Chapter 25
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“Please note!” the mechanical voice of the system forcefully opened in his mind, “Chu Xie’s character fit has decreased by 2%, 5%, 8%, 11%…”
“Current character fit is 89%. Host, please adjust it in time, and be sure not to drop below 60%.”
“…?”
Chu Xie suddenly felt dumbfounded.
Did he mess up this plot? Why would the character of the eternal unchanging character suddenly drop so dramatically?
Following Jiang Yanchi’s gaze, Chu Xie saw his left hand.
A sudden buzz in his mind, he noticed the little finger wrapped in white cloth.
No way.
Was this little brat really such a cunning person?
Seeing Chu Xie’s expression momentarily soften, and him discreetly withdrawing his hand back into his sleeve, his eyelids twitched.
Chu Xie turned and walked away, and without saying a word, Jiang Yanchi followed closely.
Xu Chunmu’s gaze followed Jiang Yanchi’s movements.
Chu Xie, with his back to the main hall, was completely defenseless. In the moment before the Crown Prince was about to grab his wrist, Xu Chunmu intercepted him and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness!”
With a cry of surprise, Chu Xie turned back, shocked by the sharp gaze of Jiang Yanchi, who was now within arm’s reach.
He immediately thought of the cold eyes with which Jiang Yanchi had watched him die a cruel death in his dream, and his legs almost gave way. He decided to seize the opportunity and slipped into a sedan chair and sped away.
In extraordinary times, the survival of the villain depended entirely on his cunning.
Jiang Yanchi’s gaze sharpened. “Stop him!”
“Your Highness, think twice!” Xu Chunmu immediately intervened. “Your Highness, it’s not wise to turn against Chu Zhangyin at this moment. Perhaps we should reconsider…”
As the man walked away, Jiang Yanchi was filled with irritation. He raised his hand and twisted Xu Chunmu’s wrist. Xu Chunmu’s quick reflexes allowed him to avoid an immediate fracture, and he swiftly turned and yanked the arm of the Crown Prince, preventing him from leaving the hall.
The faces of many people changed dramatically.
Minister Xue: “Xu, Young Marquis Xu, how can you lay hands on His Highness, the Crown Prince!”
Duke Yue: “Your Highness, Young Marquis Xu’s words make sense. Please calm down!”
People pulled one way and the other, creating a chaotic scene.
Zhao Xuan, Duke Yue’s Shizi, had some skills and a sense of propriety. He observed his grandfather’s expression and immediately intervened between the two men, physically separating them. While doing so, he tried to mediate, saying, “Your Highness, he is the Crown Prince Consort. In the future, you will all be family. Harmony is important. How can you resort to violence…”
“Who is the Crown Prince Consort!”
“I am not!”
Zhao Xuan’s face became increasingly awkward. “Are you… fighting?”
“Xu Chunmu, do you know what plans Duke Zhenguo’s residence has made? I understand it better than you do! I advise you not to waste your energy on pointless matters.”
But Xu Chunmu frowned, unyielding. “Your Highness, even though Chu Zhangyin is arrogant, he still has his uses. When the water is too clear, there are no fish. Your Highness, why rush to suppress him?”
“Hasn’t the Xu family suffered enough under Chu Xie’s hands? What did we gain from the recent suppression of the Northern Xiong rebellion? Is Young Marquis Xu’s magnanimity driven by Marquis Zhenguo’s intentions?”
“Your Highness has burned the bridges, aren’t you afraid of alienating others?”
This, this, this…
Zhao Xuan pushed and pulled, his head darting back and forth between the two men, feeling extremely distressed. He looked at his grandfather, wondering what they were talking about.
“Stop him!” Jiang Yanchi was furious. “This is an imperial order. Xu Chunmu, Lord Zhao, are you going to defy the decree?!”
Little Xizi waited outside the hall and, seeing the situation inside deteriorating, hurriedly came in and knelt down. “Your, Your Highness. Chu Zhangyin has already left the palace…”
Xu Chunmu breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yanchi waved his sleeve and said, “Prepare the carriage, we’re going to the Chu Residence!”
Xu Chunmu wanted to stop him again but was blocked by Minister Xue. “Young Marquis Xu, why are you getting involved in this mess?”
“I…”
“You haven’t been in the capital for a long time, and you may not be aware of Chu Zhangyin’s actions in the capital over the years. The Crown Prince’s anger is not uncommon. Duke Rongguo’s residence has obviously been framed by Chu Xie! Young Marquis Xu, why speak up for him and anger His Highness!”
Minister Xue’s son had nearly died at the hands of Chu Xie last time. Now, seeing the Crown Prince and Chu Xie in opposition, he hoped that the eunuch would be brought down as soon as possible.
Knowing that Young Marquis Xu was usually upright, he completely blocked his path, looking sincere as he tried to persuade him. “If you think it’s inappropriate for His Majesty to behead a rabbit and cook a dog, then do you think it’s appropriate for Duke Rongguo’s residence, a prestigious family with a hundred years of history, to be brutally dismembered like this?!”
Xu Chunmu was awakened instantly.
That’s right.
Chu Xie’s stubborn insistence on Duke Rongguo’s guilt would only make the Crown Prince more wary.
The problem was not about stopping the Crown Prince but about saving Chen Lianzhou!
Seeing that he seemed to have been persuaded, Minister Xue breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you understand.”
***
On his way back, Chu Xie was lost in thought, contemplating his strategy. Then, he heard the sedan bearers catching up to him and saying, “Sir, something’s not right. It’s said that the Crown Prince is on his way to the Chu Residence.”
Oh no, oh no.
When will there be some good news!
Chu Xie looked at his little finger. He couldn’t possibly chop off his finger, right? Ah, even if he did, it wouldn’t help!
“Host!”
The system’s voice rang in his mind again. “Whimper, whimper… You need to think of a solution quickly. Why does Chu Xie’s character value keep dropping…”
“How much has it dropped to?!” he asked anxiously.
“76%, whimper, oh, it’s down to 74%, whimper, oh, now it’s 73%…”
What is Jiang Yan really thinking about? How did the numbers drop so significantly bit by bit?
Was it because he didn’t act evil enough just now?
Or did Jiang Yanchi see the cloth wrapped around his little finger and suspect that the person who saved him that night might be him?
His thought process was too erratic. How could he make such connections?
Or was the disguise not convincing enough?
Think, think. Normal people don’t switch between being a villain and a white lotus.
It’s not like he has a split personality.
“Whimper, whimper, Host, please, think of a way, Chen Lianzhou is going to die the day after tomorrow, just two days left… If the character value isn’t enough, there’s no way to be reborn, whimper, whimper…”
“Stop bothering me!” Chu Xie shouted in his mind. “Be quiet for a moment!”
It had to be one of these two reasons.
Either he hadn’t been cruel enough just now, or Jiang Yanchi suspected that he had saved him.
Don’t panic.
There must be a way to resolve this.
There must be a way to temporarily fool him.
The sedan chair stopped, and they had arrived at the entrance of the Chu Residence.
As soon as he entered, Chu Xie saw Tao Li sitting in a pavilion, trimming flowers one by one. She noticed Chu Xie’s return and put down her scissors, saying, “Oh, my lord is back early today. Is the food at the banquet not to your liking?”
Chu Xie looked at the flowers in Tao Li’s hand and came up with a plan.
“Is there still some celosia Flower in the house? Tao Li, go and gather as much as you can. The more, the better.”
“Why is my lord looking for celosia Flowers?” Tao Li folded her hands behind her back, with a charmingly innocent look. “Does my lord think that the flower’s juice makes a nice nail polish, and it looks pretty?”
“Yes, it does look pretty.”
Chu Xie ordered the servants to close the mansion gates. “Hurry, instruct all the servants and attendants in the mansion, especially the young ones, to paint their little fingers like mine. Those who haven’t done it within fifteen minutes will be punished with twenty lashes.”
“Oh, alright.”
Tao Li didn’t understand what her lord was planning, but her lord was always clever, so she didn’t question him too much.
Chu Xie timed everything perfectly.
When Jiang Yanchi got off the sedan chair outside the mansion’s gate, Chu Xie had changed into casual clothing and was lazily lying in a bamboo chair in the shade of a tree, as if taking a nap in the evening.
“Chu Xie, you—”
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spent several months living in my house a few years ago. It seems he thinks of this place as his own, coming and going as you please.”
Chu Xie replied coldly, his eyes filled with mockery.
He didn’t even intend to get up and offer a greeting.
No, that’s not it.
Seeing Chu Xie in person, Jiang Yanchi was momentarily stunned again.
Why was he so eager to confirm something like this?
It was almost laughable.
How could it be possible?
Staring at Chu Xie’s hand, wrapped in white silk, Jiang Yanchi slowly asked, “What happened to your left hand?”
Chu Xie smiled faintly, “You chased me all the way here just to ask about this?”
The person in front smiled sweetly, with an exceptionally exquisite appearance, carrying a hint of coquetry.
Staring at the crown prince, Chu Xie deliberately extended his fingers with distinct joints, slowly unfolding them, with graceful movements.
As he unraveled the knot at the tip of his finger, and it unraveled in circles, Jiang Yanchi saw the crimson at the tip of his finger and trembled. “You…”
“Are you looking for this?” Chu Xie’s smile didn’t diminish, and with his other hand supporting his chin, he leaned a little closer, gazing at Jiang Yanchi. “Is it beautiful?”
Jiang Yanchi didn’t speak, but silently observed him, as if trying to peer into his soul.
“His hand looks quite nice too.”
Jiang Yanchi’s whole body shivered.
As a servant came over to serve tea, Jiang Yanchi could clearly see that this servant’s fingertip was also dyed red.
“Just a little trick, and you actually followed me all the way here. I heard you’ve been searching all over the city for someone. Who are you looking for? Need my help?”
When he had entered earlier, he had been too flustered, but now he looked around and saw servants everywhere with their fingernails dyed. When he raised his head, he only saw the mocking look in Chu Xie’s eyes.
“You, you… what do you mean?”
“Stopped. Host! Your character value is now 67%. Huh, it dropped to 66%… Oh? Back to 68%…”
Chu Xie slowly took his legs off the bamboo chair, adjusted his hat and shoes, and his pale hands disappeared into his sleeves. He had a playful smile on his face, and his voice carried a seductive warmth.
“Jiang Yanchi, your secret… has been discovered by me.”
“69%… Host, you’re amazing! 70%, back to 70%!”
“No wonder you keep running to me.” Chu Xie’s voice was filled with laughter as he looked at his left hand and said, “So, you have a lover in my mansion.”
Jiang Yanchi carefully observed this person, and from the side, he could see his long neck with smooth skin and delicate lines that extended down to his collarbone, faintly revealing his clavicle.
A familiar scent of cypress and orchids wafted in the wind.
Ah Mu also had this scent.
Ah Mu.
Chu Xie.
Ah Mu… yes, the first time they met, he carried the strong scent of cypress and orchids.
“69%… 67%… 64%… Host, host!”
“Jinhuan Gambling House, he’s behind it. I’ve known about it for a long time. But guess why I haven’t killed him,” Chu Xie paced forward, and when Jiang Yanchi stood frozen behind him, he whispered in his ear.
“Because I’ve discovered something even more interesting.”
Reaching out his fingers, Chu Xie, who was now the same height as Jiang Yanchi, began tidying up Jiang Yanchi’s somewhat disheveled collar, as if he were taking care of the young crown prince when he had first entered the mansion.
As he folded the black silk fabric, Chu Xie’s cold fingers brushed over Jiang Yanchi’s neck, sending a chilling sensation through him.
“Or how about we make it interesting? You can search here and see if you can find your beloved one.” Chu Xie waved his hand, summoning all the young men and teenagers in the mansion. Each one of them had a red tint on their left pinky finger.
“Take a closer look, and be careful—”
Chu Xie’s eyes seemed to exude ice as his smile gradually darkened. “I’ll kill him.”
Jiang Yanchi immediately took several steps back. “You!”
“Hurry, pick one. What’s wrong? Can’t find him?”
Chu Xie smiled again. “Have you ever considered that maybe he’s Xun Chunmu?”
“He’s not Xun Chunmu.” Jiang Yanchi finally said a complete sentence.
“How did you figure out that he’s not Xun Chunmu?” Chu Xie asked like this, and the system immediately reported a drop of two more points in the fit value. He cleared his throat and suppressed his curiosity about “where did my acting skills go wrong.” “Jiang Yanchi, if you can’t pick one, shall we make a deal?”
Jiang Yanchi looked at Chu Xie, his expression, figure, voice, all vaguely resembling the person carrying a lantern in the night.
Similar, yet not quite.
How could Ah Mu be Chu Xie?
Was he going insane?
Only when Chu Xie seriously posed a question did he finally divert his gaze, speaking emotionlessly, as if he had no emotions, “Give me the person, and I promise you.”
“…Promise me what?”
Jiang Yanchi’s voice was very low. “To let the Chen Family die.”
Chu Xie noticed that Jiang Yanchi was much more meticulous than he had imagined.
He wished he could agree immediately.
But he couldn’t hand over the person, and it was a headache.
Jiang Yanchi observed his reaction closely. “…Don’t want to?”
“Mm, don’t want to.”
Chu Xie replied calmly. “I won’t hand over anyone. But between this person and Duke Rongguo, only one can survive.”
“The rules of the deal are determined by me.”
Chu Xie took a mask out of his pocket and waved it in front of Jiang Yanchi.
In the moment Jiang Yanchi saw the mask, the Crown Prince was overwhelmed—this was indeed Ah Mu’s mask.
“Host, this won’t work. The character fit value keeps fluctuating between 63% and 67%. Is there any way to stabilize it above 70%?”
Ask, ask, ask, he knew he would ask.
Chu Xie cursed in his mind. This world is so difficult, you keep asking me to figure out solutions, but where do I have so many solutions to think of!
After cursing, Chu Xie still managed to put on his villainous fake smile with dignity.
Chu Xie’s character was supposed to be cold, ruthless, and skilled in manipulating power. He was known to torment people’s hearts.
As long as he could make the young crown prince deeply aware of this, he would never believe that the innocent-looking Ah Mu could be him.
Chu Xie contemplated this as he slowed down his voice.
“Have you made up your mind? Then let’s pay a visit to Zhao Prison.”
***
To be honest, Chu Xie had some shadowy memories of this place. If he had a choice, he would never want to set foot here again, especially not with Jiang Yanchi.
But the situation was forcing his hand. Chu Xie thought to himself that since he was retiring in two days anyway, he might as well treat this as his final overtime.
I’m not bragging, but as long as I can maintain the character fit value, I can perform any role for you.
Duke Rongguo and Shizi, and the legitimate heirs to the family had been detained in this dark prison for almost half a day. When they were transferred from the Ministry of Punishments to here, Chen Lianzhou probably already knew that his life was nearing its end.
Seeing Chu Xie again at this moment, he wasn’t surprised.
He only glared angrily, his hair trembling between his brows, and asked, “I’ve never had any major grudge with you as far as I know. Why do you have to frame me like this?”
The Shizi of Duke Rongguo saw Jiang Yanchi’s figure appear around the corner and immediately grabbed the wooden railing, as if trying to squeeze himself out from behind it, shouting, “Your Highness, Your Highness, save me! Duke Rongguo’s mansion has been wronged, as you know, we’ve never attempted to harm you…”
Chu Xie sneered, walked to the interrogation table, picked up the confession statement of the steward, and shook it. The thin paper was still stained with a few drops of blood.
“All the evidence is right here in plain sight, and you’re still talking tough.”
“Chu Xie, you!”
The Shizi stretched out his hand to scratch, but Chu Xie took a step back, just out of reach, causing the Shizi to burst into tears. “Grandfather was wronged, completely wronged! It was you, you who framed us!”
“Your Highness!” Duke Rongguo only stared at Jiang Yanchi, as if he were looking at his last lifeline.
“We’ve been loyal and devoted for a hundred years. We’ve never done anything to harm the country or the people. Your Highness, are you really going to let this eunuch act recklessly? How did nullified crown Prince die? How did the Emperor fall ill, Your Highness?!”
Standing for a long time, there was a dull ache in the back.
Chu Xie had someone place a thick sable fur blanket on the padded chair, then calmly picked up a cup of tea and leaned back in his seat, finding a less uncomfortable position to settle into.
“You can confess on your own, and it will be a quick execution. If you don’t confess, you’ll be torn apart by horses. Choose.”
The mist hung in the air, and Chu Xie’s eyes were hidden in the haze, like a ferocious beast lurking in the mist.
“Your Highness!”
Seeing Jiang Yanchi hesitating, Chu Xie slowly pulled out the mask from his pocket and waved it.
He smiled beautifully.
“Chu Xie, you’re actually holding the Crown Prince hostage!” Although he didn’t understand what he held in his hand, Chen Lianzhou deduced something from the Crown Prince’s reaction. He was immediately overwhelmed with anger. “You deserve a thousand cuts!”
“Sure, if you have the guts to do it yourself.”
“Your Highness, trust me, I’m truly innocent. I—”
“You have been wronged, but there is no need for Duke Rongguo to explain this matter repeatedly,” Chu Xie gently pressed the document in his hand onto the table, carefully smoothing it out as a paperweight. “No one here believes you actually poisoned anyone.”
“Do you know why?”
Chen Lianzhou was trembling with anger. “You… you…”
“Because I’m the one who poisoned them.”
Chu Xie smiled.
The Shizi confused, immediately screamed and pointed at Chu Xie. “Your Highness! He admitted it! Look, he admitted it!”
Jiang Yanchi’s face gradually turned unpleasant, his back felt cold, and his steps became heavy, making it difficult to move even an inch.
He watched Chu Xie speak and smile so calmly, a faint smile playing on his lips, but he seemed like a demon.
His heart turned ice-cold.
Impossible.
What was he thinking just now?
Back when he killed Duan Se, he had the same smile on his face, asking people from the Duke Yue Mansion if they were reassured.
The same tone.
Repeatedly, he trampled on the lives of others for his own pleasure, deriving satisfaction from their suffering.
“Chen Lianzhou, I will use a crime you didn’t commit to unjustly execute you.”
This person was not Ah Mu.
It couldn’t be him.
Jiang Yanchi clenched his fists, suppressing the absurd thoughts.
“75%! Your Highness, it’s back to 75%! Amazing!!” The system was screaming in excitement.
The grand performance had both deceived Jiang Yanchi and pinned the crime on Chen Lianzhou.
The plot completion and task completion rates were both resolved.
Chu Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When he returned to the mansion, he was utterly exhausted. His body had reached its limit, and he immediately went to Zhu, asking for half a bowl of life-preserving pills, which he forcibly swallowed to extend his life.
Two days later, after Chen Lianzhou’s death, he will commit suicide.
Little Yin was still waiting for me to come home.
Thinking of his sister, Chu Xie’s eyes softened, and he was about to get some rest.
Suddenly, Tao Li burst into the room, followed closely by the steward, who exclaimed, “Lord, something terrible has happened!”
“Ministry of Punishments is on fire, and all the case files… have been burnt!”
Chu Xie felt as if he had been struck by lightning and instantly sobered up.
He lifted the blanket, and his movements were too fast, tearing at his wounds. Fortunately, Tao Li supported him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
“What did you say, the case files were burned?”
This wasn’t in the script! Why would the case files, which were kept perfectly fine, be burned?
“Where’s Wang Zhiyue? Is this Minister of Punishments so useless that he can’t even keep a few scrolls safe?” Before Chu Xie could finish his sentence, a servant came to report that Minister Wang was waiting at the door, hoping to see Chu Xie.
Chu Xie quickly put on an outer robe and hurried to the front hall. As soon as he descended the steps, he saw Minister Wang approaching and bowing, saying, “My lord, I deserve a thousand deaths…”
“What’s going on?”
“Just this afternoon, Young Marquis came to the Ministry of Punishments. He said he had your permission to take another look at this case file…”
Xu, Xu Chunmu?!
Chu Xie’s vision darkened.
“You fool! He said he wanted to see it, so you showed it to him? We’ve been in conflict with the Xu family for so many years, and you didn’t use your brain to handle things!”
“But he’s currently living in the lord’s mansion, and he doesn’t seem to have a close relationship with Vice Commander Xu in his daily life. I thought there might be some private connection between him and the lord, and when I saw him take out the lord’s token, I…”
The token, right, the token.
Chu Xie checked his entire body and asked Tao Li to go back and search as well, and indeed, the token was missing.
He had been careless.
He was so focused on Jiang Yanchi that he hadn’t even considered that Xu Chunmu, who usually acted with integrity as a supporting character, could be so deceitful.
Unbelievable.
“Where is he now?”
“Marquis Xu vouched for him, and he’s already been released from Zhao Prison. He’ll probably be back at the mansion in half an hour… This time, if we fail, the people from the Duke’s Mansion will be on guard against us, and it will be difficult to catch them off guard again!”
Difficult, difficult, difficult.
It was too difficult.
“Don’t worry, my lord, you’re sweating all over your forehead.” Seeing his condition, Tao Li immediately supported Chu Xie and suggested that he take a rest on the bed for a while.
Chu Xie pushed her away.
“My lord?”
Chu Xie opened the data. Xu Chunmu’s character alignment was a stable 80%, while Chu Xie’s alignment fluctuated between 73% and 76%, barely stable.
It was just the plot.
The longer he waited, the more variables there would be.
He couldn’t delay any longer.
He had to be reborn.
Within a few seconds, Chu Xie made a decision and immediately said to the system, “Do you have any sleeping pills left?”
“Yes, we have as many as you need.”
The people from Duke Rongguo’s Mansion who had narrowly escaped death today would never suspect that he would strike tonight.
“Have the hidden guards sprinkle sleeping pills in the well at the Duke’s Mansion while they haven’t returned yet!”
“Host, are you trying to…”
Chu Xie furrowed his brows.
In any case, as long as Chen Lianzhou died, the plot would be completed. All five points were there, so how he died didn’t matter.
The timing was just right now, and he was sure to succeed.
“Tonight, I want to assassinate Chen Lianzhou.”
Two days in advance, he would retire tonight.
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