Chapter 22

Master Changkong had, after all, lived safely all the way to the end of the novel.

Liu Jiuning was certain she remembered correctly. In the book, the Imperial Preceptor was practically a brick—whenever he was needed somewhere, he was carried over and put to use.

The one who saved the main characters was the Imperial Preceptor.

The one who saved the supporting characters was also the Imperial Preceptor.

And the one who offered guidance to the main characters, supporting characters, and cannon fodder alike was still the Imperial Preceptor.

His schedule could only be described as exceptionally busy, and he traveled all over the realm.

Yet now, the Imperial Preceptor had personally told her that he was already ninety years old.

And the main story of the novel might not begin for another ten years or more!

A centenarian traveling everywhere, saving people from suffering while moving as swiftly as the wind…

Wasn’t that practically a living Buddha?

It was truly unbelievable.

“If the young benefactor wishes it, that is not impossible. From this day forward, burn incense, eat vegetarian meals, and keep the Buddha in your heart. No matter where you are, you will still be worshipping the Buddha.”

Master Changkong smiled as he refilled Liu Jiuning’s cup with fresh tea. Then he added thoughtfully, “If the young benefactor is unaccustomed to vegetarian meals prepared by others, I can have my martial nephews take turns cooking for you. What do you think?”

Liu Jiuning thought the idea was absolutely terrible!

Eating vegetarian food for one day was fine.

Three days was still barely tolerable.

But if she had to eat vegetarian food every single day…

Forget it.

Living to fifty, sixty, seventy, or eighty already seemed excellent to her. At least then she could eat fish and meat every day.

That sort of life was far more suitable for a thoroughly worldly person like her.

“Never mind. Someone as worldly as me shouldn’t waste the masters’ cultivation time. But if Master personally cooked for me, I would gladly eat vegetarian food every day. Even if the rice were half raw and the iron pot cracked apart, I would still eat it with a smile.”

Liu Jiuning admitted that she could no longer defeat the ​bailiantales.com​Imperial Preceptor, who had mastered the art of verbal combat to perfection!

But that did not matter.

She had heard from the senior monks that although the old monk before her looked as if he could do anything, he actually did not know how to cook.

Apparently, he had once even caused an explosion in the temple kitchen!

Good heavens.

Blowing up an entire kitchen required a truly remarkable level of skill.

Master Changkong did not argue. He merely smiled and stroked his long white beard.

Liu Jiuning chatted with the Imperial Preceptor in the meditation room for nearly the entire afternoon.

They seemed to discuss a little of everything, yet it also felt as though nothing had truly been said.

Naturally, she failed to change the old monk’s plans to travel the world.

Instead, she drank so much tea that she almost had no room left for the fragrant evening meal.

When the little monk arrived by invitation, Liu Jiuning could only sit at the stone table beneath the tree in the courtyard, prop her head in one [unauthorized copy]hand, and watch him happily nibble on the pastries.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Life at Anchang Temple was still quite pleasant.

There were green mountains, clear water, and white clouds. The old monk was amusing, the little monk was obedient, and from time to time, she could catch one of the monks in the courtyard and chat with him.

The vegetarian food tasted good too.

It was simply a shame there was no meat.

After happily lazing around for three days, Liu Jiuning returned home with her elders.

She still carried the title of future empress, and only a few days remained before her wedding. Staying at the temple any longer would have been inappropriate.

Even though her elders understandingly suggested that she remain for a few more days, she refused.

It was not as though she would never have another chance to return.

She simply would not be able to come so freely and casually in the future. Her entourage would also be considerably larger.

She might be enjoying herself, but she read the original at bailiantales.com also had to consider whether the elders and sisters traveling with her were happy.

They did not want her running around outside every day, and eating vegetarian meals while staring at statues of the Buddha would eventually become dull for them.

Liu Jiuning spent a long, bumpy carriage ride drifting between sleep and wakefulness. At last, she returned home before sunset.

She had only just entered the main gate with her arm linked through her grandmother’s when she saw a tall, familiar figure running toward her from the distance.

At the same time, an equally familiar voice rang out.

“Sister!”

Hearing him, Liu Jiuning patted her grandmother’s hand, lifted her skirt, and ran toward her biological brother.

“Brother!”

“Sister!”

Liu Zhuohan tightly held his sister, who had grown so thin that she was almost unrecognizable. His eyes were filled with pain.

He had only been away for less than half a year!

How had the adorable little ball of softness he left behind become like this?

“Brother!”

Liu Jiuning also studied the man before her.

He had neither tanned nor become rough, yet his entire bearing seemed renewed. Although he did not look as miserable as she had imagined, he appeared thinner and must have endured considerable hardship.

After all, he had followed the Yun brothers south to eliminate bandits.

That could hardly have been easy.

“Sister!”

“Brother!”

“Sister!”

…

“All right, all right. Both of you, return to your own courtyard. Whatever you have to say, sit down and discuss it properly.”

Old Chancellor Liu had returned from court with several subordinates to continue discussing government affairs. Who could have expected him to encounter his grandson and granddaughter dramatically reenacting [unauthorized copy]some touching scene of clasped hands and tearful gazes in full view of everyone?

…

He almost did not dare turn around and look at his subordinates’ expressions!

Fortunately, outsiders already knew that these siblings frequently behaved this way.

He waved helplessly and motioned for everyone to disperse.

Never mind.

As long as the children were happy.

Days like these…

Would not last much longer.

After receiving permission, the siblings rushed back to their courtyard and resumed clasping each other’s hands beneath the setting sun, continuing the conversation they had left unfinished.

The only difference was that this time, their considerate elders dismissed the servants and moved away, unwilling to watch this earth-shattering reunion.

“Sister! You’ve lost weight!”

“Brother! You’ve lost weight too!”

“I heard in the south that you were gravely ill, so I rode nine horses to death, along with three donkeys and one mule, just to hurry back to the capital. But halfway here, I heard that you were going to enter the palace!”

Liu Zhuohan knew his sister was lively, adorable, beautiful, and innocent.

He simply had not expected even the emperor to take notice of her!

He had heard all the rumors about the emperor from his friends. Every one of them was true, and they were terrifying.

Tears filled his eyes.

“My poor, ill-fated sister!”

“Brother! You’re about to become the emperor’s brother-in-law! Aren’t you happy?”

Liu Jiuning announced the good news with a brilliant smile.

“With that status, you won’t have to work hard anymore! You can fight crickets whenever you like and spend the rest of your life happily as an idle young nobleman!”

Her brother had followed the Yun brothers south to eliminate bandits entirely because he wanted to see Old General Yun’s legendary Rooster King.

There were countless wastrel young nobles in the capital, and half of them had once lived at the Yun residence.

Old General Yun had forcibly corrected the other half. Some joined the army, some began studying, and some pursued the arts. Those who truly had no talent simply stayed home, living obediently on their titles and waiting for old age.

How could Liu Jiuning allow her brother to suffer so much?

She was already preparing to become a carefree salted fish.

When one person rose to power, even the chickens and dogs around them benefited. Surely her brother could at least enjoy life as the imperial brother-in-law!

Liu Zhuohan seemed neither to see his sister’s happiness nor hear her words.

“Sister! If you’re unwilling, I’ll find a way to take you away no matter what!”

The southern region was chaotic. Even the emperor would find it difficult to interfere there.

He had also heard that a miracle physician in the martial world had created a pill of immortality. Although the person who took it had still not awakened after half a year, it was at least another possible path.

“Brother, once you become the emperor’s brother-in-law, you’ll be able to visit Old General Yun’s residence openly and admire the Rooster King whenever you wish. You might even persuade him to give you one of its descendants to raise! As for the academy, you only need to show your face. As long as you don’t fall asleep during lessons, the teacher certainly won’t make things difficult for you!”

Liu Jiuning thoughtfully planned her brother’s future.

Liu Zhuohan, who had been preparing to say something else, paused.

“Really?”

His lifelong dream was not wealth!

Liu Jiuning patted her chest and guaranteed it.

If necessary, she could simply send word asking the old general to give her one to raise, then pass it on to her brother.

“Of course! Your sister will soon be empress!”

The moment Liu Zhuohan heard the word empress, however, he sighed silently.

Gripping his sister’s arms tightly, he said, “I understand now! Do you think I should prepare thirty horses, or would it be better to bring more donkeys and mules? I think donkeys and mules would be safer. They attract less attention, they’re not picky eaters, and they have a good sense of direction. What do you think?”

“I think you’ll get lost no matter what you ride. Tell me—why did it take you nearly three or four months to return from the south to see me?”

With a single sentence, Liu Jiuning destroyed all of Liu Zhuohan’s plans.

And she had no intention of sparing him.

“Besides, I don’t think you could afford to keep me alive. How many copper coins did you have left when you returned?”

…

After suffering repeated blows from his sister, Liu Zhuohan finally accepted reality.

Still, he did not give up immediately.

Only after repeatedly confirming that she was genuinely happy about entering the palace and truly believed she was going there to enjoy herself did he finally run out of things to say.

Perhaps his sister was still young and had been bewitched by the emperor’s face.

He had heard that cold-blooded assassins had recently become extremely popular with women in martial-arts storybooks.

“Brother, don’t worry! Your sister won’t forget you. When I enjoy good fortune, I’ll definitely share it with you! It sounds like dinner is being served in the hall. Let’s hurry over, or we’ll be stuck eating food from the small kitchen!”

As Liu Jiuning spoke, she grabbed her brother’s sleeve and pulled him toward the dining hall.

The last light of sunset shone across the blue stone tiles.

The siblings ran happily toward dinner through the evening glow.

After her biological brother returned, Liu Jiuning finally had someone else to chatter with.

It did not matter if no one else understood her.

Her brother did!

As long as he knew she was truly happy, that was enough.

Liu Zhuohan did not understand why his sister was so delighted, but since events had already reached this point and defying the imperial decree was impossible, being happy was still better than despairing.

Thus, amid a wedding that felt almost like a funeral and contained little joy, there were still two people who remained cheerful.

The days passed in the blink of an eye.

As the wedding drew nearer, red silk began appearing throughout the residence. Yet everyone became increasingly lifeless, and even Liu Zhuohan grew much quieter.

Liu Jiuning sat on the swing, took a bite of pastry, and studied her brother’s forced smile.

“I’m genuinely happy, but you’re not. Alas, no one understands me. No one understands me!”

With that, she stuffed the rest of the pastry into her mouth.

After dusting off her hands, she prepared to try on the wedding dress specially delivered from the palace.

Seeing everyone grieve with such genuine emotion made her feel slightly melancholy too, though she did not know what she was melancholy about.

Perhaps she simply could not bear leaving this relatively harmonious family.

Liu Jiuning watched the female officials and attendants carefully lift the wedding dress. Looking at the radiant embroidery shimmering across it, she had to marvel at the extraordinary skill of the palace’s embroidery artisans.

Being able to wear such a wedding dress made everything worthwhile—

Worthwhile, yes, but wasn’t it far too heavy?

There were far more than one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight layers!

Liu Jiuning felt as though half a mountain were pressing down on her body. She was wrapped so tightly that even breathing became difficult.

Then she looked toward the magnificent phoenix crown, made of real gold and appropriately decorated with sparkling jewels.

That was the other half of the mountain.

Without question.

“Miss Guan and the others have arrived.”

Lühe entered from outside and bowed as she spoke.

Hearing this, Liu Jiuning looked as though she had found a savior.

“Take… take it off. I need to receive my guests…”

Without a healthy body, one truly could not wear a wedding dress or a phoenix crown!

After swiftly changing out of the bridal attire, Liu Jiuning floated out of the room like a butterfly.

She truly did feel light enough to fly after removing that exquisite, luxurious wedding dress!

The moment she entered the next room, she saw her group of friends gathered together, quietly discussing something.

Before she could complain about the weight of the wedding dress, they pulled her into the center.

After Guan Feilan closed every door and window, an entire stack of books appeared before Liu Jiuning.

They resembled…

Martial-arts manuals for defending oneself from attackers.

“Jiuning, look at this. Wear soft armor beneath your clothes, and blades won’t be able to penetrate it. Your wedding dress should be thick enough to hide two layers.”

“You must protect your neck too.”

“If necessary, pull out your hairpin and use it. Staying alive comes first!”

“Jiuning, act boldly. Leave everything else to the Censorate. At worst, you’ll be sent to the Cold Palace.”

“We’ve already made arrangements in the Cold Palace.”

“I heard every consort in the palace owns several books like these!”

“And look at this one—kick directly below the waist. This is excellent! You absolutely must remember it!”

…

Liu Jiuning listened in a daze.

Those who knew the situation would understand she was going to get married.

Anyone who did not would think she was entering a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den!

She stared at the illustrated pages in the books.

For some reason, she began feeling sympathy for the emperor in the palace.

Her reputation had deteriorated to such a degree that instead of competing for favor, the consorts were studying self-defense.

She was probably the first emperor in all of history—and every novel—to achieve such a thing.

At the same time, the emperor, who was reviewing memorials, suddenly sneezed.

Her brows drew together slightly.

Remembering that several people had recently become restless and might try something during the imperial wedding, she summoned the shadow guard hiding among the roof beams and asked about Liu Jiuning’s situation over the past few days.