"Did you do what you promised me?"
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the man's voice followed. The earlier intimacy vanished instantly.
Qin Jiujiu squeezed the Qiankun bag at her waist, feeling a little nervous.
"Su Ming! Don't you forget who it is that allowed you to be where you are today! If my father hadn't helped you, you would have vanished without a trace along with An Zhou by now!"
An Zhou, the illusion?
Qin Jiujiu had confirmed one thing: this Su Ming was the same Su Ming from the illusion of An Zhou. The time in the illusion was twenty years before the present, and twenty years later, he had become a Grand Tutor in the Sheng Qi Kingdom. At that time, the Sheng Qi Kingdom had only recently been founded.
"Ah!" came the woman's scream, filled with deep fear.
Then came the sounds of struggling. Qin Jiujiu could tell that these were the cries for help from someone whose throat was being choked. She recognized that woman as well; in Wang Shuyao's dream, she was the princess of the Man Luo Kingdom. Now, she was Noble Consort Ru. The woman who conspired with the Empress to harm Yun Yaoyao... Yun Yaoyao, she should be dead, right?
"Cough, cough..." came a violent coughing sound. Su Ming must have released her.
"I warn you, if you dare mention what happened back then to me again, I will kill you!"
Su Ming cleared his throat and tidied his robes. He had almost killed someone just now because of the woman in front of him.
Huan Yuru slightly bent her body, her hand constantly on her neck. He had indeed harbored murderous intent; she could feel it, and she almost lost her life to him! Even if he had held her tenderly in his arms a moment before, he could kill her the next second... This man was as ruthless as he was twenty years ago.
She slowly recovered, straightened her body, and walked in front of him. Her tone softened considerably, "The woman Sheng Huaizhi has been hiding in the secret chamber, did you bring her here too?"
Su Ming seemed to hear a joke and suddenly burst into loud laughter. Qin Jiujiu felt goosebumps all over her body listening to it.
"For more than ten years, the Emperor kept me around precisely because of that woman. This divine temple was built for her, so do you think she wouldn't be here?"
"Moreover, Sheng Huaizhi keeps an extremely close watch on that woman. He spends every day with her, and no one else has had a chance to get near her. With such tight security, would he not bring her out?"
Qin Jiujiu listened, feeling a mix of emotions. The identity of this "she" seemed obvious, but she had personally witnessed Yun Yaoyao perish in flames in Wang Shuyao's dream. Could it be that she had only been disfigured but rescued by Sheng Huaizhi and hidden in a secret chamber for over a decade?
The Emperor of Sheng Qi Kingdom had long been obsessed with seeking immortality. He would invite Grand Tutor Su Ming into the palace daily and build a secret chamber within the palace to facilitate his prayers and worship. Was it all to hide Yun Yaoyao? She had heard Lin Shuxue mention that secret chamber in the palace before. That chamber was located within the Emperor's sleeping quarters, which was why no concubine had ever stayed overnight in the Emperor's sleeping quarters for so many years. Not only could they not stay overnight, but they were not even allowed to approach it. Apart from the palace staff in the Emperor's palace, outsiders could not get close. However, the rumors were that this secret chamber contained items for the Emperor's pursuit of immortality, hence no one was allowed near. Previously, a favored concubine had secretly sneaked into the Emperor's sleeping quarters and reportedly disappeared without a trace there... Looking back now, perhaps she had seen something she shouldn't have.
Qin Jiujiu covered her mouth, afraid that she might make a sound out of shock.
"What exactly are you doing in this divine temple?" Huan Yuru asked again, her voice trembling slightly. Among the elders in this palace who had seen Yun Yaoyao, none spoke of her indifferently. Huan Yuru was no exception.
"That slut, after all these years, why isn't she dead yet?"
Su Ming let out another laugh. "You haven't actually fallen in love with Sheng Huaizhi, have you?"
Qin Jiujiu could tell that his laughter held a hint of mockery.
"Love? That word will never appear in my vocabulary! Only fools would be suicidal over such things. I only want my imperial son to ascend the throne!"
The eldest prince had half the bloodline of the Man Luo Kingdom; how could Sheng Huaizhi allow him to ascend the throne? Therefore, even though the prince Sheng Xuanyin, raised under the Empress, became the Crown Prince, the eldest prince never had a chance to become the Crown Prince.
"I promised you, and I certainly won't forget. But don't forget what you promised me!"
Who would have thought that Su Ming and Huan Yuru had such a relationship! When Su Ming was in An Zhou, he colluded with people in the inner palace to obtain information. He hadn't expected to repeat the same tactic in the Sheng Qi Kingdom's palace.
Qin Jiujiu dared not move. The two of them were silent now, and apart from the wind, no other sound could be heard.
"If that woman wakes up, everything will be in vain!" Huan Yuru's voice suddenly appeared, inexplicably filled with malice. Qin Jiujiu trembled all over. This woman had conspired with Wang Shuyao to harm Yun Yaoyao before. After more than ten years, perhaps her obsession had not changed.
"Here, you can't touch her. If anything happens to her here, none of us will survive!" Su Ming said, as if sensing her intent.
"Even less so in the palace!" the woman gritted her teeth, revealing her hatred for Yun Yaoyao.
"She can't cause trouble now. What are you so worried about?" Su Ming continued.
"I must kill her!" she said resentfully.
"Hush!" Su Ming quickly covered Huan Yuru's mouth.
"Is there really no one here?" a strange voice asked, filled with deep unease. Qin Jiujiu heard footsteps approaching. The two inside seemed to have heard the sound as well. Their voices abruptly stopped, and now only a woman's voice could be heard.
Suddenly, another voice came, a man speaking, "No, I've checked. No one ever comes here. Don't worry!"
"Naughty boy!" the woman cooed. Then came the rustling of clothes. Qin Jiujiu had heard this sound before, and instantly understood what those two were doing. The people inside also fell silent.
Must she remain frozen here until those two left?
"Ah!" the woman suddenly shrieked, her voice filled with terror.
The sound of swords cutting through flesh.
"You killed them?" the woman's voice was replaced by the sound of swords piercing flesh.
Huan Yuru looked at the two corpses in front of her in disbelief and asked.
"Or what?" Su Ming replied expressionlessly, as if the two corpses were nothing.
"I'll handle it. You go back first," he continued. Soon, Qin Jiujiu heard footsteps. Huan Yuru must have left. Qin Jiujiu remained hidden in the shadows, not daring to move.