Chapter 6

The day of the sacrificial ceremony soon arrived.

Ever since I had agreed to handle the matter, Chu Yunmo had given up all effort and settled in to wait for me to carry him. He lounged as he watched the officials line up and the Imperial Preceptor perform his ritual dance, his eyes full of tender affection.

He had no idea what I intended to do, but he knew someone was about to suffer.

“Your Majesty, I have divined the identity of the divine maiden.”

Looking every inch the immortal sage, the Imperial Preceptor spoke with confidence as soon as he finished his dance. Without waiting for Chu Yunmo’s reply, he walked straight to Su Ningxia, Prince Yong’an’s daughter, who had been placed in the front row.

Just as he prepared to announce the divine maiden’s identity before the assembled court—pffft, pffft, pffft.

Farts and the sounds of explosive diarrhea erupted one after another. The officials clutched their stomachs in mortification, ready to die on the spot, while the entire ceremonial ground filled with the stench of a latrine.

“Damn it, who—”

“Ah… I… What’s happening…”

The orderly ranks dissolved into chaos.

Chu Yunmo wore the expression of a man whose expectations had been perfectly fulfilled. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he met my gaze across the distance.

I gave him a broad smile. Hee-hee.

One second later, Chu Yunmo was no longer smiling. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at me in stunned disbelief, silently mouthing a few words.

From the shape of them, he seemed to be saying, You drugged me too?

Ahem. It was convenient.

The officials had been poisoned, the emperor had coughed up blood, and the entire ceremony instantly descended into bedlam.

“Guards! Protect His Majesty!”

“Protect His Lordship!”

“…”

Amid the confusion, I saw Jiang Jin, the concubine-born son of General Zhenyuan, pull Su Ningxia behind him with an anxious look.

Tsk.

Chu Yunmo sat half-reclining on a couch after being examined by the imperial physician, the corners of his eyes red.

“Cheng Ruo, I was wrong about you!

“You tried to have me killed seven years ago and failed. Have you been nursing the grudge all this time?

“We’re on the same side now!”

He looked wronged, weak, and utterly helpless.

Uh…

Perhaps the act had gone a little too far.

Guiltily, I tried to comfort him. “You’re overthinking it. Everything I did was for the greater plan!

“Think about it. The Imperial Preceptor lives in the Star-Plucking Tower and permits no outsiders to enter. I couldn’t exactly burn the place down to force him out, so I had to work with the officials instead.

“But if every one of them fell ill while you remained fit as a fiddle, wouldn’t that expose you at once?

“Look at the situation now. They may only have been given laxatives, but you coughed up blood. Who could possibly suspect you after that?”

Chu Yunmo said, “And I should thank you?”

I pretended nothing had happened and changed the subject.

“Stop dwelling on that. We have something more urgent to deal with!”

I schooled my expression and continued.

“At the ceremony just now, the relationship between General Zhenyuan’s son and Prince Yong’an’s daughter looked far from ordinary!

“Prince Yong’an has his eyes on the throne, while General Zhenyuan commands the army. If those two join forces…

“Think about it. Su Ningxia and Jiang Jin may not be safe to leave alive!”

Chu Yunmo’s posture straightened as well. He considered my words, then spoke.

“Don’t worry. I understand.

“The road of an emperor has always been paved with intrigue and death. I am hardly a kindhearted man.”

I gave the young emperor an approving glance, pleased by how much he had grown, then continued.

“I have a plan that will salvage the present situation and turn General Zhenyuan against Prince Yong’an.

“First, we kill Jiang Jin and make it look as though Prince Yong’an discovered their affair and murdered him in secret, hoping to hide the scandal so his daughter could become empress. That will plant resentment between the two men.

“Then we forge correspondence between us and General Zhenyuan, quietly leading Prince Yong’an to believe that we have allied with the general—that we only appear inactive while secretly using the death of his concubine-born son to suppress him together.

“Finally, we poison Su Ningxia with a toxin produced in General Zhenyuan’s territory. That will drive the conflict beyond repair!

“When two tigers fight, one dies and the other is wounded. We can sit back and collect the spoils!”

Just as I was preparing to burst into triumphant laughter, there came a sharp thud.

Two Shadow Guards kicked Jiang Jin and Su Ningxia into the room.

Four pairs of eyes met. The awkwardness was indescribable.

The air froze for a moment before both of them dropped to their knees with a bang.

Su Ningxia pinched herself. Tears appeared within three seconds.

“Imperial Tutor, you have no idea what my family is like.

“My father has a woman he has adored for years. I may be called the Princess of Yong’an, but the title means nothing. The only daughter he truly cares for belongs to that beloved woman. Boo-hoo…”

Jiang Jin immediately followed.

“Lord Cheng, you may not know this, but the household of General Zhenyuan follows the doctrine of legitimate birth above all else. I am only a concubine-born son. Even a maid serving the legitimate branch can sell me off. If I died, that father of mine wouldn’t care at all!”

I said, “You had better not be making this absurdity up.”

Jiang Jin shuffled several steps forward on his knees, tears and snot streaming as he raised a hand to swear to Heaven.

“If a single word I said is false, may lightning strike my legitimate elder brother five times!”

Chu Yunmo said, “You little bastard. You’re getting paid twice over!”