Chapter 74 The Smell of Blood Chapter 74 The Smell of Blood...

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Smell of Blood

"I'm not upset." Coming back to her senses, Linghao smiled at Gongzi Mingyue. "I was just thinking about something. I'm sorry for neglecting you."

“No.” Gongzi Mingyue immediately believed Linghao’s statement. “What are you thinking, Ahao?”

"Hmm... I'll tell you after I've thought through everything, okay?" Linghao said. Of course, she didn't want to lie to Mingyue, but she didn't know if Mingyue would disappear if she knew the truth.

Although she already knew that Mingyue was a split personality, she didn't understand why this personality appeared, or the conditions under which Mingyue and Gongzi Yu exchanged themselves. If she had accidentally caused Mingyue's disappearance, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.

“Okay.” Gongzi Mingyue nodded. No matter what Linghao said or did, he would agree and help her.

Because they are the best of friends in the world, he would definitely help her.

"It's raining, Mingyue, why don't you go back inside and rest?" Linghao said, seeing that the rain was getting heavier.

Gongzi Mingyue hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright." Actually, he still wanted to be with Ahao, because they had been separated for quite a long time this time. He felt like he hadn't seen Ahao for a very long time, and now he just wanted to spend more time with her and talk to her more.

But he didn't want to upset Ah Hao, so since she had said so, he would do as she said. So, despite his reluctance, Young Master Mingyue went back to his room to rest. Before leaving, he took out a raincoat and an umbrella from his room and gave them to Ling Hao, afraid that she would get wet in the rain.

Ling Hao smiled helplessly and waved for him to come inside quickly.

Young Master Mingyue reluctantly went inside, not wanting to close the door yet, hoping to catch a few more glances at Linghao. But after she gave him a fleeting look, he obediently closed the door. At this moment, Ahao was a little scary; it was better to be obedient.

The astute young master Mingyue thought to himself.

After confirming that Prince Mingyue would not come out again, Linghao opened her umbrella and went to find Shici. She remembered that Mingyue had once said that only Shici had grown up with him and his brother since childhood, because she was sent by the emperor to protect the two of them.

She believed that Shici should know about Gongzi Yu's abnormality, and she knew that Shici might not tell him, but she still wanted to test the waters. However, Ling Hao couldn't find Shici at all; the other guards said she had just left without saying where she was.

Although Linghao felt it was too much of a coincidence, as if Shici knew she was going to ask her and had turned and run away, she couldn't find her. Even if she thought it was too much of a coincidence, there was nothing she could do.

Did Shi Ci run away on purpose? Of course she did. She was right beside Gongzi Yu at the time, and saw him transform into the Second Young Master with her own eyes. She immediately turned and ran. If she hadn't run away while Ling Hao was still in shock and didn't notice her, she definitely wouldn't have been able to escape later.

Of course, Shici wasn't planning to betray anyone, nor was she going to do anything else; she simply went to see the Emperor. Gongzi Yu had previously instructed her that if anything happened to him, he should go to the Emperor. So, Shici went to find him.

"Ah?" Upon hearing the poem, the emperor's hand trembled, and the tip of her pen traced a line on the memorial. She fell silent, unsure whether it was because of what she had heard or because of the stroke on the memorial.

After a moment, she used her handwriting to cover up the missing stroke on the memorial. As for whether her ministers would notice the problem, she simply pretended not to know. What else could she do? She couldn't very well admit to them that she had smudged the memorial because she was too shocked, could she?

The emperor was also aggrieved; how could she not be shocked? She had just told Gongzi Yu that concealing things would lead to trouble, and then trouble struck that very night. How could she not be shocked? "Did your daughter guess that something was wrong with Mingyue?" she asked.

Although Gongzi Yu has become Gongzi Mingyue, most people wouldn't guess the truth. Instead, they'd probably feel like they'd been tricked by these identical brothers. The emperor didn't want Gongzi Yu's secret to be known by others.

Shi Ci paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and showed a look of utter despair on her face. Then she opened her eyes and said, "I think you guessed it at first glance, heroine."

If Linghao hadn't guessed, the expression on her face wouldn't have been a mixture of shock and understanding. She had seen the poem clearly at the time, so even if she wanted to deceive herself, she couldn't.

emperor:"……"

Her younger brother has been having a run of bad luck. She had already said it, that hiding things would cause trouble. Who knew that trouble would strike so soon after she said it?

"Your Majesty," Shi Ci said somewhat nervously, "but what about your heroine..." She didn't finish her sentence, but both people present knew what she meant by her unfinished words.

In truth, she desperately didn't want the emperor to harm Ling Hao, because her presence helped stabilize the two young masters' emotions. If something happened to her, Shi Ci felt she would be dealing with two lunatics. And if that were the case, she would go mad too. She was already difficult to please; she would become even more so.

"No need," the emperor shook his head. "Go and tell Miss Ling to keep it a secret." Then she waved her hand, and Shici left.

So, Shici left the palace, went back to find Linghao, relayed the emperor's words, and then immediately disappeared again. She suddenly realized her actions seemed somewhat treacherous, and felt that if she didn't leave soon, she might get beaten up.

Ling Hao: "..."

Shouldn't she be grateful for the emperor's trust? But something just feels off.

Young Master Mingyue didn't find anything strange. He had gone through countless hardships to finally return to Linghao's side, and that annoying older brother wasn't even there—this was simply wonderful news. So, the next day, he took Linghao out for a boat trip on the lake.

There is a nice place to go boating on the lake in the suburbs of Kyoto, and Prince Mingyue even had a painted boat prepared.

To this, Ling Hao once again said: "..."

She had an absurd feeling that the world was functioning normally, and that everything she did was wrong.

Ling Hao leaned against the window, gazing blankly at the lake. Just then, she heard a little tune, soft and melodious in the Wu dialect, very pleasant to her ears. She looked up and saw that the tune was coming from the boat next door. Then, she saw Chu Liuxiang sunbathing shirtless on the opposite boat.

Ling Hao: "..."

I've been speechless a lot lately.

“A man who doesn’t follow the rules.” Young Master Mingyue, standing beside Linghao, snorted coldly. “A man should be well-behaved and keep himself pure. A man who is naked in broad daylight is not following the rules at all.”

Ling Hao didn't know how many times: "..."

I almost forgot, Mingyue, for some reason, is a very traditional person who adheres strictly to male virtues. It's strange, considering she never talks to him about those things.

"Mingyue..." Linghao's words were cut short as her expression changed drastically. She smelled blood, the smell of stale blood.

A note from the author:

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Ah Hao has been saying "..." all day.

P.S.: I'm already looking forward to seeing what will happen when Gongzi Yu comes back, hahaha!