Chapter 297: Three and a Half Years in the Central Domain

A lot can happen in the outside world in three and a half years.

A month after Yan Ying left the Hua Xu Secret Realm, Long Jingyao held a grand wedding. Of course, it wasn’t to marry her off, but to welcome Dugu Qingfang, the eldest legitimate daughter of Marquis Changsheng, as the Imperial Grandson’s Consort.

Eight months later, it was publicly announced that the Imperial Grandson’s Consort had prematurely given birth to a son.

In reality, it was Yan Ying who had given birth to Chu Fan’s first child after a full-term pregnancy.

The day the child was born was marked by auspicious signs from the heavens. A torrential downpour that had lasted for three days and nights stopped that morning; the wind died, the rain ceased, the dark clouds scattered, and the sky was filled with countless rays of vibrant light.

But that alone was not enough to be called an auspicious sign from the heavens.

At Noon that day, seven rainbows arched across the sky above Capital City Jianye, draping the entire Capital City like a vibrant canopy.

A purple, auspicious aura flowed from the east, enveloping the entire Eastern Palace. Countless colorful butterflies flocked to the skies above, lingering for a long time. Innumerable magpies perched on the branches in the palace courtyards, their joyous songs echoing endlessly.

However, this child was destined to be extraordinary. The Emperor, who had not stepped out of Wuji Hall in a century, personally visited Jinlan Garden in the Eastern Palace. He named the child Long Ao and decreed a general amnesty across the land.

Long Ao could speak at ten days old, and within half a month, he was walking with the swiftness of flight.

Instantly, legends about Long Ao spread throughout the Capital City. The tales grew more and more outrageous with each retelling. If not for the fear of committing the grave crime of lese-majesty, people might have started to wonder if the Imperial Grandson had given birth to some kind of demon.

On the night of Long Ao’s one-month celebration, Leng Yingxue arrived in the Capital City. Long Jingyao had intended to stop her from taking Long Ao, but the Emperor himself unexpectedly visited the Eastern Palace again. He overruled all objections and allowed Leng Yingxue to leave with the child.

Afterward, the Emperor summoned Long Jingyao to Wuji Hall.

For the first time, Long Jingyao felt as if he had been stripped bare, all his secrets exposed before the Emperor.

“I am the sovereign of this nation, and I am your father. Did you truly believe your actions could escape my notice?”

“Father, I do not understand your meaning.”

“Hmph!” The Emperor snorted. Even someone as calculating as Long Jingyao broke out in a cold sweat and immediately fell to his knees.

“You wish to have my eldest legitimate granddaughter ascend to the throne as a woman. Do you take me for a senile old fool, completely oblivious?”

“I… I…” Long Jingyao trembled as he knelt on the floor.

“Rise. The fact that I never exposed this matter means I tacitly approved. If I were truly ignorant of your deeds, how could I have governed this vast empire for all these years?”

Long Jingyao got to his feet, still trembling.

“Your ambitions do not lie with the throne, and I will not force you. If you wish to be a carefree prince, I will allow it. As for Ying’Er, I have observed her in secret over the years. Though she is a woman, with some training and your guidance, it would not be difficult for her to become a wise sovereign. This was the basis for my tacit approval. As for letting Ao’Er go with Leng Yingxue to study at Piaomiao Palace, there are several reasons. First, Ao’Er is exceptionally talented. The rumors are already rampant as it is. Once he is older, I fear the gossip could incite chaos, which would hinder his development and perhaps even threaten the stability of the Empire. Have you considered this?”

“Your foresight is profound, Father. I am no match for you.”

“Second, Leng Yingxue is a cultivator of the Saint Realm. She also shared a past with Ao’Er’s father. By taking him as her disciple, she is bound to treat him as her own. The disciples of Piaoxue Palace are aloof and otherworldly. Growing up in that environment will allow Ao’Er to avoid innumerable troubles. And in the future, when Ying’Er abdicates in favor of Ao’Er, the entire Piaoxue Palace will be a powerful asset to him.”

“I understand now, Father. I am ashamed of my shortsightedness.”

“Enough. Draft two Holy Decrees for me. The first is for Marquis Changsheng: promote Dugu Shu to Duke Wu, a hereditary title. The second is for the Mei Family: ennoble Mei Shizhen as Marquis Dinglin, also a hereditary title. As for their fiefdoms and other honorary titles, you may decide on those yourself.”

Hearing this, Long Jingyao’s mind was thrown into turmoil.

‘His father truly knows everything he has done!’

‘Who is Mei Shizhen? Long Yinwen’s biological father. For the Emperor to bring him up and even grant him a title… if I still don’t get it, then I’m not Long Jingyao.’

The next day, the two Holy Decrees were issued.

On Long Ao’s first birthday, the Emperor abdicated the throne. Long Yintian ascended, taking the new era name Jian’an, instating Dugu Qingfang as Empress and Long Ao as the Crown Prince. As the father of the new sovereign, Long Jingyao took on the honorary title of Carefree Monarch.

But everyone knew that while Long Jingyao was not the Emperor, the power he wielded was no less than that of the Emperor himself.

After the Old Emperor’s abdication, no one ever saw him again. Nobody knew where he had gone, not even Long Jingyao or Long Yintian.

After ascending the throne, Long Yintian devoted herself to ruling wisely. With Long Jingyao’s counsel, she quickly gained firm control over the imperial court.

The news of Chu Fan’s death seemed to forge her will, making her methods even more formidable than her father’s.

It was as if she were born to be Emperor. In just two short years, she had flawlessly transitioned into her new role.

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Forest Guard from the North Garden of the Palace has an urgent matter to report.”

Long Yintian was in the middle of discussing matters of state with her ministers when a eunuch announced the urgent report from outside. Hearing it was from the North Garden of the Palace, she could not help but frown.

‘She was a woman, after all. The grand ceremony to take Dugu Qingfang as a consort, and later to name her Empress, had all been for the sake of giving Long Ao a legitimate identity. That was why, for years, she had simply ignored the countless petitions urging her to fill her harem with concubines.’

‘As a result, the Palace City was quite empty.’

‘The North Garden of the Palace… what kind of urgent matter could come from there at a time like this?’

“Admit them!” Long Yintian paused the court discussion and waved toward the door.

A moment later, two Guards entered the hall, knelt, and reported, “Your Majesty, the vessel to the Hua Xu Secret Realm… it suddenly flew away just a moment ago.”

At first, the words didn’t register with Long Yintian. But when they did, she cried out and shot to her feet.

“What?”

“The vessel that leads to the Hua Xu Secret Realm, the one docked by the North Garden River Channel—it flew away.”

Long Yintian frantically dropped the memorial in her hand and strode down from her dais. “Quick, take me there! Have you sent someone to inform the Carefree Monarch?”

“Your Majesty, I came to report to you directly, while another man was sent to the Carefree Mansion.”

Long Yintian reached the doorway and stopped. She turned back to the equally stunned ministers and said, “We will resume our discussion tomorrow. You are all dismissed. As for what has happened in the North Garden, not a single word is to be leaked. The penalty for disobedience is execution, without pardon.”

With that, she hastily flew off toward the North Garden of the Palace.

No one was permitted to fly within the Palace City. But she was the Emperor; she, of course, was the exception.

When she arrived at the edge of the River Channel in the North Garden and saw it was empty, her heart began to tremble.

‘The Hua Xu Secret Realm was vital to the Hua Xu Empire’s legacy. Opening only once every thirty-six years, the Secret Realm had nurtured generations of the Empire’s finest talents. It was the reason the Hua Xu Empire had endured for ten thousand years.’

‘The Secret Realm was just as important to her personally. The man she loved, the father of her child, was in there—dead or alive.’

‘She had always planned to enter the Secret Realm when it next opened in thirty-six years. She would find him, whether he was dead or alive. Even if all that remained was a skeleton, she had to bring him out for a proper burial.’

‘But now the vessel was gone. What was she supposed to do?’

‘Finding Chu Fan was now out of the question. The loss of the vessel was a threat to her very throne. On a grander scale, it could even jeopardize the stability of the entire Hua Xu Empire!’

Just as Long Yintian was at a complete loss, Long Jingyao arrived at the North Garden.

His face was a mask of fury.

“Father!” Long Yintian’s voice was choked with a sob.

“Do not panic. Immediately issue an order to seal the entire North Garden. Gather everyone who knows the vessel has disappeared. Without permission from me and Her Majesty, no one is to take a single step out of the North Garden. Any who disobey will have their entire clan exterminated.”

The very first words from Long Jingyao upon his arrival were a chilling decree.