Chapter Sixteen: Spare Him, Let Me Handle This!

“Waiting for whom? Who is she waiting for?” Li Xubai asked in confusion. Suddenly, a thought struck him and he cursed under his breath, “Damn it, I guessed it! She can’t be waiting for the Emperor, hoping for a chance encounter! Damn it!”

Just as the two were about to jump down from the tree, they saw a group of people gradually approaching along the mountain path.

The group was composed of young men, all robust and strong, clearly warriors.

They formed a subtle protective circle around one young man in the middle.

The young man exuded an aura of nobility and authority; he was clearly someone who had long held a high position, commanding respect without raising his voice.

Song Shiyu immediately recognized the young man’s identity and her expression darkened: “It’s over. There’s no time left.”

Li Xubai felt as though facing a formidable enemy: “Those people look highly skilled in martial arts. If we move, they might notice us. If we don’t move, we might still be discovered. If we make a move, they’d surely treat us as assassins and execute us on the spot.”

The two of them had spotted the group, and Gu Shiyan had come specifically for them, so she naturally noticed them as well.

She quickly chose the most delicate and fragile-looking pose, half-lying on the ground with tearful, misty eyes, preparing her emotions to speak as soon as the man walked to her side.

Song Shiyu was burning with anxiety: “We absolutely cannot let her meet His Majesty. We must stop her.”

Li Xubai shrugged indifferently: “So what if she meets him? If she wants to be the emperor’s concubine, what’s it to you?”

Song Shiyu choked: “You don’t know anything!”

“Well, since I don’t know, I won’t tell you how to stop her.”

Song Shiyu’s anger flared instantly, and she raised her hand to hit Li Xubai.

Li Xubai casually leaned forward: “One slap and we’ll surely alert them. Then they’ll catch us and Gu Shiyan all at once.”

Song Shiyu immediately backed down: “Alright, fine. What do you want?”

Li Xubai thought for a moment: “Tell me what your relationship with the Gu family is.”

“Second Young Master, the more you know, the quicker you’ll die.”

“Doesn’t matter. Whoever’s anxious will know soon enough.”

“...” Song Shiyu was furious and laughed bitterly. “Fine, it’s settled. I’ll tell you.”

“Good.” Li Xubai got the answer he wanted, then leapt nimbly onto another tree like a swallow.

His movement was inevitably noticed by the highly skilled guards.

They suddenly closed in around Zhao Yizhen, surrounding him tightly.

“Your Majesty, there’s an assassin! Please return to the palace immediately!” Yu Zhong exclaimed in alarm.

No sooner had he spoken than a flock of birds suddenly burst from the treetops, startling the birds perched nearby into flight.

The rustling wings sounded like thunder, echoing through the entire forest.

Amidst this loud commotion, Li Xubai’s fall from the tree was insignificant.

He struck the same delicate and fragile pose in front of Zhao Yizhen, lying on the ground and wailing in pain.

His voice was hoarse and sounded unbearably agonized.

“Who dares attempt to assassinate His Majesty!” several guards simultaneously stepped forward, swords pressed to Li Xubai’s neck.

“Ouch! I twisted my ankle, it hurts so much!” Li Xubai cried out, collapsing onto the ground with a loud thud.

One guard tapped Li Xubai’s face with his sword; seeing no response, he hurriedly reported, “Your Majesty, the assassin fainted from fright.”

Zhao Yizhen was both annoyed and amused: “Assassin? What kind of assassin could twist an ankle and be scared unconscious by you? Clearly just a local mountain dweller!”

“...” The guard was speechless.

“Your Majesty, shall we still go to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple?” Yu Zhong asked cautiously.

“Go. Why wouldn’t we?” Zhao Yizhen had come up the mountain in a foul mood, as if ready to kill. This sudden interruption seemed to make him realize something.

No matter how hard it gets, it couldn’t get worse than this, right?

Just like this mountain: beyond it lay the mercy of the Ten Thousand Buddhas.

“Your Majesty, what shall we do with this person?” Yu Zhong asked again.

“Take him along, to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple,” Zhao Yizhen said, glancing at Li Xubai’s face and inexplicably feeling a faint sense of closeness. On a whim, he gave the order.

Yu Zhong was stunned. He couldn’t understand how the Emperor, who had left the palace in a towering rage as if ready to kill, suddenly seemed so cheerful.

He didn’t ponder further and quickly arranged for someone to carry Li Xubai.

He didn’t know what kind of background this kid had, but he was certainly a lucky star.

As Li Xubai lay on the guard’s back, he sighed inwardly.

He had thought emperors would be aloof and indifferent to commoners like him, dismissing them without a second glance.

But this young emperor didn’t follow the usual script; he was actually taking him to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple.

This was an unexpected blessing.

This young emperor was the biggest boss he had encountered since arriving in this world.

If he could win this man over, his own success and rise would no longer be a dream.

What kind of people did this young emperor like?

Beauty was out of the question.

Sycophants who talked less and did more?

Or remonstrative ministers who would crash into pillars and die to warn him?

Or capable ministers who could stabilize the country both on horseback and off?

No, no, too capable was also no good — too much achievement made one a threat, and they’d be discarded once no longer useful.

Li Xubai pondered all this repeatedly in his mind.

Meanwhile, Gu Shiyan, who had been half-lying on the ground posing for some time, was in a sorry state.

No one noticed her, so Song Shiyu took the chance to knock Gu Shiyan and Xiao Jing unconscious, then bound them together.

She glanced anxiously at Li Xubai before dragging them far away.

Song Shiyu hadn’t been too harsh, so Gu Shiyan and Xiao Jing woke up quickly.

“Who are you? How dare you hit me? Do you know who I am? You have some nerve! I’ll have my father kill your entire family!” Gu Shiyan fumed, her anger burning hot. She had schemed so long and was so close to success, only to be ruined by this woman.

She wanted to kill her—kill her!

Song Shiyu sneered at Gu Shiyan: “Do you realize how much you’ve ruined the reputation of the Gu family? Does Grand Tutor Gu know?”

At the mention of her strict grandfather’s name, Gu Shiyan’s face turned pale. She shrank her neck, feigning strength but inwardly trembling: “You know who I am? Then why don’t you release me immediately!”

“Release you? So you can have another chance at a ‘chance encounter’ with His Majesty?” Song Shiyu retorted sarcastically.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand!” Gu Shiyan denied it vehemently. Since her plan had failed, she refused to admit she had ever entertained such thoughts.

Song Shiyu didn’t want an admission anyway, but her face darkened as she said, “Gu Shiyan, you know what you’re thinking and doing. I know it too. In any case, you’ve failed this time. If you keep being stubborn, maybe I’ll have to bring this matter before Madam Gu. How will you explain it then?”

Gu Shiyan hadn’t anticipated this and immediately panicked.

After all, she was only a fourteen-year-old girl, raised in seclusion. Though a little cunning, her tricks were far from respectable.

Moreover, the authority of her stepmother was terrifying.

She burst into tears: “I-I only wanted to fight for my own future. Is that wrong? Madam has no legitimate daughters, only illegitimate ones. We’re all the same. Why can she bring other illegitimate daughters but not me? Madam ignores me—I just want to try and fight for myself!”

Song Shiyu was stunned.

Her heart was a tempest of emotion.

So it was true—there was no longer another Gu Shiyan in this world.

Since her rebirth, she was only Song Shiyu now.

The mother she once knew had only one son.

Song Shiyu felt lost and restless.