Chapter 098
Chapter 98: Task Two Completed
Ye He Qi sat on the opposite side of the main seat, watching Shi Zi Chu with a smile on his face. “Tell me about Hua Ting Li turning into blood,” he said.
The Fourth Prince’s bizarre death, Princess Rou’s palace maid possessing the bone-dissolving elixir, and the maid’s confession that Princess Rou had plotted to kill her brother for the throne.
After a long while—or rather, Shi Zi Chu had only been gone for a few hours—Hua Ting Li was dead, and Chu Zhi Rou was disabled.
Could she not have at least communicated with him beforehand?
Shi Zi Chu blinked innocently, her expression full of bewilderment.
Ye He Qi leaned tiredly against his chair. “What did our allies say?”
At this point, it didn’t matter; Chu Zhi Rou was no longer a threat.
“Eldest Miss Wan Yan marries A’Yu, who then seizes the throne and becomes crown prince. Yan Zhou Bai, for a time, will be the invalid crown prince. Later, Yan Zhou Bai will be reinstated as emperor, and finally, you will usurp the throne.”
After pausing, Shi Zi Chu added, “As for Ruo Ruo, she will go with Father to the border pass for training. We need military power.”
To usurp the throne and overthrow the palace, one could not do without military power. With Ruo Ruo’s help, much of the work could be avoided.
Ye He Qi turned his gaze back to Yan Zhou Bai and the others, noting their approval, and then spoke, “The immediate task is to deal with the other princes.”
“Ming Xi Su and Lu Cang are no threat,” Meng Xi Yu’s cold voice interjected.
With Hua Ting Li dead and Xu Zhou Ye away on disaster relief, it was uncertain whether he would even survive the journey. Even if he returned, he would likely be incapacitated. The remaining two princes posed no challenge.
“And Chu Zhi Rou?” Wan Yan Qian asked abruptly.
“She is suspected of plotting to kill the prince,” Ye He Qi replied with a smile, his eyes resting on Shi Zi Chu. “Isn’t Chu Kingdom seeking peace? To show sincerity, why not form an alliance between the two nations?”
Yan Zhou Bai nodded in agreement.
Shi Zi Chu spoke with Wan Yan Qian and Yao Ruo Ruo about the future plans; after all, becoming a general was no small task.
After sending off their guests, Ye He Qi and Shi Zi Chu returned to their bedroom.
Before Ye He Qi could question her, Shi Zi Chu spoke first: “The dog doesn’t jump the wall unless it’s desperate.”
“You’re going to force the dog to die,” Ye He Qi muttered helplessly, shaking his head. “I’ll have to go play the big brother and comfort them.”
Was she deliberately looking for trouble?
“I believe you can do it.” Shi Zi Chu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “As long as they don’t cause trouble in the capital.”
Once they reached Heng Prefecture, the emperor’s reach would be distant. It was the perfect place to incite rebellion!
Ye He Qi’s voice was soft and elegant as he asked, “What agreement did you reach with Sect Master Meng?”
Shi Zi Chu replied, “We only have Ruo Ruo as a military general. It’s not enough.”
Ye He Qi smiled lightly.
It wasn’t that it was insufficient for him, but rather, for Shi Zi Chu, it was lacking.
So, what did Shi Zi Chu need military power for?
Unless her task wasn’t just to become the Seventh Prince’s Consort or crown prince consort.
Ye He Qi studied her, his thoughts beginning to form some guesses.
…
In the dungeon.
?What a malicious female antagonist!? System 003’s voice was filled with frustration, its mechanical tone tinged with emotional anger.
Chu Zhi Rou, in prison attire, curled up in a corner, finally realizing the anger in the system’s voice.
She communicated with the system through her spiritual sense: “Was it Shi Zi Chu who set me up?!”
?Who else?? 003 flipped through the storyline, ?Your chances of completing the task are nearly zero now. My suggestion is to choose to end your life and leave the Ten Thousand Visions Realm.?
Chu Zhi Rou’s eyes flashed with resentment.
She was lacking in spiritual stones! Lacking in magic artifacts! Lacking in spiritual pills! She didn’t want to give up on the rich rewards in the Ten Thousand Visions Realm!
?Xing Lan has an indomitable destiny. You must become his personal disciple. If possible, charm him and make him fall in love with you.?
Though the rewards of the Ten Thousand Visions Realm were indeed great, Chu Zhi Rou had found herself trapped in a deadlock.
Perhaps leaving the Ten Thousand Visions Realm was the best course. She could then try to win over Xing Lan and return to being his personal disciple. As for the Ten Thousand Visions Realm’s rewards…
?The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Let the malicious female antagonist bring you the treasures, and you can retrieve them later.?
Chu Zhi Rou was tempted, but the thought of leaving in such a disgraceful manner was unbearable.
“I want to try again,” Chu Zhi Rou’s gaze hardened with determination, “I want to complete the task!”
She didn’t believe Shi Zi Chu could outplay her!
Since the rewards for becoming empress were too enticing, System 003 no longer tried to dissuade her, merely responding, ?Fine.?
…
Thanks to Yan Zhou Bai’s intervention, Chu Zhi Rou was finally sent to marry into Chu Kingdom as a princess.
Upon learning from System 003 that Chu Zhi Sheng was the emperor of Chu Kingdom, her confidence flared.
Disaster relief was proceeding smoothly, with one victory report after another delivered to the golden throne hall.
In the calm before the storm, the day for Ye He Qi and Shi Zi Chu’s wedding had arrived.
After a busy day, Shi Zi Chu sat on the bed in her new room, finally able to catch her breath.
Soon, Ye He Qi entered and lifted her veil. After drinking the ritual wine, he went ahead to offer toasts.
Only Shi Zi Chu and a few close maids remained in the bridal chamber.
?Task two completed!? The artifact spirit’s reminder startled Shi Zi Chu, nearly making her jump.
?The rewards for the task are as follows. Please choose one.?
The moment the artifact spirit finished speaking, five heavenly treasures appeared before Shi Zi Chu, visible only to her.
A bottle of seventh-rank spiritual pills, a heaven-rank spirit sword, a heaven-rank defense jade pendant, and two heaven-rank water-element techniques.
What a generous offering!
“Is it really this generous?” Shi Zi Chu asked the artifact spirit through spiritual sense, her voice full of astonishment.
?What else?? the artifact spirit responded, ?This is not the cultivation world. With your background as a farmer, it’s nearly impossible for you to become the prince’s consort. The difficulty of this task is far greater than you realize.?
In fact, this task was not difficult—it had simply never been completed before.
The Seventh Prince’s task was to become emperor, and to do that, he had to marry a noblewoman with family background, not a powerless farmer girl.
The tasks for the Seventh Prince and the farmer girl were in direct opposition. One could only choose one of the two.
Moreover, cultivators who had drawn the farmer girl identity in the past rarely even saw the Seventh Prince, let alone succeeded. Most of them had been trapped in the county magistrate’s son’s rear courtyard.
Therefore, Shi Zi Chu’s progress in this task was almost like a ghost story!
While removing her heavy wedding attire, Shi Zi Chu continued communicating with the artifact spirit, “What do you think I should choose?”
?Don’t get greedy!?
Hearing the artifact spirit’s slightly agitated voice, Shi Zi Chu couldn’t help but laugh. “Can I save it and choose after the task is over?”
?Yes.?
After changing into a comfortable nightgown, Shi Zi Chu ate and drank, then went to bathe and change.
By the time Ye He Qi returned, she had already curled up under the blanket, sound asleep.
When Ye He Qi prepared to wash up, her gentle, refined voice drifted from the bed. “How is Xiang Prefecture?”
Ye He Qi walked over, only to find Shi Zi Chu lying on her side, eyes closed, though she was awake.
“Xu Zhou Ye has contracted the plague,” Ye He Qi sat by the bed, leaning against the bedpost to ease the effects of the alcohol.
Shi Zi Chu turned her head and saw him leaning against the bed. His pale face had a flush of red.
The red wedding attire made him look even more dazzling, his lazy posture still elegant, and the rosy hue on his face only added to his charm, like an enchanting demon from the mountains.
Ye He Qi’s face truly was one of the finest.