Led by Uncle Li, Ah Jun, Ning'er, and Xiao Xi passed by the perimeter of the Imperial Garden before arriving outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony—this was where the imperial family and key ministers deliberated on major affairs, and also the palace's iconic landmark. Its classical architecture looked exquisite and imposing, its elevated foundation magnificent and awe-inspiring. Climbing each step gave one the sensation of ascending to a summit.
As the children drew closer to the hall, military officers in splendid armor appeared before their eyes one by one—alert, vigorous, steadfast at their posts. These were the palace guards, the Emperor's trusted men, the Sacred Imperial Guard, responsible for the palace's security.
"Minister Xiao, requesting audience!"
Following a civil official's announcement, Uncle Li began leading the children into the imperial presence. After passing through that magnificent doorway, they entered the great hall, where several people were already waiting.
At first glance, the interior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was resplendent with gold and jade, yet perhaps because the hall's interior space was exceptionally vast, with ceilings nearly 10 meters high, it paradoxically gave off an inexplicable sense of cold emptiness. As Ah Jun walked, he habitually surveyed his surroundings—most eye-catching were the gleaming golden support pillars arranged neatly on both sides, while along the central pathway stood sets of premium mahogany grand chairs and tea tables.
The children walked upon the red carpet, feeling as though attending an awards ceremony.
At the far end, upon an elevated platform, sat two wide, luxurious, gleaming dragon and phoenix thrones. Behind them stood an exquisitely carved backdrop wall—this was where the Emperor and Empress held court daily. However, the dragon throne currently stood empty, while the other seat held a lady—elegant and dignified from a distance, naturally exuding the noble bearing befitting the mother of the nation.
Mm... indeed, this lady was none other than the person Ah Jun's trial required him to find—the Vermillion Bird Region's emissary. She was not only the current Emperor's consort and mistress of the inner palace, but also the chieftain of the Changsun Clan, first among the Alliance Lords, and the little princess's mother—Empress Changsun Zhi.
Of course, in this modern era, monogamy prevailed, so the "inner palace" simply meant devoted helpmate. And that Uncle Li leading the group was the Empress's trusted confidant.
At this moment, Empress Changsun was gazing at the children from afar, though occasionally her eyes would dart downward—the impression was somehow unsettling, though Ah Jun couldn't articulate exactly what felt wrong. From a distance, her outward appearance was fine, but the gaze she projected carried an oppressively tense quality.
Before the dais stood several others—guards flanking the sides. Compared to the Sacred Imperial Guard outside the hall, these few kept far lower profiles, dressed casually, all wearing smiling expressions. However, one mustn't judge by appearances alone—they were the Imperial Presence Guard... Yet looking at their numbers, something seemed asymmetrical... why was there a gap in the formation?
On a nearby tea table sat some uncleaned food remnants, with several playing cards scattered on the floor. At that moment, not far away, Ah Jun caught sight of a rotund figure clutching something, hurriedly scurrying off.
"We pay respects to the Emperor... to the Empress!"
"Ah, no need for ceremony! Rise, rise! Mm... you must be little Jun, grown so big—oh my, look at that belly..."
"Uncle, I'm Xiao Xi—it's only been a few months, and you're face-blind again..."
"Oh... hey, how could I not know—mm, little Jun..."
"Ahem ahem..."
"Ah? Haha... come, come, children, sit!"
At that moment, a tall middle-aged gentleman standing among the guards strode toward Ah Jun and the others with dignified bearing—over eight chi tall, graying hair, square face with short hair, projecting an imposing sense of elevation. His appearance seemed supremely refined and commanding, yet his speech came across as quite amiable.
He was the current Emperor, Gongsun Ye.
Thus Ah Jun and Xiao Xi respectfully performed the sovereign-subject courtesy, while Ning'er remained completely composed, merely nodding before glancing at the boy beside her.
"Ahem!"
After some inexplicably awkward pleasantries, everyone's casual chat was interrupted by a bout of coughing, then at the Emperor's enthusiastic invitation, the children all sat down—while the other adults remained standing. Apparently under the Empress's authority, no one dared act presumptuously.
"Little..."
"Ahem!"
"—Xiao Xi, who is that young lady?"
"Oh... Your Majesty, Your Imperial Majesty, this is our friend, the Azure Dragon Region's Saintess, Ning'er!"
"Oh, naturally so—isn't that right... haha, well then, child—is she your girlfriend?"
"Uncle, she's my..."
"Mm... I suppose, so..."
"Brother, do you even know what 'girlfriend' means!"
"Ah, isn't it just a female friend? Didn't you just say so?"
"Uh..."
"Ah, haha, right, right, they're all still children, all friends... hey, Xiao Xi, have you seen Xin'er?"
After everyone was seated, the Emperor posed a question liable to cause misunderstanding among the children—Xiao Xi cheerfully introduced his female friend, while Ah Jun appeared utterly bewildered by the questioning. As for Ning'er, her inner state showed slight fluctuation, her lips twitching with surprise one moment, then reversing to disappointment the next.
Fortunately, the Emperor's interjection temporarily eased the atmosphere, and Xiao Xi recounted their earlier encounter in detail. However, due to his tendency toward exaggeration, Ah Jun repeatedly offered gentle corrections.
"Well... it's getting late, you must all be hungry—let's dine together... shall we?"
"Yeah!"
"Ahem! All you think about is eating—let's go!"
Realizing the children must be famished, the Emperor suddenly proposed an excellent idea, given the late hour—this delighted Xiao Xi, as the palace's imperial kitchen wasn't accessible every day, and he'd been anticipating this feast for quite some time.
However, with a single decree from the Empress, their expectations completely shattered—everyone watched as this stern-faced lady issued her command while slowly rising, then walked away with complete indifference, simultaneously casting a glance at Ah Jun and saying, "Follow."
—That look... oh my, anyone who saw it would tremble, tsk tsk tsk, far more formidable than that little princess!
"Hmph! You actually dare show up, we'll see if you can pass in a moment... making us wait so long!"
At this moment, the Empress already appeared completely different from the children's first impression—after barely a few minutes of contact, Ah Jun felt that even Xiao Xi's fear was justified. This Empress's terror was no exaggeration—mother of the nation indeed... what Xiao Xi said was absolutely true, she was practically a tigress!
—Look, even the current Emperor, the nation's sovereign, obeyed her every command? How could this be, was she truly the one above all others?
However, this was also quite understandable—after all, this Empress came from the Alliance Lord Changsun Clan, serving as its current chieftain. Reportedly, at a young age she'd gained the Imperial Sword's recognition, capable not only of awakening the Xuanyuan Sword—the advanced form of the little princess's blade—but also of skillfully wielding that exclusive secret technique, the Sparrow Pupil.
—If the little princess's recently used ability belonged to the beginner stage, then this Empress had certainly reached master level, being one of the few Grand Masters, after all!
Thus in what followed, Ah Jun and his companions could only trail behind this important personage while exchanging glances and whispering incessantly—until the Empress halted her steps, forcing them to quiet down... what was wrong, had she overheard them?
—Mm... who knew!
Because at this moment, what the children saw before them was a bookshelf holding books, brocade boxes, and a Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain vase—the Empress stood before the bookshelf, her intentions unclear.
—Mm... I understand, there must be a secret passage here! Just like on TV, that vase on the bookshelf should be a mechanism, then you turn it and it opens...
"You're overthinking!"
Just as Ah Jun and the others awaited the miracle's arrival, they saw the Empress take an object from there, clutch it in her right hand, then dismissively rebuke the child before continuing to lead everyone forward at a leisurely pace.
—This sounded as though she could sense my thoughts... also, didn't she just say it was late, so why is she being so leisurely now, how strange!
"Father Emperor... Mother Empress!"
"Your Majesty, Your Imperial Majesty!"
Subsequently, after the group once again circled past the Imperial Garden and crossed a river, they unexpectedly arrived outside another palace—it looked somewhat like the Forbidden City's architecture. Though this place wasn't as spacious as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, its rounded shape with pagoda-like peak gave an even more sacred impression.
Moreover, the temperature fluctuation in this imperial city was truly unstable—the entire journey felt like winter, but here it was decidedly summer temperature—suddenly, a voice both familiar and strange to Ah Jun rang out once more...
—Hm? Oh... so it's the little princess and Yuwen Lü, they've arrived!
"Mm... good—little Lü, you've grown much taller!"
"You... actually dare show up!"
Just then, the little princess, who'd just returned from her stroll, cheerfully greeted her parents, only to be mercilessly scolded by the Empress. Fortunately the Emperor intervened to defuse the situation, preventing any major incident, though...
"Mother Empress... it's all his fault I was late—that pervert!"
"Silence! Such insolence..."
"I..."
Upon seeing Ah Jun, the girl's temper flared—she urgently tried explaining the circumstances to her parents, but regarding her child's accusations, the father seemed somewhat at a loss, while the Empress grew extremely stern, quietly rebuking her child with sharp urgency!
Perhaps speaking this way before so many people truly was inappropriate, given she was a princess, imperial progeny—and facing the Empress's reprimand, the little princess glanced at her father, her lips pouting in grievance, words catching in her throat—clearly the girl wanted to appeal further but dared not speak more, her eyes already reddening.
Next, after another glare from the Empress, the little princess had no choice but to lower her head, suppress her tears, and fall silent—while Ah Jun, standing dumbfounded to the side, paid no attention whatsoever to the little princess's accusations against him. He stared blankly at the girl's aggrieved appearance, his heart actually aching somewhat. Perhaps he truly felt he'd delayed the girl, thus blaming himself.
"Your Imperial Majesty, please allow me to explain..."
"You... come inside!"
Watching her pitiful state, suddenly Ah Jun recalled Xiao Xi's words—the girl's bad temper might very well stem from one parent in this family of origin.
Thus he bravely spoke up, wanting to appeal on the little princess's behalf, but couldn't find an appropriate opportunity. Because at this moment, that parent, the Empress, had already used the object in her hand to unlock the palace gates—a crimson feather floated up from her palm, circling as it drifted toward the gate, and upon reaching the lock position, suddenly transformed and unlocked it!
Subsequently, the Empress dismissed the boy's plea and swiftly ordered everyone to follow—so given this situation, what could Ah Jun do but obey, otherwise would this trial even pass!
After bidding farewell to the others, the child could only meekly follow into the palace interior. At this moment, Xiao Xi and Ning'er naturally wanted to enter together, worried of course, though their motivations certainly differed.
"Uncle, may we enter together?"
"Ah... of course, of course! Hey, your aunt didn't say you couldn't all come, right?"
"Exactly!"
"I want to go too..."
"Xin'er, where are you going?"
"Oh, I don't care, I absolutely must go see—someone like him passing our Changsun Clan's trial—hmph, I want to watch him make a fool of himself!"
"Alright, alright, Uncle Li... little Lü, you all come along too!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Having received authoritative permission, Xiao Xi and Ning'er immediately followed inside. Next, the little princess still nursing her grievances suddenly clamored to enter and watch, hoping to find an opportunity to vent—after all, in her view, the Changsun Clan's trial was the most difficult among the Five Regions. Even she herself hadn't completed it, let alone an outsider of questionable character.
As a father, and a daughter's slave at that, the Emperor helplessly agreed. Yet uneasy about his daughter's temperament, he had to follow along with Uncle Li and Yuwen Lü to prevent another incident.
—The space inside the Vermillion Bird Hall was truly vast!
Though the palace's exterior appeared modest, upon entering the interior, Ah Jun suddenly marveled, for it differed greatly from his imagination—inside the palace stood no conventional pillars or stairs, no ceiling, only mirror-like flooring and vast blue sky with white clouds, plus many birds playing in the air. Gazing into the distance, the horizon merged sky and earth, while the mirrored surface reflected the heavens—visually speaking, it felt precisely like being in a dreamscape!
"Ah Jun!"
"Xiao Xi, Ning'er! Why did you come too?"
"We..."
"—Were worried!"
"Indeed cause for concern... hmph, I'd say this brat absolutely cannot pass!"
"You..."
Just as Ah Jun followed the Empress's footsteps, walking slowly through this stunning place, his heart both anxious and amazed... suddenly, he sensed someone had followed from behind—oh! So it was Xiao Xi and Ning'er who'd come.
Though he didn't know why, Ah Jun at this moment felt genuinely happy. After all, walking alongside that lady already made the child quite nervous, not to mention preparing for the most crucial trial.
However, as another familiar voice rang out, the recently paused drama showed new signs—it was the little princess, seen bringing Yuwen Lü close behind in evident haste, as though afraid of missing something. And in the farther distance walked the leisurely Emperor and Uncle Li.
"Ahem! Since you're here, maintain silence!"
"Oh my, enough already... don't frighten the children, let's go!"
Fortunately, the Empress's sharp command directly interrupted the dispute, so the children all quieted down, not daring to quarrel further. Of course, where the tiger mother existed, naturally came the cat father—with the Emperor's mediation, the atmosphere relaxed again.
After continuing forward for some time, Ah Jun's mind began growing puzzled—this place appeared boundless, everything looking similar everywhere, when would they arrive?
"You... go over there!"
"Oh!"
The very next second after the child's wondering, the Empress's sudden command made him respond at once. Subsequently, wind and clouds shifted dramatically, and only after heaven and earth's light and shadow presented sunset colors did Ah Jun suddenly discover that before his eyes, the distant ground rapidly collapsed. Next, a lake surface with lava-like luster gradually formed. At that churning lake's center stood a stage, connected to both shores by an extremely narrow single-log bridge.
"I... go there?"
"Where else!"