In a residence somewhere in the capital.
Study room, candlelight flickering.
At the desk sat a tall man with a scar on his face, his entire body exuding an aura that kept others at a distance.
This man was the “War God” known as the Southern Prince, Yang Chengmo, 21 years old. He was the youngest son of the former emperor and the younger brother of the current emperor. He was only four years older than the current emperor’s eldest prince, truly a young imperial uncle.
He was writing with brush in hand, not even lifting his head as he said, “Come in!”
In an instant, two men in black knelt before the desk.
“Qingfeng, you speak first.”
One of the black-clothed men said, “Today, Madam Zhang and her daughter dismissed all the servants and pushed Miss Lin Yiyi into the water. Her personal maid, Aunt Zhou, rescued her… Madam Zhang used the excuse that she failed to take care of Miss Lin and whipped Aunt Zhou. After Miss Lin woke up, she went to Madam Zhang’s courtyard… and whipped Madam Zhang, her daughter, and a maid… nothing else unusual.”
The man with sharp brows and star-like eyes nodded.
“Investigate the Lin family’s eldest miss.”
“Yes!”
The other black-clothed man spoke:
“Subordinate also heard some words in Madam Zhang’s courtyard.”
The man signaled him to continue.
“…Lord Lin intends to have the eldest miss marry the First Prince, while the second miss is determined to marry the First Prince. So the mother and daughter plan to get rid of her…”
After hearing their reports, the man waved them away, sitting alone in thought.
For three consecutive days, he had been having the same dream:
In a garden, a woman was walking when she was pushed into the water by a mother and daughter. He wanted to save her, but his feet felt bound by something. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not move, and could only watch her struggle in the water. Suddenly, a blinding light shone upon her, and soon after, she stopped moving.
On the third night when he woke up from this dream, he ordered his personal guards to investigate and search for the place and people in the dream.
Finally, at dawn, the target was confirmed—“Shunchang Marquis Residence”—and he immediately sent people to investigate.
Lin Yiyi… why do you appear in my dreams?
Morning.
The door opened, and the sleepy Lin family eldest miss appeared stretching in front of the busy Xiao Tao.
“Xiao Tao, good morning!”
“Miss, good morning!”
Early in the morning, Xiao Tao was as busy as a butterfly, leaving Lin Yiyi a little stunned.
“What are you doing?”
“Replying to Miss, Aunt Zhou said that from now on we should cook in our own small kitchen. Going out to buy food every day is troublesome, so she’s turning this piece of land over to grow vegetables…”
That made sense. Lin Yiyi nodded.
Although her space had everything, this was ancient times. If she suddenly produced things out of nowhere, she would scare people to death.
“Where is Aunt Zhou?”
“She’s making breakfast!”
Sigh, Aunt Zhou really doesn’t listen at all!
At this moment, Aunt Zhou came over with washing supplies.
“Good morning, little miss! Wash up first, then eat breakfast.”
Someone secretly rejoiced: Having someone take care of meals and daily life like this—being a rice-eating idle person doesn’t seem so bad.
After half an hour, the three of them finished eating and drinking, and the “Eight Gossip Trio” officially began.
“Xiao Tao, tell me some gossip.”
“Uh, Miss, you never used to like listening to these…” Xiao Tao was puzzled.
“Hah, people change! I used to be weak and couldn’t protect you two. Now I need to become stronger and learn more information,” Lin Yiyi said without blushing.
Tea, melon seeds, snacks—everything was ready.
Under Lin Yiyi’s “pressure,” Xiao Tao and Aunt Zhou sat together at the table, forced into gossip mode.
The three heads huddled together—they looked exactly like people plotting something.
Half an hour later, through Xiao Tao’s chatter, Lin Yiyi roughly understood the officials and the kingdom:
This was the Great Wei Kingdom, a dynasty that did not exist in history. The former emperor had eight sons. The current emperor was the eldest son, Yang Chenghao. The youngest son was the Southern Prince, Yang Chengmo, known as the “War God.”
“War God? Tell me more…” Lin Yiyi’s gossip heart was burning.
“…According to rumors, this Southern Prince followed the former emperor into battle at the age of ten, fought countless wars, and never lost once…”
“One year ago, he was ambushed, his face was injured, and he was poisoned… he was saved, but…”
“But what?”
Xiao Tao blushed and looked helplessly at Aunt Zhou for help.
Aunt Zhou cleared her throat and lowered her voice:
“According to imperial physicians, his body is severely damaged and he… cannot perform as a man and cannot have children.”
!!!(•’╻’•)
So explosive?!
Aunt Zhou continued:
“All imperial doctors examined him and reached the same conclusion. Later, the emperor even sought famous doctors across the land, but the result was the same. In the end, the War Prince had no choice but to hand over military power and become a powerless, wealthy idle prince.”
In a hidden corner, a black shadow listening to their gossip had a completely speechless expression, lines appearing on his forehead.
The gossip continued.
“I also heard…” Xiao Tao looked around carefully, lowering her voice even more, “that the current emperor cannot tolerate the War Prince…”
The black shadow nodded slightly.
“The War Prince achieved great military merit and is adored by the people. The emperor is wary of him and believes he has intentions of rebellion, so…”
The black shadow nodded again in agreement.
Another hour passed with gossip.
It was soon lunchtime.
Aunt Zhou prepared to cook, but Lin Yiyi stopped her.
“Today, I’ll cook.”
“That absolutely won’t do!” Aunt Zhou panicked.
“I read a cookbook yesterday and want to practice,” she lied.
“I’ll help you then.”
“No need. Just wait.”
With that, Lin Yiyi ran into the kitchen.
Seeing her enter, Aunt Zhou smiled helplessly—just like when the young mistress was still alive, lively and spirited.
In the kitchen, ingredients were fairly complete: water spinach, a chicken, and two cucumbers.
She decided on braised chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried vegetables, and smashed cucumber.
She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Soon, rich aromas floated out.
Xiao Tao sniffed. “Aunt Zhou, it smells so good!”
Even the hidden black shadow agreed.
When the dishes were finally served, the “Eight Gossip Trio” happily ate together.
“Miss, this chicken is amazing!” Xiao Tao said with a mouthful of food.
Lin Yiyi even gave each of them a chicken drumstick.
“Bang!” Xiao Tao dropped her chopsticks in shock.
“Miss…”
“This is your reward.”
From then on, the three of them continued happily eating.
Meanwhile, in the Zhang courtyard…
Madam Zhang sat while Aunt Gui helped apply medicine to her wounds.
“Lin Yiyi that little bitch…”
She gritted her teeth in hatred.
This matter was not over.
And somewhere above the roof, a black shadow flashed and disappeared into the night.