Chapter 59: I'm Dead!

Inside Jingfu Palace.

Niaoniao was squatting on a wooden dummy, watching the plump-headed dragon sister practice her saber. She was feeling a bit drowsy, her head bobbing up and down.

Dongfang Liren was also somewhat distracted, turning her head from time to time to look toward the northeast side of the imperial city, muttering inwardly:

"This fellow, why isn't he here yet? Did he really go to chat up the palace maids..."

Just as she was growing bored, a palace maid walked in briskly:

"Your Highness, Her Majesty asks that you move to Canyang Pond."

"Hm?"

Dongfang Liren's saber paused. "Hasn't Her Majesty already retired for the night?"

"I'm not sure. The maid who brought the message said it seemed Her Majesty couldn't sleep and wished to bathe in Canyang Pond, and requested your company."

Figuring she had woken her sister up by jumping around practicing her saber in the middle of the night, Dongfang Liren didn't dare delay. She put away her saber and handed Niaoniao to the maid:

"Take good care of her. When Ye Jingtang comes later, give her back to him and tell him to wait right here."

"Yes, Your Highness."

...

Soon, Dongfang Liren, accompanied by the maid, walked through corridors and across buildings until they reached Canyang Pond. Outside, two senior female officials who attended to the Empress were waiting. Seeing her, they bowed slightly:

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"Hasn't Her Majesty arrived yet?"

"Her Majesty found the moonlight delightful and was inspired to compose poetry, so she asked Prince Jing to wait a moment."

Knowing her sister's casual temperament, Dongfang Liren wasn't surprised. She led the maid into Canyang Pond and went first to the side hall to change her clothes, pondering how she might perfunctorily deal with her sister later so she could return to practicing her saber.

Rustle...

Amidst a soft rustling sound, her belt was untied, and the silver python robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing an embroidered silver bodice and thin trousers beneath.

Then, the plump-headed dragon bodice was also untied, and instantly two full moons appeared in the hall.

Draped in a sheer gauze bathrobe, Dongfang Liren walked to the edge of the mist-shrouded pool, cupping her heavy, full breasts with one hand while testing the water temperature with the tip of her foot.

Splash~

Finding the water temperature just right, she cast off the bathrobe and plunged into the water with an elegant form.

Plop—

...

-----

Canyang Pond was quite large, serving as a standard indoor pool. Its shape was not square, but elliptical, with several crescent-shaped alcoves along the edges for lounging.

Ye Jingtang held his breath and dove to the bottom of the pool. The light underwater was dim, making it difficult to clearly see the pool floor, which was paved with uneven pebbles. Finding a jade pendant down there was truly no easy task.

Fortunately, after searching more than half a circle along the bottom, he finally spotted traces of the jade pendant among the pebbles.

Joy welled up in Ye Jingtang's heart. He surfaced, took a deep breath, and dove back down to retrieve the pendant.

Only to find that the jade pendant was wedged tightly in a crevice, and his fingers couldn't reach in at all. Without damaging the pool floor and the jade pendant, his only option was to nudge it out bit by bit with his fingers.

Yet the pendant was wedged rather peculiarly and was extremely slippery; no matter how he spun it in place, it simply wouldn't come out.

Ye Jingtang wasn't in a rush, slowly nudging the pendant. Before he had been doing it for long, he suddenly noticed something amiss—he vaguely sensed a change in light.

At shoulder-deep depth on the pool floor, the subtle sounds from outside were completely inaudible. This sight genuinely startled Ye Jingtang, and he looked up—through the hazy pool water, he indeed saw several balls of light moving along the edge of the pool.

The spot where the jade pendant had 'fallen' was in the crescent-shaped lounging alcove of the pool, where a white jade platform blocked the view. At first, the light from the doorway was completely imperceptible, and by the time he noticed it, the balls of light had already traversed half the circle.

Ye Jingtang was secretly alarmed, yet also puzzled—when he came in, he had already checked the surroundings; there were no outsiders, and it was already the middle of the night. No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like a time anyone would come...

Could it be a patrolling eunuch?

If he were discovered and chased off by a eunuch, he certainly wouldn't be able to linger in the pool...

Pondering silently, Ye Jingtang had no choice but to apply internal force to his hands, silently and forcefully prying apart the pebbles to retrieve the jade pendant. Then, he quietly poked his head out from the crescent-shaped alcove to see what was happening above.

It wasn't a eunuch by the pool, but rather several palace maids in colorful dresses holding lamps behind a folding screen.

Just as Ye Jingtang surfaced, he saw a door behind the folding screen open, revealing the silhouette of a woman. She wore a white sheer gauze bathrobe, hazy and indistinct, and underneath she seemed to be...

Hiss—!!

Ye Jingtang's eyes widened abruptly. Daring not to look closely at the woman's face and figure, he quickly shrank back into the pool, desperately searching for a way out to make a clean escape.

However, the pool was filled with semi-transparent folding screens, and since he was still in the water, slipping away silently was easier said than done.

If he popped his head up, he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River; but if he stayed hidden and was discovered, wouldn't he be dead for sure...

Before Ye Jingtang could settle on a countermeasure, he saw a fair, jade-like foot probe into the surface of the pool in the distance, gently dangling over the water.

Splash~

aided by the light above the pool, the bare foot was exceptionally fair, its toes resembling translucent jade artifacts, possessing the ultimate in line and form.

And the scenery above the water's surface was a hazy expanse of white...

...

No way!

Realizing the woman seemed to have stripped off her bathrobe, Ye Jingtang didn't even dare to poke his head up now. He hesitated whether to make a little commotion to give a warning, when he heard a muffled sound:

Plop—

The calm pool water not far away suddenly churned into waves, and a fair figure plunged directly into the pool.

Ye Jingtang first saw a pair of slender arms, followed by a heroic face and snowy, fragrant shoulders.

The diving posture itself had been very clean, kicking up very little splash.

However, the newcomer's build was clearly not streamlined, and the resistance at her chest was immense.

The moment she entered the water, he saw two large, white, soft mounds parting the current, producing rhythmic ripples, swaying and surging with magnificent waves, while an indescribable sense of oppression washed over him...

Oh crap!!!

Such a soul-shaking sight thoroughly stunned Ye Jingtang, leaving him frozen at the edge of the pool with a heart full of despair.

Yet once he recognized who the newcomer was, a trace of relief washed over him.

It's a good thing it's the dorky one...

No, wait, how can I say it's a good thing...

What on earth is he going to do now...

Capital punishment might be avoided, but a lifetime of torment was inescapable. She was bound to blackmail him forever...

At this point, expecting Prince Jing not to discover him was something even the heavens likely wouldn't agree to.

Dongfang Liren plunged headfirst into the pool like a white fish, swam forward a couple of body lengths, and opened her eyes, preparing to glide backward to the lounging spot on the opposite side of the pool.

Yet the moment she opened her eyes, she noticed something unusual at the bottom of the pool—in the crescent alcove at the edge of the pool, there seemed to be a dark shadow.

?!

Dongfang Liren was slightly startled and quickly looked closer. Through the faint light, she caught sight of that handsome face filled with utter shock.

"Glug, glug, glug——!!"

Even Dongfang Liren, who was usually adept at hiding her emotions, let out a scream upon encountering such an unexpected event. She stared in disbelief at Ye Jingtang not far away, quickly crossing her arms over her chest and curling into a fetal position in the water, using her feet to shield her most private parts.

Realizing that Prince Jing had spotted him, Ye Jingtang hurriedly closed his eyes and raised his hands. Although he didn't speak, his posture clearly conveyed:

I was wrong, I was wrong! I didn't mean to...

Recognizing who was hiding at the bottom of the pool, Dongfang Liren's face flushed crimson red, a tangle of shame, anger, and shock washing over her.

Yet her ability to keep a cool head in a crisis kept her from completely panicking like an ordinary maiden. After shielding her vital areas, she forcefully suppressed the churning waves in her heart and rapidly popped her head out of the water.

Splash!

At the edge of the hot spring pool, several palace maids wore bewildered expressions as they looked toward the Queen of a Commandery who had emerged from the water like a lotus blossom.

Dongfang Liren's face was red as blood. Forcibly suppressing her emotions, she put on a normal expression and commanded:

"All of you, get out!"

Her voice was trembling.

Finding it strange yet not daring to ask questions, the palace maids bowed slightly and walked out of the hall doors with bewildered hearts.

Once outsiders had cleared the poolside, Dongfang Liren's expression turned entirely to shame, resentment, and startled fury. She wanted to go to the poolside to grab her clothes, but feared exposing herself if she moved her limbs too openly...

Though she had likely already been seen completely, she certainly couldn't bear to be seen a second time!

Crouching and curling into a ball, Dongfang Liren floated in the water in a very odd posture, not quite knowing what to do.

Splash...

A slight splashing sound rang out.

A handsome male face emerged from the crescent alcove, filled with sheer awkwardness. With his eyes tightly shut and hands held high, he turned around, presenting his back to her:

"Uh..."

Dongfang Liren gritted her teeth. Seeing Ye Jingtang turn away slightly eased the panicked shame in her heart. Standing in the pool with the water up to her neck, she scolded in a low voice:

"You... you have a lot of nerve!"

Utterly bewildered, Ye Jingtang explained with his back still to Dongfang Liren:

"I truly didn't mean to, I..."

How on earth was he supposed to explain this?!

Dongfang Liren's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly retreated toward the edge of the pool, demanding coldly:

"Why are you here?"

Ye Jingtang had come here to help find the jade pendant. If he exposed Yuhu at this moment, Prince Jing would surely vent her anger on the palace maids.

Though he was in deep trouble himself, Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and explaining:

"I had just met with Master Shang and passed by this place. Noticing that it was pitch black yet hearing the sound of water, I came in to take a look, and discovered it was a hot spring... Um... when I realized someone was coming, I hid myself first. I never expected Your Highness would suddenly arrive... Weren't Your Highness practicing saber techniques in Jingfu Palace?"

Dongfang Liren didn't believe a single word of Ye Jingtang's excuse, yet she truly didn't believe he had deliberately hidden here to peek either.

She had been summoned here by her sister; Ye Jingtang had no way of knowing beforehand.

Even if he had known, he wouldn't be foolish enough to run over and spy on her bath.

Even with genuine peeping intentions, nobody would be foolish enough to bury their head in the sand like this and hide right inside the pool...

Fortunately, her sister hadn't come, otherwise...

Her sister hadn't come...

? !

DONGFANG! YUHU!

With her quick mind, Dongfang Liren instantly guessed who had set up this trap that was killing her!

Aside from her omnipotent sister, there was simply no one else in the palace who could trick her into coming here while simultaneously luring Ye Jingtang over!

Has your head been flooded or something?!

How could you pull such a stunt? I'm your own biological sister...

Though she understood the reason and knew Ye Jingtang was also a victim, she had suffered such a massive loss for no reason and could never let Ye Jingtang off the hook.

A hundred thoughts flashed through Dongfang Liren's mind. Biting her lower lip fiercely, she demanded in a cold voice:

"What did you just see?"

Ye Jingtang hadn't looked closely; otherwise, he could have seen every single hair.

"I didn't see anything..."

Seeing him still refusing to admit it, Dongfang Liren glared with shame and anger:

"Do you take this king for a fool?"

Ye Jingtang said quite innocently, "I really didn't mean to. I only caught a silhouette just now, and I closed my eyes immediately."

A silhouette?

Whose silhouette...

Or all the silhouettes...

Dongfang Liren stood in the water with her arms crossed over her chest. She wanted to scold Ye Jingtang, but her mind was in too much of a jumble to organize her words:

"You..."

Fearing that Prince Jing would fly into a rage out of humiliation and castrate him, Ye Jingtang quietly climbed up onto the edge of the pool while offering apologies:

"I really wasn't doing it on purpose, I..."

Before he could even climb onto the edge, his words cut off and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Dongfang Liren's eyes narrowed. Crossing her arms over her chest, she put on a defensive expression, but immediately footsteps sounded from outside:

"Is Liren inside?"

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Prince Jing is currently bathing..."

?!

Both of them were shocked.

Ye Jingtang scanned the area, searching for a place to hide.

However, the Empress Dowager was likely coming directly to the side hall to change clothes, leaving no spot to hide. The pool looked quite large, but even the folding screens were semi-transparent; hiding a grown man like him in the room would make him extremely easy to spot.

Gritting his teeth in secret, Ye Jingtang prepared to vault quickly out through the window.

Yet Dongfang Liren hurriedly stopped him: "Don't! There are hidden guards outside. You're completely soaked; stepping out will get you spotted instantly... Turn your head around!"

The moment Ye Jingtang turned his head back, before he could catch sight of anything, he was snapped at with a shameful rebuke, prompting him to quickly turn away again and ask:

"Then what should we do?"

Clop, clop, clop...

The Empress Dowager was walking rather hurriedly and didn't seem to intend on stopping at the side hall to strip; her footsteps had already reached the doorway.

Left with no other choice, Dongfang Liren flicked her fingers, using water droplets to extinguish several candles, and whispered:

"Get down here."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up!"

"Oh."

With nowhere else to run, Ye Jingtang could only take a deep breath, slide back into the water, and hide...