The entire Tangcui Palace had fallen into an atmosphere of cautious unease. After all, their mistress had now been cast into the cold palace and would never again receive favor.
Yet the person at the center of it all seemed completely unaffected. After returning to the palace, Jing Xin calmly ate two full bowls of rice.
Chang Huan had never seen her eat so much before. Thinking of all the strange changes in her over the past few days and what she had accomplished today, she had already fully convinced herself that Jing Xin was some celestial maiden descended to save the world.
Yu Zhu and the rest of the palace servants thought the same. After all, the City God Temples across the nation had been preserved, and all those abandoned infants now had shelter again. If their mistress was not an immortal fairy, then what was she?
Everyone wanted to comfort her but did not dare bring up the matter directly, afraid it would upset her, so they instead tried different ways to cheer her up.
Shou Quan walked in holding a kitten. “Your Highness, this was entrusted to this servant by the Remonstration Official. You used to love cats very much. Why not give it a name?”
So the original owner liked cats too.
Curled in Shou Quan’s arms was a tiny snow-white kitten with clean, beautiful ice-blue eyes. It was only two months old and very small, shrinking itself into a nervous little ball in the unfamiliar surroundings. It clearly disliked the scent on Shou Quan’s clothes, clutching his sleeve and wanting to jump away but not daring to move, only meowing pitifully at Jing Xin.
Jing Xin reached out and picked it up.
The kitten tilted its head a few times in a dazed, adorable manner before immediately jumping into her arms. Her body was soft and warm, and the little thing finally relaxed, its tiny claws no longer scratching nervously.
Jing Xin smiled happily. “I never expected ancient times to have such beautiful cats.”
Chang Huan and Shou Quan both looked confused. “Your Highness?”
“I said it’s beautiful.”
“Yes, its eyes are especially lovely. Your Highness, what shall you name it?”
Jing Xin stroked the fluffy little head. “Let’s call her Yun Juan.”
Yun Juan was a little girl kitten. Jing Xin did not know what kind of environment she had come from, but she was far quieter than ordinary cats, obedient to the point that she hardly seemed feline at all.
Jing Xin had raised cats before. One of her British Shorthairs had been outrageously mischievous, a true little destroyer. It had ruined several of her paintings, making her furious enough to want to give it away. Yet after three years together, when the cat eventually passed away, she mourned for half a year before finally letting go.
People were always like this. Once they grew accustomed to companionship, they feared losing it. Once they invested feelings into something, losing it would always hurt.
Jing Xin cared for Yun Juan meticulously. That very night, she had the servants prepare a little bed for the kitten inside her sleeping chamber.
Afraid the kitten might be frightened in the dark, she deliberately left a candle burning.
But Yun Juan was unfamiliar with the nest and seemed to prefer Jing Xin’s embrace. The kitten hopped onto the bed, tilted its tiny head at her, then cautiously took two little steps forward. Seeing Jing Xin did not stop her, she immediately darted into her arms and kneaded against her chest with tiny paws.
Jing Xin spent a long while soothing the kitten and helping it feel safe before finally drifting to sleep herself.
In the middle of the night, she woke to relieve herself and saw Yun Juan inside the nest, kneading the bedding.
The bedding had been stuffed with cotton by the servants. The little kitten looked pitifully dejected as she pressed and kneaded it over and over, occasionally letting out soft little meows.
Jing Xin had raised cats before, and Yun Juan was only two months old, so she naturally understood this behavior. Kittens kneaded soft things when they missed their mothers.
Suddenly, something struck her.
Earlier that day, Qi Shen had also been repeatedly squeezing the soft ornament hanging at his waist.
Wasn’t that exactly the same?
Realization dawned on her.
Qi Shen liked those soft things perhaps because he unconsciously longed for the comfort and gentleness he had never received as a child.
Jing Xin could not quite describe the feeling in her heart. Somehow, Qi Shen no longer seemed quite so hateful.
…
Qi Shen skipped morning court entirely that day. Instead, he had the Grand Chancellor and Vice Chancellor attend in his place and report back afterward.
The palace bored him terribly. He sat in the training grounds watching fourteen burly warriors fight one another while casually snacking on candied melon seeds.
Qin Wuheng and Grand Chancellor Lu Yong stepped forward and bowed, first reporting important state affairs. Yet Qi Shen merely laughed and applauded the fights, paying them almost no attention.
Lu Yong had served through two reigns. Though his hopes of reforming Qi Shen into a wise ruler had long since died, seeing him behave like this while warriors behind him fought to the death still made him unable to endure it any longer.
“Your Majesty…”
Qin Wuheng lightly patted his shoulder, signaling him not to provoke Qi Shen.
“The Grand Chancellor called for me?” Qi Shen finally asked lazily.
Lu Yong swallowed his frustration. “This minister… has finished reporting state affairs.”
“Oh! Hard work indeed, Grand Chancellor. Cang Ji, escort him out.”
Lu Yong could only cast a meaningful glance toward Qin Wuheng, silently urging him to persuade Qi Shen.
Qin Wuheng’s dark eyes conveyed reassurance, but after Lu Yong left, he merely commented lightly, “That move from You Mang was too soft.”
Qi Shen immediately ordered the warrior below to “fight with his life.”
A chair was brought for Qin Wuheng. Sitting down, he said, “Brother, this little training ground is rather dull. Why not go outside the palace and stretch your skills somewhere more spacious?”
“And where would that be?”
“I know of a mountain basin near Yuping. The terrain there is unusual, and fierce beasts often appear. But Brother need not worry about danger. It is said there is a female immortal in those mountains who can tame beasts and protect the local people.”
“An immortal?” Qi Shen scoffed inwardly. He did not believe in such things, though he was interested in hunting.
His victory against the rebellions of the Mi Kingdom and Xia Kingdom had come effortlessly, and the other feudal lords had looked terrible afterward. That delighted him immensely.
He loved seeing people want him dead yet remain powerless to kill him.
After all, he was the most wise and mighty Son of Heaven under the skies.
Seeing Qi Shen in good spirits, Qin Wuheng smiled faintly. “Then Brother agrees to the hunt? I shall arrange everything at once.”
He added casually, “That immortal woman is not truly divine, merely an ordinary woman. But rumor says she possesses extraordinary beauty and intelligence, and the people adore and respect her.”
“All beasts beneath heaven belong to the forests, and the forests belong to the Son of Heaven. Naturally, the beauties of the world should belong to you as well.”
Qi Shen was extremely pleased by the flattery.
The blazing sunlight shone overhead as he rose to his feet. “I only intend to hunt. If this immortal woman proves interesting, we shall speak of it later.”
“This minister will prepare the journey immediately. Shall Consort Jing accompany Your Majesty?”
Qi Shen’s face instantly darkened.
Cang Ji quickly whispered, “Consort Jing has angered His Majesty.”
Qin Wuheng hurriedly apologized and respectfully saw Qi Shen off. Yet after turning away, all warmth and humility vanished from his eyes, replaced by cold disgust.
…
Jing Xin had not been idle either.
Since fate had already granted her baking abilities, she instructed Shou Quan to search outside the palace for watercolor pigments and painting materials. The mysterious voice from her dream had promised her these things existed, so they should not be difficult to find.
She had not left Tangcui Palace for two days. During that time, Chang Huan went to Ziyan Palace several times to inquire about Qi Shen, but Cang Ji guarded his words carefully. The young eunuch Jing Xin had bribed earlier had already been beaten to death after angering Qi Shen, leaving Chang Huan unable to learn anything.
More imperial guards had also been stationed around Zunle Gate. Jing Xin guessed Qi Shen was deliberately preventing her from meeting officials.
At least the tyrant still had his intelligence intact.
Chang Huan and Shou Quan worried endlessly for her, but Jing Xin herself remained calm. She was not so easily crushed.
No matter what happened outside, she knew Qin Wuheng would definitely find a way to bring Qi Shen out to Shen Qingyue’s territory for hunting, and she had to stop it.
Though after thinking carefully, she realized she probably could not stop it at all.
Qin Wuheng hated Qi Shen. One way or another, he would create an opportunity for Qi Shen and Shen Qingyue to meet.
Rather than allowing an unknown encounter beyond her control, she would rather accompany Qi Shen on this hunting trip and intervene personally.
When she thought about it carefully, Qin Wuheng’s so-called hatred over his father’s death was merely a noble excuse for seizing the throne during chaotic times.
His parents had been joined in a political marriage. Qin Wuheng’s mother gradually fell deeply in love with her intelligent and ambitious husband, but a man like Qin Father would never remain satisfied with only one woman. He expanded his harem endlessly for power and alliances.
Qin Mother was gentle and increasingly miserable, but young Qin Wuheng could not understand this at the time. To him, his father taking concubines seemed normal.
Yet the sensitive young Qi Shen knew it was not normal.
His mother never loved him. Only his aunt had ever shown him affection.
The day Qin Mother told him she would return after briefly going home, she never came back.
She had overheard Qin Father tenderly comforting a newly pregnant concubine, calling his own wife an unattractive old woman unworthy of beauty. Filled with despair, she hanged herself.
Kind but depressed people often chose such extreme methods to find peace.
From then on, little Qi Shen lost the only person who had ever treated him kindly.
Later, after ascending the throne, the very first person he killed was Qin Father. No matter how Qin Wuheng pleaded, he never wavered.
And so Qin Wuheng hated him.
Whether because of his father’s death or not, he hated him.
Jing Xin finally decided that if all else failed, she would simply follow Qi Shen out of the palace herself. She already knew where Shen Qingyue was anyway.
That morning, Yu Zhu was helping her with her hair, obvious happiness shining across the young girl’s face.
These past few days, everyone had worried over Jing Xin’s fall from favor, so seeing Yu Zhu this cheerful again was rare.
“What makes you so happy?” Jing Xin asked. “Has your leg healed?”
“Your Highness, my leg is almost healed. The imperial physician said it will recover completely if I continue taking medicine.” Yu Zhu smiled shyly. “Today is also this servant’s thirteenth birthday.”
“Really? Happy birthday!”
“Birthday?” Yu Zhu’s eyes curved brightly. “Thank you, Your Highness!”
Jing Xin immediately ordered the entire palace to begin preheating the oven. She wanted to make Yu Zhu a birthday cake. Since she was idle anyway, she might as well.
The servants busied themselves according to Jing Xin’s instructions. The whisk crafted by the workshop naturally was not electric, but its hollow design allowed air to mix in more easily, speeding up manual whipping.
After finishing everything, Jing Xin concluded that whipping cream by hand in ancient times was truly exhausting.
She made a simple naked cake. Since she was not used to writing ancient characters, she instead used jam to paint a rainy cloud and added a smiling face as a substitute for birthday wishes.
Setting down the piping bag, she clapped happily. “Done! See, the raindrops beneath the cloud represent your name. Later, you can light candles and make a birthday wish. This entire cake is yours.”
Yu Zhu burst into tears. “Your Highness treats this servant far too well…”
The surrounding maids were all full of envy. They had long heard their mistress had changed, but never imagined she would become this gentle and kind.
Yu Zhu said softly, “Your Highness, Eunuch Shou has not yet returned from purchasing supplies outside the palace. This servant wishes to wait for him before cutting the cake. Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
Jing Xin had the cake moved into her bedchamber with ice to keep it cool so the cream would not melt too quickly.
Making cakes in ancient times was more exhausting than she expected. Hugging Yun Juan, she lay down on the beauty couch and gradually drifted into sleep.
The servants quietly withdrew from the hall, unwilling to disturb her.
There was still leftover cake batter. Chang Huan gathered everyone around the oven to experiment with baking chiffon cakes. Such delicious food should not go to waste.
The sweet fragrance drifted out beyond Tangcui Palace.
The sunset painted the entire palace blood-red with a strange romantic beauty.
Qi Shen had not enjoyed dinner. When he asked for dessert afterward, the imperial kitchen had made something unbearably sweet, clearly trying to appease him lazily with sugar.
He had tasted every dessert under heaven. Did they think he could not tell they were becoming increasingly perfunctory?
He immediately ordered the cook executed.
Cang Ji anxiously explained that the cooks simply had no new ideas left. Every dessert imaginable had already been attempted.
In a few days they would depart for hunting near Yuping. Perhaps there would be something fresh there.
Qi Shen wandered from the imperial garden toward the rear palace. Just as he turned to return to Ziyan Palace, he caught a familiar fragrance drifting through the floral scents.
Sweet, milky, enticing.
People who loved desserts were always especially sensitive to such aromas. Before Cang Ji noticed anything at all, Qi Shen had already identified it as pastry.
Without question.
Following the scent through several palace halls, he arrived at Tangcui Palace.
Standing at the entrance, he never would have imagined the fragrance originated here.
Cang Ji still smelled nothing, but suddenly remembered the pastries Jing Xin had once brought. Trying to sound clever, he exclaimed, “Your Majesty, this servant remembers now. This was the same fragrance from the pastries Consort Jing once delivered!”
Qi Shen’s expression darkened.
Cang Ji could not read his thoughts and immediately prepared to announce loudly, “The Son of Heaven has arrived!”
Qi Shen shot him a cold glare to silence him.
What was there to announce?
He had only recently declared he would never see her again.
After a moment of internal struggle, he finally surrendered to the temptation of pastries and stepped into Tangcui Palace.
Not a single servant came to greet him. In the courtyard ahead, the palace maids were all gathered around a square oven, chattering excitedly about dividing the cakes among themselves and even saying, “Even the Son of Heaven cannot eat this.”
The fragrance of eggs and milk drifted toward him, and his eyes immediately brightened.
He knew at once they were making pastries.
But the sweeter aroma from before was not this smell.
Turning toward the inner hall, he followed the scent straight toward the bedchamber.