The palace has been quite chaotic this year; it's unknown what taboo was broken. First, the Empress passed away, followed closely by the Crown Prince's deposal. Not long after, the Sixth Prince, Prince Ning, the Empress's son, carelessly fell from his horse and broke his leg. The Zheng Family was almost completely wiped out. With things having reached this state, even though Emperor Qiansheng was extremely secretive about the details, any discerning person could likely see that the problem did not lie with the Eastern Palace, but with the Central Palace.

Under such circumstances, the several princes all tacitly reined in their prominence, striving to keep a low profile and make no mistakes. Wei Ming had originally planned to take his leave, depart the capital, and return to Mount Ying after the Spring Rites, but ended up being delayed by the Empress's grave illness. After the Empress passed away, it was a period of national mourning, making it even more impossible for him to leave. It was thus delayed until the sixth month. When the turmoil temporarily subsided and matters came to a close, he finally had the chance to enter the palace and ask for Emperor Qiansheng's permission to leave, only to be unequivocally rejected by The Emperor. He was told that the Imperial Court was in dire need of capable men, and that he was no longer young. He was to remain peacefully in the capital to learn about governance and stop thinking about his career in cultivation.

'It seems I'm completely pinned down in the capital now. I never thought Father Emperor's attitude would be so resolute... Could it be that an immortal gave me a push from behind?'

As a summer day drew to a close, the two sat in a waterside pavilion, enjoying the cool air and playing a game. The Trumpet Vine Flowers in Prince Duan's Manor bloomed like a sky full of red clouds, magnificent even in the night. Hearing this question, Chi Lian withdrew his gaze from the flowering trees outside the window, calmly placed a stone, and replied, "This subject has long said that His Highness is favored by destiny; any obstruction is but a wasted effort."

Wei Ming saw him sitting there, dignified and austere, yet he was purely playing blindly. He couldn't help but chuckle. The stone in his hand, originally poised to be placed, was abruptly moved to the other side of the board. "I would like to hear the details."

"There's nothing particularly special, I'm just telling the truth." Chi Lian's slender fingers held a black stone, hovering over the board as he tried to defeat Wei Ming with his own terrible skills. "Once, His Majesty inquired, asking what I thought of Your Highness's talents. I told him that Your Highness is astute and decisive, that you unraveled the Ran Dragon Case layer by layer through deduction, and were the first to find a trace of Chou Xinwei within the Hengfang Delegation, though it was a pity he escaped."

In truth, both of them knew perfectly well why Emperor Qiansheng had asked this question. Chi Lian's answer was him taking a side. He couldn't praise Wei Ming too much, but at the same time, his attitude was crucial. He had to show his inclination and seize this opportunity for Wei Ming, doing his best to change Emperor Qiansheng's impression of him.

Wei Ming lacked neither natural talent nor ability; he had grasped the key points during his very first assignment. But the Ran Dragon Case was not something a mere mortal could interfere with. What he lacked was only experience, and a bit of good luck.

Even Wei Ming could find no fault with this answer, and as he had said, it was the absolute truth.

"As expected of the Grand Preceptor." Wei Ming praised him, half in admiration and half in jest. "For Jinghui to lose to you was not in vain."

Chi Lian deliberated for a long while before finally placing a satisfactory stone. He replied casually, "Or perhaps you clever people just think too much. In truth, no matter what I said, in the current situation, The Emperor has no other choice. As long as Your Highness lives well, you will naturally be the final winner."

Emperor Qiansheng had a total of six adult sons who had been granted the title of prince. Besides the Crown Prince and Prince Ning, of the remaining four, the third was dull-witted, and the fifth was frail. Only the second, Prince Kang, and the fourth, Prince Duan, could be considered promising. Although Prince Kang, Wei Shi, who had been raised by his side for so many years, was much closer to him than Wei Ming was, after the incident with the Empress, Emperor Qiansheng no longer dared to stake everything on one person.

Besides, the biggest reason The Emperor had distanced himself from Wei Ming was Jinghui's theory of the "ominous star" back then. Who could have expected that the Empress's downfall would also unexpectedly implicate this Grand Preceptor who was already in seclusion—since Jinghui had been secretly in contact with the Princess Consort even before Emperor Qiansheng ascended the throne, fabricating the "flesh and blood as a medicinal catalyst" story to cover up the truth, how could one know that someone hadn't secretly instructed him to deliberately sow discord between Emperor Qiansheng and the new prince in order to eliminate rivals?

Now, the real immortal had not spoken a single bad word about Wei Ming. As a result, Emperor Qiansheng's wariness of Wei Ming naturally dissipated by half, and he could now try appointing him to participate in court affairs as a candidate for the future crown prince.

Wei Ming let out a laugh and casually placed a white stone. He noticed that when Chi Lian was too preoccupied to pay attention to other things, he wouldn't be particularly clear with his forms of address, naturally using 'you' and 'I'. This excessive intimacy and familiarity couldn't be hidden. It was as if, despite constantly speaking of 'ruler and subject', he had grown accustomed to Wei Ming's care and indulgence, inadvertently revealing the confidence that comes only from being favored.

Chi Lian immediately followed with a clack, placing a stone in a winning move. He tossed the remaining stones directly into the game box and announced, "I win!"

"..." Wei Ming looked at the game board, where he had let him win so easily it was like a vast ocean, and nodded in defeat. "You win."

Chi Lian stretched his neck and shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief. He suddenly said, "This subject's chess skills are poor. In truth, Your Highness was deliberately letting this subject win, wasn't he?"

Wei Ming was noncommittal, but said, "I always feel that compared to drinking tea, you actually prefer wine, and compared to sitting here dully playing chess, you prefer to go out and practice your sword. Since I've dragged you into doing something so boring, I should at least show some consideration."

Chi Lian shook his head and offered a casual pleasantry, "In Your Highness's presence, how could I dare to be presumptuous."

Hearing this, Wei Ming frowned in disagreement. "Isn't it precisely in my presence that you dare to be as presumptuous as you please? It's not like I would speak ill of you."

Chi Lian froze. Just as he was about to say something, a dull 'thud' suddenly sounded from the windowsill. A large, golden furball smoothly squeezed through the window gap, leaping onto the game board. With one sweep of its tail, it scattered Chi Lian's hard-won victory into disarray and proudly showed off the little white bird it held in its mouth to the two of them.

Chi Lian: "..."

Wei Ming: "Ah Hu, let go! You can't eat that!"

"Ah Hu's" full name was "Chestnut Tiger". It was the very same yellow cat that had successfully gone from being a stray to a housecat by staging an accident with Wei Ming. Because it was golden all over and had a proper appearance, the Prince's Manor maidservant, Chunzhi, gave it the name "Chestnut Tiger".

The first time Chi Lian visited Prince Duan's Manor, he had been awkward for a while because of this little creature, but now he had completely adapted and was at ease. This was because the cat would rub against both Wei Ming and Chi Lian without fail, and liked to sniff around them; but only when facing its true owner, Chunzhi, would it expose its belly to be petted, and even coo at her with a sickeningly sweet 'meow meow'.

Chi Lian held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Ah Hu turned its body, presenting its rear end to him.

A vein bulged on Chi Lian's temple. While Wei Ming was still holding back his laughter, Chestnut Tiger lifted a paw and threw a small black snake it was holding into the teacup in front of him.

Wei Ming: "You can't play with this either!"

Ran Dragon: "..."

The Ran Dragon, as thin and long as a single chopstick, lay dying in the lukewarm tea. Wei Ming could even see the 'no more will to live' in its coiled body.

He quickly took the cup outside to release the Ran Dragon. By the time he returned, Chi Lian had successfully pried open the cat's mouth and retrieved the little white bird. The little bird was in no better shape than the Ran Dragon. It flapped and chirped twice before transforming into a paper talisman and floating into Chi Lian's hand.

Ever since the blooming season of the Trumpet Vine Flowers in Prince Duan's Manor began, Wei Ming had found an excuse for them to meet, inviting Chi Lian over to the manor to see the flowers whenever he was free. Chi Lian, for his part, couldn't be bothered to engage in verbal sparring with the charlatans in the Zixiao Academy every day, so he usually left a double in the academy to deceive others. If there was an urgent matter, a spell talisman would deliver a message to his location.

Wei Ming tossed Chestnut Tiger off the table. While clearing the game board, he joked casually, "What's wrong? Who's being so inconsiderate this late at night?"

Chi Lian waved his hand, turning the paper talisman into a wisp of light smoke, and answered with a straight face, "What a coincidence. It's your Father Emperor."

Wei Ming: "..."

"What is it now?"

"It shouldn't be anything bad," Chi Lian laughed. "In a few days, The Emperor wants to go to the Longshan Imperial Palace to escape the summer heat, and he has decreed that this subject and others are to accompany him. Since Your Highness is in the capital, you will likely receive an imperial edict from the palace tomorrow as well."

Wei Ming tossed the few game pieces at hand into their jar, stood up to see him out, and at the same time called for someone to tidy the room. He was clearly not very enthusiastic about the trip. "He can go wherever he likes, as long as a demon doesn't suddenly pop up this time."

"The Mortal Realm is constrained by the special laws of the Heavenly Dao. The spiritual energy is thin, so it's extremely rare for beasts to cultivate into demons. It's also very difficult for powerful demons from the outside to enter. The Ran Dragon incident was because Chou Xinwei was causing trouble. It was a once-in-a-century case of reaping what one sows and plain bad luck. It won't happen often." Chi Lian said with certainty, "Taking a step back, even if there are demons on Longshan, they wouldn't be powerful—and isn't this subject here? Your Highness need not worry too much."

Wei Ming hadn't taken these words to heart and was about to brush them off with a joke when he unexpectedly turned his head and saw the bright light in Chi Lian's eyes. The look was incredibly serious and firm, definitely not a casual remark.

His heart softened in an instant. He reached out to tidy the silver hair that had fallen over Chi Lian's shoulder and agreed in a warm voice, "Alright then. For the Longshan trip, this prince shall rely completely on Lord Grand Preceptor for protection."

Several days later, on an auspicious day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the imperial procession set off at noon, leaving the capital for the Longshan Imperial Palace. The journey from the Jade Capital to Longshan took about a day. The imperial entourage stayed overnight in Chaozong City, arriving at Longshan the following evening. Emperor Qiansheng and the Noble Consort stayed in the main hall, Guanfeng Palace. The other consorts lived on the west side, while the princes were quartered in the courtyards on the east side. Wei Ming occupied the Quhe Courtyard in the southeast corner, which happened to be right next to the imperial palace's royal Daoist temple.

The Longshan Imperial Palace was a detached palace frequently visited by emperors of successive dynasties. The mountain was lush with green trees and offered expansive views, with streams, waterfalls, and geothermal hot springs, making it very comfortable and pleasant in both winter and summer. Within the imperial palace was a Daoist temple. Because a century-old Chinese mahogany tree grew in the temple, it was named "Chunling Temple".

Yi Dayou led people to tidy the courtyard. When Wei Ming used to cultivate in seclusion on the mountain, he did everything himself and had not yet fully grown accustomed to the life of a prince being surrounded and served by others. Seeing him bustling about despite his limp, Wei Ming couldn't help but say, "That's good enough. We're not living here permanently, why go to all this trouble."

Yi Dayou brought him a cup of tea. Knowing this was a sign of his consideration, he said placidly, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. The ones who came along this time are all old hands who have been in the Prince's Manor for some years. It's a rare chance for them to get out, so it's good to let them run about a bit."

"It's fine for Jiang Hai and the others to run around, I'm talking about you," Wei Ming said helplessly as he took the teacup. "Our manor never had such strict rules to begin with. Don't push yourself too hard."

Yi Dayou's eyes crinkled into a smile, though his mouth remained respectful. "This old servant knows his limits. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"As long as you know." Wei Ming stretched his shoulders and back, then stood up. "I'm just in the way standing here. I'm going for a stroll, no need to follow."

Yi Dayou hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this is your first time at the imperial palace. You don't know the way yet. What if you get lost? It would be safer to have Jiang Hai follow you."

Wei Ming said, amused, "If I don't know the way, do you think he does? It's fine. Even if I do happen to get lost, I'll just find someone to ask. What's so difficult about that?"

Yi Dayou couldn't dissuade him and was still worried. He glanced around to see no one was nearby and asked in an extremely low voice, "Is Lord Grand Preceptor accompanying Your Highness?"

"He's probably busy right now, isn't he?" Wei Ming touched the tip of his nose, feeling uncharacteristically awkward. "Can you worry a little less, huh? I'm just going to take a look around the Chunling Temple next door. I really won't get lost, don't worry."

Before Yi Dayou could say anything more, he casually propped himself up on a nearby railing and, relying on his good agility, vaulted directly from the corridor into the courtyard, fleeing as if on wings.

Yi Dayou: "..."

Entering through the north gate of Chunling Temple and passing through the plantain springs and bamboo sea, one could see the century-old Chinese mahogany tree at a glance. Its trunk was so thick it would take three people to encircle it, and its bark was covered in fissures and dark moss, giving it an ancient, imposing air. Behind its lush crown, a corner of a bright yellow, upturned eave was faintly visible. The entire temple was utterly silent. Walking within, one would unconsciously grow quiet along with the surrounding atmosphere.

Just as Wei Ming was staring at the tree in a daze, he suddenly caught a very faint rustling sound. He turned his head alertly and saw a person emerge unhurriedly from behind the tree. Smoky-purple silk, smooth as water, reflected a faint sheen in the sunlight. The hem of his robes fluttered gently in the breeze created by his movements, as if a white jade idol were being held aloft by a cloud of mist. Before he had even shown any expression, the stagnant scenery around him suddenly came to life.

A smile entered his eyes before he was even aware of it. Wei Ming's furrowed brow relaxed. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew Your Highness would be here," Chi Lian said.

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