Gu Luo looked at the booklet in Gu Hanjue’s hand. “According to its contents, this subordinate learned that only Noble Consort Li in the entire imperial palace has used this kind of silk to make handkerchiefs.”
“Jia Yinger?” Gu Hanjue murmured. Suddenly, a ripple passed through his eyes. “I have no grudge against her and rarely interact with her directly. If someone wanted to inexplicably put me to death, it should be the empress.”
“This subordinate suspected her as well, but after investigating, although she is the empress, she holds no actual power. She likely could not have created so much interference during our investigation, unless she has a factional power of her own. But that... is unlikely. Considering the situation as a whole, it can only be Noble Consort Li.”
Gu Hanjue said languidly, “Jia Yinger. I never expected it to be her.”
He had been eager for the answer. After learning that the woman from that night was Jia Yinger, he was shocked, followed by a complicated mixture of emotions.
He had already taken quite a bit of the emperor’s empire for himself. Now he had even taken the other man’s woman. It truly left him both amused and exasperated.
“That’s not right. Jia Yinger has always been favored, and the emperor spends nearly every night with her. How could she still be chaste?” Gu Hanjue could still vividly recall what he had felt that day.
Gu Luo replied, “It is rumored that although the emperor spends every night with her, he has never consummated their marriage, because his cold ailment prevents him from Attending the emperor's bedchamber. Apparently... the empress drugged him, but the emperor did not pursue the matter because he had no evidence.”
“So that’s how it is. It seems this seat has no choice but to believe it.” Gu Hanjue sighed softly. “No matter. This seat will play with her for a while first!”
Meanwhile, when Jiang Yiyun saw Disguised An Luo return and report, “It’s done,” she knew that Gu Hanjue had already walked into the trap she had set. He would never suspect that she was the woman from that night, leaving her free of worry.
Although she had arranged everything—from confusing the investigation to having the palace maid secretly exchange the booklets—and a staged farce had somehow become reality in Gu Hanjue’s eyes, she still could not swallow her resentment.
Unfortunately, she remained at a disadvantage. Whether in factional power or martial strength, she was no match for Gu Hanjue.
As for the emperor’s favor, she could not compete for it, nor did she care to.
No matter how well she performed or how flawlessly she acted, it could never overcome the tendency to love someone and everything associated with them.
The night was as cool as water. No matter how lively the night banquet in the imperial palace was, it could not melt a frozen heart.
Jiang Yiyun changed into another false face, clad in black-clad attire as she moved between the lofty buildings and loft pavilions.
She had experienced the world’s dangers firsthand. Even with her face covered and her clothes changed, she still used another face for the sake of caution.
She had long since vanished from the world. Her true appearance would never be revealed easily.
There was a secluded and remote place in the imperial palace, an excellent location for secretly practicing. She had only discovered it recently.
Beneath the jade towers, her graceful figure moved with a fierce momentum, sweeping through each movement with an elegant and breathtaking beauty.
Her black hair brushed back and forth across her brow and temples, rising and falling in the clear breeze. The frosty radiance illuminated the person beneath the moon, making her skin as bright as snow.
She was absorbed in each movement, yet not the slightest bit negligent. Every change in her surroundings lay within her awareness.
Suddenly, she sensed someone approaching her from nearby. The powerful pressure made it impossible for her to determine its direction.
At that moment, a sword came Sneak Attacking from behind. She spun around and barely blocked it.
“Who are you?” Her inner heart was greatly shocked, but her expression remained calm.
The person who had launched the sneak attack was also dressed in black-clad attire. An eerie yet mysterious mask covered their face. One hand was held behind their back as they stood beneath the round tower, their powerful bearing soaring into the clouds.
The person opposite her said nothing, making it impossible to see any change in their expression. They merely stood there in silence, steady and composed, their garments’ hems drifting and unfurling in the wind.
That steady composure, oppressive aura, and the tranquility born of silence always made Jiang Yiyun feel a trace of fear. It also made her feel as though the other party was deliberately toying with and manipulating her.
She bit her lip, displeased. “What kind of scoundrel sneak attacks people?”
The other party suddenly attacked again, arriving before her in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Yiyun’s painstaking practice had not been in vain; she was still able to withstand this sudden attack.
But the longer the fight continued, the more disadvantaged she became. Every move grew more strenuous. Gradually, she could no longer keep up with the rhythm, and her technique fell into disorder.
In no time, the victor was decided.
Jiang Yiyun’s acupoints were sealed by the other party, leaving her unable to move. She did not understand their intention, and a trace of anxiety arose in her heart.
The person came before her and elegantly circled around her once, their gaze examining her repeatedly and making her skin crawl.
“What exactly do you want?” Jiang Yiyun struggled to steady her emotions.
“Heh.” The person lowered their voice and chuckled softly.
After coming before her, they extended one finger and lightly brushed the back of it over her face. Following her exquisite contours, it seemed both like a caress and an exploration, like a lover’s touch yet also as though searching for something.
In Jiang Yiyun’s eyes, this ambiguous gesture was excessively lewd.
Being touched by a man made her recall that night with Gu Hanjue, and an even greater wave of fear surged through her heart.
“Outrageous!” Though her inner heart was filled with immense fear, she maintained her usual dignity on the surface and glared fiercely at the other party.
The man seemed to notice the fear she was desperately concealing. Beneath the mask, his lips curved into a faint smile as he finally spoke. “You have a good foundation, but without anyone to guide you, it will be difficult to make any significant improvement.”
Jiang Yiyun was slightly stunned, not understanding what he meant.
“Smack, smack...” After several taps, the acupoints on her body were released, and the pressure vanished.
Jiang Yiyun was puzzled, but she did not beat around the bush. She asked directly, “What is your intention?”
The other party was equally direct. “I want to take on a disciple.”
Jiang Yiyun immediately understood the other party’s purpose, and her heart filled with wariness.
Through this exchange, she knew that the other party was an unparalleled expert, perhaps even much stronger than Gu Hanjue, whose martial arts were Number One Under Heaven.
If she could take him as her master, it would be ideal.
But not only was this person’s background unknown, he was also willing to take on a disciple so easily. How was he anything like those other cautious and dignified experts and seniors?!
She asked carefully, “May I ask your esteemed name, senior? Why do you refuse to reveal your true appearance, and why have you appeared in the imperial palace?”
The person let out a mocking hum, though it did not sound entirely sarcastic.
“You are cautious. I saw just now that your movement technique is agile and your foundation solid, but your stamina is clearly lacking. I imagine you have been practicing too aggressively lately. I do not take on a disciple lightly. There will be only one chance. Whether you bow to me as your master is up to you.”
Those words struck directly at her weakness. The deficiencies in her internal power had always caused her endless worry.
Although this person’s manner seemed frivolous, he did not appear to harbor any other intentions toward her.
She had heard that some reclusive experts had extremely strange tempers and acted entirely according to their whims. The expert before her was likely one of the kind described in the Jianghu.
“I’ll do it!” She readily agreed, then asked, “May I ask, senior, why you did not ask my name or background? Is it appropriate to take on a disciple so rashly?”
“There is no need. I naturally know who you are.”
Jiang Yiyun was utterly shocked. How had the other party learned her identity?
When she had been the empress, she had always traveled in disguise. Now she had also changed her appearance to another face. No one else should have known.
The man gave a cold laugh. “I know you came from the Li Kingdom, and someone entrusted me to come here and take especially good care of you.”
Hearing him say this, Jiang Yiyun relaxed. In that case, it was very likely that Emperor Wenxian of the Li Kingdom had sent someone to look after her.
Emperor Wenxian was also a sentimental man. He had kept her mother in his heart without change for many years, and now he had gone out of his way to care for her as well. She was deeply grateful.
“Senior, could you be Wen—”
The person gently raised a hand, stopping her question. “Since we both understand one another, there is no need to say more. Some things are best kept in the heart.”
Jiang Yiyun lowered her guard, nodded, and asked again, “But you must at least tell me your title, so I will know which expert I have acknowledged as my master.”
The person beneath the mask could not suppress his amusement. “You will learn when the opportunity arises.”
Seeing that she could not find out anything, Jiang Yiyun did not press further. Without another word, she simply knelt. “This disciple respectfully obeys her master’s teachings.”
This sudden kneeling startled the person before her. He had not expected her to be so formal.
“Rise. From today onward, we will meet here every other day. Your master will impart everything he has learned throughout his life to you.”
“Thank you, master—”
Before she could finish, he stopped her. “Spare me the empty formalities. I have never liked them.”
“Yes, master.”
“Martial practice cannot be completed in a single day. We will stop for today. The day after tomorrow, you and I will meet here. Do not be late.”
“Mm. This disciple will certainly be punctual.”
“Remember, do not tell anyone about what happened today.”
“This disciple respectfully obeys her master’s command!”