The emperor returned to the palace with a distracted mind and did not go to bed. Instead, he played chess with Qi Yun, the commander of the imperial guards.

  "Has that person been caught?" The emperor was holding a black fan, but it was lazy. When Qu Yun saw it, his heart tightened - the emperor usually looked dignified, if he showed this lazy appearance, then there was more than half a chance.

  "Your Majesty, that persons lightness skill is extremely high, rarely seen in a lifetime. I was unable to catch up, however..." Qu Yun observed the emperors expression and carefully said: "I took a look at her back, its a woman, and her movement seems somewhat familiar - my masters door has also had several seniors visit, I dont know which seniors disciple this is."

  This seemingly ambiguous answer, however, convinced the emperor. He nodded and said: "In such a secretive and hidden place, that person actually hid there. If it werent for being caught off guard, it would be truly shocking to hear - look, which side is he on?"

  Gu Yun sank into thought: "It cant be from the Empress Dowagers side - their hands and feet arent so fast, Ive been keeping an eye on those few trusted ministers, and there isnt a person with this number. Thinking carefully, could it be the doing of the vassal kings?"

  The emperor shook his head: "Although they have many extraordinary talents under their command, I dont think so. If even the places where you and I secretly discuss and plan were eavesdropped by them, they wouldnt have lost the initiative——if they had this ability, I, the emperor, would have been forced to abdicate long ago."

  He picked up his tea and slowly stirred the clear green tea leaves: "I think it doesnt seem like eavesdropping, but rather an accidental encounter."

  A faint jump between Gou Yuns eyebrows was hard to detect, but he restrained himself: "......to run into each other in that abandoned palace?"

  The emperor smiled: "Qū Qiāng, youve chosen a good place. Its so secluded that people still come to visit."

  "I was so frightened, I almost made a big mistake."

  The emperor carelessly fanned himself and lightly tapped his shoulder, which was actually a prank by some young people.

  "Haha, dont worry about it. The true identity of that woman will be revealed tomorrow."

  He looked at Qu Yun in shock and smiled: "Qu, you forgot that my nose had a strange illness, even ten zhang away, I can smell the Tianlai flower in the Empress Dowagers courtyard."

  He smiled calmly: "There is a faint fragrance on that womans body, which is unique to Freesia."

  "Tomorrow morning, we will go to the Imperial Garden."

  ****

  Imperial Garden

  Everyone got up early, shoveled a few times in the soil, straightened up a small moon gate, and was about to help each other tie the straps when they heard a commotion of people at the door.

  "Great Leader, its you! How come you have time to come today?" The manager hastily welcomed the visitor in.

  "Hmph... You have time to spare! The manager, you can talk so lightly. The Emperor is still waiting for me to report back - Last night, the Emperor came here to clear his mind and accidentally dropped a ring that the previous Emperor had given him, and this morning he ordered us to find it."

  The manager, upon hearing this, did not dare to slack off and hastily gathered two groups of people to search with all their might, but they didnt even see a single shadow.

  The commander of the guards, Qu Yun, was furious and a cold smile appeared on his face: "I didnt think that this imperial garden would also produce thieves! In that case, lets search one by one!"

  "He said with confidence: Everyone was asleep last night, it must have been someone who picked it up early this morning and didnt have time to hide it, its still on him. Come on, lets search his body."

  He looked at the shrinking palace maids and said: "The palace maid goes to the hall, go and call a female official to search."

  Half a cup of teas work, the female officer arrived, but heard from behind the clear laughter of a young man.

  "Kou Qing is here to crack the case of the snapped fingers. I couldnt bear my curiosity and came to observe."

  Only then did he see that the one who had entered the garden with the gentle flow of water was none other than Emperor Yongjia, Yuan Qi, who was only twenty years old and was surrounded by a group of first-class imperial guards.

  He only wore his usual cloud-patterned brocade, with the faint golden dragon-shaped embroidery shining brightly. Under the bright morning light, it made his eyes sparkle like dots of lacquer, and his spirit was even more handsome and elegant.

  His eyebrows and eyes were exactly like those of the former emperor, but with a hint of heaviness in his pupils, inherited from the Empress Dowager.

  The Empress Dowagers maiden family, the Lin clan, was a renowned aristocratic family of nine ministers for ten generations. In the previous dynasty, Princess Yanlin married down to the Lin family because she admired the elegance and refinement of the Lin family head, Lin Zhaoyun. They had four sons and one daughter, with their only precious gem being the Empress, the current Empress Dowager.

  Lins eyes were deep and profound, a symbol of the ancient emperors. Someone came to slander him, but the previous emperor just smiled: "Li Houzhu also had deep eyes, yet now the ancestral temple is still standing." Many people praised his broad-mindedness.

  As for the Emperor, lets not say more, he sat in the inner hall, calmly watching Qi Yun crack the case.

  After searching thoroughly and finding nothing, the young emperor suddenly said: "I will act as a fair judge, let everyone pass by me one by one, I will know after examining them."

  This statement is indeed absurd, but since the Jiuwu Zun has spoken, no one dares to refute it.

  Yuanyu and Qiu Yun carefully examined the candidates below, first dismissing the eunuchs among them. After exchanging a glance, they also dismissed those whose physical appearance did not match their expectations. Looking at the more than ten remaining palace maids, the Emperor took a sip of tea, turned his body sideways, and whispered to Qiu Yun: "Actually, most people in the garden have flower fragrance on their bodies, just based on this, Im afraid well have to catch a dozen or twenty back."

  Yu Yun but smiled and did not speak.

  Yuanyu said in a soft voice, "You all come forward one by one and stretch out your hands for me to see."

  ****

  The effort of a cup of tea, seven people have retreated, finally, its Dawn Dews turn.

  She walked forward and stretched out her hand, Yuan Qi grasped her wrist.

  The next moment, a true breath of air, tentatively rushed in from the wrist, tyrannically wandering through the four limbs and hundred bones, quickly heading towards the dantian.

  She remained expressionless, her already weak true energy scattered, and because it was too weak, it couldnt be detected.

  Yuan Qi loosened his grip.

  She was just about to walk down from the hall when she saw the Emperor snap his fingers and point to her throat.

  "Except for her, everyone else can leave."

  Watching the palace people retreat in an orderly manner, Yuan Qi handed her over to Qu Yun, allowing the latter to bind her.

  "Do you know why I can see through it?"

  The emperors handsome and gentle smile was etched into her clear and snowy eyes.

  "The probing of inner strength is just a cover. Among the fifteen people, only you alone were held by my hand, without any shyness."

  He gazed at her with profound meaning: "The others are as peach blossoms... but you, always the same."

  He glanced at Gou Yun: "You said you were familiar with it, so lets leave it to you to review!"

  ****

  "What kind of person are you? And who is behind this?"

  Qiu Yun coldly swept her gaze across the opposite side and asked.

  This was in a private room, where there were only two of them, with no third person present.

  The girl leaned against the table, but was actually being pressed by a vital point and couldnt move at all.

  She smiled slightly, like a thousand pear blossoms blooming at once, elegant and radiant. That ordinary face suddenly dazzled peoples eyes.

  Qiu Yun felt a chill on his back, and the smile that flashed before his eyes had a mischievous and stealthy air, a strange yet familiar feeling that leapt out from his memories...

  "The moon is cool and the wind is fragrant... Youre also a big uncle now, you wont climb trees at midnight and get bitten by mosquitoes until youre swollen like a pigs head, right?"

  What!!!!!

  Qiu Yun felt that being struck by five thunders was nothing more than this.

  His whole body was trembling, and the chair under him couldnt withstand it, cracking several times, already broken into several pieces.

  The moon is cool and the wind is fragrant... That was a joke from long ago, yet its as clear as if it were yesterday.

  That girl, three years older than him, couldnt become his teacher, so she cleverly deceived him, saying that sleeping on the tree at night to absorb the moons glow would make him grow taller. He had always been worried about being called "short pumpkin", so he slept on the tree at midnight.

  Mosquitoes buzzed around him, but he endured it, his heart set on growing taller.

  When she woke up at dawn, her delicate face had turned into a pigs head. She said with a smile: "The moon is cool and the wind is fragrant... Ah, Xiao Yun, youve dyed your hair..."

  The master could only sigh at these two live treasures, and after punishing them all, he made a severe statement:

  "One road leads to darkness - thats you; and you, stop sneering over there, be careful in the future, cleverness can lead to its own downfall!"

  Many years later, whenever he thought of past events, he would always feel that his masters words had come true.

  Intelligence counteracted by intelligence... This is Lin Chen, fallen from a great height, shattered like crystal.

  A road leads to darkness... This is he who has squandered half his life and still cannot forget.

  His fingers were still trembling as he stretched out his hand, and he simply didnt dare to touch the girl who was within arms reach.

  "Who exactly...are you?"

  "Xiao Yun, its me... Im back!"