Chapter 96 The Insolence of Corrupt Officials

There were still many questions the King of Poison wanted to ask, but at this moment, with the real Shinju in his arms, everything else seemed unimportant.

It is unknown how much time passed. Since Shinju did not urge him, and the King of Zhen was reluctant to let go, it was not until an eunuch came to see him with important matters to report that the King of Zhen finally released his embrace.

However, he did not immediately summon the person in. Instead, he touched the fair face of Shinjuku, whose marks had long since disappeared, and hesitated to speak.

The man before him, Shinju, no longer possessed the celestial presence he had witnessed at the celebratory banquet. In fact, his body appeared even thinner and weaker than before. Clearly, Shinju's words of demise had indeed reduced him to a mortal. Thinking of this, King Zhen felt a sharp, piercing pain in his heart.

A prodigy, relegated to this small world devoid of spiritual energy and impossible to cultivate in, the feeling of falling from the clouds to the mortal realm was unimaginable to him. Yet, if not for this, he and Zhen Su would likely never have crossed paths, perhaps only ever exchanging a casual glance. Seeing the earring he had given Zhen Su piercing his earlobe, the Poison King knew he shouldn't, but a cruel satisfaction welled up within him, while the desire to leave his mark on the other grew wildly.

As for the lifespan issue that Shinju was worried about, he would surely find a solution once he returned to the cultivation world. Although he himself had not yet found a way to leave this historical record, this would become his top priority from now on. If there was no way to break through, he would force one out.

After deliberating, the King of Zhen escorted the True Monk back to his bedchamber to rest before slowly pacing and summoning the eunuch inside.

Shinju was surprised that the King of Poison didn't question him and let him go.

They probably weren't very interested in his past identity, or perhaps they didn't care much about his past.

Fine, if he's not interested, he's not worth the King of Poison's attention.

...simply because he's a fraud.

The one who came looking for the poison king was a thin, cloudy-eyed boy. He bowed respectfully and said, "Little Hengzi greets Your Majesty."

Indeed, the person who came was none other than Xiao Hengzi, the former third prince and now a servant of the Prince of Guangli.

"What is it?" The Prince of Zhen was well aware of the outrageous things An Shijun would do, so his tone sounded only impatient.

"King Guangli listened to Pan Chengfang's instigation, accepted two chests of silver, and sent people to spread rumors in the market about Eunuch Qing and His Highness the Crown Prince... a scandalous affair over the wall." Xiao Hengzi spoke clearly, not at all like a "mute slave," but he still stuttered a little when he got to the last word.

He trembled uncontrollably, not daring to look up at the King of Zhen's reaction, fearing that the King of Zhen's thunderous rage would take its toll on him. But he was the King of Zhen's spy, and if he kept quiet, when the King of Zhen heard those unbearable scandals, no one would be spared, especially him.

To everyone's surprise, the King of Zhen remained silent for only a moment before saying in a calm tone, "I know. You have reported this matter correctly."

If this had happened before he knew that Shinju was Jikei Shinkun, he would have been furious. Even though Shinju's every move was under his watchful eye, and such an affair was impossible, he could not tolerate Shinju having close ties with others, not even if it was fake.

Ultimately, he wasn't that confident about Masaku's feelings for him.

But now that he knows that Shinju is that handsome and talented young man, regardless of his feelings for him, how could Shinju possibly be interested in the Crown Prince? What virtue or ability does the Crown Prince possess? He is not worthy of Shinju even in eight lifetimes.

Therefore, after sending Xiao Hengzi away, the King of Zhen calmly summoned his secret guards and ordered them to cut off these absurd claims in advance.

Compared to the Poison King, Shinju was far more excited. Having nothing better to do in the inner room, he had eavesdropped on the entire affair using his six senses, and was delighted by Eunuch Pan's clever maneuvering. This was a plan to sow discord between him and the Poison King, and also to drive a wedge between the Poison King and the Crown Prince—a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!

However, this was exactly what he wanted, so Shinju decisively sent a telepathic message to Xiaodunzi, instructing him to check if the scandalous story was circulating in the city. If he hadn't heard of it, then he should follow suit and spread the word about his "affair" with the prince.

After a long silence, Shinju asked again, "Didn't you hear me?"

After being called several times, Xiao Dunzi finally came to his senses and said in a rather gruff voice, "Don't tell the Crown Prince... Xiao Dunzi doesn't want to pass this on..."

"You can spread rumors about me, but not this?"

"This...this is also considered badmouthing Qingqing! No way!"

Shinjuku could only coax him, "These are all fake, don't worry about me."

Xiaodunzi breathed a sigh of relief at the right time. After hesitating for a long time, he finally nodded, but his tone was aggrieved: "Qingqing wants it this way, so Xiaodunzi will do it this way."

Mayuzumi sighed inwardly, feeling as if he were bullying a child. Little Dunzi was so innocent, yet he had become his accomplice, which made him feel really bad.

Unfortunately, all of this is necessary.

Shinju supported himself on the bed with both hands, tilted his head back, and gazed into the distance in his consciousness, his eyes slightly narrowed.

.

When the Crown Prince learned of the absurd rumors circulating among the common people from his tutor and confidants, he was meeting with the head of the family who would become the Crown Princess.

The scene was incredibly awkward. Even though he had been learning from the Prince of Zhen for so long, he suddenly realized that he had only learned the basics. When faced with such an unexpected event, he was not as composed as his father.

When the Crown Prince met the strange look in his future father-in-law's eyes, he hurriedly covered his trembling pupils with his hand, coughed sharply, and, disregarding etiquette, hastily retreated to the side.

"Is this true?!" the Crown Prince roared in a low voice.

"..." Who would dare to lie about something like this? The confidants murmured.

Judging from their expressions, the Crown Prince knew that this was true.

"...This is insane! They've even started spreading rumors about Minister Qing." The Crown Prince sighed, hands on his hips.

His confidants were all taken aback, thinking to themselves, "Shouldn't we say it's done to you, the Crown Prince?!"

In fact, all sorts of rumors have been circulating about Prince Qing during this period, and it's impossible to know how many different versions are circulating. However, before this, most of those unpleasant rumors had nothing to do with the Crown Prince, so they were not informed of him.

Unexpectedly, this flood of trouble still reached their Eastern Palace.

After calming down the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince immediately went to the Zhengren Hall to pay his respects to the Poison King.

Upon entering the main hall, the prince did not see any sign of Shinjuku. This unusual situation made his heart skip a beat, and his already tense nerves were stretched to their limit.

The Crown Prince immediately evaded the question, not daring to get straight to the point, intending to first probe his father's attitude.

However, the Prince of Zhen's meticulous approach made the Crown Prince sweat profusely with anxiety. Eventually, he could no longer hold back and had to say, "Father, there are many rumors circulating in the city that have reached my ears. I'm sure they won't escape Your Majesty's notice."

Whether the King of Zhen was truly wicked or not, he merely glanced sideways at the Crown Prince, his deep gaze as still as an ancient well.

"That's all baseless speculation. Those who spread rumors must have ulterior motives!"

King Zhen intended to give the crown prince a warning, as he only knew how to turn to his father when trouble arose. However, Masakatsu suddenly emerged from the inner room, and King Zhen immediately abandoned the crown prince and went to Masakatsu.

"Aren't you cold? You're not even putting on a cloak."

Even though Shinju didn't want to say it, the King of Zhen had prepared an extremely valuable cloak woven from red fox fur for him, which looked even more grand and luxurious than the King of Zhen's own cloak. How could he dare to wear it casually?

If it weren't for the rarity of red sable, and the fact that red sable is only found in the cultivation world, the Poison King wouldn't be entirely satisfied with this cloak, feeling it didn't do justice to the True Monk.

Shinju wanted to say he wasn't cold, but he had to act like a mortal, so he could only say, "It's just a little chilly, nothing to worry about."

In the past, King Zhen would have already draped his own clothes over Shinju's shoulders, or forcibly carried him back to prevent him from catching a headache. However, King Zhen did neither of these things. Instead, he asked with concern, "Would you like to go back to your room? I've finished talking with the Crown Prince. Or would you like to go for a walk somewhere? I'll have someone prepare winter clothes."

"I'm so bored in the palace, I'm thinking of leaving." Shinju slightly raised his eyes and looked up at the King of Zhen, who looked absolutely pitiful.

The Crown Prince was also shocked that the two had lost their usual clinginess and instead seemed...respectful to each other? There seemed to be an inexplicable sense of estrangement mixed in. But it didn't seem to be a rift caused by his absurd scandal with Qing Zhangyin. Rather, it seemed that the Prince of Zhen's doting on Zhen Su had intensified, treating him with utmost care and tenderness, as if he were afraid he would melt in his mouth or break in his hands.

When Shinju made such a request, his usually cold and stern father, who always kept a close eye on Shinju, actually agreed.

"Okay, be careful not to catch a cold, and come back early."

Even when Shinju went out alone, his father did not follow.

The Crown Prince: "??" He was completely baffled.

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Author's Note: Shinju's number one toxic fan: King of Poison.

[Edited] Just a little polishing