Chapter 195
The mission, which could have been easily completed, was directly deemed a failure by the system, resulting in a deduction of three hundred points.
Lin Qingyang was too preoccupied to care about the deducted points anymore. There was a much bigger problem at hand. While the mission itself wasn’t difficult, its significance was immense, as it would impact many subsequent plot developments. This failure felt like a catastrophic disaster, as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart.
Lin Qingyang was about to step into the Qinghong Palace, but Chu Lishu suddenly pulled him away.
“Where are we going? What about the situation here…” Lin Qingyang asked anxiously.
Chu Lishu, pulling Lin Qingyang towards the direction of the Ziwei Hall in the residence of Empress Cheng, replied, “Things have changed. I overlooked someone, Jing Rouyin. She’s a spy for the three factions and has always been wavering. Today, she met with Yuan Ye again, and it’s hard to guarantee whether he revealed anything to her. She’s the hidden danger I’ve been vaguely sensing. When I met her just now, she was heading only towards the Qinghong Palace. Clearly, something happened there, but she showed no curiosity at all. On the contrary, she had a light step and a smile on her lips, completely different from how she looked before when she was about to be driven away. This means she probably knows what’s going to happen and that Empress Cheng is in trouble.”
“By choosing to help the Eldest Prince and leaking information, she allowed Imperial Concubine Huang and her faction to prepare in advance. They must have cleared out all the witchcraft dolls Empress Cheng had prepared, leaving them with nothing to find.”
“That’s the most likely scenario I can think of at the moment. If it’s really like this… that idiot Yuan Ye!” Chu Lishu’s expression darkened, his anger rising.
After all, in this plan, Chu Lishu had almost been watching the progress of events from a god’s-eye view, so within his observable range, there shouldn’t have been any mistakes, except for one exception: Jing Rouyin.
“All the people involved in this incident are trusted aides of Empress Cheng, which means it’s unlikely that anyone would betray them by leaking information. Although Gu Jing is somewhat of an outsider, he’s only responsible for divination and guidance and wouldn’t know the specific location of the witchcraft dolls. The number of people who know all the information, including Empress Cheng and Yuan Ye, doesn’t exceed five. Unless they disclosed it to others, such a situation wouldn’t occur. The most suspicious person is the brainless Yuan Ye.”
In Lin Qingyang’s view, this speculation is even more plausible. Lin Qingyang has seen Yuan Ye completely enchanted by Jing Rouyin, willing to blurt out anything.
In the original plot at this point in time, Jing Rouyin was already the Crown Princess and wouldn’t do anything unnecessary. But now, she’s still a spy for the three factions and naturally chooses the most advantageous side. That’s the variable in this situation.”
“Given Empress Cheng’s previous attitude towards Jing Rouyin, her determination to have Yuan Ye marry Cao Wanying, and the gradual disparity among the three factions, Jing Rouyin, being such a clever person, would naturally know what choice to make upon learning about their conspiracy plan.”
“As long as she helps the now influential Eldest Prince and Imperial Concubine Huang, she’ll likely have no trouble entering the Eldest Prince’s harem in the future.”
Lin Qingyang’s heart sank. “Can’t we salvage the situation?”
Chu Lishu remarked, “Unless we can somehow acquire another witchcraft doll and plant it where it can be found in Imperial Concubine Huang’s quarters.”
Even without Chu Lishu saying it, Lin Qingyang knew it was impossible. Firstly, they didn’t have the means or time to create another witchcraft doll. Secondly, security in Qinghong Palace was tight, even skilled martial artists couldn’t get in.
“But the most troublesome thing now is another possibility,” Chu Lishu said, quickening his pace.
Lin Qingyang suddenly realized as he looked towards the Ziwei Hall, “Are you afraid they might turn the tables? Use the witchcraft dolls to frame us in return? Is that possible? After all, it’s Yuan Ye and his entourage who got injured.”
“As long as they want to do it, they’ll find a way. Yuan Ye and the others are currently tied down and unable to come back to clean up. If it really happens, the Qintian Observatory will also be in trouble. Then it’s really…” Chu Lishu didn’t finish his sentence, but Lin Qingyang could guess. If the counterattack succeeded, then both Empress Cheng and Yuan Ye would be finished. The position of the Crown Prince would certainly be compromised. Moreover, with the Eldest Prince and Imperial Concubine Huang being framed, the Emperor would undoubtedly feel guilty. He would have to give an explanation to the Wang family. Then, the matter concerning the Ministry of Works wouldn’t just be adding insult to injury; it would be treated leniently.
With Chu Lishu’s plan of having the Eldest Prince as the scapegoat shattered, and the Eldest Prince’s influence growing even stronger, completely deviating from Chu Lishu’s expectations, the situation became extremely dire. It seemed like they were really paving the way for someone else. No one would be able to challenge the Eldest Prince anymore.
The realization struck Lin Qingyang like a bolt from the blue. Almost all of his unfinished missions were on the brink of failure. Considering the current deduction rate, Lin Qingyang felt like a sword was hanging over his neck.
They must not let the Eldest Prince retaliate.
At that moment, Chu Lishu halted in his tracks, speaking earnestly to Lin Qingyang. “Cousin, I must go check the Ziwei Hall. If the Emperor and the others decide to search there later, please try to delay them as much as possible. I only need a moment to confirm whether there’s any issue inside Ziwei Palace. If you attempt to stall, Chief Steward Hai will surely assist you depending on the situation.”
“Aren’t we going there together? One moment, in a hall as large as the Ziwei Hall…”
Chu Lishu interrupted, “I’m familiar with the layout there. One moment is enough, and if I can’t find anything, then there likely isn’t anything there.” With a confident smile, he grabbed Lin Qingyang’s hand. “I trust you this time. You’re helping me, but promise me you won’t take any risks.”
Lin Qingyang hesitated for a moment, but before he could nod, Chu Lishu had already dashed off. Lin Qingyang cursed under his breath, realizing that Chu Lishu was uncertain about the potential dangers they might encounter, hence he didn’t want him to take unnecessary risks. That’s why he asked Lin Qingyang to stay behind for this simple task.
At times like these, Lin Qingyang knew he had to obey. With limited abilities, he couldn’t afford to cause trouble. He could only do his part and trust in Chu Lishu’s capabilities to handle the situation.
However, Chu Lishu just said he was very familiar with the place. That place was the palace where Empress Cheng had always resided. That means Yuan Ran used to frequent it. Although there were rumors outside that Chu Lishu was taken away and raised from a young age, and that he didn’t have deep feelings for Empress Cheng, from the details, it could be seen that Yuan Ran actually respected her a lot. Ziwei Palace was of queenly standards, and its size was unimaginable. To be able to search every possible hiding place within it in just half an hour, it required not only extreme intelligence but also an intimate familiarity with every detail inside the palace. From when did he start memorizing these details, and how many years did he remember them? Only then could he confidently say now: “I am very familiar with it, half an hour is enough.”
Meanwhile, the people in the Qinghong Palace had already engaged in heated arguments. Imperial Concubine Huang seemed visibly enraged, shouting, “I suspect it’s your malicious intentions trying to frame us! You practiced some witchcraft and suffered backlash yourselves!”
Indeed, the backlash of witchcraft could harm the practitioner.
With such accusations, suspicious glances were directed towards Empress Cheng and her allies. Gu Jing wanted to help defend them, but given the current situation, it seemed futile. He even began to doubt his new master.
It wasn’t until this moment that Empress Cheng realized it wasn’t just a matter of the witchcraft dolls missing; the failure of the task was more than that.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control. In order to appease the anger of the Imperial Concubine Huang and the Eldest Prince, the Emperor naturally treated everyone equally and decided to inspect the Ziwei Palace.
Empress Cheng was caught off guard. She couldn’t understand why things had failed. Suddenly, her expression changed drastically as she looked at her son. Previously, Yuan Ye had been with Jing Rouyin!
Empress Cheng seized the opportunity as they drew closer and immediately pulled Yuan Ye aside, pressing him, “Did you tell Jing Rouyin everything?”
Yuan Ye’s expression shifted, “It couldn’t have been her, Mother. Perhaps someone failed to conceal their actions properly and got caught. We’re in trouble now!”
Empress Cheng was enraged to the point of wanting to spit blood. Clearly, Yuan Ye had indeed told Jing Rouyin everything, yet he still obstinately refused to acknowledge her involvement in the matter.
How could she have raised such a son? One is here to demand his fate, and the other is here to demand his debts?
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyang calculated the time and envisioned various scenarios. The simplest and least risky one was to put himself in danger – it was a hot summer day, he had just drunk alcohol, and there was a lake nearby. A natural accident scene! A few shouts for help would surely delay things for at least a moment.
With everything planned out, he felt a sense of calm. Suddenly, one thing popped into his mind: before the mission failed, he was most worried about the plot where Jing Rouyin harms Cao Wanying.
In the original plot, the disgruntled Crown Princess Jing Rouyin heard that Empress Cheng planned to replace her with Cao Wanying to restore Prince Yuan’s reputation. Naturally, Jing Rouyin couldn’t allow such a threatening woman to block her Phoenix fate. So, during the Qixi Festival banquet, she devised a plan to drug Cao Wanying with an aphrodisiac, intending to let her embarrass herself in the palace.
If Cao Wanying lost face, she would certainly not be able to marry into the royal family.
In the original story, Chu Lishu was the one who helped Cao Wanying escape unscathed. However, by that time, the witchcraft plot had already succeeded. Chu Lishu encountered Cao Wanying while dealing with other matters. He effectively utilized the situation with the poisoned Cao Wanying, but since Cao Wanying already had feelings for Chu Lishu, she was familiar with his methods and intentions.
At first, when Lin Qingyang recalled the plot of the Qixi Festival banquet, he felt deeply conflicted. As a reader, it might be something enjoyable to witness. However, his nature compelled him to intervene because, after all, Cao Wanying was a good person. A woman of her intelligence and virtue surely wouldn’t want to be with her beloved in such a manner. Even if she were eventually brought into the harem, it would still be a regrettable and shameful experience for Cao Wanying.
Of course, he also had to admit that he instinctively resisted the occurrence of such a plot. Just the thought of it made him uncomfortable. He felt that the Chu Lishu he had reconstructed shouldn’t do such things. Yet, he also felt he had no right to interfere. Wasn’t it a case of men meddling in women’s affairs? Did he have the authority to intervene?
So, after much hesitation, Lin Qingyang ultimately decided to go and warn Cao Wanying to beware of Jing Rouyin. After all, if Chu Lishu were to eventually make Cao Wanying the Imperial Concubine, it probably wouldn’t be just for a one-night responsibility but for various other considerations. The existence of this plotline itself wouldn’t affect the subsequent storyline, so if it disappeared, it disappeared.
He just wanted to feel a bit relieved in his heart, a little selfishly.
Lin Qingyang initially thought that with Jing Rouyin out of the picture, Cao Wanying would be safe. But now, with Jing Rouyin causing such a huge commotion and still staying within the palace, Lin Qingyang’s optimism regarding Cao Wanying’s situation diminished.
Even though Jing Rouyin had aligned herself with the Eldest Prince, it was evident to everyone that the Imperial Concubine Huang favored Cao Wanying more. Such a decisive woman, if she deemed Cao Wanying as an obstacle to her own phoenix-like rise, would undoubtedly take action sooner or later. Jing Rouyin, in order to better manipulate Yuan Ye, would surely carry some aphrodisiacs with her at all times. How could she miss such a perfect opportunity to embarrass Cao Wanying within the palace?
And now the plot has taken a drastic turn, and the timeline is all messed up. Who knows if the romantic storyline will follow the original plot? What if something unexpected happens? If Cao Wanying really gets into trouble and Chu Lishu is still unaware and busy somewhere else, wouldn’t it be harming the innocent girl?
Lin Qingyang felt overwhelmed, his mind on the verge of exploding. He didn’t even have time to warn anyone, and now he couldn’t leave. What should he do?
After scanning the surroundings several times, he realized his only option was to reluctantly ask passing eunuchs for help in finding Cao Wanying.
The young eunuch looked at Lin Qingyang with a changed expression, thinking he must be completely drunk to openly flirt with a girl during martial law, and attempted to help him back to rest.
Suddenly, a voice came from not far away, “Qingyang, why are you alone here?”
Just as Lin Qingyang was about to bribe the young eunuch for help, upon hearing the familiar voice, like music to his ears, he pushed away the eunuch’s surprised face and looked at Xu Wenze with delight.
Xu Wenze didn’t inquire about the specifics but seeing Lin Qingyang’s urgent request, he went to find Cao Wanying. Lin Qingyang appreciated this about him, straightforward and easygoing. It seemed to resolve Lin Qingyang’s dilemma.
Soon, the sound of footsteps approached from afar—it was the Emperor and his entourage. Everything unfolded just as Chu Lishu had predicted.
Pretending to be drunk, Lin Qingyang ignored the young eunuch’s dissuasion and insisted on walking towards the lake. He pushed aside the young eunuch and leaped into the water with a perfect diving posture.
The young eunuch’s cries for help soon echoed on the water’s surface, but Lin Qingyang kept thrashing towards the center of the lake.
The Emperor and his entourage were quickly drawn over, and the observant Chief Steward Hai immediately spotted Lin Qingyang. He hastily called for help and, realizing the situation, promptly questioned the young eunuch in front of the Emperor, delaying the Emperor’s progress.
The young eunuch tearfully complained, saying Lin Qingyang was drunk and behaving recklessly, and they couldn’t stop him.
Although the Emperor’s expression showed impatience, he still cared about Lin Qingyang’s well-being. Once it was confirmed that Lin Qingyang was rescued, he ordered him to be taken to the imperial physician. However, at that moment, Lin Qingyang, who had fallen to his knees, suddenly exclaimed, “Ghost! I saw a ghost, there’s a ghost!”
After a commotion that lasted for a while, it wasn’t until the Emperor ordered the guards to forcefully escort Lin Qingyang away that the trouble was finally resolved.
With this delay, the half an hour deadline had already passed, and Lin Qingyang could be considered to have completed the task successfully.
At that moment, Chu Lishu was holding a voodoo doll inscribed with the Emperor’s birthdate, hiding in the shadows of a dark wall, coldly watching the guards searching around for things.
That person… was from the Pei family.
Are they also here to find the voodoo doll?
Chu Lishu’s eyes darted around, a smirk playing on his lips. Utilizing his familiarity with the terrain, he cleverly hid in the blind spots of vision, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Just then, a large group of people came by, and indeed, Chu Lishu spotted Concubine Pei, the Third Prince, and Pei Jin among them.
His gaze focused on Pei Jin. As she entered, her eyes scanned the surroundings. A guard silently blended into the crowd, approaching her. They then walked to the back of the group, reaching the shadows. Unbeknownst to them, Chu Lishu also silently followed, lurking behind the same wall they stood near.
“There’s not enough time, I couldn’t find them all.”
“Alright, we’ll leave it to fate here. Go and take care of the matters at the Mingguang Palace.”
The Mingguang Palace was the palace where the Eldest Prince resided before moving to the King’s residence. Now, it was only occasionally visited by him when he came to the palace.
Chu Lishu’s eyes lit up as he instantly understood the cause and effect. Pei Jin was smart enough; she should have known early on that Jing Rouyin was a spy for multiple parties, and they had been mutually exploiting each other. So, when the incident occurred, Pei Jin was already on guard. When she realized that nothing was found on Imperial Concubine Huang’s side, she probably guessed what had happened. As a member of the Third Prince’s faction, they couldn’t just sit back and watch the Eldest Prince’s faction grow stronger. They had long wanted to take action against the Eldest Prince, and now, with Yuan Ye’s operation failing, it was their chance to step in.
That’s why they sent someone to look for the cursed dolls to stop the Imperial Concubine Huang’s retaliation. And they also sent someone to the Mingguang Palace; he suspect the new cursed doll is there now.
Pei Jin’s intervention was naturally more convenient than Chu Lishu’s. It’s relatively simple for palace women to obtain cursed dolls, especially with skilled individuals by their side. They could sneak into the Mingguang Palace unnoticed and accomplish their task smoothly.
Chu Lishu rarely appreciated Pei Jin’s decisive actions. It seemed they needed to cooperate secretly this time. He turned and blended into the end of the group, finding the anxious Gu Jing. Like a ghostly shadow, he stood behind him and spoke in a low voice, “Don’t panic. Hint at the Mingguang Palace.”
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