[My name is Sili. I have a deal I want to make with you, young master. What do you think?]

[Young master, do you truly not want to cultivate as partners with me?]

[If young master becomes the sect master of Myriad Dao Sect, Sili is willing to remain by young master’s side forever.]

[Young master, look—the moon is so bright...]

[Bright or not, what does it matter? Even if it is not bright, this concubine still likes it!]

Sili raised her head and looked at the man in front of her.

The instant Sili saw the man’s face, her blank, rigid eyes trembled faintly. Her mind went empty, and her thoughts could not help but drift apart.

Scene after scene she had experienced before surfaced in Sili’s mind.

And at that very moment, Sili sensed a searing heat inside her storage pouch.

Inside Sili’s storage pouch, although the blade spirit of that broken half of Ink-Dyed Blade had long since scattered, the residual awareness left within the long blade itself sensed a familiar aura, and it reacted.

Under normal circumstances, to use Ink-Dyed to find the master’s reincarnation, one would at least have to set up a spell formation and prepare for quite some time.

But now, with Ink-Dyed only five steps away from the ruler of Zhou, it had naturally acknowledged its master on its own!

Even though Sili had not obtained the ruler of Zhou’s blood, at this moment, Sili had already confirmed the other party’s identity! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

There was no way this could be wrong anymore!

Ink-Dyed’s reaction had already explained everything!

Joy that had been suppressed for so long rippled through Sili’s heart.

Sili even felt that everything in front of her carried an unreal quality.

In the past, she had exhausted every method to search. Every night, she had thought of meeting her master again.

Yet when she truly found him, she instead only felt as though this were a dream, afraid that once she woke, she would discover it had been nothing but a mirage.

“Young master...”

Sili lightly bit her thin lip. Her gaze followed him as he continued to move, and with trembling lips, she called out softly.

“Hm?”

Xiao Mo turned around and looked in Sili’s direction, and he saw that this woman was staring at him in a daze.

That feeling was like seeing the beloved one who had been gone for a long time at last return.

Xiao Mo also felt a kind of closeness toward this woman.

Only, Xiao Mo was certain he had never met her before.

Seeing Sili commit such a breach of etiquette, the lead palace maid named Yang’er jumped in fright. She hurried forward, pulled Sili down, and made her kneel before His Majesty:

“Please forgive her, Your Majesty. She is a palace maid who has just arrived. She has only just been transferred to the Hall of Nourishing the Heart to serve Your Majesty. Seeing Your Majesty’s imperial majesty so extraordinary, she lost her composure!”

Xiao Mo ignored Yang’er. He walked to the two of them, looked at the woman, and spoke blandly.

“What is your name?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, this servant girl is called Si Li...” Sili spoke timidly. “The Si from the Directorate of Celestial Observation, and the li from pear tree.”

“You are a newly /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ arrived palace maid?” Xiao Mo asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sili lowered her head as she answered. “This servant girl entered the palace not long ago. Shuang’er, the older sister who instructed this servant girl, said this servant girl excelled in every assessment, and so she let this servant girl come serve Your Majesty.”

“So that is how it is.” Xiao Mo nodded. “Just now, were you speaking to me? What did you call me?”

Sili lowered her head even further. “This concubine saw young master’s appearance as extraordinary, like the saying in books—young master like jade—and so this concubine lost her manners. May Your Majesty punish this concubine.”

“For such a small matter, what punishment is there to give you?”

Xiao Mo spoke flatly and did not take it to heart.

His conversation with Si Li was only because he had just heard her speak, turned his head, and saw a new face, and felt a bit curious.

“Here with me, just do your own tasks well. There is no need to fuss over so many minor details. You have only been here a short while. You can learn slowly. If you need anything, you can also tell Yang’er and the others.” Xiao Mo comforted her.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for Your Majesty’s mercy.” Sili kowtowed.

“Get up.”

Xiao Mo said no more. He turned and walked into the sleeping palace.

After Xiao Mo left, the palace maids only then straightened their backs and lifted their heads.

Yang’er let out a breath and scolded Sili in a half-complaining tone. “You, you—Si Li, little sister. If our His Majesty were not broad-minded and kind, with a temperament like yours, just casually speaking in front of His Majesty, you would have lost your life.”

“Older sister’s lesson is right. Younger sister will definitely pay attention in the future,” Sili said.

“It is good that you know.” Yang’er glanced at the sleeping palace. “Go on. As His Majesty’s personal maid, in the future you will have to follow His Majesty at all times. Once you have steadied your footing at His Majesty’s side, when it comes to matters of the rear palace, we will all have to rely on you.”

“Older sister says too much. In the future, where younger sister does not understand, younger sister will still need older sister to guide and support me,” Sili said.

“Heh, heh, heh—Si Li, little sister, and we are to support you, are we?” the palace maid Liu Mi joked. “One day, if we accidentally offend little sister, little sister had better not speak ill of us in front of His Majesty.”

“Do not listen to them talking nonsense.” Yan’er smiled lightly. “Little sister, hurry and go in.”

“Yes.” Sili gave the palace maids a slight curtsey and walked toward the sleeping palace.

Sili knocked on the door to the bedchamber. After receiving permission, she went in, and she saw Xiao Mo seated at the desk, flipping through books, while Wei Xun served at Xiao Mo’s side.

Looking at that old eunuch—

Sili always felt that the old eunuch’s expression carried a bit of grievance.

“Si Li pays respects to Your Majesty.” Sili stepped forward and offered a curtsey.

“Hm.”

Xiao Mo set the book in his hand down and looked at Sili.

“Si Li, from this day onward, you will follow at my side, take care of my daily living, and be responsible for conveying my decrees within the rear palace. If there are things you do not understand, there is no need to be anxious. Take it slowly. In any case, I am usually quite idle.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sili answered, joy welling in her heart.

“Wei Xun, starting after tomorrow, you can wait on duty in the front hall. You do not need to keep following me at all times.” Xiao Mo said to Wei Xun.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Wei Xun wiped the corner of his eyes.

But there was nothing he could say.

After all, eunuchs manage the front hall, and palace maids manage the rear palace. This was proper.

The reason he had been able to accompany His Majesty in and out of the rear palace before was only because the rear palace had been empty in the past.

Now, with two noble consorts about to enter the palace, naturally he could not go to the rear palace at will anymore.

“You old thing, what are you crying for?” Xiao Mo scolded with a laugh. “It is not as if you will never see me again.”

“But this old servant cannot be at Your Majesty’s side at any time. My heart feels clogged too,” Wei Xun said gloomily.

“Enough, enough. Stop being affected. I have to go to the Imperial Study every day. How could you not see me?” Xiao Mo waved his hand. “Go back to the front hall and rest. Leave this place to Si Li.”

“Understood. This old servant takes his leave.”

Wei Xun gave a salute, looked at Xiao Mo once more with sadness, and only then left the sleeping palace.

Inside the sleeping palace, only Xiao Mo and Sili remained.

Just as Xiao Mo picked the book up to resume reading, Sili suddenly knelt before Xiao Mo:

“Si Li has committed a capital crime! Please punish this servant girl, Your Majesty!”

“Hm?”

Xiao Mo looked at the woman in front of him and smiled.

“You have only just arrived. What crime could you have committed?”

“Replying to Your Majesty!”

Sili lightly bit her thin lip and kowtowed deeply.

“This servant girl obeyed Empress Dowager Yan’s order and acted to keep watch over Your Majesty. Please grant this subject death, Your Majesty!”