The military tent flap was lifted, and a “beauty” walked in—fair-skinned with handsome brows, every movement elegant and dashing, like a charming figure wandering the mortal world.
“What’s going on?” Wen Xin had come to inquire about the departure time. Seeing his friend frowning with worry, he asked in surprise.
Su Lie unfolded the letter and handed it to him, his face filled with confusion:
“His Majesty is in the prime of his life. How could he already be seeking immortality and delving into mystical arts? And to be deceived so thoroughly…”
The letter stated that the so-called deceased daughter of Taizu had descended to the underworld and been enfeoffed as the Mount Tai Goddess. The Emperor trusted her so deeply that he even conferred upon her the title of Grand Princess.
Many commoners in the capital had been bewitched by this, even enshrining statues of the female fraud!
“Brother-in-law shouldn’t be so…” After reading the letter, Wen Xin swallowed the word “foolish” and continued, “Did Chancellor Wang and the others not try to dissuade him?”
There were several pillars in the court—wise and virtuous ministers. They shouldn’t have stood by and watched a once-brilliant ruler pursue immortality and be utterly deceived.
“The letter doesn’t mention it. I don’t know if they were also deceived. If so, this fraudster’s tricks must not be underestimated.”
Su Lie’s brows were tightly knit. Both were well-read in history; many emperors in the past had engaged in such absurdities, treating fraudsters as honored guests and granting them high positions and wealth.
But to recognize a fraudster as a royal princess? Unheard of!
If the fraud were exposed, the royal family’s dignity would be trampled underfoot, leaving no authority in the eyes of the people.
The noble families watched eagerly. Although the northern barbarians had been defeated, remnants still lurked, waiting to rise again—not to mention the southern tribes and the various kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Wen Xin put down the letter and sighed deeply. “If I hadn’t learned of this from the letter and had been there in person, I might have been deceived too.”
He turned to his friend. “Weaving nets from hair to trap people, extracting life essence to refine Longevity Pills, even taking people on tours of the underworld—such grand schemes!”
As he spoke, a trace of fascination even appeared on his face, as if he wished to witness it firsthand.
Su Lie snorted lightly, his tone filled with disdain:
“The hair-net trick was likely an inside job—taking advantage of the darkness to fool everyone. As for refining pills and extracting life essence, that’s pure nonsense. Do you remember the tricks we exposed in the past?”
In their reckless youth, the two had loved championing justice, mingling in the streets and witnessing countless street scams and magic tricks, including alchemy.
It was nothing more than lead, mercury, and the like. Some even added aphrodisiacs or potent drugs to deceive buyers. Consuming such pills might bring a temporary glow, but it drained the body for a fleeting effect.
“And what about the underworld tour? This time, over a dozen people from prominent families went together, and their accounts were largely similar.”
“That’s precisely why this fraudster’s tricks are so masterful!”
Wen Xin retorted casually, though inwardly he agreed with his friend. No matter how realistic the fraud appeared, falsehoods remained falsehoods.
Since ancient times, no true immortals or deities had ever walked the earth. Therefore, this person had to be a fraudster!
After discussing for a while, the two decided not to act rashly:
“From what I’ve seen, those deceived in the past refused to believe even when the fraud was exposed right before their eyes. Since His Majesty deeply trusts this fraudster, merely submitting memorials likely won’t achieve much.”
“In any case, let’s hurry back to the capital first.”
Su Lie was sharp-minded in battle, but when it came to court politics, he was a novice. Advising the Emperor was not his forte!
His head ached from thinking, and Wen Xin was even more worried about his elder sister, Empress Wen. The deceiver was a woman residing in the inner palace—what if his sister was also bewitched? Thus, he agreed to hasten the march.
…………
Three days later, Li Yue was working to accelerate the spread of underworld accounts. “How is the travelogue coming along?”
The capital had already firmly grasped the concepts of the Underworld Dynasty and accumulating yin virtue, but news spread slowly in the provinces due to poor communication.
The day before yesterday, Marquis Pingxi submitted a memorial stating that his daughter had begun writing a travelogue about the underworld. After reading a few chapters, Li Yue found the writing quite good.
Most importantly—ahem—it portrayed him rather grandly, so he permitted Lady Wang to continue writing.
Yan Pei respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, Lady Wang has already written nearly half of it. She says it will be completed in at most five days, or at least three.”
Seeing the Emperor nod, Yan Pei tentatively added, “Last night at midnight, the Prince of Chu’s heir sent a message—”
“The Prince of Chu likely has only these two days left.”
After speaking, he lowered his head and fell silent, not daring to risk anything despite having accepted the heir’s gold.
Sure enough, a faint response came from above: “Understood.”
Yan Pei knew then that the Prince of Chu’s household had fallen out of imperial favor. By custom, when a prince passed away, not only would the court bestow gifts, but the Emperor should also grant condolences, and in cases of close relations, even personally attend the mourning.
Now, the Prince of Chu received only an “understood.” With the Emperor’s attitude made clear, it wouldn’t be long before the news of the Prince of Chu’s household losing favor became widely known.
Yan Pei sighed inwardly and elevated the importance of the Goddess to the highest priority.
Bang! The palace door, made of fine rosewood, was suddenly flung open as a little eunuch rushed in frantically.
Li Yue frowned, and Yan Pei hurried forward to scold him. But seeing that the little eunuch was actually his own disciple—usually clever but never daring to cross the line—he wondered what could have happened now…
“Your Majesty, it’s terrible! The Goddess is in the garden trying to kill Consort Xian!”
“What!”
The Emperor abruptly stood up, shocked. How could his favored consort in the palace have gotten involved with the Goddess?
Was Consort Xian so idle? Even the Empress had been avoiding the Goddess lately!
Yan Pei was also wide-eyed with astonishment. Considering the money Consort Xian had slipped him in the past, he decided not to add fuel to the fire later.
……………………
At this moment, the autumn heat was still intense, and the scorching sunlight mercilessly poured down on the woman before him, who resembled a lotus emerging from water.
Consort Xian’s delicate figure swayed unsteadily, while a little girl at her feet wept bitterly. The mother and daughter looked utterly pitiful, eviting sympathy at a glance.
Ling Xiao was extremely irritated. The System didn’t dare utter a word, fearing the Host might first eliminate Consort Xian and then turn on it.
But it was truly hilarious—ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Earlier, Ling Xiao had been sitting in the garden pavilion, sucking on a lollipop and admiring the scenery, feeling soothed by nature as the inner turmoil quieted down.
Suddenly, a commotion arose. Ling Xiao rolled her eyes and waved a hand, signaling someone to go and shoo the disturbance away.
She thought it would be resolved quickly, but the noise only grew louder.
The next moment, a little girl charged out, her face filled with anger as she drew a whip and rushed fiercely toward Ling Xiao, swinging it downward with force.
The whip moved with incredible speed. The attendants nearby were horrified; some lunged forward to block it, but it was entirely too late.
Those following the little girl shouted, “Princess, stop!” Their hearts filled with anxiety. Seeing disaster imminent, they closed their eyes in despair.
It’s over. The Emperor would never spare them.
Crack, crack, crack! The whip flew back at an astonishing speed, landing on the smug little girl, leaving bloody welts on her face.
The scene was in utter chaos—some were huddled around the sobbing girl, trying to comfort her; others knelt before Ling Xiao, begging for forgiveness; while still others shouted and cursed loudly.
Under Lady Yang’s leadership, the servants of Fengyang Palace quickly regained their composure.
Her mistress was, after all, the Goddess—how could she possibly be harmed by a mere mortal? Lady Yang thought to herself, realizing she had been too agitated just moments before.
Ling Xiao wiped her hands in disgust, her anger burning hotter and hotter within her. A surge of violent energy welled up from deep inside her.
18888 watched the spectacle coldly from the sidelines. Since it wasn’t him who had died, it was better to let the Host vent her fury.
He had long since figured out that the Host, Ling Xiao, was not the lawful good type. She was extremely extreme, adhered to a belief in absolute supremacy, and could not tolerate the slightest provocation.