Chapter 1419 - 770: A Touch of Sweetness (Two-in-One)

"So... should I also go to Western Jin afterward?"

"Yes."

Consort Dong let out a relieved sigh.

The warm fragrance lingered in the hall, yet the atmosphere remained tense.

Consort Dong stood aside with her head bowed, feeling a faint unease. Empress An's words, "He will go to Western Jin," were said too confidently, as if everything was within her grasp.

But from where does this control come?

The affairs of All Heavens Gods and Buddhas, she dared not dwell on.

Empress An did not elaborate, as if it was a trivial matter. Her gaze lingered over the piles of documents for a moment, but ultimately did not pick up any memo or secret report. Instead, she reached out, hooking her fingertip and picked up a stitched booklet from a corner of inconspicuous books on the desk.

Consort Dong glanced up; the booklet's cover was plain with no extra patterns, but she vaguely guessed what it was.

Indeed, as Empress An flipped through a few pages, Consort Dong caught a glimpse of the words inside from her angle — The Buddha told Subhuti, "All appearances are illusions. If one sees appearances as non-appearances, then one sees Tathagata." It was the Diamond Sutra.

As she slowly browsed, her fingertips briefly paused on the scripture, as she instructed:

"After the Lantern Festival, you go ahead first."

Consort Dong nodded; she had roughly guessed this arrangement but was unsure of the exact affairs.

Empress An turned a page and continued, her voice still calm, yet it sent shockwaves through Consort Dong's Heart Lake,

"Later, perhaps I might also take a trip to Western Jin."

Upon hearing this, Consort Dong was stunned, thinking she had heard wrong. She quickly looked up at Empress An. Her side profile, graceful under the palace lamps, showed no sign of playing or probing.

Not to mention, though the current regime seems calm, undercurrents are surging. The rivalry between the Ding'an Party and An Family is unrelenting; the disorder brought by the Hu-Guang White Lotus Sect has just settled, and the Capital City central cannot be left leaderless for a day. Moreover, with the Empress Dowager overseeing as regent and the Emperor being young, if she leaves the capital, the court situation may change greatly...

Just thinking about a nation's empress personally going to another country, how unimaginable, it could be said the Emperor leaves his land.

After the shock, Consort Dong involuntarily urged, "Madam, this matter... requires thorough deliberation. Western Jin is surrounded by tigers and wolves; your noble self should not lightly tread into dangerous grounds. Moreover, the court..."

Her words were interrupted by Empress An.

Empress An simply replied indifferently,

"Under heaven, none are not king's land."

Consort Dong paused at the words, making her heart tremble. She suddenly recalled Empress An's increasingly inscrutable authority in recent years, her manipulative means in the court, and the unspoken suspicions no one dared to voice in the court...

She couldn't help but ponder its meaning deeply.

She was lost in thought when she heard Empress An gently tap her fingers on the rosewood tabletop.

Following that, Empress An's lips slightly parted, uttering a word:

"Dragon Vein."

Dragon Vein...

Consort Dong's pupils contracted violently; she understood instantly.

The Dragon Vein pertains to the nation's fate and fortune, the foundation of the state and dynasty, mysterious as can be. Those who obtain the Dragon Vein obtain the world; those who protect the Dragon Vein can ensure a nation's longevity.

So it is...

Presumably, Empress Dowager's journey to Western Jin isn't merely her own plan, but also the intention of those Gods and Buddhas...

The light danced, shining on the words of the scroll, and illuminating Empress An's peaceful and unruffled profile.

Consort Dong slowly bowed, curving her lips in a smile, "I obey the decree."

"You may leave." Empress An did not look at her.

Consort Dong was also unwilling to stay longer; remaining there brought her great pressure. After saluting, she turned to leave.

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the hall, followed by a suppressed voice of announcement and whispers of palace attendants. Then, Suxin entered the hall, her face beaming with unconcealed joy, and greeted, "Madam, it's snowing! Madam, it's snowing!"

"Blessed snow!"

Empress An slowly raised her head, looked over the female official, and gazed outside the open hall door.

At this moment, fine snowflakes quietly drifted down from the boundless sky. Initially, only scattered, but soon forming sheets, like goose feathers, or willow catkins, gradually covering the white marble steps outside the hall and the distant flying eaves and brackets with a sparkling layer of white.

Consort Dong turned back, seeing her silence; after an indeterminate period, Empress An's lips barely tilted a fraction, seeming almost imperceptible,

"Blessed snow heralds a bountiful year."