Yu Qingdai helped her younger sister wash and dress up, styling her hair in a double-bun hairstyle and finding her a bright purple dress to wear. Both sisters inherited their mother’s beauty, with round almond-shaped eyes and faces like peach blossoms.
Now that she’s dressed up like this, she’s stunning everyone around her.
Even though she was weak, Yu Ziyu still made sure to bring her swords and sabers. As usual, she carried a long sword on her back and a curved saber at her waist.
Yu Qingdai opened the cloak and draped it over her, but Yu Ziyu took it off again: “I’m not cold, you can wear this yourself, I don’t want it.”
Yu Qingdai understood what Yu Ziyu meant; she was always like this, disliking to wear thick clothes. Even in the dead of winter, she refused to wear a padded coat, saying that she was protected by Taoist fire and was not afraid of the cold.
The two sisters arrived at Fengwei River with only two maids.
The Fengwei River runs through the entire capital city, with its widest point reaching twelve or thirteen zhang (approximately 33-36 meters). The scenery along both banks is beautiful, making it a great place for leisure and recreation.
When the two sisters arrived, Princess Ningyuan was already waiting with a group of palace maids and guards.
A painted pleasure boat, over two zhang long, was moored on the river. The boat had two levels, with an exquisite pavilion on board, and the railings and windows were decorated with delicate reliefs, making it quite magnificent.
Princess Ningyuan and Yu Qingdai stood on the shore talking. The two had grown up together since childhood and were close playmates.
Yu Ziyu stood beside her sister, clutching her silver longsword, facing the shimmering lake. Her gaze was cold and focused; no one knew what she was thinking.
A sound came from not far upstream from them.
Yu Ziyu looked over warily and saw a group of elegant young men talking; they must also be there for a boat trip on the lake.
Li Jiyan was also among them. Compared to the many pampered young masters, Li Jiyan was half a head taller than everyone else. His tall, slender, and powerful figure stood out in the crowd.
Princess Ningyuan and Yu Qingdai were also drawn by the commotion above, and they both looked over.
Ning Yuan asked, “Is that man in white Li Jiyan? Ziyu’s fiancé?”
Yu Qingdai smiled and said, “It is Li Jiyan, but the marriage is not yet settled. A few days ago, Grand Commandant Li did bring him to propose marriage, but the matter has not been settled yet.”
Ning Yuan looked at Yu Ziyu, whose face was cold: “Ziyu, don’t you like Li Jiyan?”
Yu Ziyu kicked a pebble at her feet and said sullenly, “He’s so disobedient, I don’t like him at all. Besides, he’s so ugly, his…”
Before she could finish speaking, Yu Qingdai quickly covered Yu Ziyu’s mouth: “It’s impolite to expose other people’s shortcomings.”
Yu Ziyu bit her lip and remained silent.
Ning Yuan’s gaze then turned to the group of young masters: “Li Jiyan is quite good-looking, but he seems a bit aloof.”
Yu Ziyu snorted coldly: “That bitch has a terrible mouth.”
”He’s been gossiping in front of you?” Ning Yuan joked.
”That ugly thing, let’s not talk about him.” Yu Ziyu was extremely annoyed at the mention of Li Jiyan. If it weren’t for Li Jiyan that day, she could have attracted heavenly lightning, and maybe even successfully survived the tribulation.
As they were talking, Li Jiyan walked towards them.
Standing in front of the three, he first bowed and greeted Princess Ningyuan and Yu Qingdai: “Your Highness, this humble subject greets you and Miss Yu.”
Ning Yuan nodded slightly in response.
Li Jiyan glanced at Yu Ziyu and said in a low voice, “Yu Ziyu, let’s have a chat.”
“Ugly thing…” Yu Ziyu muttered.
For the sake of the family’s current interests, the Yu family still wanted to arrange a marriage between Yu Ziyu and Li Jiyan. Yu Qingdai gently touched Yu Ziyu’s shoulder: “Ziyu, go and talk to Young Master Li. Don’t be so impolite.”
Yu Ziyu was stubborn, but she still listened to her sister. She glared at Li Jiyan and said, “Hurry up and talk. You’re always wasting my time.”
”Let’s go over there.”
Li Jiyan led Yu Ziyu behind a willow tree and apologized to her again: “I didn’t mean it that day. I shouldn’t have said that there are no gods in this world. You hit me too, so we should call it even.”
”It doesn’t matter, I don’t care.” Yu Ziyu hugged her sword and tried to leave again.
A withered willow leaf fell and landed on her head. Li Jiyan brushed it away and asked, “When can we get engaged? My godfather is urging us.”
”You’re ugly and disobedient, what use would I have for a husband like you?”
Li Jiyan knew what Yu Ziyu meant by “ugly,” and he was already trying his best to improve. But he was called disobedient, retorted, “I did listen. Last time you asked me to wash my hair with tea in front of everyone, and I did it.”
Yu Ziyu’s bright black eyes darted around, and she came up with a new trick: “Then you jump into the river and take a bath in front of everyone, and I’ll marry you.”
”Take a bath? What if someone sees your husband naked? You don’t mind?” Li Jiyan was slightly surprised and sighed again, thinking that Yu Ziyu’s mind was really unfathomable.
”Since you won’t listen, then let’s not be together anymore.” Yu Ziyu was terribly unruly.
”Forget it, I can’t do it.”
Li Jiyan had no choice; how could he possibly take a bath in front of everyone? Besides, given Yu Ziyu’s personality, she had already made him wash his hair in public before, and now she was making him take a bath in public. If he continued to indulge her, wouldn’t she make him run naked in the street next time?
”Then let’s not get engaged. Disobedient things are better off gone!” Yu Ziyu hugged his sword and ran towards the river.
While Yu Ziyu’s sister’s side.
Yu Qingdai asked, “Why are you back so soon? Did you two have a fight?”
“We didn’t argue. I don’t like him.” Yu Ziyu frowned slightly and said coldly.
Princess Ningyuan had already boarded the painted boat and stood at the bow, calling to the two of them, “Qingdai, Ziyu, it’s time to get on board.”
”They’re here!” Yu Qingdai took Yu Ziyu’s hand and led her onto the boat.
With a boatman at the bow and a boatman at the stern, the oars cut through the calm water, and the painted boat slowly drifted on the lake.
Yu Ziyu stood at the railing at the stern of the boat, saying she was waiting to catch a water ghost. Yu Qingdai had no choice but to tell the boatman to keep an eye on her and to warn her not to go into the water.
Inside the cabin.
Yu Qingdai and Ning Yuan sat face to face at a low table, discussing the current state of the court in hushed tones.
Ning Yuan took a small sip of tea.
She said calmly, “Now that Father Emperor is obsessed with finding the elixir of immortality, factions in the court are colluding, the Crown Prince only knows how to enjoy himself, and the Third Prince is eyeing the throne covetously, who knows who will control the world in the future?”
Yu Qingdai skillfully manipulated the teapot on the table and said softly, “We should also make plans as soon as possible. My parents and I have discussed it, and no matter what, we will stand on the princess’s side.”
Ning Yuan picked up the tea scoop, filled it with some tea leaves, and put it into the teapot: “Qingdai, what do you think Empress Wu Zetian was thinking before she ascended to the throne?”
Yu Qingdai’s hand froze, and she looked up, staring incredulously into Ning Yuan’s incomparably beautiful eyes. “Princess… do you want to?”
Ning Yuan nodded: “If Ziyu and Li Jiyan get married, we can then recruit Li Jiyan to our side. In that case, the Zuolongwu Army, the Xiaowei Army beyond the Great Wall, and the Yulin Army that I currently command will all belong to us. How can I not become emperor?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingdai’s fingers trembled.
She had always known about Ning Yuan’s ambitions and aspirations, but she had only guessed before that Ning Yuan wanted to join forces with the Empress to undermine the Crown Prince’s power and rule from behind the curtain.
Unexpectedly, Ningyuan’s ambitions were so lofty. But what’s wrong with that? The entire court is in turmoil, everyone is in chaos, what is impossible?
Yu Qingdai put down the tea tray, stood up, knelt down to the side, and pledged her loyalty: “Qingdai swears to follow Your Highness to the death.”
Ning Yuan helped her up: “Qingdai, you are the person I trust most. If this great undertaking succeeds, I will grant you the highest position in the court, second only to the emperor.”
”It is Qingdai’s good fortune to be able to serve the princess.”
Yu Qingdai remained kneeling and continued, “Qingdai has a request. Ziyu is mentally unstable and insane. She may cause trouble in the future. I hope that the princess can protect her in the future. If she makes a mistake in the future, please be lenient with her.”
Yu Ziyu is getting crazier and crazier. She used to talk about killing demons and monsters, but she just messed with the plants and trees on the mountain.
But seeing Yu Ziyu slap Li Jiyan in the graveyard that day made Yu Qingdai uneasy. She feared that Yu Ziyu might accidentally kill someone while slaying demons one day.
Ning Yuan: “I also regard Ziyu as my own sister. When I rule the world, I will give her a pardon, just like my father did.”
”Thank you, Princess.” Yu Qingdai was finally relieved.
Just then, Yu Ziyu screamed from the stern: “Sister, come quick! Someone’s trying to hurt me!”
Yu Qingdai and Ning Yuan hurriedly left the cabin and saw Yu Ziyu kneeling on the deck, staring anxiously at the water. Yu Qingdai came over and helped her up: “What’s wrong? Who wants to harm you?”
”The water ghost! The water ghost stole my bracelet!” Yu Ziyu complained to her sister, holding up her bare wrist in distress.
The boatman said from the side, “She took off the bracelet and strung it on the sword to play with it. I warned her that the bracelet would definitely fall off if she played with it like that, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Yu Qingdai patted her back to comfort her: “It’s okay if it fall. When we get back, I’ll buy you a new one.”
Yu Ziyu was still sullen.
Princess Ningyuan took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and squatted down in front of her: “Don’t be angry, how about you take this?”
Yu Ziyu wiped away her tears: “Oh no, mine was blessed by the Ancestral Master, it can exorcise demons and subdue monsters.”
Ning Yuan: “Your ancestral master has been in the palace these past few days. When I return to the palace, I’ll have her perform another blessing for you, how about that?”
Yu Ziyu still felt wronged and kept her head down without replying.
The two women comforted her for a while, and when they felt she was alright, they went back to the cabin to continue their conversation.
After her sister and the princess left, Yu Ziyu sat at the stern of the boat, took out the whetstone she always carried, and began to sharpen her longsword.
It must be the river ghosts who stole her bracelet. Once she sharpens her sword, she will surely kill all those water ghosts without leaving a trace.
She was sharpening her knife when she soon noticed something strange on the water. A lotus leaf was drifting toward her at an unusual speed and stopped in front of her.
Yu Ziyu reached into the water and pulled apart the lotus leaf.
Li Jiyan’s clearly defined face appeared in the water. He was submerged, with only his head showing, and he was holding Yu Ziyu’s white jade bracelet that had fallen into the water in his mouth.
Yu Ziyu was startled at first, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to grasp the bracelet. Li Jiyan held on tightly, staring straight at her.
”You ugly thing, give it to me right now!” she cursed.
Li Jiyan then relented and said in a low voice, “I don’t take off my clothes when I take a shower.”
Then he dived into the water and disappeared in an instant, leaving only the lotus leaves still swaying on the surface.
Yu Ziyu was stunned for a long time before she remembered that when they were on the shore, she had asked Li Jiyan to jump into the river to bathe… This ugly thing is somewhat obedient, but not very obedient.
Hearing the noise, the boatman asked, “Miss, what’s wrong?”
Yu Ziyu put on the wet bracelet and said, “There was a water ghost just now, but I subdued it, so don’t be afraid.”
The boatman knew that Yu Ziyu was mentally unstable, so he just smiled and shook his head without saying anything.