's wrong?"

Song Yue's face darkened: "Quick… prepare some silver for me. By the way, did you recognize any of the vendors from the market we passed earlier?"

"No…"

"Then hurry up and get some silver. No time to waste!"

...

In the end, Li Deshun used his connections outside the palace to successfully secure a stall for her at the market.She then sent Li Deshun away, asking him to go to Mo Qingqiu's mansion for tea while she took the opportunity to change into a coarse cloth dress that gave off the aura of a rural woman. She washed off her makeup to reveal her true face, tied her hair into a simple bun, and squatted in front of the stall, calling out to customers.

Perhaps it was because she had been wearing makeup for so long, but her bare face was so unfamiliar that even her own mother might not recognize her. She thought to herself.

Xuan Sibei searched the market for a while but couldn't find Song Yue. He was puzzled, though he didn't believe that a woman like her could wander far. He suspected he had missed something and decided to retrace his steps. Sure enough, he still hadn't found her, but he could hear her shouting from the stall. He immediately signaled his subordinates to disperse and hide.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed him.

He stopped in his tracks, sizing up her attire and easing his doubts. He also felt a twinge of pity as he observed her enduring the sun and wind all alone. This woman, who was usually so elegantly dressed, had bought a house in Jiulong Bay for him, lost her husband's family, and now had little silver left, yet she still had to go through all this hardship…

"Xia... Xiaobei?"

Song Yue looked surprised as she saw the conspicuous young man in white among the crowd. She waved at him, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you." When he saw her again, he felt strangely calm. Even his sharp, hate-filled gaze softened gradually.

He walked slowly toward her, and she, mimicking a loving mother, gritted her teeth and opened her arms to welcome him. He, like an innocent boy, didn't hesitate and rushed into her embrace.

Song Yue couldn't help but criticize him in her mind. Thinking about the education she needed to give him, she wasn't going to be lenient: "Why aren't you staying at Jiulong Bay? Do you know how dangerous it is here? How could you come alone?"

The coldness in Xuan Sibei's eyes gradually faded, replaced by clarity and warmth, and a gentle, harmless smile began to spread across his face. He looked like an innocent child craving affection. "I came specially to see you."

For some reason, even before his plan to assassinate Ji Wuchao, he still wanted to say goodbye to this woman.

"..." Perhaps his intentions weren't as simple as he claimed? Was he really not planning to cause trouble in Yandu?

Just when she was slightly relieved, thinking she had managed to distract him, she saw him glance down at the small trinkets on the stall, and his words took on a deeper, more mysterious tone: "When I arrived earlier... there seemed to be an old woman in front of this stall?"

He was always proud of his memory, and logically speaking, he shouldn't have made any mistakes.