With a loud crash, an ancient zither was smashed violently to the ground, snapping instantly into two pieces!
The Empress of Eastern Qin’s face, pockmarked and unattractive at the best of times, was now twisted entirely out of shape with fury—more unbearable to look at than ever.
“A fake! That wretched Shiliang! How dare she betray me!”
Wuzheng had been the Empress of Eastern Qin’s last hope, the one and only thing she had gained from this personal trip to the kingdom of Nanzhao.
And it had turned out to be fake! How could she not be furious?
Looking at the ruined zither on the floor, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi and Jun Beiyao both fell utterly silent, not daring to say a word.
Without question, every part of their plan had failed completely. All they had gotten in return was the humiliation of the Empress of Eastern Qin barging into Prince Yao’s private chambers, forced to bow her head in apology.
Unlike Xuanyuan Zhaoxi and Jun Beiyao, who trembled with fear, Chu Tiange was also seething. He gave a cold snort. “Empress of Eastern Qin, wasn’t it you who said to leave everything to you? And look at the result! Our very first joint effort, and you’ve disappointed everyone quite thoroughly, wouldn’t you say!”
The Empress of Eastern Qin gave him a cold look, paying him no mind at all. Though she was currently in Nanzhao, she kept constant watch on the war between Xijing and Xichu—she was simply waiting for Xichu’s surrender.
This war had already drained an enormous amount of Xichu’s national strength. Once they surrendered, with reparations added on top, their power would be gravely wounded—at that point, Xichu would no longer be Longyuan’s dominant power. It wouldn’t even measure up to Eastern Qin anymore.
Why would the Empress of Eastern Qin bother indulging Chu Tiange?
“I merely provided the information. All the scheming, all the effort, was mine. What more do you want? If you’re so capable, go deal with Jun Beiyue yourself—while he’s still here in Nanzhao!”
“You!”
“Someone, see our guest out!”
“Hah, this prince admits he doesn’t have Her Majesty’s talents. This prince will watch with great interest as Her Majesty destroys Jun Beiyue, then swings around to Da Zhou and restores… what was it called again? Ah yes! Da Qin!”
Chu Tiange fired the sarcasm right back and swept off with a flourish of his sleeves. He knew perfectly well how the war between Xichu and Xijing was going—his father the king was stalling, urging him to hurry back.
He’d never expected the Second Prince, Jun Beichen, to be the one commanding the Three Western Cities, letting Xichu’s army through unchallenged!
Consort Yi had once secretly colluded with Xichu’s Lone General, obtaining the Wild Wolf of Xichu, and had tried to kill Jun Beiyue at the hunting grounds. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time—who could have known Consort Yi’s loyalties had already tilted toward Xijing?
And this time, she’d actually helped Xichu instead!
Very well. If Consort Yi could show him such disloyalty, then he needn’t bother with righteousness toward her either!
The moment he was gone, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi hurried forward. “Mother, this matter of the Three Western Cities seems suspicious to me. Given Consort Yi’s temperament, how could she possibly offend Chu Tiange at such a critical moment?”
But Jun Beiyao laughed. “Why not? Consort Yi has always been colluding with Xijing’s Lone General. Chu Tiange has always been far too self-assured—he doesn’t even realize how he’s been played.”
The Empress of Eastern Qin cared little for any of that. All she wanted was one result: Xichu’s military defeat. Only then would she have a real chance.
“Zhaoxi, has there been any word from your brother about the Xiongnu?”
“Mother, my brother is still being held for interrogation!”
Xuanyuan Zhaoxi couldn’t help reminding her—ever since Jun Beiyao had revealed the origins of that totem, Xuanyuan Lige had been imprisoned and interrogated.
The Empress of Eastern Qin seemed only now to remember this. She coughed lightly and said coldly, “Who gave the order to imprison the crown prince?”
Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s heart lurched with alarm—she understood at once that her mother intended to shift the blame onto her, to placate her brother. With their failure here in Nanzhao, all remaining hope now rested on the Xiongnu along Eastern Qin’s northern border—and to deal with the Xiongnu, her mother still needed her brother.
Reluctant as she was, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi immediately dropped to her knees. “Mother, please calm your anger. It was Zhaoxi’s momentary foolishness. Please, Mother, calm yourself—Zhaoxi will personally apologize to my brother.”
“Useless girl! Go arrange things at once—we leave for home today!” the Empress of Eastern Qin snapped, radiating every ounce of an imperial matriarch’s authority. Watching from the side, Jun Beiyao’s heart trembled. If this old woman could treat even her own flesh and blood this way, could she ever truly show sincerity toward anyone?
Jun Beiyao knew perfectly well that the moment he lost his usefulness, this old woman would kick him aside without a second thought. With that in mind, he hurried to speak. “Your Majesty, Chu Tiange’s knowledge of the lone island’s secret all comes from Consort Yi. Perhaps…”
“Consort Yi…” the Empress of Eastern Qin looked faintly startled. How had she overlooked someone so important? Consort Yi surely knew far more than Chu Tiange did.
“Shall I leave this matter to you?” the Empress of Eastern Qin said with a smile.
Jun Beiyao bowed and scraped at once. “Serving Your Majesty is this humble subject’s honor!”
He was just about to leave when the Empress of Eastern Qin called him back. “And what about that medicine I told you to find? Don’t tell me you expect me to go home wearing this face!”
The Empress of Eastern Qin’s face wasn’t in pain, but it was hideous to look at—clearly the result of poison Jun Beiyue had administered, and to this day she still hadn’t found an antidote. Nothing troubled her more than this.
“This subject is doing everything possible to find one!” Jun Beiyao had already given this excuse several times now—not even the Pharmacist Clan chief could cure her; who could possibly help her now?
He was eager to make his escape, but the Empress of Eastern Qin called him back once more, gritting her teeth. “Go find out exactly what happened with that wretched girl Shiliang. I want her to die a terrible death.”
“Yes! This subordinate takes his leave!” Jun Beiyao dropped even the pretense of “this humble subject,” hurrying off to obey.
The Empress of Eastern Qin took several deep breaths. Thinking it over carefully, all of this was that wretched girl Shiliang’s fault—if not for her leaking information, she never would have let her guard down against Jun Beiyue!
After a long while, the Empress of Eastern Qin finally calmed herself. She opened her palm and looked at it—she had drawn that mysterious totem there long ago, and studied it in her idle moments.
The very first time she’d seen this totem, she’d felt a faint, nagging sense of familiarity, as though she’d seen something like it somewhere before.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember where. It felt like something from very, very long ago…
Over the following two days, everyone busied themselves preparing for the journey home. Prince Nanzhao summoned Jun Beiyue for another private audience—nothing more than repeated warnings, urging secrecy about the totem and the Guyue Cave.
Jun Beiyue understood perfectly well: the more solemnly Prince Nanzhao impressed this upon him, the less he should press for more, the less he should risk breaking that trust.
As for how the Second Young Master would be dealt with, he naturally wouldn’t inquire too closely either—that, after all, was Nanzhao’s own internal affair.
Of course, with the Jiao Clan chief and the Pharmacist Clan chief both keeping watch, Jun Beiyue trusted that the Second Young Master wouldn’t escape this predicament so easily.
And now, it was time for them to set off for home. Liuxian Island’s ranking tournament among the noble cultivators, along with the ceremony for the Bai Shi clan’s Fusang Sacred Tree, were both set for the twelfth lunar month—less than two months away now.
Xijing’s ceremony at Mingsha Mountain would take place next year, but time was extremely tight, and finding a totem master would take time as well. He needed to arrange everything carefully. Anything connected to the lone island, Jun Beiyue didn’t want to miss—he wished he could uncover every last clue right now.
If, before now, as long as Ziqing’s body could withstand the seductive poison within her, they’d still had time to spare—now, though, far too many parties had taken an interest in this matter. Eastern Qin, Xijing, Nanzhao, and even forces he hadn’t yet identified!