The Vampire Empress: Blood Queen & Her Kings

Jiang Ying Yue woke up early the next morning and by the time she reached the fourth courtyard after getting dressed, the kitchen was already bustling as the Li sisters prepared the breakfast.

"My Lady."

The two girls greeted her as soon as they noticed her entering the kitchen.

"This smells so good. I can't wait to finally taste it." Jiang Ying Yue complimented as she inhaled the mouth-watering aroma of food that was swirling around the kitchen.

The Li sisters smiled and thanked their lady before they busied themselves in preparing the breakfast.

Jiang Ying Yue walked out from the kitchen and headed towards the third courtyard. She stopped in front of the clearing that was located between the fourth and the third courtyard.

The girls had been working hard for the last few days to get the courtyards and the area around them ready according to their lady's orders. So far, they had successfully cleaned four courtyards except for the first one and most of the lawns around these four courtyards had also been trimmed and fixed as best as their poor skills could handle.

Thinking about the hard work that the girls had put into cleaning the Cold Palace, Jiang Ying Yue decided to find a way to properly thank them.

As she walked closer to the clearing, her gaze landed on the familiar form of Min Gu who was working in the clearing, plowing the soil to prepare it for sowing vegetables and herbs. 

Since it was the beginning of the rainy season and it had already rained the previous day, the soil and weather were in perfect condition to plant some vegetables, herbs, or fruits.

Jiang Ying Yue only planned to plant some of her favorite fruits and vegetables along with some spices so that they won't have to visit the market every other day in the future. 

"Morning." She heard Min Gu whisper as she walked closer to where the little girl was working.

Looking at how she was struggling with her dress and long hair while trying to find a way to continue her work, Jiang Ying Yue could not help the smile that appeared on her lips. It looked like Silver was not really enjoying himself in his new identity.

"Morning." She replied after a second or two as she inspected the area. It was not too big but it was still enough according to her. 

She picked up the pouches of seeds that were placed nearby and started examining the quality and quantity of the seeds.

"You are not planning about going out today too, are you?" Min Gu asked while she kept her focus on her work. 

"No. I'm not planning to. Instead, I'm going to set up the third courtyard as my working place today and will start preparation for starting the business. If everything went smoothly, I'm sure I will be able to start this business by the end of this month." Jiang Ying Yue replied as she thought about the plans that she had come up with in the past few days.

Living for over fifteen hundred years, she had learned and experienced almost everything. By now, her ocean of knowledge was filled to the brim. It was really not that hard for her to come up with ideas that could help her in earning money.

Coming out of her world of thoughts, Jiang Ying Yue noticed that the girl, Min Gu, had once again busied herself with her work, completely ignoring Ying Yue's presence beside her.

"You are acting weird." Ying Yue could not help but mutter under her breath as she glared at the girl. Didn't they share a sweet and heartfelt moment just the previous day? Then why Silver was acting like nothing happened at all?

Listening to her words, Min Gu stopped working on leveling the soil and turned to look at the lady who seemed to be looking unhappy about something. A small smile made its way to her lips as she spoke, "My lady, I'm just trying to not create any rumors. Ain't that what you wanted?" 

"..."

Jiang Ying Yue could not find the right words to respond to the question that was directed at her, filled with mockery. Not giving Min Gu another chance to speak, she turned away from the girl and walked inside the third courtyard.

She could almost imagine the smirk on the girl's face even though she was not looking at her. She just knew Silver's personality enough to know that the man was purposely trying to trigger her. After all, it was his favorite pass time.

The third courtyard was pretty small compared to the other four courtyards. There were a total of three rooms and an underground storage room. 

Jiang Ying Yue immediately started working as she took out the herbs that she had collected from the forest. 

Finally, her knowledge about cosmetics and skincare products could be put to use. After all, back when she was around a thousand years old and had become bored of her life as a secret detective, she spent seven years learning about cosmetics and skincare products. Now, she had the perfect opportunity to use her knowledge and skills to earn some benefits.

*****

Capital City, Hyuang Empire

The Imperial Palace

The palace was bustling with energy as the servants kept running around, doing their best to welcome His Highness the Third Prince, and General Han.

During the morning court assembly, the news of the youngest Prince finally returning to the Capital City after half a decade, was received. Empress Dowager immediately ordered the palace servants and the officials to arrange a grand banquet to welcome one of the three royal heirs of the Hyuang Empire.

"Master, why did you suddenly decide to return to the palace? I thought we were supposed to stay away from the palace and the Empress Dowager as much as possible." Feng Wu voiced out his thoughts as he too observed the bustling Imperial Palace along with his master.

Their flying carriage had stopped right above the throne hall, hidden from the prying eyes of any mortal or immortal.