[“You… you want to livestream being the emperor?”]
The system seemed to have heard something unbelievable, completely freezing up.
Lu Zhao gave a soft hum, taking out the Seven-Colored Gemstone Jade and shaking it gently. She spoke very seriously, “He willingly gave me his identity. Since he’s dead, isn’t it perfect for me to become him?”
The system was shocked by her bold idea: [“How is that perfect?”]
Lu Zhao patiently explained, “The Child of Destiny is the Seventh Prince of Da Yong—it’s just an identity. As long as everyone acknowledges me as this identity, I am him. Then this plane can continue to operate, and neither you nor I have to die. We can both return to our own planes alive.”
The system repeated her words: [“Everyone acknowledges your identity? But those people at the mining site…”] The soldiers, miners, Shen Qi, and the host’s fellow villagers.
Lu Zhao naturally knew what it was thinking and directly interrupted, “According to this body’s memories, those miners were captured from different villages. After being brought to the mining site, everyone was addressed by numbers. Shen Qi was called Lu Shiqi. When planning the escape, others in the stone house only called him by his code name. Even if Shen Qi and a few miners from the original host’s village knew their names, whether they can survive is still a question.”
The system stammered: [“But according to the original worldline, the people sent by the emperor to find Consort Mei and the Seventh Prince are about to locate them. Even if the Child of Destiny encountered changes and was brought to the mining site, they’re about to find him…”]
Lu Zhao asked, “Then have they seen Shen Qi?”
The system denied: [“No, the Child of Destiny went missing when he was six years old. It’s been ten years now. No one from the imperial family has seen what he looks like now.”]
“Then it’s settled.” Lu Zhao said calmly, “Those pursuers earlier were clearly not from the Liangzhou Governor. Judging by Shen Qi’s actions, they must be people sent from Huangcheng. They sent messages the moment they discovered me. Soon, everyone in Huangcheng will know the Seventh Prince looks exactly like me.”
System:…
The host had planned this all along!
The system still wanted to struggle: [“But… but Consort Mei is still alive. Even if everyone recognizes you as the Seventh Prince, what about Consort Mei? She couldn’t possibly be so blind as to not recognize her own son, right?”]
Lu Zhao: “Don’t worry about that. I naturally have a way to make her acknowledge me. What you need to do is tamper with my character panel in the background to prevent the higher plane from discovering we’ve swapped the real for the fake.”
The system was still hesitating.
Lu Zhao’s gentle voice carried a hidden urgency: “Hurry up and decide! It’ll be too late if we wait any longer!”
As she finished speaking, thunder roared louder in the sky, rain poured down heavily, and rolling dark clouds hinted at mountains collapsing. The system suffered strong magnetic interference, showing signs of impending destruction with crackling electric currents darting across the electronic panel.
Terrified, the system quickly said: [“Alright, alright, I’ll help tamper with your character panel. But modifying data consumes massive energy. I might need to enter a period of hibernation before restarting. Before I wake up, if you encounter people sent by the emperor to find the Seventh Prince, you need to hold your ground.”]
Lu Zhao’s lips curved upward as she nodded in assurance: “Don’t worry, there absolutely won’t be any mistakes.”
With the critical situation, the system didn’t dare delay for a second, immediately initiating the background data modification program. High-density codes continuously ran…
Soon, the thunder ceased, and the rain gradually subsided. Within moments, the clouds parted, revealing a clear sky as the world brightened.
Lu Zhao stared at the figure on the ground for a moment, then meticulously examined the body from head to toe, inside and out, ensuring no physical characteristics were overlooked. Satisfied, she kindly dug a pit and buried the person.
Had the live stream still been active, viewers would surely have cursed her as a pervert.
Even the dead weren’t spared.
Half an hour later, a small mound stood in the boundless wilderness, unmarked by a tombstone but adorned with a cluster of purple flowers on top.
Lu Zhao patted the mound firmly, muttering to herself, “This should suffice. Rest well—I’ll protect your mother and your kingdom.”
Rising to her feet, she brushed the yellow mud from her hands: So filthy, need to wash up.
Her face and body needed cleaning too.
Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a small lake about a hundred meters away, its surface shimmering, with several egrets drinking leisurely by its edge.
Lu Zhao mounted her horse and rode toward the lake, dismounting upon arrival and leaving the tired steed to graze freely on the grass.
Kneeling by the water’s edge, she plunged her mud-caked hands into the lake. The clear, icy water chilled her palms to redness after just a few scrubs. As she prepared to wash her blood-streaked face, a sharp pain pierced her skull. An electric current surged through her body, striking her heart directly. Her soul felt as if being torn apart, the agony making veins bulge on her forehead…
An unstable crackle echoed in her mind: [Host Side Quest: Assist the Child of Destiny in escaping the minefield—Failed. Administering electric shock punishment…]
Lu Zhao cursed inwardly: Seriously? Even after deciding to help her tamper with the backend data, it still counts as a failure?
Sweat beaded on her back as she fought through the discomfort, struggling to rise and distance herself from the water.
Standing brought another wave of dizziness… In her blurred vision, she glimpsed a group of riders arriving on the opposite shore.
Clad in black armor and wielding long swords at their waists, they closely resembled the pursuers from Huangcheng who had hunted her earlier.
Alarm flared in Lu Zhao, but the tearing sensation in her body intensified. Another, more violent electric shock slammed into her heart. Excruciating pain seared through every limb, and her body swayed before she plummeted headfirst into the lake.
Splash!
Water erupted as the frigid lake engulfed her entirely.
She sank, deeper and deeper… Her chest constricted unbearably, bubbles rushing toward the surface in a frantic gurgle…
Forcing her eyes open, she saw rippling water, the azure sky above, swaying reeds, and her idle horse grazing…
Could luck be this rotten? Just after usurping the Child of Destiny’s position, was she doomed to an early demise?
As her consciousness faded, an anxious face appeared above the water. A slender, well-defined hand reached into the icy depths.
Driven by survival instinct, Lu Zhao didn’t hesitate. Summoning every ounce of strength, she stretched out her hand and gripped it tightly. A powerful force hauled her upward, breaking her through the water’s surface.
Whoosh!
She was dragged ashore, tumbling into the swaying reeds alongside her rescuer.
Countless faces crowded around—one, two, three… Their eyes brimmed with urgency, all fixed on the Seven-Colored Gemstone Jade at her waist.
A muffled inquiry sounded from above: “Are you Shen Qi?”
This group of people carried no ill intent—they weren’t the ones pursuing the Seventh Prince. They must be the ones the emperor sent to search for the Seventh Prince and Consort Mei, as the system had mentioned.
Lu Zhao let out a long sigh of relief. As the system went dormant, she closed her eyes, her entire body feeling as though it were floating in a soft mass of cotton wool.
She had no idea how much time had passed before consciousness returned to her.
Lu Zhao only felt sore and aching all over, her body unbearably uncomfortable. To make matters worse, everything around her was swaying and rocking incessantly, leaving her with no sense of stability.
She opened her eyes. Above her was the carved ceiling of a blue-canopied carriage, from which hung a silver incense ball swaying rhythmically with her movements. Turning her head to look around, she saw the bamboo curtain on the side window half-rolled up, allowing a few strands of sunlight, fragmented by the window lattice, to filter inside.
She was inside a carriage.
Had she been rescued by the people sent by the emperor?
At this thought, she hurriedly felt around her body—she was still wearing the same dirty clothes as before.
Good, she hadn’t been exposed.
She tried to prop herself up on her arms, but her body lacked strength, and she accidentally knocked over the bronze warmer on the small table beside her.
Lu Zhao sighed inwardly: the original host’s physical condition was truly poor. Earlier, she had relied on the willpower of her soul to endure. Now, she felt completely deflated, like a punctured ball, and estimated it would take a long time to recover fully.
But perhaps this was for the best—it fit the image of a young man who had been captured and tortured in a Black Mine for a long time.
Before she could ascertain the nature of the people the emperor had sent to rescue her, it was unwise to reveal her true capabilities.
For now, she would play the role of a sickly prince.
The noise inside the carriage alerted those outside. Soon, the carriage came to a halt, hurried footsteps approached, and someone lifted the carriage curtain. A tall, middle-aged man stood before the carriage, asking with concern, “You’re awake? Are you all right?”
Lu Zhao shook her head weakly and asked, “How long have I been unconscious?” As she spoke, her eyes discreetly assessed the man.
The man appeared to be in his forties, with sharp, rugged features and coarse skin, clearly weathered by years of exposure to wind and sand. He wore plain, coarse linen clothing, and his exposed arms were sturdy and powerful, with thick calluses on his palms from years of wielding weapons.
He was likely a military man.
Behind him, the coachman and a dozen or so attendants all had sharp, alert eyes—clearly, they were skilled martial artists.
The man seemed to notice her scrutiny and quickly explained, “You’ve been unconscious for half an hour. We were entrusted by your mother, Lady Shen, to rescue you.”
Lu Zhao’s eyes flickered slightly, and the wariness on her face vanished instantly. Anxiously, she asked, “How is my mother? Where is she?”
This was an indirect acknowledgment of her identity.
The middle-aged man was overjoyed, and the others around him also lit up with happiness. Suddenly, they knelt before him in unison, cupping their hands and bowing, exclaiming excitedly, “Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, we have finally found you.”
Lu Zhao feigned surprise, then asked warily, “Who are you?”
The middle-aged man looked up and explained, “Your humble servant is an old subordinate of your maternal grandfather, General Zhenguo. My name is Qiao Bing, and I currently hold the position of a sixth-rank Cavalry Captain in Zhongdu. Since you and Consort Mei went missing, His Majesty has been deeply concerned about you both day and night. He specifically ordered me to lead a team of trusted guards to search for you secretly within Da Yong.” They had searched for five long years, and heaven had finally rewarded their efforts—they had found him at last.
“My grandfather’s old subordinate?” Lu Zhao’s eyes grew deep and thoughtful, her tone softening once more. “Rise. You still haven’t told me how my mother is doing.”
At the mention of Consort Mei, Qiao Bing’s brow immediately furrowed with worry. “We found Her Ladyship Consort Mei in Xishan Village,” he said anxiously, “but she was already gravely ill. She told us you had been forcibly conscripted by the Liangzhou Governor’s men. After we learned of Your Highness’s whereabouts, she insisted on joining the rescue mission. But she fell seriously ill when we passed through Xuanping City, so I arranged for her to stay with an ordinary family, summoned a physician, and posted guards.”
She had already left Xishan Village?
Lu Zhao felt a wave of relief inwardly, though her face immediately showed alarm. “Seriously ill? Which inn in Xuanping City? Quick, prepare horses at once—I must find my mother!” She tried to leap from the carriage but grew dizzy and fell back, coughing violently while clutching her chest.
Qiao Bing was terrified and hastily instructed someone behind him, “Quick, fetch some hot water from A’Chi.”
As the attendant hurried off, Qiao Bing helped Lu Zhao lie down and apologized, “This humble official was negligent. Your Highness has just escaped danger and bears many hidden injuries. You must not distress yourself. Let us first go to the nearest town to find you clean clothes and tend to your wounds before continuing our journey.”
Catching her breath, Lu Zhao shook her head. “My injuries are not serious. There’s no need to delay. After changing clothes and obtaining some medicine, we should continue urgently. I wish to see my mother soon.”
Her voice was hoarse, her frame frail and thin, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.
Though Qiao Bing disagreed with her plan, he refrained from arguing and said, “As Your Highness commands. Please rest for now.”
Soon, someone brought a water pouch. Recognizing the newcomer, Qiao Bing gently instructed, “A’Chi, quickly attend to His Highness with some water. You shall remain in the carriage to care for him.”
The youth responded in a clear, bright voice.
Lu Zhao looked up just as the young man glanced down, their eyes meeting.
His features resembled Qiao Bing’s but were more vivid and radiant, like the first brilliant sunlight she had seen after emerging from the forest. His gaze was clear, carrying a young man’s pride.
Noticing Lu Zhao’s stare, Qiao Bing introduced, “Your Highness, this is my son, Qiao Chi. He is a year older than you. It was he who first discovered you and pulled you from the lake.”
Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow, her eyes falling on his right wrist. A fresh bandage was wrapped around the lean wrist exposed from his sleeve, the strong scent of medicine still distinct.
She remembered how he had cushioned her fall when pulling her from the water.
Had she broken her savior’s wrist upon their first meeting?
Author’s Note:
Regular updates at 12 PM, sometimes earlier. [Heart]