It took Qingqing half a year to finally satisfy the abbot. As she descended the mountain, the abbot told Tian Gongzi, “She has just barely passed. As long as she always remembers my words, she can achieve great things.” Tian Gongzi thanked him and led her down the mountain. No one knew the hardships Qingqing endured during those six months, nor how much she learned. But the confidence and composure in her eyes were already enough to satisfy Tian Gongzi. “Now, let the Ghost Doctor add the final touch,” he said. That night, Tian Gongzi somehow managed to gather a hundred pure white foxes, and the Ghost Doctor found a Tianshan snow lotus from somewhere. Holding Qingqing’s hand, Tian Gongzi gently asked, “Are you afraid?” Qingqing shook her head, “I’m not afraid.” Tian Gongzi squeezed her hand a bit tighter, his voice calm as water, “I believe in you!” Qingqing didn’t even lift her eyes, saying calmly, “Ghost Doctor, let’s begin.” The Ghost Doctor said, “If the lady has made up her mind, I will join you in this gamble. If we fail, it’s a life at stake.”
Chapter 110: Face Change
Since the day she went to the nunnery, no one called her Miss Lin or Qingqing anymore because she no longer existed in the world. Her eyes were filled with encouragement as she looked at the Ghost Doctor with determination. The Ghost Doctor suddenly felt that this woman was no longer the Qingqing he knew. He said, “This method is extremely dangerous and painful; it will take twelve hours. Once we start, we cannot stop, no matter how much it hurts, you must endure.” He was informing Qingqing, not asking, because she no longer needed to be asked. Qingqing only closed her eyes, remaining silent. Her face was filled with determination, needing no more words. There was no anesthesia, as it would affect the results. Qingqing closed her eyes, allowing the hundred foxes, excited by some special drug, to scratch at her face with all their might. The pain, tearing through her heart and marrow, was something she completely disregarded. In her heart, she had secretly sworn: she must be strong! She must make everyone look up to her, and she would never let anyone pity her again.
A hundred days later!
Today was the day to unwrap the bandages on Qingqing’s face. Although she was nervous, she showed no signs of it. Even someone as astute as Tian Gongzi seemed to be infected by her deliberate ease. She stopped the Ghost Doctor from helping her, unwrapping the bandages slowly and carefully on her own. As she removed the last bit of obstruction, the three people beside her held their breath. Yet she remained calm, and when she looked in the mirror, she suddenly smiled softly, with pleasure, “The white foxes detoxified, the snow lotus healed the scars; the effect is excellent.” Yan Shu smiled, the Ghost Doctor smiled, and Tian Gongzi also smiled. “This is the last bowl of white fox broth,” Qingqing smiled as she took it from the Ghost Doctor, drinking it down — it was her hundredth fox!
In the Imperial Palace.
“I heard that Eunuch Xiao Dengzi has summoned ten singing girls to perform tonight,” one palace maid said.
“Where did these singing girls come from?” another maid asked.
“I heard they were found by Eunuch Xiao Dengzi in Jiangnan, supposedly to celebrate the Emperor’s peaceful reign since his ascension. Tsk tsk… those singing girls, each one as beautiful as a fairy…” the first maid said.
“Looks like the consorts in the palace will have their hands full…”
“Why?”
“To keep those singing girls from enchanting the Emperor, of course…”
“Shh, keep it down… don’t let Consort Shufei hear…”
PS: Yesterday, I had to remove a student from the group. I saw her righteous indignation. I removed her because I want my reader group to be filled with people who genuinely support me. Thank you to everyone who has supported me all along; I will work harder! But since it’s the end of the year, my work is also busy, so please understand, but I will try to speed up my updates ^-^
Chapter 111: The Most Beautiful Singer
It was night, and the stars dotted the endless sky. Inside the Zang Ju Palace, there was an atmosphere of revelry. The Zang Ju Palace, true to its name, was hosting a performance by a group of singing girls who danced gracefully and sang melodiously.
“Your Majesty, the last singer is about to perform,” Eunuch Xiao Dengzi announced with a bow.
“Hmm… let her in,” Emperor Li Qin pondered, thinking the finale must be the most outstanding. Outstanding women not only have the ability to be the highlight but also tend to have a larger presence, for they have the capital, and they understand men’s hearts. The rarer something is, the more valuable it becomes.
In the grand hall, the music began to play softly once more, and everyone craned their necks to see this exceptional woman. She appeared amidst a group of alluring dancers, not dressed in luxurious clothes or adorned with jewels as expected. Instead, she wore the simplest blue cloth outfit, her hair in a plain bun, without any makeup, only two white pearls hanging from her crystal-clear earlobes. Any decoration would be superfluous on her; her beauty needed no enhancement. She opened her ruby lips and began to sing, “Guan Guan Ju Jiu, in the river’s continent, a fair lady, a gentleman seeks…”
She sang the simplest, most ordinary song, but it was performed with such uniqueness that it seemed as if the song was composed for her. Emperor Li Qin was utterly captivated; he had never met such an intriguing woman. Ignoring Ya Fu’s displeasure, he immediately asked after she finished, “You sang beautifully. What’s your name?”
In Li Qin’s mind, such an outstanding woman must be very proud, and everyone thought so too. But they were all wrong; this woman was not proud at all. After Li Qin asked, she quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty is too kind. I dare not accept such praise for mere flattery. My humble name is not worthy of polluting your noble ears.”
Li Qin, looking at her cautious demeanor and simple attire, suddenly thought of Qingqing. He remembered the former Emperor telling him that when he first met Qingqing, she was dressed similarly and naively asked, “Your Majesty, what do you think of the fabric of Qingqing’s clothes?”
Chapter 112: The Noblest Slave