Roses, I Will Go Burn Incense With You

Early the next morning, the Emperor sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, summoning Serena Feng to the palace at once—but found nothing but an empty house. Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan and Serena Feng had already left before dawn to burn incense and pray for blessings.

"Burn incense?" The Emperor's hand trembled, splattering ink onto the white paper and ruining a freshly written piece.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch who delivered the edict wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Even kneeling, his legs couldn't help but tremble.

All these years, Ninth Royal Uncle had never once visited a temple or burned incense. Why would he suddenly accompany Serena Feng to a nunnery at dawn?

"Did they say when they'll be back?" The Emperor put down his brush, and his personal eunuch hurried forward with a snowy-white towel to wipe his hands.

"This servant asked—they’ve gone to Moonwatch Nunnery outside the city. They probably won’t return until nightfall."

"Moonwatch Nunnery? What kind of place is that?" The Emperor looked puzzled. He’d thought Serena Feng was trying to avoid trouble, using this as an excuse to hide, but she really had gone to burn incense.

"It’s probably some obscure little nunnery—this servant hasn’t heard of it before. I asked around, and Moonwatch Nunnery is a Buddhist convent. The vegetarian food there is quite famous, and there’s a flower field in the back called the Rose Field that’s said to be especially beautiful. Many noble ladies and young misses like to go there to admire the flowers." The young eunuch’s implication was clear: Ninth Royal Uncle had taken his beauty to enjoy flowers and eat vegetarian food. As for burning incense...

If you wanted to burn incense, why go all the way to some nameless nunnery outside the city?

"Old Nine really has time for such leisurely tastes," the Emperor sneered, returning to his desk. Seeing his freshly written elegy now smeared, he impatiently waved the eunuchs away.