“Second Brother, it’s time to take your medicine.”
A breathtakingly beautiful young woman sat by the bedside. She wore a light green dress, her skin fair as snow, her delicate oval face refined and elegant. Her slender waist could be encircled with one hand, her figure perfectly curved.
Her name was Gongsun Ruoqian. It was hard for people to imagine that someone as rough as Duke of Ning Gongsun Bayun could give his son such a rustic name like Gongsun Dazhu, yet name his granddaughter something as graceful as Gongsun Ruoqian. The contrast was simply too great.
At this moment, Gongsun Ruoqian held a bowl of medicine, feeding Ji Wuyi, who lay on the bed.
Suddenly, with a clang, the bowl and spoon fell to the ground, and the medicinal soup spilled everywhere.
Gongsun Ruoqian’s expression changed instantly as she said angrily, “Ji Wuyi, what do you mean by this? You’re injured, I’m taking care of you, and this is the attitude you show me?”
Although Gongsun Ruoqian was Ji Wuyi’s consort, she was also the granddaughter of the Duke of Ning, cherished by her family. If Ji Wuyi showed her attitude, she would not tolerate it meekly.
Ji Wuyi said coldly, “Get out! I just want to be alone right now.”
“Get out?” Gongsun Ruoqian frowned, “I’m kindly taking care of you, and you tell me to get out? Just because the throne wasn’t passed to you? If you have temper, take it out on Ji Wuxin. What kind of man are you venting it on me?”
Ji Wuyi had just lost the throne and had been beaten up. Already filled with anger, being provoked like this only made him even more furious as he snapped, “What do you, a woman, understand? All you do all day is wield weapons. Can’t you use your brain for once?”
Gongsun Ruoqian immediately retorted, “You say I only wield weapons and have no brains? Aren’t you the same, fussing over your body all day, trying to cultivate some so-called masculine aura? Did it help? In the end, didn’t you still lose to Ji Wuxin, that pretty boy?”
“You!”
Because Ji Wuxin was often mocked for being too delicate, Ji Wuyi had deliberately made himself appear more masculine, hoping to outshine him in presence. Now, hearing this, it was like a thorn stabbing into his heart. Already suffering internal injuries, his face flushed red instantly.
“Gongsun Ruoqian! Are you here just to anger me? You’re here to laugh at me too, aren’t you?”
“Get out! Go back to the Duke of Ning’s residence and never come back! You’re nothing but a political marriage tool. Now that I can’t ascend the throne, you’re useless as well! I’ll write you a divorce letter immediately! Don’t ever return!”
Ji Wuyi was completely blinded by rage, speaking without restraint.
“You!” Gongsun Ruoqian’s chest heaved with anger as she stood up and said, “Ji Wuyi! Remember what you said today. Don’t come begging me later!”
With that, she walked toward the door, only to see a servant standing awkwardly at the entrance, unsure whether to enter or leave.
Gongsun Ruoqian, having nowhere to vent her anger, snapped, “You’re here to watch me make a fool of myself too, aren’t you?”
The servant said fearfully, “This subordinate wouldn’t dare. Someone has come to request an audience with Your Highness.”
“Who?” Gongsun Ruoqian asked.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wuyi sat up abruptly and said angrily, “I won’t see him. Tell him to get lost!”
Earlier, Cao Shu had stopped him from seeing the late Emperor’s body, threatened him, and even injured him. He already regarded Cao Shu as an irreconcilable enemy. Hearing that Cao Shu had come, he assumed it was to beg for forgiveness, but he would never let him off easily.
Startled by the shout, the servant quickly replied, “Yes.”
However, Gongsun Ruoqian grabbed his sleeve and said threateningly, “Bring him in!”
Previously, she had resented Cao Shu for injuring Ji Wuyi. Now, she simply wanted to oppose Ji Wuyi.
“Huh?!” The servant’s face turned pale with fear. He was just a messenger. Why did he have to be caught in the middle?
Ji Wuyi shouted angrily, “You dare?!”
The servant’s expression became extremely ugly. On one side was the Second Prince, on the other the consort… both were people he couldn’t afford to offend.
Gongsun Ruoqian said coldly, “If you dare disobey my order, I’ll break your legs right now.”
Ji Wuyi added, “If you dare listen to her, I’ll feed you to the dogs!”
The servant’s terrified gaze shifted back and forth between them, on the verge of tears.
This was too difficult.
“Why is the Second Prince in such a foul temper?”
At that moment, a voice came from outside. A figure slowly appeared at the doorway and walked in.
The newcomer was elegant like jade, with sharp brows and bright eyes. Dressed in a blue-gray robe, his figure was tall and straight.
It was Cao Shu.
Upon seeing his enemy, Ji Wuyi’s eyes nearly split with rage, wishing he could tear him apart as he shouted, “Cao Shu! Did I allow you in? Didn’t those useless guards stop you?”
Gongsun Ruoqian, seeing Cao Shu barge in unannounced, released the servant’s sleeve and immediately became alert. She hadn’t even sensed his arrival.
Cao Shu smiled faintly. Even Zhao Si at the 6th stage Golden Core Realm couldn’t stop his Heavenly Demon Shadow Step, let alone the guards at Ji Wuyi’s residence. Entering here was effortless.
“If I wish to enter, those people can’t stop me. I came to discuss something important with Your Highness.”
Ji Wuyi’s expression darkened. From their previous encounter outside the Palace Gates, he had already realized Cao Shu was not simple. Though he appeared frivolous on the surface, he was deeply concealed. He hadn’t expected even his own residence’s guards to fail to stop him.
“If you’re here to ask for forgiveness, forget it. That’s impossible!”
“Hmph!” Ji Wuyi snorted coldly, “Impossible. Even if Father Emperor passed the throne to him, I will never admit defeat. Go back and tell him properly, I will never submit to him!”
Most of the court supported him. With two Golden Core Realm cultivators and the backing of the Duke of Ning, Ji Wuyi would never concede so easily.
“Good.” Cao Shu wanted exactly this kind of resolve. “Since Your Highness still has such determination, why not cooperate with me?”
“Cooperate? Cooperate in what?” Ji Wuyi sneered, “You injured me in front of everyone, and now you want to cooperate? What a joke.”
“Kill him!”
At this moment, a Golden Core Realm cultivator had already appeared behind Cao Shu. Failing to detect Cao Shu’s intrusion had already embarrassed him. Now, he only needed a command from the Second Prince.
“Haha…” Cao Shu had long noticed him, yet showed no fear. Instead, he mocked, “I thought the Second Prince was broad-minded and would become a wise ruler. But now I see you are petty and narrow. No wonder you lost to the Eldest Prince. If I had known, I wouldn’t have helped you today.”
After laughing, his expression turned cold. “And you think a Golden Core Realm cultivator can stop me?”
In a flash, he appeared behind the cultivator.
The cultivator’s expression changed drastically. What kind of movement technique was this?
As Ji Wuyi listened, he gradually sensed something was wrong. His anger quickly subsided as he said, “Wait… what do you mean you helped me?”
Cao Shu said calmly, “Today, when the Emperor’s body returned to the capital, both princes were present before the procession, and all officials witnessed it. The Eldest Prince was initially emotional, but later behaved appropriately without any disrespect.”
“However, you pretended to go mad and attempted to lift the curtain, exposing the Emperor’s body. According to customs, such an act would cause the soul to scatter.”
“Such a grave disrespect… is that something a son or a ruler should do? Although I knocked you unconscious, it was all for your own good.”
In simple terms… I beat you severely, even made you bleed, but it was all for your own good.
Ji Wuyi fell silent.
At that time, he had only wanted to confirm whether Ji Wuxin had tampered with his father’s death. He hadn’t considered this aspect at all. Under normal circumstances, he would never have acted that way. He had simply lost his composure in anger.
Thinking about it now, it was indeed true. Lifting the curtain in front of everyone was no different from opening a coffin at a funeral and saying, “Look, this is how my father looks after death.”
Such a grave act of disrespect would become a lifelong stain. Even if he seized the throne, it would give others grounds to ridicule him and attack him.
Although Cao Shu had stopped him and knocked him unconscious, it had been the best solution in that moment. He had actually helped him.
Now, at worst, he would only be seen as a filial son who was overwhelmed with grief, went mad, vomited blood, and fainted.
All his previous anger vanished instantly. Looking at Cao Shu, his eyes were filled with gratitude as he said, “I was reckless. Thank you, Marquis Cao, for your assistance. I hope you can forgive me.”
[Ding! Successfully deceived Ji Wuyi. Obtained 500 villain points]