Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 737

Chapter 737: Returning Home

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Ye Xiu and Dong Hui turned pale with fear, firmly opposing the idea, deeming it too unsafe. However, Mingzhu directly took Caiyun’s hand and said, “I must try it.” Ye Xiu and Dong Hui exchanged helpless glances and reluctantly followed her into the wooden cabin. Jiang Zhouzi, after a long internal struggle, also decided to join them.

It took less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick for the wooden cabin to safely reach the ground. Once Mingzhu and the others stepped out, Caiyun pulled a nearby rope, causing a crisp bell sound to echo from above. The wooden cabin then slowly ascended until it was no longer visible.

Mingzhu looked up at the cliff top, seeing nothing but mist. Since they had not descended from the same place they had ascended, Caiyun led them on a detour to the front. There, they encountered a chaotic scene with a group of people anxiously gesturing and arguing at the cliff base.

Ye Xiu stepped forward and asked, “What happened?”

Feng Su, the deputy leader of the guard squad, had been shouting himself hoarse. Upon hearing Ye Xiu’s voice, he turned quickly, seeing Mingzhu and the others. His eyes reddened, and he managed to say, “It’s good to see Wangfei and Leader Ye down safely. We were worried sick. Overnight, the iron nails and support ropes on the path disappeared. If you hadn’t come down, we were about to storm up.”

Mingzhu saw that the narrow path was indeed bare now, realizing that Shi Jiuqing did not want anyone else disturbing him. She called out to the group, “Let’s leave immediately.”

After packing up and setting off, they soon heard loud noises behind them, like firecrackers going off. Mingzhu, thinking something serious might have happened, instructed Ye Xiu, “Take some people and check if anything’s wrong.”

Caiyun shook her head and said, “No need. The senior brothers, on the teacher’s orders, destroyed that narrow path. The teacher is old and doesn’t want to be disturbed anymore. Wangfei is probably the last secular person he will see.”

Accepting this, Mingzhu ordered the group to continue moving forward.

Ye Xiu signaled Dong Hui to keep watch and secretly went back to check. When the group stopped to rest, he whispered to Mingzhu, “They used gunpowder with precise amounts, only destroying the path without damaging the cliff. It was a level of precise calculation I’ve never seen before. Also, the elevator cabin was destroyed.”

Caiyun interjected with a smile, “The teacher said that once Wangfei leaves the mountain, he will be famous. An old cripple doesn’t want to cause trouble, so it’s better this way.”

Mingzhu, speechless for a moment, ordered Ye Xiu and the others to keep this confidential.

Three days later, they emerged from the mountains and took some days to rest. With autumn floods over and the weather still mild, Mingzhu finally set off for home. Upon reaching Yicheng, she planned to invite Shen Ruilin for a meal before leaving. However, Shen Ruilin had gone to the camp for training a day before her arrival, leaving no opportunity for a meal or even a meeting. Instead, Yuwen You hosted a grand banquet for her and Ye Xiu. Though Mingzhu initially wanted to decline, she decided to attend upon hearing that all the prominent figures of Yicheng would be there. The event, she thought, could mitigate the impact of the false Regent Wangfei incident that had occurred at the Yang residence.

Yuwen You was calm throughout, doing nothing inappropriate. After the banquet, he presented Mingzhu with an unpolished piece of jade as a gift for Millet. “This is for Millet,” he said.

Mingzhu had Dong Hui accept it and was about to leave when Yuwen You asked, “Is there really a method to treat the Grand Empress Dowager in that medical book?”

Mingzhu, unsure of his true intentions—whether he wished for the Grand Empress Dowager’s recovery or demise—remained silent.

Yuwen You forced a smile. “It’s alright if you don’t want to answer. I was just asking.”

“I don’t know,” Mingzhu finally replied. “I am not skilled in medicine, having only learned some basics from Jiang Zhouzi. So, I can’t say if it’s useful.”

Yuwen You nodded. “Qiuli Wang has been causing trouble lately. I will be escorting the new Huan Wang to the capital. For safety, let’s travel together.”

With a massive entourage, the journey was secure. Mingzhu agreed without much thought and went to rest.

Millet, blowing bubbles, lazily yawned and smiled at her before turning over to continue sleeping. Mingzhu, feeling helpless, muttered, “When you grow up, see how I deal with you.”

Millet, already asleep, naturally did not hear. Mingzhu playfully nibbled her chubby hand before lying down beside her.

A few days later, on an auspicious day, they set off. With Yuwen You, the new Huan Wang Yuwen Tao, and their entourage, the group was now much larger, deterring any bandits or stragglers. Even Qiuli Wang would think twice before attacking.

Yuwen You led the way at the front, not meeting with Mingzhu often. Instead, Yuwen Tao frequently brought his three-year-old brother and five-year-old sister to play with Millet. They would stay at Mingzhu’s place, eating, drinking, and having fun. Mingzhu knew they wanted to befriend her to gain support when they reached the capital. Frankly, she didn’t like Yuwen Qiang, and she knew he was killed by Yuwen Chu’s hand, making it impossible for these children to genuinely like her or Millet. However, she felt pity for the fatherless and motherless children and treated them kindly.

With so many people and children, the journey slowed down. Yuwen Chu’s letters kept coming, urging them to hurry. His tone varied from gentle to irritable, cajoling and threatening alternately, all because he felt she was traveling too slowly. He even scolded Ye Xiu and Du Heng for their incompetence. Mingzhu could only smile bitterly while reading the letters. She wished she could fly back to the capital, but the children were too young to endure such a grueling journey.

Finally, in the midst of heavy snowfall in January, they arrived near the capital. Mingzhu gazed at the city lying peacefully under the white snow, overwhelmed with excitement and eager to rush back. Suddenly, urgent hoofbeats approached, and someone shouted, “The Emperor’s decree: Linan Wang Yuwen You, Huan Wang Yuwen Tao, and the Regent Wangfei, Fu Mingzhu, are to camp ten miles outside the city and enter the capital on an auspicious day.”

What did this mean? Were they not allowed to enter the city? Has something happened in the capital? Mingzhu frowned and got out of the carriage to receive the decree, only to see a familiar figure standing quietly by the roadside, watching her silently.

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