In the grand hall, music was playing.
People were eating, drinking, dancing, laughing.
The banquet was accompanied by a ball, the atmosphere was lively and cheerful, allowing everyone to immerse themselves in it.
Gu Qing Shan poured a glass of wine and gave it to the young soldier.
The two of them drank another cup.
"His Majesty seems to be in a good mood recently" Gu Qing Shan commented.
The soldier unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and spoke in a relaxed tone: "That's right, before coming to the palace, His Majesty went hunting in the mountains as usual and caught quite a bit of prey"
"From then on, His Majesty's mood improved a lot"
Gu Qing Shan smiled: "You all went?"
The soldier answered uncomfortably: "During that hunt, His Majesty didn't let us go with him, saying that too many people would scare away the prey and it wouldn't be fun"
Gu Qing Shan asked: "Does His Majesty never let anyone follow him when he goes hunting?"
"Not really, it was just that the day before yesterday, he didn't let us follow him because he was excited"
"He must've had a lot of fun" Gu Qing Shan commented.
"That's right, he was all smiles when he came back"
Gu Qing Shan fell into thought.
"Hmph, you didn't bet with him and instead chatted, what's the meaning of that?" a female voice called out.
The two of them turned to see that it was Her Highness the princess.
The princess glared angrily at the officer, then turned around and ran away.
"I'm sorry" the young soldier said.
"It's fine" Gu Qing Shan generously waved her hand.
The young soldier quickly chased after the princess.
"Hunting alone …" Gu Qing Shan muttered in a low voice.
According to Varona Empress's hints, the Emperor has become different from before.
Because of this, Varona spent the entire night playing cards with other people to protect herself.
If the Emperor finds out that she noticed something, he'll definitely kill her to keep her quiet.
The problem lies in the hunt.
Gu Qing Shan sat alone in a corner, slowly sipping his wine.
When the ladies came to ask him to dance, he didn't refuse.
When the celebrities talked to him, he would also pick up their conversation and talk about some interesting things.
He completely immersed himself into this banquet, into Fuxi's upper society.
He silently waited for the banquet to end.
Late at night.
As the music ended, the banquet came to an end.
Many people were drunk and sent to their rooms to rest.
Gu Qing Shan was arranged to rest in a room.
He stood still in the room and released his Divine Sense to scan the entire palace.
The young nobles found a small hall and continued to drink and chat.
The young officer and the Fuxi princess were also present.
They were full of energy and fun.
As Gu Qing Shan's spiritual sense swept across, they did not sense it at all.
The meeting hall of the temporary imperial residence was brightly lit.
Although it was late at night, the Emperor was still discussing matters with several close ministers.
In the chess room, the game continued.
Empress played a card. "Five Circles."
A noblewoman smiled and said, "Hu, Ka Wu Tao."
Empress said, "I didn't expect to lose so much again today."
Gu Qing Shan's voice was heard.
Empress pushed her cards and stood up. "I'm a little hungry. You guys go to the kitchen and see if there are any snacks that suit your appetite. Pick some over and we'll continue playing after supper."
"Thank you, Your Highness" the noblewomen stood up and bowed.
Such a small matter would normally be handled by the maids.
However, the Empress allowed them to choose the supper that suited their taste, which was also a kind of considerate act.
Not to mention, playing cards is just playing cards, there are still rules and etiquette that they can't ignore.
The three noblewomen were led away by the maids.
"You can leave as well, I'll be quiet for a bit" Empress ordered.
The palace maids who were serving at the side retreated.
The chess room became silent.
Gu Qing Shan's voice came again.
"Your Highness, please tell me the details now"
Empress looked at the air and quickly explained: "The day before yesterday, His Majesty went hunting alone, but when he returned, he was completely different"
"I could tell that he was a bit different at first glance, but he wasn't wounded, and his power as a top-tier Combatant didn't change at all, so I didn't think it was a big deal"
"Does he know that you noticed?" Gu Qing Shan asked.
"I've been behaving normally and haven't done anything out of line"
"But after that, his words and actions became more and more unlike him, so I knew that there must be something wrong with him"
"In fact, he was very happy to play cards with me, because that way, I wouldn't be able to find out more of his secrets, and we would be able to live in peace for now"
"Live in peace for now? Do you think he'll kill you? "Gu Qing Shan asked.
Empress's expression was resolute as she spoke: "When he's fully prepared, he'll definitely come to kill me"
"Why?"
"As the person who sleeps with him, I know a lot of his secrets, and I'm his only weakness"
"So you're saying that your thoughts are different?"
"That's right, I only want to maintain the stability of the Empire, but he wants more than that"
Empress continued: "I'll become the obstacle to his ambitions"
Gu Qing Shan suddenly asked: "Do you know where the Fuxi crown is?"
Empress was a bit surprised and asked: "There are three crowns, which one are you talking about?"
"The one in the middle is embedded with a gem from the universe"
"I'm the one who took care of the crown and the Emperor's scepter, of course I know"
"I want the gem on the crown, go get the crown, we're leaving right away"
"Can you save me?" Empress asked.
Her expression was calm: "I've heard Anna talk about how miraculous you are, but if you can't do it, don't try to save me so easily"
"Otherwise, if you can't react in time, you'll also die"
"Do you still care about my life or death?" Gu Qing Shan asked.
"If there's no hope, I hope that I'm the only one who dies"
Empress was very calm, as if she's already thought this through.
"Why?"
"If you die, it'll definitely affect Anna greatly. She's currently at the most crucial point of her life, there's no room for anything to go wrong with her mentality" Empress answered.
"She's our Medici clan's last hope"
"That's why, if you're not confident, you don't need to care about my life or death, just find a chance to leave and tell her the truth later on"
Gu Qing Shan was filled with respect.
"As long as I want to save you, no one will be able to stop me" he said.
A knock came from the door as someone reported in a low voice.
"Come in"
Two maids came in, kneeling down to greet her: "Supper has been prepared, the three ladies are waiting for you"
Empress said: "I'm suddenly not hungry anymore, let them eat, then come back and play cards"
"Yes"
The two maids exchanged looks and left.
Empress waited for a while, stood up, and left through another door.
She kept walking until she reached a room.
"Leave" Empress ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness" the two guards replied.
They bowed, carefully left, and closed the door behind them.
Empress walked to the wall and opened a secret compartment.
The Fuxi crown inlaid with the blood of the Sun and Moon silently sat inside.
Next to the crown was a scepter.
Empress looked at the scepter in shock, a hint of fear in her eyes.
The scepter of the Fuxi Empire's Emperor, made from pure gold, the top of the scepter was carved with a human head, staring straight ahead.
This head belonged to the Fuxi Empire's founding Emperor.
When the founding Emperor died, he requested for his entire head to be melded into the scepter, wrapped in gold, and carved into the shape of a scepter to be passed down to the next Emperor.
This meant that although he had passed away, he was still watching over his descendants to see if they were qualified to be Emperors.
Even now, the pure gold scepter is still here, but the founding Emperor's head is nowhere to be seen.
"Do you know about this?" Gu Qing Shan asked.
"I don't" Empress answered.
"Could it be that the Emperor took it without telling you?" Gu Qing Shan asked.
"I've always been the one arranging these things, he — — -"
Empress controlled her emotions and took out the crown.
She tried not to look at the scepter.
After all, this matter was too strange.
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