Fate Trading System – Chapter 190

Plan A

Guiding Stars 6

Pei Yu

Su Xin, possessing the original host’s memories, naturally knew everything about her younger siblings’ health conditions like the back of her hand.

The Ninth Imperial Princess Yue Xingtu [越星图 | yuè xīng tú], who was born an hour earlier, actually wasn’t as healthy as her younger sister.

The Ninth Imperial Princess was the first to die among the six sisters’ power struggles because of her poor health. However, this poor health wasn’t apparent on the surface – she didn’t look sickly, but she easily experienced chest tightness and shortness of breath. She couldn’t get too emotionally excited or engage in intense physical activities, though light running was fine. As for intimate activities, the original host didn’t know about that – after all, that was private, and besides, the Tenth Imperial Princess was still a child then, so such things were impossible.

The Ninth Imperial Princess was literally angered to death by her arch-rival, the Tenth Imperial Princess. Their respective imperial fathers were at odds, engaging in fierce open and covert battles. Neither could stand the sight of the other, and neither would yield. Moreover, they gave birth at the same time, so their children became natural enemies from birth – perhaps not naturally so, but the result was that the two couldn’t stand each other either.

The Tenth Imperial Princess only meant to anger her a bit, not expecting her to be so fragile – she passed away at the young age of twelve.

This was because the Ninth Imperial Princess had been forced into early delivery through some method by her father.

Looking at it now, Su Xin thought this method wasn’t very clever.

The imperial father of the Tenth Imperial Princess, Yue Xingya [越星雅 | yuè xīng yǎ], was much cleverer. Su Xin didn’t know or care about all the complicated details – she only saw the final result.

Although the Ninth Imperial Princess was born slightly earlier, and the Emperor visited her first, showing excitement and leaving many rewards, before her warm words were finished, she immediately went to the other’s place. With the Tenth Imperial Princess, the Emperor’s joy was doubled – clearly, the Tenth Imperial Princess’s side had the better deal.

Because the dragon’s heart was greatly pleased, all palaces received some rewards, though none as generous as those given to these two imperial fathers.

Yue Xingyao coldly watched her imperial father going mad. In his inner palace, the Emperor Consort was frantically tearing at his clothes, using them as objects to vent his hatred.

He didn’t dare to smash anything or make too much noise, because he was the Emperor Consort, and not just because of his position – on this day when everyone was supposed to be happy, or at least pretend to be happy even if they weren’t, he couldn’t spoil the atmosphere.

The Emperor Consort was, of course, extremely irritated. Two new enemies had appeared to compete for Her Majesty’s favor, and moreover, two more children had appeared to compete for his child’s future opportunities.

Detestable, these two imperial princesses.

The Emperor Consort immediately sent lavish gifts to the first imperial father who gave birth, doing so while Her Majesty was still in that consort’s palace. He had to present himself as magnanimous and understanding. When the second imperial father gave birth, he also sent equally valuable gifts, showing no favoritism.

After doing all this, he immediately went mad in his own palace, tightly locking the doors. The palace was so vast that no one could hear his movements, and he only cursed in whispers, not daring to become hysterical.

Yue Xingyao didn’t immediately try to console him, knowing it would be useless – the man needed to vent all his emotions first.

The Emperor Consort gradually calmed down. Yue Xingyao approached and served him a cup of tea.

The Emperor Consort took the tea, sipped it to soothe his throat, then calmly placed it on the nearby table, showing no trace of his previous frenzy.

The palace servants standing nearby came to help arrange his appearance and clothes, and he was once again that incomparably beautiful and dignified Emperor Consort.

The palace servants gathered up all the torn clothes from the floor, held them in their arms, pushed open the door to leave, then carefully closed it behind them.

“Yao’er, do you know the hatred in Father Consort’s heart?”

The Emperor Consort said with a cold smile, beckoning to Yue Xingyao and half-kneeling to embrace her.

“Yao’er knows.”

Yue Xingyao knew how pitiful this man who gave birth to her was. This person clearly sat in the position most coveted by all men under heaven, wearing luxurious clothes and enjoying all the riches, with authority over the Three Palaces and Six Courts [三宮六院 | sān gōng liù yuàn | refers to the imperial harem], yet he wasn’t happy – he was even resentful.

All this was simply because her Mother Emperor rarely set foot in this palace.

In Yue Xingyao’s memories, impressions of that Mother Emperor were extremely sparse – she rarely got close to her.

Yue Xingyao vaguely knew she might be an unwelcome child, but the root of this unwelcome status wasn’t in herself, but rather in the man who gave birth to her.

Although this man was the Emperor Consort, he was indeed not favored.

There weren’t any grand feuds or grievances – it was merely a matter from the previous generation. Back then, the Emperor, for the sake of ascending to power, was forced to marry this man whom she didn’t love. But in the struggle for power, what did love matter?

The Emperor Consort understood what their union meant. He had agreed to marry with the notion of becoming the father figure of the empire, but men are forever emotional creatures, yearning for love from their other half.

Love could inject new vitality into them, bringing life to their decaying bodies. A man without love was undoubtedly pitiful.

The Emperor Consort knew this pitifulness but was powerless to change it.

He had once fantasized about marrying a wife-sovereign who would cherish and love him, living together in mutual respect and affection. But his family’s status determined he could never have such love, so he married the most noble woman under heaven.

But his family’s actions had pushed him into a dead end. He remained in the position of Emperor Consort yet had lost the Emperor’s favor.

His family had been too greedy and had done things the Emperor couldn’t tolerate, so the Emperor, unable to endure any longer, moved to eliminate some of their power, forcing them to quiet down.

The Emperor Consort found himself in a predicament, not knowing what to do.

However, this unwelcome child brought him hope. He had conceived in desperation, but at that time there was a vague feeling – what if it wasn’t from that unknown wowoman in black, but the Emperor’s? The Emperor was required to visit his palace one day each month – this was the rule, established to prevent emperors throughout history from neglecting their Emperor Consorts in favor of other consorts.

The Emperor Consort sincerely thanked this regulation, but after the child was born, he secretly used a method to test their blood relation. The child wasn’t the Emperor’s, but rather that unknown, bold wowoman in black’s.

Indeed, because that woman in black had lain in his bed far more frequently than the Emperor who only visited once a month.

He was frightened at first, but later decided to throw caution to the wind.

What did it matter if he defied heaven? Since the Emperor claimed his clan harbored treasonous thoughts – and while his clan was indeed audacious, they had absolutely no thoughts of treason, though their ambitions were great.

The clan had demanded he sacrifice his chance at love for the family’s future. The Emperor Consort didn’t lack hatred, but he had chosen this path himself – it was self-inflicted. The Emperor Consort devised a shocking method of revenge.

Ha! Actually, the Emperor owed him nothing – there had never been any promises of growing old together, no beautiful vows of eternal love, no romance at all.

But he hated! For a time, he wished to end his own life, feeling existence was meaningless. His clan thought him useless, unable to whisper influence in the Emperor’s ear. The Emperor despised and resented him, seeing him as the son of an eyesore, thoroughly disgusted.

What did these empty yet magnificent clothes bring him but endless emptiness? Those consorts who acted subservient while secretly harboring evil intentions, their nauseating young faces, their hateful challenging gazes – it was all utterly lifeless.

But he paused during those days, his heart gradually becoming twisted. Fine then – if his wife-sovereign thought he harbored treasonous thoughts, what did it matter if he actually committed such sins?

The first time with that woman in black could only be described as r*pe, but by the second time, he had become unrestrained – what did it matter? Nobody cared anyway.

He would not only be unfaithful, but he would also end this dynasty from its roots. When the dust settled, he would mockingly laugh at the woman he had once loved, then hated, then despaired over. This was his dream, and he would use any means necessary to achieve it.

“Yao’er, you must not be soft-hearted, understand? Those people are not your sisters – they’re unworthy. You’re different from them. You don’t need to share familial bonds with them. Just treat them as obstacles to be cleared away when necessary.”

The Emperor Consort’s face still wore an elegant and proper smile, but his words were ice-cold and venomous.

He wanted to teach his child to abandon innocence and kindness, to discard weakness and mercy. All feelings – familial love, romantic love, friendship – were nothing but flowers in a mirror, moon in the water [鏡中花，水中月 | jìng zhōng huā, shuǐ zhōng yuè | metaphor for illusions], they would all leave you someday.

“In this world, only one person will truly treat you well – that’s me, your Father Consort. We are connected by blood, a bond that can never be severed. My blood flows in you forever, and I will definitely protect you. No one is worth trusting except me, understand, Yao’er?”

The Emperor Consort’s voice carried unwavering determination, wanting to force these ideas into his child’s mind, brainwashing Yue Xingyao over and over.

Yue Xingyao couldn’t see the vicious expression on the Emperor Consort’s face as he embraced her, nor could the Emperor Consort see the blank expression on the face of the child he held.

Yue Xingyao’s expression was dazed, her eyes completely devoid of light, empty like a doll.

Yue Xingyao was extremely tired, not knowing where this exhaustion came from. She wanted to tell her Father Consort that he was wrong, but what exactly was wrong? If she wanted to refute him, she didn’t know where to begin, and besides, she couldn’t refute him – because he was the man who gave birth to and raised her, because he was her only relative in the world, because her mother had long since abandoned her.

What a desperate reality.

Father Consort told her that this world was full of schemes. No one would be kind to her without reason, no one would curry favor with her without purpose – they must either want something from her or wish to harm her.

Father Consort said that in all the world, only he would treat her well with pure intentions, be close to her naturally, because he was the one who gave birth to and raised her.

This was right.

Yue Xingyao pressed her lips tightly together, her expression becoming even colder.

“Everything intangible in this world is false. Don’t believe in any emotions. Only what you can firmly grasp in your hands is real. With power, you have everything – you have absolute freedom. Yao’er, you must ascend to that supreme position, no matter what methods you use.”

“This child understands.”

“Go back and get some good rest. Tomorrow when Father Consort takes you to see your sisters, remember to be well-behaved and smile, understand?”

“This child understands.”

Yue Xingyao returned to her room. While walking along the corridor, she lifted her head to look at the sky – there was no moon tonight, only a sky full of stars, so numerous they seemed about to fall, weighing heavy on one’s heart.

Beautiful, yet vast.

Yue Xingyao didn’t sleep well. Although she had several nightmares, upon waking she couldn’t remember what she’d dreamed, only recalling darkness.

Because of the good news, the Imperial Tutor specially gave a day off.

The next morning, Su Xin was summoned to the Emperor Consort’s palace to accompany them both to visit the imperial fathers who had given birth.

“Chen’er, this is for you – it will be your gift for Ninth Sister, understand? And this is for your Tenth Sister.”

The Emperor Consort was very thoughtful, maintaining appearances perfectly. He had prepared all the gifts considerately, so Su Xin didn’t need to worry about preparing anything – she just needed to present the ready-made gifts.

This thoughtfulness truly moved the child. Su Xin put on an obedient and touched expression, and was actually quite grateful inside.

She appreciated how the Emperor Consort cared about maintaining face – if she had to figure out appropriate gifts herself, she really wouldn’t know what would be suitable.

Yue Xingyao hadn’t slept well last night and looked somewhat tired today, but still forced herself to stay energetic, maintaining her usual stern little face that revealed nothing.

Su Xin immediately noticed something was off with the little brat, after all, she saw her every day and could tell the difference. The little one’s spirit wasn’t good, like a wilted cabbage.

As they walked, the two of them walked on either side of the Emperor Consort – he held Yue Xingyao’s hand while Su Xin obediently walked alone.

Both imperial fathers who had given birth were promoted in rank – one from Jieyu [婕妤 | jié yú | Handsome Lady or Beautiful Companion] to Zhaoyi [昭儀 | zhāo yí | Bright Consort or Luminous Companion], and the other was also promoted to Zhaoyi.

The rank of Four Consorts wasn’t so easily coveted. The Emperor naturally had her own judgment – after all, with two consorts, it wouldn’t be good to openly favor either one. Truthfully, her favor for both was about equal, and since both had given birth to girls, she wouldn’t show partiality to either.

Su Xin wore a flawless smile as they visited both imperial fathers in turn. There was no special order – it was decided by which palace was closer to the Emperor Consort’s palace.

Yue Xingyao had maintained a cold expression throughout the journey, but upon seeing her Ninth and Tenth Sisters, she managed a perfunctory smile.

Both imperial fathers spoke with barbed words [帶刺 | dài cì | speaking with hidden malice], rather proud of their elevated status through their daughters, but they didn’t dare openly oppose the Emperor Consort, even though some clearly disliked him and coveted his Phoenix Seal [鳳印 | fèng yìn | symbol of the Emperor Consort’s authority].

The Emperor Consort returned appearing virtuous and graceful, but upon returning to his palace, his expression suddenly changed – gone were the false smiles of apparent sincerity, replaced by cold anger and disgust.

However, he didn’t show any of this before Su Xin and Yue Xingyao. When Su Xin returned to the Emperor Consort’s palace, she paid her respects and returned to her own courtyard, with Yue Xingyao accompanying her.

Yue Xingyao crouched among the flower pots, listlessly playing with the leaves of unopened flowers.

“What’s wrong, Fifth Sister? You look unhappy.”

Su Xin watched the little bitter gourd [小苦瓜 | xiǎo kǔ guā | metaphor for someone looking dejected] hovering back and forth before her, occasionally glancing at her as if wanting to speak but saying nothing, so she decided to initiate the conversation.

“Elder Imperial Sister, do you think strangers in this world would ever be kind to another person without reason?”

Yue Xingyao lifted her head from among the flowers, asking with troubled expression.

“That depends on what kind of stranger.”

Little brat, why do you always ask such mature questions! These aren’t questions someone your age should be asking!

“Hmm? Like those without blood relations?”

“Are people without blood relations all considered strangers?”

“I suppose…”

Yue Xingyao hesitated.

“In this world, there’s a kind of feeling that can make a stranger be kind to another stranger without reason.”

“Then does that stranger want to get something from the other person?”

“Of course – they want to get a response.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re still too young. At your age, you really can’t understand these things. There are many different kinds of feelings, but all good feelings share one common point.”

“What common point?”

“They make you become a better person.”

“What is a better person? What are good feelings?”

“Good feelings are those that make you become more beautiful, more positive and upward-looking, sunny and upright. Bad feelings are those that make you constantly fall, become contemptible, become hateful, become dark and selfish. No one dislikes a person who is sunny and positive, right?”

Yue Xingyao nodded hesitantly.

“You’re still too young. You don’t need to think about these things.”

Su Xin repeated, pinching Yue Xingyao’s cheek.

“In this world, there will always be someone who loves you because you are you.”

“I am me? But of course I’m me. If I’m not me, then who would I be?”

Yue Xingyao clearly didn’t understand this complex proposition.

“Do all the palace servants around you fear you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why they fear you?”

“Because I’m the Emperor Consort’s daughter, because I’m noble, because I can decide their life and death.”

“Yes, but if one day you no longer had this identity, would they still fear you?”

“This…”

“In this world, sooner or later there will be someone who likes you not because you’re the Emperor Consort’s daughter, but because you are you – because you are Yue Xingyao. They will dedicate everything to you, even their life.”

“Will there really be such a person? Why do I find it so hard to believe? You’re not deceiving me, are you?”

“That depends on what you do yourself – whether you’re outstanding enough to attract such a person.”

Su Xin crouched on the ground, wondering why she was discussing these things with a four-year-old little brat. It was meaningless – this little one understood nothing, and they would be enemies in the future, but facing this version of the demon king, she really couldn’t harden her heart.

“Elder Imperial Sister, do you mean that if I become powerful enough, many people will like me?”

“Well… that’s not exactly what I meant, but if you become powerful, indeed many people will like you, whether sincerely or not.”

Yue Xingyao seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing. Her fingers unconsciously curled around nearby leaves, deeply confused.

“Fifth Sister, what made you think to ask me this question?”

“Don’t know, just thought of it, so I asked. I figured Elder Imperial Sister is so capable, you’d definitely be able to answer my question.”

Yue Xingyao blinked her eyes, not revealing the truth.

“As a child, don’t think about so many things. Think about knowledge from books – why consider such complicated matters? You should believe that many things in this world will naturally straighten out when the bridge is reached, just like how water flows naturally into channels.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Hmm?”

“If Elder Imperial Sister is like that, wouldn’t you be very afraid?”

“Afraid of what?”

“If you don’t know most of what’s coming in the future and just act blindly, wouldn’t that be scary? I don’t like being that way. If I need to go to a new place, I’ll have others scout the path first, then come back and tell me how to walk that road, what things are along the way. Only then can I walk with confidence, without making mistakes.”

The four-year-old Yue Xingyao artlessly revealed her calculating nature.

“Ha… I think unknown paths are interesting precisely because you walk them yourself. Because you don’t know what they’re like, they’re mysterious – isn’t breaking through that mystery such an interesting process?”

Su Xin said this, but walking paths and politics were two different matters. Although she enjoyed adventure, she wouldn’t make careless mistakes in such matters.

When plotting, of course one needed to understand things thoroughly before taking the next step.

“Is that so?”

Yue Xingyao tilted her head, her bright black eyes staring at Su Xin, looking incredibly innocent and adorable.

“There are many unknown things in this world, and it’s precisely because they’re unknown that they have a mysterious quality. That’s why many people keep walking toward unfamiliar directions, because they might find something in the distance that they couldn’t find here. But here, I think Fifth Sister’s method is more reliable.”

“It’s very dangerous here, isn’t it? Father Consort has told me since I was little that it’s dangerous here, telling me not to trust others easily.”

“Then why do you speak to me so unreservedly?”

“You’re different.”

Yue Xingyao pouted unhappily, like a child embarrassed into anger.

“You’re different.”

Yue Xingyao emphasized again emphatically.

“How am I different? Don’t I also have two eyes, one nose, and one mouth? I don’t have three heads and six arms, so what’s different?”

“Because you won’t become my enemy. We were raised by the same father, you won’t become my enemy, right?”

Su Xin looked at those eyes, unable to say ‘no,’ but also unable to firmly say ‘yes.’

Whether it was about disappointing this little one’s expectations or not revealing herself too early, Su Xin couldn’t answer this question. So she patted the dirt off herself, stood up, and extended her hand to Yue Xingyao who was still crouching on the ground.

“Your enemies are for you to discern yourself, not to ask about so emptily. Don’t trust others like this next time. Some things, you needn’t tell me.”

Sometimes, knowing others’ secrets can be a very heavy burden.

Secrets are the most unreliable things in this world once they become shared between two people.

“Let’s go back, it’s almost time for the noon meal. If you want to find me again in the afternoon, come find me – I’ll still be in this courtyard, not going anywhere. The Imperial Tutor won’t have class until tomorrow.”

Yue Xingyao didn’t pursue her previous question, nor did she ponder why Su Xin hadn’t directly answered her question. For many things, breaking one’s head thinking about the answers only makes things more difficult.

“Alright then, Elder Imperial Sister, may I come chat with you again in the afternoon? We can read books together, or practice writing – could you teach me some characters?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

This was a small promise, wasn’t it? Yue Xingyao happily turned toward the doorway, looked back to say goodbye to Su Xin once more, lingered for a moment, then left with her palace servants.

Su Xin had a slight headache. She played with her bird, and all troubles seemed to vanish.

Just as she had said, for matters unrelated to scheming, other things would naturally straighten out when the bridge was reached – there would always be a solution.

A dozen or so days later, the Spring Appreciation Banquet began.

This banquet wasn’t for people of Su Xin’s age to attend. None of the imperial princes and princesses from the back palace were allowed to attend – it could be said to be the adults’ world.

Su Xin secretly identified her target, waiting with her flower pot at a spot along the young Top Scholar’s inevitable route from the banquet.

The young Top Scholar was actually a somewhat pedantic scholar, possessing contradictory qualities – rigid yet wild. According to Fourteen’s information, this person might have tendencies toward mild mental instability.

The young Top Scholar was named Pei Yu [裴魚 | péi yú]. Normally, she was a bookworm who would blush at the mere exchange of words with other men, constantly quoting ancient texts. Despite her youth, she was even more pedantic than old scholars.

This had turned her from a hot prospect for the best wife-master of her cohort into an unlikely choice.

There was no help for it – the men of the capital looked down on someone like her, and Pei Yu’s looks were merely passable, not reaching the level of breathtaking beauty.

Pei Yu’s other occasionally emerging personality was completely opposite to her main one – wild and unrestrained, with many frightening ideas in her mind. Not that she was antisocial or misanthropic, but very different from her main personality’s rigid demeanor.

Pei Yu had always disliked attending such banquets. To her, participating in such events and drinking wine was less interesting than engaging with historical texts and ancient manuscripts. But this time it was the Emperor’s order, so she had no choice but to reluctantly attend. Not being the main character, after mingling briefly, she paid her respects to the Emperor and quietly left.

The Emperor was in good spirits today, having recently gained two daughters, and didn’t mind her behavior, simply waving her off.

On her way back, Pei Yu heard a child singing, which was quite surprising – how could there be children running around and singing in the imperial palace?

Only Su Xin would do such a foolish thing in the palace.

Su Xin hadn’t actually planned to sing – she was just bored waiting, holding her flower pot and humming randomly. Then, receiving a prompt from Fourteen in her mind, she decided to go with it, carrying her flower pot and humming as she came out to encounter Pei Yu on the path.

Truthfully, the young Top Scholar had never met the imperial princes and princesses of the back palace, as they occupied different areas and couldn’t possibly cross paths, let alone interact.

The princes weren’t old enough to participate in court affairs, so the young Top Scholar truly didn’t recognize them. Being newly arrived, she wasn’t clear about the back palace rumors. Su Xin’s appearance didn’t have any imperial princess’s bearing, so she assumed Su Xin was some official’s child. But thinking carefully, that seemed impossible – what official would let their child wander freely in the palace, carrying a flower pot and singing? Weren’t they afraid of offending someone important?

“Official Pei, I hear you’re very talented. Do you know what kind of flower I’m holding?”

Su Xin directly started the conversation, holding out the flower pot in her arms so Pei Yu could clearly see what was inside.

It was a flower with a very peculiar shape, looking as if it had withered and died.

“This…”

As soon as the child before her spoke, Pei Yu knew she wasn’t an ordinary person, much less some official’s child. She must be one of the imperial princesses from the palace, and matching the description, it could only be the Great Princess.

“This humble official pays respects to the Great Princess.”

“Official Pei is truly clever, able to guess my identity immediately. Then can you answer my previous question?”

Pei Yu carefully studied the flower pot before her, searching through her knowledge. Her knowledge wasn’t limited to textbooks but included many unusual records, including information about flowers, birds, insects, and fish. She knew much about painting and calligraphy too, but this type of flower – she had truly never seen it before.

Though it appeared almost withered, could it be just an ordinary flower asked about as it neared death? Was there some hidden meaning behind this action? Surely the Great Princess couldn’t be this frivolous?

“This humble official believes it might be a nearly dead flower, or perhaps this official is too ignorant, having never heard of such an unusual flower.”

“Official Pei, you’re wrong. This is actually a very special flower, but its miraculous nature can only be discovered at night.”

“Oh? Why?”

“This princess doesn’t know why either – perhaps it’s just its nature. On the surface, it looks like a nearly dead flower without life force, but it hasn’t actually withered. Its vitality is hidden in its curled petals, and when watered under moonlight at midnight, it can be reborn. It must rely on external help, otherwise it will forever remain in this state – its beauty unknown to others, only blooming when it meets its kindred spirit.”

Su Xin’s words were certainly laden with hidden meaning. She believed the young Top Scholar before her would understand her intent.

“Is the Great Princess giving this flower pot to me?”

“Yes, I’ve been wanting to give this flower to you. I hope Official Pei won’t mind this humble gift from this princess.”

“A gift from the Great Princess is naturally invaluable. This humble official is too grateful to complain – how could I possibly find fault with it?”

Pei Yu rather nervously accepted the flower pot from Su Xin. Truthfully, that timid demeanor was quite unlikeable, appearing somewhat servile, making one want to punch her face. That foolish look was truly irritating.

Su Xin didn’t care how she smiled, displaying a child-like innocent smile.

“Official Pei, I hear you’re widely learned and talented, with knowledge enough to fill five carts [學富五車 | xué fù wǔ chē | extremely knowledgeable]. Would you be willing to serve as this princess’s teacher?”

“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare. I can’t claim to be widely learned, nor worthy of such praise. This humble official is merely a scholar who has read a few books – how could I be qualified to be the Great Princess’s teacher?”

Su Xin wanted to openly learn martial arts, using that opportunity to practice the techniques from her secret manual while also strengthening her body. Su Xin was waiting for an opportunity two years hence, and for that opportunity, she had to start preparing now.

“If this princess says you can, then you can. Could it be that Official Pei undervalues herself?”

“This humble official merely knows her own limitations. My experience is shallow, and I’m unqualified in many ways. I truly cannot accept the Great Princess’s invitation.”

“Official Pei, think carefully. You might have a chance to meet another side of yourself. Remember, water it under the moonlight – this princess thinks you’ll find your answer.”

Su Xin finished speaking without giving Pei Yu much time to react, waving to the young Top Scholar before leaving.

It wouldn’t be good if someone saw her courting the young Top Scholar here. Palace people excelled at overthinking, able to develop such a scene into a million-word melodramatic novel. Their imagination was endless and rich – the benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom, the lewd see lewdness.

Su Xin’s behavior absolutely qualified as showing off and running away [裝完逼就跑 | zhuāng wán bī jiù pǎo | acting cool then leaving]. Honestly, in all her lifetimes, she had never said such pretentious words, making it seem like she was trying to brainwash someone.

That flower truly was that miraculous. The original owner had also found it incredibly extraordinary when she discovered it. The seed had been requested from the Emperor, who didn’t care about this tribute item, but the original owner had treasured it, secretly admiring it when it bloomed, keeping it in her room rather than displaying it in the courtyard.

By the way, the flower couldn’t do this every day – it could only bloom once a month. If one wanted to see it again, they’d have to wait until the next month.

It was a beauty of death and rebirth, of destruction and renewal. No one who saw it for the first time could remain unmoved, and even after two or three viewings, they would still marvel at how it transformed from decay to rebirth.

Although it relied on external forces, the main breakthrough came from within.

Su Xin hoped the young Top Scholar could breakthrough similarly, preferably curing her mental instability. According to the original owner’s memories, Pei Yu had apparently cured herself in the end, with the two personalities merging together. These two highly disliked personalities combined, unexpectedly producing an incredible power, and from then on, Pei Yu had grown steadily stronger.

Su Xin’s actions two years later were essential, but she needed someone who could watch over everything after that.

Su Xin took a deep breath – everything would work out smoothly.

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