In the past few days, Uncle Li and the others had been so busy that they were on the verge of collapse. There were numerous matters to attend to, such as the burial of the late emperor, arranging the futures of the concubines in the harem, consoling the casualties, and promoting capable officials. All these tasks kept everyone in a complete frenzy.
Luo Xunlong, who was utterly ignorant of state affairs, felt completely lost when faced with the mountain of memorials. Fortunately, Murong Xuan was by his side to handle things on his behalf. Murong Xuan patiently explained each matter to him and asked for his opinion. Luo Xunlong looked helpless and could only reply, "What do you think, Brother Xuan?"
Murong Xuan then launched into a long and passionate speech, which made Luo Xunlong's eyes turn green with boredom and he was on the verge of dozing off.
Suddenly, hearing Luo Xunlong's snores, Murong Xuan quickly looked up and saw the "Ninth Prince" sprawled out in his seat, almost asleep. Murong Xuan was speechless and quickly called out, "Your Highness! Your Highness! You can't sleep! Wake up quickly!" The memorials from all over the country were piling up. What if they weren't approved quickly?
Luo Xunlong was awakened by his call and waved his hand impatiently. "I'll follow all your suggestions. Do as you think best!"
Murong Xuan: …
For several consecutive days, Wei Dongling had almost ransacked the entire palace herself. She even searched the Cold Palace! She also sent Pin Hao and Jing Zhe out of the palace with a large number of people to search high and low. But Yu Zixi seemed to have vanished into thin air, and there was no trace of him at all.
Wei Dongling was extremely anxious. She arranged for Lady He and Nanny Sun to stay in the Yaoguang Pavilion, where they used to live. She thought that if he came back, he should at least come to see his mother. However, she went to the Yaoguang Pavilion every night to pay her respects to Lady He, but still no one came.
Plum Blossom, the former head maid of the Yaoguang Pavilion, was overjoyed to see the Fifth Princess return safely. After performing the grand salute, she couldn't help but rush forward and hug her.
All the concubines had been arranged to keep vigil for the late emperor, so there were a large number of maids left idle in the palace. Plum Blossom was originally going to be taken away by Consort Rong. But just before leaving, the eunuch in charge of the Internal Affairs Office came to convey a message, saying that the Fifth Princess had specifically named Plum Blossom to stay and serve her. Everyone was shocked and suspicious. Wasn't the Fifth Princess dead? How could she come back all of a sudden? And she was now in charge of the affairs in the palace and had supported the Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, to take over the imperial power. Plum Blossom was both surprised and delighted when she heard this. She happily went to the Yaoguang Pavilion under the envious gazes of the others.
Plum Blossom hugged Wei Dongling and wailed for a while. Only then did she notice Lady He and her maid watching them. Plum Blossom felt that she had lost her composure and quickly let go of Wei Dongling. She tidied up her appearance and stepped forward to pay a salute to Lady He.
Wei Dongling didn't mind her being noisy. She instructed, "Please trouble Aunt Plum Blossom to select a few well - behaved maids to serve Lady He properly."
Plum Blossom quickly went to do as she was told. Wei Dongling turned to the eunuch in charge of the Internal Affairs Office and waved her hand. "Aunt Plum Blossom has been loyal and dedicated since she entered the palace. I trust her character. Starting tomorrow, let her serve as an imperial attendant and go to the Taiji Hall to await the orders of the Ninth Prince!"
The eunuch in charge of the Internal Affairs Office was stunned. Plum Blossom was originally just an ordinary maid beside Consort Rong. Just because she had once served the Fifth Princess in the Yaoguang Pavilion for a while, she could now serve in front of the emperor?
Seeing that the people from the Internal Affairs Office hadn't reacted yet, Wei Dongling waved her hand. "Don't worry that Aunt Plum Blossom doesn't understand the rules and will disturb the emperor. She can learn the rules slowly."
Only then did the people from the Internal Affairs Office nod in agreement.
At night, Wei Dongling took Plum Blossom to the palace of the Seventh Princess, Murong Yunxi. Hearing that the Fifth Princess had arrived, Murong Yunxi this time came to perform the grand salute properly. Times had changed. Now, the Fifth Princess was in charge of all the affairs in the palace, and even the Empress Dowager had to follow her arrangements. Naturally, Murong Yunxi had to be more restrained.
Moreover, her mother, Consort Rong, had voluntarily gone to keep vigil for the late emperor. There was no longer anyone in the palace to protect this arrogant and willful Seventh Princess. Naturally, she knew better and bowed her head obediently to pay respects to her Fifth Elder Sister.
Courtesy still had to be observed. Wei Dongling said politely, "We are sisters. Yunxi, there's no need for so many formalities." Murong Yunxi's mother had a son, so she didn't have to go to keep vigil for the late emperor. But she still went. And at the late emperor's funeral, she hugged the coffin and cried heart - rendingly. She had visibly lost weight.
It seemed that only Consort Rong had truly loved the late emperor!
Murong Yunxi stood up and walked properly to welcome Wei Dongling into the room for tea. Now that all the people in the harem had dispersed and only she, the Seventh Princess, was left in the palace, she felt really bored. She wanted to curry favor with the Ninth Prince, but the Ninth Prince didn't even want to see her. He even had the soup she had carefully prepared sent back. Murong Yunxi was extremely angry but had no way to deal with it. She also heard that since the Ninth Prince had supervised state affairs, he rarely listened to the Empress Dowager's orders and only followed the instructions of the Fifth Elder Sister, Murong Wanlin. Murong Yunxi personally presented the teacup in front of Wei Dongling, lowered her head and smiled gently. "I wonder what brings the Fifth Elder Sister here tonight?"
Wei Dongling looked at the teacup on the table and didn't dare to touch it. The heart - palpitating poison in her body hadn't been completely cured, and the food and drinks in the palace had left a psychological shadow on her. Wei Dongling said calmly, "I came today to ask my younger sister for an item. I once gave it to you, and now I just want to get it back. You can name any conditions you want."
Murong Yunxi propped her chin with one hand and smiled gently. "Sister, don't tell me you want the pair of purple - gold agate jade bracelets that the Empress Dowager once bestowed upon you?" That was a rare treasure. Naturally, Murong Yunxi was a bit reluctant to part with it. But she couldn't fall out with the Fifth Princess, so she had to secretly plan in her heart that she should make an exorbitant demand in exchange to make a huge profit!
Wei Dongling lowered her head and smiled faintly. "The purple - gold agate jade bracelets were given to you, and I naturally won't ask for them back. What I want is the Meteor Blade."
The Meteor Blade, a private collection of the Heir of Lord Shangguan Yun? Murong Yunxi's face changed, and she refused without hesitation. "Elder Sister, please ask for something else. This one won't do." This was the only relic of Lord Yun that she had by her side. Naturally, she was reluctant to return it to Murong Wanlin.
Plum Blossom was a bit unhappy. Now the Fifth Princess was in charge of the entire palace, but the Seventh Princess was so ungrateful? Plum Blossom rolled up her sleeves and was about to step forward to scold her. She was quite good at using the power of the powerful to intimidate others.
Wei Dongling waved her hand to signal Plum Blossom to step back. She covered her lips and smiled gently. "Yunxi, I heard that your mother insisted on going to keep vigil for the late emperor. I'm deeply touched. It's a pity that the Twelfth Prince is still young. At such a young age, he has to be separated from his mother and be taught by the Empress Dowager personally. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. After all, the Empress Dowager is old, and old people tend to spoil their grandchildren too much..."
Hearing Murong Wanlin mention her three - year - old younger brother, Murong Yunxi's alarm bells rang in her heart. Her face turned pale and she trembled. "The Twelfth Prince is still young. It's most suitable for him to be supervised by the Empress Dowager personally. The Fifth Elder Sister really doesn't need to worry."