When Li Yuheng's gaze inadvertently swept over the Third Prince Jing Hong, who had hurriedly taken his seat, he suddenly stopped.
He slowly straightened up, his eyes, which always held a playful glint, narrowed slightly.
"Tsk."
Shu Bai immediately noticed the change in his aura and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
Li Yuheng didn't turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on the Third Prince in the distance, who was secretly gritting his teeth. His tone was unusually serious: "I saw someone who's about to die."
"Which one?" Shu Bai followed his gaze and looked down at the Third Prince Jing Hong. "Him?"
"Hmm." Li Yuheng nodded. "He's burdened with karmic debts, covered in blood, and his death aura is almost solidifying. It seems... to be the backlash from the ghost-refining technique, and it'll only be a matter of the next few days."
"You see things quite clearly."
“It’s related to my major.” Li Yuheng twitched the corner of his mouth, his usual nonchalance instantly washing away any trace of seriousness. “The kind of evil magic he practices, using living souls to nurture vengeful ghosts, damages one’s yin virtue and shortens one’s yang lifespan. Sooner or later, he’ll be backfired on by what he’s created. But…”
He paused, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if he had discovered something even more interesting.
"But what?"
Li Yuheng stroked his chin, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "I knew it. Wasn't it a bit too much to put on a performance review for Xifeng, Li Qiyang, and the other three? To summon the soul of a dying person to prevent him from turning into a zombie or a vengeful ghost, even one person would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."
Shu Bai also realized the problem: "So?"
"So the problem isn't the 'soul-stealing' itself, but rather ensuring that he 'dies at the right time'."
"Furthermore, at the very moment he breathed his last, immediately and simultaneously, from five different directions, his extremely unstable soul, which was about to be corrupted by evil magic, was 'nailed' and then instantly pulled away."
Li Yuheng tilted his head and looked at Shu Bai, "This scoundrel has almost turned himself into a vessel that is neither human nor ghost through his ghost-refining practice. At the moment he dies, the vengeful ghosts that he forcibly restrained within him will simultaneously go out of control and erupt."
“If things go wrong, it won’t just be a problem of him turning into a vengeful ghost; it could explode on the spot and cause a grand parade of ghosts throughout the entire palace.”
Shu Bai instantly understood: "The five people are there to suppress the multiple evil spirits that might erupt within him at the same time, ensuring that nothing goes wrong."
"Bingo!" Li Yuheng snapped his fingers. "Xifeng will be in charge of controlling the situation. Li Qiyang and the other three will probably each be responsible for a 'corner'. The moment he breathes his last, they'll press his shattered soul, which is still explosive, back into place and pack it up to take away."
He figured out the key point, and his whole body relaxed again. He leaned back lazily against Shu Bai, his tone tinged with schadenfreude:
"This job isn't technically demanding, but it's definitely an S-level level of trouble. Just imagine, doing this quietly under the noses of the emperor and all the officials, while ensuring that things don't get out of control."
Shu Bai looked at the emperor on the throne, who was completely unaware of the situation and was still whispering with the imperial concubine.
He glanced again at the Third Prince, who was unaware of his impending death not far away: "It seems this birthday banquet is destined to be anything but peaceful."
Li Yuheng chuckled, leaned close to Shu Bai's ear, lowered his voice, and said in a tone full of mischievous excitement:
"It's not just unsettling, it's practically a stage set for us. Just imagine, when the Third Prince suddenly disappears, chaos will erupt. While Xifeng and the others are busy catching ghosts, we..."
He winked at Shu Bai: "We can take advantage of the chaos to carry out the 'dragon robe to women's clothing' plan we discussed earlier."
Shu Bai: "...You haven't forgotten about this?"
"Of course not! Besides, diverting Xifeng's attention is for his own good. When everyone is busy looking at His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly changing into a beautiful dress, who will care how the Third Prince died?"
Shu Bai looked at his serious-sounding nonsense and couldn't help but raise her hand to press her temples.
“Li Yuheng”.
"Um?"
"Sometimes I really wonder if your parents exchanged all their intelligence for shamelessness when they had you."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuheng was not angry at all. Instead, he proudly puffed out his chest, put his arm around Shu Bai's shoulder, and said in a firm tone:
"Thank you for the compliment. This just proves that I was born to play the 'leading man' role. Intelligence can be developed through effort, but this innate charm and depth are gifts from God, something that can't be learned."
Shu Bai: "..."
He turned his head speechlessly, only to meet Tan Wantang's gaze, which was fixed on the throne and hadn't had time to look away.
The favored concubine secretly made a heart shape with one hand under the table.
The movements were so fast it was almost an illusion, but Shu Bai could see them clearly.
Shu Bai: "..."
Li Yuheng followed his gaze and caught Tan Wantang casually withdrawing his hand.
He narrowed his eyes, touched his pale face with one hand, gave her a loud kiss, and looked at Tan Wantang with great arrogance.
Tan Wantang: "..."
Shu Bai: "…………"
Tan Wantang rolled her eyes on the throne, picked up her wine cup, took a sip, and cursed inwardly: Damn it.
Qin Lu, holding a wine cup, strolled casually to the seat in front of the Prince of Zhenbei, a perfectly measured smile on his face, but his heart was already in turmoil.
Ever since the incident at Gao Bi's villa, everyone in the capital has been talking about how incompetent the Zhenling Division is, unable to even figure out a few mischievous ghosts, and having to rely on a ghost woman from the inner quarters for guidance.
His colleagues looked at him with outward respect, but behind his back they were secretly sneering.
"Your Highness, Your Highness." He bowed respectfully, his gaze sweeping over the empty seat beside Shu Bai. "Today's palace banquet is grand. I wonder... if Your Highness's wife is also here? I have yet to thank Your Highness's wife in person for her guidance last time."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was enough for the emperor on the throne to faintly hear it.
The emperor was indeed drawn to the sight, his gaze falling upon the scene with a hint of curiosity.
Shu Bai paused in his cup-holding hand, looked up at Qin Lu, and said in a calm tone, "Commander Qin is very thoughtful. My wife doesn't like noise and is sitting here right now."
He raised his hand and gestured vaguely towards the empty seat next to him.
Qin Lu's smile remained unchanged, but a glint of triumph flashed in his eyes.
This is exactly the effect he wanted.
He feigned surprise, raising his voice even higher: "Oh? So the Crown Princess has indeed arrived? Then this humble official should offer her a toast! If it weren't for the Crown Princess's discerning eye, our Zhenling Division would probably still be struggling with the Gao Bi case!"
Upon hearing this, even the officials sitting nearby perked up their ears.
The emperor spoke, his voice tinged with amusement: "Oh? The daughter-in-law of the Prince of Zhenbei has such abilities? I've heard that the Crown Prince's chronic illness is gradually improving, and that's also thanks to this woman?"
Instantly, most eyes were focused on the seat at the Prince of Zhenbei's residence.
Li Yuheng floated beside Shu Bai, chuckled upon hearing this, and transmitted his voice, "This old fellow is quite the master of sarcasm. On the surface, he thanked me, but every word he uttered was a reminder to the Emperor that my 'ghostly' reach is far-reaching, even daring to interfere in the cases of the Zhenling Division."
Shu Bai's expression remained unchanged as he rose and bowed slightly towards the throne: "Your Majesty, my wife's actions were merely minor and happened to be of assistance; I dare not take credit for them. As for my health, it is indeed because of her that I have felt much better."
His answer was watertight, neither denying Li Yuheng's abilities nor boasting about them.
Qin Lu, however, refused to give up and pressed on: "Your Highness is too modest. If the Crown Princess is such a capable person, it would be a blessing for the people of our Great Jing. May I ask if I may have the honor of offering the Crown Princess a cup of wine today?"
His gaze was intense as he stared intently at the empty seat, as if he could actually see something.
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