In the Qiankun Hall of the palace, Emperor Tianwu held a volume of scriptures and asked the kneeling Director of the Astronomical Observatory: "Didn't you say that the Phoenix Star was about to descend into the world some time ago? How is the star's movement now?"

  The astrologer replied solemnly, "The Phoenix Star has entered the capital city, its starlight is gradually brightening, and it is steadily advancing along the Phoenix Track. Within ten years, if there are no unusual movements, it can... enter the main position."

  Jianzheng said that towards the end, his voice gradually weakened. The new Feng Xing entering the main position means that the original Feng Xing has to give up its position. And this new Feng Xing corresponds to a Huang, but it is not the current Tianwu Emperor, referring to a new ruler.

  The new emperor ascends to the throne, the old emperor... passes away.

  The Emperor Tianwu nodded, "Birth, aging, illness and death are the cycles of life. I am not afraid to die, but I want a few more years to pave a smooth road for that child... You may go."

  "Yes." The soft-spoken Tianjian retreated with a bow.

  Emperor Tianwu put down the scroll in his hand and muttered to himself: "Ming'er, I don't know if that girl you chose has any real ability. If a single Feng family can harm her, then she probably won't amount to much."

  Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Emperor Tianwu waved his hand, dismissing the palace staff. Until only he was left in the Qiankun Hall, a figure flashed into existence in the center of the grand hall.

  "Your Majesty." The man knelt on one knee and reported: "Feng Xiang has entered the Xiang Wang Fu."

  The Tianwu Emperor scowled in anger, "You ungrateful thing! Having one child is not enough, and you actually dare to hope that your eldest daughter will ascend to the throne? Hmph! I want to see just how capable this third child of his really is!"

  With another wave of his hand, the dark guard vanished into thin air.

  "Someone's coming!" Emperor Tenmu stood up, "Prepare the imperial carriage for the visit to Tsukinowa Palace!"

  This is the thirty-sixth time Emperor Tenmu has gone to Tsukisakaki Palace this year, and he remembers each time clearly. Each time he returns, he draws a line on the pillar of Showa no Miya's bedroom.

  On the way, Emperor Tenmu sat in a sedan chair, propping his head with his hand, and asked the eunuch Zhang Yuan beside him: "Do you think this time Yunfei will see me?"

  Zhang Yuan wiped away a cold sweat that suddenly appeared on his forehead and replied: "Your Majesty, let's see our fate!"

  Bang!

  The Tianwu Emperor slapped Zhang Yuan's head with a loud slap: "You're getting bolder and bolder! Can't you just wish for the best for me?"

  Zhang Yuan felt wronged: "How could a slave like me not wish for the emperor's favor? I would be delighted if the gates of Yueleng Palace were open to the emperor every day. But, Your Majesty, you are well aware of Queen Yun's temperament - after all these years, has she ever opened the door for you?"

  "What if this time is an exception?"

  "So I said it's all about fate!" Zhang Yuan said, counting on his fingers: "Your Excellency Showa has already drawn seven columns full, and is now drawing the eighth. It's almost autumn, and it should be almost full..."

  Bang!

  Another slap landed on him.

  Zhang Yuan hugged his head and said: "Your Majesty, if you beat me stupid, there will be no one to serve you."

  "I'll have Zhang Guang called back then!"

  "Alas, Your Majesty! If you summon my master back, then the Ninth Prince will have no one to attend to him."

  Tian Wu grunted and glared at Zhang Yuan, "Then I'll let you stay for a few more days. When I'm old and can't attend court one day, we'll see what use you are."

  Zhang Yuan was quick-witted and immediately expressed his loyalty: "Anyway, no matter where Your Majesty is, I'll follow you."

  Tian Wu rarely smiled at this servant's consolation, but his face sank again as the sedan approached Yue Han Palace.

  "Or I won't go at all." Tian Wu began to hesitate.

  Zhang Yuan had long been accustomed to Tian Wu's antics and didn't even call for a stop, instead habitually advising him: "Give it a try, who knows if you'll make it in."

  Tian Wu nodded, "Then let's give it a try."

  It turned out that there was no exception. The gate of the Moon Palace had been tightly closed for many years, and no matter how many times Zhang Yuan came to call, the little palace maid inside would only answer one sentence: "The Cloud Empress said not to see the Emperor."

  Zhang Yuan was at a loss and could only retreat back to the emperor, shaking his head: "Your Majesty, another decree will be added to the pillars of the Chonghua Hall."

  Tian Wu did not get discouraged and ordered the strong eunuchs carrying the sedan chair: "Go west! Go around to the Guanyue Pavilion side."

  Dali Ta Jian carried the sedan chair and walked towards the Guan Yue Tai, where there was a small door that Tian Wu remembered was often unguarded; if he could be careful enough not to alert the hidden guards of the Yue Han Palace, he might be able to get in.

  He got off the sedan chair in front of the small gate, dismissed the crowd and went to the door alone. As expected, no one was guarding the door today, Tian Wu was overjoyed, just about to push the door open, when suddenly a figure in white floated out from inside.

  He took a few steps back and lowered his face.

  "Hum! Do you know who you're blocking?"

  That white-clad figure stood still, surprisingly a cold-faced woman, holding a sword in her hand, expressionlessly staring at the Tianwu Emperor.

  "Your Majesty."

  "You know I am the Emperor, yet you dare to block me?"

  "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I only obey the Cloud Empress, and if you force your way in, it will be over my dead body."

  Tianwu was defeated.

  He wasn't unable to force his way in, he was confident that his dark guard was much stronger than these girls in the Moon Cold Palace. But he also knew that once he forced his way in, Cloud Consort might not just ignore him. He could endure never seeing the one he loved again, but he couldn't bear becoming enemies with her. In this life, he had galloped across battlefields and traversed the world, with one word deciding the fate of the empire, one stroke stabilizing the mountains and rivers, yet he was unable to handle just one Cloud Consort.

  "Never mind." He waved his hand and sat back in the sedan chair, exhausted. "Tell Yun Fei to take care of her body. Now that the weather is turning cool, don't let her stand on the Guan Yue Tai all the time, and don't always eat cold foods. If one day she comes to her senses and wants to see me, even if I've already been buried in my grave, I'll definitely crawl back out for her." As soon as he finished speaking, the originally vigorous Tian Wu Emperor suddenly seemed to have aged ten years, with the weight of time pressing down on him, revealing his old age.

  "Your Majesty." Seeing Tian Wu about to leave, the white-clad female guard called out to him and then said: "Her Highness has a message for you to convey."

  "Oh?" Tianwu's spirit suddenly recovered, and he leaned forward, asking urgently: "What does she want to say to me?"

  The woman in white replied: "Her Highness said that the Ninth Prince's eyes are not bad, but she can only help to this extent."

  Tian Wu was taken aback for a moment, then said dazedly: "So it wasn't talking to me." Luosuo's expression returned to normal, and with a wave of his hand, the sedan chair changed direction. "Go back and tell your empress that as long as she is happy, I will do whatever it takes. Ming'er, I will take good care of her, along with that maid."

  After finishing speaking, the sedan chair moved forward and soon left the range of Yuehan Palace.

  Zhang Yuan didn't speak again on the way back. He knew that at times like these, His Majesty needed quiet, and this silence would last until the morning court session tomorrow to return to normal.

  Half an hour later, Xianglan Palace

  Guifei Bubu was ladling the fragrant spices into the stove, one spoonful at a time. The spices were made from some unknown ingredients, but they always seemed to induce a state of bliss in those who smelled them, and soon became addictive.

  There was a eunuch beside her who respectfully reported: "The Emperor has gone to the Moon Cold Palace again, and Concubine Yun still hasn't been seen."

  Bai Ping shrugged and smiled, "This emperor of ours likes to covet what he can't have. Yun Fei has figured out his temperament, and all these years she's been holding on without giving in."

  That eunuch also followed with: "Your Majesty has waited for so many years, in this slave's opinion, that Consort Yun won't have many more good days either."

  "Hmm!" Bu Baihong suddenly let out a low hum, and threw the entire box of spices into the stove. In an instant, the fragrance filled the air, making people dizzy.

  A small palace maid quickly went to tidy up the incense burner, while Bai Ping walked back to her bedroom step by step and sat down in front of the bed. "Will she never have a good day? For more than seven years, the Emperor has been so devoted to her. This harem is almost becoming a cold palace! For seven years, he hasn't seen Yun Fei, and for seven years, he hasn't taken a step into the harem - this is him keeping his chastity for Yun Fei!"

  This morning, Feng Yu got up very early, changed into a neat and close-fitting outfit, put on a pair of soft-soled cloth shoes, and started running around the Phoenix Birth Pavilion.

  Wang Chuan followed her, running alongside and curiously asking, "Miss, can't you sleep?" As he asked, he looked up at the sky, "It's just barely dawn."

  Feng Yu Huan told her: "From now on, come out for a run at this time every day, run five laps around Tong Sheng Pavilion, and then do a series of weight training exercises. I want to quickly train up these muscles and bones."

  Wang Chuan gazed at the enormous Tongsheng Pavilion and let out a sigh of admiration. Five rounds, ah! Second Miss is going to run herself to death at this pace. However, thinking about it again, her original intention was good. Strengthening one's body isn't a bad thing after all. Second Miss already knows martial arts; if she can improve her internal energy, then in the future when facing life-or-death crises, she'll have an extra bit of control.

  So she stopped persuading and just told Feng Yuexiang: "From now on, I'll accompany Miss to practice every day."

  Feng Yu Hong didn't refuse, practicing more is always good. While running, he thought of Zi Rui again and couldn't help but ask Wang Chuan, "What time does Huang Quan train Zi Rui?"

  Wang Chuan replied: "I got up half an hour earlier than you."

  "Uh..." She was a bit worried, "Did Zirui get up?"

  "Every day it's Second Master who goes to wake up Huang Quan on his own initiative, and the one who can't get up is Huang Quan..."

  Alright, Feng Yu Heng is proud of Xie Ru's progress.

  "What did Miss mean by gravity training?" Wàng Chuān didn't quite understand the terms Fèng Yǔ Huáng mentioned.

  Feng Yu Huan didn't give a direct answer to this question, but after running around in circles, two sandbags suddenly appeared tied to his legs, and the next four laps became a sandbag run.

  After finishing the fifth circle, she somehow produced two strange ropes from somewhere and tied them to the tree, pulling back and forth with her hands alternately.

  Then, he picked up a large stone from the woods and held it in his hand, doing single-arm lifts two hundred times with each arm alternating.

  Frog jump, supine get-up, prone support...

  After a series of strange moves, Wangchuan finally figured out her home girl's training plan.

  For a whole incense stick, equivalent to two hours in modern time, Feng Yu Huan completed his morning training and told Wang Chuan: "The same training will be conducted again in the evening, every day is like this. Also, for breakfast I only eat boiled eggs, lunch and dinner must have beef, lean ones, got it?"

  Wang Chuan wiped the sweat while nodding, "I'll go instruct the kitchen right away." Then she turned to leave, just as Feng Xiang Rong was walking towards her with a maid at the entrance of the courtyard. "Huh, Third Miss has arrived."