When Li Xuan entered the palace, he deliberately exchanged glances with Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue, who were waiting outside of the Wu Gate, his gaze solemn and serious. "The course of this mission will depend on you brothers!"
Peng Fulai evidently caught his silent ssage, the gaze he returned was just as solemn and serious.
"Go ahead without worries, with your brothers present, you, Qianzhi, will definitely not falter!"
As soon as Li Xuan’s figure disappeared into the palace, Peng Fulai’s gaze turned towards the gate of the city.
According to their predetermined plan, if Li Xuan could find a way out on his own that would be ideal, but if he couldn’t, they would have to intervene from the outside.
Gong Xiaowu, the enchanting palace maiden standing next to Zhang Yue, could not help but remark in exasperation, "Are you certain you want to do this?"
Although she felt greatly indebted to Li Xuan for saving her life, which allowed her to stay with Zhang Yue, and was willing to repay the favor, she thought this endeavor was sowhat foolish.
Moreover, it was the eve of the New Year, a ti when she wished to be alone with Zhang Yue.
"Wu, try to think about it from another perspective," said Zhang Yue with crossed arms and a look of empathetic sorrow, "We are rescuing the whole city, ensuring a calm and safe New Year’s Eve for everyone."
Gong Xiaowu paused for a mont, then started to chuckle.
After Li Xuan entered the palace, he was guided by a female official. He andered around and finally arrived at Princess Changle’s residence, Fubi Palace, after half a shichen.
The palace was located behind Cining Palace and originally housed concubines. However, Emperor Jingtai connected three palaces here, renad them "Fubi", covering an area almost as large as the East Palace.
This clearly showed how much Emperor Jingtai loved Princess Changle. Even his favorite concubines only had a palace to reside in the royal court.
As Li Xuan stepped into the alley behind the Cining Palace, he noticed that palace maids on both sides were sneaking glances at him, as though they were gazing at a rare spectacle. On one hand, they were curious about the man who had caught Princess Changle’s interest; on the other hand, they were intrigued by Li Xuan’s reputation. After all, he was fad for his ritorious deeds, noble title received at a young age, his position as the protector of Neo-Confucianism, and his reputation as a gentleman.
Li Xuan ignored all these glances as he saw Hongshang standing in front of the Fubi Palace, tiptoed and peering around. As soon as she saw Li Xuan, her face blossod into a radiant smile.
"You walk so slowly! Have you started to follow their strict rules too? Co, follow ."
Perhaps Yu Hongshang was impatient from waiting. She promptly ca quickly over, took Li Xuan’s hand, and began to run inside.
Seeing this, the female official behind them could only show a helpless expression. With any other princess, she would certainly advise them about proper behavior, but her lady Princess Changle was not one to conform to such rules.
"Co, look at this."
Yu Hongshang pulled Li Xuan all the way to the garden, then pointed at a patch of flowers, her eyes full of anticipation, "Surprised?"
"What’s this?" Li Xuan looked at it in bewildernt, then his eyes lit up, "Peonies?"
In the flower bed, there was only one extrely peculiar shrub with nine branches. The highest branch bore two pink-white buds that seed wrapped around each other.
The flowers were still in bud, giving off a pleasant scent that invigorated the spirit.
The appearance of the flowers seed like peonies, but it was odd that they were budding on the eve of the New Year.
"This isn’t an ordinary peony. Its na is ’conjoined heart.’"
Yu Hongshang’s eyes twinkled, "Xuan, drip your blood on it. It must be blood from your heart."
Feeling confused, Li Xuan still did as she said and dripped his blood on the flower. Yu Hongshang then followed suit and sprinkled her blood on the flower.
The next mont, those two pink-white buds slowly blood.
Li Xuan couldn’t help but show an expression of amazent. He had to admit, the blooming process of the ’conjoined heart’ was indeed beautiful. But as a stoic, practical man, he admired it, but didn’t attach much emotional significance to this beauty.
At this mont, he felt more disappointnt, "Is this the surprise you were talking about?"
Yu Hongshang gave him a sidelong glance and chuckled. She plucked half of the ’conjoined heart’’s stigma and swallowed it, then presented the other half to Li Xuan’s lips.
"Xuan, eat this!"
Without doubting her, Li Xuan popped the petal into his mouth and chewed, finding it surprisingly tasty. As soon as he swallowed it, he felt a sense of elation and noticed a rapid growth in his Primordial Spirit.
"The ’conjoined heart’ flower was nad such because it can enhance one’s Divine Consciousness. But its primary function is to create a sort of mind-connection between two people."
Yu Hongshang closed her lips, looked at Li Xuan with a smile, "Xuan, you’re such a fool!"
"You’re the fool!" replied Li Xuan, only to realize sothing odd: Yu Hongshang had not uttered a single word. He looked at her intently, "Are we communicating telepathically?"
"More or less! The ’conjoined heart’ flower allows two people’s Primordial Spirits to resonate and blend with each other. As long as we are within twenty li of each other, we can sense each other’s presence. Within five li, we can communicate telepathically, provided that we both agree.
This will also be beneficial in future cultivation. As long as we are within five li of each other when cultivating techniques related to our Primordial Spirits, we can benefit each other, similar to the effects of Dual Cultivation."
A sense of satisfaction glead in Yu Hongshang’s eyes: "These are all things that Luo Yan can’t do, isn’t it? Can they be considered a surprise?"
Li Xuan thought to himself that won are indeed vengeful. This must have been due to the day when Luo Yan demonstrated the ’Heart Connected’ pot to Yu and Xue in the prison of the Dali Temple.
Thinking of this, Li Xuan hurriedly took out two ancient and fragrant bronze mirrors from his sleeve: "This is for you. It’s the birthday gift I prepared for you."
"Thank you, Xuan." Yu Hongshang eyes lit up with joy. She knew that this was the ’Xihe ShenChan Mirror’. She had seen that Sun Jizong had delivered these two mirrors to Li Xuan’s hands that day.
For so reason, Li Xuan didn’t give it to her that day. Yu Hongshang guessed that Li Xuan was planning to use them as her birthday gift, and her guess was indeed correct.
She was very much looking forward to this object. The effect of the ’Xihe ShenChan Mirror’ was much more potent than the ’Taoheng Xuanji’ that Li Xuan had gifted before.
With this, she could go all out without any fear of Yin-Yang Counterflow for at least six Shichens.
But then, Yu Hongshang pouted: "Is that all? Isn’t there sothing missing? I rember that line, ’Without the wings of a colorful phoenix, yet with a psychic connection at at the slightest touch’. Truly, the leading poet of the era has written sothing so beautiful.
Speaking of which, Hanyun has ’Clouds want to dress, flowers want to look beautiful, and the spring wind kisses the dew-filled doorstep’, while Yunrou has ’In the crowd, I look for her a thousand tis. Suddenly turning around, there she was, in a place where lights are dim.’ Yet only Hongshang is left with nothing, only able to listen to the poems Xuan has written for her, admiring Xuan’s brilliant literary talent."
"Don’t rush," Li Xuan pointed at the back of the two bronze mirrors with a smile. "Don’t put it away in a hurry, look at the back first,"
Yu Hongshang looked at the back of both mirrors in confusion, and then her heart quivered and her face changed slowly.
On the back of the two mirrors, there were lines of characters carved: ’Once golden wind and jade dew et, they overco countless others in the mortal realm’, and ’If two passions can prevail for a long ti, does the ti of intervals matter?’ on the other.
Yu Hongshang was slightly dazed, her face turned red: "Is this a poem you wrote for ?"
Although it doesn’t rhy, the imagery is so beautiful-
"It’s not a poem, it’s a song I wrote for you called ’Broad Cold Autumn.’"
Li Xuan scratched his head: "But I’ve only co up with these two lines so far. It’s not finished yet. I’ll create you another one when it’s complete."
The title of the poem is "Magpie Bridge Immortal · Silk Cloud Skill Play", which depicts the mythological story of the love and separation of Niulang and Zhinv on the Qixi Festival,
Among them, "Magpie Bridge Immortal" is the na of the poem. But in his world, there is no Qixi Festival, and therefore there is no Magpie Bridge. However, "Magpie Bridge Immortal" also goes by "Broad Cold Autumn," which does exist in his world, along with its corresponding tune.
Li Xuan did not have the ability to modify this poem, so he planned to share the story of Niulang and Zhinv in this world first, and then release the complete poem the next Qixi Festival,
"’Once golden wind and jade dew et, they overco countless others in the mortal realm’? The glimr in Yu Hongshang’s eyes could lt a person. "I truly want to know, what the entirety of this song looks like."
After this, she glared at Li Xuan resentfully: "Alright, you passed."
She originally planned to hold Li Xuan accountable for this matter, but seeing that Li Xuan was so considerate, Yu Hongshang felt satisfied.
She then began to play with the two bronze mirrors in her hand with great fascination. Previously, Yu Hongshang only regarded them as magical instrunts, but now they held a special place in her heart. She loved them even more.
"Do you like it? Even though the words weren’t written so well, they were handwritten by ."
At this mont, Li Xuan looked at Yu Hongshang with a untroubled expression: "Shang, ’Conjoined Heart’ allows our hearts to be linked, can you feel what I’m thinking now?"
Yu Hongshang looked at him, then quickly turned her head sideways. Her already blushing face grew even redder: "So strange, I didn’t feel anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about."
At this mont, she was sensing all types of inappropriate thoughts from Li Xuan’s Divine Consciousness, which made her breathing slowly beco heavier.
"Really? Seems that this ’Conjoined Heart’ doesn’t live up to its na."
Li Xuan couldn’t help but smile, and he then proactively held Yu Hongshang’s hand, his eyes eting hers: "Shang!"
He believed that this was the mont that truly captured the essence of ’Once golden wind and jade dew et, they overco countless others in the mortal realm’-
What the two didn’t know was that not far from Fubi Palace, a man dressed in a royal robe stood with his hands behind his back, admiring the scenery outside the Yangxin Hall.
A palace maid knelt by his side.
"Li Xuan has entered the palace?" the man in the royal robe looked surprised. "Where is he now?"
The palace maid responded respectfully: "He’s in the Fubi Palace. He ca to celebrate Your Majesty’s birthday. It seems that Your Majesty wants to take the ’Conjoined Heart’ dicine with him. It’s apparent that there’s deep affection."
The man in the royal robe’s face twitched, then he rubbed his eyebrows as if he had a headache: "There’s no news from the Zong Zheng Temple yet?"
"Yes, Prince Xiang has been refusing to back down," the palace maid kept her head lowered: "Prince Xiang argued that Earl Jingan has already been appointed and it’s against the rules."
But suddenly, an idea seed to have hit him, and he raised his head: "Your Majesty, this slave has an idea."
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