Chapter 093: The Empress Xue's Heart

Bronze mirrors and flower boxes, the adornment of beauty. Though the Empress Dowager was forty years of age, her visage remained youthful, as radiant as a young woman, her bearing extraordinary. Storytellers often remarked that she seemed like one who had cultivated the arts, or perhaps had tasted some secret fruit and gained immortality.

The truth was not far off. On the uppermost tier of her dressing table lay her most cherished possession: the snow lotus she had obtained from Tianshan when the late emperor was gravely ill. After his death, the flower came into her hands. According to Shu’s instructions, she applied it to her face once a month, and indeed, her youthful appearance endured.

“I am about to depart. Have you nothing to say to me?”

“I do—take care of my son in Youzhou!”

Shu smiled and approached the mirror, speaking softly, “Is that all you wish to say?”

“Lately, the inner palace has been restless. I am still considering whether your method will work.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Shu bent down, leaned close to the Empress Dowager’s ear, caressed her cheek, and murmured, “If you delay any longer, Consort Shu may tell the Emperor. Wouldn’t that expose you?”

The Empress Dowager laughed coldly, her face showing disdain. “Those women? After all these years, I have ways to silence her, now as ever. I spared her for other purposes, not to let her stir up trouble!”

Shu chuckled softly and kissed the Empress Dowager. “You truly are a beauty with a serpent’s heart.”

“Hmph, I’m nothing compared to you!” The Empress Dowager stood, gazing at Shu with a complicated expression, her voice cool. “When will you tell me your plan? Aren’t we allies now? How fares your agent in Tianshan?”

Shu gave a wicked smile. “You need only care for yourself. She’s well—she used the arts I taught to preserve her life. She consumed the thousand-year plum blossoms I gave her—how could she not thrive? But now, she can never escape us.”

“So, with me… all those things were to keep me bound to you? Is it true that you always hold something back in everything you do?”

Shu laughed heartily, replying with ease, “Otherwise, how could I have come this far? But don’t worry—just focus on your own affairs. What you desire will soon be yours.”

The Empress Dowager restrained herself, gripping her sleeve tightly. “How do you mean?”

“You’re so eager whenever the snow lotus is mentioned.” Shu smiled, took her hand, and said leisurely, “Jianrong told me that the Snow Lady governs the snowlands. Through her, we may discover how to reach that realm. When the time comes, I’ll fetch those snow lotuses for you. Take as many as you wish—no need to ration them anymore.”

The Empress Dowager paused, quickly withdrawing her hand. “There’s no need—three flowers are enough!”

Shu laughed, “Your desire for the first, second, and third-grade snow lotus is truly unique. Do you really believe they can grant you your wish?”

“Of course! All three grades of snow lotus are exceedingly rare, not to mention the supreme first-grade. If I collect one of each, wouldn’t that grant me power beyond measure? My ambitions are not as grand as yours, but this is my own indulgence.” The Empress Dowager had her own calculations, but her obsession with the three snow lotuses was deep-rooted. She had heard, perhaps from rumor, that possessing all three varieties from Tianshan could elevate one’s family to immortality.

Though ruthless and manipulative, the Empress Dowager held no grand designs—her heart was set only on her son’s safety. Her journey had been one of necessity, and now, with no way to turn back, she placed her hopes in the legend of the snow lotus.

“Very well, to fulfill the three of our wishes, I must train diligently. When you are all prepared, wait for my signal—I shall let those cultivators witness something extraordinary!”

“Are you not concerned that another formidable enemy may emerge?”

“You mean the Celestial Maiden? I’ve already calculated—twenty years ago, Tianshan suffered great loss. Now, even if another Celestial Maiden arises, she cannot thwart me; she can only open the Mirror of Dawn for me. In the past, such calamities were rare, and only the chosen Celestial Maidens possessed boundless power. Twenty years ago, you and I together triggered the maiden’s tribulation, and she erred grievously… Tell me, can there be such a powerful Celestial Maiden again?”

“It seems you intend to win, no matter what.”

“Of course! I shall bring you blessings, and many more will join us. Fear not—once I find the Mirror of Dawn and forge an indestructible body and miraculous arts, I’ll go to Tianshan and retrieve what you desire!”

“I’ve already helped you gather many allies—now I can barely take care of myself. Contact me when the time comes; for now, I must attend to palace affairs.”

“Good! Remember to maintain ties with the West Sea Bureau and keep the State of Pingliang firmly under your control—they are vital. Also, I give you this mirror—it will replace our plum blossom charm.”

“Why replace the plum blossom charm?”

“Because I’ve exhausted all my plum blossoms—they were used to heal Jianrong. Her courtyard no longer has any. This mirror is safer and simpler—just recite the incantation.”

Shu handed her a small, exquisitely crafted mirror. “This is a treasure I acquired in Azure Valley, called the Mirror of Profound Heart. I have consecrated it and prepared three—one for each of us. When you need me, quiet your mind and recite, ‘Heaven and earth, who dares compete?’”

“Good, take care of yourself.”

“One more thing!” Shu touched the Empress Dowager’s face. “Having survived disaster, the people of Tianshan will notice, and my whereabouts are now the focus of all. To evade pursuit, I will set an illusion on Blue Bird Lake to confound them. If anyone from Tianshan descends, you must shield me.”

“Of course!” The Empress Dowager thought for a moment. “But how should I conceal you? Can I obstruct them?”

Shu nodded, “You can. The people of Tianshan abide by rules, so don’t worry. If anything arises, contact me with the Mirror of Profound Heart.”

The Empress Dowager touched the mirror in her hand, sighing, “A treasure indeed—its feel and texture are extraordinary! No more plum blossom charms—I nearly got discovered, and the consequences would have been dire…”

The Mirror of Profound Heart was from Azure Valley. Shu was intimately familiar with the valley and knew where every treasure lay. Aside from divine herbs and flowers born of favorable conditions, the greatest treasures were the pair of divine pearls.

Once, after striking a pact with the Empress Dowager, Shu entered her body to retrieve the Red Sun Pearl, and infused it with a soul-shaking aura, thus gaining both the pearl and the Empress Dowager’s protection.

Looking back, there was one event the Empress Dowager could never forget.

Shu, having obtained the Red Sun Pearl, freed himself from corporeal limits. He imparted some power to the Empress Dowager, asking her to help him obtain the Blood Moon Pearl, claiming that the twin pearls would greatly amplify their strength and hasten success. The Empress Dowager hesitated, deeply saddened—after all, the late emperor had just passed from her life.

“Luckily, I did not help you get the Blood Moon Pearl!” The Empress Dowager laughed coldly. “Do you think I don’t understand your intentions? Pearls do not die, but people do. If you used me and then discarded me, what would all my efforts be for?”

Her smile was soft and proud, yet beneath it lurked a ruthless decisiveness. Shu’s departing figure drew her into contemplation…

This inner palace, this court, this world… was it still as it once was?

The items arrayed on her dressing table hailed from many places, crafted by many hands, each bearing the weight of times past. With every glance, memories flooded her heart.

Picking up a phoenix hairpin, the Empress Dowager smiled and smiled, until her expression grew sharp and dark.

“It seems I have disrupted everything, hahaha… Your Majesty, did you not belittle me? Three thousand concubines, yet you loved only her, and never cared for me as your Empress. Do you think your throne has passed to your beloved son? Watch closely—not now, and never will it!”

The Empress Dowager laughed alone in her bedchamber for a long time. In the bronze mirror, her face became that of the late emperor, Consort Shu, Eunuch Liu…

“Consort Shu, what gives you the right to compete with me? Your insight, wisdom, and influence—none can match mine. You should be grateful to remain here, but instead you seek to investigate! Do you not wish to stay with your son forever? Well, I shall grant your wish!”

After her anger subsided, the Empress Dowager picked up a bracelet from her dressing table and smiled bitterly for a long time.

“Eunuch Liu, Liu Zhouhe! Why did you help Liu Li, why did you support him? Since you have chosen to stand against me, I will show no mercy. Now that his wings are strong, I must trim and pluck them! And to think, though this bracelet is neither exquisite nor precious, I like it best! You may be my only weakness in this palace. But I will make myself flawless, so…”