Chapter 433

Having passed the inspection, Hu Xiaotian had no reason not to wander Miaomiao Mountain; otherwise, it wouldn't have been worth being frightened for nothing?

Mu Rongzhan always wore a dead‑pan face; Hu Xiaotian felt no resentment toward him, but he sensed that Mu Rongzhan's actions today were more than just being impartial. Long Xi Yue had already suggested letting him wait at the mountain's base, yet Mu Rongzhan refused to give up. If he had no ulterior motive, even a fool wouldn't believe it. Which side is he really on? Why is he targeting me everywhere today?

Among those in the palace who knew I hadn't purified myself were Quan De'an, Baobao, Long Xi Yue, and Li Yuncong. As for Qiqi, being a young girl who had never known a man, perhaps she really thought I had hidden a snake in my trousers back then. Li Yuncong wanted to use me to investigate Miaomiao Mountain's secret; he likely wouldn't betray me. Baobao and Long Xi Yue harboring secret affection for me is even less possible. The greatest suspicion falls on Quan De'an and Qiqi, with Quan De'an being the more suspect. Could Quan De'an be colluding with Mu Rongzhan? But if Quan De'an exposed this now, it would hardly have much effect, given his old‑sly scheming—this isn't his style.

Hu Xiaotian found himself growing stranger the more he thought about it, but for the moment he could evidently find no answer.

To reach the summit of Miaomiao Peak, the only way was via the hanging basket's lift. Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping entered the basket; Mu Rongzhan did not accompany them up, but instead locked the basket's iron door from outside. Their precautions were extremely tight, almost considering every step, striving for flawlessness.

Down below, a guard waved a lantern upward as a signal; upon receiving the signal on the mountain, they then activated the winch, slowly raising the basket. This basket relies entirely on manpower, certainly incomparable to modern cable cars or elevators, and its ascent speed is extremely slow.

Princess Anping watched them rise bit by bit; suddenly feeling a little frightened, she reached out and grabbed Hu Xiaotian's arm. Hu Xiaotian whispered, "If there's anything, we'll talk later." He worried someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation, even though only the two of them were suspended in midair. He remained alert; since arriving at Miaomiao Mountain, everywhere exuded an indescribable eeriness. This oppressive feeling made it hard to breathe.

Long Xi Yue nodded, her slender hand gripping Hu Xiaotian's arm tightly, and she lowered her gaze to see the lights below gradually dimming. Looking far off, the entire Jade Pool lay beneath their feet, while distant palace lights sparkled like fireflies. She couldn't help recalling the night she and Hu Xiaotian were trapped together in the Sunken Void Valley. Countless fireflies swirled around them, that enchanting, romantic scene forever etched in her memory.

The sky was black as ink; the New Year's Eve night was unusually still and quiet. Night wind blew in from all directions into the four‑sided ventilated lattice basket, the cold air seeping into every crevice of their collars and cuffs. Long Xi Yue felt a chill, and involuntarily drew closer to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian stood still there, one hand gripping the basket's iron railing. His gaze drifted downward; Mu Rongzhan's figure was already blurred, yet he continually felt those gray eyes of Mu Rongzhan fixed on him, tracking their every move. Looking down at the Jade Pool below, the lake surface rose with a milky thin mist; because of the mist, the water took on many layers, shifting in density with the night wind, making everything before him appear illusory and unreal, as if he had stepped into a phantasmal dream.

Far off in the sky, a brilliant firework suddenly burst, accompanied by a muffled boom. It startled the silent night, but the firework's splendor was extremely brief, vanishing quickly into the darkness.

Long Xi Yue stared blankly at the distant sky, murmuring, "The fireworks are beautiful, yet so fleeting!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Fireworks are only lovely at midnight."

Long Xi Yue's eyes sparkled like starlight, but soon dimmed again.

Hu Xiaotian was about to speak when the basket jolted; Long Xi Yue gasped and clutched his arm—yet they had already reached the summit.

Two guards wearing bronze masks approached; Long Xi Yue handed the clearance documents through the iron cage. They examined them carefully by lantern light, and once satisfied, produced a key to unlock the door.

Such layered checkpoints were so strict that an ordinary person trying to enter Miaomiao Peak would find it harder than climbing to heaven.

Hu Xiaotian scanned his surroundings, trying to memorize the environment. After the two guards saluted Long Xi Yue, they said, "Sorry for the offense!" and then each covered Hu Xiaotian's and Long Xi Yue's eyes with black cloth. Hu Xiaotian silently sighed; it seemed Mu Rongzhan had anticipated every possible loophole, guarding against outsiders coming to rescue—even the old emperor would likely be unable to fly away.

Long Xi Yue placed her hand on Hu Xiaotian's shoulder, and under the guidance of the two guards they walked toward Lingxiao Palace. With his eyes blindfolded, Hu Xiaotian could only rely on his hearing to sense the surroundings: he heard the gurgling of water, indicating they were near Lingxiao Pool; he heard the rustle of wind through grass and trees, from which he could roughly judge the heights of nearby trees; the winding path beneath his feet stretched over a hundred steps before they finally arrived at their destination. Along the way, Hu Xiaotian faintly smelled incense, suggesting they had passed a shrine or temple‑like structure.

Someone removed the black cloth from their eyes, and Hu Xiaotian realized they were in a dimly lit palace chamber.

A stooped, hunchbacked senior eunuch trembled as he approached Long Xi Yue, his voice quavering: "Your servant Wang Qian pays respects to Your Highness, Princess." This eunuch had always personally attended the emperor; now that Long Xuan'en was under house arrest on Miaomiao Mountain, he had followed of his own accord, still serving left and right—truly loyal and steadfast.

Long Xi Yue was also quite familiar with him; seeing how frail Wang Qian had grown, she felt a pang of sadness and softly said, "Grandpa Wang, long time no see—are you well?"

Wang Qian replied, "Thanks to Your Highness's blessing, this old servant's health is still fairly robust; His Majesty is waiting for the princess…" Although Long Xuan'en was no longer the emperor of Dakang, Wang Qian habitually still called him Majesty; given the circumstances, no one objected, letting him address him as he pleased.

Long Xi Yue nodded, then turned to Hu Xiaotian and said, "Little beard, wait here for me; I'm going to see my father."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Princess, go ahead without worry."

Long Xi Yue followed Wang Qian into the inner hall; as the moment of meeting her father drew near, her nerves grew ever tighter. Just before stepping onto the threshold, she glanced back at Hu Xiaotian, who smiled at her and gave her encouragement with his eyes.

Long Xi Yue took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and then entered the inner hall.

By candlelight, the retired emperor Long Xuan'en sat motionless on the dragon throne—a throne that had accompanied him for forty‑one years. After his eldest son Long Yelin seized the throne, this was his sole keepsake. The throne remained, but the one who sat upon it no longer bore any of his former majesty. Retired emperor! Merely a symbol. Six months of imprisonment had made Long Xuan'en fully understand his station: he was a prisoner, his son's prisoner. The reason he was allowed to linger on in Miaomiao Mountain's Lingxiao Palace was merely to silence gossip and conceal the fact of usurpation.

Although Dakang's realm still bore the Long surname, the throne had already changed hands.

Gazing at his lovely, delicate daughter, Long Xuan'en's eyes showed no trace of affection or tenderness; they were blank, his expression dull and numb, as if he were a husk emptied of life.

Long Xi Yue gazed at her father enthroned high on the dragon seat; since his abdication, this was the first time she had seen him. The father before her had lost his former arrogant, world‑overlooking bearing, now listless and dejected—no longer the sovereign of all under heaven, merely an old man on his last legs. During this period, heaven and earth had been turned upside down; the only thing unchanged was the distance between them, still as far and as strange as ever.

Long Xi Yue halted her steps, stood in the great hall, and quietly looked up at her father—this was her most familiar perspective: "Child pays respects to Father Emperor!"

Long Xuan'en narrowed his eyes, trying to make out his daughter's features, but his vision could no longer fulfill even that simple wish; his field of view held only a vague, hazy outline: "Xi Yue…" His voice sounded uncertain.

Long Xi Yue said, "Father Emperor, it's me!" In her past life in the palace, her impression of her father had always been blurred; she only remembered him as a figure surrounded by courtiers, high above, yet could not recall his clear face. Standing before him now, she finally realized that, all along, her father had been a stranger in her heart.

Long Xuan'en nodded and beckoned with his hand, saying, "Come! Come closer, let me…" His words trailed off abruptly; he suddenly realized that all of this was already past, and in present‑day Dakang only one person had the right to refer to himself in that way.

"…Let Father…take a good look at you…"

Long Xi Yue had never before heard her father speak to her in such a tone; she pursed her lips, slowly approached, and knelt low beside him.

Long Xuan'en reached out; his gaunt, bony hand slowly came to rest on her pure, delicate cheek.

Long Xi Yue felt her father's palm extremely rough—certainly not the hand of one who had lived in comfort.

Long Xuan'en slowly nodded and said, "You've grown up, my daughter has grown up." He closed his eyes; even now he could not recall what she looked like as a child. Though she had always been near him, he had completely missed her childhood, and likewise he retained few memories of her.

Long Xi Yue said, "This time I've come to pay New Year's respects to Father Emperor, and second, to tell you that after the New Year I must go to Da Yong."

Long Xuan'en's gaze suddenly sharpened, as if for a moment he returned to his former self, the hegemon of all under heaven; he said in a low voice, "That traitor actually sent you to Da Yong for a marriage alliance?"

Long Xi Yue remained silent; her silence amounted to an admission.

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