While the Night Emperor and his nephew were talking, in a side room of the inner courtyard.
Under the attentive care of the two lovely little maids, Liu'er and Yuluo, Zhao Ziyue removed her clothes and slipped into a large wooden tub blanketed with flower petals.
Steaming vapor curled upward.
Filling the side room with a faint, secluded fragrance.
"The Ninth Princess truly deserves to be called a golden branch and jade leaf. Not only does Your Highness have such a fine figure, even your skin is as pure and flawless as a lotus atop a snowy mountain. This servant truly envies you from the bottom of her heart..."
"Yes, yes! If we could have even half of what the Ninth Princess has—oh no, one percent... As long as we had one percent of the Ninth Princess's beauty, we could be called heavenly beauties and national treasures."
The two maids were silver-tongued, playing off each other until Zhao Ziyue could not help but smile.
But she had heard such words far too often.
She smiled only out of courtesy, unwilling to appear too aloof.
In truth, her heart remained utterly calm.
"Liu'er, Yuluo, are you both natives of Eastern Cloud Prefecture?"
"Yes, Ninth Princess. The two of us were taken into Lord Night Emperor's residence when we were young, and we have grown up in Eastern Cloud Prefecture ever since. We can be considered people of Eastern Cloud Prefecture."
"I see. Then have you seen that Young Lord of Dongyang?"
"Uh... Young Lord of Dongyang?"
The two had clearly not expected Zhao Ziyue to suddenly mention the Young Lord of Dongyang, and they both froze.
"Haven't you heard of him? Young Lord of Dongyang Li Yun, who won first place at the Spring Welcome Tea Party on Pingding Mountain some