Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

"What's wrong, my beloved concubine? I'm here. Aren't you happy to see me?"

Seeing that Consort Mei's expression seemed unchanged, Li Longji was slightly displeased and asked. Although he hadn't visited Consort Mei in a long time, he still wanted her to be filled with love and overjoyed the moment she saw him.

—Li Longji hadn't visited Consort Mei, Jiang Caiping, for a long time. Jiang Caiping remembered that the last time she saw Li Longji was at Consort Wu Hui's funeral. After that, Li Longji favored Xianglan exclusively and also coveted his son Li Mao's wife, Yang Yuhuan, seemingly losing interest in the three thousand beauties in the harem.

However, Consort Mei, Jiang Caiping, is now twenty-three years old and has not yet given birth to a prince, so she does not need to plan for her son's future. In addition, she has always been rather aloof and proud, so even though she has been neglected by Li Longji, she does not feel particularly sad. On the contrary, she is happy to have some peace and quiet.

Therefore, when she heard what Li Longji said, she was not excited at all, but rather a little puzzled. She wondered what the old man was up to.

Consort Mei pondered this over and over in her mind, but showed no emotion on her face. She simply replied calmly, "Your Majesty, it has been a long time since I have performed the Dance of the Flying Swan. I am afraid my skills have become rusty and I may disappoint you. But if Your Majesty wishes to see it, I will go and change my clothes now."

Li Longji didn't take her words to heart.

Li Longji waved his hand and said with a smile, "How can my beloved concubine's dancing skills be neglected just because she hasn't practiced for a while? However, my beloved concubine, I have already seen a performance of the Dance of the Startled Swan at someone else's place, so I won't trouble you to dance again tonight. You can perform it for me another day."

……what?

These words struck Jiang Caiping like a bolt from the blue, leaving her completely stunned.

A sudden sense of unease washed over her. She thought, "This 'Dance of the Startled Swan' is a unique skill of my Jiang family. Besides myself, probably only my younger sister knows how to dance it. Why would the Emperor watch someone else dance this? Could it be… that my long-lost sister has come to Chang'an and caught the emperor's eye!"

She slowly turned around, looked at Li Longji, and a complex look flashed in her eyes: "Your Majesty, the dancer you speak of... I wonder what kind of wonderful person she is?"

Li Longji's eyes held a hint of longing as he said, "She is the grassland princess, Wusun Yaru, who has come for a marriage alliance. Her dancing skills are quite outstanding, somewhat similar to my beloved concubine's grace back then. However, compared to my beloved concubine's quiet elegance, she is more lively and spirited."

Consort Mei was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this.

Her younger sister, Jiang Caiyue, was even more beautiful and serene than she was, bearing no resemblance to a girl from the grasslands. Therefore, the girl the Emperor spoke of must not be Jiang Caiyue. But how could a girl from the grasslands possess the Jiang family's unique martial arts skills?

Thinking it over, Consort Mei tried her best to remain calm and asked, "Your Majesty, do you know where that grassland princess learned the Dance of the Startled Swan?"

Li Longji was unaware of Consort Mei's nervousness and casually said, "I heard that she learned from a female tutor found by Mao'er. This person is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also has excellent medical skills and is very popular in the army. Although Mao'er sometimes likes to disobey me, I must say that he really knows how to use people well."

Consort Mei was immediately overjoyed. It turned out that someone else had taught the grassland princess the Dance of the Startled Swan. And this person was very likely her younger sister, Jiang Caiyue!

She quickly asked, "Your Majesty's tutor... has he ever met you?"

Li Longji shook his head: "I've never seen him, but I've heard he's an extraordinary person. Why, does my beloved concubine seem quite interested in him?"

Although Consort Mei was extremely excited, she remained calm on the surface.

She smiled and said, "It's nothing. It's just that the Dance of the Startled Swan is not widely known and few people know how to dance it. I wonder what this extraordinary woman's identity is. Perhaps we even had the chance to dance the Dance of the Startled Swan together."

"That's it then. My beloved concubine's dancing skills are already enough to please my eyes. If this extraordinary woman also has such talent, we can find an opportunity to bring her into the palace to meet you and exchange skills." Li Longji didn't take this matter seriously and casually agreed.

Consort Mei bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

She has always been like this: virtuous and talented, gentle and quiet.

Li Longji looked at Consort Mei with a touch of tenderness in his eyes.

He recalled the first time he met Jiang Caiping and couldn't help but sigh softly.

At that time, Jiang Caiping was young and beautiful, and her stunning dance captivated him.

Although several years have passed, she still retains that unique charm.

"My beloved concubine, the night is beautiful tonight. Why don't you stay with me in the Plum Blossom Palace?" Li Longji said, putting his arm around Jiang Caiping's waist.

Although Jiang Caiping was preoccupied with her sister's affairs, she still wore a gentle smile and said, "Your Majesty, I am extremely honored."

The two entered the inner chamber hand in hand. Li Longji's heart was still heavy with unresolved feelings. He had originally intended to embrace Ya Ru, but his son had caught him in the act, leaving him with a lingering resentment and dissatisfaction. Now, lying beside Jiang Caiping, he could only vent his frustration on the bed curtains…

After a night of passionate lovemaking, Li Longji fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Caiping stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, her heart filled with anxiety and anticipation.

As dawn broke, Li Longji woke up and prepared to get up, change his clothes, and go to court.

Jiang Caiping carefully tidied his clothes before seeing him off.

Only then did she leave the dormitory.

As soon as she left Meixiang Palace, Jiang Caiping hastily dismissed the servants.

He then went into the small garden alone and released a gyrfalcon from its cage.

On the leg of the gyrfalcon was a copper ring with the three characters "Tianji Pavilion" engraved on it.

Consort Mei tied a small note to the gyrfalcon's leg, then gestured for it to leave. The gyrfalcon, being intelligent, took flight upon receiving the command and quickly disappeared into the misty morning sky.

Half an hour later, at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Gao Lishi sat atop the pavilion, drinking fragrant tea alone.

Seeing the gyrfalcon fly over, he was first stunned, then his face lit up with ecstasy.

—It was her. After all this time, she finally used her gyrfalcon to contact him. She must have forgiven him; she must have sent a message to inquire about his well-being!

Gao Lishi jumped up, grabbed the gyrfalcon and stroked it a couple of times before taking down the small note and examining it carefully.

When he opened the note and saw what it contained, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

—It turns out that Caiping sent him the letter not because of personal feelings, but because of her sister.

The fact that the two Jiang sisters had been separated for a long time was not widely known, not even to Li Longji. It was Gao Lishi who learned about this from Jiang Caiping on the way back from Guangzhou.