The arrival of the Chu Emperor made Cao Wan’er put on an extra warm welcome. She ordered Song Zhijue to accompany Ethan Chu closely, to fulfill his every need at once, and to treat him with the highest honors. But Ethan understood perfectly well: what they truly respected wasn’t him, but the power he held.
Sure, Chu might not be as powerful as Soaring Phoenix, but in this world, only Chu and Soaring Phoenix count as true superpowers. Plus, there’s that whole marriage alliance thing between them—basically, their families are tied together twice over. Obviously, it’s a relationship they need to maintain.
Cao Wan’er’s ambitions go way beyond just getting Song Zhijue onto the throne. Her real plan? Once he’s emperor, she’ll start gathering all the little states under her control. What she wants is for the entire world to bow at their feet.
Chu Kingdom?!
That’s just a stepping stone for them. Once all the smaller states are conquered, wiping out Chu will be as easy as squashing an ant!
Of course, Ethan doesn’t know all this. But what he does know is that these people are definitely bad news. Working with them is like teaming up with a pack of wolves. Still, since they both have something to gain, it’s not time to blow things up just yet!
Lotus Pond
Following Song Zhijue, they quickly entered the enormous Lotus Pond. The moment they stepped in, a wave of fresh fragrance hit them. All across the lake, countless lotuses bloomed—pink, white, some fully open, some still in bud—making the green leaves beneath look even more gorgeous.
“Wow, so pretty!” Coco—Lucian Vane in disguise—deliberately shrieked in an exaggerated voice. Next second, she clasped her hands together and begged Song Zhijue, “Your Highness, can I—can I go look by myself? Oh my god, it’s so beautiful, so amazing!” She looked like she’d just discovered a treasure trove.
Seeing this, Song Zhijue burst out laughing. “Of course you can! Go ahead, enjoy yourself.”
“Wow, so pretty!” Before Ethan could say anything, Coco was already bouncing off ahead, skipping and hopping.
Seeing that, Ethan frowned and said, “General Nee, go after her and keep an eye on her. Don’t let her trip or get hurt.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.” General Nee hurriedly bowed and dashed off in the direction Coco disappeared.
“Chu Emperor, you really dote on your little consort.” Song Zhijue smiled at Ethan’s anxious expression.
Ethan smiled back at Song Zhijue. “It’s rare to meet a woman who truly loves me. Honestly, I’m just learning from you—everyone in Soaring Phoenix knows how devoted you are to your elder sister, and how loving you two are. I want Coco to be as happy as she is.”
“Haha, you’re so romantic, Chu Emperor. Coco is lucky to have you.” Song Zhijue gestured for Ethan to follow him further ahead.
Ethan nodded and followed them toward the Lotus Pavilion.
****** Scene Break ******
“Damn it, just looking at his face makes me sick. I swear, I wish I could kill him right now.” Once hidden by the lotuses, Lucian (Coco) yanked at his collar in disgust.
“No way. Ivy is still here—we can’t blow our cover and ruin her plans.” Adrian Night, wearing a human-skin mask, quickly stopped him. Honestly, seeing Song Zhijue made Adrian furious too; if it weren’t for that guy, Ivy wouldn’t have suffered so much!
“Ugh, forget about him for now. Where’s Ivy anyway? This pond is huge, who knows where she is. By the way, is Ethan’s intel reliable?” Lucian asked Adrian.
“It should be accurate, but apparently the Lotus Pond maids work in shifts. We might not even see Ivy today.” Adrian sounded anxious too—he was desperate to see Ivy. It felt like years since they’d last met, years without her!
“Alright, let’s walk around and see if we bump into anyone we can ask.” With that, Lucian strode ahead.
“Hey, your walk!” Adrian called out as Lucian started swaggering down the path. You never know who’s watching here—better play it safe!
Lucian took a deep breath and grumbled, “I swear, I’m never cross-dressing again. This is exhausting.” Still, he started swaying his hips and mincing his steps, trying to walk like a woman.
Adrian fought back a laugh, thinking, thank god he didn’t have to play a woman. But honestly, even if he tried, he’d be terrible at it—and if he really did dress up, probably no guy would dare look him in the eye!
“Little Moon, hurry up! His Highness is entertaining the Chu Emperor right now!” Suddenly, a flurry of voices came from the far side of the pond. Lucian and Adrian exchanged a look and headed that way.
“Stop rushing me, Little Die! I’m busy here!” Little Moon quickly picked a wilted lotus and tossed it onto the boat, then started rowing toward shore.
“Hurry up! If we’re not ready before His Highness gets here, we’ll be in trouble!” Little Die leaned over, stretching to pull the boat in. Soon, the boat bumped against the shore, and Little Moon hurried to hand over the wilted lotus leaves and flowers to the girl on land.
“Hey, what are you guys doing?” Lucian asked, feigning innocent curiosity as he walked over.
The two girls looked up at her in surprise. “You are...?”
“She’s the Chu Emperor’s consort,” Adrian said coldly, keeping up his general’s persona.
“Ah! We—we didn’t recognize someone so important! Please forgive us, Your Ladyship!” The two girls immediately knelt and bowed.
“What are you doing? Get up, get up!” Lucian hurried over to help them to their feet.
“Thank you, Your Ladyship.” Unsure of her title, the girls just went with the safest option and called her that.
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“Oh, you really don’t have to be so formal. I’m not some noble lady—I used to sell flowers in the market, and my family’s super poor. I even worked as a maid before! I never dreamed I’d meet the Chu Emperor and have my whole life flipped around. Seriously, you don’t need to be polite with me. I’m not used to it!” Lucian hurried to act humble and friendly.
The two girls stared at her, half in disbelief, but then looked at her plain face and kind of bought it. She really wasn’t that pretty—who would’ve thought a flower seller could become a royal consort? Why couldn’t something that lucky happen to them?!
“You two are really pretty,” Lucian suddenly complimented them. If he remembered right, Butterfly Rogue had said even with a disguise, Ivy was still gorgeous.
“Oh, not at all, Your Ladyship!” The girls exchanged shy glances, flustered by the praise.
“Seriously, I really think you two are beautiful! I mean, I haven’t seen many pretty girls before, and now I just entered the palace and ran into you. Even the palace maids here in Soaring Phoenix are gorgeous! So, are all the maids this pretty?” Lucian kept chatting.
Adrian frowned, annoyed. He had no clue what Lucian was up to—why waste time chatting with these two maids?
“Oh, Your Ladyship, you’re too kind! Honestly, I’m nothing special. But if you’re asking about beautiful maids, there really is one—and she works here at the Lotus Pond.” Little Moon smiled proudly.
“Yes, Your Ladyship! She’s new, but His Highness really likes her. She’s super pretty and so kind-hearted—we all adore her.” Little Die chimed in, not to be outdone.
“Oh? Really? There’s actually a maid that beautiful?” Lucian feigned surprise, while Adrian finally realized what he was doing.
“Of course, Your Ladyship, we’d never lie to you! Her name’s Sherry—she loves singing, and all her songs are ones we’ve never heard before, but they’re amazing!” Little Moon said, sounding like she was bragging.
“Totally! Her singing is incredible—like an oriole, like a lark, always so beautiful.” Little Die agreed, her face lighting up.
Hearing this, Lucian shot Adrian a sly grin. Adrian had to admit—he was impressed!
“So, can I meet her?” Lucian seized the moment and asked.
“Oh, um, Sherry works the night shift, so she’s resting right now. And, a couple days ago she hurt her knees, so we’re not sure if she’ll be on duty today.” Little Die frowned.
“What? She hurt her knees?” Lucian blurted out, his voice suddenly pitching up in panic.