Chapter Fifty: Seeing Through

No wonder the old turtle had come to her instead of seeking out the Dragon King. Were the Dragon King to handle this matter, his fondness for Ao Xiuxiu would have led to a hasty and biased resolution.

“Your wisdom shines, my Queen,” the old turtle flattered, then recounted the matter concerning Yi An in detail.

“Utter nonsense!” the Dragon Queen’s brows knit together in displeasure. This youngest daughter of hers had never failed to cause worry. In her eyes, a daughter ought to be gentle, dignified, and graceful to be worthy of the title Princess of the Dragon Palace. The Dragon King favored this clever and lively youngest child, while she herself preferred her gentle and charming eldest daughter.

“But, Your Majesty, you mustn’t ever let the princess know it was I who spoke of this. If she finds out, I shall be doomed. It hasn’t been easy for me. I have served diligently, worrying over this and that. My life is not without hardship,” the old turtle lamented, squeezing out a few genuine tears that moved all who witnessed them.

“Prime Minister Turtle, I understand. You may rest assured—both the Dragon King and I have always seen your tireless efforts. But now is a pivotal moment for our aquatic clans to rise. All this toil is for the future of our kind. When the day comes, our descendants will cast off shame and restore the splendor of the water tribes,” the Dragon Queen comforted him. Though not the strongest in power, the old turtle held a crucial role in the palace—he was as indispensable as a steward, managing the palace meticulously and acting as the Dragon King’s most trusted aide, sharing in many of his worries.

Hearing this, the old turtle felt greatly reassured. After another round of solemn vows to serve with unflagging devotion until death, he finally withdrew.

The Dragon Queen wasted no time. With two maids in tow, she made her way at once to Ao Xiuxiu’s chambers. As she and the Dragon King ruled the palace together—one handling affairs of state, the other managing the household—the guidance of their children naturally fell to her. The Dragon King tried to discipline them as well, but the endless affairs of the aquatic realms left him little time for such matters.

In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Queen arrived outside Ao Xiuxiu’s quarters. The maids standing guard, upon recognizing the Queen, dared neither to obstruct nor utter a word.

With a gesture for silence, the Dragon Queen signaled the maids, who immediately understood, forced to watch helplessly as she entered the chambers.

Inwardly, they prayed: Princess, may fortune be on your side.

At that moment, Ao Xiuxiu was deep in cheerful conversation with Yi An. Accustomed since childhood to flattery, she now found herself irresistibly drawn to someone who treated her with indifference, a challenge that awakened her desire to conquer.

So what if he already had a wife?

Later, she reasoned with herself: should Yi An dare betray her, the dragon clan was not to be trifled with. Across the land, no faction would dare provoke the dragons now. The underworld might once have matched them, but now its forces were scattered and weak, no longer comparable to the united aquatic tribes.

At this thought, Ao Xiuxiu’s excitement rekindled.

But her joy was short-lived. In the next instant, the Dragon Queen appeared behind her, having approached so silently that Ao Xiuxiu hadn’t noticed. With a stern gaze, she scrutinized Yi An, then shot a fierce glare at her daughter.

Ao Xiuxiu forced a laugh, the air thick with an awkward tension. Yi An, caught between them, felt ill at ease, sensing the authority radiating from this formidable woman. Unsure how to respond, he simply stood by.

“Who is he? Who gave you the right to bring an outsider here without permission?” At last, the Dragon Queen broke the silence, her voice stern as she questioned Ao Xiuxiu.

Since the fall of the Celestial Court, the dragon clan had become the target of all. Even the underworld eyed them greedily, seeking to seize their wealth and power. To prevent trouble, they had strictly forbidden outsiders from entering the palace; if unavoidable, meetings were held beyond the seas, deterring most with ill intentions.

After all, their clan was not simply biding its time. For the dragons to reclaim their ancient glory and dominion, the Four Sea Dragon Kings had toiled in secret for centuries, raising the strength of their people to new heights, aided by the legacies of their forebears.

Yet Ao Xiuxiu, without permission, had brought a human stranger into the palace. Fortunately, the Queen had discovered it in time, or disaster might have followed.

The Turtle Prime Minister, too—Ao Xiuxiu was just a child, ignorant of the consequences, but he, who had lived thousands of years, should have known better. To indulge Xiuxiu’s whims—she could not help but silently blame the old turtle. After all, Ao Xiuxiu was her daughter; no matter how willful, she could not punish her as she would another, at most delivering a light rebuke.

“Oh, Mother, you’ve misunderstood! He’s a friend I met outside. We got along well, so I invited him to visit us here in the Eastern Sea. Our Dragon Clan has always prided itself on hospitality—if word spread of us treating guests poorly, wouldn’t that reflect badly on you?” Inspiration struck Ao Xiuxiu, and she quickly devised her excuse.

She didn’t believe her own words, but that was beside the point. What mattered was having a plausible explanation. If she stubbornly resisted her mother, neither giving way, she would ultimately suffer for it. Better, then, to take another approach—if she could convince her mother her actions were excusable, the issue would resolve itself.

What she did not know was that the Dragon Queen already understood the entire affair. Seeing through Ao Xiuxiu’s feeble lie, she merely smiled and said, “So, by your reasoning, you did all this for my sake?”

“Mother, you flatter me. It’s only what I should do,” Ao Xiuxiu replied, her laugh still forced.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as the Queen was about to expose Ao Xiuxiu’s ruse, a deafening peal of bells rang throughout the palace—three times in all. Even after the last note faded, echoes lingered, the sound resounding through the halls.

“This is bad. The Dragon King is summoning the Four Seas. Something momentous must have happened!” The Dragon Queen’s expression shifted at once, her demeanor tense.

This bell had not rung for centuries; the last time was the day the Celestial Court fell, when the Four Seas were called to council.