CHAPTER 1500: CHAPTER 1507 EMPRESS DOWAGER MO’S TRANSFORMATION (2)

Cai Fei, upon hearing that Mo Ziqi had no life-threatening concerns, felt quite relieved; yet when she learned of his injury, her heart ached for him. Seated there, twisting a handkerchief in her hands, she wished to inquire about the severity of his injury and how much pain he might be in, but she was too shy to voice these questions. Her worry emerged if she didn’t ask.

Just as she was feeling uneasy, Cai Wei suddenly said, "Fei’er, why don’t you come to the palace with me for a few days? I have been away from the palace for so long, and there are many duties accumulated. It would be helpful if Fei’er could assist me with some of them."

Fei’er had been distressed about not being able to see Mo Ziqi. Hearing her sister’s command, which perfectly aligned with her wishes, she quickly bowed her head and responded, "Yes!" She then went back to her own room to pack and followed her sister into the palace.

By the time the sisters returned to the palace, it was already evening.

As a maiden, Fei’er wasn’t supposed to meet outside men casually. Therefore, Cai Wei had her settled in Shouxian Palace and dispatched some trustworthy servants to take care of her, to prevent any accidents.

Shouxian Palace wasn’t particularly lavish, but it was only a few hundred meters from Blue Water Pavilion where Mo Ziqi’s family was healing. The reason Cai Wei arranged for Fei’er to stay there was obviously to make it convenient for her to visit Mo Ziqi and ease the worries in her heart.

Cai Wei returned to the Royal Study. All the ministers had left, and everything in the study had gone back to how it was, aside from the absence of Zhui Feng, Zhu Yue, and Huan Qiu. Everything was as before. Nangong Yi was before the Dragon Desk, reviewing memorials. Having been away from the palace for so long, the memorials from his subjects had piled up like a mountain. Even without sleep, it would take him days and nights to get through them.

Seeing Cai Wei’s return, Nangong Yi put down his pen and asked with concern, "Have you eaten? I had people make your favorite Old Duck Soup, Ham Stew with Bamboo Shoots, and Steamed Salmon. They are all kept warm in the pot. I’ll have someone bring them up for you."

Cai Wei had already eaten at her parents’ house, but she couldn’t bring herself to ignore the kindness of the man’s thoughts. Gently, she said, "Have you eaten? Why don’t we eat together?"

Nangong Yi pointed to the pile of memorials on the desk and laughed, saying, "There are too many backlogged memorials. I’m forced to skip meals, but as a pregnant woman, you mustn’t skip any. Go and have yours, make sure to eat well!"

Seeing the man too busy to even care for his meals deeply touched Cai Wei. She entered the inner room, ordered Chang Mei to boil a pot of Lingxi River water in the Space, made a cup of flower tea, picked some fresh fruit, washed them, plated them, and brought them to the man’s Dragon Desk, leaving them for him to eat and drink when he got hungry or thirsty.

The dinner Nangong Yi had left for her, not wanting to dismiss his goodwill, Cai Wei ate a few bites and kept the rest in the Space. The Space had the ability to preserve freshness, keeping the food as fresh and tasty as it was in that moment, never spoiling.

Of course, even without the preserving functions of the Space, with Brother Ying and Chang Mei around, there would be no chances for delicacies to spoil.

After dinner, she tidied herself up and, bringing Chun Liu with her, quietly went to Qixia Palace. During the day, the Retired Emperor had urgently requested to see her. She had promised, and naturally, she wouldn’t break her word.

Inside Qixia Palace at that moment

The Retired Emperor and Master Li Guo were sitting cross-legged in front of the statue of the God, devoutly engaged in meditation. Hearing of Cai Wei’s arrival, they both hurried to get up and went to the Palace Gate to welcome her.

Seeing Cai Wei, the Retired Emperor referred to himself as a hermit, a humble Taoist, indicating he no longer held the status of the Retired Emperor. Cai Wei was not expected to treat him with the deference due to a Retired Emperor; she could simply regard him as a Taoist.

Cai Wei’s visit, in addition to fulfilling the Retired Emperor’s invitation, had another matter for which she needed to consult Master Li Guo. Thus, after the necessary pleasantries, she directly broached her concerns.

"Master Li Guo, I still have the ashes of Tianjizi’s skull. You mentioned before that his ashes need to be pressed under an ancient pagoda older than a hundred years, accompanied by a ritual with water channels. As an Impartial Person of the Red Dust, I have been very busy and could not attend to it. Perhaps you could assist me by taking charge of Tianjizi’s skull and ashes?"