DIZION

"Tsk tsk, if only the emperor hadn't prohibited us from parading his sculpture.."

"It'd be a huge sum of money. Imagine the number of people who loved him.."

"They'd be our potential customers."

Yu Xiao deduced that these people must be businessmen, particularly sculptors.

"It can't be helped. The late empress must have had an affair with the emperor, so he feels guilty.."

"She deserves to die, to be honest!!"

More people chimed into the conversation as it went further.

"Well, she deserves more than an arrow shot!"

"A notorious empress killed thousands of innocents but died from that little wound?? The f.u.c.king irony!! Hahaha!!"

When the woman said the last remark, the group bursted out laughing while agreeing. Another one added his notion, "That young empress obviously didn't know anything. She was merely greedy.."

"She was just sixteen, what can you expect??"

"f.u.c.king kid, should've stayed playing sand! Hahaha!"

"Hahahahahaha!!!"

The more he listened to them, the more respect he lost to the adults.

Wow, adults insulting a child behind her back! And so what if she's young?

He also thought it was truly ridiculous to a.s.sume something happened out of pure wickedness without even knowing the full story.

I wouldn't judge people like that.

Moreover, their conversation was full of hatred and mockery that he gathered no actual useful information at all. So he woefully left the tavern, rolling his eyes in disappointment. When he proceeded to the main road again, the parade had finally started. Marching bands pounding enormous drums led the procession, followed by soldiers, then wealthy men and women on sedan chairs. He observed the pa.s.sing litters but couldn't see the emperor. It wouldn't hurt to ask, so he reached out to the lady beside him. "My lady, why isn't the emperor here?"

The lady didn't spare him a glance, "The emperor doesn't like being glorified."

He let out an "oh?" before withdrawing from the crowd to go to the Royal Palace to look for his brother and mother. As he did, he pa.s.sed by a man selling decorated lantern balloons and offering free calligraphies. Yu Xiao honestly wanted to light a lantern too

He thought for a while before responding, "For me, from me."

The man laughed, "What?"

Yu Xiao knitted his brows, "Just write it down, will you?"

The man 'tsk-ed' then did as he said.

Upon getting his personal lantern balloon, he gleefully went to the palace. Today's Royal Palace had relatively few people than what one would expect. More importantly, some of them were wearing cultivation robes. Even after entering the gates, he didn't bother removing his tiger mask. When they arrived last night, this exact place was dark as if the world had abandoned it; now, the whole place was bright under the sunlight. Him, wearing a suspicious tiger mask caught the attention of the people gathering outside the palace. He took no heed of them, and at one spot near the entrance stood Yu Zhi gazing at him intently.

"Where did you go?" his brother demanded.

He took off his mask and hid the balloon behind his back, "I just wandered around, has the ceremony started?"

Yu Zhi frowned, "It was finished!!!"

Yu Xiao got deathly shock, thinking, Just how long have I been walking around the streets?

He really had no energy to converse with random people on the outside, so he stepped inside the Royal Palace. However, soon as he did, Yu Zhi forcefully pulled his arm back and irritably asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

When he gazed up at the throne, Hao Xi wasn't there, so he felt a little at ease. He lied, "I'm going to look for the emperor."

His brother didn't believe him, but Yu Xiao flicked his sleeve and proceeded anyway. He wasn't really going to find the emperor. More like, he's going to tour around this strange palace of ZhongTian. There was a s.p.a.ce behind the throne, curious as to what it must be, he peeked into it. It was an altar. He hugged his balloon as he crept into it, and perceiving that n.o.body else was around, he sat in front of the altar as his eyes examined it. It was for a dead person. There were incense, glossy crimson fruits piled on one plate, an exquisitely painted face of a woman, and calligraphy which seemed to be the name of the fellow honored in this altar. He read it in a murmuring voice, "Mu Feng?"

He began to think deeply about it, "Mu Feng? Was the young empress?" Then he placed his fist below his chin, "c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p, why is this name so familiar??" He held and stretched the balloon in front of his face and suddenly thought of writing the empress' name on it, instead of his ridiculous 'For me, from me' phrase. With an idea striking him, he reached out to the brush on the altar as he asked permission from the spirit of the dead monarch saying, "I don't know who you are, but I'll write your name on my lantern!!" He mirthfully stroke the characters on one side of the balloon that had no writings of his phrase. Upon staring at it, he felt bad for erasing the G.o.d-tier calligraphy of the man who sold it, so he didn't erase it and returned the brush back to the altar. He lit one incense to the altar and clasped his hands in respect before standing up. Unbeknownst to him, the emperor was already standing behind him. When he turned around, Hao Xi's eyes were so cold that it made him s.h.i.+ver..

Yu Xiao smiled nervously and lifted the balloon between their faces and closed his eyes as he stated his excuse. "I wrote this person's name on my lantern, I didn't do anything!!!!" But when he opened his eyes, he realized that the side he showed the emperor was the one that had the "For me, from me" phrase, so he twisted the lantern and exclaimed, "THIS!!!"

Hao Xi grasped his hands and lowered the balloon. His expression went solemn as he asked, "Just who are you?"