Ye Jingtang left the guest courtyard, opened his oil-paper umbrella, and looked out into the boundless rainy night. Just as he was wondering where to find Ning'er and the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master, he heard wings beating beside him.
Turning, he saw a large white bird flying over from behind the Duke's Manor. Niao Niao darted straight under the umbrella, landed on his shoulder, and began shaking water off that feathery head.
Swish, swish, swish~
"Hey!"
Ye Jingtang raised a hand against the flying spray, looking somewhat helpless.
"Where did you run off to play? Have you eaten?"
"Chirp, chirp..." Niao Niao spread those wings and gestured, indicating the roast suckling pig eaten that afternoon, then nudged Ye Jingtang's face with that feathery head, urging him toward the rear.
Ever since boarding the boat in the Capital City, Ye Jingtang hadn't been alone with the Empress Dowager. After arriving in Jiangzhou, he hadn't even been able to see her, and inevitably missed her. Seeing Niao Niao come to fetch him, he guessed the Empress Dowager had grown impatient too, and turned toward the back of the Duke's Manor.
"Where is Her Majesty?"
"Chirp, chirp..."
The Qin Family's Duke's Manor was enormous. There were probably several hundred servants and maids alone. The family's living quarters bordered East Lake, while the Empress Dowager was staying in the Embroidered Tower where she had grown up.
Although it was called the Embroidered Tower, as Qin Xiangru's only daughter and the pearl in the Qin Family's palm, the Empress Dowager obviously had more than a single small building for her residence.
As Ye Jingtang approached the Embroidered Tower, he saw an entire courtyard complex, with gardens, pavilions, and a lake inside. Rockeries, stone bridges, and other waterside scenery were everywhere. A small two-story building stood