Floating life reflects two lotuses

Early the next morning, in a small garden in the Princess's residence, Silan stood quietly under a plum tree, clutching a small bamboo tube tightly in her hand. Moonlight shone on her face, revealing a complex expression.

She carefully opened the bamboo tube and saw a transparent crystal piece inside, along with a tinderbox. After a moment's hesitation, she took out the crystal piece as agreed and lit the tinderbox. In the instant the flame rose, faint writing appeared on the crystal piece.

"Lian'er, be careful of the formation set up by Consort Yan..."

Silan pursed her lips, quickly put away the crystal, and silently thought, "The general truly loves the princess."

She hid the bamboo tube, pretended nothing had happened, and went back to her room, handing the tinderbox and the crystal shard to Xiao Jinlian. Xiao Jinlian took the crystal shard, her brow furrowed slightly, and asked疑惑地问道, "Silan, what is this?"

"Princess, this was sent from outside. I don't know the specific contents, but it seems to be related to your safety," Silan replied in a low voice, a hint of anxiety in her expression.

Xiao Jinlian looked at the pale blue crystal and immediately became alert. She lit a tinderbox and held the crystal up to the candlelight; the faint writing appeared in the flame.

"The core of the formation... pay close attention..." Xiao Jinlian murmured, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

In her mind, Chu Wanlian's voice suddenly rang out: "This is Li Heng's doing. He's reminding us to pay attention to the unusual things happening in the manor."

“His methods are truly unexpected.” Xiao Jinlian chuckled, but her eyes gradually became serious. “However, he’s right. Strange things have indeed been happening in the manor lately. We must find the core of the formation.”

“Silan’s involvement makes us more confident in our actions.” Chu Wanlian’s tone held a hint of relief. “It seems that Brother Liheng is still the most reliable.”

The princess's residence was even quieter at night. Xiao Jinlian stood by the study window, clutching the crystal shard tightly in her hand. She looked out at the pitch-black night and made a silent vow: "Whatever Consort Yan has planned, I will expose it."

She turned to look at Silan and whispered, "Go and find out which guards in the manor have been replaced recently. I need to know the specific arrangements for the guards."

Silan bowed her head, accepted the order, and quickly withdrew.

Chu Wanlian spoke softly in my mind: "We must act as soon as possible. Now that Brother Liheng has made his move, we cannot let his efforts be in vain."

Xiao Jinlian nodded: "Don't worry, I will make her pay for her conspiracy."

The morning sunlight streamed into the courtyard, casting a soft glow on the stone paths of the princess's residence. But this warm scene could not conceal the lurking crisis. Since the confinement order was issued, strange phenomena within the residence had intensified: lights would inexplicably go out, windows would rattle on windless nights, and even the maids would hear eerie whispers while cleaning in the morning.

Xiao Jinlian stood by the study window, holding a white jade bracelet in her hand, her gaze deep: "As expected, Consort Yan is setting things up. These strange phenomena are clearly intended to disrupt the order in the mansion and even make Father Emperor completely disappointed in me."

In his mind, Chu Wanlian's voice came clearly, her tone tinged with resentment: "If it were any other time, I would have already rushed out to argue with Consort Yan! But now... I can only watch you deal with it for me."

“Theory is useless; we must find the core of her scheme.” Xiao Jinlian’s voice was low and firm. “Otherwise, this crisis will only get worse.”

Xiao Jinlian began her investigation by starting with the small kitchen, where strange phenomena had been occurring frequently lately. Silan followed behind her with her head down, her expression filled with worry: "Princess, these strange things have been happening more and more lately. I always feel that something in the manor is watching us."

"Something?" Xiao Jinlian turned to look at her, her brows furrowing slightly. "Perhaps it's not 'something,' but rather the power of an array."

Entering the small kitchen, Xiao Jinlian carefully examined her surroundings. Suddenly, she noticed some intricate runes faintly etched on the blue bricks in the corner. These runes were extremely fine, only visible under sunlight.

“These runes…” Xiao Jinlian reached out and touched them lightly, feeling a chill on her fingertips, as if an invisible force was resisting her approach.

"As expected, it was Consort Yan's people who did this." Chu Wanlian sneered in her mind. "These runes are not complicated, but their arrangement is very sophisticated. It seems that the expert she hired is no ordinary person."

Xiao Jinlian nodded, took out her dagger, and forcefully scraped off a corner of the rune. However, as soon as the dagger touched the rune, the lights in the room suddenly went out, and a low, rumbling sound of wind echoed around them.

"Princess!" Silan exclaimed and quickly stepped in front of Xiao Jinlian.

"It's nothing." Xiao Jinlian raised her head, her voice calm. "This is part of the formation; it's just a self-defense reaction."

Chu Wanlian's voice rang out: "This formation seems to rely on these runes to absorb spiritual energy and create illusions. If we can destroy their core, the entire formation will collapse."

“Then, the next task is to find the core.” Xiao Jinlian said softly, then turned to Silan and instructed, “Record the locations of all the strange phenomena in the mansion. We must lock onto the target as soon as possible.”

That evening, following the map, Xiao Jinlian led Silan to an abandoned well in the mansion. The well was ancient, its mouth covered with moss, and surrounded by weeds; it was one of the most secluded corners of the mansion.

"This does indeed seem to fit the location of the core of the formation," Xiao Jinlian said softly, her fingers gently tracing the edge of the well, feeling a strange chill.

However, at that moment, a thick fog suddenly gushed out of the well, enveloping the entire area. A low murmur emanated from within the fog, as if countless figures were lurking in the shadows.

"Princess, be careful!" Silan drew her short sword and stood guard protectively beside Xiao Jinlian.

Xiao Jinlian calmly took two steps back, and Chu Wanlian's voice immediately rang in her mind: "This is the formation's defensive mechanism! It knows we've approached the core."

"You've come at the perfect time." Xiao Jinlian gripped the dagger in her hand, her eyes blazing. "This formation won't be able to stop me so easily."

Suddenly, a blue light burst forth from the thick fog, spreading rapidly along the ground to form a huge circle of runes that trapped Xiao Jinlian and Silan within it.

"It seems we have no choice but to force our way through." Xiao Jinlian's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand to stab the dagger fiercely into the center of the rune circle. However, when the dagger touched the light, a powerful recoil force sent her staggering back several steps.

"Princess!" Silan quickly helped her up, her eyes filled with worry.

Xiao Jinlian steadied herself and looked down at the dagger in her hand, discovering that its blade had been shaken open and cracked in several places.

“The power of this aura is too strong; brute force alone cannot break it,” Chu Wanlian calmly analyzed. “We need to find its weakness.”

“The weakness… is the intersection of the formations.” Xiao Jinlian looked around, her gaze finally settling on a corner of the rune circle. There was a stone slab there, the runes on which were denser than elsewhere, faintly emitting an unusual light.

"Silan, use your sword to split that stone slab!" Xiao Jinlian gave the order decisively.

Without hesitation, Silan swung her sword at the stone slab. However, just as the sword was about to strike, a blue light suddenly flashed, forming a barrier that blocked the attack.

"The final defense of the formation..." Xiao Jinlian sneered, taking out a bottle of special powder from her sleeve. "It seems it's time to use some special methods."

She sprinkled the powder onto the barrier, which quickly reacted with the blue light, emitting a piercing buzzing sound. Taking advantage of the moment the barrier weakened, Silan swung her sword again, slashing at the stone slab with all her might.

With a loud bang, the stone slab cracked, the blue light vanished instantly, and the rune circle collapsed.

Upon returning to her residence, Xiao Jinlian immediately marked and destroyed all the rune points on the map to ensure the formation could not be rebuilt. Chu Wanlian couldn't help but chuckle in her mind, "Consort Yan must be furious this time. Her meticulously arranged formation has been broken by us just like that."

“She will indeed be angry, but this game is far from over,” Xiao Jinlian said in a low voice, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

At the same time, inside the Jinhuang Palace, Consort Yan stood by the window, her face grim. She had already received news that the formation had been broken. A master stood behind her and whispered, "Your Majesty, although the formation is destroyed, the rest of the plan can still continue, requiring only a few adjustments."

Consort Yan turned around, her eyes flashing with cold light: "Adjustment? I want her to pay an even greater price. This time, I will make her completely lose Father's trust!"

Inside the room, the flickering candlelight illuminated Consort Yan's cold and stern face...