The thought lingered in Liu Mu's mind, but he still didn't say anything to Lu Qingyan.
Although this was a bit harsh on Zige, Fu Zige did not do much the same thing when she dealt with Fu Ziwu.
Liu Mu was an outsider; what right did he have to judge these things? If you take someone's money, you have to do their bidding; that's the rule in their line of work.
"It seems the princess already has someone in mind?"
Lu Qingyan smiled and said, "Although the capital is large, there are only a few people one can choose from. Who else, besides that one, could make Prince Yi dare to be angry but not speak out?"
Lu Qingyan's eyes darted around, and she said with a mischievous smile, "I remember my sister painted a lot of pictures when she was at home, including one of her own portraits. Go and steal that painting and secretly place it next to the Emperor."
"Has His Majesty never seen Fu Zige's face?" Liu Mu asked, puzzled. He knew that Fu Zige was the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, and that attending palace banquets was mandatory; in fact, Fu Zige and Shangguan Li's first meeting was at a palace banquet. Logically, the Emperor shouldn't be unfamiliar with Fu Zige, so what use would giving him Fu Zige's portrait be?
“How could I not have seen them? They’ve known each other for a long time, long before Prince Yi. I remember one year when my sister came out of the palace, the jade pendant she was holding was the Emperor’s. But she was still young then, and even if the people around knew, they wouldn’t say anything. But it’s different now that it’s brought up.”
Liu Mu didn't understand what Lu Qingyan meant until he entered the Fu residence and went to great lengths to find the painting, at which point he began to understand Lu Qingyan's meaning.
It is indeed a painting of a beautiful woman! In the painting, Fu Zige is wearing a light pink gauze dress and a bright red bodice. When she leans slightly forward, the corner of her eyes curves with a hint of allure. The elegant peony on the side covers half of her exposed shoulder, making the painting look elegant rather than vulgar.
Liu Mu glanced at it briefly and then quickly looked away, rolling up the painting.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Could this really have been painted by Fu Zige?" He simply couldn't believe that Fu Zige, who was known for his talent, would do such a thing. Was this a case of not being able to judge a book by its cover?
Cough cough, he's thinking a bit too far ahead. What does Fu Zige have to do with him? Right now, Fu Ziwu alone is enough to keep him busy.
The palace is not an easy place to enter, and Fu Ziwu really knows how to give him a hard time.
However, since he had already accepted the deal, he wouldn't back out.
Perhaps Liu Mu was just too lucky. He encountered no trouble along the way and entered the Emperor's Gan'an Palace smoothly, placing the portrait of a beauty beside the Emperor's pillow.
The Emperor is a good emperor; he hasn't gone into the inner palace yet, but is instead reviewing memorials in the Gan'an Hall. When he gets tired, he goes to sleep in a side room of the Gan'an Hall. It's still the fourth watch of the night, and the Emperor is sleeping soundly.
Liu Mu clicked his tongue: "Your Majesty, do you think this is a blessing or a curse?"
The normal ending of this story would probably be that the emperor gets the beauty, or the prince raises an army in rebellion and the power struggle is reversed. But look at these two brothers, one childless, the other crippled…
Liu Mu suddenly imagined that if these two were really pushed too far, they might end up killing each other, leaving Shangguan Ren to reap the benefits.
Thinking of this, Liu Mu couldn't help but sigh: "The princess is indeed deeply in love with the prince. Even if it's out of personal grudge, she will still try her best to find some benefits for the prince."
Lu Qingyan: Meow meow meow, brave warrior, you've misunderstood!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
