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Shen Chuwei stood in place, daring not to make any sudden moves since she didn’t know why the other party was blocking her.

If the enemy does not move, I do not move.

Respond to unchanging with unchanging!

They were at a standoff for quite a while.

The bird flew lower and lower, and the guards’ gaze followed the colorful feathers as the bird flapped its wings before finally landing on Shen Chuwei’s shoulder.

The guards’ eyes were fixed on the colorful feathers.

But to Shen Chuwei, it seemed as though they were staring intently at her.

She carefully recalled the events that had happened in Nanzhao Country over the past few days, realizing that she had spent most of her time sleeping in the inn and had no chance to cause any trouble; she was not the trouble-making kind.

Xuetuan saw the bird fly down and stretched out its claw to scratch it, so Shen Chuwei had not noticed that it was the bird’s claw on her shoulder, not Xuetuan’s.

Seeing the colorful feathers, the Chief Guard waved his hand, "Surround it; don’t let it get away."

The guards slowly formed an encirclement, trapping Shen Chuwei inside.

Shen Chuwei: "..." What exactly are they trying to do?

Seeing the guards closing in, Shen Chuwei felt that if she didn’t run now, she wouldn’t be able to escape.

She turned her head and whispered to Xuetuan, "You get down and run by yourself, you’re so fat, you’ll slow me down."

Xuetuan: "..."

Shen Chuwei urged in a low voice, "Hurry up, we won’t be able to run soon."

Just then, a crisp chirping sound startled Shen Chuwei, making her turn her head to look at her left shoulder, only to meet a pair of pitch-black little eyes...

Where did this bird come from?

The Chief Guard finally spoke up to remind her, "Miss, stand still and don’t move; otherwise, you might scare the colorful feathers, and it’ll fly away."

Shen Chuwei suddenly understood, they were here for the bird, not to capture her?

She then remembered the Imperial Edict on the notice board; could this be the same colorful feathers that were lost from the palace?

She examined the bird again, noticing its three spiritual whiskers on its head gleaming with a sapphire-like brilliance in the sunlight.

Its head resembled that of a parrot, but looking at its body, small and exquisite, it bore no resemblance to the body of a wildfowl; she wondered how the painter managed to depict a wildfowl’s body...

At this moment, Shen Chuwei felt a lot calmer, realizing that as long as they were not after her, there was no cause for concern.

She held Xuetuan in her arms, soothing it to stay still, and most importantly, not to eat the colorful feathers.

The guards also didn’t dare to move for fear that any motion might frighten the colorful feathers away.

After a standoff of the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Chief Guard noticed that the colorful feathers showed no intention of leaving Shen Chuwei’s shoulder, but they still didn’t dare to approach rashly.

After some thought, the Chief Guard said, "Miss, if you bring the colorful feathers into the palace, I will reward you with silver."

Shen Chuwei looked at the foolish bird and asked with confusion, "How do I send it?"

The Chief Guard thought for a moment and then said, "Try walking; if it doesn’t fly away, it means it likes you, and you can bring it into the palace."

Shen Chuwei had seen the Imperial Edict; to be featured there meant that this foolish bird was extremely precious.

"I don’t want the silver reward, can you grant me a request instead?"

The Chief Guard almost instantly agreed without even thinking, "No problem, I can grant ten requests, as long as you bring the colorful feathers into the palace."

"Then I’ll try." Shen Chuwei gave the silly bird on her shoulder a stealthy glance. Keep still if you can. Holding Xuetuan, she started walking nonchalantly forward.

She had walked a few hundred steps and the silly bird stayed put on her shoulder.

Shen Chuwei turned to the Chief Guard following behind her and said, "Lead the way, then."

"Alright." The Chief Guard commanded some of the guards to follow behind while the rest led the way.

Shen Chuwei followed the guards all the way to the Imperial Palace, with guards clearing the path, making entry smooth.

The Nanzhao Country’s Imperial Palace was majestic and impressive, revealing the great care given to the design of its gardens.

After such a long walk, with the colorful feathers remaining on Shen Chuwei’s shoulder the entire way, the Chief Guard breathed a sigh of relief internally, knowing that all that was left was to bring the colorful feathers back to Wuyou Palace.

The Imperial Palace was vast, and Shen Chuwei’s legs ached from walking. Not yet having reached the destination, she couldn’t help but ask, "How much longer must we walk?"

The Chief Guard replied, "Halfway there."

Shen Chuwei: "..."

At that moment, a shrill voice came through, "The Emperor has arrived."

The guards knelt down in unison.

Shen Chuwei remained standing, mainly because she was afraid that if she knelt, the foolish bird would fly away, rendering her efforts futile.

Following the eunuch’s shout, a tall figure approached, surrounded by a crowd of eunuchs and palace maids, wearing a bright yellow Dragon Robe and a golden crown, exuding an imperial aura.

Shen Chuwei saw the Nanzhao Emperor for the first time, a man in his fifties with a bit of a paunch. Despite his age, his features still carried a steady handsomeness.

Taking a few steps forward, the Chief Guard reported, "Your Majesty, the colorful feathers have been found."

Ye Haoting, anxious to see the colorful feathers once he heard they were recovered, hurried over and noticed a girl in pink attire standing in the courtyard with the colorful feathers perched on her shoulder.

When he saw the girl’s face, he was shocked for quite some time.

The colorful feathers were always kept in Wuyou Palace and had never been this close to anyone except Xiaojiu.

Now, seeing the face of the girl, so similar to Xiaojiu’s, and the pet she was holding, identical to one from ten years ago...

Could it be Xiaojiu who had gone missing had returned?

Shen Chuwei looked utterly perplexed at the Nanzhao Emperor in front of her, whose face was streaming with tears, overwhelmed with a mixture of shock and delight. Over just a bird? To those unaware, it might seem as if he had lost a child...

Ye Haoting stepped forward, examining her closely. It had been ten years since they last saw each other, and she had grown quite a bit. She still looked similar to when she was younger, preferring to wear pink clothes and always carrying Xuetuan with her.

With excitement he could barely contain, he asked, "Xiaojiu, have you returned?"

A hint of confusion flickered in Shen Chuwei’s eyes. "How do you know my childhood nickname?"

To hear her response made Ye Haoting even more convinced that she was Xiaojiu. Both shocked and overjoyed, he said, "It’s too hot outside, let’s go inside and talk."