Abandoned Princesses
Back to the Palace

Qiao Rong looked at Shen Haofeng from a distance for the last time. Early in the morning, they had already set off in the horse carriage that Duan Yi had prepared. Shen Haofeng's body image gradually began to disappear due to the change of scenery from inside the carriage. Qiao Rong sighed. He felt that he would miss the young man greatly and his flat expression.

They had already said goodbye to the villagers, as well as Village Chief Zhu. Only the Xu Family had absolutely no idea they were leaving. Actually Qiao Rong was anxious to see Xu Fang Yin's facial expression when he knew they were leaving. Will he be angry, or happy?

Meanwhile, at the place where Shen Haofeng stood, Jiang Junwei had already come using the Moon Shadow as he usually did. Jiang Junwei bowed and clenched both hands in front of his chest.

"Your Majesty." Greet Jiang Junwei.

"We also have to go back." Shen Haofeng spoke briefly. Jiang Junwei nodded, and the two of them disappeared again with the Moon Shadow.

*****

As soon as he arrived at the palace the next day, Qiao Rong headed straight to Yun Pavilion to tidy up his clothes and other objects. When he finished, he immediately took a bath and was groomed by the maids to face the Emperor in the hall.

Qiao Rong along with his row of maids went into the hall in a hurry. Once in the hall, Qiao Rong immediately knelt before the Emperor.

"Ah, you're back apparently. Goody. You came back unharmed." The Emperor looked at Qiao Rong and told him to stand up.

Qiao Rong stood up and replied to the Emperor, "Ayahanda is too worried about me."

Hearing Qiao Rong's reply, the Emperor simply laughed. Though it is good if the train accidentally meets robbers or bandits on the road. At least the Royal Family would not have such a shame. People who did not have a protective spirit were usually ordinary people who did not have cultivation, but for someone from the Royal Family, it was truly embarrassing.

"Yahanda. Today the Princess is here to ask father's permission.." Qiao Rong stopped talking for a moment, the Emperor gave him a sign to continue his words. "The Princess wants to enter the Four Seasons Competition in the Capital." Qiao Rong then bowed his body.

Hearing this, the Emperor was shocked. Qiao Rong who did not have a protective spirit even wanted to take part in the competition that Princess Lan would normally also participate in. Does he want to make himself an even bigger hoax?

But come to think of it, the Emperor also had nothing to lose if Qiao Rong was accidentally killed in the competition. He could still state that Qiao Rong's death was a risk of competition. That way the disgrace of the Royal Family would completely disappear.

"Alright, do as you please." The Emperor did not have to think twice.

"Thank you for your trust." After Qiao Rong thanked him, he immediately saluted the Emperor and resigned back to the Yun Pavilion.

The one waiting for Qiao Rong in the Yun Pavilion, was certainly Consort Shu. Concubine Shu was already waiting for Qiao Rong worriedly in the courtyard of Yun Pavilion. Sipping his tea, he waited impatiently for Qiao Rong.

As soon as she saw Qiao Rong from a distance, Consort Shu immediately ran over and hugged her daughter. "Oh, I miss you so much!" Consort Shu tightened her embrace.

Qiao Rong hugged Concubine Shu back, it had been a long time since he had received a mother's embrace. Although Consort Shu was indeed not her mother, but with her current identity, she was eager to receive the hug.

"I miss Mom too." Reply Qiao Rong.

"Let me see, are you eating greedily there? Looks like you're a moo." Concubine Shu looked at Qiao Rong worriedly and saw the girl many times from head to toe.

"Really, Chu Yue's food was even more delicious than the Palace Cook." Qiao Rong chuckled, yet he did tell the truth. Concubine Shu smiled at Qiao Rong's naughtiness.

The two of them continued to talk on the page as usual. Qiao Rong recounted his experiences while in Nanshan Village, for example when he and Duan Yi went to Wanmei Restaurant. But of course, Qiao Rong omitted Shen Haofeng from all parts of the story. For now, Shen Haofeng would be a sweet secret for him until he got rid of Su Xiao.

Concubine Shu was overjoyed to hear the stories of Qiao Rong. Their relationship from long ago was indeed very close because Consort Shu was the only person besides Chu Yue that Qiao Rong could rely on.

Chu Yue also came smiling as she served them tea and snacks. Chu Yue also knew Qiao Rong would not be that easy to tell about Shen Haofeng because of his current fiance status.

Qiao Rong was finally able to relax, eat, and take a hot bath to rest his tired body after a long trip back to the Palace.

After he finished relaxing, Qiao Rong immediately laid himself on the bed. He felt his body was fresh enough. Suddenly Li Junyan's voice sounded.

"Master, what are your plans this time?" Li Junyan asked curiously.

Qiao Rong smiled.

"Do you know why Su Xiao would not marry Qiao Rong?" Qiao Rong asked.

"Because Qiao Rong doesn't have a protective spirit?" Hearing Li Junyan's reply, Qiao Rong shook his head.

"Su Xiao was the type of man who liked obedient women. Especially the woman he can dominate. The real reason was because one of Qiao Rong's ladies-in-waiting had once given Qiao Rong proof that Su Xiao liked to play with the many women out there. The evidence was still Qiao Rong had kept until now." Qiao Rong explained at length.

Li Junyan furrowed his brows, "But why did he choose Qiao Lan? Wasn't his temperament the exact opposite of his type?" Asked Li Junyan.

"Because General Su's first son, will replace his father as a general. The only thing he could do to rival his brother was to become the Emperor's son-in-law." Answer Qiao Rong.

Hearing Qiao Rong's reasonable words, Li Junyan simply nodded.

"Eh, Li Junyan, is there a party higher than the Emperor?" Qiao Rong asked Li Junyan in preparation for his plan.

"Ah, there certainly is. I told you about the war a thousand years ago, didn't I? For eight hundred years, the war destroyed many sides. Therefore, many cultivators did not stay silent. They put down the war by creating three sects. Sky Sect, Sun Sect, and Moon Sect. They have their own leaders. For two hundred years they led peace. But lately there has been a split between the sects. The Sky King who led the Sky Sect started to attack the Sun Sect and Moon Sect which were already at odds from long ago. It causes an imbalance." Li Junyan explained nonstop.

Qiao Rong nodded in understanding. "Who is the most powerful of them?" Qiao Rong asked curiously.

"There is no detailed information about it unfortunately. But the King who had the most influence was the Sun King. While the Moon King was too mysterious. Yet even the Emperors had to salute them, isn't that so funny." Li Junyan smiled.

Qiao Rong felt that way too. He could not imagine seeing Emperor Qiao who was usually so proud of himself sitting on a throne, having to bow down to others. Qiao Rong chuckled.

*****

"Your Majesty, the Sun King has been so presumptuous as to poison you! We should be at war soon!" One of the elders sitting at the round table revealed the displeasure of his heart.

But the masked man, nicknamed 'His Majesty', just tapped his hand on the table.

A man beside him with silver moon accessories on his chest spoke up, "Supply! Even His Majesty didn't tell anyone about it. How'd you figure it out?"

The masked man who was sitting suddenly stood up and with a flash, the elder's neck was already chuckling against the wall.

"A-God.. Yan-ng Mu-lia's.." The middle-aged elder begged the masked man to let go of the grip of his neck stammeringly as he had trouble breathing.

However, the masked man still strangled her. In an instant, the already lifeless body of the elder fell to the floor. The other elders who were at the round table stared at the corpse with a flat expression, but it was undeniable that their sitting fur stood up in horror.

"Make this a lesson." The masked man then took a wet cloth from another man and wiped his hands.