[Extra update! This chapter is a bonus—3,000 words!]
Taking advantage of the moonlight, Ivy Shen darted swiftly across the palace rooftops. Her footsteps were light and fast, as mysterious and silent as a black cat in the night.
But the Chu imperial palace was just too big—she felt completely lost. Even with Lydia Blossom's tips, she'd only ever been to the Crown Prince's bedchamber; the rest was totally unfamiliar territory. That meant Ivy had to waste extra time poking around to figure out where the old man actually lived.
She'd only been wandering a little while when suddenly a sharp voice snapped out below. Ivy flattened herself against the rooftop, ears pricked to listen.
"How dare you! Who do you think you are, blocking the Crown Princess?" a shrill voice rang out.
Listening closely, Ivy realized it was a maid's voice.
"Your Highness, we're just following the emperor's orders. He said no one is to disturb him, so..." The eunuch replied nervously. Everyone here knew how fierce the Crown Princess could be, but ignoring the emperor's commands was also out of the question.
"The emperor's with National Preceptor Evan Ward, isn't he?" the Crown Princess asked softly, fiddling with her new armor as she spoke, as if just making casual conversation.
"Yes, Your Highness," the eunuch quickly reported, extra careful with his words.
"How long have they been in there?"
"Uh... about half an hour, I think," the eunuch replied after a moment's thought.
"Then get out of my way, now! If you mess things up, I'll have your head chopped off!" The Crown Princess's voice, sweet just a second ago, suddenly turned vicious—making the poor eunuch jump in fright.
"Didn't you hear Her Highness? Move!" the maid snapped again, shoving the eunuch aside. The Crown Princess marched straight in, while her personal maid grabbed the eunuch to stop him from reporting.
Seeing this, Ivy couldn't help but pause. Wait, was this the old man's bedchamber? But it didn't look right—there was no way the emperor's place would be worse than the Crown Prince's. So she hopped to the center of the roof, gently lifted a tile, and peeked down. One look, and she realized: this wasn't a bedroom at all, but a study. And what Ivy saw next left her totally speechless...
The emperor was actually... with a man...
"Mmm... Your Majesty, slow down..." The man below clung tightly to a nearby chair, writhing and moaning.
"Oh, Evan, I love you—I love you so, so much..." The old emperor's yellow dragon robe had slipped down to his ankles, and his saggy flesh hung off his legs, all thanks to the passage of time.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" the eunuch outside shouted. That call sent the old emperor scrambling to pull up his pants, and Evan Ward rushed to get dressed too.
Just then, a gorgeously dressed figure appeared before them.
"Father Emperor, your daughter-in-law pays her respects." She showed zero surprise at their flustered state—clearly, this wasn't the first time she'd caught them like this.
"Marina Jade, what are you doing here?" The old emperor was clearly annoyed at having his fun interrupted, while Evan Ward just kept his head down, nervously wringing his hands.
"Can't your daughter-in-law pay her respects, Father Emperor?" she replied, but her tone was anything but polite.
"Enough with the small talk—just say what you came to say." With that, he marched over to Evan Ward, grabbed his hand, and sat down with him.
Marina Jade sneered, "Father Emperor, you really do dote on your National Preceptor!"
"Why aren't you off with the Crown Prince today?" Translation: He clearly wanted her to stop causing trouble here.
"Oh, I see Cyrus every single day, Father Emperor, so you really don't need to worry." With that, she took out a small box, set it on the table, and covered her mouth with a sly smile. "Father Emperor, this is a special virility pill I went through hell to get. Once you eat it, you and the National Preceptor will be... happy enough to shoot straight to heaven!"
"Enough. If you have something to say, just spit it out." The Chu Emperor frowned, clearly fed up with her fake niceness.
Seeing this, Marina Jade dropped the act and got straight to the point: "Father Emperor, I want you to pass the throne to Cyrus as soon as possible."
The Chu Emperor scowled. "Didn't I tell you already? The throne will go to Cyrus. He's my only son—who else would I give it to?" He looked thoroughly displeased.
"Oh? Are you blaming us for 'selling off' the Second Prince?" Marina Jade sneered, her voice icy. "Let's be real, Father Emperor, that was your call. If you hadn't agreed, we wouldn't have dared lay a finger on him—even if we had ten times the guts. You had to choose between your son and your lover, and guess what? You picked him!" She pointed straight at Evan Ward, who was still silent.
"Enough! That's enough—don't say another word!" The Chu Emperor was clearly furious now.
"You're so desperate, Marina Jade, because you're afraid the throne might fall into someone else's hands. If that happens, Chu Kingdom is finished—and I bet Father Emperor doesn't want to see his life's work handed over to some outsider, right?"
"I've said it before—the throne will never go to anyone else. It'll stay with my own son!" the Chu Emperor repeated.
Marina Jade cut straight in: "Then where did you hide the imperial jade seal? You don't even want to govern anymore, so why not just hand the kingdom to Cyrus and enjoy your free time with your lover?"
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Father Emperor, everyone knows how much you spoil the National Preceptor. You ask him about every single court decision—if people didn't know better, they'd think he's the one sitting on the throne!" Marina Jade said bluntly.
"How dare you!" The Chu Emperor glared at her, clearly annoyed that she was acting nothing like a proper daughter-in-law.
"I know that's rude, Father Emperor, but I'm really just thinking of Chu Kingdom. You wouldn't want people gossiping behind your back, would you?" Marina Jade replied, feigning concern.
The Chu Emperor suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Marina Jade, do you think I don't know what you and Cyrus are plotting? Or do you both just assume I'm an idiot?"
"Father Emperor..."
"You already used my secrets to force me to ruin my own son, and now you want me to hand over the throne in a hurry? If I really give it to you, do you think I'll live to see another good day? With a son as ruthless as yours, the moment I abdicate, I'll be dead meat!"
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Marina Jade curled her lips. "So that's what you're worried about, Father Emperor? Relax—once you hand over the throne, we'll honor you properly. You won't have to lift a finger. And of course, we'll honor your... 'Empress' too." She shot a double-meaning look at Evan Ward and gave a mocking smile.
On the rooftop, Ivy Shen watched and listened, suddenly feeling a pang in her chest. The Chu Emperor really was a mess—he'd sacrificed his kind, beloved prince just for his own twisted desires, sending him off to be someone else's plaything in a foreign land.
Honestly, that prince was pitiful. He probably never understood why his own father did nothing when his brother tried to destroy him.
He never guessed that, to his father, the National Preceptor mattered more than any son. Just because of the emperor's bizarre tastes, he threw away a good kid to protect his precious little lover, Evan Ward.
Suddenly, Ivy Shen thought this world was total chaos. More importantly, she realized that she needed power—she had to have power, because only the powerful could protect the ones they love!
Just then, seven or eight figures shot across the dark night sky. A loud shout rang out: "Catch the assassin!"
The next moment, hundreds of torches surged in this direction. Ivy Shen frowned—who was that shadow, so bold as to break into the palace? Was it Nightfall?
No, if it were Nightfall, he'd come alone. But there were at least seven or eight people in this group, so it definitely wasn't him.
Just as Ivy Shen was puzzling over it, the shadow sped straight toward her. In an instant, the whole place was surrounded—Chu Emperor grabbed Evan Ward in panic, Marina Jade shouted for the guards.
The shadow swept past Ivy as if she were invisible, but after a few steps, he suddenly turned back and stared at her. Ivy stared right back, totally unafraid.
"Come with me," said the stranger—a voice so nice it was almost shocking. He grabbed her hand and whisked her away, darting through the maze-like palace.
"Catch the assassin!" Thousands of guards armed with bows and arrows, plus torchbearers, charged after them.
"Looks pretty dangerous!" Ivy said breezily, not scared at all.
The man in black glanced at her, his dark eyes almost smiling. Then he spoke again, voice smooth as silk: "Stick with me—you'll be fine." With that, he spun her around and led her into a vast garden.
"Isn't it risky to hide in such an open place?"
The man's sharp eyes seemed to read her mind. He pulled down his mask, revealing a handsome, faintly smiling face. "The more dangerous the place, the safer it is," he said, nodding at her. Then, with a charming "Come with me!" he dove straight into the lotus pond, dragging her along.