Tang Yuehua Enters the Palace

Princess Xue Ke's request went unexpectedly smoothly.

Although Emperor Xue Ye had some reservations about the Crown Prince inviting the mistress of the Moonlight Pavilion into the palace again while under "house arrest," he could not ultimately resist his beloved daughter's soft-spoken pleas.

Furthermore, his lingering suspicions regarding the Crown Prince's involvement in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect case remained, and he harbored the intention of using the tactful and sophisticated Tang Yuehua to secretly observe the Crown Prince's recent words and actions. Thus, he nodded and granted permission.

When the news reached the Moonlight Pavilion, Tang Yuehua was practicing breath control in a quiet room by the water. Her meeting with the Crown Prince, Ye Yang, that day had been like a massive boulder cast into the calm lake of her mind, and the ripples had yet to settle.

The Crown Prince's gaze, seemingly cynical yet unfathomably deep, the terrifying pressure that had backlashed against her "Noble Circle," and the subsequent mystery of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples being murdered with the blood-written character "Crown"—every single detail left her feeling unsettled.

"Entering the palace... to teach Princess Xue Ke etiquette and tea ceremony?" Tang Yuehua's fingertips, clutching the gilded invitation, turned slightly white.

The invitation was worded respectfully and came from Princess Xue Ke, stating that she admired Tang Yuehua's talent and invited her to stay in the palace for a while to provide guidance.

Yet, she almost instantly associated it with the Crown Prince's meaningful smile and his words: "I look forward to seeing this heart of yours stir for me."

Was this merely a coincidence born of Princess Xue Ke's innocence, or was it another move played by the Crown Prince using the princess as a pawn?

She wanted to refuse, but since the princess had invited her personally and the Emperor had already granted his approval, it was difficult to find an excuse, both publicly and privately.

To refuse would be to openly slight the royal family, especially at such a sensitive time.

In the end, Tang Yuehua could only suppress the heavy doubts in her heart, force herself to regain the composure and elegance expected of the mistress of the Moonlight Pavilion, and instruct her maid to prepare her belongings.

"My Lady, the East Palace..." her personal maid whispered, her face filled with worry. Everyone knew the Crown Prince was currently confined to the East Palace, and the Moonlight Pavilion was separated from it by only a single wall.

Tang Yuehua closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were perfectly calm. "Mind your own duties and focus on teaching the Princess. As for other matters, do not overthink them, and do not speak of them."

Meanwhile, at Prince Xue Xing's residence, the atmosphere remained suffocatingly oppressive.

Although those terrifying heads had been secretly disposed of and the maids had been "properly" taken care of, Prince Xue Xing had been plagued by nightmares for several consecutive days, unable to shake his terror.

The warning of having heads placed at his bedside without a sound was like a sword hanging over his head. He increased the residence's security and even secretly requested that a Soul Douluo expert from the royal family stay on the premises, yet he still felt uneasy.

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for this Prince! Who leaked the news, and who has such capability!" Prince Xue Xing roared in his secret chamber, his eyes bloodshot.

Paranoid, he saw everyone as an enemy.

Three days later, Tang Yuehua's carriage slowly drove into the side gate of the imperial palace.

She wore a simple, elegant palace gown, her expression serene, though only the fingers tightly clenched within her sleeves betrayed a hint of nervousness.

She was settled into a refined palace courtyard near the rear garden, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the East Palace.

Not long after she was settled, Princess Xue Ke came to visit happily, sincerely seeking her guidance.

Tang Yuehua pulled herself together and meticulously instructed the princess in tea ceremony and etiquette, her demeanor impeccable. However, her mind drifted involuntarily toward the East Palace, just a wall away.

Sure enough, that afternoon, an attendant from the East Palace arrived respectfully to deliver a message: "His Highness the Crown Prince was very pleased to hear that you have entered the palace to teach the Princess."

"His Highness says that he did not fully enjoy the tea at the Moonlight Pavilion the other day and, having caused you alarm, has felt guilty ever since. It so happens that the Emperor has bestowed some new 'Cloud Mist Spirit Tip' tribute from the south, and he has specifically ordered me to bring some for you to sample."

"His Highness also says that if you have the time, he would like to seek your guidance on the tea ceremony again to make up for his previous regrets."

The attendant presented an exquisite jade canister, his attitude extremely deferential.

Tang Yuehua looked at the canister of tea, as if seeing the smiling yet bottomless eyes of the Crown Prince, Ye Yang.

Seeking guidance on the tea ceremony was a lie; testing her, or even continuing the "game" from that day, was the truth. Even while "confined" within this deep palace, his influence was everywhere.

She took a deep breath, accepted the jade canister—her fingertips cold—and replied in a steady, clear voice: "Please convey my thanks to His Highness for his generous gift."

"Teaching the Princess is my duty, so I dare not claim any credit. His Highness is focused on cultivating virtue; as for the tea ceremony, once his confinement is lifted, if he still has the inclination, the Moonlight Pavilion will always welcome His Highness's visit."

The attendant accepted the order and departed.

Tang Yuehua stood alone by the window, watching the swaying flowers and trees in the courtyard, feeling no sense of relief.

She knew this was only the beginning. Since the Crown Prince had started this, he would never give up easily.

Within this imperial palace, she had stepped into an invisible web, and the one who wove it was waiting patiently for her next move inside the East Palace.

Back in the East Palace, Ye Yang toyed with the reply Tang Yuehua had sent back through the attendant, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful arc.

"Always welcome? Heh, the Lady is as watertight as ever." He whispered to himself, "However, since you have entered the palace, the time and place for this 'waiting' are no longer up to you."

He turned his gaze toward the window, as if he could pierce through the palace walls to see that elegant figure.

"The game has only just begun."

Tang Yuehua's days in the palace were outwardly as calm as water. She taught Princess Xue Ke etiquette and tea ceremony every day, her manners and poise impeccable, as if she were truly a teacher fully devoted to her task.

Xue Ke was innocent and lively, deeply admiring this exceptionally talented lady, and she studied with great diligence.

However, only Tang Yuehua knew how turbulent the undercurrents were beneath this calm surface.

The canister of "Cloud Mist Spirit Tip" sent from the East Palace sat untouched on her desk, like a silent warning.

She knew well that the Crown Prince's "apology" and "request for guidance" were by no means as simple as they appeared.

Sure enough, one evening several days later, as she was instructing Xue Ke in the zither in a secluded part of the Imperial Garden, that tall, upright figure arrived once again, uninvited.

Ye Yang was not wearing his formal Crown Prince attire, but rather a moon-white casual robe, his gait leisurely, as if it were truly a chance encounter. He was followed only by that silent guard who shadowed him like a ghost.

"Ke'er's zither playing has improved quite a bit lately; it seems you are an excellent teacher, My Lady." Ye Yang's voice, with its habitual lazy magnetism, interrupted the music.

Seeing her brother, Xue Ke stood up happily to greet him. Tang Yuehua felt a chill in her heart, but her expression quickly returned to composure as she bowed. "Your Highness is too kind; it is the Princess who is naturally gifted and diligent."

Ye Yang waved his hand, telling Xue Ke to return to her palace to rest, claiming he had something to discuss with the Lady alone. Xue Ke, suspecting nothing, left obediently.

Once the princess's figure disappeared, only the three of them remained in the garden. The sunset gilded the landscape, yet it could not dispel the suddenly stagnant atmosphere.

"You have been in the palace for several days, My Lady. Are you accustomed to it?" Ye Yang paced to the zither stand, his fingertips brushing the strings at random, producing a series of clear but discordant notes.

"Thanks to the kindness of His Majesty and the Princess, all is well," Tang Yuehua replied, eyes lowered, her posture respectful and distant.

"Is that so?" Ye Yang chuckled, then suddenly turned, his gaze landing on her face like a physical weight. "But why do I feel that you seem... a bit thinner? Is the palace food not to your liking, or is it that... you have something weighing on your mind, making it hard to sleep or eat?"