Chapter 9: Went to the Palace and Even Lost My Daughter

Qiao Chushan felt suspicious and uneasy.

What did his daughter mean by that?

Could it be that something was going to happen to the Emperor?

Suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, Qiao Chushan stood up to excuse himself.

The Emperor didn't mind, simply having a eunuch bring him a new pair of chopsticks, and the matter was dropped.

The meal was tasteless for Qiao Chushan and Lady Huo, but Qiao Niannian, oblivious and carefree, ate with great delight.

Qiao Niannian only regretted that she didn't have two stomachs; there were over thirty dishes, and she was full before she could even taste them all.

After the meal, Qiao Chushan stood up to take his leave.

The Emperor gave a light cough. "The Tenth Princess is about the same age as Nian-ya tou. She usually has no playmates, so why not let Nian-ya tou stay for half a day longer to keep the Tenth Princess company?"

This!

The Tenth Princess and Qiao Niannian were of similar age, but they had never met.

Qiao Chushan hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

Since the Emperor had spoken, he could not refuse the Emperor's face.

"Then your subject..."

"No need for you to come pick her up. I will send someone to take Nian-ya tou back this evening."

Qiao Chushan had nothing left to say. He and Lady Huo left the palace still feeling completely bewildered.

How did a trip to the palace end up with their daughter being left behind?

He didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.

In the Imperial Garden.

The Emperor brought the Crown Prince and Qiao Niannian out to admire the flowers. When they reached an open area, the Emperor had the eunuchs stand guard at a distance before looking at Qiao Niannian.

"Where did you get that peace talisman?"

"It was drawn by your subject."

Qiao Niannian was not surprised by the Emperor's inquiry.

She knew the power of the blood curse; the Emperor must have been suffering greatly these past few days.

And the talisman she provided happened to be able to ward off the blood curse.

In the book, this Emperor was considered a diligent and benevolent ruler, but unfortunately, he was eventually killed by the blood curse.

Qiao Niannian intended to help the Emperor this time to change his fate, which could also be seen as latching onto the "golden thigh" of the supreme ruler and adding some leverage for the Marquis's estate.

Moreover, although the Great Xia Dynasty prohibited sorcery, it revered genuine cultivators. For instance, the official in charge of the Imperial Observatory, the Director, was a practitioner of metaphysics with very high cultivation.

The Emperor stared at Qiao Niannian for a long time, still unable to believe that the peace talisman was drawn by her.

He had been unable to sleep for over a month, and he had even asked the Director to examine him, but the Director hadn't found any issues.

The imperial physicians couldn't diagnose the illness either.

He had endured it for over a month, his mood becoming increasingly irritable and furious, with a maddening urge to kill.

It wasn't until the Crown Prince brought the peace talisman that the moment he held it in his hand, that splitting headache and rage vanished instantly.

That night, holding the peace talisman, he had his first good night's sleep in a long time.

But after a few days, the cinnabar on the talisman faded daily. Emperor Jing'an knew the Director was excellent at drawing talismans, so he summoned him immediately.

However, when the Director looked at the peace talisman, although he could draw one, the effect was not as good as the one the Crown Prince had provided.

The Emperor learned from the Crown Prince that the talisman paper had been given by Qiao Niannian, which was why he had summoned her to inquire about it.

He had assumed it was drawn by some expert Qiao Niannian knew, not expecting it to be her own work.

Just as Emperor Jing'an was about to say something, a shout came from afar.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your subject is here, let me in!"

Not far away, an old man being blocked by two eunuchs was hopping up and down, waving his hands as if afraid the Emperor wouldn't see him.

Emperor Jing'an rubbed his forehead.

He had originally thought this old man's Taoist arts were profound, which was why he had visited him three times to invite him back.

Little did he know, once invited back, he became a thorn in his side.

Seeing the Emperor ignoring him, the Director shouted even louder.

"Your Majesty, look at your subject! I am here, Your Majesty..."

Emperor Jing'an felt a buzzing pain in his head, and finally, with a wave of his hand, he let the man in.

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was dressed like a beggar, with a wine gourd tucked into his waist, exposing his calves, and wearing black cloth shoes. He looked nothing like an expert.

He ran over with a grin, performed a salute to the Emperor, and began to pester him.

"Your Majesty, just tell your subject which expert drew that peace talisman. I will go and seek their guidance, and I will surely be able to draw an identical one upon my return so that Your Majesty can sleep well."

Emperor Jing'an glanced at the Director. At this moment, the man had none of his usual aloofness, looking exactly like a persistent, shameless rascal.

Ever since he had shown him that talisman, this man had been pestering him.

Emperor Jing'an looked at the Director, a flash of calculation in his eyes. "You really want to know?"

The Director nodded frantically.

Emperor Jing'an maintained a calm, composed demeanor. "It's not impossible to tell you, but I heard that the Imperial Observatory has quite a backlog of cases..."

The Director was hooked. "I will personally supervise my subordinates to handle them."

Emperor Jing'an nodded. "Very well, I will give you one month to resolve all three major cases currently on your hands."

The Director looked troubled; those three major cases were full of doubts and not easy to handle.

Just as he was about to refuse, the Emperor reached out and touched the peace talisman on his person.

The Director:...

"Fine, I agree."

"From now on, any cases discovered by the Imperial Observatory must be solved within three months; no more piling them up."

When Emperor Jing'an had first lured the Director back, he had agreed to many unequal treaties, one of which was that the Director had absolute freedom and the Emperor would not interfere.

When it came to implementation, Emperor Jing'an realized that the Director's "non-interference" meant he didn't manage a single case, and yet he had no standing to speak.

Now that there was an opportunity, he naturally had to revise the treaty.

The Director wasn't stupid; how could he agree to such a demand?

Before he could refuse, he heard Emperor Jing'an speak again.

"As long as the Director agrees, I will let you meet this expert immediately."

The Director's eyes lit up instantly; he was hooked again.

"Fine, I agree! I will go back and discipline my subordinates to clear all the accumulated cases."

"Your Majesty, can you tell me now?"

Emperor Jing'an nodded and pointed to Qiao Niannian beside him. "This is the expert who drew the peace talisman."

The Director turned to look at Qiao Niannian, then shook his head. "Your Majesty, stop joking."

"A little girl, how could she draw a peace talisman with such rich spiritual energy? Impossible. You cannot trick me just because you want to enslave me."

Qiao Niannian, who had watched the whole thing, thought

She was now certain that the Crown Prince was definitely the Emperor's biological son.

This style of not letting the eagle see the rabbit before releasing it was exactly the same.

The Crown Prince had calculated her in the same way back then.

She had been boasting about taking revenge when she saw the Crown Prince again, but now she just felt she was still too young.

Standing beside the Crown Prince now, frantically absorbing spiritual energy, she only felt that it was truly wonderful.

The Director voiced a few more opinions, but seeing the Emperor just staring at him, he belatedly looked at Qiao Niannian.

"Little girl, did you really draw this peace talisman?"

Qiao Niannian nodded.

She had drawn the talisman, but because her spiritual energy was weak at the time, she hadn't injected much into it, which was why it had gradually lost its effect.

The Director was shocked at first, then his eyes lit up, and finally, he beamed with joy.

"Little girl, the cinnabar on the Emperor's peace talisman is almost gone. I wonder if you could draw one on the spot?"

Normally, cinnabar could last for a month; if it faded in just a few days, it must have been attacked by something evil.

The Emperor had already learned the situation from the Director.

He also wanted to see Qiao Niannian's abilities and wondered if she could resolve the issues in his palace.

Qiao Niannian felt it was no problem. If she wanted the Emperor to trust her, she had to show him her skills.

"That's not difficult, but I don't have the tools."

The yellow paper and cinnabar she had used before belonged to someone else; she had only altered the runes with her spiritual energy.

As soon as Qiao Niannian finished speaking, the Director "swish, swish, swish" pulled out talisman paper, cinnabar, and a brush from his robes and handed them over, his eyes squinting with a smile—he was completely prepared.

Qiao Niannian:...

There was really no need to be so serious.

But with three pairs of eyes looking at her, full of curiosity, Qiao Niannian knew she couldn't escape. She simply took the tools, found a stone in the Imperial Garden to use as a base, spun the cinnabar brush in her hand, and landed it steadily on the cinnabar.

(End of chapter)