Chapter 181: Chapter 181: 181: Prince Longevity (11)

Once you enjoy the thrill of bullying, you can’t stop yourself.

Chuzheng had no such desire; she just wanted a simple and fast solution to all the troubles.

Bastard, this damn thing!

[No, miss, let’s be reasonable, why are you cursing at me again!?] King’s Account was going crazy; where did it go wrong again.

Yan Gui stood in the center of the hall, his pale face either blanched with humiliation or naturally so.

Pale and slender fingers stretched out from his sleeves, touching the warm yellow light, making his fingertips look exceptionally beautiful.

Prince Rong laughed wildly, his eyes filled with twisted excitement.

Chuzheng’s fingers twitched slightly, and the silver wire emerged from her sleeve, circling happily around her fingertips before shooting out rapidly, aiming straight for Prince Rong.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Prince Rong’s face suddenly changed.

He reached for his neck, his face turning beet red.

“Save…”

Yan Gui looked up, his dead eyes reflecting the lamplight and Prince Rong’s current state.

Ugly, unsightly…

“Prince Rong!” The eunuch by Emperor’s side was the first to exclaim.

“Brother Emperor!” The Emperor moved swiftly over: “What happened?”

Suddenly, Prince Rong pushed away the Emperor, drew the sword from the guard behind him, and hacked at the Emperor.

Chuzheng controlled Prince Rong as if he was a puppet on strings, making him strike at the Emperor.

“Prince Rong!!” After a few attempts, the Emperor was obviously enraged.

In the chaos, Prince Rong was subdued, thrown to the ground to scrape and rub, and finally, perhaps fearing another mad outburst, he was knocked unconscious.

The silver wire wrapped around Prince Rong slowly loosened its grip on him and retracted back to Chuzheng.

[…] Miss, your invincible mode is simply unsolvable.

I told you I was amazing, but you insisted on making me squander.

[…] Is it my fault for being the Spendthrift System!!

The Emperor, unharmed, was extremely angry and commanded sternly, “Take Prince Rong away.”

“What happened?”

“Prince Rong looked possessed just now; those eyes were truly frightening.”

“Possessed, huh…”

The Emperor’s face darkened. The word “possessed” was like a switch, and his grim gaze suddenly fell on Cheng Xiao, who was visibly uneasy.

“Let the second young mistress of the Cheng Family stay, the rest may leave.”

Cheng Xiao’s head shot up in shock, her pretty face as pale as paper.

“Second Miss, this way, please.” The Palace Attendant immediately stepped forward to invite Cheng Xiao.

All that remained in Cheng Xiao’s eyes was terror.

No…

Why hasn’t Ye Yang arrived yet?

She didn’t want to stay here.

With so many people, why choose her?

“Your Majesty.” Cheng Xiao pushed away the Palace Attendant and knelt on the ground: “Your Majesty, your servant…your servant has not been well recently and should not stay in the palace.”

Cheng Xiao coughed twice and then said, “Your servant’s sister…my sister can stay in my stead.”

Nobody had the mind to pay attention to today’s palace banquet.

Only then did everyone turn to look at the eldest young mistress of Prince Cheng Residence.

They saw her sitting there calmly, as if the commotion in the hall had nothing to do with her.

Even now, when her own sister had pushed her forward, she showed no waves of emotion.

Cool and indifferent, gracefully dignified.

This was the eldest young mistress of Prince Cheng Residence?

The impression she gave…

Why did she seem like the true emperor?

The thought startled everyone, and they dared not look at her any longer.

The Emperor had darkened his expression as soon as Cheng Xiao spoke: “The words of the Emperor are an Imperial Decree, do you dare to defy it?”

The imperial might bore down on Cheng Xiao, making her gasp for air, her body shaking.

The Emperor glanced at Chuzheng, snorted coldly, and left with a swish of his sleeve.

The Palace Attendant stepped forward to help Cheng Xiao stand and leave.

No…

Don’t want…

She couldn’t stay here.

Cheng Xiao looked fiercely towards Chuzheng.

The latter calmly picked up a cup of wine from the table and downed it in one gulp.

Clap.

The wine cup struck the table, emitting a crisp sound, which echoed clearly in the silent hall.

“Cheng Chuzheng!!”

Cheng Xiao’s resentful voice carried from outside the hall.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze over.

Chuzheng’s eyebrows and eyes betrayed a cold and detached demeanor, signaling to both strangers and acquaintances to keep their distance. She was the first to rise and leave.

It was only after her departure that the air in the hall seemed capable of flowing freely once more.

The long-forgotten Yan Gui gazed in the direction Chuzheng had left; his usually lackluster eyes seemed to brighten for a moment.

However, that flicker of emotion quickly sank back into silence.

While everyone’s attention was elsewhere, he left the great hall quietly and without notice.

–

“Miss.”

Upon seeing Chuzheng exit, Lv Zhu let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes.” There was a smile on Lv Zhu’s face, the ordeal was finally over, and there was no more need for fear and anxiety.

“But… Miss, where is our little miss?”

Qing He did not see Cheng Xiao and felt even more uneasy as she stepped forward to ask.

“She stayed behind,” Chuzheng said as she parted the curtains of the palanquin and sat down.

The curtain slowly fell, concealing Chuzheng’s figure.

Stayed… stayed behind?

Qing He was completely stunned.

As Chuzheng’s palanquin was carried out of the palace gates, Lv Zhu asked cautiously, “Miss, did the second miss really stay behind?”

“Mhm.”

Lv Zhu felt a surge of satisfaction deep inside: “Serves her right. She was the one meant to enter the palace to begin with. This is her just deserts.”

Just deserts?

Chuzheng sat in the palanquin, arms folded, unconcerned about any just deserts.

Chuzheng asked the bearers to halt at Juyuan Pavilion.

“Miss, you’ve arrived,” the shopkeeper greeted her. “Coincidentally, a customer was looking for you, saying you would be here soon. I didn’t expect you to actually come.”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

The shopkeeper led Chuzheng upstairs and opened the door to a private room.

“Wait outside.”

Though puzzled, Lv Zhu obediently bowed and closed the door of the room behind her.

Inside the room, a clean-looking little Taoist priest sat with one foot on a chair, heartily eating meat and drinking wine.

“You arrived a bit earlier than my calculation,” the little Taoist priest said, raising a greasy hand in greeting.

Chuzheng pulled a silver note from her sleeve.

“Is it done?”

“Don’t you know how to calculate?”

“Isn’t it just confirming what you already knew?”

The little Taoist priest cherished the silver note as he tucked it into his clothes.

Without the fake beard and eyebrows, the little Taoist’s features were strikingly youthful and attractive.

He clicked his tongue twice, “Tsk, tsk, she may be your sister, but how could you be so merciless as to push her into a pit of fire?”

Chuzheng’s expression remained cold, “If she didn’t go in, I would have had to.”

Who would enter hell if not you?

No matter who would enter, it certainly wasn’t going to be her.

“I never thought I’d be able to deceive the Emperor one day,” the little Taoist said, shaking his head while taking a swig of wine.

The task Chuzheng assigned to him was to ensure Cheng Xiao’s name was on the list.

He also had to spread a story to the Emperor’s ears.

It was said that Cheng Xiao was born with an auspicious fate, a star of fortune descending from heaven could ensure His Majesty’s longevity and the nation’s prosperity.

The little Taoist, curious, asked, “Aren’t you worried that if the Emperor finds her useless, it might bring trouble to the entire Prince Cheng Residence?”

“Not worried.”

After all, they couldn’t defeat me!

What was there to fear!

“Alright, you’re impressive,” the little Taoist gave her a thumbs-up, “Remember to call me for any good gigs in the future.”

Chuzheng: “…”

–

Imperial Palace, Emperor’s Bedroom.

Cheng Xiao knelt on the ground, not daring to lift her head, her heart pounding like thunder.

“Come here.”

The man’s voice rang out from in front.

Cheng Xiao’s entire body trembled, rooted to the spot.

“Come here!” The Emperor’s irritation was evident, “Must I invite you myself?”

Only then did Cheng Xiao stand, taking an eternity to cover the distance of a few steps.

“Undress.”

Cheng Xiao clenched her teeth and, shaking, began to undo the Emperor’s clothes. The Emperor abruptly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace, “Are you very afraid of me?”