Volume 1: The Initial Appearance of Beauty Chapter 10: The Disappearance of a Beauty

  "Wait, young master!"

  With a few loud knocks, Yu Chen turned around to look back, sighed helplessly and turned back again. The several people in the house all shrunk down by a large margin, all kneeling on the ground. Yu Chen walked over to the old man's side and pulled at his clothes, she couldn't pull him up, but making an elderly person who had passed sixty years of age kneel in front of her was also not something she could do. The old man himself stood up with tears streaming down his face.

  "I'm telling you, old sir, what's the point of clinging to me? Not to mention my identity, I suppose you already know. I'm neither extremely intelligent nor highly skilled in martial arts, so I couldn't possibly lead your Luohua Palace. Hmm... why don't you just choose one of your own people to be the palace master instead? Choose someone with high martial arts skills, the best in the palace would be fine."

  The old man shook his head and said, "The Luohua Palace is the lifelong dedication of the old palace master. How can it be handed over to others? Moreover... The Luohua Palace has many subordinates, if we wait for the palace master to be selected based on martial arts skills, the Luohua Palace will be destroyed by then. In these ten years, in order to compete for the position of the palace master, various factions have been scheming and even fighting against each other, the actual strength within the palace is now vastly different from when the old palace master was alive. If it weren't for the six great elders holding each other back, the Luohua Palace would have already disintegrated. Even so, because of the lack of discipline among the disciples, the reputation of the Luohua Palace has been declining day by day." Speaking to this sad point, the old man shed tears again.

  Ruò Chén frowned upon hearing this, how could it be like explaining a lesson? She wasn't Zhang Wuji. She had no interest in unifying the Luò Huā Gōng or commanding the heroes. Light Red stood beside Ruò Chén and said: "Princess, please think thrice. Moreover, having the power of the Luò Huā Gōng would not harm you."

  "Even if I take over the Luohua Palace, what good would it do for you?" she asked with a cold smile. After being betrayed before, how could she still believe that someone would be kind to her without any reason? Even in the past, she had never believed it. The old man stepped forward and said: "The young lady is the only flesh and blood of the old palace master, but unfortunately, she was not born for the Jianghu world. We didn't dare disturb her life originally, but we heard from Qing Hong that the young master, despite his young age, has a lot of the old palace master's legacy, and will surely lead the Luohua Palace in the future, leading the crowd."

  "I'm not interested." The leader of the group? She's not crazy.

  "Young master, you are still young and may not understand many things. Why don't you consider it for a few years? Everyone in the Luohua Palace is willing to wait for you to change your mind." The old man stroked his long beard and said. Yu Chen looked up and asked, "What if I never change my mind?" The old man sighed with a bitter smile, "Then it would be that the luck of our Luohua Palace has run out, and we old folks will have to go down to the underworld to apologize to the old palace master."

  She rolled her eyes and Dusty shook his head. "Then I'm leaving. Before I've thought this through, no one is allowed to appear in front of me."

  "Yes. This is the green jade flute, please accept it, young master. It's a legacy of the old palace owner and also a symbol of the identity of the Luohua Palace owner. If you have any orders, as long as you show this item, no one in the Luohua Palace will dare to disobey." The elderly servant under Rufei handed over a jade flute, which felt warm and smooth to the touch, with a subtle luster, obviously an excellent musical instrument, unfortunately, she didn't know how to play it.

  "Goodbye."

  "See off the young master."

  Hong followed behind Ruocheng out of the courtyard, and Ruocheng turned back to stare at the gate for a long time before saying, "This is a brothel, right?" Qinghong was taken aback, asking, "How did you know, Princess?" Ruocheng just smiled and didn't answer, continuing to walk ahead.

  "Is the princess angry?"

  "What kind of person is Qing Hong?"

  "Qing Hong and Ruan Cui were sent by the old palace master to protect her, they grew up with the princess since childhood. They are... the direct disciples of the old palace master." Yu Chen looked at her in surprise, "From what you said, my grandfather was a very extraordinary person on the rivers and lakes, his disciple ran into the palace to become a palace maid, wouldn't that be too humiliating?"

  Hong Qing shook her head, with a hint of nostalgia and admiration in her eyes. Her voice became somewhat ethereal as she spoke, "The Old Palace Master was the most extraordinary figure in the Jianghu world for nearly a century. It's said that he dominated the Jianghu at just eighteen years old, and no one could stop him. He was also well-versed in astronomy, geography, yin-yang, and the five elements, with no weaknesses to speak of. At twenty years old, he established the Luohua Palace, and for a time, no one in the world could surpass it. Innumerable people submitted to his authority, earning him the reputation as the number one sect in the world. The Luohua Prince was also renowned for being the best in martial arts, intelligence, and appearance, unparalleled in the world."

  Ruò chén looked at Qīng Hóng's ethereal and elusive expression, and sighed inwardly.

  "The princess isn't wondering why you have to be the master of Luohua Palace? It's because those who followed the old palace master always thought that only the direct bloodline of the old palace master could lead them back to the prosperity of Luohua Palace in its heyday."

  Ru Xuan shook her head, indicating that she couldn't understand their thoughts. Whether it was the previous life or this life, she didn't believe in the saying "dragon begets dragon and phoenix begets phoenix". Her mother, the queen, wasn't the best proof? The stunningly handsome young master who was said to have fallen from the sky, but his daughter wasn't even as good as a maid by his side. What's this called? Genetic mutation?

  She gazed at Qing Hong with a mixture of pity and understanding. This woman... she must have had feelings for the fallen hero. The look in her eyes wasn't just admiration, it was infatuation - an infatuation for someone who had long passed away and didn't love her back.

  "Hasn't the young lady ever thought of leaving the palace to live an ordinary life?"

  "How can that be?! I made a vow in front of the old master to always protect and care for my younger sister, and to teach her children when they grow up." Yu Chen was speechless. Xiao Yi, ah Xiao Yi, you are ruthless enough.

  "Does Qinghong like him?"

  Qing Hong was stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to react to what Ruo Chen had said. After a long time, she sighed softly: "The first time Qing Hong saw the old master of the palace, she was only ten years old... In the blink of an eye, five years have passed. But I will never forget, never forget..." Qing Hong ultimately didn't say what she couldn't forget, and Ruo Chen didn't ask either. She let Qing Hong carry her towards the direction of the General's Mansion.

  Back to Xiaoyuan's place. The house is quiet.

  "Where did Qin Shuyan go?"

  Qing Hong frowned and said, "It seems he's not here either." Ruo Chen lay down and pulled the quilt over himself, "Keep a close eye on him for the next few days, it's best to figure out where he went." Qing Hong nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I understand."

  Open your eyes, the sky is already bright. Another new day. Ruò chén was lying on the bed and stretched her waist, "Qīng Hóng, Shū Yán." Qīng Hóng came in with water, followed by a maid, "Has the princess woken up? The general has sent someone to invite the princess over for breakfast together." Ruò chén got out of bed and looked at the people holding various things. Qīng Hóng smiled knowingly and waved her hand to let the maids retreat. Ruò chén got dressed. Yesterday, Shěn Yú was very considerate, today he couldn't be too discourteous either.

  After combing and washing, she went out the door, Qin Shuyan was already standing at the door, hanging her head, but Ruo Chen was very short so she still saw it, Qin Shuyan's face was a bit pale.

  "Didn't sleep well last night?"

  "Thank you for your concern, Shuyan is fine."

  "Alright? Hmph, Ru Chen Dao said: Go back to your room and take a look in the mirror. Don't follow me today, it will affect my mood." Qin Shu Yan's expression changed, "Your Highness... Shu Yan bids farewell."

  Qing Hong gazed at Qin Shu Yan's receding back and said faintly, "Qin Shu Yan only returned last night at the fourth watch."

  "Are you hurt?"

  "It looks like it is. The injury isn't light."

  "These two days, don't let him appear in front of Shen Yu." Ru Chen said. This general's mansion is a bit too lax, not only can they come and go as they please, but Qin Shuyan also seems to be able to enter without being detected. However, the security measures of ancient times are definitely no match for modern ones, and she wouldn't know how to use any lightness skills or anything, so it's all up to people to guard against intruders, which really doesn't give much sense of security.

  "Does the princess still want to keep him?" Although I don't know where Qin Shuyan went last night, a suspicious person shouldn't be kept by her side. Ruochen smiled and said: "He's a very interesting person."

  Walking into the dining hall, Shen Yu came out to greet her, "Princess."

  Madam Shen hastily stood up, "I've seen the princess."

  "Long time no see, Mrs. Shen." A flicker of hesitation flashed across Mrs. Shen's eyes, but Yichen pretended not to notice and turned to Lin Xianxin, who was supporting Mrs. Shen, "Good morning, Sister Xianxin." Lin Xianxin bowed, "Greetings, Princess." Yichen smiled, "No need to be so polite, sister." Shen Yu smiled, "Let's dispense with the formalities, Princess must be hungry, shall we have breakfast first?"

  "General! General!"

  The footsteps outside the door made Ruo Chen frown, and Shen Yu hadn't spoken yet when Lin Xian glared at the person who came in and said: "How dare you! The elderly lady and the princess are both here, how can you be so rude?"

  The newcomer's face was stern as he said: "I have been rude, it seems you are from the palace. Please, Your Highness, return to the palace immediately."

  "What's wrong?" Ru Xuan furrowed his brow.

  "Empress Dowager Cixi has passed away."

  What?!

  At the sound of a slight tremor, the small hand grasping the chair tightened, "Qing Hong! Return to the palace!" Qing Hong's face was also pale, and she replied in a trembling voice: "Qing Hong obeys!"

  Hurriedly returning to the Qingning Palace, all that could be seen was the icy and pale corpse of Consort Qing. Ruan Cui knelt on one side, her eyes already red from crying. Qing Hong let out a sorrowful cry, rushed over, and fell onto the bed, bursting into tears. The people kneeling in the room also started wailing. "All of you, shut up!"

  The tender voice floated lightly in the room, yet everyone felt a chill.

  She turned around, staring blankly at the little princess standing by the door. Yu Xuan looked coldly at the crowd with tears in their eyes, "Rou Cui, Qin Shu Yan, Lin Shen, Ning Er. Follow me into the palace. Qing Hong, take care of the empress." After speaking, she turned and headed towards her own residence. Qing Hong wiped away her tears and pulled Rou Cui along as they followed.

  In the small hall outside the bedroom, Lin Shen and Ruan Cui knelt on the ground, "Please forgive me, Princess. Ruan Cui did not protect the princess well, please forgive me." Ru Xuan tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair, "Didn't the palace send someone to General's mansion saying that the Empress Dowager died suddenly from illness?"

  "What's going on?"

  Ruan Cui shook her head and said, "I don't know. The princess was fine last night, but this morning... I went to serve the princess when she woke up, and she had already..." Ruan Cui started crying again. Ruocheng's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Ruan Cui was someone who had been specially trained by Xiao Yi to protect his daughter, so it wasn't easy for Qinghui to be killed silently under her protection.

  "Has Her Majesty met anyone unusual? Has she eaten anything she shouldn't have?"

  Ruan Cui thought for a moment and shook her head vaguely.

  Qing Hong walked in, walked to Ru Chen's side and bent down to whisper a few words in her ear. The kneeling people didn't hear what she said, but Ru Chen's face changed immediately, coldly saying: "Good! Very good! All of you get up." The three people looked at each other, hesitated and stood up, Ru Chen had already returned to her original state, saying: "All of you go down now."

  Qing Hong was slightly surprised and whispered: "Princess..."

  Ruò Chén coldly said: "Withdraw!"