Meet the Emperor?
Lin Lumi suddenly recalled the conversation she had heard from the townspeople earlier that day and was puzzled. “Why is it necessary to meet the Emperor tomorrow? Isn’t the list of candidates for the Dongling Ling Shu Sect not being announced for another two days?”
The Marquis of Anding threw his sleeves back heavily, his tone cold and stern. “How would I know? Eunuch Ning just delivered the imperial decree himself, starting with ‘congratulations.’ He said His Majesty wants to summon you to the palace tomorrow at noon. You, on the other hand, were nowhere to be found for the entire night, nearly making it impossible for me to answer to His Majesty!”
Hearing this, Lin Lumi found it ridiculous.
No wonder the Marquis suddenly cared about her—it was all because of the Emperor.
She responded coolly, “Understood. In that case, please move aside; I need to return to my room to rest.”
The servants stepped aside to clear a path. Lin Lumi didn’t think twice, her skirts fluttering as she walked straight through.
However, just as she brushed past the Marquis of Anding, a low, cold rebuke came from behind her:
“Lin Lumi, remember this! I don’t care if you die outside, but don’t bring trouble upon the Marquis’s estate!”
Her footsteps faltered, and her fingertips tightened slightly. She simply replied with a faint “Understood” and walked on toward her courtyard without looking back.
The moonlight was cold and sparse, and the lights along the long corridor were desolate, stretching her shadow out long. As she walked, an indescribable sense of melancholy welled up in her heart.
Sometimes, she truly couldn’t understand what her parents were thinking.
Her food and clothing had never been inferior to her brothers and sisters, yet in terms of their attitude, they were the coldest toward her. They had even arranged her bedroom in the most secluded corner of the estate just to see her less often.
She remembered ten years ago, when her top-tier spiritual root was discovered. The excitement in her heart was practically overflowing, and she had rushed back to the estate, longing for a word of praise, or even just a crumb of affirmation.
But what she received was only three indifferent words from her parents: “Understood.”
At that moment, her joy was snuffed out completely.
Since then, she stopped hoping, and her determination to return to her original world only grew stronger.
Just as she returned to the courtyard, she saw Chuntao limping toward her. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly having cried a lot.
“Sob… Miss! You scared me to death! That letter you wrote me sounded like you were saying goodbye, and I thought you couldn’t handle life anymore, wuu wuu wuu.”
Lin Lumi patted Chuntao on the back. “Alright, I’m fine. Just treat that letter as a joke. What happened to your foot?”
“I was in such a hurry to find you earlier that I twisted it. Fortunately, once the Marquis and the Marchioness learned you had written me a farewell letter, they immediately sent people to look for you, which made me feel a little more at ease.”
Lin Lumi lowered her gaze. “They didn’t look for me because of that letter. They were only anxious because the Emperor summoned me to the palace tomorrow.”
“Summoned you to the palace?” Chuntao looked surprised. “But the list isn’t announced until two days from now. Why summon you tomorrow? Did you… stir up trouble tonight?”
Lin Lumi shrugged. “I’m so well-behaved; other than the petty squabbles with Mu Heng, when have I ever caused trouble? I imagine I’ve already been pre-selected, and they’re calling me in early to talk. Alright, your foot is injured, go rest. I’m tired too.”
Chuntao knew her mistress’s personality, so she didn’t pursue it further. She just nodded and said, “Miss, I haven’t spent a single cent of the silver you gave me. Please don’t say such scary things again.”
“Alright.” Lin Lumi smiled.
That night, Lin Lumi had a dream.
Memories of her past and present lives intertwined like a rotating lantern, so clear it made her heart tremble.
In her previous life, she was abandoned by her parents and had to carefully beg for a living under others’ eaves.
In this life, she thought she had been born into a good family, only to have her parents treat her as if she were invisible and show her nothing but indifference.
Her life seemed destined for thin familial bonds.
…
It wasn’t until the mid-morning of the next day, as the morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, that she woke from the chaotic dreams.
Remembering that she had to meet the Emperor today, Lin Lumi immediately got up to get dressed.
To drive the original plot forward, she had to participate in the Dongling Ling Shu examination, enter the Juling Sect, and become the junior sister of the male lead, Wei Lingfeng.
Otherwise, she couldn’t think of any good way to approach him.
Therefore, her response before the Emperor today was of the utmost importance.
Although her selection was already a certainty based on her abilities, she still had to be extremely cautious to ensure not a single mistake occurred.
Lin Lumi donned a goose-yellow dress, and after some light makeup, she boarded the carriage to the palace.
The carriage swayed along the road, driving toward the palace gates under the blazing midday sun.
As the curtain was lifted, Lin Lumi stepped out. The young girl was bright-eyed with pearly white teeth, her skin like jade; she was like the most striking splash of color on a summer day, making it impossible for people to look away.
At that exact moment, the curtain of another carriage on the side was also lifted.
Mu Heng leaped down.
Seeing that Mu Heng was also there, Lin Lumi became even more certain that the Emperor was indeed meeting the selected candidates in advance.
He had clearly dressed up for the day as well, wearing a deep blue robe, his ink-black hair tied up high with a silver crown, which only served to make his features appear more picturesque and his contours more distinct.
Their gazes collided in mid-air, and for a moment, neither spoke.
After a long while, Lin Lumi spoke first: “Looking in a good mood, dressed like a peacock spreading its feathers.”
Mu Heng’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes slightly lifted: “One feels refreshed when meeting with happy events. My mood is indeed excellent today.”
“Oh, is that so?” Lin Lumi gave him a side-glance. “Sometimes I truly admire you. Yesterday you were so angry at me that you were grinding your teeth, yet today you act as if nothing happened. Your mindset is truly impressive.”
Mu Heng’s gaze darkened, but he smiled even more wantonly: “Who said nothing happened? You toyed with me like that—guess how I’ll toy with you in return?”
“Is Young Master Mu planning on writing me a love letter too? Or maybe confessing in public? Don’t worry, my mindset is also quite good. Your petty tricks are nothing to fear.”
Mu Heng shook his head: “I said it before—you will regret it.”
As he finished speaking, he took the lead and walked toward the depths of the palace.
Lin Lumi’s eyes narrowed slightly. With a flick of her skirts, she lunged forward, jumping ahead of him.
Their gazes clashed briefly again, both with faint smiles on their lips, yet neither willing to show weakness.
Thus, their footsteps quickened, and as usual, they began competing in secret.
The long corridor of the front palace glistened in the scorching sun, and their robes fluttered in the wind. The only ones who suffered were the group of eunuchs and servants following them, all of them left breathless, disheveled, and gasping for air as they tried to keep up.
Before long, Lin Lumi and Mu Heng arrived one after the other before the Qinde Hall.
The doors of Qinde Hall were wide open.
Hearing the commotion outside, the Emperor put down his brush and said with a smile: “The two of you, come in.”
They walked forward and knelt to pay their respects.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor waved his hand: “Rise.”
Lin Lumi looked up and stood still, only to find the Marquis of Anding and the Prime Minister both present in the hall.
Seeing this, she couldn’t help but be astonished.
What was happening? They were just here to talk about the entrance examination for the Dongling Ling Shu Sect; why were the parents called in?
Just as Lin Lumi was puzzled, the Emperor crooked a finger at a eunuch beside him.
The eunuch immediately handed over a letter.
At first glance, Lin Lumi found the letter very familiar.
Then she took a closer look…
!!
Wasn’t this the love letter she had written to Mu Heng last night!?