559: Chapter 559 Empress Dowager Zhou Mei

Walking beneath a cluster of blooming begonia trees, pink and white petals fluttered down, landing in her hair and on her shoulders.

Zhou Mei raised her hand, gently catching a falling petal. She examined it closely in her palm before raising her hand again to tuck the petal into her Cloud-Flowing Bun. The jade hairpin paired with the pink flower made her face appear even more like a peach blossom, radiating a compelling beauty.

She turned to look at the lake, gazing at her own reflection in the water. Her fingertips lightly brushed the surface, shattering her beautiful reflection. A faint smile curled at the corners of her mouth, her eyes shifting with a captivating brilliance. The smile wasn't deep, yet it carried a bone-deep charm, like the gentlest spring breeze capable of blowing into the softest part of one's heart.

“What is His Majesty doing today?”

Zhou Mei suddenly spoke, her voice light and airy, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

The accompanying palace maid hurriedly bowed to report:

“In response to the Empress Dowager, besides seeing off the State Preceptor today, His Majesty has mostly been in the palace handling government affairs. He only occasionally calls Li Fu for private discussions; otherwise, things have been stable.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mei nodded slightly and asked no more, simply walking slowly toward her bedchamber.

Returning to her sleeping quarters, the elegant scent of Mind-Concentrating Incense was already burning inside. The curling smoke dissipated the dry heat of the spring afternoon.

Zhou Mei leaned lazily against a soft couch covered in snow-white fox fur. She lay slightly on her side, her slender waist bending naturally, outlining a graceful and moving curve.

She shed her outer robe, wearing only moon-white inner garments. The fabric was thin and light, making her skin appear even more translucent and white like snow, resembling the finest mutton-fat jade, delicate enough to break at a touch.

Her personal maid, Wan Cui, entered with light steps carrying a bowl of warm Spiritual Ginseng Honey Soup. Lowering her head, she handed the jade bowl to her and said softly:

“Empress Dowager, please have some honey soup this afternoon to nourish your body.”

Zhou Mei slowly raised her eyes, which were like water. Her gaze shifted with a hint of the lazy weariness of someone who had just woken up. Her cherry lips parted slightly, and her voice was soft and melodious, carrying an alluring lethargy:

“Just put it down.”

When she spoke, her tone was gentle, and the end of her words rose slightly, like a feather lightly brushing against one's heart. Even though she was also a woman, the maid couldn't help but feel her heart tremble slightly. She hurriedly placed the jade bowl on the small table by the couch and retreated to the side to wait.

Zhou Mei did not immediately take the honey soup, but instead raised her hand to rub her brow.

Her fingertips were slender and long, and her nails were trimmed round and smooth, glowing with a faint pink luster.

She thought of the Mysterious Clarity Master's instructions and her son Li Xuan's dark calculations. The melancholy in her heart deepened a bit more. Yet even so, her frowning appearance did not look haggard at all; instead, it added a touch of pitiable fragility that made one instinctively feel protective of her.

After a brief rest, she slowly sat up, reached for the jade bowl, and used a silver spoon to lightly scoop a spoonful of honey soup into her mouth.

The richness of the spiritual ginseng and the sweetness of the flower honey dissolved between her lips and teeth. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her long lashes trembling like butterfly wings. Her appearance was both charmingly naive and seductive, completely devoid of the majesty of an Empress Dowager, leaving only the soft charm unique to a woman.

After finishing the honey soup, the maid came forward to serve her in dressing.

Zhou Mei sat before a water-chestnut mirror. The beauty in the mirror had a charming face and features like a painting. Three hundred years of time had not left a single mark on her face; it had only distilled an increasingly rich, mature charm.

Her jet-black hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders. Wan Cui held a wooden comb, gently brushing through her hair with soft movements, for fear of breaking a single strand of that smooth, dark hair.

Zhou Mei looked at herself in the mirror, her fingertip lightly brushing her eyebrow, and said faintly:

“Go and get that Red Gold Kingfisher Feather Buyao Hairpin.”

The maid brought the Buyao Hairpin as ordered. It was adorned with tiny pearls, the kingfisher color was warm, and the gold glowed brilliantly.

Zhou Mei tilted her head slightly, allowing the maid to insert the Buyao Hairpin into her hair bun. The hairpin swayed gently and the pearls dangled, shimmering with her movements, making her face look even more radiant and full of charm.

She raised her eyes slightly toward the mirror, a faint smile curling her lips, her eyes shifting with a captivating brilliance.

She then leaned sideways on the soft couch, covered by a thin brocade quilt. With one hand propping up her chin and the other holding a volume of poetry, she didn't look closely at it, but simply squinted lazily, enjoying the silence in the hall.

The twilight deepened, and the setting sun was like molten gold, enveloping the entire Phoenix Harmony Palace in a layer of gentle and gorgeous orange-red light.

Outside the hall, the evening breeze blew gently and blossoms fell. Inside, the gold-inlaid Boshan Censer quietly burned warm incense—a specially made Dew-Condensed Orchid Scent. It was clear but not gaudy, soft but not scattered, winding through her sleeves and hair, making Zhou Mei's bone-deep charm appear even more hazy and moving.

The maid stepped forward lightly and asked in a low voice with her hands down:

“Empress Dowager, it is late. Would you like to go inside to change? Dinner is already prepared.”

Zhou Mei raised her eyes lazily, her long lashes trembling. Those watery almond eyes were naturally seductive, and when dyed with the soft light of dusk, they were even more rippling, as if containing infinite tenderness.

She slowly straightened up from the soft couch. Her figure was perfectly proportioned. With every movement, her waist swayed softly. Her light purple silk skirt slipped slightly off her shoulder, revealing half of her snowy-white, jade-like delicate neck and shoulder. The texture was warm and smooth, without any sign of aging.

“Help me up.”

Her voice was soft and melodious, carrying the unique lethargy of sunset. The end of her words wound around the ear, melting into the heart.

Two maids lightly supported her arms from both sides, their movements cautious, not daring to be the least bit abrupt.

Nourished by three hundred years of Golden Core Cultivation, her Physical Body had long since transcended the mundane. Her skin was as delicate as mutton-fat jade, warm and smooth to the touch, and even her fingertips glowed with a faint pearly luster.

Zhou Mei walked slowly into the inner bedroom. The carved water-chestnut window was half-closed, and the evening breeze drifted in carrying the scent of flowers.

Her personal palace maid had already prepared a moon-white sleeping robe embroidered with begonias in soft misty silk. The material was light and transparent, as soft as nothing, perfectly suiting her elegant figure.

She did not mind being served by others. She raised her hand to loosen the jade belt at her waist. Her outer garment slowly slipped down, revealing the soft, full curves of her shoulders and waist. Her proportions were perfect, every inch seemingly just right.

Though she was already three hundred years old, her physique possessed a mature woman's charm even greater than that of a sixteen-year-old girl. She was seductive without being vulgar, radiant without being garish—an exquisite beauty polished by the passage of time.

The maid helped her change into her sleeping robe. Her loosely tied Cloud-Flowing Bun was completely undone, and her jet-black hair poured down like an ink waterfall, falling to her waist and back. The strands were soft and smooth, making that naturally charming little face appear even more fair and city-toppling.

Having finished changing, the group moved to the Warm Chamber for dinner.

The meals at Phoenix Harmony Palace were never extravagant or heavy. They were all Spirit Plants, spiritual soups, and honey-brewed fresh fruits suitable for a Cultivator's nourishment, exquisite and small, with elegant presentation.

On the long white jade table, a colored glass cup held Peach-Red Cherry Dew Wine. Celadon plates held Congealed Jade Lotus Root, Honey-Preserved Begonias, and Spiritual Peach Snow Cream, with a faint sweet fragrance lingering.

Zhou Mei leaned against a brocade cushion, her elbow resting lightly on the edge of the table. Her fingertips held a small silver spoon as she slowly scooped a spoonful of snow cream, parted her cherry lips, and took a small taste.

Her lips were crimson and full. Every frown and movement was full of charm. Her gestures were not at all forced, yet every part of her revealed an alluring seductiveness.

She did not like to eat much, stopping after tasting a few kinds of fresh fruit and soup. Her fingertips stroked the cold glass wine cup as her gaze looked through the window frame toward the dark silhouette of the distant palace buildings.

Thinking of what the Mysterious Clarity Master had said a few days ago, and of her son Li Xuan's hidden ambitions and calculations, a faint trace of melancholy drifted over her brow.

Yet this gloom, falling upon her peerless face, did not make her look haggard. Instead, it added a touch of fragile charm like misty rain. The corners of her eyes drooped slightly, shimmering with moisture, looking pitiful and moving, inviting one to cherish her.