Early the next morning, Qin Yu woke up in her room within the Eastern Palace.
The night before, she and Luo Shangyu had journeyed through the darkness under a sky full of stars to return to the Imperial Palace.
“Ahh—” Qin Yu let out a long yawn and sat up.
She stretched leisurely, the graceful curves of her body radiating a lazy charm.
Surrounded by her maids, Qin Yu dressed and then headed to the main hall to enjoy her morning meal.
During breakfast, a eunuch came to report, handing over an imperial edict.
It instructed Qin Yu to appear at Weiyang Hall in Changle Palace before eleven o’clock that morning to meet the Emperor.
“Hmm… I wonder what’s happening today?” Qin Yu pondered.
Grand Tutor Yin wasn’t by her side today, so it seemed there were no other appointments except to be at Weiyang Hall before eleven.
“You’d better study up,” Luo Shangyu reminded her from beside her.
“Who knows, Your Highness, the Emperor might test you at court!”
“I think I’ll pass,” Qin Yu declined.
“I’d rather read comics—this is probably my last chance to relax.”
However, Luo Shangyu wasn’t going to let Qin Yu off so easily.
After the meal, she tossed a history book to Qin Yu and said, “You really should study. I have a feeling you’ll be the Emperor’s focus today.”
“Fine…” Qin Yu reluctantly took the book and skimmed through it carelessly.
Watching Qin Yu attempt to read, Luo Shangyu relaxed.
She took her own magic book and went to the Eastern Palace’s rear garden to practice her spells.
***
During practice, Luo Shangyu felt her magic level improve.
She sensed she was rushing toward breaking through the bottleneck at the eighth tier.
Just as she was immersed in cultivation, a maid’s reminder interrupted her: “Lady Luo, it’s getting late. You should prepare to meet the Emperor with the Crown Princess.”
“Alright.” Luo Shangyu closed her book and signaled the maid to leave without entering the hall to inform Qin Yu.
She didn’t believe Qin Yu was seriously reading the history book and decided to inspect for herself.
Luo Shangyu tiptoed into the Eastern Palace’s main hall, planning to see what Qin Yu was actually doing.
As soon as she entered, a maid stepped forward to greet her, but Luo Shangyu silenced her with a glance and made a “shhh—” gesture.
The maid understood immediately and stood quietly aside.
Luo Shangyu approached the Eastern Palace main gate and hid behind a decorative screen, waiting for the right moment.
A lazy yawn came from behind the screen, confirming Qin Yu’s presence inside the hall.
She wouldn’t come up empty-handed.
In a blink, Luo Shangyu sprang from behind the screen and swiftly reached Qin Yu’s side.
Qin Yu hastily dropped her comic and grabbed the history book nearby, pretending to read.
Luo Shangyu stared at her, but Qin Yu didn’t dare to look up, keeping her eyes fixed on the black text on white pages.
“Uh… It’s upside down!” Qin Yu sighed silently.
The moment was too short to notice which side was up.
She tried hard to decipher the reversed words but sweat beaded across her forehead, moistening the strands of white hair sticking to her brow.
“The Crown Princess studies so seriously!” Luo Shangyu “praised” mockingly.
“Ahaha~ Yes, yes, this history is truly perplexing. Hehe~” Qin Yu blushed but kept up the lie, glancing away to avoid Luo Shangyu’s gaze.
→_→
Watching Qin Yu’s flustered act, Luo Shangyu’s mischievous satisfaction grew immensely.
“Time’s almost up. Let’s go to Weiyang Palace.” Luo Shangyu stopped teasing.
“Okay!” Qin Yu felt a great relief at those words.
***
It was already past eleven, well beyond the usual time for court.
When Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu arrived at Weiyang Hall, no civil or military officials remained inside.
Emperor Qin Ling sat on the dragon throne, with Grand Tutor Yin at his designated seat nearby.
Han Youcheng stood respectfully to the side, holding a hand tablet ready to record the forthcoming speech.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu stood in single file and bowed to Qin Ling.
Qin Ling nodded slightly and said to Qin Yu, “I heard you passed the advancement test to the fourth tier?”
“Yes.”
“Well done, my daughter!” Qin Ling spoke happily.
“After a month’s holiday, I’m sure you’ve had ample rest. From now on, you must take your role as Crown Princess seriously.”
At those words, Qin Ling’s expression turned serious and solemn.
Qin Yu had only seen this side of him a few times before.
With a wave of his hand, someone stepped out from the shadows.
Qin Yu looked closely—it was the Imperial Physician.
“Speak directly to the Crown Princess,” Qin Ling said with a hint of weariness.
“Your Majesty’s daily affairs weigh heavily, and your health is declining. Your kidney essence is insufficient, your spleen and stomach are weak and cold, and you show symptoms of stroke. Your dragon body is fragile,” the Imperial Physician carefully chose his words as he explained.
Qin Yu remained unmoved.
She had anticipated her father’s condition.
Qin Ling was indulgent and lazy; by Qin Yu’s previous world’s standards, his “three highs” were inevitable.
Coupled with his daily excesses, it was no surprise he could suddenly die.
Qin Ling waved his hand dismissively, “The Imperial Physician is being reserved—listen to me instead. I am gravely ill; my days are numbered!”
With a long sigh, he continued, “I suppose it was fate that I stood out among the princes to inherit the throne. I have ruled the realm for over thirty years, maintaining the land’s stability by the heavens’ grace. But now, stricken by illness, I have little time left. Daughter, the empire will be yours.”
Qin Yu froze—’was this a final entrustment?’
Grand Tutor Yin quickly intervened to ease the tension: “Your Majesty, may you live long and prosperous. Please don’t speak such despairing words. Let’s discuss the important matters!”
“Very well,” Qin Ling sighed again.
“Our Fantasy Realm is divided into three eras—are you aware of this?” Qin Ling asked.
Luo Shangyu looked at Qin Yu anxiously, afraid she couldn’t answer.
Luckily, this was common knowledge.
Qin Yu had researched some background out of curiosity since her transmigration, so she responded smoothly.
“Yes. The eras are the Chaos Era, the Divine King Era, and the Qianyuan Era.”
“Correct. Long ago, when the Fantasy Realm was not yet fully formed and all was chaos, a great power named Pan Gu used his own flesh and blood to stabilize the realm, separating it from the chaos. He ended the Chaos Era, which lasted five million five hundred twenty-seven thousand two hundred twenty-six years, laying the foundation for today’s Fantasy Realm,” Qin Ling recounted the distant past slowly.
“Afterward, many Divine Kings emerged, leading their races to grow strong. The Humans had their Human King, the Dragons their Dragon King, the Demons their Demon King, and the Elves their Elf King. These were beings far beyond the current tenth tier, true gods.”
“Unfortunately, when the boundary between the Fantasy Realm and Chaos broke, the Divine Kings had to sacrifice themselves to stabilize the realm’s foundation. All Divine Kings perished, leaving only a few descendants to carry on fragments of their bloodline. Thus ended the Divine King Era, which lasted nine million two hundred eighty-six thousand six hundred sixty-one years.”
“With the Divine Kings gone, conflict erupted. The Humans gradually grew strong, occupying the southern and northern continents of the Fantasy Realm. The other races were forced to live within human nations, no longer holding independent states. This era—our current era—is the Qianyuan Era.”
Qin Yu was familiar with this, as the current calendar used in the Fantasy Realm is the “Qianyuan Calendar.”
This year is Qianyuan Year 12,575.
Qin Ling then spoke of the Chengji Empire’s history: “Once, the Late Emperor was just an unremarkable tribal chief, but he was diligent and eventually founded Chengji. After nearly a thousand emperors’ governance, Chengji has become a powerful nation of this era.”
His tone shifted from history to present reality.
“My health no longer allows me to manage state affairs. Daughter, you must rely on yourself from now on!” Qin Ling said, pointing to Yin An.
“Yin An is powerful, experienced, and loyal. Listen carefully to him.”
Then, he gestured toward Luo Shangyu: “You are Qin Yu’s good friend. Support her well and protect her.”
Finally, Qin Ling looked at Han Youcheng and said to Qin Yu, “Han Youcheng works diligently and seriously. Make good use of Han Youcheng.”
Straightening up, Qin Ling fixed his serious gaze on Qin Yu: “My daughter! I have been a neglectful father. Now, I must entrust the empire to your young shoulders.”
“The realm is unstable and needs a strong ruler. You must study hard and strive to break through to the sixth tier as soon as possible. Only then can you govern Chengji properly. Remember, the goal of the Chengji Royal Family is to wield absolute power over the world. You must not disappoint the expectations of your predecessors and fulfill their unfinished legacy!”
Qin Yu fell silent.
She realized it was time to shoulder her responsibilities as Crown Princess.
Before the vast empire, Qin Yu felt lost.
How could she govern such a huge empire?
How could she rule the world?
She felt the heavy burden weighing down on her young shoulders.