Lace Glory Universe King GL - Chapter 9

The guesthouse was actually a garden adjacent to the Honglu Temple, specially reserved for foreign dignitaries. Hua Mulan quietly picked a secluded section of the outer wall, vaulted over it, then leapt onto the rooftop, crouching low to listen attentively to the sounds below.

At dinner time, attendants went door to door delivering meals to the guests. All three meals were served this way—exquisitely prepared dishes, flawless in presentation. But this system was also designed to restrict the guests’ movements, preventing any espionage activities.

The food bearer entered. From her position on the eaves, Mulan heard the soft exchanges at one of the doors.

“Envoy Wang, your dinner has arrived.”

“Did you remember to add an extra portion of dessert?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Please, bring it in.”

Following the footsteps of the attendant, Mulan crept along the rooftop. She thought to herself: with meals delivered like this three times a day, it was practically the same as soldiers on the Great Wall reporting for roll call.

At the very last room, she finally heard the name she had been waiting for.

“Princess of Wu, your dinner has arrived.”

The door creaked open, and a familiar voice replied, “Thank you.” After the attendant had left for several minutes, Mulan vaulted down, landing softly on the ground. She stepped forward and knocked twice.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

The door swung open, Sun Shangxiang’s eyes filled with surprise and joy. Mulan slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

“I’m starving. Would you mind if we shared your meal?”

“Of course not.” Shangxiang laid out the utensils neatly, then fetched a jug and two cups from the side table.

“How was it? The Honglu Temple didn’t give you any trouble today, did they?” Mulan asked.

“Not much. Just official procedure. They’ve probably handled plenty of asylum requests before. They told me to stay in the guesthouse for now, and tomorrow morning they’ll announce publicly that the Princess of Wu has arrived in Luoyang.” Shangxiang tasted a bite of fish as she spoke.

“Then you’re safe for the time being. No other faction would dare try to seize you right under the Empress’s nose. But don’t be fooled by the good food and courteous service—the guesthouse is still under strict surveillance.”

“Mm. The Temple’s minister reminded me that apart from formal audiences, I’ll have to be escorted whenever I step outside.”

“That’s standard practice.” Mulan poured a cup of wine, lifted it, and said, “Little Princess, look on the bright side. You’ve successfully escaped. That alone is a heavy blow to Sun Quan. The longer he fails to retrieve you, the more he’ll be forced to compromise.”

Shangxiang liked the way she looked when she said “Little Princess”—gentle, warm, with a sincere protectiveness that rarely showed on her face.

She clinked her cup lightly against Mulan’s. “Elder sister, and you? Did you find the person you were looking for?”

“I did. More like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse,” Mulan answered with a faint smile. “I’ll tell you more another time when I make progress.”

They chatted idly for a long while, about the scenery of Luoyang, about its legendary figures. Before long, the jug of wine was empty, and every dish had been eaten clean.

Stretching with a lazy yawn, Mulan reclined on the couch, her eyes wandering over the lavishly decorated room. “The Honglu Temple really is wealthy. This place is far too comfortable.”

Seeing an opening, Shangxiang quickly said, “Then why don’t you just stay the night here, sister? There’s more than enough space.” After a pause, she added, “There’s even an extra room inside.”

Knowing it would be troublesome to sneak back out in the middle of the night, Mulan couldn’t help but smile at her invitation. “Then I’ll borrow the Princess’s kindness.”

Turning away to take the dishes to the entryway, Shangxiang hid the smile spreading across her face.

Later in the night, Shangxiang took a change of clothes and went to wash up.

The sound of flowing water seeped out from the closed side chamber—soft, steady, lulling. Too weary from the day, Mulan drifted to sleep on the couch to the rhythm of the night.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she suddenly woke to find a thick pillow under her head and a violet quilt covering her body. Outside the window, faint light filtered in—it must be five or six in the morning.

She had been roused by her dream.

The earlier parts were hazy, but the last scene remained vivid: she was holding someone tightly amidst ruins. That person, flustered, whispered “Elder sister…” before wrapping slender arms around her shoulders. The sensation of that soft, delicate body remained imprinted in her memory—entwined, dangerously intimate.

She had understood perfectly—that was a wholehearted embrace.

Precious, tender. She had cupped the person’s face in her hands, pink strands of hair whirling in the wind, and leaned in for a kiss—

Startled by her own thoughts, she awoke right there.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed, straightened the pillow and quilt, and lifted the curtain to the inner room. Shangxiang lay fast asleep, pink hair falling across her face.

Why would I dream of kissing her? Mulan thought. It wasn’t as if I drank that much yesterday… She shook the thoughts away and lowered the curtain.

By the time the first sunlight of the guesthouse fell across Shangxiang’s forehead, she stirred awake. Perhaps because she had talked so happily with her sister, she had enjoyed a deep, peaceful sleep.

Last night, after washing up, she had come out to find Mulan already asleep. Gently, she had whispered, “Sister, go lie on the bed…”

When Mulan didn’t respond, she brought over a pillow and quilt. Sliding an arm beneath her neck, she lifted her head onto the pillow and tucked in the quilt corners.

Fearing the tight ponytail would be uncomfortable, she removed the hair clasp, letting silver hair spill like petals around her shoulders and chest, framing her face in ethereal beauty.

Shangxiang gazed at her in silence for a few moments. The stern, cold eyes were hidden behind her long lashes, revealing instead the serene beauty of her features.

Inhale. Exhale. Her breathing was steady, like the living waves of the Eastern Wu coast at night.

Such a stunning woman—and yet she was the brave patrol guard of the Great Wall. Truly, Luoyang was a place that gathered the world’s finest.

Unbidden, Shangxiang’s heart filled with admiration and a touch of affection. But she also knew her future remained uncertain. Staying in Chang’an could not be a long-term plan, and such tender thoughts were luxuries she couldn’t afford. With a sigh, she left Mulan to rest and went back to her own bed.

When Shangxiang awoke in the morning, Mulan was already gone. On the bedside table lay a message slip. Mulan had written that she had left before daylight for convenience, and Shangxiang could contact her at Changle Ward if needed.

As Shangxiang finished reading, the message slip curled and burned into ash. She was still lost in thought when a knock came at the door.

“Princess of Wu, the Minister of the Honglu Temple invites you to breakfast, after which you will meet with Lady Shangguan.”

After tidying herself, Shangxiang ate her breakfast and followed the attendants to the Honglu Temple, where the minister, properly attired, awaited her.

After polite exchanges, he informed her that the official announcement of her arrival in Chang’an had already been issued, reassuring her she need not worry about pursuers from Wu.

Together, they boarded a carriage, moving steadily toward the Ziwei Palace.

Shangxiang noticed there was no coachman. It must have been a mechanism-driven carriage.

“Oh, do not be surprised, Princess,” the minister said. “Our Empress greatly encourages new technologies, though she also loves to preserve ancient designs. The capital’s old-fashioned charm is kept alive through this balance.”

“No wonder Chang’an is so unique,” Shangxiang said, opening the window to watch the city crawl by at about thirty miles an hour.

“If you speak of unique wonders, the Ziwei Palace is the true marvel,” he replied with pride.

He explained that the palace had been expanded into a grand circular design—orderly, interconnected, with ingenious layouts so one could find their way without maps. The ring-shaped palace was outfitted with the most advanced mechanisms and automated systems, rivaling the capital halls of any nation on the continent.

In about ten minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Alighting from the carriage, Shangxiang stood before the towering gates, unable to see the palace’s entirety.

The minister deftly opened a small side gate, leading her inside.

They entered a transparent capsule that rose smoothly like an observation lift. Outside, she could see the layered sprawl of Chang’an’s streets. Soon, the capsule leveled off and glided horizontally through the palace interior—it wasn’t an elevator after all, but more like a three-dimensional transit shuttle.

Shangxiang marveled silently.

“Here we are—the Zhaowen Pavilion.”

The door slid open. They stepped out into a hall bright and spotless, with rows of desks like an academy, the corners adorned with blooming jasmine.

“Is this the Princess of Wu?”

A paper fan lifted a bamboo curtain, and a dazzling woman stepped out. This, no doubt, was the “stroke of brilliance” the minister had mentioned—Shangguan Wan’er.

Clad in pristine white court robes, black boots beneath, golden tassels at her chest, and flowing sleeves, she looked both elegant and sharp.

Support Lace Glory Universe King GL