Floating life reflects two lotuses

The night was deep and the palace was silent, but in Consort Yan's bedchamber, the candlelight shone brightly. A guard dressed in black knelt on the ground and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Princess's recent movements are very suspicious. Her actions seem to be related to an ancient artifact brought back from a secret place."

Consort Yan sat on the low couch, her fingers gently caressing the teacup, a thoughtful expression on her face. After a moment, she asked softly, "Has she come to the palace recently?"

“She didn’t go directly into the palace, but she was moving around a lot, as if she was searching for something.” The black-clad guard paused, then added, “I have sent people to monitor her, but we haven’t seen anything definitely unusual.”

Consort Yan smiled slightly, but there was a hint of coldness in her smile: "The fact that nothing is abnormal is itself the biggest abnormality."

She put down her teacup, her tone suddenly turning cold: "Keep a close watch, don't overlook any clues. And that shard..."

"Yes." The guard acknowledged the order and withdrew, disappearing into the night.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jinlian sat in her study, her fingertips lightly tapping the table. Her gaze swept over the runic stone slab on the table, her brows furrowing slightly. Silan stood beside her and whispered, "Princess, Consort Yan's men have been appearing outside the manor for several days in a row. Although they are discreet, their intentions are quite clear."

“She wants to know what I’m doing.” Xiao Jinlian sneered, her tone calm but tinged with sarcasm. “It seems she’s also quite interested in this stone slab.”

"How should we respond?" Silan asked cautiously.

Xiao Jinlian pondered for a moment, then said, "Give her a 'clue' to keep her too busy to take care of herself."

"A clue?" Silan seemed somewhat confused.

“Hook~” Xiao Jinlian stood up, picked up a piece of white paper, quickly wrote a few lines, and handed it to Silan, “Put this message where her people can access it, the more authentic the better.”

Silan took the note, looked down, and saw that it read: "There is a second entrance to the Land of Sacrifice, which will open on the night of the new moon."

“This is…” Si Lan was about to speak when Xiao Jinlian waved her hand, her expression cold: “Only by diverting her attention to another place can we buy some time.”

The news quickly reached Consort Yan. She looked at the contents of the note, a cold glint in her eyes. She handed the note to the guard beside her, her voice low and menacing: "On the night of the new moon, another entrance to the Spirit Offering Secret Ground… Is this true, or is someone deliberately misleading us?"

The guard said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have investigated the source of the information. Although its origin is unclear, it seems to be highly credible."

"High?" Consort Yan sneered. "Xiao Jinlian's methods are not necessarily simple. There's a high chance this news is false, but if it is true..." Her voice trailed off, as if she had fallen into a brief moment of thought.

A moment later, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes: "Send the order down to have people guard this so-called entrance. It doesn't matter if it's real or fake, as long as we can gain something, we can seize the initiative."

The guards obeyed and left. Consort Yan watched the candlelight gradually die down, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips: "Chu Wanlian, you want to play these little tricks? I'll play along with you."

A few days later, following the false intelligence, Consort Yan's men indeed focused their attention on the so-called second entrance to the Spirit Offering Secret Ground. At the same time, Xiao Jinlian secretly observed their movements, a satisfied smile on her face.

“It seems she’s taken the bait,” Xiao Jinlian said to Silan beside her.

“Princess, although this has temporarily diverted her attention, Consort Yan’s actions are pressing us relentlessly, and we cannot let our guard down,” Si Lan said with concern.

“I know,” Xiao Jinlian said, her tone becoming more composed. “But the more anxious she is, the more she will reveal her true colors. We just need to observe and wait for her to make a mistake.”

However, just when Xiao Jinlian thought the situation had been stabilized for the time being, Silan rushed over, looking anxious: "Princess, something bad has happened! Consort Yan seems to have started to secretly pressure the guards outside the mansion, trying to infiltrate the mansion."

Xiao Jinlian's gaze suddenly turned cold: "Is she planning to take action directly?"

“Yes, she may no longer be satisfied with just testing.” Silan nodded, her voice low. “This fragment may have become her target.”

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down: "Since that's the case, we can't let her succeed. Silan, arrange the manpower and strengthen the guard. As for Li Heng... I need his help."

Upon learning of this, Li Heng immediately rushed to Xiao Jinlian's study. Standing beside the stone slab, his gaze swept over the runes, his tone calm yet tinged with worry: "This thing is indeed dangerous. If it falls into Consort Yan's hands, the consequences will be unimaginable."

“That’s why I need your help.” Xiao Jinlian looked at him, her eyes filled with pleading. “Yan Fei’s methods are becoming more and more direct. I need someone who can stop her at crucial moments.”

Li Heng nodded, his voice gentle yet firm: "Don't worry, I will do my best to protect... this fragment of you."

In the dead of night, the candlelight in the study flickered softly, making the runes on the stone slab appear especially mysterious. Xiao Jinlian gazed at it, her eyes filled with deep contemplation.

Consort Yan's surveillance had become increasingly brazen, but she knew that the real danger was only just beginning.

Li Heng stood beside her, quiet yet reliable, as if he were her only pillar in this storm.

Consort Yan sat alone in the lamplight of her bedchamber, her fingers gently fiddling with an old beaded necklace. The runes on the necklace gleamed faintly in the candlelight, as if whispering secrets of the past. Her gaze gradually lost focus, her thoughts drifting back to more than a decade ago—the moment when everything began.

That year, Consort Yan was not yet Consort Yan, but just an ordinary member of the Lingjian organization. She stood with her sister, Chu Yun Ning—now the mother of the Eldest Princess—before the Lingjian altar. Chu Yun Ning's smile was as bright as moonlight. She held Consort Yan's hand and said softly, "From today onwards, we are sisters side by side. No matter what we face, we will protect the Lingjian's beliefs together."

“Of course,” Consort Yan replied, a warm smile playing on her lips, “we will keep all the secrets of Lingjian safe.”

The Spirit Stream is a mysterious and ancient organization dedicated to protecting the power of the Luo Yuan Contract. Their duty is to ensure that the runes are not misused and to select a holy maiden to become the host of the rune's power. This holy maiden will complete the union of her soul and the runes through a sacrificial ritual, sacrificing herself for the beliefs of the entire Spirit Stream.

Yun Ning's daughter—the future eldest princess—is the chosen saintess.

When Yun Ning was chosen to enter the palace and become the emperor's favorite concubine, everything began to subtly change. Within the palace walls, emotions and power struggles intertwined, and the relationship between the sisters gradually became estranged.

“Yan’er,” Chu Yun Ning once came to Yan Fei’s room late at night. Her face was pale and her eyes were full of contradictions. “I don’t want my daughter to become a saintess. I have decided to leave Lingjian.”

Consort Yan was stunned, then shook her head: "Sister, do you know what this means? Lingjian will not allow betrayal. The Holy Maiden's fate was predetermined, and your daughter is the only one who meets the criteria."

“But she is my daughter!” Chu Yun Ning choked up and whispered, “I have already lost too much, and I don’t want to lose her too. I no longer believe in the mission of Lingjian, I just want her to grow up safely.”

“Sister…” Yan Fei’s voice was tinged with pain, “You will harm yourself by doing this.”

Consort Yan did not persuade Chu Yun Ning. A few days later, Chu Yun Ning's body was found in her palace, the cause of which was a sudden illness. People in the palace whispered among themselves, but Consort Yan knew the truth.

That night, she knelt in the secret chamber of Lingjian, facing the leader of the organization: "Why? She only wanted to protect her daughter, why did she have to go to such lengths?"

The leader's gaze fell coldly on her: "You know the price of betrayal. She not only broke her oath, but also tried to stop the sacrificial ceremony. The Holy Maiden is our future, and she has no right to stand in her way."

Yan Fei's nails dug deeply into her palms, her voice trembling: "I can take the consequences for her."

“You are not qualified,” the man in black interrupted. “Remember, the Spirit Stream is above all else; personal feelings are nothing but fleeting clouds. The Holy Maiden will proceed with the ceremony as scheduled, and Chu Wanlian’s fate is sealed.”

That night, Consort Yan returned to her palace and nearly broke the beaded chain in her hand. Her heart was torn apart by a complex mix of emotions: guilt over Yun Ning's death and fear of the organization's power.

Consort Yan snapped out of her reverie, her gaze returning to the beaded necklace. Yun Ning's smile vaguely surfaced in her mind, and she murmured to herself, "Sister, I never intended to harm you... but what could I do? You chose betrayal, and I could only choose obedience."

She slowly stood up and walked to the window. The night breeze gently brushed her face, bringing a chill. Her gaze fell in the distance towards the Princess's residence, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

“Chu Wanlian is no longer the child you can protect.” Consort Yan’s voice was low but firm. “No matter who she is now, she must fulfill her mission—even if it is our shared sin.”

The runes on the beaded necklace shimmered faintly in the moonlight, as if echoing Consort Yan's resolve. And her figure by the window appeared all the more lonely and determined.