Snow Empress Appears

Luo Can stood at the entrance to Bibi Dong's courtyard and rubbed his nose. It wouldn't do to stand outside listening to young women whispering, and since he had nothing to do today anyway, he turned and decided to visit Zhang Lexuan.

He had barely reached her small courtyard when he spotted Qian Renxue leaning against an old tree outside, arms folded, her gaze occasionally drifting into the courtyard. She looked rather like she was staking the place out for a peek.

"You came to see her too?" Luo Can walked over and asked in a low voice.

Qian Renxue nodded, a smile curling across her lips. "Mm. It's been several days since the Seed of Desire was planted. She's changed quite a bit lately."

Hearing that, Luo Can followed her gaze into the courtyard.

Zhang Lexuan sat by the stone table, flipping through a thick ledger, with a stack of dossiers beside her. Her brows alternately furrowed and relaxed as her fingers tapped against the tabletop, making her look somewhat unsettled.

"She's looking at the number of commoner Spirit Masters awakened by Spirit Hall over the past two years, as well as the total monthly subsidies issued by each branch." Qian Renxue explained softly. "She's been reading them for three days. At first she didn't care, but now she can barely sit still. She's wavering quite a lot."

Luo Can raised a brow. "You found those for her on purpose?"

"Mm. After planting the Seed of Desire, I had Xiao Ya come over and chat with the 'newcomer' about what she'd seen in this era." Qian Renxue turned to him with a sly smile. "Xiao Ya mentioned commoner awakenings and Spirit Master subsidies. She didn't say anything, but she was already troubled inside. So I asked Gui Mei for