"Your Majesty, call me 'Master' and let me hear it."
Jiang Qingyi looked at Xiao Mo calmly.
"I am older than Your Majesty, and I have been practicing swordsmanship longer than Your Majesty. Now that I'm teaching Your Majesty the way of the sword, surely Your Majesty wouldn't refuse to call me 'Master'?"
Looking into the eyes of this veiled woman before him, Xiao Mo was momentarily speechless but after thinking carefully, Xiao Mo felt this wouldn't do him any harm. If he could draw closer to her, that would be good too.
"Master?"
Xiao Mo's voice echoed leisurely across the Dao Inquiry Platform, though it carried a questioning tone, even with a tentative meaning.
When the word "Master" fell into Jiang Qingyi's ears, her eyes blinked gently, and she stood in place like a statue.
A strange feeling quietly spread through the woman's heart.
"Forget it! Don't call me that anymore!" Jiang Qingyi turned around, her small hands tightly gripping her sleeves, not letting him see her trembling eyes. "I was only joking with Your Majesty. Your Majesty needn't take it seriously. Tomorrow I will come to the Dao Inquiry Platform to find Your Majesty."
After speaking, Jiang Qingyi leaped up, flew over the courtyard wall, and disappeared from Xiao Mo's sight."This woman's personality is truly strange, and she clearly seemed to enjoy it just now."
Xiao Mo shook his head and continued practicing his swordsmanship.
Although he felt this National Preceptor might have some strange preferences, her personality seemed decent enough, her emotions were stable, and she probably wouldn't cause any trouble in the future. That was sufficient.
…
"Master..."
"He called me Master."
After leaving the Dao Inquiry Platform, Jiang Qingyi walked quickly through the palace, those two words Xiao Mo had spoken echoing constantly in her mind.
Even though she forcibly suppressed her thoughts from dwelling on it, she couldn't help but hear his voice reverberating in her ears.
"Hah."
The woman's small hand pressed against her rapidly rising and falling chest as she took a deep breath, gradually calming her heartbeat. She couldn't remember how many years it had been since her heart had beaten this fast.
"What kind of Master..."
Jiang Qingyi lowered her head, her cheeks beneath the veil red as if they could drip water.
"It sounds so strange..."
After practicing for half an hour, Xiao Mo went to the Clear Spring Palace to bathe.
The spring water in this Clear Spring Palace was indeed excellent.
After each cultivation session, Xiao Mo would come here for a soak, and both his physical and mental fatigue would be greatly relieved.
However, as his realm improved, Xiao Mo felt that the spring water of the Clear Spring Palace was becoming less effective for him.
With the maids' assistance, Xiao Mo dressed and didn't return to his bedchamber first, but went back to the imperial study. He transcribed the "Grass Character Sword Formula" from his mind.
Of course, Xiao Mo only copied the sword formulas and techniques of the Grass Character Sword Formula.
As for his insights about the Grass Character Sword Formula from his first life, naturally those couldn't be written down.
After a little over half an hour, Xiao Mo had finished transcribing.
He lifted his somewhat sore arm and rubbed it himself, glancing out the window to see it was nearly noon.
Wei Xun, following Xiao Mo's routine, knocked punctually on the imperial study door, "Your Majesty, it's time for your meal."
"Bring it in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The imperial study door opened, and palace maids carrying dishes entered one by one.
Xiao Mo only took at most two bites of each dish, he couldn't eat more.
Of course, if Xiao Mo wanted to eat more, no one would say anything, and Xiao Mo himself didn't mind.
If Yan Shan'ao wanted him dead, he probably found even poisoning the food troublesome.
After finishing lunch, Xiao Mo took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, "Wei Xun, what month is it now?"
During this time, Xiao Mo had been either cultivating or entering the Book of a Hundred Lives, and didn't know the date in the real world.
"Your Majesty, it's the fourteenth day of the sixth month, exactly the beginning of autumn," Wei Xun replied respectfully.
"Mm." Xiao Mo nodded. "As summer retreats and autumn arrives, it's a good time, yet I'm suffocating being cooped up in this palace."
"Eh? Your Majesty means?" Wei Xun's heart jumped, roughly guessing what His Majesty intended to do.
"Since I have nothing to do in the palace anyway, and after cultivating for so long, I should also relax my mind. Go prepare plain clothes, I want to go out for a walk," Xiao Mo said lightly but Wei Xun stood to the side, his expression extremely troubled.
Xiao Mo turned his head, staring at Wei Xun, his voice carrying natural authority without anger, "What? Did the Prime Minister forbid me from going out? Can't I even go out for a walk?"
"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. This old servant will go prepare immediately," Wei Xun quickly knelt before Xiao Mo.
"Hurry up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wei Xun quickly withdrew.
Actually, Xiao Mo had a clear understanding about leaving the palace in disguise for private visits.
In Zhou Kingdom, previous emperors would occasionally leave the palace to walk around. As long as they didn't leave the imperial capital, everything was fine.
Even if Yan Shan'ao found out, he wouldn't react much. After all, he had been so "obedient," what was wrong with going out for a stroll?
As long as this emperor didn't harm his interests, whatever he did was irrelevant to him.
Before long, Wei Xun had prepared ordinary carriage and horses for Xiao Mo. Under the protection of several palace guards, Xiao Mo left the palace.
On the streets of the imperial capital, Xiao Mo got down from the carriage, wanting to walk by himself.
Xiao Mo watched the pedestrians coming and going on the streets, listening to the merchants constantly calling out their wares. The entire imperial city was very lively.
"Are there any good places to visit in the imperial capital right now?" Xiao Mo asked Wei Xun beside him.
"There are, Young Master," Wei Xun nodded. "I've heard that at Jade Spring Lake north of the imperial city, there's a flower called 'Autumn's Arrival' that blooms right around the beginning of autumn. Would Young Master like to go see it?"
"Then let's go take a look."
"Yes, Young Master."
Eunuch Wei nodded and bowed, quickly leading the way.
…
"Miss, Miss!"
At the Ministry of Rites Minister's residence, Xiao Chun ran happily to her young lady's courtyard.
In the courtyard, her young lady was sitting in a chair reading a book.
This book had been brought by the Palace Instructor, discussing all the rules of the palace, the locations and symbolism of various palaces, with illustrated albums.
"Getting all excited again, what's wrong?" Yan Ruxue put down her book and smiled.
"Miss, the 'Autumn's Arrival' flowers at Jade Spring Lake are blooming! This servant heard people say they're very beautiful. Would Miss like to go see them?" Xiao Chun looked at her young lady with blinking eyes, very excited.
Yan Ruxue stood up and pointed at Xiao Chun's forehead with her finger, "I think it's you, little girl, who wants to go see them."
"Miss..." Xiao Chun coquettishly held her young lady's smooth, tender hand. "Miss will enter the palace soon, and this servant has heard that the inner palace is as deep as the sea. Moreover, Miss will become Empress in the future, and it will probably be very difficult to leave the palace afterward. Doesn't Miss want to go see them before entering the palace?"
Listening to Xiao Chun's persuasion, Yan Ruxue smiled gently, "Alright then, since you put it that way, let's go take a look."