The Crown Prince’s East Palace was located to the east of the Changle Palace within the imperial grounds. Before long, the carriage arrived at the palace gates.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu stepped out of the carriage. The maidservants of the East Palace were already lined up before the entrance to welcome them, escorting the two women into the main hall.
Luo Shangyu scanned the furnishings and decorations of the hall, unable to stop herself from praising them. “This is even more magnificent than the palace in the Kingdom of Yiyong!”
Once they finished touring the main hall, a maidservant approached Qin Yu and whispered, “Your Highness, dinner is ready…”
“Very well. Bring it in,” Qin Yu said with a nod.
The maidservant retreated quietly to carry out the order, and Qin Yu led Luo Shangyu to her own desk in the center of the hall.
The rectangular desk was cut from a single, massive piece of golden-silk Phoebe zhennan wood. It appeared as one seamless unit, and the natural grain of the timber was clearly visible.
A maidservant brought a chair for Luo Shangyu and placed it on the opposite side of the desk.
Luo Shangyu only took her seat after Qin Yu had sat down. She sat with her back perfectly straight, looking extremely cautious.
“Relax, it’s fine,” Qin Yu said, leaning back against her chair and resting her hands on the armrests in a relaxed manner.
“Understood.” Luo Shangyu nodded slightly. She mimicked Qin Yu’s posture, though her movements were stiff as she leaned back.
Having just arrived in the Chengji Empire, Luo Shangyu did not dare to be careless. She had to maintain her image at all times.
Seeing Luo Shangyu’s wary behavior, Qin Yu laughed softly. “Don’t be so formal. Just act as if you’re in your own home.”
Only after hearing this did Luo Shangyu’s expression soften a little.
Dinner was served shortly after.
Yin An’s mission to retrieve Qin Yu had been kept strictly confidential, so her sudden return meant the East Palace chefs did not have enough time to prepare a lavish feast. However, even the simple dishes were incredibly delicious.
The meal was modest, but Luo Shangyu enjoyed it thoroughly.
After dinner, Qin Yu felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She was just about to ask Luo Shangyu to join her in washing up for bed when a maidservant suddenly entered to announce a visitor: Master Yin An, the Crown Prince’s Preceptor, had arrived.
Hearing that it was Master Yin, Qin Yu had no choice but to postpone her plans for sleep. With Qin Yi eyeing the position of heir and the political climate being so unstable, these were extraordinary times.
As one of the people Emperor Qin Ling trusted most, Master Yin could provide Qin Yu with valuable intelligence to help her protect her position as the successor to the throne.
Master Yin soon arrived at the main hall. Luo Shangyu stood up, intending to leave and give them some privacy, but Qin Yu stopped her. “Wait, where are you going?”
“This is your private business. It wouldn’t be right for me to intrude…”
“It’s fine. You are my dear friend, so there’s no need to worry about privacy. Come back and sit down so we can listen together.”
Since Qin Yu had insisted, Luo Shangyu could only return to her previous seat.
A happy smile appeared on Qin Yu’s face when she saw Luo Shangyu sit back down.
Qin Yu realized that in the near future, she would be the one in charge of the empire’s affairs. Facing so many complex administrative tasks, she couldn’t possibly handle everything alone.
Looking at Luo Shangyu, she realized that the girl would be her best assistant.
As a Mage, Luo Shangyu possessed great power. As a former minister who had been heavily relied upon by the King of Yiyong, her administrative abilities were surely extraordinary.
Furthermore, since Luo Shangyu was new to the Chengji Empire and had no ties to any other political factions, Qin Yu didn’t have to worry about her being a spy or stabbing her in the back.
More importantly, because of the ambiguous and complicated relationship between them, Qin Yu had decided that once she took control of the government, she would gradually involve Luo Shangyu in politics.
For now, letting her participate in these private matters was perhaps the first step in drawing them closer and introducing her to the world of state affairs.
Yin An didn’t say anything when he saw Qin Yu including Luo Shangyu in their discussion.
As someone who had watched Qin Yu grow up, he trusted her judgment in people and offered his unconditional support for her choices.
“Your Highness, I have already informed His Majesty of the changes to your body,” Yin An said.
“What did Imperial Father say?”
“He didn’t say much,” Yin An replied. “His Majesty only requested that I find out exactly what you’ve been through these past few days.”
“What I’ve been through?” Qin Yu felt like her head was about to explode at the question.
She had experienced far too much lately. Drinking the Transformation Potion before her capture, being tied up after becoming a prisoner, the punishments for her failed escape… There were many things that were simply too shameful to describe.
“That…” Qin Yu found herself at a loss for words for a moment.
She took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and began to speak. “Ever since I received your emergency notification…”
Qin Yu started from the moment she received Yin An’s letter and prepared to withdraw her army while leading a night raid on the enemy camp.
When Qin Yu mentioned drinking the Transformation Potion, Yin An finally understood the cause of her physical change.
The fact that Qin Yu kept a Transformation Potion as a backup plan for escape was one of her most important secrets. Hardly anyone knew about it except for her, so Yin An had only been able to guess until now.
Once he understood the reason, Yin An said to her, “Give me the bottle that held the medicine.”
Yin An took the bottle from Qin Yu and examined it closely. Although the potion was gone, 1 or 2 drops of residue remained.
He brought the mouth of the bottle to his nose and took a deep breath, allowing a faint wisp of the Magic Potion’s scent to enter his nasal cavity.
As a 7th-rank Quasi-god, Yin An was quite familiar with Magic Potions. He recognized that what Qin Yu had consumed was a powerful, fast-acting transformation agent that could fundamentally change one’s gender.
“There is no remedy.” Yin An shook his head as he handed the bottle back to Qin Yu. “Since you drank so much of it, no one can restore your original gender unless a God King descends to this world.”
A soft sound of exhaling came from Luo Shangyu, as if she were breathing a sigh of relief. Qin Yu simply gave a slight nod.
“I see,” Qin Yu murmured. She had already expected this outcome.
Over the past few days, she had become more familiar with her body and had gradually begun to accept her new form.
The only thing that made her feel uneasy was the realization that her way of thinking was also changing. She found that her thoughts were becoming more delicate and sensitive than before.
Matter determines consciousness. Qin Yu wasn’t sure how much of her had already changed or how much of the original ‘Qin Yu’ still remained.
Next, when she reached the part about what happened after her capture, Qin Yu intentionally skipped over the punishments Luo Shangyu had inflicted on her. Luo Shangyu didn’t expose her, either, simply staying by her side to corroborate the rest of the story.
When Qin Yu finally finished her tale, Yin An nodded, having gained a general understanding of the events.
Yin An did not offer any criticism of Qin Yu’s defeat.
He knew that even though he had raised Qin Yu and their relationship was as close as father and son — or father and daughter, as it was now — he was still just an employee of the Qin family.
As an aide, Yin An did not dare to rashly judge his employer’s actions without permission.
“Very well, now it is time for me to report on the situation within the Capital City,” Yin An said, clearing his throat.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu focused their attention. They needed to understand the situation thoroughly so they could decide on their next move. Their entire future depended on it.
“When His Majesty’s health suddenly declined, he issued an urgent decree for the Crown Prince to enter the palace and oversee the state. During this time, there was a power vacuum.”
“Qin Yi took advantage of this to forge an imperial edict and lead his troops into the Capital City in an attempt to seize control of the government. The situation was critical, and many court officials yielded to his military force and defected to his side.”
“Fortunately, His Majesty’s condition stabilized. 2 days later, he was well enough to temporarily resume handling state affairs, which finally forced Qin Yi to back down.”
Qin Yu could tell how much effort Yin An must have exerted to stabilize the political situation while their father was ill and Qin Yi was acting recklessly. He had fought to prevent Qin Yi’s faction from completely dominating the court and forging an edict to strip her of her title.
Both Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu looked grave, but they felt a small sense of relief. Even though everything seemed terrible, Qin Yi had not yet gained complete control over the court. There was still a chance to fix everything.