After a moment of silence, Si Yunqin suddenly said, “No wonder no matter how you interpret what the fortune teller said, it always seems right.”
Zhou Xinglian chuckled. “If you want to put it that way, Yunqin, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“But looking at these celestial signs, I fear Great Zhao’s dynasty will end within a few years,” Zhou Xinglian said softly. “Yet there is no sign of chaos across the land.”
It was a good thing no one was around. If someone had heard these words, they would have invited disaster.
Si Yunqin took a sip of wine, emboldening herself. “Senior Sister, I can’t understand all those mysterious words you speak. But the common people say that a strange celestial phenomenon has occurred, heralding that a woman will rule the world.”
Zhou Xinglian frowned slightly. “This is what you came to see me about today, isn’t it?”
Si Yunqin sighed in relief. “Yes.”
“Will you help me or not?” Si Yunqin looked at Zhou Xinglian with a calm gaze.
The two of them had known each other since childhood. The Si Yunqin that Zhou Xinglian knew was always lazy—young in age yet seemingly having seen through the ways of the world. But now, she exuded an irresistible sharpness and a sense of pressure.
“Is it for that Miss Shen who came with you this time?” Zhou Xinglian asked with a sigh.
“Yes.” Si Yunqin answered without hesitation.
“She does possess the aura of an emperor.” Zhou Xinglian lowered her eyes and took a drink from the wine jug.
“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Si Yunqin returned to her leisurely demeanor.
Zhou Xinglian gave her a helpless look. “Those who cultivate the Dao should not meddle in worldly affairs.”
Si Yunqin’s eyes curved slightly. “Senior Sister, we are both still in this mundane world.”
The perplexing star patterns of many days were finally answered by Si Yunqin’s words. Zhou Xinglian sighed softly, and in the end, could only drag Si Yunqin into a hearty drink.
“Senior Sister, do you think there really is an underworld and Meng Po’s soup in this world?” Si Yunqin suddenly asked, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
“Why do you say that?”
“Some things are just like an illusory dream; I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.” Si Yunqin was a bit drunk. She recalled her past life and always felt it was like a dream.
“I can’t say for sure; my cultivation hasn’t reached that level yet.” Zhou Xinglian shook her head.
“True. Can you cultivators really peer into the heavenly secrets?” Si Yunqin’s little face was flushed, her eyes glazed over, looking quite drunk.
Zhou Xinglian shook her head and didn’t respond.
“I know that there is another world above the Nine Heavens, and perhaps among the myriad universes, there are countless worlds like ours, each at a different stage of civilization.” Si Yunqin let out a burp.
Zhou Xinglian listened, somewhat shocked. She followed Si Yunqin’s finger and looked up at the sky. She had never thought of such things, but Si Yunqin’s words ignited in her a greater curiosity to explore the mysteries of the world.
“It’s strange. They should be different, but so many things are the same. Look, the Big Dipper is the same.” This was one of the things Si Yunqin could never quite understand.
“Senior Sister, if you ever reach a high level of cultivation, you must tell me. I’m… quite curious.”
Listening to her rambling, Zhou Xinglian gave a wry smile. “You really think too highly of me.”
“Even the Temple Abbot says you’re a talent. I believe in you!” Si Yunqin was quite good at grand declarations.
With that, she took a few more sips. The wine was brewed by Zhou Xinglian herself and was indeed quite good.
Shen Yanxin waited in the small courtyard until midnight, but Si Yunqin still hadn’t returned. Even Yuwen Luo had fallen asleep, but Shen Yanxin was still sitting by the window, flipping through a book. Inside, mosquito-repelling incense was burning; outside, the chirping of insects and birds came from the bamboo grove.
Yan Ke was keeping watch outside, so she didn’t notice that Shen Yanxin hadn’t turned a page in a long time.
Only when she heard a commotion outside the door did Shen Yanxin move her fingers slightly and look up at the entrance.
“Yan Ke, hi, good evening.” Si Yunqin returned, completely drunk, and greeted Yan Ke.
“Miss Si, how did you drink so much?” Yan Ke stood up to help her, but Si Yunqin waved her hand and smiled.
“It’s fine, I just… the wine Senior Sister Zhou brewed is good.” Si Yunqin staggered toward Shen Yanxin’s room.
Yan Ke followed behind and kindly reminded her, “Your room is that way.”
“I know, I know. I’m not drunk. I’m looking for Shen Yanxin. She’s definitely not asleep. The light is on. She’s also a… a night owl.” As she spoke, she raised her hand to knock on the door. She intended to lean on the door for a moment, but since the door wasn’t closed, she stumbled and fell right in.
Shen Yanxin watched the person who suddenly fell into the room, momentarily at a loss for words.
She sighed, looking at the person on the ground clutching their head, and at Yan Ke who stood behind, flustered. Shen Yanxin still walked over, waved at Yan Ke, and said, “Go get some rest.”
Yan Ke bowed to Shen Yanxin and then left.
Shen Yanxin bent down to help Si Yunqin up. “It seems your Senior Sister Zhou’s wine is not only good but also intoxicating.”
Si Yunqin held her head, eyes teary. “It hurts.”
Shen Yanxin looked at her like this, sighed inwardly, and reached out to wipe her tears. “Staying up late and drinking like this, if you didn’t fall, who would?”
Si Yunqin pouted aggrievedly. “I won’t talk to you anymore. You don’t appreciate a good heart.”
Shen Yanxin pinched her little cheek, then helplessly led her to sit down nearby. She went to close the door and poured her a cup of tea. “What did you want to see me about?”
Si Yunqin lay on the table, holding the cup, and took small sips. “You need to thank me.”
Shen Yanxin looked at her in confusion. “Thank you for what?”
Si Yunqin told her, in fragments, about her conversation with Zhou Xinglian.
As Shen Yanxin listened, the smile on her lips grew wider. “It’s not a big deal if such things are not spread.”
Si Yunqin shook her head. “No, that’s how it always is. If you succeed, it’s the mandate of heaven; if you fail, you’re a traitor.”
After saying that, Si Yunqin lay back on the table and began to tell Shen Yanxin, a bit incoherently, about Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and about Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang.
Shen Yanxin thought she had read quite a few history books, but these names had never appeared in any history book. She couldn’t help but think of the conversation she had overheard between Xi Fengyu and Si Yunqin in the Library Pavilion that day. Instinct told Shen Yanxin that they shared a secret unknown to anyone in the world. And then today, Si Yunqin mentioned people who shouldn’t have appeared in this world. Shen Yanxin’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Shouldn’t have appeared in this world”—did that mean there was another world?
Si Yunqin talked until she fell asleep, still mumbling something under her breath.
In the room, there was only Yuwen Luo, who had long been asleep, and Si Yunqin, who was now lying on the table.
Shen Yanxin sat across from her, watching her flushed little face. Seeing that she seemed uncomfortable lying that way, Shen Yanxin helped her turn around.
“Shen Yanxin, I’ll help you,” the sleeping person muttered quietly.
The person before her buried her face in the crook of her arm like a kitten.
The candlelight illuminated the entire room, softening Shen Yanxin’s features. Her eyes, usually hiding sharp edges, were now exceptionally gentle.
Her fingertips, almost uncontrollably, landed on the strands of hair of the person before her.
“Alright.”
After a moment, Shen Yanxin realized she couldn’t just let her sleep like that all night. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over, bent down, and gently lifted the person up.
Shen Yanxin looked down at the person in her arms. Si Yunqin was not like the frail consorts in the palace. The late emperor had favored slender women, so all the palace women were like that. But the person in her arms was not exactly light.
Yuwen Qiyue had been unable to sleep and was staring out the open window, a storybook placed in front of her. But then she suddenly saw the door to Shen Yanxin’s room across the way open. When she focused her eyes, any drowsiness she had barely managed to muster disappeared.
The current Empress Dowager carrying the sleeping former empress back to her own room—this was truly a strange sight. She inexplicably thought of Xi Fengyu’s usual remarks and felt that this time, Fengyu might have been right.
Shen Yanxin carried Si Yunqin back to her own room and laid her on the bed. The summer heat meant there was no need for a blanket. But Shen Yanxin hesitated over whether to help her take off her outer clothes. After hesitating for a while, she still reached out and removed the jade pendant from her waist and unfastened the waist belt.
As the dignified Empress Dowager of Great Zhao, aside from occasionally looking after the Young Emperor these days, she had never truly taken care of anyone. Even for the Young Emperor, dressing and such were handled by Yan Ke or done by herself.
Si Yunqin was groggy, but she cooperated with Shen Yanxin’s movements. It didn’t take long to help her remove her outer clothes. Shen Yanxin covered her with a thin blanket, tucking it over her stomach. Si Yunqin turned over, one leg pressing on the blanket, and she hugged the thin blanket to her chest.
The drunk person’s little face was flushed. With her eyes closed like this, she was as quiet as a figure in a painting. Those captivating peach blossom eyes were now closed, peaceful and unusually obedient.
Shen Yanxin, sitting by the bed, watched her for a long time. Her fingertips landed on her cheek. Perhaps Si Yunqin’s face was too hot, as Shen Yanxin’s fingertips also felt a little warm. She withdrew her hand, rubbed her fingertips together, then chuckled softly. “Since you said you’d help me, you’ll have to see it through to the end.”
Her voice was very soft, not disturbing the sleeping person. Realizing she had been staring at the person on the bed for too long, Shen Yanxin stood up a bit awkwardly and returned to her own room.
Across the way, Yuwen Qiyue saw that Shen Yanxin had taken so long to come out and felt even more that Xi Fengyu seemed to have been right. In the past, she would never have thought about anything between women, but after hanging around Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu for so long, she found it wasn’t so strange after all.
Shen Yanxin looked up toward Yuwen Qiyue’s room and happened to see Yuwen Qiyue, who was pretending to be calm and reading her storybook with her head down. She didn’t seem to care whether Yuwen Qiyue had seen anything and returned to her own room with composure.
The next day, before dawn, Ke Lanyue bustled over to wake Si Yunqin, saying they were going to watch the sea of clouds and sunrise. Si Yunqin looked sleepy. She had drunk heartily yesterday, and now it was hard to even open her eyes. Under Ke Lanyue’s urging, she changed clothes with her eyes closed the whole time. Only after washing up did she feel a bit more awake.
Since they had agreed to go see the sea of clouds, Si Yunqin couldn’t suddenly say she wasn’t going. Even Yuwen Luo had gotten up early and insisted on going.
Si Yunqin walked ahead, Yuwen Qiyue carrying Yuwen Luo, while Ke Lanyue chattered with endless questions. Yuwen Luo rested her head on Yuwen Qiyue’s shoulder, her clear eyes watching Ke Lanyue. She actually had many questions too, but Ke Lanyue had asked them all for her. Mother Empress had said that sometimes you don’t need to ask questions yourself—just listening can give you answers. She thought that this probably counted as that.
Si Yunqin, on the other hand, was a bit distracted. Partly because she was sleepy, and partly because she saw Xi Fengyu and didn’t know how to start a conversation.
