Some time ago, with Father and Miss Ling busy with disaster relief, the task of coming up with questions for Er Yao had fallen on Xiao Xi.
Of course, Xiao Xi couldn’t just write the questions—she also had to grade the assignments.
After a few rounds of this, Xiao Xi gained a thorough understanding of this cheap older sister’s intelligence and emotional quotient. She was stubborn in her ignorance, the type who wouldn’t give up until she’d run into a brick wall. As for whether she’d turn back after hitting that wall, well, Xiao Xi was still carefully observing.
Er Xiao glanced at his little sister, feeling helpless. “You really just need a little push before you show your true colors.”
His little sister was probably one of those people who were simply born sharp. He also had the feeling that their father had some sort of good fortune too—both his real dad and little sister were extraordinary, so if their older sister happened to get a flash of brilliance by riding their coattails every now and then, he wouldn’t be surprised at all.
As for himself, he’d gotten better so quickly after being ill, swiftly broken off the engagement, left the Marquis Wu'an’s Household, and started living like a real human being…why couldn’t that count as a stroke of luck, too?
Honestly, these past few months had seen Er Xiao become a new person.
He and Er Yao received completely different treatment. His day-to-day life was regular and structured—medicine, physical training, reading, and not a single thing left undone. Every evening, the entire family would sit together after dinner and chat for a while.
He could genuinely feel his health improving day by day. The weight in his heart was gradually lifting. Even though he still felt a little awkward facing his father, that bit of discomfort really wasn’t a big deal. Who could claim to be completely flawless, anyway?
Compared to Marquis Wu'an’s false, calculating concern, his own father, who was reserved but truly cared for his children, was leagues better.
Truth be told, he felt that even Princess Minhe had treated their siblings better than the Marquis Wu'an.
But…he looked at his older sister with exasperation. “Why can’t you appreciate the way Father treats you?”
At this point, Er Yao had stopped retching. She jerked her head up and shouted furiously, “He ruined my road to glory!”
Xiao Xi covered her forehead. Looks like there’s just no changing her stubborn mind…
Er Xiao couldn’t take it anymore and let out a cold laugh. “With what, exactly? You wanted to join Prince Chu, took a pill, and then spilled every secret you had hidden in your heart. If he really had any use for you, wouldn’t he have kept you by his side, or at least sent some people to look after you?”
Up until now, Er Yao had been completely confident, firmly believing that as long as she could meet Prince Chu, she would be able to win his trust and, if she worked at it, even take the place in his heart that Lady Yang held in her previous life. In her mind, after all, there was nothing Lady Yang could do that she couldn't.
But after she’d confessed her “ace up her sleeve” to Prince Chu, she hadn’t received the advantage she wanted. On the contrary, she’d been forced to swallow a pill…no matter how she thought about it, the pill couldn’t possibly be a good thing. She was devastated. After she was sent home, not a single family member offered any comfort or tried to understand her. Resigning herself to her fate, she thought: If she’d known, she’d have clung to Prince Chu and refused to leave.
She didn’t speak these thoughts aloud, but the resentment was clearly written all over her face.
Noticing this, Er Xiao realized that big sister wouldn’t listen to anything right now. He was about to take little sister and leave when the little one suddenly stood up and ran toward the door.
When he turned around, he saw his father grinning as he scooped little sister into his arms, while his stepmother, Princess Minhe, stood by his father’s side.
Qin Jingzhou, holding his beloved daughter, walked up to his eldest son, lifted a hand, and patted him on the shoulder. “Your older sister truly believes she was born with the destiny of a phoenix, and the rest of us are just obstacles on her path.” He looked over at Ling Jing. “Princess, our family can’t keep her anymore.”
Ling Jing glanced at Er Yao. She had never seen such a stubborn child!
She knew that as long as you harbored no malice, staying near the big boss could keep your mind clear and even boost your cultivation a little. After all the worlds she’d teamed up with the big boss, not only had she benefited greatly, but the boss’s children in each world had sensed something too. It wasn’t something you could just blurt out. Take Er Xiao for instance—he’d grown closer and closer to the big boss. As for Xiao Xi, there was no need to mention it.
But Er Yao just couldn't feel any of her father’s goodness. No matter how her brother tried to persuade her, it had no effect.
Ling Jing was perfectly decisive. “If one collision with the wall isn’t enough, let her hit it again.”
And so, Er Yao was quickly packed off and sent into the palace. Even though she tried to hold back, facing Prince Chu she still spilled every secret. This time, facing Emperor Taihe, her performance was even worse.
Qin Jingzhou really wanted Er Yao to learn a lesson. In her past life, all she knew was how to bicker and fight with the other women in the inner quarters. She understood nothing about handling real affairs. Now she was up against cold-faced inner attendants and court ladies who looked at her with barely-concealed amusement…she fell apart completely.
Back at the princess’s residence, she’d dared to howl and throw tantrums because she was sure her father wouldn’t really do anything to her. But once inside the palace…she understood that these tough, aggressive inner attendants and court ladies would definitely not let her off easily.
After finishing the memorial presented by an inner attendant, Emperor Taihe was quite interested and even made a special trip to see Er Yao. After seeing her, he teased Qin Jingzhou, “If she didn’t look so much like you…”
Ling Jing finished the sentence for him, “You’d better spend your time figuring out how to deal with your sons instead.”
Emperor Taihe let out a low laugh, which was as good as agreeing.
In the previous life Er Yao experienced, aside from Prince Chu stealing his elder brother Prince Jin’s thunder, everything he did was what a stand-out imperial prince should do. Emperor Taihe had a happy ending too. So even after reading what Er Yao had recounted, Emperor Taihe didn’t feel much.
Whether or not to choose Prince Chu as heir was ultimately his own decision. So Emperor Taihe decided to do nothing—at least for now.
But to Prince Chu, the fact that Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing had sent Er Yao into the palace was a power move, cutting off his support at the roots.
Prince Chu forced himself to calm down, thinking back carefully over every word Er Yao had uttered. The more he thought, the more he realized: in his previous life he hadn’t really done anything excessive, except poach his fifth brother's prize...
But the longer he thought, the more uneasy he felt: He’d ascended the throne in his previous life! For his father, this fact alone was enough to arouse suspicion!
He bitterly regretted it. If only he’d silenced Er Yao with a drug, instead of giving her a pill that would slowly drive her mad.
With guilt eating away at him, he felt as if every time he went to court, his father’s gaze was a little off. Meanwhile, Princess Minhe and her husband were always watching like spectators at a good show… At this rate, Prince Chu was afraid he’d lose his mind even without the drug.
Six months passed in trembling uncertainty. During this time, Prince Jin and his wife collaborated to accomplish great feats, including distributing relief for the heavy snow and rebuilding a major trading city in the northeast.
Through secret messages from his spies in the northeastern provinces, Prince Chu learned of Lady Yang’s abilities. Not only did he trust the instincts that had almost never failed him, he also believed what Er Yao had said. However odd Er Yao was, Lady Yang had been his strongest and most virtuous partner in the last life. Without her, it would have been very difficult to win his father’s regard.
So now the problem was apparent—he might need to, just like in his previous life, be ruthless to his fifth brother.
Yet as he calculated silently, even if things went his way, it might be a long time before he could rely on his instincts again. Should he risk sweeping away both the Emperor and his fifth brother in one fell swoop?
The idea alone made his hands tremble with excitement.
At the same time, Qin Jingzhou, who was constantly tuned in to the fluctuations of Prince Chu’s fortune, realized that this son of fate had finally decided to go for broke. Last time, his actions against Prince Jin were minor stuff—unless he was specifically keeping watch, it would have been difficult to notice the tiny fluctuations of fate.
This time was different.
Qin Jingzhou didn’t even have to pay special attention to sense the constant “tides” of fate emanating from Prince Chu’s residence. The changes were so pronounced that Ling Jing picked up on them, too.
Qin Jingzhou said bluntly, “The fortune that this Fate’s Son has accumulated is not to be underestimated. If he really bets everything and we don’t interfere, Emperor Taihe may very well fall.”
Ling Jing spoke up on behalf of Emperor Taihe’s dignity. “It’s mainly that Emperor Taihe isn’t all that on guard against Prince Chu. Still, if he were on guard…” She laughed. “It’d be a toss-up.”
Qin Jingzhou made sure to speak for the World Will’s benefit. “If we can shatter this heavyweight Fate’s Son’s dreams this time, even if he’s reborn, he’ll have to start from scratch. He won’t be able to stir up trouble again.”
The system relayed, “She will be very grateful to you both.”
It had to be said, Prince Chu was rather old-fashioned when it came to wrecking havoc. He chose to take action during the autumn hunt.
This year had seen favorable weather, and Emperor Taihe was in good health. All sorts of high-ranking families were eager for their sons and daughters to show off before the Emperor, so of course, there would be a lively autumn hunt at the hunting grounds outside the capital.
Prince Chu quietly contacted all allies who wouldn’t hold him back. Combined with his truly loyal prince’s personal guards and advisors—as befit the son of destiny with abundant fortune, he’d always been able to inspire fierce loyalty in his underlings.
He even managed to convince the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. Don’t be misled by the title—although it sounds unremarkable, even the person commanding all two hundred thousand Imperial Guards was just called “Commandant of the Imperial Guards.” The Deputy Commander’s influence could be imagined.
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing kept all of this in mind but tacitly chose not to warn Emperor Taihe.
Still, as a wise sovereign, Emperor Taihe was somewhat perceptive. Sitting in the main tent, he couldn’t shake a gnawing sense of unease.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of chaotic footsteps outside, along with shouts of “Fire! Fire!” Emperor Taihe leaped to his feet, and a sharp pain shot through his back.
His sense of foreboding instantly became reality. On reflex, he struck out heavily with his elbow, then everything went black.
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing’s tent wasn’t far from the main one. As soon as they heard the shouts, they emerged to see flames soaring sky-high over at the Imperial Guards’ encampment. People were scattering like headless chickens, while the guards’ attempts to keep order seemed increasingly futile…
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing exchanged a smile, both coming to the same conclusion: the Imperial Guards here were as good as lost. The two of them needed to take Emperor Taihe and head for the Capital Suburbs Camp.
The person in charge of that camp was none other than Emperor Taihe’s own uncle!
So Qin Jingzhou grabbed Ling Jing, slung her over his back, and dashed toward the Emperor’s main tent.
As the most favored princess with real power and her own feudal domain, Ling Jing had nothing but exceptional bodyguards—or rather, any slacker wouldn’t be brought along. Seeing their Princess and Prince Consort charge ahead, the bodyguards also hefted their weapons and followed at a run.
Now, the chaos wasn’t limited to shouts of “Fire!” and “Help!” The cries of “Assassins!” and pleas for “Save me!” rang out too…
Prince Chu had truly put on a full-fledged show—there really were assassins, all cavalry from outland tribes beyond the borders.
Even holding back, Qin Jingzhou, with a sword in each hand, cut a swath through with ease. It was as if he were possessed by the god of war.
He even had the leisure to chat with Ling Jing. “Thank goodness we didn’t bring the kids.”
Like a war god incarnate, he quickly led his people into the main tent. Prince Chu would, of course, never show up at ground zero—if anyone caught his father wounded at his feet, he’d be hard-pressed to explain. Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing had no such concerns.
Entering the tent, Qin Jingzhou stopped Emperor Taihe’s bleeding first. Just as he was finishing the bandages, the Emperor came to.
When he opened his eyes to see his sister and brother-in-law, Emperor Taihe clearly sighed in relief. Although dizzy and weak, he knew deep down that, at a moment like this, his sister and brother-in-law were far more reliable than his sons or uncles.
Qin Jingzhou didn’t bother to ask the Emperor for his opinion. He set Ling Jing down, swung Emperor Taihe over his back, then—with Ling Jing held in a single-arm princess carry in one arm and his other hand clutching a curved blade—charged out once more.
More and more loyal Imperial Guards began to rally to Emperor Taihe’s side and followed Qin Jingzhou on the way out.
No matter if the adversaries were the traitorous guards or the mercenary outland cavalry, they were no match for him.
His courage and prowess bordered on the absurd. Even Prince Chu, watching from afar, dared not approach, only firing cold arrows from a distance.
Qin Jingzhou wasn’t fighting alone, either.
His guards and Imperial Guards weren’t standing still, and the reason they were a little late was because most of them had hurried over dressed in armor with shields.
With their safety temporarily assured, Ling Jing took the opportunity to offer Emperor Taihe a Healing pill. “For blood loss and pain relief.”
Without hesitation, Emperor Taihe swallowed the pill. Just from the taste and aroma, he silently praised his sister—she really was dependable.
Emperor Taihe’s feelings were easy to read. Ling Jing suddenly smiled. “Brother, now do you understand why I insisted on marrying him?”
Though his wounds still hurt, the Emperor answered with sincerity, “I understand now. You really have good judgment.”
Ling Jing grew more energetic on hearing this, and began to tell Emperor Taihe amusing anecdotes of how her wonderful Prince Consort taught their children.
Emperor Taihe also knew that this was no time to lose consciousness, so he focused and chatted happily with his sister.
Hauling not one but two important people, Qin Jingzhou finally called out, “Can you two not spend all your time talking about me? It’s making it hard for me to concentrate.”