The Cold-Hearted Princess Who Transmigrated Here

When Wang Xiyue arrived at the northwest corner, she discovered that there was only a large bamboo forest with no buildings nearby. As far as the eye could see, the bamboo was lush and green, with each bamboo stalk standing tall and upright.

The beautiful scenery before her eyes momentarily stunned Wang Xiyue.

This reminded her of the Qingzhu Courtyard in Yue Nian Nunnery. During those six years, besides her master and Xia Yi, the only other person who accompanied her most was the small bamboo grove in the courtyard.

Every quiet night, she would lie in bed, where she could see a corner of the bamboo forest through the window. The moonlight would shine softly through the bamboo leaves, and the wind would blow, causing the slender bamboo leaves to sway gently. If she closed her eyes and focused her mind, she could even hear the rustling of the bamboo...

Wang Xiyue unconsciously closed her eyes, savoring this rare moment of peace.

Something's not right. Why is it so quiet here? It's almost too quiet. Alarm bells rang in her mind, and she suddenly opened her eyes.

Even though there was a breeze brushing against my face, what I saw and heard were completely different.

Even if the wind isn't strong, it shouldn't be this quiet.

She was all too familiar with the sound of bamboo leaves rustling in the wind. There were no other noises around, and it was impossible for the bamboo forest to be completely silent.

Wang Xiyue tried to breathe softly, even slowing her heartbeat, but it remained completely silent.

She took another deep sniff and found that she could not smell the slightest scent of fresh bamboo, nor did the area around the bamboo make her feel refreshed.

There was absolutely no sign of life; it was as if there was an invisible barrier in front of her, and what she saw was more like a lifelike painting—dead, not alive.

She squinted, carefully observing the swaying pattern of the bamboo, afraid of missing any details. After observing for a while, she discovered that the light and shadow between the bamboo leaves and the bamboo stalks did not change with the angle of her gaze.

With the help of the sunlight, she could see the subtle fluctuations in the bamboo forest caused by the energy being manipulated by the formation.

This scenery seems to be sealed in a closed space, and you can't feel its true nature at all.

"Nine-Bend Killing Formation?"

Wang Xiyue raised an eyebrow, shocked and incredulous that such a high-level formation had been set up here.

This formation is the second-ranked double combination formation in the martial arts world.

The outermost layer of the formation is intricate and varied, capable of completely integrating everything within it into the surrounding environment, making it difficult for outsiders to find any flaws. It is primarily used for defense.

The double-layered formation is located on the inner layer, primarily for killing. It can trap enemies within the formation to protect the formation's core. If the core is removed or destroyed, everything within the formation will also be reduced to ashes.

This formation isn't actually that dangerous, because it's primarily defensive, with its main attack being the secondary, more lethal move.

As long as one does not damage or take away the array's core, there is no danger in entering it. However, there are as many as eighty-one steps to enter and exit the array, and taking one wrong step will result in death.

"If you encounter this formation, do not act impulsively and try to avoid it."

This is the master's concluding remark when explaining this formation.

If she came at night, she would never have been able to detect this formation; it was hidden far too cleverly.

There must be a real bamboo forest here, but the original thing is definitely not the overlapping illusion she is seeing now.

In this world, there are very few people who can set up and break the Nine-Bend Killing Formation. Wang Xiyue was both relieved and relieved that, coincidentally, her master was one of them.

On the one hand, it felt quite sad that such a shocking secret was hidden in the private quarters of a mere prefect.

There must be something here that cannot be told to the world.

This formation also indirectly proves that the prefect's strength is comparable to that of the emperor, and may even be superior.

Because of her father's and master's relationship, Wang Xiyue learned in private that the palace had set up a top-notch combination of defensive and counter-attack formations.

However, that is only the third-ranked Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation. It takes the Kun Palace in the center and arranges the other eight palaces in the order of "Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui". This formation is mainly for defense and is used to resist enemies and strengthen internal forces. It is mainly for trapping without killing.

The talented individuals found by this prefect were no less capable than the imperial advisors supported by the royal family.

Seeing that there was still time and the opportunity was rare, Wang Xiyue wanted to go in and see what kind of priceless treasure was hidden inside that was worth a prefect going to such lengths to set up such a deadly formation.

She carefully reviewed everything her master had taught her, repeatedly deduced its meaning, and finally chose the direction to enter.

The moment she stepped out, the surrounding environment completely changed, as if a black fog had enveloped her, like a pitch-black night where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, or more precisely, utterly black.

Because she can't even see her own body, and she can't feel anything except her own consciousness.

Silence, stillness, absolute stillness.

"princess......"

Seeing Miss Xiyue disappear from his sight in an instant, Shadow couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

For the first time, he knew what fear was. Hidden in the shadows, he couldn't see any secrets here and didn't know where to start to help.

No, there's definitely something wrong here. It might be an illusion, or a formation. He needs to go and ask the prince for help.

At this moment, Wang Xiyue found that her body seemed to have vanished along with the bamboo. If she wasn't sure she hadn't moved, if her palms weren't still warm, if she wasn't still able to feel anything, she would have wondered if she had fallen into some other dimension.

No matter how detailed her master's explanation was, she had never experienced it herself, so a sense of fear began to arise deep within her.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and moved step by step according to the solution she had calculated beforehand.

Third from the left, fifth from the front, fourth from the right, first from the back, second from the right, third from the front, seventh from the left...

After walking eighty-one steps, the view suddenly opened up before me.

What comes into view is a simple, unadorned brick house with a flat roof and a square shape. It has no windows, only a wooden door.

Behind the house is a small patch of green bamboo swaying in the wind, its shadows dancing.

The house has a very plain exterior, which is out of place with the luxurious decorations of the government office outside.

The entire house occupies an area roughly the same as her boudoir in the Prime Minister's mansion, measuring about three zhang in all directions.

Now that she's inside, she's temporarily safe. As long as she doesn't destroy the array's core, there are no other dangers here at the moment.

Wang Xiyue pushed open the wooden door and went inside without hesitation.

-

While anxiously awaiting news from Xiyue, Dongfang Yu saw the shadowy figure returning in secret, his face deathly pale.

His heart sank.

The fact that the usually composed head of the guards was so frightened meant that Xiyue must have been in danger, even without being reported.

Ignoring the reactions of others present, he moved with lightning speed, disappearing from sight in a few leaps.

Wang Yi stared wide-eyed at the "shadow" that had vanished without a trace, then looked at the prefect's servants across the way, who were dumbfounded. He quickly tried to salvage the situation: "My brother must have needed to relieve himself."

"Hmm... everyone has to go to the bathroom sometimes, heh... hehe..."

This shadow left without explaining anything, and when he gets back he'll definitely complain to the young master and young lady about this dereliction of duty.

"Yes, I understand."

"I understand, I understand."

The people in the yamen all echoed and responded enthusiastically, so as not to embarrass Wang Yi.

They all knew that the person must have private matters to attend to, and it was none of their business. However, the guard who had just left was so skilled in martial arts that they felt ashamed of themselves for a moment.

However, it's understandable. It's perfectly normal for the prime minister, who is second only to the emperor, to keep a few skilled guards for his beloved son.

Once Dongfang Yu reached the concealed spot and met up with An Ying, he immediately ordered, "Don't panic, lead the way."

Two figures passed each other, one after the other, like the wind.

Soon the two arrived at the northwest corner.

At this moment, Shadow managed to suppress his panicked heartbeat. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort vanished into thin air right in front of this bamboo grove."

Dongfang Yu glanced around a few times, and after a moment's thought, noticed something amiss.

"There's a formation set up here, a very difficult Nine-Bend Killing Formation. Xiyue is so smart, she won't go in blindly. If she goes in, it means she has a way to break it."

"Go back and protect Wang Xijie with Mo Yun. I will handle things here. Don't wait for us. Just do what you need to do."

"Yes."

Seeing that the prince showed no fear, Shadow felt a weight lifted from his heart. Thankfully, the princess was alright; otherwise, he would have been guilty beyond redemption.

Dongfang Yu was not as calm as An Ying appeared; besides worry, he also felt helpless and angry.

He had to be very careful when entering this formation, and he couldn't make a single wrong step. Breaking the innermost killing formation would also take a lot of thought, and he couldn't afford to be distracted or careless in the slightest.

It's not all a good thing that the person he likes is too strong; he always suffers setbacks in his relationship with Xiyue.

He clearly wanted to bring her under his wing, but the more he got to know her, the more he realized that she was not a caged canary, but a phoenix soaring through the heavens, and no place could confine her.

He has no other choice but to sigh and accept it helplessly.

After calculating the methods for entering and exiting the formation and breaking the formation twice, Dongfang Yu quickly stepped into the formation after confirming that everything was correct.

-

When Wang Xiyue entered the small house, she was almost blinded by the scene before her eyes. The room was filled with jewels and gold and silver everywhere.

Inside the room, boxes of open gold bricks and pearls were neatly arranged, piles of silver were scattered on the floor, and there was a mountain of uncarved jade. Dozens of luminous pearls were inlaid on the walls.

Whether it's day or night, everything here is crystal clear without candlelight. Now, because it's daytime, the light is even stronger, making the colorful radiance inside even more dazzling.

A row of shelves lined the walls, filled with boxes and bottles of various sizes, which looked like they contained something more valuable.

But none of these were the most important things. What made Wang Xiyue most suspicious of her eyes was the clothes hanging on a wooden clothes rack in the center of the room.

Above him was a crown inlaid with jade and a golden dragon; below him was a bright yellow dragon robe, made of fine material, with a circular pattern of a coiled dragon embroidered on the chest. The red-gold dragon, riding the clouds, looked down at the world with its claws outstretched. Dark red five-clawed dragon patterns were wrapped around the sleeves, and the hem and cuffs of the robe were embroidered with blue waves. A ribbon inlaid with jade was tied around his waist.

Whose dragon robe is this prepared for?

Is this the Prefect?

Judging by appearances, this size doesn't fit him at all, so it must be for someone he supports who is rebelling.

No wonder such a secretive and high-level formation was needed. Putting aside how precious the other items were, if anyone were to discover and report this dragon robe, the prefect would be executed along with his entire family.

Prefect Ling?! Ling Daquan?

Ling! ?

Is the Ling family about to rebel?!

Thinking about it this way, it seems quite reasonable. Currently, the most powerful family in Xiyue Kingdom is the maternal family of the Empress and Consort Ling, namely the First-Rank Marquis's Mansion, the Ling Mansion.

This century-old family has abundant wealth, power, and a rich cultural heritage. Their network of connections in officialdom is also extremely complex.

She couldn't understand why the Ling family would rebel when they already had everything.

Perhaps the emperor feared that the maternal relatives would seize power, which is why the position of crown prince was given to the eldest prince, Ximen Haiyang, the son of Consort An, at an early age.

Strictly speaking, the current crown prince can only be considered the eldest son of a concubine. According to the rules, the second prince born to the empress, Ximen Haiqing, is the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

She had not heard of any objections from the Ling family, and there were not many people opposing him in the court either, because she had not heard her father say how many people questioned the current crown prince. Therefore, the position of crown prince was very stable, and no one was openly or secretly fighting for it.

She thought the Ling family strongly supported the eldest prince, and even believed that the royal bloodline was superior, so the royal family didn't care about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

Moreover, if the Ling family's rebellion succeeds, then who becomes emperor will also be a problem.

Lord Ling, Prince Ling, the Second Prince, or the Fourth Prince?

If Lord Ling or Prince Ling were to become emperor, would the current Empress Ling and Consort Ling really be so magnanimous?

Would he be willing to hand over his son's throne?

Isn't Lord Ling afraid of internal strife if he rebels?

She didn't understand very much.

Forget it, if she can't figure it out, she won't think about it anymore. Power struggles aren't her forte.

Such a conspiracy, which could potentially result in bloodshed, was not something an unknown nobody like her could stop.

Now that she has discovered their ambition, she should tell her father to take precautions as soon as possible after she leaves.