The two of them acted with such genuine emotion in the study that they were completely unaware that Zhou Zhizhi, who had come looking for Xiao Xiyou, had witnessed it all.
Zhou Zhizhi was standing in the corner, observing everything happening inside the room. She was shocked, but she didn't forget to hold her breath so as not to be discovered by the people inside and expose herself.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Xiaoxiyou's acting skills are really good." Zhou Zhizhi sighed silently to herself.
"If I hadn't known his true colors and his despicable behavior, I would have almost believed Xiaoxiyou's harmless and helpless appearance."
"System, system," Zhou Zhizhi called out in her mind.
I'm here.
"Honey, if you have any questions, I can help you answer them." The system obediently replied to Zhou Zhizhi.
"Why are you being so well-behaved today? Have you changed your personality?" Zhou Zhizhi was shocked by the system's unusually gentle demeanor today, but that wasn't the point right now.
Before the system could reply, Zhou Zhizhi continued, "Was this part in the original plot? I have no recollection of it at all?"
"No, dear." The system replied truthfully.
"So what's going on now? How did Xiaoxiyou get involved with Eunuch Wei?" Zhou Zhizhi asked the system in confusion.
[Here's the thing, darling. Because you've entered this story world and are acting differently from the original owner, the behavior of other characters will also change, making plot alterations inevitable.]
The system patiently explained why the character deviated from the original storyline.
"I see." Zhou Zhizhi nodded, indicating her understanding, and then discussed her guess with the system.
"Judging from their conversation, it seems that Xiao Xiyou had no connection with the Eastern Depot before. Today, Eunuch Wei came to find out Xiao Xiyou's true situation."
"It seems so," the system obediently echoed.
As a court official, Zhou Zhizhi was not entirely clear about the intricate web of power struggles among various factions, but she had at least heard about it.
"It seems that Eunuch Wei is getting a little restless because of Eunuch Cao's recent actions."
"They began selecting princes to cultivate their own power."
"However, Xiaoxiyou is his best choice. He has no maternal family to support him, no ministers in the court to give him strong support, and he is bullied by several princes in the palace."
“Everything seems very easy to handle.” Zhou Zhizhi quickly figured out why Eunuch Wei was here.
"But he doesn't know that the man in front of him is crazy," Zhou Zhizhi thought to herself.
"It's uncertain who will be in control then." Faced with this situation, Xiao Xiyou and Zhou Zhizhi were surprisingly in agreement.
"Your Highness, please take care. This old servant will take his leave now."
The drama in the study gradually came to an end, and Eunuch Wei bowed to Xiao Xiyou with tears in his eyes.
"Please take good care of yourself, Eunuch Wei. Xiao'er will need your help in the future," Xiao Xiyou said to Eunuch Wei with equal emotion and gratitude, and then politely saw him off.
“Come out, I know you’re here.” Xiao Xiyou turned around, put his hands behind his back, and said in a deep voice.
Zhou Zhizhi slowly emerged from the corner and thought to herself, "Little Xiyou's martial arts skills have improved recently; she can even detect my presence."
"Hehehe~, Your Highness the Second Prince's acting is quite good." Zhou Zhizhi knew that Xiao Xiyou clearly knew that she had witnessed everything, so he couldn't pretend that nothing had happened.
"If a third person finds out about this, I can't guarantee the Imperial Advisor's head will still be on his neck," Xiao Xiyou threatened in a deep voice, his face grim.
Although that's what he said, Xiao Xiyou was already thinking about all sorts of ways Zhou Zhizhi could die.
Upon hearing Xiao Xiyou's threat, Zhou Zhizhi immediately thought of the "five horses tearing him apart" treatment the original owner of the body was given in the original story, and she suddenly felt a chill on her neck.
"No, absolutely not, I won't let anyone else know, Your Highness, please rest assured," Zhou Zhizhi said with a fawning smile.
"I've come today to discuss something with His Highness the Second Prince."
Zhou Zhizhi quickly got to the point. If she said too much about Eunuch Wei's matter and offended Xiao Xiyou, her life would be in danger, and she would eventually suffer the fate of being torn apart by five horses.
"Oh? What are Grand Preceptor Zhou's requirements?" Xiao Xiyou pondered in his heart after hearing Zhou Zhizhi's words. If he could win Zhou Zhizhi over to his side, his chances of winning would be much greater, after all, Grand Preceptor Zhou was a favorite of his father, the emperor.
That way, he can temporarily stop thinking about how to kill her silently.
After all, killing the Imperial Advisor was quite difficult, and Xiao Xiyou didn't want to make a move without being absolutely certain of success, lest he get himself into trouble and give his brothers, who were eyeing him covetously, a handle to use against him.
“I can provide Your Highness with money to help you succeed,” Zhou Zhizhi said sincerely to Xiao Xiyou. “But Your Highness must also promise to cultivate with me.”
"Dual cultivation?" Xiao Xiyou looked at Zhou Zhizhi with a rather mocking expression after hearing her words.
"What dual cultivation? What are you thinking! It's normal cultivation." Zhou Zhizhi realized that what she had just said was ambiguous.
"Little Grapefruit deliberately steered the conversation astray. This person is truly despicable. We must escape as soon as possible after the male-female symbiotic gu is removed!" Zhou Zhizhi cursed inwardly, becoming even more determined to stay far away from Xiao Xiyou.
"I hope that Your Highness, Second Prince, can also help me guide my Qi and blood to break through the true Qi protecting my dantian, so that I can master the Northern Darkness Divine Art," Zhou Zhizhi explained to Xiao Xiyou.
"Guiding your Qi and blood into your dantian? Are you sure you're practicing legitimately, and not just being fooled by a charlatan?"
Xiao Xiyou also questioned Zhou Zhizhi's cultivation method. After all, such an extraordinary cultivation method could easily lead to qi deviation and failure if one is not careful, and might even backfire on oneself.
“I’m sure that’s how it is. What does Your Highness the Second Prince think?” Zhou Zhizhi looked at Xiao Xiyou with certainty.
"I wonder how much money the great nation is willing to offer to persuade me to help you cultivate?" Xiao Xiyou had never heard of such an unorthodox cultivation method before, and he wanted to see what Zhou Zhizhi was up to.
"Your Highness would naturally look down on ordinary money; what I want to give Your Highness is a money jar that can continuously generate money."
Zhou Zhizhi knew that although Xiao Xiyou was not favored, he was still a prince.
Over the years, he has meticulously planned and worked hard for himself; he cannot be swayed by a small amount of money.
"A money jar that keeps making money? That's interesting. I wonder what kind of jar it is, Grand Master Zhou? And how does it make money?"
Zhou Zhizhi's conditions really struck a chord with Xiao Xiyou. He wanted to make plans for himself, and with court officials supporting him, he would certainly need money wherever he needed it.
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