Chapter 28 A Palace Coup

As Feng Mingye's form became transparent until it disappeared, everyone present felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if the ominous cloud that had been hovering over the palace had finally dissipated.

The happiest of all was naturally the old emperor. Not only was his life no longer in danger, but he had also witnessed the beauty of the so-called most beautiful woman in the world. He was extremely pleased with himself, and his eyes shone as he approached Su Yunyu.

"Your Excellency is truly unparalleled in the world. Would you mind allowing me to host a banquet in your honor before you depart?"

"..." Su Yunyu wanted to refuse, but he was only thinking about the dragon vein and had no interest in eating and drinking at the banquet.

Not to mention the old man's strange look in his eyes; if it weren't for the dragon vein, he would have been the first to send that man flying.

"Master," Xiao Shuying, who had been silent until now, called softly, her face still showing the same filial piety as before:

"Why don't we stay until after the banquet?"

Long Aotian was still growing; previously, he only reached Su Yunyu's shoulder during their duel, but now he was level with her. His gentle, soft-spoken manner made Su Yunyu feel like she had a father figure, especially with the old emperor adding fuel to the fire.

"I will certainly not treat you unfairly, so please accept my offer."

Left with no other choice, Su Yunyu had to agree.

"If that's the case, then so be it."

The old emperor became even more agitated upon hearing this, and his gaze became even more unrestrained. Xiao Shuying raised her eyes and glanced at him, her expression calm and emotionless, yet it subtly made the old emperor's heart tremble for some reason.

Strange, he's just a teenager who has to rely on his master, so what is there to be afraid of?

Before the old emperor could react, Xiao Shuying had already looked away and left with Su Yunyu.

The Crown Prince had arranged a place for Su Yunyu to rest, but she felt uncomfortable under the old emperor's gaze and turned to leave without regard for court etiquette, ignoring the attempts to stop her behind her.

So they didn't see the old emperor's restless gaze.

After arriving at a palace, just as they were about to rest, Xiao Shuying said he wanted to go out and take a look, and then left the palace. Su Yunyu, seeing his hurried manner, thought he was just too eager to play.

Anyway, there was no danger in the palace, so we let him be.

When Xiao Shuying arrived at the Crown Prince's palace, after a palace servant announced her arrival, the Crown Prince surprisingly came out of the hall to greet her, looking at her with great enthusiasm.

"I don't know why my benefactor is here."

Since the former empress's wronged spirit was sent away, the crown prince's title has changed from that of a sage to that of a benefactor.

Faced with the eagerness of the crown prince, Xiao Shuying remained calm and composed. However, as he entered the inner palace and the crown prince poured tea, he approached Shi Potian and exclaimed in surprise:

"Those people who died in the palace were probably killed by the Crown Prince."

He knew in his first life that the palace was protected by purple aura, and demons were not allowed to kill the innocent. Otherwise, Feng Mingye would not have made up nightmares to scare people every day.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince paused, but still poured tea and handed it to Xiao Shuying before sitting down and speaking unhurriedly:

"It was impossible to hide it from my benefactor's eyes. However, those people deserved their fate. They used extreme torture to force my mother to confess to the crime of causing chaos in the palace. I was just avenging my mother."

His words were laced with a cold laugh; he confessed to the deaths without reservation, open and aboveboard. After a few seconds, Xiao Shuying said:

"But Your Highness should know who the culprit is who killed the late Empress."

"..." The Crown Prince fell silent for a rare moment, then feigned a joking tone:

"Could our benefactor have been sent by Father Emperor?"

Xiao Shuying merely chuckled upon hearing this:

"I wonder if Your Majesty is aware of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?"

Seeing the Crown Prince looking over with interest, Xiao Shuying, without blushing or skipping a beat, began to fabricate a story:

"The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is first-rate in astrology. Before coming here, my master and I learned from it that the Imperial Star is shining and Mars is guarding the heart, which is the result of the current emperor's dereliction of duty to the Heavenly Way."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince pondered for a moment. He naturally couldn't care less whether the celestial phenomena were true or false; he only knew that even Xiao Shuying had said the Emperor had lost his virtue, which showed his stance. He couldn't help but probe further:

"I wonder what other guidance Heaven provides?"

“A new imperial star,” Xiao Shuying raised her eyes and looked directly at the Crown Prince:

"If the Crown Prince wishes to avenge the late Empress, a banquet will be held in the palace tonight, and I will help you."

"..." The Crown Prince was surprised by Xiao Shuying's straightforwardness, but then he thought that he was a cultivator, and even if he was convicted of treason, he could still escape. Therefore, his unrestrained behavior was nothing.

Moreover, the implication of her words was truly tempting to the Crown Prince, but could Xiao Shuying really be trusted...?

Just as the Crown Prince hesitated, Xiao Shuying added fuel to the fire:

"Your Highness, your mother died by hanging, and even in death her ghost carries the pain of her past life. You really must spare the culprit!"

Unfortunately, Xiao Shuying happened to learn about the late empress's affairs and discovered that she was virtuous and kind, with a good reputation, but because she had no interest in the old emperor from beginning to end, she brought about her own demise.

Indeed, how could a narcissistic and complacent person like the old emperor tolerate someone with such an excellent reputation disliking him, or even hating him?

Upon hearing this, the crown prince trembled, his eyes filled with pain, and he clenched his fists involuntarily, gritting his teeth as he asked:

"How will you help me?"

Seeing that it was already halfway done, Xiao Shuying smiled, took out a porcelain bottle from her spatial storage, pushed it in front of the Crown Prince, and whispered her instructions:

"..."

After listening, the crown prince picked up the porcelain bottle in a daze, then, remembering something, he smelled it again:

Why would my benefactor do this?

Xiao Shuying had already gotten up to leave when she heard this, and gave a mocking smile:

"Your Highness, please consider this my doing justice on behalf of Heaven."

*

As the sun was about to set, the banquet began.

Palaces stretched to the sky, their lights blazing, canopies gleaming. Palace maids, their skirts fluttering amidst the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments and drums, served food and set out chopsticks for the host of the banquet.

Sitting next to Su Yunyu, Xiao Shuying noticed that his gaze was fixed on several pieces of crystal-clear fish jelly made of fish meat on the gold plate, and immediately ate them all herself in no time.

At times like this, he couldn't stand Su Yunyu's dignified and self-possessed demeanor; she was clearly interested, but she had to pretend to be indifferent.

That's right. I almost forgot that this person is two-faced. He wanted to kill me in so many previous lives, but in this life he is compassionate and has the heart of a bodhisattva.

He even said he wouldn't kill innocent people, when he clearly tried every means to kill him. Now he speaks so righteously in front of others; it's all just an excuse.

Su Yunyu, who had been secretly drooling over the delicious-looking fish jelly, was stunned when Long Aotian devoured it with lightning speed. She blinked, then hesitantly said to the system:

"Have I been starving Long Aotian all this time?"

System 111 sarcastically remarked: [As if you've ever fed them anything.]

Su Yunyu suddenly realized that Long Aotian usually ate at Wugutang. Although the food there was of good quality, it was not as exquisite as that in the palace.

Not to mention that he has been busy gathering materials to repair the meridians during this period, and has no time to take care of Long Aotian's three meals a day.

Thinking of this, Su Yunyu felt rather guilty, so she handed over a plate of delicious-looking osmanthus-flavored shark fin soup in front of her, and said softly:

"Are you hungry? Eat more."

"..."

Xiao Shuying didn't believe he didn't mind that she ate the dishes he was interested in. After accepting them, she secretly glanced at him to see which dish he lingered on, and then she took that dish for herself.

This prompted Su Yunyu to sigh inwardly:

It's no wonder they have such a big appetite during their growth spurt.

In the hall, the old emperor sat down calmly. Hearing the congratulations from the prince, he became even more pleased with himself. His swollen eyes were fixed on Su Yunyu, and he could see that although Su Yunyu was disguised, he was still thinking about that fleeting glimpse of her.

At first, he didn't believe in any ethereal beauty or peerless beauties.

It wasn't until that one glance that I realized there were such people in the world.

The old emperor, confident in his possession of the imperial lineage and his status as the most noble person in the world, became incredibly audacious. He glanced at the palace servant serving wine beside him and gave him a meaningful look.

The palace servant, understanding the implication, brought the spiked wine to Su Yunyu's side with utmost respect.

"My lord, this is the fine wine that His Majesty has invited you to taste."

The old emperor in the hall solemnly raised his golden goblet, rose, and said to Su Yunyu:

"My dear minister, you must give me face and drink this cup of wine."

His Highness's ministers echoed his sentiments, but Su Yunyu cursed inwardly, "What a bunch of bastards, calling someone 'my beloved minister' like that!"

Damn it, I'll get the dragon vein and run away as fast as I can. I can't stand this awful place for another second.

The old emperor had already set an example by drinking it all in one gulp. Seeing this, Xiao Shuying's eyes darkened. When he saw that Su Yunyu was really going to drink the wine, he was about to snatch it away when he saw Su Yunyu cover herself with her sleeve and pour the wine on the ground.

"...Master"

Su Yunyu remained unfazed:

"I don't like drinking."

"So that's how it is," Xiao Shuying said, her expression relaxing. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

I initially thought he knew something had been added to the drink, but it turns out he simply didn't want to drink it.

Because I didn't want to drink, I secretly poured out the wine, and this time I was true to my word.

Strangely, Xiao Shuying found herself increasingly unable to understand this person; there always seemed to be a side of him she had never seen before.

Because of the mistaken perspective, the old emperor thought that Su Yunyu had really drunk the wine. He couldn't help but think about what would happen next, and his heart started racing and his face turned red.

For some reason, this heat was particularly intense tonight. The old emperor loosened his collar to cool off, wondering if it was because he hadn't been spending time in the harem lately, and therefore his temper was a bit irritable.

He drank another cup of wine, but unexpectedly, the heat in his body surged one after another, like waves crashing against the shore. The old emperor felt unbearably hot all over and kept tearing at his clothes.

The palace servants around him were startled by what they saw and hurriedly asked:

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"

This palace servant was a top-ranking eunuch who served the old emperor daily. He had countless adopted sons under his command and appeared loyal on the surface, but in reality, he was disobedient in name only.

Although he usually disapproved of the old emperor's behavior, he couldn't help but worry when he saw the old emperor acting strangely.

"Your Majesty, should we summon the imperial physician?"

The old emperor was still tearing at his collar when he heard this shrill sound. He became even more agitated. His blurred vision saw a mouth opening and closing, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to stop the person from getting intimate with him.

Seeing that the old emperor had gone mad for some unknown reason, the palace servant felt disgusted, pushed him away, and shouted, "Guards! Guards!"

The ministers and concubines, who had been drinking and making merry, looked up at the platform upon hearing the shrill voice and were shocked to see the old emperor attempting to commit illicit acts in public.

"I never imagined the emperor and this chief eunuch had this kind of relationship."

"The world is going to the dogs! The world is going to the dogs!"

Just as everyone was in chaos, and Su Yunyu was exclaiming that it was an eyesore, the Crown Prince led a group of imperial guards in and shouted:

"Guards! The Emperor is on the verge of death! Take him away immediately!"

Amidst the chaos of battle, the Crown Prince saw his men drag the old emperor and the chief eunuch away. A cold smile played on his lips as he whispered instructions to his trusted aides:

"Find a royal physician and announce to the world first thing tomorrow morning that Father Emperor has suffered a loss of vital essence and has passed away."

"..."

Su Yunyu was completely bewildered. What was happening before her eyes was too intense and too melodramatic, just like something out of a TV drama.

Just as he was pondering how to obtain the dragon vein and from whom to ask, the crown prince approached and presented him with a jade pendant.

“My benefactor, this is a jade pendant from the Ziwei Dragon Vein. If you wear it, someone will let you pass. I apologize for tonight’s events.”

Having said that, upon seeing Xiao Shuying nearby, he clasped his hands in a fist salute again:

"I am truly grateful for your help this time."

Su Yunyu looked at Xiao Shuying with suspicion. Seeing his face hidden in the corner of the lamplight, half-lit and half-dark, like a sword with a hidden edge, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

Why does Long Aotian seem so unfamiliar to me...?

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Author's Note: Just a few more chapters and we'll be past the "raising the cub" phase! [Cat emoji]

Thanks for the comment! [Cat emoji]