After Mo Yu prepared the dishes, she scooped herself a bowl of rice and sat across Xu You Rong.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
If it was Chen Chang Sheng and Tang Thirty Six, they wouldn't be able to stand such a strange scene, but they were used to it.
Just like many years ago, when the Queen was eating, she was very serious. She didn't allow anyone to talk and could only communicate with her eyes.
Xu You Rong and Mo Yu had communicated with their eyes countless times. They had a tacit understanding and could easily tell what the other was thinking.
But at that time, the content of their conversation was which dish was delicious and which dish was not. The Queen seemed to be in a good mood today. She had already eaten three times. Last night, the Queen said she was going to take away the position of Prime Minister. It seemed like she meant it. Otherwise, why would she be so depressed today that she couldn't even drink her favorite Bi Si soup. But today, they were talking about something else.
Mo Yu looked at her and blinked her eyes. She was asking her what she thought about Chen Chang Sheng and the engagement.
Xu You Rong looked down and didn't answer. She just moved the chopsticks forward a little bit.
Mo Yu noticed this detail and began to sympathize with Chen Chang Sheng.
She remembered clearly that when Xu You Rong was unhappy, she would subconsciously tighten her grip on the chopsticks. Then the chopsticks would move forward. One year, she saw Little Xu Yourong holding chopsticks like that. That afternoon, in the palace where Ping Guo lived, there were more than a dozen non-venomous snakes. Then, that night, Ping Guo's face was painted into the Big Flower Face in the opera …
… …
… …
The eunuchs and maids were guarding outside of the palace. They weren't surprised by the scene in the palace. Their expressions didn't change.
There weren't many people who had the right to eat with the Divine Queen. Xu You Rong was one of them.
This had nothing to do with her identity as the Holy Maiden of the South. Since she was little, the Queen would often take her into the palace and eat with her. At that time, besides Xu You Rong, there was also Mo Yu, Princess Ping Guo, and Prince Chen Liu. Later on, when Prince Chen Liu passed the age of sixteen, he rarely stayed in the palace. He also had less time to eat with the Empress. As for the Princess of Ping Guo … … it was said that tonight, she went to the West Mountain Temple outside the city to burn incense. Everyone understood that it was because Her Highness the Princess didn't want to face Xu You Rong, whom she envied for so many years, so she avoided her.
After lunch, Mo Yu stayed in the palace to deal with files. The Divine Queen stood up and said to Xu You Rong, "Follow me."
Xu Yourong followed her to the highest point in the capital.
Standing on the Dew Platform and gazing at the streets of the capital, gazing at the distant Mausoleum of Books, Xu Yourong thought of the times when she played here as a child, and a happy smile appeared on her face.
"This is the first time you've smiled today."
The Divine Empress held her hands behind her back and stood at the edge of the Dew Platform, not turning her head.
Xu You Rong stopped smiling and walked behind her. She said slowly, "The pressure came suddenly. I don't know how to deal with it."
This was naturally referring to the successor of the Saintess of the South.
The Divine Empress said, "The so-called Holy Maiden is just a statue of a god. With your ability of comprehension, what's so difficult about it?"
Xu Yourong knew that this was how the Empress had always viewed the position of the Saintess of the South. There was no way to change it. She smiled and said nothing.
"I do know where your stress comes from." The Divine Empress turned around and looked at her. She thought of the scene in the Garden of Zhou that she had seen that night on the pond in the Cold Palace. She looked at her with a smile that was not a smile and said, "The word 'love' is the most harmful. If you can avoid it, then avoid it."
Xu Yourong was slightly surprised. She felt that the Empress seemed to have noticed something, but … that matter could not be known by anyone. Not even he … did he not know?
The Divine Empress did not continue this topic. Her gaze passed over her shoulder and fell on those distant mountains to the south that were gradually covered in snow. She asked, "Before she left, what did she want to say to me?"
Xu Yourong calmly replied, "Master said that he hoped that the Empress would not worry too much about the affairs of the state and would spend more of her days by herself."
The Divine Empress was somewhat displeased at these words. She said in a slightly chilly voice, "Truly foolish."
This matter involved her own teacher. Although Xu Yourong felt rather helpless, she was still forced to say a few words in defense.
The Divine Empress said, "Back then, the Chief Princess was too outstanding in the Great Western Continent. In the end, she was feared and even feared by her own younger brother. In the end, that good-for-nothing would even faint from fear upon seeing her. In the end, she had no other choice. It was also because of the attitude of her parents that she became somewhat disheartened and married off to the distant White Emperor City … now it seems that your master was just as foolish as her."
Xu Yourong quietly thought, if the Chief Princess had become the Queen of the Great Western Continent or if she had become the Empress of White Emperor City, just which life would have been happier? Other than herself, who could say for sure?
"It's not easy for a woman to survive in this world, and it's even more difficult for a woman to have her own position. To be like us, to be able to stand at the highest position is an even more difficult task. Putting aside that idiot Wuqiong Bi, your master's talent, comprehension, and intelligence can be said to be one in ten thousand. I originally thought that she would be different from those other foolish women, but in the end? Such a clever woman, why can't she overcome the barrier of love? "
The Divine Empress's expression became abnormally cold. "What do you mean live? For what reason can a woman only live? "
Xu Yourong thought of a matter before coming here and softly said, "Martial Uncle Su said that the Empress would definitely say this, that even the words would be the same."
The Divine Empress slightly arched her brows. "Oh? Then what did little little Su say? "
In the present world, amongst those experts that had stepped into the Divine Domain, Su Li and the Holy Maiden of the south were half a generation later than the Pope and the Divine Empress. Moreover, because of their complicated attitudes towards Su Li, all the other Saints besides the Holy Maiden would refer to him as little little Su. It seemed like this was the only way to express their somewhat annoyed attitude towards Su Li.
Because in their view, Su Li was a problem.
"Martial Uncle Su wanted me to say to the Empress …" Xu Yourong glanced at her, then continued, "It's not easy to be alone, so why force yourself?"
Hearing Su Li's message, the Divine Empress fell silent for a very long time. Then she suddenly began to laugh, a laugh brimming with magnanimity and disdain.
"Empress, don't blame Master. It's already not easy for her to convince Martial Uncle Su to travel the four seas with her."
Starting from the autumn of last year, both the Great Zhou Dynasty and the various powers of the south had begun their preparations, seemingly already certain that the confluence of the north and south was inevitable. At the time, many people did not understand, even important figures like Xue Xingchuan, who knew that this was being carried out, could not understand. Su Li was clearly still at Mount Li, so why was it that when the Saints pushed for this matter, they did not consider his stance in the slightest?
It turned out that it was because the Holy Maiden of the south had convinced Su Li to distance himself from the grievances and grievances of the secular world, to no longer care about these matters.
The Divine Empress had said that the Holy Maiden of the south could not overcome the barrier of love, but how could Su Li possibly overcome it?
The word 'love' was a fetter, the prerequisite for the confluence of the north and south.
The Divine Empress's words were extremely unyielding and mocking, because she was somewhat sorrowful. "Your master spent her most beautiful years guarding Holy Maiden Peak, while he ate, drank, and played outside. He lived a carefree and happy life for so many years, found a Demon Princess as his lover, and even gave birth to a daughter. Nothing was delayed, and in the end, when he was tired of playing, he went back to find her, and then they watched the sunset together. How beautiful was that? It's said that governing a country is like playing chess. Even if it was, I still wouldn't trade pieces with my enemies, because it's not worth it. "
In this world, there were only two people of the same sex that could communicate with her as equals in the spiritual world. Just like this, one of them was gone, and it was because of a man, the reason that she could not accept.
Xu Yourong did not respond, because she was speaking of her elder, and also because … in truth, there were times when she thought this way.
"She left just like that, leaving a girl like you behind. Could it be that she wasn't worried?"
The Divine Empress gazed at Xu Yourong and slightly arched her brows. "In the end, isn't it still up to me to worry? It's true that when you're with a man, you become stupid. When you're with me, you're smarter than anyone else."
Xu Yourong smiled. "In any case, I was raised by the Empress. It's fine if the Empress teaches me for a few more years."
"It's not teaching, it's an exchange."
The Divine Empress nodded at her. This was a form of courtesy.
Xu Yourong was very shocked, but then she quickly calmed down and seriously returned the courtesy.
She was not a Saint, but she was already the Holy Maiden of the south.
From this moment onwards, she and the Empress had to speak as equals, even if it was only on the surface.
"Since you're the Holy Maiden of the south, you must consider the southerners more. This is your foundation, even if … in the future, you need to oppose me."
"Understood."
"Just like I said at the very beginning, men can't bear to see us high and mighty, so the generations of Holy Maidens before your master rarely left South Stream Temple. On the surface, they were studying the Heavenly Tome Monoliths and forgot about the world of mortals, but in reality, they also understood that it was enough to maintain their sense of existence, but they also couldn't allow their sense of existence to be too strong. If you don't want to become a statue of god, then you can't do this. "
"Then what should I do?"
"Men don't like us high and mighty, so we have to be high and mighty, and we have to step on them until they can't speak, and even if they want to oppose us, they won't dare."
The Divine Empress expressionlessly said.
Xu Yourong knew that these seemingly simple and crude words were the will of the Empress, a reminder for her future career as Holy Maiden, but … it was even more of a request for the upcoming battle.
She could not lose to Chen Changsheng.
… …
… …
Chen Changsheng sat by the lake in the Orthodox Academy in a daze.
The White Crane stood by his side, also in a daze.
Fine snow descended from the sky, falling upon the White Crane's body, adding to its holiness. When it fell upon his body, it seemed like his hair had turned white from worry.
"What should I do?" He worriedly asked the White Crane, "If there's really no way to avoid her and we have to fight her, how should we fight?"
The White Crane slightly tilted its head and looked at him, as if saying, you should ask her about this sort of matter, not me.
He thought for a very long time, and finally softly said to himself, "If it really doesn't work, then I'll just lose to her?"
… …
… …
In the light snow, Xu Yourong held an umbrella as she walked through the streets of the capital.
There was not a single disciple of South Stream Temple at her side, nor were there any priests of the Li Palace or guards of the Imperial Palace. She walked alone.
For some reason, she had not changed her appearance today. She was as beautiful as a fairy, but she did not attract anyone's gaze, much less reveal her identity.
The people in the food stalls by the street, the laborers squatting on the doorsteps eating noodles, did not seem to see her under the umbrella.
Perhaps it was because the umbrella in her hand was not ordinary — the umbrella seemed rather old and dusty. It was the Yellow Paper Umbrella.
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