Inside a private room of a hot pot restaurant, Xiao Yunzhou invited Princess Yun Wu to sit down next to Liu Chaniang. He hadn’t forgotten what his daughter had shared: Princess Yun Wu wished to become close friends with Chaniang.
Indeed, no sooner had they sat down than their heads were already leaning in together.
"Chaniang, I am not as good as you. If you had been born in my Chu State's royal palace, you would be an admirable emperor, I believe," Princess Yun Wu admitted.
Liu Chaniang shook her head, "Each person has their own specialty." This was a principle her daughter had taught her.
"I only know the common Four Books and Five Classics, how to sew, and now, a little bit of medical suturing technique," she modestly confessed.
"But this suturing technique can only save one or two people, not all the people in the world."
Liu Chaniang admired the princess’s ambition and courage, "Unlike you, who were trained in the king's way since childhood, meant to heal all the citizens."
Yun Wu waved a hand, "If only you and I were born in the same country. Together, we would leave such bothersome men far behind!"
Xiao. the bothersome man. Yunzhou: "......."
"Hahaha, oh my, I'm superfluous indeed," laughed Xiao Yunzhou.
His daughter, Xiao Chuchu, teased him. "A sister's alliance indeed leaves no room for men."
Xiao Yunzhou's mouth twitched.
Yet he soon laughed it off, reminiscing how he used to be keen on spiritual cultivation and wished nothing more than to delegate all political affairs to his ministers.
However, the ministers couldn't manage, and he had to review reports, didn't he?
"Chaniang, if you were competent enough, I'd let you review the reports instead," Xiao Yunzhou jested, preferring to spend his time playing with his precious daughter.
Liu Chaniang choked, instantly falling silent.
"This is how Chuchu inherited her laziness, I see," Xiao Yunzhou observed, hiding a smile back. Their lovely daughter taking after him, how delightful!
"S.O.S. I don't want to be like my dad. I want to be like my mom so I can be a beauty in the future," Xiao Chuchu pouted in mock disgust.
Finally, Princess Yun Wu, after sharing plenty with her newly befriended Liu Chaniang, remembered Xiao Yunzhou sitting beside them and turned to look at him.
She raised her sour plum soup, toasting in his direction, "Since we meet in the common world, let me still address you as Brother Xiao."
"Brother Xiao and Chaniang, your willingness to assist me with the power of Jing Country brings me great joy," she appreciated.
"However, the situation is complex."
"Presently, my younger brother, who is the crown prince, five years my junior, not only indulges in disgraceful customs but is also ignorant. My mother, however, protects him," Yun Wu confessed frustratingly.
"Even if I wished to expose his misdeeds to my father or accuse him of knowingly condoning his associates' wicked deeds, my mother would obstruct me."
Yun Wu sighed, "My mother is aware of all his misdeeds, but since she failed to discipline him, she began to protect him from our father's discovery instead."
"Additionally, my mother seems to have speculated about my ambition in the past two years, suspecting my dissatisfaction with the crown prince," Yun Wu drank her sour plum soup in irritation. "Two years ago, she forbade me from entering the palace at will so that I couldn't lodge any complaints to our father!"
The sour and sweet iced flavour cooled down her previously heated eyes, the irritation in her heart subsided slightly.
"My mother has many informants in the circle of my younger brother, the crown prince, and also infiltrated my Princess's Palace with spies."
“Now, I can’t keep track of my younger brother, the Crown Prince's everyday life. The moment I step into the palace, I'm caught by my mother's men and taken straight to her. Anytime I want to see my father, the Emperor, I’m accompanied by her men.”
Liu Chaniang heard this with great heartache.
Being a woman herself, she was never treated like this in her own family.
As a mother, she would never shield Xiao Chuchu and treat Yun Wu like this!
Liu Chaniang could barely imagine, whether for herself or for Chuchu, being in Princess Yun Wu’s position were unbearably bleak.
“She's being watched by her own mother, jeez!”
Xiao Chuchu couldn't help but feel sympathetic toward Princess Yun Wu.
Xiao Yunzhou hissed, “So, the main problem now is, one, you cannot easily meet your foolish… ahem, your father who is in the dark.”
“And two, even if you wanted to expose the wicked deeds of the Crown Prince, you have no evidence in your hands?”
Princess Yun Wu frowned deeply, “Yes, all the things I spotted years ago have been covered up by my mother. The knowledgeable palace maids have been executed.”
Xiao Yunzhou squinted.
Typical, if the chosen Crown Prince was messing around in bed with a eunuch!
He would likely go mad as well.
Such a scandal must surely not be publicized!
Xiao Yunzhou pondered, “So now, our best approach is to gather evidence. Since all the old ones are gone, let's gather new ones.”
Princess Yun Wu shook her head, “The Crown Prince is under heavy security, and my mother knows about his clandestine, extremely improper behavior, so in recent years, the palace maids sent to the Crown Prince are all people whom my mother trusts. They are very hard to buy over.”
“I also can't get any information.”
Xiao Yunzhou frowned, all in all, the King of Chu State had been foolish!
The old King of Chu State, ever diligent and focused on state affairs, didn't pay much attention to his Crown Prince.
He entrusted the responsibility of the harem to the Queen and the Crown Prince to the Grand Tutor.
Who knew that the Crown Prince had major issues, and no one dared to tell the King of Chu State.
Those who dared to mention it didn't have any evidence!
Xiao Yunzhou felt like this was a deadlock!
The King of Chu State was stubborn and defiant, even with Princess Yun Wu, he would not believe anything without evidence.
Xiao Yunzhou had a wily idea, “You could spread rumors about the Crown Prince's debauchery throughout Chu State, let your father investigate it himself—”
“That's no use,” Yun Wu shook her head, “As soon as such rumors emerge, my mother will take action right away.”
“She would remove all the eunuchs around the Crown Prince.”
“Then let my younger brother err on the safe side for six months, a year, until my father no longer suspects.”
Princess Yun Wu clenched her teeth, “I will intensify the investigation on the Crown Prince's affairs, if I can continuously track my younger brother's movements—”
Xiao Yunzhou nodded.
But after nodding a couple of times, Xiao Yunzhou suddenly slapped his thigh.
Ah, why would he need any undercover agents?
For constant tracking of the Crown Prince of Chu State, his fairy reincarnated daughter might be able to help!
That thing… live broadcast?
Xiao Yunzhou instantly looked eagerly towards the baby carriage containing Chuchu.
“Princess Yun Wu, if you wish to know the movements inside the Crown Prince's house, why not pray to Heaven?”
Yun Wu didn't believe in ghosts or gods and took it lightly with a smirk.
Xiao Yunzhou immediately put on a stern face, “You shouldn't be like this, disrespecting the immortals.”
Yun Wu: “……”
She remembered her father mentioning that Emperor Jing had a passion for Taoism.
She hadn't expected, however, that he would be so... spiritually inclined.
After a moment's reflection, she chose to respect Emperor Jing's preferences. Doing her best to play along, she closed her eyes and reluctantly replied.
Finally satisfied, Xiao Yunzhou looked expectantly at his little fairy, Xiao Chuchu.
As expected, Xiao Chuchu made a gesture of exasperation with her hand, saying, "Oh dear, my father is so superstitious."
"Why pray to God when he could ask me!"
"Now that I'm near the Chu State, and have the favor of Princess Yun Wu, the system told me I can access the live feed from the palace of the Chu State for just 100 points! That's so much cheaper than when I was in the Jing Country, where it cost me 10,000 points!"
"Wait a minute, let me see what the Crown Prince of Chu State is up to."
"Oh my God!"
Xiao Chuchu's eyes widened in an instant.
"What kind of explicit scene is this?! Good heavens, the two men in the scene are surprisingly handsome, and one of them even has a toned physique. Oh my, they're embracing each other, ha, he's taking off his trousers…"
"My gosh, is this truly worth my 100 points?"
Xiao Chuchu was so excited that her little face turned red.
Xiao Yunzhou was so indignant, he nearly thumped the table in rage.
How dare, under broad daylight, the Crown Prince of Chu State indulge in such depravity, sullying his little girl's eyes!
"Well, look at this, the Prince has taken some kind of drug. Under his bed, there's a hidden compartment. Is that an antique version of Viagra?"
The evidence!
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes flashed, and he quickly covered his daughter's eyes so she couldn't continue watching that scene.
In a flash, he turned to Princess Yun Wu and grandly said,
"May I enlighten the princess, my Jing Country has a seer who is quite adept at divination."
"Seeing as you have come in utmost sincerity, allow me to consult him on your behalf after the duration of an incense stick."
"???"
