Chapter 16: Her Grace the Empress Dowager Has Fainted!

The interaction between Shen Yuezhuang and A Sang was characterized by a mutual feeling of “why didn’t we meet sooner,” immediate camaraderie, unconditional trust, and excessive honesty.

A Sang, who took Shen Yuezhuang’s words completely at face value, did a somersault and landed on top of the wall. Crouching there, she peered into the neighboring courtyard. Her eyes lit up like a hungry wolf spotting prey.

She looked back at Shen Yuezhuang and nodded emphatically.

A·Monkey King·Sang: Come quick! This person looks like an easy mark!

Shen Yuezhuang’s yawn was only halfway done.

Huh? You can actually see the Tathagata Buddha?

Shen Yuezhuang tiptoed over.

The wall was more than half a foot taller than Young Master Duan. Shen Yuezhuang had to stand on her tiptoes just to see the stone table and stools under the tree on the other side.

She couldn’t see anyone.

Shen Yuezhuang raised an eyebrow at A Sang. A Sang jerked her chin toward the northern building.

Inside that window!

Alright, then!

Shen Yuezhuang gathered up her skirt, hastily tied it around her waist, and then hooked her arms over the top of the wall, her toes scraping against the uneven surface.

Her fingers, gripping the top of the wall, were tense. Shallow sinews and veins stood out on the back of her hand, not exaggerated, but slender, flowing smoothly into her wrist, hidden beneath pale, almost translucent skin.

There was no denying it. That hand was beautiful.

Especially the shallow sinews, which had a kind of futile, wasted effort aesthetic.

And indeed, Shen Yuezhuang’s effort was futile. After struggling for a long time, she hadn’t even managed to climb up a single inch. Her loosely tied skirt came undone as well—she looked like a newborn kitten, not yet familiar with its own limbs, stumbling about as it learned to use them.

This was the first time A Sang had truly understood that Shen Yuezhuang’s statement, “I can’t do any physical labor, I can’t tell one grain from another,” was an honest confession with zero false modesty.

The honest Shen Yuezhuang quickly gave up her struggle. She reached out her hand to A Sang.

Give me a hand. Let me see who’s on the other side.

A Sang didn’t take it.

When not in use, that hand looked even more like a soft, fragile kitten’s paw, as if one careless move could break it.

A Sang studied it for a moment, then unhesitatingly grabbed the fabric at Shen Yuezhuang’s lower back and hauled her up onto the wall.

Shen Yuezhuang only felt a tightening around her waist, then a feeling of weightlessness. She let out a short, sharp cry, then quickly clamped her mouth shut. By the time she got her bearings, she was hanging head-down over the wall.

The hangover combined with the inverted position made everything go black. Before she could even react, she heard A Sang’s lowered voice. “Miss Shen, do you think she’s suitable for extortion?”

Always talking about ‘extort’! Are we playing mahjong?

Shen Yuezhuang struggled a few times, unable to right herself. She simply gave up and waited for the darkness in front of her eyes to fade.

While waiting, she heard a faint rustling sound in the distance. Then, a corner of a dark blue skirt slowly approached from the far edge of her vision.

The skirt came closer and closer, gradually revealing the embroidered nine-tailed phoenix.

Golden threads and red silk, pearl crown and colorful wings—it shimmered brilliantly in the morning sun, moving with the fabric, looking almost alive.

The phoenix drew nearer, revealing the dark blue collar with an understated golden swastika pattern.

Higher up, there was Liu Yun’s face, bathed in golden sunlight.

The blazing light gilded her features with a soft, fuzzy edge, adding a touch of burning warmth to her usually cold, distant, and aloof appearance.

Those amber eyes were still clear. They were half-lidded as she gave A Sang a look—calm, appraising, as if she were going through a routine.

Then, Liu Yun’s gaze quickly shifted back to Shen Yuezhuang.

Perhaps it was because this angle faced directly toward the sun, but those amber-colored eyes seemed even lighter. She looked like she was in a good mood. But when her gaze met Shen Yuezhuang’s, her brows furrowed reflexively.

She pursed her lips. After a long moment, she let out a heavy sigh. Her tone was harsh, laced with sarcasm. “Throwing money away at the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion to win a beauty’s smile. Truly, Miss Shen is quite the free spirit! No wonder you were in such a hurry to leave the palace. The song and dance of a beautiful woman is far more interesting than burning down some lifeless old palace, isn’t it?”

This position was terribly uncomfortable. Shen Yuezhuang had only been holding back because she felt a little guilty about being caught. But Liu Yun’s few light, sarcastic remarks immediately sparked a temper in her.

Yes, she had burned down the palace. She accepted Liu Yun’s scolding and punishment for that.

After all, she was in the palace. She had started the trouble. She was in the wrong.

But going to the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion for a drink—and spending the Empress Dowager’s personal treasury’s money? What did that have to do with Her Grace the Empress Dowager?

Shen Yuezhuang stuck out her neck. “What high and mighty words from Her Grace! Yesterday, it was the palace maids from Longevity Palace who rushed me out of the palace in a panic!”

Compressed by her stomach, Shen Yuezhuang was short of breath, and her words came out haltingly. But every single one was sharp.

“Besides, even if there was something wrong with me going to a brothel, my father, my maternal grandfather, and my grandmother can teach me. Her Grace manages the entire harem, exalted and noble. I am but a humble subject. I wouldn’t dare trouble Your Grace to stoop so low for such a trivial matter.”

Liu Yun’s head began to ache with anger. But she didn’t want to argue with her in front of outsiders. She forcibly suppressed her temper.

“Get down first.”

“No!”

Shen Yuezhuang was always like this: when someone was strong, she was weak; when someone backed down, she pressed her advantage.

Now that Liu Yun had lowered her stance and softened her tone, Shen Yuezhuang felt even more justified.

She freed one hand and reached behind her. “A Sang! Pull me up!”

A Sang hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the fabric at the back of Shen Yuezhuang’s waist. The action instantly reassured Shen Yuezhuang.

With A Sang holding her, she wasn’t afraid of falling. She struggled even more violently. Liu Yun stepped forward and grabbed Shen Yuezhuang’s thrashing shoulder.

Liu Yun scowled. “Shen Yuezhuang, this is a Buddhist temple. It’s no place for your nonsense!”

“A Buddhist temple?” Shen Yuezhuang had no free hand to push away Liu Yun’s restraint. She could only twist her left shoulder almost comically. “If you’re so powerful, why don’t you just crush me under the Thunder Peak Pagoda like Fahai did!”

Liu Yun closed her eyes, pressed her fingers to her temple, and let out a long breath. “I told you to read fewer story scripts!”

“I read them, so what?!” Shen Yuezhuang was nearly screaming in anger. “You even want to control what story scripts I read! You…”

“Do you just ‘read’ them?” Liu Yun reached her limit. “Which time have you not acted them out after reading? You act them out yourself, and you drag others into it with you!”

Liu Yun let out a cold laugh, not intending to save her any face. “One day it’s ‘Wu Song Fights the Tiger,’ the next it’s ‘Fahai Captures the Demon.’ At ten, you dressed up as a ghost from Strange Tales and crawled out of the pond in the middle of the night, scaring half the household! You call that a hobby? Some hobby that disregards everyone else’s life!”

Shen Yuezhuang: “……”

She was so angry she clenched her fists. In a fit of impotent rage, she pounded the wall. “I fell in by accident!”

Liu Yun’s thin lips curled. “Hah. You watched Journey to the West and wanted to find the Dragon King’s palace yourself.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “%￥&%&%!”

Shen Yuezhuang’s struggling stopped. Liu Yun knew this demon hadn’t finished making trouble yet and was just saving up for an explosive outburst. She still watched her without relaxing her grip.

But A Sang didn’t know Shen Yuezhuang’s temperament. Seeing her quiet, she was momentarily distracted, considering the possibility of extorting the Empress Dowager. Suddenly, a kick from Shen Yuezhuang caught her.

A Sang, being a martial artist, reacted quickly and jumped down from the wall.

She landed lightly, and almost as soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard a heavy thud behind her, accompanied by two muffled groans.

The commotion immediately drew the attention of the palace maids waiting outside the courtyard. A swarm of people quickly surrounded the two of them.

A Sang was pushed to the outside. Someone, her voice sharp, cried out, “Oh no! Her Grace the Empress Dowager has fainted!”