I’m Competing With The Male Lead For A Woman[Gl] Chapter 113: Fate?

In the study room, the candles were bright and shining.

The eunuchs respectfully presented two cups of tea before stepping back, lifting the palace lamps and bowing their heads.

No one dared to look at the crown prince kneeling on the ground, nor did anyone dare to lift their heads to look at the emperor who had waved his hand and knocked over the tea cup.

“Peng–”

The hot tea splashed onto the crown prince’s clothes.

The crown prince remained composed, still displaying his utmost respect and kindness, kneeling straight on the ground.

The tea spilled onto his knees,
gradually soaking through, but he didn’t even blink, only smiling and saying, “Father, please calm down.”

“Calm down?” The Emperor Qi calmed down a little bit.

Looking at his good son, he couldn’t help but laugh instead of getting angry, “You, as the crown prince, have become even more outstanding. You dare to even plot against me and spare not even your own brother.”

The crown prince spoke in a gentle tone, “Father is the ruler, and I am a subject. A loyal subject naturally wouldn’t dare to deceive his ruler.”

The Emperor Qi stared at the crown prince, “Such a loyal subject! Then let me ask you, how did you tell me about the Qin family mother and daughter before entering Tianya Sect?”

“I said, now is the best time to take advantage of the chaos and eliminate the Qin family mother and daughter.” The crown prince answered calmly.

“And how did you handle it?” The emperor asked.

The crown prince showed a look of shame, “I am incompetent and inefficient, and I failed to share Father’s worries.”

The Emperor Qi remembered the crown prince’s words to him before, “Nothing can go wrong.”

He couldn’t help but sneer, “It’s not your fault, it’s just that I trusted you too much and gave you everything. That’s why I raised such a wolf-ambitious, fratricidal good son!”

“Wolf-ambitious, fratricidal?” The crown prince suddenly laughed and looked up at the emperor, “Father, this phrase seems more appropriate for Fourth Brother, doesn’t it?”

The Emperor Qi silently looked at the crown prince, who smiled back at him, “Moreover, both my ambition and Fourth Brother’s ambition were given to us by you, Father.”

“If you had treated Fourth Brother like you did Third Brother, not giving him even a glimmer of hope, how could he have gone down this path?” The crown prince had said something right. 

The Emperor Qi had always turned a blind eye to the actions of the fourth prince, seemingly very fond of this son and thus accommodating him in every way. 

But the civil and military officials saw it all.

They naturally felt that the Emperor Qi favored the fourth prince, so they sought to win over the influential Mu Xiang and vied for his alliance.

The Fourth Prince himself did not have much ambition, nor was he fit to become the heir.

But the Emperor Qi loved him, and the mother of the prince’s concubine’s family planned for him with all her heart.

As time went on, they felt that the position of crown prince was right in front of them, and they wanted to fight for it.

In this way, the supporters of the eldest princess, the Emperor’s faction, and the Mu family, led by Mu Xiang, could maintain a delicate balance in the court.

On the surface, it seemed like a struggle between these three parties, but the ministers were all very clear.

The eldest princess supported the Prince Yan, while the Emperor’s faction favored the Crown Prince. The Mu family was restless and also wanted to intervene. For the Emperor Qi, it was beneficial and harmless.

This way, Mu Xiang could compete with the eldest princess, and the fourth prince could serve as a whetstone for the Crown Prince.

In other words, the fourth prince was an indispensable chess piece.

His existence was undoubtedly very useful.

So the Emperor Qi held him in high regard, giving him whatever he wanted and nurturing him into a vain and arrogant character who did not avoid sharp edges.

This continued until Mu Xiang showed a desire to ally with Xiao Shuang. This balance was completely broken.

The Emperor Qi could tolerate competition between his sons but would never allow his son to unite with others to vie for his position.

After decades of patience and restraint, the Emperor Qi had not acted. But the Mu family had reached too far and had usurped too much, and he could only uproot them with thunderous force.

As a result, not only was Concubine Mu’s demoted, but Mu Xiang retired, and even the fourth prince, the Emperor Qi’s own son, became a discarded and useless pawn.

Thinking of how he had used this son for many years, the Emperor Qi wanted to send him out of the capital to a less prosperous city to live as a leisurely prince. It was also a way to make up for the last bit of regret in his heart. 

However, in the end, the Emperor Qi could not get what he wanted.

Looking at the tired expression of the Emperor Qi, the Crown Prince said gently, “Father, once a chess piece becomes a discarded piece, keeping it on the board will only breed endless troubles.”

The Emperor Qi’s momentum suddenly declined, murmuring, “He will only be a idle prince in the future, staying in his own fiefdom all day to seek pleasure, appreciate flowers and listen to music, and he won’t interfere with you.”

“Fearful that he won’t be willing.” The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and said calmly, “Fourth brother has no great ambitions, yet he was still forced out of his aspirations by those people. Although his talent is mediocre, he still thinks he is only one step away from being the heir, so how can he give up easily?”

“That’s a matter for later.” The Emperor Qi regained his senses, and his voice became cold again, “As I said, no matter what, I don’t want to see you fighting against each other.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “Your son never thought of harming his brothers, just doing what you have already done.”

He knelt down on the ground, his voice warm and clear, “You used the third brother’s hand to clear the entire Mu family with a book, and I only borrowed your hand to let the fourth brother live his life at ease.”

….

By the time Xiao Shuang and Xiao Jin finished talking, it was already late at night.

Considering that the palace gate had already been locked, Xiao Shuang let Xiao Jin stay in the  Palace for the night.

The former was still somewhat pleased, leading Xiao Jin into a bedroom and introducing the furnishings one by one, “These are the screens and bed you picked yourself before, and your clothes are all in the closet. In these years when you were away, this palace did not touch any of your things, just sent someone to clean every day.”

These words should have been touching.

However, Xiao Jin remained silent and said after a while, “Aunt, I can’t see.”

Xiao Shuang turned around and looked at the white silk on Xiao Jin’s eyes, nodding slightly, “It’s okay, this palace will have a doctor treat you.”

Xiao Jin continued to remain silent.

Firstly, because her eye disease was indeed something that could not be cured by ordinary means; secondly, the words Xiao Shuang wanted to say were not meant for her, so she naturally didn’t need to respond.

 Of course, there was also one more thing.

Considering the things Xiao Shuang has done in the past and her ruthless character, it’s hard for her to feel warmth.

Several candles were lit in the night, and Xiao Shuang looked at Xiao Jin, preparing to say a few more words.

But a dark guard appeared beside her and whispered a few words.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating Xiao Shuang’s face in alternating brightness and darkness.

Her red robe embroidered with silver crane patterns also looked like blood flowing in the firelight.

After the dark guard finished speaking, Xiao Shuang waved her hand to signal him to leave: “The palace already knows.”

In the blink of an eye, the dark guard disappeared into the night, as if he had never appeared.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Xiao Jin remained silent and didn’t ask any questions.

She just sat quietly in her wheelchair, seeming uninterested in everything.

Xiao Shuang didn’t say much either, but her words carried a hint of interest: “The palace still has something to do, so I’ve prepared two trustworthy maidservants for you to command.”

“Rest here for now, and tomorrow the palace will come to check on you and find a doctor to treat your eyes.”

Xiao Jin sat in her wheelchair and could feel two people appearing beside her without a sound.

They knelt down and paid their respects: “Greetings to His Highness the Prince Yan.”

Although it was late at night, Xiao Jin didn’t know what kind of greeting they were giving.

For now, she took their blessings as a good night and let them stand up before thanking Xiao Shuang: “Thank you, Aunt.”

Xiao Shuang nodded: “The palace is leaving.”

Xiao Jin said, “Aunt, take care.”

When the sound of footsteps disappeared completely, Xiao Jin said to the two maidservants, “You can go down for now. I want to be alone for a while.”

The two maidservants looked at each other, clearly hesitant: “Your Highness, Princess Zhao Yang told us…”

Xiao Jin said calmly, “What did Aunt tell you earlier?”

“She asked us to come and serve you at your command,” the maidservants replied.

Xiao Jin nodded, “Hmm, so I’m sending you away as a command.”

The two maidservants said, “Yes, Your Highness,” and bowed before leaving. 

Everyone else had already left.

At this moment, Xiao Jin took a deep breath and finally had the time to communicate with the system: “Are you there? Can you help me cheat?” 

The system responded quickly: “Dear host, under safe circumstances, we usually do not recommend the use of cheat functions.”

Xiao Jin nodded in understanding.

At the next moment, however, she pulled out a blade from its sheath and placed it on her own neck, asking, “Now, is it dangerous?”

The system replied, “…”

It had never encountered this kind of situation before.

The system hesitantly answered, “Yes.”

Xiao Jin had no intention of putting down the knife and continued to confront the system, saying, “If it’s dangerous, then hurry up and help me cheat.”

After speaking, she brought the blade closer and calmly reminded, “Swords have no eyes.” 

The system was speechless and asked, “What cheat do you want to use?” 

Xiao Jin replied, “It’s very simple. Just temporarily remove the side effects of this protagonist halo for one or two hours. I want to investigate something.”

The system was in a difficult position and said, “The side effects of the protagonist halo are set at birth, and the system is afraid that it cannot change them without permission.”

Xiao Jin clearly didn’t believe it and said, ‘The original owner’s leg injury was also a set birth condition. How can you change it without permission and let me stand for a few hours?”

The system had never encountered such a difficult host and could only compromise, “Alright, the system can temporarily cancel the side effects of the halo for the host, but in return, the host needs to use their life span to exchange for it.”

Xiao Jin had almost forgotten about this condition.

At that time, she was sleeping with Chu Shao and didn’t even ask how much lifespan was exchanged for the increase in favorability.

Fortunately, the system was humane and kept track of it for Xiao Jin, saying, “Without changing the total value, the excess favorability has already been automatically converted into two months of lifespan for you.”

This meant that fifty points of favorability could be exchanged for one month of lifespan.

After hearing the system’s words, Xiao Jin suddenly realized that her life was still very long, so she boldly said, “Then just exchange it for two hours for now.”

After all, the original owner’s room was only so big, and two hours were enough for her to explore many things.

The system replied, “Okay, ten days of lifespan will be deducted from the host.”

“…” Xiao Jin couldn’t believe it. “Ten days?”

Does it take ten days to exchange for two hours of sight?

The system said solemnly, “According to the pattern detected by the system, it is found that only what humans have lost is the most precious. So this is an equivalent exchange. Please consider whether to make the exchange.”

“Exchange.” Xiao Jin adhered to the idea of seizing the opportunity and not letting it slip away, and finally agreed to the system’s conditions.

As her vision temporarily recovered, Xiao Jin slowly took off the white gauze from her eyes.

Closing the window and making sure that there were no surveillance personnel outside, she pushed her wheelchair and began to explore the room.

As Xiao Shuang said, this bedroom was indeed the place where the original owner used to live.

The decoration and taste in the room were roughly similar to those in the Yan Mansion. The only difference was that the furnishings here were a bit older and the styles were a bit more outdated.

But perhaps because it was cleaned frequently, there were no cobwebs on the beams, and even the peeled paint on the small table on the bed had been repaired.

Although it was not polite to touch other people’s things, Xiao Jin, who had big plans, pushed her wheelchair and carefully investigated every trace of the original owner’s residence.

Everything she saw was ordinary, except for a few military books and shiny weapons.

As she searched, Xiao Jin began to regret it.

Isn’t ten days of life span worth more than this? How could she be so foolish to exchange ten days for two hours? Just when Xiao Jin didn’t have much hope, she stopped pushing the wheelchair.

She stood still and aimlessly scanned through a pile of military books on the shelf with her eyes.

Unremarkable at first glance, this book was slightly plain among the named books.

Xiao Jin reached out and took out the unmarked book from the lower layer of the bookcase. She flipped through it casually, but found that there was no content written in the book, only some papers with grids drawn on them.

Hmm, it looks like calligraphy paper. 

But it wasn’t calligraphy paper.

It wasn’t until a sheet of paper slipped out from between the pages that Xiao Jin understood what this book was for.

Because the writing on it was all in traditional characters, and the handwriting was somewhat ugly, Xiao Jin just picked up the paper and scanned it casually, hoping to understand the meaning.

After roughly reading it, she couldn’t help but laugh, because it was an IOU.

It said that on a certain year, month, and day, the original owner owed Xiao Shuang how many poems and essays should be copied, and how many essays and parallel prose pieces should be written.

These debts added up to a total of 48,000 characters.

48,000 characters were hidden in a new, blank book by the original owner, and the meaning was self-evident.

It was clear that this book was obviously a copybook provided for the original owner.

A thick stack of it, all from the care of the elders.

Xiao Jin was originally a little admiring of the original owner, after all, she had only seen people owe money, not owe writing.

Just as Xiao Jin was infinitely admiring, she felt that the thickness of the middle page of the paper seemed a bit off.

With a gentle rub, she felt that it was the thickness of two pages.

At this moment, she found that these two pages of paper seemed to have been glued together with something, and couldn’t help but ask the system, “Did they have glue in ancient times?”

The system replied, “Host, there was no glue in the world of books, so these two pages of paper should have been glued together with fish glue.”

Xiao Jin was not surprised at all. It was strange if the system couldn’t tell that it was glued together with fish glue.

After all, it was a system.

She just asked, “How do I separate these two pages without damaging them?”

The system answered decisively, “Use a cheat code.” 

Xiao Jin: “…” 

She really learned something.

Of course, Xiao Jin wouldn’t cheat for such a small matter.

She took some tea from a cup and used it to wet the edges of the book pages, gradually making them less sticky.

In ancient times, they didn’t have strong adhesives like 502, so it was not difficult to separate two sheets of paper.

However, when she tried to separate the two pages, Xiao Jin was stunned.

In the middle of the paper were two thin sheets of rice paper.

When held in hand, they were almost imperceptibly thick.

The first sheet had some things on it that Xiao Jin couldn’t understand, but she could vaguely recognize that it was a city defense map.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed familiar.

After pondering for a while, as someone who had roamed around the Yao Country palace in her memories of Nan Jin, Xiao Jin boldly guessed that this thing was most likely a city defense map of the Yao Country.

Xiao Jin knew the importance of this thing, so she folded the page neatly and quietly put it in the silk pouch hanging from her waist.

Then, she looked at the second sheet of paper.

At first glance, her pupils suddenly dilated.

Because, there was a person painted on it.

A person she was all too familiar with.

It was Chu Shao.

 ….

That night, inside the Shen residence, Shen Shuang watched Chu Shao standing in front of her, even feeling a bit skeptical that she might be dreaming.

It wasn’t until Chu Shao’s lips curved into a smile and she asked her, “Miss Shen, did you understand what I just said?” that Shen Shuang cleared her throat nervously and said shyly, “The wind tonight is so noisy that I didn’t hear clearly for a moment. Could you please repeat it, Princess?”

With a smile on her face, Chu Shao repeated herself.

The alluring night made Shen Shuang empty her mind again.

Seeing her vacant gaze, Chu Shao chuckled and said, “Forget it, I’ll go find Mr. Shen myself.”

Shen Shuang quickly came back to her senses, scared, “Why is Princess looking for my father?”

Chu Shao smiled, “It seems Miss Shen really didn’t hear anything.”

With that, she tried to walk past Shen Shuang and go straight to the main hall.

Finally, with Shen Shuang’s strong obstruction, Chu Shao’s smile disappeared, and she repeated herself a third time to Shen Shuang.

This time, she finally understood why Chu Shao had come.

According to Chu Shao, a assassin named Su had almost killed Xiao Jin in Qingzhou not long ago.

Although he was caught and brought back to the Prince Yan’s residence, he had recently escaped.

Chu Shao smiled and said, “Mr. Shen is the Minister of War, and is usually busy with many affairs. He probably doesn’t have time to deal with the small matter of people coming in and out of the city gates. But the official responsible for the city gate defense should record and report the personnel entering and leaving each city gate to Mr. Shen.”

Shen Shuang didn’t have time to think about why Chu Shao knew so much about these things. She acted faster than she thought and nodded, “Yes, that’s right.” 

Chu Shao said, “So…Mr. Shen should assist the Prince Yan’s residence in helping to find out where the fugitive is hiding, right?” 

Shen Shuang answered frankly, “That’s not necessarily the case.”

Her father never stood with any party, so he would not take the initiative to help.

Besides, if this matter was really the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, then the Ministry of War would be asked for assistance.

Chu Shao frowned slightly and asked softly, “Why not?”

Shen Shuang had already been charmed by Chu Shao’s gentle voice.

Maintaining her last bit of clarity, she explained softly, “Princess, the process doesn’t seem quite right. We should first go to the Ministry of Justice to record the case, so that my father can assist in handling the case.”

Chu Shao understood this reasoning, but she would never follow this entire process.

If she really caught Su Tan as a criminal, exposed in front of everyone in the capital, it would be better not to find her at all.

Chu Shao sighed lightly and said, “If I don’t plan to go to the Ministry of Justice, but only want to find Miss Shen.”

“I just want to find…Miss Shen.”

Shen Shuang had already been blown out of her senses by the night wind tonight.

She swayed and didn’t know which way was up.

Only by pointing the red tassel spear to the ground could she barely stand steady.

She looked at Chu Shao and felt that this person standing here was the best rhetoric in the world.

Thinking like this, she unconsciously led Chu Shao into the main hall.

In front of the main hall, Shen Shangshu’s eyes were both shocked and angry, and he seemed to be able to kill Shen Shuang thousands of times over.

Shen Shuang came back to her senses and realized belatedly that she seemed to have tricked her father again. 

She felt a little ashamed, but the smile on her lips was genuine. 

It was a steady happiness.

Shen Shangshu wished he had never had this daughter.

However, she was already grown up, and he couldn’t start over again.

He got up from his seat and greeted Chu Shao with a smile, “It’s late at night, Princess, I wonder what brings you to my humble abode?”

Chu Shao smiled gently and replied, “Mr. Shen, you overestimate the importance of my visit. It’s nothing urgent.”

Then, she repeated what she had just said to Shen Shuang to Shen Shangshu.

After listening, Shen Shangshu looked at Shen Shuang.

His desire to send Shen Shuang back to the embryonic period and start over was deepened.

He had to maintain social etiquette on the surface and pretended to be hesitant, “As a subordinate, I am willing to help Prince Yan find the audacious thief, but it is not within the norms.”

Chu Shao asked with a smile, “Why is it not within the norms?”

Shen Shangshu sighed, “To answer you Princess, this kind of matter needs to be recorded by the Ministry of Justice before action can be taken…”

“What if I have already been to the Ministry of Justice, but they refuse to assist the Yan Mansion?” Chu Shao interrupted.

Shen Shangshu was stunned.

There was a smile in Chu Shao’s eyes as she softly said, “If the Ministry of Justice refuses to help the Yan Mansion, but Mr. Shen does everything in his power to assist Prince Yan, Her Highness will surely appreciate your efforts.”

At this moment, Shen Shangshu’s gaze toward Chu Shao changed.

This woman was not simple.

After a long pause, Shen Shangshu sighed slightly, “Princess, even if I want to help Prince Yan, it will only be recorded in the registry. If the thief uses a fake name and there are countless people to search through, it will be difficult to find her immediately.”

“It’s okay. She is not a citizen of the Qi Country and must be using a fake name.” Chu Shao smiled.

Shen Shangshu was stunned again.

Chu Shao smiled and pointed to the ink on the table, “Mr. Shen, as long as I know what she looks like, it will be easy to find her by drawing a picture.”

Shen Shangshu’s brow twitched, thinking it would not be easy to do so.

If they were to draw a picture and find the thief, they would have to bring in the generals stationed at each city gate in the middle of the night and compare each one by one.

He was about to express that it might be difficult to do so tactfully.

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao had already thought of everything for him and said warmly, “If that’s the case, it seems a bit difficult.”

Shen Shangshu: “…”

Chu Shao smiled again and calmly said, “But it’s okay, we just need to compare them one by one based on their appearance. All the gentlemen are in the capital, so it shouldn’t take too much time.”

Shen Shangshu couldn’t say anything. He could say nothing at all.

After all, Chu Shao had already anticipated his anticipation.

What’s even more ruthless is that after finishing, Chu Shao didn’t forget to add, “Of course, it’s in the name of Minister Shen, not Her Royal Highness the Prince Yan.”

A smile curled up on her lips, as clear and pure as snow, “Otherwise, things might get a bit complicated.”

After stating the interests involved, Shen Shangshu took a glance at his extremely annoying daughter.

He then resigned himself and bowed, “I understand.”

….

After leaving the Minister’s Residence, Chu Shao felt refreshed.

Based on the records of each city gate commander and some faint impressions, she could now basically determine where Su Tan had gone.

Although Su Tan did not use her real name, she was quite eye-catching with a cart full of herbs.

Moreover, she was naturally beautiful like a bamboo, and had a kind of easily noticeable temperament.

After investigation, the last city gate that Su Tan passed through was called Xuan Cheng Gate. This city gate was not far from the capital, and if she rode a fast horse, she would be able to reach it in no time.

After learning this information, Chu Shao did not immediately set off to look for Su Tan.

Instead, she entered an inn and walked up to the shopkeeper, “Bring me a pot of Forget Worries Wine.”

The shopkeeper was dozing off and was about to say that they were closed.

But when he heard the name of the wine that Chu Shao mentioned, he suddenly woke up and pretended to be impatient, saying, “We don’t have this kind of wine here. Please find another place, sir.”

Chu Shao glanced at the shopkeeper and smiled, “There is no Forget Worries Wine here, but worries can be forgotten anywhere in the world.”

The shopkeeper heard the signal and instantly became alert.

He quickly made way for Chu Shao and said, “Okay, one pot of Forget Worries Wine. Please follow me, sir.”

Through the corridor, the shopkeeper led Chu Shao to a private room and quickly left.

Chu Shao opened the curtain and looked at Liu Tianya and Liu Er sitting on the chairs.

She couldn’t help but smile, “You two are faithful. You’ve been waiting here all along.”

Liu Er was trying to feed medicine to Liu Wushuang, who was unconscious, but when he saw Chu Shao coming, his whole body was covered with a layer of hostility. “The three-day deadline has come. Give me the antidote quickly,” he said.

Chu Shao lowered her eyes and looked at Liu Wushuang’s pale face without any blood color.

She smiled gently and said, “Liu Xiaoxia, what if I don’t give it to you?”

“You are shameless!” Liu Er said angrily. “As a martial artist, how can you use such despicable means? You not only poisoned the flying knife, but also took advantage of Wushuang’s carelessness to attack her!”

Chu Shao’s voice was very soft, “Really? If I remember correctly, it seems that Miss Wushuang attacked the Prince Yan first, and then I returned the flying knife to her.”

Liu Er questioned, “Attacked the Prince Yan? The Prince Yan is a general of the enemy country who destroyed Yao Country. Why can’t Wushuang kill her?”

“What Liu Xiaoxia said is true. Now you can guess, if I want to kill you, can you take a few moves?”

Chu Shao’s smile was very gentle, but her fingertips curled up slightly, holding the nameless sword at her waist.

Of course, this sword was snatched by Empress Ning from Shen Lang when he died.

Then Empress Ning also died, so it fell to Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin was not good at using swords, so she borrowed flowers to offer Buddha and gave the nameless sword to Chu Shao.

When she went to the palace banquet, Chu Shao naturally couldn’t wear a sword.

But after she sent Qin Xueting and Xia Sanniang back to the Yan Mansion, she knew that she had to see the person who opened the Tianya Sect, so she took it with her.

Liu Er was furious and wanted to say something else.

But Liu Tianya looked at the nameless sword at Chu Shao’s waist and shook his head, “Liu Er, don’t say anything more.”

Liu Er dared not disobey his master’s words and could only swallow his anger and say, “Yes.”

In just a few days, Liu Tianya seemed to have become particularly old, even his movements when getting up were very heavy and slow.

The next moment, in Liu Er’s disbelief, he bowed to Chu Shao and said, “Thank you, Princess, for saving my life.”

Liu Er was so shocked that he was speechless.

Chu Shao frowned slightly, “I don’t like that title.”

Liu Er looked at Liu Tianya and almost jumped out of bed, “Master, how can you thank her?”

Liu Tianya looked coldly at Liu Er and said, “Shut up! If it weren’t for the Princess using the threat of Frost Poison and setting a three-day deadline to keep our people within the borders of Qi, if we had returned directly to Xinyao, the entire Tianya Sect would have been destroyed.”

“Master, why is that?” Liu Er was confused.

Through Liu Tianya’s explanation, Liu Er learned that when Su Fu learned of the death of Empress Ning, he imprisoned all the Tianya Sect disciples who were in Xinyao.

Externally, he claimed that the Tianya Sect had defected and formed an alliance with Qi, collaborating to kill the former Yao Empress.

Liu Er asked in shock, “Why did Su Fu do this? If it weren’t for us, how could he have held onto his current position?”

Liu Tianya did not answer.

Although Chu Shao had no intention of helping the Tianya Sect.

When she applied poison to the flying knife, it was only to use it as a threat.

But at this moment, Chu Shao smiled and said, “Su Fu only needs to throw dirt on you, and no one will know that he killed the former empress to consolidate his power by concealing the secret of the half-jade Seal.”

“In this way, even if you return to Xinyao and claim to be innocent, telling the people that you are all working for Su Fu, the fact that the Tianya Sect has rebelled is already well known, and no one will believe anything you say.”

Liu Er only knew how to practice swordsmanship and was completely ignorant of these power struggles.

With a heart full of grief and nowhere to vent, he could only ask Liu Tianya, “Master, what should we do now?”

Liu Tianya looked at Liu Er, then at Chu Shao, and whispered, “Half of our disciples who stayed in Qi Country are still there, so we must make Su Fu pay a price.”

Liu Er nodded, “Yes, such a cruel and unrighteous person who breaks his promises is not worthy of being the Emperor of my Yao Country.”

At this moment, Liu Er suddenly realized something and looked at Chu Shao with a burning gaze, “Princess, you…”

Chu Shao interrupted him with a smile, “I didn’t come here to help you with anything. It’s just that, for the sake of justice, you should help me with something.”

Liu Tianya looked at his injured and unconscious disciple lying on the bed, his face full of sorrow, “What is it? Just tell us.”

“Actually, I’m not the one who developed the poison, so I don’t have the antidote on me.” As the two’s faces turned pale, Chu Shao smiled and continued, “But if you help me catch someone today, I’ll have the antidote.”

Liu Er immediately asked, “Who is it? I’ll go catch them right away.”

Liu Tianya also nodded and said, “Just speak your mind, Princess. Even if it’s a royal relative, my Tianya Sect is not afraid.”

“A royal relative, that’s not bad.” Chu Shao’s smile was gentle, and she whispered, “The person I want to catch is Su Tan, Su Fu’s sister.”

….

Xuan Cheng Gate, at the end of Zhuque Street.

In a liquor store, a woman and an old man with white hair sat across from each other, quietly drinking wine.

After three rounds of drinks, the cups were emptied.

The woman in the green dress refilled her cup and silently drank one cup after another.

It wasn’t until the shopkeeper was about to close that the woman in green put down her cup and whispered to the old man, “Senior Bai, I’ve discovered that people are really strange.”

Bai Lidan raised his cup and looked at the woman in green. “Xiao Tan, where do you find it strange?”

Su Tan seemed to have choked on the wine and coughed twice before smiling and saying, “When you want to die, you can’t. When you want to live, you can’t either.”

Bai Lidan was puzzled. “Several years ago, when Xiao Tan took my second research of the gu poison, she seemed to be seeking death wholeheartedly. Now, after experiencing what, she wants to live.”

Su Tan seemed to remember something and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

In the blink of an eye, the smile turned into fear and sadness, murmuring, “Senior Bai, I saw her again. I saw the little girl from back then. I realized that my sin has not been redeemed, and I cannot die yet.”

“You saw her?” Bai Lidan put down his cup and seemed surprised. “Back then, with so many poisons in her body, she could still survive.”

Su Tan nodded and said in a trembling voice, “Yes, she survived.”

“Moreover, I don’t know why, but she also knew that I had poisoned myself with the poison you developed, and my time is running out.”

Bai Lidan frowned, “Impossible. You had already left the palace at that time. How could she know?”

Su Tan’s head was heavy, and she leaned on the table, smiling self-mockingly, “Who knows, maybe it’s fate.”

“Fate?” Bai Lidan felt he was getting old and really didn’t understand what young people were talking about.

Su Tan said, “Yes, fate. Fate let her survive, and it’s also fate that made her remember everything we did. But why…”

At this point, her eyes looked a bit confused, “Why didn’t she want to kill me when she saw me, and didn’t even seek revenge? Does she think that there is no difference whether I, a person like me, live or die?”

Bai Lidan sighed and drank another cup of wine. “Xiao Tan, in the eyes of the world, you are a genius in alchemy, there is no need to belittle yourself.”

Su Tan smiled lightly, “Senior Bai, do people in the world know that I am also a genius in making poison?” 

Bai Lidan didn’t answer.

After a long time, Su Tan took out some silver coins from her sleeve and, with blurred eyes, put them on the table, considering it the end of the deal. “Forget it, forget it! We can’t take it with us when we die, so what’s the point?”

Bai Lidan watched Su Tan silently for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

As he was about to call the shopkeeper to settle the bill, he shifted his foot and discovered a pool of blood under his feet.

He looked up and saw a figure dressed in red, a dress even redder than blood.

Su Tan smelled the scent of blood and struggled to lift her head to take a glance.

The first thing she saw was a blood-red mask with butterfly wings. The woman wearing it suddenly became sober and quietly reached into her sachet to grab a few silver needles dipped in poison.

However, before she could even touch the needles, she was seized by two black-clothed men who appeared out of nowhere.

“Ding!” Five silver needles dropped to the ground and immediately sank into the pool of blood, disappearing without a trace.

Su Tan was also restrained by the two black-clothed men, her hands tied behind her back as she leaned on the table and watched the woman in red approaching her.

When she got closer, she chuckled lightly, “Miss, if you want to take my life, why bother slaughtering innocent people? This shopkeeper only served me some wine, it’s not like he committed any major crimes.”

The woman in red slowly sat down, her legs crossed together, her voice soft and charming. “Dr. Su, actually, I don’t want to kill him either. I just thought it wouldn’t be good for anyone if he were alive when I invite you to the Pavilion.”

Su Tan’s gaze gradually turned cold. “Your Blood Rain Pavilion has always killed innocent people. Even if I die here, I won’t go to see your master.”

“Oh, Dr. Su, how do you know for sure that I’m from Blood Rain Pavilion? And how do you know that our master has the leisure to come and see you?” The woman in red asked with interest.

Su Tan sneered, “In the martial world, it’s said that everyone in Blood Rain Pavilion wears black clothes and walks in the night. Once they make a move, they will cause a bloody storm and endless killing.”

The woman in red seemed to hear something funny and burst into laughter three times. “Dr. Su, the first half of what you said…I can barely agree with it, but the second half seems a bit far-fetched.”

“Now, on this night with such a pleasant breeze, and when there’s no rain, how can there be a bloody storm?”

Su Tan was pressed onto the table and could only stare at the woman in red coldly, unwilling to say anything more to her.

Through the holes in her butterfly mask, the woman in red stared at Su Tan and smiled, “Besides, compared to innocent people who died in our Blood Rain Pavilion, which are few and far between, there are even fewer.”

“How many people indirectly died from the poisons you developed? Don’t you know? Even the cruel medicines like poison that we use to torture prisoners are also from your hands.”

Su Tan’s face turned pale in an instant and she said in a hateful voice, “I developed the poisons to solve the toxicity of drugs, not to harm people!”

The woman in red shrugged, “So what, Dr. Su? You created poisons, which is an unchangeable fact. As for your true intentions… besides yourself, who cares?”

Su Tan clenched her lips and no longer argued.

Because the woman in red was right.

Regardless of her original intention, she had made a big mistake. Besides herself, no one even wanted her to atone for it.

The woman in red smiled softly, “If Dr. Su had cooperated earlier, why would I need to bind your hands now?”

“It’s late now, Dr. Su, come with us to Blood Rain Pavilion and have some hot tea.”

After speaking, the woman in red glanced at Bai Lidan beside her.

Then she raised her head slightly and signaled the black-clothed men to take Su Tan away.

The two black-clothed men were about to knock Su Tan unconscious, but suddenly felt a chill on their necks.

They instinctively looked down and saw blood splashing out.

It dyed the uncovered wine jar and painted a layer of vermilion on the old wooden table.

Bang!

The two black-clothed men fell to the ground, splashing a large amount of blood.

The woman in red remained unmoved and just watched as the person who stepped over the threshold and walked slowly towards her.

The sleeves of Chu Shao swayed in the night wind and floated towards the deep alley, forming an arc that fluttered like a silver butterfly’s wings.

She stepped over the blood, walking step by step, and said with a smile to the woman in red, “Vice Master, in fact, this Princess has prepared tea in the mansion too.”

“So, I’m afraid Dr. Su can only drink the tea I’ve brewed today.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Sigh… I’m glad Chu Shao came in time. If not, Su Tan might have died, and the Half-jade seal would have gone into the hands of those unscrupulous villains.

That’s all for tonight, Goodnight everyone!.

TO BE CONTINUE…