Chapter 21: Don't Push Me to Whip You

With the help of Nanny Qin, Lin Yue finally located the "Heart-Link Mirror."

It was merely a small wooden mirror; had the copper plate in its center not been so shiny, it might have been relegated to propping up a wobbly table leg. It was so tiny that it could fit entirely within the palm of one's hand. The idea that Xiao Jingyun would carry such a thing with him seemed utterly absurd. Lin Yue sighed and tucked it into her bodice.

At that very moment, thousands of miles away, Xiao Jingyun suddenly felt a searing heat against his chest. He frowned, reached inside his robes, and quickly produced his own protective mirror. This small mirror had been given to him by Daoist Master Zhang when he lay in a deep coma years ago. After waking, he had found comfort in its presence, so he had kept it with him on every military campaign since. He had heard that Lin Yue possessed a matching one, but given her temperament, he assumed she had surely discarded it long ago. Xiao Jingyun gave a self-deprecating smile and returned the mirror to his robes. He wondered why, of all days, he was thinking of that woman today.

***

By the time Lin Yue entered the palace, her merit points had reached thirty-six thousand. She was beginning to appreciate the benefits of this invisible merit system; it had a knack for springing pleasant surprises upon her when she least expected them.

Meanwhile, hearing that Lin Yue had arrived, the Empress could hardly wait and hurried to the gate of the Empress Dowager’s palace. She had expected to be the first to greet Lin Yue, but to her surprise, she saw the Empress Dowager pacing back and forth on the palace path from afar, looking just as impatient. The Empress was taken aback. She had wanted to ask Lin Yue about Xiao Huaiqing, but with the Empress Dowager present, how could she possibly bring it up?

The Empress Dowager, for her part, hadn't expected the Empress to show up. She had been planning to curry favor with her youngest daughter-in-law, and now that the eldest was here, she didn't know how to act.

Just then, Zhou Dahai came rushing over. "Your Majesty, the Emperor has issued a decree: he will be coming here for a meal shortly."

The Empress Dowager was immediately annoyed. "Coming for a free meal, is he? What decree? Is it written on toilet paper?"

Zhou Dahai: "Ah??"

The Empress was equally displeased. "We are just the women of the family gathering; why must the Emperor come?" Truly, he had no sense of tact, insisting on inserting himself into every occasion.

Zhou Dahai felt guilty; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. Fortunately, at that moment, the Empress seemed to spot something delightful and darted past him. Zhou Dahai turned to see the Empress embrace the Princess of Ding, crying, "Sister-in-law, I have missed you so much!"

Zhou Dahai: "..." Was that "I missed you so much" or "I wish you were dead"?

After so many years in the palace, surrounded by fakes and illusions, he could no longer tell if the Empress knew the truth or not. Did she know, and was she planning to strike? Or did she know and was merely forced to endure?

As he sank into these contradictory thoughts, the Empress Dowager shoved him aside. "Stop being an obstruction. Get lost!" Zhou Dahai replied with a quick "Yes," and scurried away as if fleeing for his life.

"Sister-in-law, I have missed you too. Thank you for the jewelry you sent; I love it," Lin Yue said, thinking to herself, *Which is why I’m in such a rush to save the Crown Prince and the little Imperial Grandson. Hehe.*

The Empress wept with joy. "As long as you like it, go to my palace later and pick out more; there are even better pieces there."

The Empress Dowager, not to be outdone, squeezed in. "And what I sent wasn't good enough? Hmph! You little ingrate."

Lin Yue quickly hugged the Empress Dowager. "Mother, don't be angry. I love what you gave me, too." *I was even thinking of sending you a bottle of nutrient solution—a super tonic that cures whatever you’re lacking. It’s perfect.*

The Empress Dowager’s eyes lit up. "You are not leaving the palace tonight. I’ve missed you, and I want to sleep in the same room as you."

The Empress panicked. "Mother, I also want to—"

The Empress Dowager: "No, you don't!"

The Empress: "..." ??

Seeing she couldn't win, the Empress felt a chill in her heart. However, with her son and grandson’s lives hanging in the balance, she pressed on. "Mother, since our sister-in-law is here, let her stay for a few days. The Crown Prince and his wife haven't met their aunt yet. Should we call them over so we can have a family gathering?"

The Empress Dowager, thinking of her poor eldest grandson and great-grandson, agreed immediately. "That must be done. I’ll have Nanny Ping arrange the evening banquet, and you send someone to the Eastern Palace."

The Empress was overjoyed. "I shall go arrange it at once."

As the Empress left, Lin Yue noticed her dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. She remarked to the Empress Dowager, "Sister-in-law seems quite emotional; it’s not at all like what people say about her." *Actually, in the original book, the Empress was described as tyrannical and overbearing, punishing favorite concubines. She was a strong woman who ended up losing her son, grandson, and family, meeting a tragic end. It’s so miserable.*

The Empress Dowager: Original book? Do people write books about us? Do immortals read storybooks too? So, did Lin Yue decide to save us because she read a storybook?

The Empress Dowager held Lin Yue’s small hand and said affectionately, "Daughter-in-law, one shouldn't judge people or things by their appearance. Look at me—am I not very kind?"

Lin Yue felt a sudden shiver as the Empress Dowager stroked her hand. *If I didn't know the Empress Dowager’s orientation was normal and that she was already past fifty, I’d think she was falling in love with me. It seems these kinds of bizarre tropes are quite popular lately. It just goes to show that people see whatever perverse things they want to see.*

The Empress Dowager: "..." ??

As the two sat down, the Emperor burst in like a whirlwind. Lin Yue thought for a moment he would crash right into the wall. Fortunately, he stopped just in time, but a dull thud echoed from his lower back. Hearing him let out a groan of pain, Lin Yue felt her own brows knit in sympathy.

Seeing the Emperor’s disheveled state, the Empress Dowager asked, "Is there an urgent report from the border?"

The Emperor shook his head, looking at Lin Yue in shock. "Did you meet Daoist Master Zhang today?"

Lin Yue nodded. "Yes."

The Emperor sighed. "Oh, I missed him. I sent men to invite him, but he had already returned to his Daoist temple."

Lin Yue was puzzled. "Then just send people to the temple to invite him."

The Emperor pulled a long face, rubbing his aching back. "Once he goes up the mountain, he cannot be moved. The last time he came to the capital was three years ago, when Jingyun was in danger and fell into a coma."

The Emperor felt deeply disappointed; he had wanted to ask about the nation’s fate. The idea that the Great Wei’s fortune would decline for twenty years was something he dared not contemplate. He closed his eyes, feeling as though the ancestors were about to burst out of their coffins. *Sigh...*

"Sister-in-law, could you perhaps go and invite Daoist Master Zhang back?" the Emperor asked, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope.

Lin Yue was stunned. *Inviting him is no problem, but he only wants to cultivate immortality, and I don't. I can't lie to him—what if he takes revenge on me? Furthermore, cultivating immortality requires endless merit points. I only have thirty-thousand-plus, which is just enough to save the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson. Are you willing to trade your son and grandson’s lives for it?*

The Emperor: "..." No, he was not!!

The Empress Dowager: "..." How could that ever work?

The Empress Dowager bellowed, "You scoundrel! Why are you making things difficult for your sister-in-law? Don't force me to beat you!"

The Emperor looked aggrieved. "Mother is right; I was wrong."

Lin Yue: "..." Has the tone changed this quickly?