Chapter 277 The Diligent Emperor Used as Cannon Fodder (Part Two) In the Palace...
While the court was still debating, Murong Yu understood. Most importantly, he had to understand the oppressive aura that Lin You could unleash with just a slight movement, making him unable to move and causing his hair to stand on end.
Lin You's oppressive aura was released for only a moment before it was quickly withdrawn. Murong Yu, however, was so shocked that he gripped the railing and it took him a while to come to his senses.
He couldn't see anyone around, but Murong Yu knew that once the other party made a move, he would have absolutely no chance to dodge.
Even an emperor would be pragmatic at this moment. Before Lin You could speak again, Murong Yu had already taken the initiative to agree: "I am aware of what you have said, Immortal Lord. Please feel free to give any instructions regarding any cooperation you require."
When Lin You sent her application to bind her account, Murong Yu's hands were shaking, but he still agreed without hesitation.
The stories say that many evil spirits form contracts with humans to bewitch them. He had already begun to consider whether to let the young prince succeed to the throne or to choose a reliable one from among his brothers.
Fortunately, after waiting for a while, none of those things happened. Apart from Nangong Rou almost finishing reciting her lines next to the crooked tree, nothing else changed.
The only difference is that he no longer needs to speak when talking to Lin You, and Lin You no longer needs to use tricks to fool the subsystem.
"Is this... really over?" Murong Yu asked tentatively. Didn't they need to control him and do some things to test whether he would obey?
Lin You pretended not to understand what he was saying and went straight to the point: "That woman was asked by the evil thing to get close to you. Now you just need to ignore her and not talk to her. But don't leave either. Make it think that there is still a chance to complete the mission, and it will keep expending energy to pay attention to you."
Murong Yu nodded. He was good at keeping people in suspense. Although the other party wasn't human, it didn't seem particularly intelligent either, so there wasn't much difference.
He had someone deliver fish food, a chair, fruit platters, and snacks. He sat by the lake, feeding the fish and himself at the same time, looking so relaxed and carefree that Nangong Rou wanted to scold him for being crazy.
By the time Murong Yu had almost finished feeding himself and the fish, Nangong Rou was also running out of words. She was just a modern 996 working woman, and she didn't have that many suitable ancient poems to recite.
Lin You, who was standing to the side, could hear her using "Quiet Night Thoughts" to pad out the word count, and felt that if it dragged on any longer, they might have to go through the entire dialogue again.
Nangong Rou knew, of course, that it was inappropriate to drag this out, but the reason she failed this mission was electric shock, and how many people wouldn't feel a chill down their spine upon hearing that?
Anyway, His Majesty is a pretty good person. I've never heard of him killing people indiscriminately. Last time he drugged me, he only gave me a verbal reprimand. This time, at most I'll get another scolding.
The palace servants simply assumed that His Majesty had taken a liking to this beauty, aside from thinking that Nangong Rou was being a bit too pretentious.
Murong Yu secretly burped; he really couldn't eat anymore, but sitting there blankly was a bit abnormal. Looking at Nangong Rou and the crooked tree, Murong Yu suddenly beckoned to the person serving him.
Nangong Rou immediately stood up straight, and even her clasped hands became much more graceful. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and Lin You could still hear her newly changed lines, something about wishing to win the heart of one person...
Before she could even begin to read the next line, Murong Yu sat back down in her chair, sipping her hawthorn tea absentmindedly.
The servant did not go to find Nangong Rou, but left in a hurry. Not long after, a figure came over in a flurry.
Before he even got close, you could hear him shouting at the top of his lungs, "Brother, I'm here! Do you have something fun to give me again?"
"Fifth Brother is here. You're not a kid anymore, don't you know how to be more mature?" Murong Yu pointed to the chairs and snacks that had been prepared for him. "But I do have something interesting to tell you. Come, come, sit down and tell me slowly."
Murong Ke quickly bowed, then sat down, picked up a pastry, and put it in her mouth. When she looked up, she noticed the beautiful woman standing not far away, and the very familiar crooked tree next to her.
If you calm down, you can still hear the woman muttering lines over and over. Although some of them are unfamiliar, and although the words are of high quality, they are all related to love and romance!
"Brother, who is that? What are they doing? Could it be that they've taken a fancy to me and are planning to have a love affair that transcends worldly conventions?" Murong Ke had originally planned to just watch the drama unfold, but his brother's words left him completely bewildered.
"This woman is from my harem, right in front of your crooked tree, seeking a marriage." Murong Yu said casually, but it startled Murong Ke so much that she jumped up in fright.
"Brother, you're my own brother! I just planted a tree randomly. This woman has nothing to do with me! I don't even know her!!" Murong Ke knelt down with a thud, grabbed Murong Yu's leg, and started wailing.
This startled Murong Yu so much that she almost kicked the troublesome boy away.
The subsystem that had been eavesdropping on the conversation ever since Murong Ke appeared finally realized that something was wrong.
[Host, something bad has happened! Your mission is in trouble. This tree was planted by the Emperor's younger brother, the Fifth Prince. If you beg like this, it will be seen as an affair between you and the Fifth Prince.]
After hearing this, Nangong Rou finally lowered her hands, which had been clasped together for a long time. She secretly rubbed her sore and swollen arms and began to argue with the system about the division of responsibilities:
"The fact that the Fifth Prince planted that tree is such an important piece of information, and you didn't even bother to find out and remind me, is clearly your primary responsibility."
But you chose the tree yourself. Many people in the palace know that the tree belongs to the Fifth Prince. You just didn't investigate beforehand.
Besides, all the surrounding trees grow straight and tall, except for this crooked one. It's obvious something's wrong just by looking at it, yet you stubbornly chose it.
Nangong Rou could say that she chose this tree simply because other trees were too tall, and this tree was more convenient for her to hang wishing ribbons on, so she wouldn't have to jump up and down to throw them up.
"You're the one who sent me here on a mission. Shouldn't checking the surrounding area be part of your job? This tree is part of the surrounding area too."
Lin You stood with her hands in her pockets, listening to the two of them argue for a while before finally agreeing to split the responsibility 50/50.
The original punishment can only be half, and the subsystem must also give up half of the promised reward as compensation.
Even so, Nangong Rou couldn't help but turn pale, and her voice trembled as she recited her lines.
Lin You immediately informed Murong Yu, who, understanding the unspoken message, tore his younger brother off his body and said helplessly:
"Alright, alright, I know it has nothing to do with you, but if this continues, it won't have a good impact. Go find someone now and move that crooked tree of yours back home!"
“I knew my brother loved me the most! With your broad-mindedness and keen insight, how could you not know the truth?”
Murong Ke breathed a long sigh of relief and then ran off in a flurry, not forgetting to flatter Murong Yu before leaving.
The system over there had heard the message about cutting down trees, but Murong Yu hadn't made any move. It then asked Nangong Rou again:
Should we abandon the mission now, or wait until we get back to decide?
If you abandon the mission now and get electrocuted in public, you'll probably look like you're having a seizure. Even if the emperor wants to protect his reputation, he won't punish another concubine who's having a seizure.
However, if she falls ill outside the palace, it will damage her reputation, potentially leading the emperor to believe that the concubine is in poor health and thus preventing her from serving him and bearing him children.
Nangong Rou waited for a while but the system didn't continue. She couldn't help but ask, "You've already told me the benefits, what about the drawbacks? If it's just being embarrassing, I can totally tolerate that."
The subsystems froze for a moment before they realized what she had said, and their electronic voices rose an octave:
[The fact that even concubines can no longer serve the emperor and bear children—isn't that the worst part?!]
Nangong Rou couldn't help but roll her eyes at the system behind the emperor's back: "Please, this is ancient times. Even with modern medical standards, I wouldn't want to have children."
"I must be crazy to risk my life to give birth to a child I can't even raise myself in ancient times, without ultrasounds, Down syndrome screenings, 4D ultrasounds, or painless delivery and C-sections!"
The subsystem was speechless for a while after being choked by her words, and finally decided to stop arguing with her and instead take action.
Murong Yu saw the woman who had been sitting there chanting scriptures suddenly fall to the ground with a "thud," convulsing for a while before kicking her legs and becoming still.
Those serving nearby were startled. Someone immediately stepped forward to check the situation and then reported to Murong Yu: "Your Majesty, Consort Nangong seems to have suddenly fallen ill from an old ailment and fainted. Her breathing is still relatively stable, so she should be fine."
Murong Yu looked at Nangong Rou, who was still twitching from time to time, and couldn't help but clench his sleeves. However, he nodded calmly and said, "Find someone to carry her back and ask an imperial physician to take a look."
After the others carried Nangong Rou away, he tentatively asked Lin You, "Is this the punishment the Immortal Lord spoke of for failing to complete the mission? Is it really done so openly and without any regard for the consequences?"
"This was indeed the work of an evil spirit, but it was only the weakest possible attack, only half the power it usually uses." Lin You didn't want to tell him that the girl had deliberately been electrocuted outside in order to avoid having children.
Seeing Murong Yu's increasingly tense expression, she still tried to reassure her: "Don't worry, I'm only here to collect evil spirits, I won't use those methods on you."
"The Immortal Lord is magnanimous and has extraordinary bearing. How could he resort to such low-level methods?" Murong Yu appeared even more respectful, but in his heart, he felt that this person was probably the kind who could kill with a single blow.
Lin You realized she might have scared the person too much, so she changed the subject: "Besides what's on her, there's another evil spirit that came. Have you encountered any other strange people lately?"
Murong Yu thought hard for a moment, "I don't have many concubines in my harem, and I usually have some contact with them. But she is the only one who is so... eccentric."
"Who told you that evil spirits only follow your concubines?" Lin You didn't remember saying such a thing.
"Didn't the Immortal Lord say that the evil creature was only able to get close to me and do some intimate things... Could it possibly be a woman outside the palace?" Murong Yu was an emperor with great self-control and did not have the hobby of going out of the palace incognito for leisure.
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