After the birthday celebration, Leng Family Fortress vanished from the martial world overnight, replaced by “Flower Family Fortress.” Legends circulated about this change; some said the servants rebelled, some spoke of revenge, and others claimed Leng Ruo Fan faced heavenly punishment, replaced by a fairy to command the martial world.
However, some insiders of Flower Family Fortress knew the truth. It was said that every night, a robust figure would kneel by the washboard outside the master’s room, checking the accounts because the fortress was vast, and a certain lazy person couldn’t manage it all.
Servants privately joked that he started kneeling by the door, then moved to the outer chambers, and eventually to the inner chambers.
Later, where he was kneeling became hard to say. If the new fortress master found out, he would be punished to kneel by the washboard.
Is this okay? I originally wanted to torture him to death, but thinking about it, I’ll keep it light and smooth… Just in case I accidentally torture him to death. (Long Ge’s sinister laugh) As usual, without checking for typos, everyone make do with reading. Obedient.
【071】 Beautiful Land and Beauty Now my little days are quite comfortable: living in Flower Family Fortress, running home occasionally, hugging various beautiful men, wonderful!
Lying in the tiger-skin chair, I look around Jin Mo’s private quarters. The spacious room is surprisingly empty except for a bed, a table with four stools, a decorative sword, and some daily necessities. I always thought Jin Mo was a delicate guy, but I didn’t expect him to have such a resilient side.
“This… is where Jin Mo, cough, I mean the Emperor lives?” Yi Qing looked around curiously, surprised by how simple the bedroom of a ruler was.
“Perhaps he arranged it to gain sympathy,” Feng Qing Yin sneered coldly. He had never liked Jin Mo.
“Doesn’t seem like it. There’s tea in the teapot,” Leng Ruo Fan shook his head.
Watching the beautiful men explore the room, my mind was also in turmoil. Technically, he is my husband, legally married. Didn’t Tai Bai say I would have eleven husbands? But—ah.
“Piao Ling!” A joyful voice called out.
Instantly, eleven pairs of eyes turned towards Jin Mo at the door.
Feeling uncomfortable under our gaze, he quickly composed himself: “These are—” He took a few steps forward, paused, then walked towards me.
He wore silver armor, each step creating a light sound of metal plates clashing, adding a wild flavor to his appearance, like a battle god descending to earth. Seeing him walk towards me, my heart raced. Pushing aside the long-corroded hatred, I felt something for him at that moment.
Then I saw him smile as he approached me—and the bed behind me. Ignoring our exasperated looks, Jin Mo plopped onto the bed: “These boots are terrible, they’re worn out after just a few steps.” As if no one was around, he pulled out another pair of boots from under the bed and changed. After walking a few steps, he seemed to suddenly notice us: “You’re here.”
His attitude made me angry, and I stood up to leave. But Jin Mo quickly blocked my path: “Where are you going?”
“What, are you going to imprison me?” I laughed coldly, with tensions rising behind me as the beautiful men also showed their anger. Even if we couldn’t match his thousands of troops, taking him down shouldn’t be a problem.
Surprisingly, Jin Mo was unfazed and smiled somewhat bleakly: “Take me away.”
We were all stunned: What did he mean? “Willing to exchange the kingdom for a beauty?”
Xiao Zi looked at him thoughtfully.
“What trick is this now?” Feng Qing Yin asked Jin Mo directly, instinctively distrustful of him and skeptical about resisting the temptation of an empire.
“Maybe he truly has repented?” Mu Ji Yu had a special admiration for Jin Mo, seeing a parallel between their paths. Jin Mo, a young emperor, had consolidated imperial power, pacified rebellions, and unified the realm. Meanwhile, Mu Ji Yu had built up the Mu family’s legacy through external relations and expansion.
The other beautiful men knew about my history with Jin Mo and surprisingly supported him. Meng Yu said, “No one is perfect. Who can be without fault?”
I thought, they don’t realize how cunning he is! If we accept him, he’d eventually outmaneuver us! I looked at these “traitors” resentfully while standing beside Feng Qing Yin, showing my loyalty to him.
Jin Mo stared at Feng Qing Yin: “I’ll exchange the kingdom for Piao Ling.”
“No!” Feng Qing Yin replied instinctively. He froze, realizing he was trapped. Agreeing would let Jin Mo obtain the beauty; declining meant Jin Mo could still relinquish the kingdom.
He snorted angrily and broke away from my battle line, leaving me to fight alone. Looking around, I finally wrinkled my nose: “Fine, I’ll think about it.”
Ah—” I cried out, quickly spitting out a pebble. How could I forget that this guy had recovered his martial arts? I searched for someone weak and vulnerable, only to remember that we had come out horseback riding, leaving the vulnerable ones at home. Jin Mo, our host, had abandoned us, insisting on studying a tattered map to unify the empire for future generations. Hmph! I might as well unify instant noodles.
Frustrated, I sat back dejectedly, reminiscing about the exhilarating feeling of galloping through the landscape.
“Report—report—” A heart-rending cry came from afar, prompting us to frequently turn and look back.
We reined in our horses and, after a moment of silence, observed a small dot in the distance growing larger, raising billowing dust. Finally, the horse knelt down and charged toward us, rider and mount together. Before the rider could shake off the yellow sand, he scrambled forward: “Your Majesty, something has happened to the Emperor!”
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“Darlings, tomorrow is the grand finale! Hahahahaha”
I was stunned: “What happened?”
An ominous feeling rose in my heart. The faces of the beautiful men turned grave; they had developed some “brotherly affection” for Jin Mo in the short time they had known him.
“Your Majesty, he’s been poisoned!” Before the messenger could finish, he felt a face full of dust, and when he came to his senses, everyone had already ridden away.
Rushing into the tent in a panic, I pushed aside the circle of solemn expressions: “Jin Mo, Jin Mo!”
The person on the bed lay unconscious, pale as a sheet. The laughter of the past few days now felt distant, like withered flowers.
“This is a rare poison from the frontier tribes—Heartbreak Grass. There are no records in any books. It’s said to summon souls upon ingestion, a secret transmitted poison,” the royal physician trembled beside me.
I wanted to roar at him: Hurry and find a cure—but if there were one, it would have been used already! Emotions cried out, and my thoughts swirled in chaos.
“Ah—” I was pushed slightly from behind and fell forward, crashing onto Jin Mo.
Turning angrily to look at the person behind me, I was startled by a light cough and quickly turned back to see Jin Mo opening his eyes.
Hurriedly supporting him, I let him cough and spit out a pool of chicken soup, patting his back to help him catch his breath. How miraculous! It was just like the Snow White story, though it seemed more like a Snow White prince.
“What’s wrong with the imperial surname…?” I was stunned. Fanyi Kingdom! Is Yiqing a prince of Fanyi Kingdom?! No wonder he said sandalwood is worthless; his family is least short of money. My heart was filled with mixed emotions.
“No matter how much he is discriminated against by the Geyin imperial clan, he is still a prince of Fanyi, with national and familial grudges to settle,” Wuchen sighed. “Xin, shall we go find him?”
My eyes turned red.
