Hearing the masked man say that he would present a precious gift to him, Xin Zizhao watched as the masked man ordered his men to bring it up. The treasure was covered with a red cloth. The masked man suddenly lifted the red cloth. "Your Majesty of the Yulong Kingdom, this is the sacred item from the spiritual land that our monarch presents to Your Majesty, the Phoenix Feather Mirror."
Outside the Full - Moon Pavilion, the sun was blazing, and the outdoor temperature rose slightly. However, it was still unusually cool inside the pavilion because there was a grove of big trees around that blocked the sunlight. Although the interior was a bit dim, it was sufficient.
Xin Zizhao didn't expect that the Qiangfeng Kingdom would give him a mirror. "Come here. Present the Phoenix Feather Mirror to me."
The masked man's attendant handed the tray with the mirror to Xiaogaozi, who then presented it in front of Xin Zizhao. Xin Zizhao took a look at this mirror, which the Qiangfeng Kingdom regarded as a treasure. Apart from the rather special patterns on the frame, there was nothing particularly outstanding about it.
Xin Zizhao felt rather strange. This mirror was surely more exquisite than the ordinary ones on the market, but it hardly deserved the title of a treasure, and there was nothing truly special about it.
"Your Majesty, don't underestimate this mirror. It's a truly miraculous divine mirror. It has the power to bless your country with good weather and ensure that your people have enough to eat and wear."
"Oh? Really that miraculous?" Xin Zizhao didn't believe that this thing had such power. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be the change of dynasties, would there? However, in front of so many people, Xin Zizhao couldn't refute the masked man's words directly, so he just went along with him.
"Yes, Your Majesty. But the prerequisite is that you must worship this mirror properly. The temple for worship, the attendants, and the sacrificial offerings all have to be impeccable."
"I see..." Xin Zizhao pretended to be troubled.
"Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I'll explain all these details to you."
Xin Zizhao nodded. "That would be best. However, I have other matters to attend to. Could you please tell Xiaogaozi about it? Xiaogaozi is my personal attendant."
"Of course. If Your Majesty is busy, then please go ahead and attend to your business."
It suddenly occurred to Xin Zizhao that he had promised Wei Shuxuan that he would go to the Gentle Breeze Palace to accompany her after finishing the memorials in the Imperial Study, so he decided to leave early. "Oh, I'm really sorry. You haven't introduced yourself yet, envoy."
"Ah, I was really careless. Your Majesty, my name is Qihar, and this is my attendant."
"I'll ask Xiaogaozi to treat you well. After I'm done with my business, I'll hold a banquet for you tonight."
"Thank you very much!" Qihar bowed respectfully.
After Xin Zizhao left the Full - Moon Pavilion, Xiaogaozi stepped forward, ready to ask Qihar about the details of worshipping the Phoenix Feather Mirror. For a moment, he seemed to see the red in Qihar's eyes. But when he looked closely again, he didn't see the red. All he saw was Qihar's polite smile.
"I'm really bothering you, Eunuch Xiaogaozi."
"It's no bother. Please tell me, Envoy Qihar. I'll take notes right away."
After leaving the Full - Moon Pavilion, Xin Zizhao rushed straight to the Gentle Breeze Palace, thinking that Xuan'er must have been waiting for him for a long time.
However, just as he reached the outside of the main gate of the Gentle Breeze Palace, he heard Wei Shuxuan's voice coming from inside. The scene he had just imagined of Wei Shuxuan looking at him resentfully vanished in an instant. Well, he knew his wife's personality well. How could she keep her feelings to herself?
Xin Zizhao walked in and saw that Wei Shuxuan was playing cards with the maids and eunuchs in the Gentle Breeze Palace again. He coughed lightly, and the maids and eunuchs all put down their cards and stepped back voluntarily, ignoring Wei Shuxuan's plea for them not to leave.
"Why are you playing cards again?" Xin Zizhao sat down beside Wei Shuxuan and gently stroked her long, loose hair.
"Of course I have to play! Otherwise, I'll be so bored!" Wei Shuxuan looked at Xin Zizhao unhappily. "And why did you drive away my card - playing partners as soon as you came? I was about to win! How annoying!"
"Isn't it good to play with me?" Xin Zizhao quite liked the way Wei Shuxuan threw a little tantrum at him. She looked so cute.
"Of course it's not good! There's no sense of accomplishment at all! When I play with you, I always lose. I don't want to play with you. You're so cunning. You always trick me."
Wei Shuxuan's little complaint was just a bit of fun in their marital life in Xin Zizhao's eyes.
"I didn't trick you. You've just become dull because you haven't used your brain for a long time."
Hearing Xin Zizhao's teasing, Wei Shuxuan stopped her hands while she was packing up the cards. It had been a long time since she had investigated a case. She had been so busy with Xin Zizhao's affairs, and life here had been so leisurely that she had almost forgotten her own duties.
"Actually, it's good that there are no cases. No cases mean that no one dies innocently. That's not bad. By the way, did you send Xin Shang and Xin Shi to investigate Yongheng? Do you have any results?" Wei Shuxuan asked him.
"At that time, did you take him in without telling him your real identity?"
"Of course not. Wei Wei told me that we should always be on our guard, so I hid my identity from Yongheng. Why? Is he very suspicious?" Wei Shuxuan suddenly felt a bit nervous.
"Not really. Xin Shang and Xin Shi have investigated. Sima Yongheng is just an orphan, and his mother did die of illness when he was very young."
"What about his father?" Wei Shuxuan asked further.
"I don't know. We couldn't find out. It happened too long ago."
"Okay. I was hoping to help Yongheng find his father so that they could be reunited. I didn't expect that we still couldn't find him..." Wei Shuxuan couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Seeing Wei Shuxuan's disappointed expression, Xin Zizhao reached out and stroked her head to comfort her. "By the way, the Qiangfeng Kingdom sent an envoy today. They said they wanted to be on good terms with us and also presented us with a treasure."
Hearing about the treasure, Wei Shuxuan became excited. "What kind of treasure?"
"It's just a mirror. However, I've looked at it over and over again, and I can't see anything special about it. The envoy told me that this mirror should be worshipped. If worshipped properly, it will bless our Yulong Kingdom with good weather."
Hearing this, Wei Shuxuan immediately lost interest. "Humph, it must be a lie. I don't believe it."