Chapter 100 Just a Pawn 19
When Haoming woke up from the illusion, he felt something was wrong; his memories were incorrect.
Although the memory was coherent and smooth, and no flaws could be found even after repeated examination, he knew it was not his own memory.
As for the reason for noticing it?
After dealing with the old man who was holding his hand and weeping, asking him to "protect the emperor and suppress the rebels," Haoming turned around and recounted everything he had heard as soon as the man breathed his last.
Are you kidding me?!
Why should he serve a fallen royal family member who couldn't even protect his own kingdom? It would be better to let him think about how to establish himself as king. Although he wasn't really interested in the latter anyway.
—It was just a mortal dynasty, ha.
Although he realized something was wrong, he hadn't yet figured out the situation around him, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to expose himself.
He didn't reveal anything unusual, but acted according to "Cheng Jihan's" memories and personality, leading his remaining troops towards the capital. However, while still on the road, he used the excuse of "breaking up into smaller groups for easier concealment" to dismiss everyone around him who knew "Cheng Jihan".
So when he finally arrived in the capital, Haoming had hardly anyone around him anymore. He could get rid of the identity of "Cheng Jihan" at any time and was free to fly high and wide, no longer having to worry about these troublesome things behind him.
But before leaving, Haoming unexpectedly met the new emperor who had usurped the throne.
He changed his mind almost immediately: the rebellion still had to be started.
—It has nothing to do with that useless Mu family; it's just that he doesn't like the new emperor.
*
Haoming is exceptionally efficient; once he made a decision, he quickly took action.
When he made excuses before, he used high-sounding reasons; otherwise, those people wouldn't have been so easily tricked into leaving. Now, he's just turning excuses into facts and organizing them more meticulously. Meanwhile, although not many people entered the capital with him, it was enough to create some "small" commotion, such as the fire in the palace and the rumors that spread throughout the capital afterward.
Haoming's operation went smoothly, but there was an unexpected twist: not long after their operation, the seventh prince, who was being held in the palace, made a move.
Haoming had no feelings for the Mu family, and of course he didn't care about the prince in the palace. However, his subordinates were all former members of the Mu family, and they still cared a lot about this legitimate descendant of the Mu family.
Haoming thought about it and decided to go into the palace to take a look.
If the prince cooperates, he can take advantage of the situation. If the prince dares to be arrogant and domineering towards him, or gets in his way, he won't mind taking this opportunity to get rid of him in advance.
Having already entered the palace once before, Haoming was quite adept at infiltrating it. He avoided the new emperor and inquired about the seventh prince of the Mu family.
Logically speaking, as a rebel who wanted to "overthrow the old dynasty," since he could infiltrate the palace so easily, assassinating the new emperor would have been the best option. However, although he had only met him once, Haoming had a gut feeling that the man was not so easy to deal with, and if they were to face each other, he might be the one to die in the end.
The latter realization made Haoming feel somewhat unhappy from the bottom of his heart, but he was not so easily disturbed by this emotion that he would do anything impulsive—the current state of "the enemy is in the light and I am in the dark" is the most advantageous for him.
Haoming's investigation into Mu Qi went very smoothly.
The seventh prince was a very famous figure in the palace (both before and after the incident in the palace). Haoming found out a lot about him without much effort, but the contents made him look rather subtle: This seventh prince seemed to have some ability.
Haoming couldn't help but feel a little interested. Given the relationship between the Seventh Prince and the new emperor, dozens of ways to use the other party flashed through his mind in an instant. However, he put these thoughts aside for the moment. What he was really curious about was who could have seduced the new emperor like that?
Thinking about it, he did set aside some thought and prepared to deal with this Seventh Prince properly.
When Haoming arrived at Yunjia Palace based on the information he had gathered, he was surprised to find that it was empty.
Because of the "surprise" given by the Seventh Prince, Haoming did not become impatient. On the contrary, he became even more expectant.
He was genuinely very curious about this prince.
Although waiting at Yunjia Palace would eventually lead to someone being found, Haoming decided not to suppress his curiosity and to take the initiative to find him, as he was eager to meet the Seventh Prince.
Mu Qi's whereabouts were no secret. Hao Ming found out where he went after staying in Yun Jia Palace for a short while and went to look for him.
His expectations had been too high, and Haoming had prepared himself for disappointment upon seeing the person in person, but that wasn't the case at all. It was as if the shadow he had been hoping for had stepped into reality; the moment he saw the person, a vague voice in his mind told him: This is the person! This is the person he's been looking for!!
The Imperial Garden was filled with rare and exotic flowers from all over the world, each vying for attention with its own unique beauty. It was a far cry from the devastation it had suffered months earlier when the rebel army stormed the palace. But the young man standing there made the surrounding scenery seem like a vulgar backdrop, as if he belonged on a cloud, untouched by the mundane world.
As Haoming felt the intense pounding in his chest, a clear thought surfaced in his mind: he wanted him.
His body's instincts took over, and before any thought could form, he had already made his move. By the time he came to his senses, he had already pulled the person into his arms, pressed them against the artificial rock, and wanted to... do something even more outrageous.
Haoming suddenly felt that working for the Mu family wasn't so bad after all.
He could put this young prince on the throne and do his best to help him revive the Mu family, as long as the other party gave him a little "insignificant" reward.
—Not much, just a little bit.
Isn't it worth it for this young prince to avenge his parents and siblings?
*
Ren Yi was caught off guard when his mouth was covered and he was dragged from behind into the artificial rockery. He couldn't see the person's face, and the voice was unfamiliar, but he recognized the spirit—was this Haoming?!
When Ren Yi's injuries were discovered, Hao Ming sealed his soul. He had no idea what had happened before entering the illusion, and was completely bewildered: What's going on? Not only Xuan Wei, but Hao Ming also entered this illusion?! But thinking about it more carefully, it seems normal. Both of them were there when he was injured, so it seems reasonable for them to enter the illusion together.
These two actually didn't fight, and even cooperated?!
Ren Yi once again marveled at Yuan Que's awesomeness: No wonder he's the protagonist, he can actually get the protagonist and the second protagonist to put aside their prejudices and work together. No one else can do that.
Ren Yi paused for a moment while deep in thought. Hao Ming felt that the person in his arms was so obedient that he didn't even struggle, as if he was frightened by this sudden accident.
Thinking of this, Haoming felt even more affection, but his actions were completely different. He couldn't help but move closer, his lips almost touching the earlobe that had been tinged with pink by his breath.
Haoming's hand almost covered the lower half of Ren Yi's face, and the feeling of difficulty breathing finally brought Ren Yi back to his senses from the shock.
He struggled for a moment, loosening the grip slightly, and then took the opportunity to tentatively ask, "General Cheng?"
Haoming felt the warm breath brush against his palm, bringing a tingling, numbing itch. The sensation seemed to seep into his bloodstream through his skin, then spread throughout his body, almost making him tremble.
This young prince truly embodies his heart; even his voice is so pleasant to hear.
However, he hoped the other person would call out somewhere else, but he didn't know if it would sound like they were crying.
Haoming's Adam's apple bobbed as he barely managed to suppress the thirst that welled up from the depths of his heart.
Don't rush it.
Being too hasty might scare people away.
He let out a long breath, calming the overly excited look on his face. Reluctantly, he released the hand that was holding him, rubbed his fingertips against his side a couple of times, and then decisively knelt down on one knee to apologize, saying, "The matter was urgent, and I had no choice but to resort to this measure. I have offended Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive me for this unavoidable situation."
Ren Yi: "..."
Seeing Haoming kneel down so readily, Ren Yi's eyelids twitched twice: It's confirmed, this is another one without memory.
You must know that this Demon Emperor is second to none in the small world in terms of both status and martial prowess. He is someone who can fight Xuanwei to a standstill. Ren Yi dares not imagine who the other party would kneel to. It would be more likely that others would kneel to him.
He wondered if the other person would cause him trouble because of this after regaining their memory.
Ren Yi pondered for a moment, but he wasn't flustered. After all, he was still known as "Yuan Que" in other people's eyes. The Demon Emperor kneeling for his beloved probably didn't seem like a big deal.
Ren Yi initially thought that Xuan Wei's lack of memory was due to the influence of the system fragments, but now it seems that the two of them might have fought before entering the illusion, which caused an accident that resulted in both of them losing their memories?
Even so, Ren Yi still couldn't help but feel suspicious when he looked at Haoming, who appeared to be a loyal minister.
Despite the amnesia, Ren Yi didn't believe that such a small amount of illusory memory would have such a significant impact on Hao Ming. An ordinary person might have such an effect, but this person before him was a demon race member whose age was measured in tens of thousands of years. Could a mere few decades of memories really make His Highness the Demon Emperor pledge allegiance? That notion would be a joke anywhere in the Six Realms.
...
Haoming noticed Ren Yi's suspicions and chuckled to himself.
The young prince was more perceptive than he had expected, and seemed to have already noticed something was wrong.
But what could he do?
He was now isolated and helpless in the palace, surrounded by the new emperor's men; he had no one else to choose from. After all… he was better off than the man who had killed his parents and siblings, wasn't he?
Sure enough, after a short while, Haoming heard that still alluring voice, "It's alright, you can get up."
There was something subtly off about his tone.
But so what?
Haoming lowered his head, suppressing the upward curve of his lips, and rose to his feet with utmost "respect."
See, he had no other choice.
What a pitiful little prince... he's so lovable.
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