Chapter 194

The next day, Yue Mingsheng set out for the location provided by the intelligence team with four other shadow guards and a team of one hundred soldiers.

Jun Zishu had Little Fairy keep an eye on Yue Mingsheng’s situation and inform her should anything unexpected happen.

Afterward, Jun Zishu headed over to Meng Lanxi’s palace and opened the doors to his room.

Meng Lanxi remained unconscious on his bed, and he showed no response toward her arrival.

Jun Zishu couldn’t help but sigh when she saw his sleeping face.

[Are you unhappy, Host?]

It’s hard to be happy seeing him like this.

No matter her circumstances, Jun Zishu still felt sorry for what she had done to Meng Lanxi.

Of course, that wasn’t to say she regretted her actions. She did what was necessary to complete her mission. She simply found it a little uncomfortable knowing that she had ruined an innocent person’s life with her own two hands.

Jun Zishu left after taking a look at Meng Lanxi. Once she finished dealing with the matters at hand, she would naturally take care of Meng Lanxi’s matters.

…

Chu Meng had locked Chu Ying in a secluded location. He had also posted many guards to ensure nobody could get to Chu Ying.

However, after scouting out the perimeter, Yue Mingsheng found that it wouldn’t be challenging to break into the courtyard Chu Ying was in and escape with him.

That old bastard probably didn’t expect Big Sister would try to rescue Chu Ying, Yue Mingsheng thought when she saw the courtyard’s security layout and terrain. Although many guards patrolled the courtyard, there were plenty of security blindspots she could take advantage of to reach Chu Ying undetected.

Indeed, from Chu Meng’s perspective, there wasn’t any reason for Jun Zishu to rescue Chu Ying. After all, she could inflict harm or even kill Chu Ying with just a thought. Moreover, so long as one of his assassination attempts succeeded, Chu Ying would still die if Jun Zishu died. Thus, the security Chu Meng set up was mainly to prevent Chu Ying from escaping rather than prevent others from rescuing Chu Ying.

When Yue Mingsheng snuck in, Chu Ying looked to be in a sorry state. His body might seem fine and healthy, but his entire being radiated a dispirited feeling. His response was also sluggish when she tapped his shoulder from behind. The way he turned around to look at her also felt mechanical.

Yue Mingsheng didn’t know what Chu Ying had experienced, nor was she interested in finding out. Her job was to simply get this person out of this place.

“Can you walk?” Yue Mingsheng asked.

Chu Ying did not respond, his mind seemingly in an extremely sluggish state.

After pondering for a moment, Yue Mingsheng raised her hand and slapped Chu Ying.

Seemingly awakened by this slap, Chu Ying blinked and stared at Yue Mingsheng intently for a moment. Then, he called out, “Princess?”

“Keep your voice down. Big Sister sent me to rescue you. Can you walk?”

“Yes.”

A faint light shone in Chu Ying’s eyes, and he no longer looked as dull as before.

“Good. My men will meet us outside, so move quickly.”

“Mhm.”

Chu Ying nodded and stood up.

…

Yue Mingsheng’s trip out of the imperial palace lasted over half a month. When she finally returned safe and sound, the weight on Jun Zishu’s heart finally disappeared.

After bringing Chu Ying to Jun Zishu’s bedchamber, Yue Mingsheng unceremoniously threw him aside and walked up to Jun Zishu, saying, “I’m back, Big Sister. I’m so tired.”

Yue Mingsheng was dressed casually to facilitate convenient travel, so she looked a little shabby compared to how she normally dressed. Combined with the exhausted look she wore, she gave off quite a pitiful appearance.

Meanwhile, Chu Ying couldn’t help but be stunned when he saw Yue Mingsheng’s behavior. The princess had clearly been brimming with spirit on their way to Jun Zishu’s palace, so how did she suddenly become exhausted after entering Jun Zishu’s bedchamber?

“It must’ve been hard on you.” Jun Zishu massaged Yue Mingsheng’s fingers and pulled the girl into the chair next to her. Then, she looked at Chu Ying and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

Chu Ying looked to be in a rather terrible state right now, and Jun Zishu couldn’t help but feel as if she were looking at a fool.

“I don’t know. He was already like this when I picked him up,” Yue Mingsheng said.

“Have Zeng Qing come and take a look at him,” Jun Zishu said to Shadow Three, who stood guard beside Chu Ying. No matter how she looked at it, Chu Ying’s dull state looked abnormal. There was no way she could let him appear before the public in such a state.

Meanwhile, Zeng Qing quickly answered Jun Zishu’s summons and came to diagnose Chu Ying.

“Nothing seems wrong with his body, but his mind doesn’t look very well,” Zeng Qing stated.

“Can he be treated?” Jun Zishu asked.

Zeng Qing caressed his chin but didn’t answer. He had never tried treating someone with mental problems, so he wasn’t confident he could treat Chu Ying.

“Well?”

“I can,” Zeng Qing finally said. This was a request from the empress, so he had to treat Chu Ying even if he couldn’t.

“I’ll leave it to you. Get him back to shape as quickly as possible,” Jun Zishu said.

After Zeng Qing brought Chu Ying away, peace returned to Jun Zishu’s palace.

“Big Sister,” Yue Mingsheng called out as she held up Jun Zishu’s hand and rubbed her face against it. Then, she smiled and said, “I didn’t let myself get hurt.”

“Good girl.”

Jun Zishu rubbed Yue Mingsheng’s hair and kissed the side of her lover’s face.

In response, Yue Mingsheng hooked an arm around Jun Zishu’s neck and her other arm around Jun Zishu’s waist. Then, she pulled Jun Zishu in for a reunion kiss.

It was currently dusk, and only scant traces of sunlight remained in the sky outside. However, there were no lamps lit inside the bedchamber, so the only light source was the dim sunlight reflected off the eaves of the nearby buildings.

Jun Zishu and Yue Mingsheng were of similar height, so they could hug and kiss without stress.

Yue Mingsheng’s kisses were often gentle. However, perhaps it was because they hadn’t seen each other for over half a month, but her kiss this time was more hurried and eager. After sucking and biting on Jun Zishu’s red lips, she traced them with her tongue and coated them in a layer of translucent liquid, making them look even more attractive.

Jun Zishu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly when she experienced Yue Mingsheng’s aggressiveness. Then, she responded by enveloping Yue Mingsheng’s tongue with her lips and gently bit on it. Of course, she made sure not to hurt her lover’s tongue, only using enough force to give the cheeky girl a little stimulation.

Eventually, Yue Mingsheng pinched Jun Zishu’s waist to signal her surrender. Then, she withdrew from the kiss and gasped for air.

“You’ve become naughtier, Big Sister,” Yue Mingsheng complained. It hadn’t been like this in the past. Before she left on her trip, she was always taking the initiative, while Jun Zishu leaned more on the passive side. However, after she returned, not only did Jun Zishu respond to her approaches, but she had even taken the initiative to tease her.

“Do you not like it?” Jun Zishu asked innocently. She was just acting on impulse.

Jun Zishu felt that she was slowly changing. At the very least, she now held more feelings of longing and hope in her heart. She also held more anticipation toward life.

“Of course I like it. I like Big Sister the most.”

“I’m not far from success. When the time comes, I’ll let you proudly become my consort,” Jun Zishu promised.

“Okay.”

Yue Mingsheng’s adoring eyes rested on Jun Zishu’s body, her eyes full of fondness toward the person before her.

Perhaps, there was nothing happier in this world than doing what one liked and having the person one loved reciprocate one’s feelings.

…

Chu Ying’s illness could be considered both minor and major.

To put it in modern terms, the symptom he faced was minor depression.

Firstly, he was abandoned by his father. Then, his mother and brothers not only refused to save him, but they had even advised him to cooperate with them.

Nothing could be more laughable and despairing to have the people you loved and cared about the most telling you to die for them.

To make matters worse, after suffering such a huge mental blow, he was imprisoned in a dark room with hardly any human contact for many days. It’d be strange if nothing happened to his mental state.

After bringing Chu Ying to his living quarters, Zeng Qing began talking to Chu Ying while exuding the few benevolent feelings he had as a medical practitioner.

Unfortunately, it seemed that his efforts were futile.

However, as Zeng Qing had already promised Jun Zishu, there was no way he could give up on helping Chu Ying.

“Hey, buddy, there’s really no point for you to behave like this. It’s not like you’re the only miserable person in this world. Look at me; don’t I look fine and healthy?” Zeng Qing said.

Hearing this, Chu Ying turned to look at Zeng Qing.

“I was in a much more tragic situation than you. I grew up in the Medicine Valley, and I had three junior brothers and one junior sister.”

After letting out a sigh, Zeng Qing began recounting his story.

“I was in love with my junior sister at the time. After my master passed away, the position of Valley Master fell into my lap. I was quite dumb at the time, and the only thing I could think of was to marry my junior sister. However, before the day of our marriage, she betrayed me with my second junior brother.”

Zeng Qing massaged his eyes and let out a melancholic sigh.

“I got badly injured, lost all of my internal strength, and had my veins and tendons ruined. Eventually, they tossed me out like a dead dog covered in blood. What did I do to deserve that?”

After saying so, Zeng Qing revealed a mocking smile.

Perhaps it was because he had met someone who had endured worse hardships than him, Chu Ying started to feel a little better as he let out a sigh and held Zeng Qing’s hand.

Zeng Qing spent most of his time surrounded by medicine and herbs, so his body gave off a medicinal smell. After holding Zeng Qing’s hand, Chu Ying leaned his head against Zeng Qing’s shoulder.

Zeng Qing originally wanted to push the man leaning against his shoulder away. However, when he recalled Chu Ying’s current state and his promise to Jun Zishu, he endured this awkward situation and let Chu Ying use his shoulder as a pillow.

…

Jun Zishu didn’t know what method Zeng Qing used, but Chu Ying had appeared before her looking normal five days later.

“What do you need me to do?” Chu Ying asked, getting straight to the point as he looked at Jun Zishu.

“You are one of Chu Meng’s main reasons for rebelling. How will he react if you appear before him and stand against him? How will the people react?”

“I…”

“Don’t tell me you can’t bear to start a fight with your old man. He was even willing to abandon your life.”

“I cannot forget the debt I owe him for raising me. Even if my father no longer cares about our relationship, I still think of him as my father. I just won’t be so filial anymore.”

Chu Ying wasn’t a foolishly filial person. Since his father showed no regard for his life, there was no way he would continue foolishly clinging to him.

“Which is why I am telling you to disperse the rebels. I am not telling you to kill Chu Meng. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand.”

“Good. You will be doing a great service for the empire if you succeed. I will take it into consideration when I impose judgment on the Chu family.”

“Understood.”

Chu Ying knelt and offered his loyalty.

Meanwhile, Yue Mingsheng took this entire exchange in her eyes, her lips curling upward when she saw her lover’s plans slowly coming to fruition.

…

Jun Zishu granted Chu Ying the authority to mobilize the Forbidden Army to clear the rebels.

Chu Ying only made one request before he departed, and that was to let Zeng Qing follow him.

Seeing no problem with it, Jun Zishu agreed to his request.

The news of the Chu father and son facing each other on the battlefield became a huge topic throughout the empire.

However, Jun Zishu wasn’t worried that Chu Ying would lose. She trusted in Chu Ying’s abilities. She also trusted in her own insightful foresight.

…

In the middle of February, Chu Ying returned to the capital victorious. The rebels had surrendered, and Chu Meng was imprisoned.

Jun Zishu did not ask Chu Ying to deal with Chu Meng. Instead, she left this task to Yue Mingsheng.

This was a request Yue Mingsheng had put forward, so Jun Zishu naturally complied with her.

Yue Mingsheng still remembered when Chu Meng sent someone to assassinate Jun Zishu and caused Jun Zishu to receive a shoulder injury.

Thus, Chu Meng suffered miserably after falling into Yue Mingsheng’s hands.

The crime of treason would normally be punished with the execution of nine generations. However, as Chu Ying had done a meritorious service, Jun Zishu pardoned the Chu family from annihilation. She only confiscated the Chu family’s noble title and beheaded Chu Meng alone. As for the Chu family members that had directly participated in the revolt, they were sentenced to exile, and they, their children, and grandchildren were prohibited from taking on any government positions.

After Jun Zishu and Yue Mingsheng worked busily for several days, they could finally put an end to this matter and deal with other things. For example, they used this opportunity to convict some corrupt officials and replace them with new blood. Of course, they made sure to recruit only people that were loyal to them.

This was a significant undertaking, so Jun Zishu and Yue Mingsheng spent the next half a month taking care of it.

Then, one day during morning court, Jun Zishu dropped a bombshell announcement.

“I will be appointing a consort.”