Chapter 224 “Measuring Destiny”

As planned, Ling Yue and Hou Qi headed for the woman’s living quarter right away.

It must be said, ever since this Lady Yao got her hands on the Brilliant Star Astrolabe and became the State Teacher, the amount of people visiting her residence can’t be underestimated.

From above are the princes and princesses of the king, and below are the ministers of the court. Obviously, some are here to curry favor while most are more interested in her earth class artifact.

“What a surprising visit by some rare guests.” Specifically coming out to greet the two, Lady Yao clearly had a different air around her compared to before.

There’s less of a seductive allure, more of a mysterious charm. Matched that with the refine and gorgeous dress, it must be said she does have a sort of fairy aura going on about her.

But regardless of how much change the woman goes through, Ling Yue and Hou Qi knows very well its all a charade on the surface.

Being led inside the First Cloud Wing like the conflict never existed, the two immediately took notice to Hong Feng and the crown prince inside.

“So brother and the royal tutor is also here. Are you two coming to see the earth class artifact too?” Xia Hou Qi was a little surprised by their presence.

Likewise, the opposition also found it strange, but not at Hou Qi making a visit, rather its Ling Yue who came with the boy.

When did the people from the Lan House become so close with His Highness? Hong Feng wonders.

Does he have a thing going on for the wild child of the Lan House? A flicker of disgust fills Hou Hong’s eye.

As grossed out as he was by the sight, Crown Prince Hou Hong was a far better actor. Bellowing out a laugh to start the conversation: “Sixth Brother, I and Royal Tutor came today for the earthquake disaster. As you know, father have already tasked me to manage the relief affairs of the incident.”

“Then we will have to bother Fourth Brother in toiling over the matter.” After getting some details pertaining to the disaster, Hou Qi then dived right into the topic of his visit today. “I’ve heard the Lady got an earth class artifact, would I have the honor of getting a look?”

“Of course I would be happy to please Your Highness.” With those words, the Lady then orders her people to fetch an adorned box from inside.

Following a series of strange murmuring, the locked lid spontaneously popped open, revealing the black jade disk inside.

At first glance the star disk didn’t catch any eyes with its mediocre and flat coloring, but that didn’t apply to the room they were in. In a flash, the entire place had gone dark and became a sea of stars.

Absorbing the radiating light from these glowing orbs, the bland disk gradually became transparent.

“Sixth Prince Xia Hou Qi of Da Xia, I pray to thy gods, show me the future and the end to this name.” Becoming a whole different person in her voice, Lady Yao sounded cold and indifferent like some ancient being.

Despite the awe-inspiring show, Ling Yue and Hou Qi only found it hilarious at first. But as time shifted, their expressions began to change a little for they can clearly sense it. An immense and mighty power firmly pouring into the object, making even Ling Yue and Hou Qi feeling miniscule in its presence.

This new force was called Star Power, a form of energy drawn in from the stars itself. It’s undeniably one of the most terrifying force in existence and can only be sensed by the most brilliant alchemists out there. In contrast, the spirit force paled in comparison to this power.

As the black star disk became fully transparent at the great influx of energy, an anomaly occurred at the center of the disk. A name, Hou Qi’s name to be exact followed by a series of strange red calligraphies.

Seeing those symbols, Lady Yao started to murmur again like she’s calculating something.

“His Highness is born into a life of prestige and wealth, but there are two twists to his life. Six and sixteen is the age when the Sirius Star will fall into his fate tray, that’s the two hurdles he will face. If he can overcome them both, then the North Star will return and bring glory to our kingdom.”

Note: The North Star in chinese mythology and stuff is considered the king’s star because it’s the shiniest in the sky.

Hou Qi didn’t deny nor agree with what the woman said because everyone in the palace had long known about his story. But regarding the two age points of his life, that’s definitely accurate – he lost control at six years old, then regained his sanity at sixteen through the help of Ling Yue.

While the recipient of the prophecy himself didn’t take it to heart, others on the other hand thought otherwise. To Hong Feng and Crown Prince Hou Hong, the North Star also represented the King’s Star. If the star of the king falls into the boy’s hand, wouldn’t that mean the disk was implying he will take the throne if he can survive past sixteen?

“I give my gratitude to State Teacher for the advice.” Hou Qi respectfully says this without flinching, indicating the end of the session.

Although an earth class artifact can hold great benefits for the user, the amount of energy required also magnifies with its use. Immediately canceling the disk’s activation at the end of the prophecy, it’s perfectly clear the woman looked fatigued from the amount of spirit force she used.

“I believe it’s time we took our leave now that we’ve seen the Brilliant Star Astrolabe, plus the hour is getting late. Brother, Royal Tutor, I’ll stop bothering you two from discussing the relief efforts with the Lady.” Standing up, Xia Hou Qi was ready to depart with Ling Yue when a voice suddenly stopped them.

“Since Princess Yue is also here, why don’t we have her give a try?”

Ever since she lost Ling Yue in the contest, Yao Yao has been secretly digging around for the girl’s background. But no matter what she did, the amount of information she found was pitifully small. As such, she’s not going to miss the opportunity to dive into her enemy’s history using the disk today.

Slightly taken aback by the this, Ling Yue instinctively shot a glance over to Hong Feng who’s busy sipping tea on the side. Clearly the man also stiffened for a moment when the proposal was brought.

As it seems from what’s known thus far, this earth class artifact does have some magical powers to it. If they do measure Ling Yue today, who knows what sort of information they might dig up.

“I think that’s not necessary. My friend here has never been fond of the superstitions and stuff.” Hou Qi denies the proposal with a shake of his head.

“Like or not like, that’s up to Princess Yue to decide. Or is it to say that the princess here has some sort of unspeakable secret she can’t divulge?” Crown Prince Hou Hong’s feministic voice fuels the issue from the side.

“So be it, let’s give it a try. I would also like to know how magical this artifact is.” At that, Ling Yue came in front of Lady Yao to showcase her bravado.

“Lan Ling Yue, fourteen, second daughter of the Lan House. I pray to thy gods, show me the future and the end to this name.” Murmuring the exact same thing from earlier, the star disk activates again and turned the room into a sea of star.

Sure enough, when the name appeared on the disk, Ling Yue’s heart instantly tensed up.

As for Hong Feng on the side, the man likewise placed the cup down, his eyes becoming serious.