Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Shengsheng Zhou had thought they were going to kiss, but even after she waited for ages, the man made no further move. It seemed he only wanted to hold her quietly for a while.
Leaning against his chest, Shengsheng listened silently to his heartbeat and, for once, felt a trace of tranquil contentment.
*Should I fall asleep now as a show of respect?*
*But I still have something to do.*
*Skin-to-skin contact is pretty comfortable, but I have something to do.*
*I have something to do, I have something to do, I have something to do, I have something to do, I have something to do.*
Rare and heartwarming as the moment was, the words popping one after another through Fusheng Duan’s mind made his head throb.
Even the phrase “still as a maiden” was no longer sufficient to describe Shengsheng.
Some people might remain silent, but that did not mean their brains had stopped thinking.
“You’ve been out all day. Go back and rest.”
Fusheng’s sudden words interrupted Shengsheng’s endlessly looping thoughts.
Seizing the chance, Shengsheng said, “Your Highness, the palace maid the Emperor sent before was executed by the Empress Dowager, so her position is vacant. This servant would like…”
Fusheng could guess with a bird feather that she wanted to squeeze Zhiyu Jiang into that position. But he could not be bothered with such trivial matters, so long as they did not interfere with his sleeping, eating, or kissing.
Everything else ranked dead last in his priorities.
“Arrange it as you see fit,” he said.
Shengsheng happily curtsied and withdrew.
Her steps were so quick it was as though the air here made it impossible for her to breathe, which briefly displeased Fusheng. “Wait.”
Shengsheng turned back. “Does Your Highness need anything else?”
Fusheng casually lifted a lock of his own black hair and rolled it between his fingertips. In a gentle voice, he asked, “Where is Qingbai? Didn’t I have you take it out for a walk?”
Shengsheng: “…It didn’t return to Your Highness?”
Without the slightest blush or hitch in his breathing, Fusheng said, “Of course not. So…”
“You lost my bird?”
Shengsheng: “…”
What an absolute bastard! Just now it had been all “Why can’t it?” and “If you don’t understand, then learn,” and now he had gone straight back to calling himself “this consort”?!
Seeing her face collapse, Fusheng said carelessly, “If you’ve lost my bird, Little Tail, you’ll have to compensate me with a new one.”
Shengsheng glanced at the little blue bird in the corner. It had recovered some of its energy inside the golden cage and was staring fixedly at her. “Then this servant will give that one to Your Highness.”
Fusheng’s smile blossomed as brilliantly beautiful as the blazing sun, though his voice was exceedingly cold. “That was already mine.”
—Even the Divider Demands Kisses—
When Shengsheng emerged, her lips were swollen beyond recognition.
As rotten luck would have it, she ran into Xiangxiang halfway back. And even more rottenly, Xiangxiang actually asked, “Sister Shengsheng, why are your lips swollen? Did a bug bite you?”
Shengsheng smiled without mirth. “Yes. An enormous bug.”
With that, she hurried away.
Xiangxiang watched her retreating back with confusion in her eyes. Shengsheng’s posture as she walked looked rather strange, her shoulders hunched forward unnaturally.
Inside the Noble Consort’s bedchamber, the visibly sated man sat with his long hair spilling down his back. Between his jade-like, elegantly jointed fingers dangled a red mandarin-duck dudou that seemed still to hold its owner’s warmth.
——
It had to be said that, thanks to Shengsheng’s under-the-table machinations, Zhiyu Jiang and Meiren Liu soon entered the palace.
That was right. Shengsheng had abused her authority to bring Meiren Liu in as well.
Poor Xiyuan Duanmu had only just escaped her miserable prison life, and now she was destined for the lonely existence of someone abandoned by all.
According to Zhiyu, Xiyuan planned to return to her maiden family and make a living there.
The Duanmu family was said to be a famously reclusive great clan. Every member possessed extraordinary skills and seldom emerged from seclusion.
Who knew what had gone wrong in the head of their legitimate eldest daughter for her to fall for a piece of trash like Dehuai Jiang and even willingly become his concubine?
Ah, that was beside the point.
Staring at the black dog before her, which did not even reach her calf yet looked as smug as a total moron, Shengsheng sighed. The instant she remembered its true identity, her adorable-pet filter shattered all over the floor.
Looking at it now, it did not seem cute at all. All that remained was stupidity.
——
“Your Majesty, the barbarians have declared war on the Zhu Kingdom.”
The white-bearded old Chancellor addressed the handsome man seated above them with utmost deference. He wore a crown and dark imperial robes.
The Grand Commandant asked, “If the Zhu Kingdom requests military support from our nation, what does Your Majesty intend to do?”
The Chancellor continued, “The Zhu Kingdom has been struck by a locust plague and now faces war as well. It is beset by troubles both within and without. In this minister’s view, we should observe in silence until both sides are gravely weakened, then swoop in as the final victor. Once we annex the Zhu Kingdom, the Zhen Kingdom will no longer be worth fearing!”
The Grand Commandant said solemnly, “This minister seconds the proposal.”
Voices large and small followed one after another. “This minister seconds it!”
The man on the throne did not hurry to speak. Expressionless, he swept his eyes across every face below.
Siran Ming’s gaze carried tremendous pressure. In moments, sweat had broken out on the Chancellor’s forehead and those of the others, each man wondering which remark had displeased His Majesty.
Only after a long while did the bowing officials hear a deep, magnetic yet commanding voice from above.
“Then we shall proceed as the Chancellor suggests.”
“Your Majesty is wise!”
——
While both kingdoms chose to look on coldly, a new dish became popular throughout the Zhu Kingdom.
Fried locusts.
The common people hated the creatures to the bone. When they first heard locusts were edible, not a single person dared try one.
After all, these mutated locusts ate people. How disgusting would it be to eat them?
That changed when a group of displaced people, reduced to begging along the roads, came close to starving to death and finally turned their sights on the creatures.
The strength people unleashed at death’s door could be astonishing.
The refugees had no oil, so they simply boiled the locusts haphazardly. Every insect was frighteningly large, and one bite delivered a mouthful of nourishment. They were also deliciously fragrant, without any of the foul taste the refugees had imagined.
Having tasted the benefits, the refugees gradually lost their fear of locusts. Some even ventured into the disaster zone of their own accord and caught the insects in groups.
Their death-defying determination to secure food was truly intimidating.
When people could not even fill their bellies, who cared whether those insects had eaten humans?
Natural selection favored the fittest. Whoever had the stronger teeth was the winner.
Later, merchants scented profit and began hiring those fearless refugees specifically to catch the insects. Soon, restaurants and taverns everywhere began serving locust dishes prepared in all sorts of ways.
Before long, they had become the hottest new trend.
Of course, plenty of people still recoiled from the man-eating creatures in disgust. Men of letters even brandished their brushes to condemn the practice, declaring that it amounted to indirectly consuming the flesh and blood of their own kind.
Then even the imperial family began to endorse it.
Seeing the disaster undergo such a downright “bizarre” reversal, Yan Yu nearly wanted to crawl on all fours to Fusheng Duan, then run two circles around him.
Brilliant. It was absolutely brilliant.
With the imperial family’s endorsement, the merchants grew even bolder. More absurdly still, some began using locusts as medicinal ingredients and claimed they could prolong life. In time, the creatures that had once made everyone pale at their mere mention gradually became precious treasures.
One candied-hawker switched trades to sell locusts instead. Having discovered the true secret to wealth, he became rich overnight.
This drove people to hunt locusts with crazed abandon. In the past, a swarm rushing toward them would have drained the color from their faces and sent them fleeing in terror. Now, their eyes turned red at the sight of locusts, and they charged like demons, determined to ensure none escaped alive.
——
“Well? My darlings must have reduced the Zhu Kingdom to utter misery by now.” The black-robed man stood in the room, smiling with supreme confidence.
The scout who had rushed back to report lowered his head even farther, as though trying to bury his face in the floor.
His voice sounded on the verge of tears. “M-My lord! They ate all your darlings!”
“What did you say?!” A voice packed with fury, suspicion, disbelief, incredulity, and complete bewilderment thundered through the room.