A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 89 Situ Qingyue
Just when the Crown Prince of Jin thought he had found the perfect scapegoat, he heard the Prince of Jin, who had been masked and silent, say in a deep voice, "This one won't do, find another one!"

The Prince of Jin's heir was nearly furious. He turned around and shouted, "Father, the situation is critical! At this juncture, it will be too late if we wait for the Imperial Prison to show up!!"

He looked down on his useless father from the bottom of his heart, who knew nothing but sensual pleasures.

The Prince of Jin shook his head again, saying, "We can investigate, but we must have solid evidence. I know about that kid in Qingzhou City; Qian Jintang of the Heavenly Blade Sect fell because of him. If it weren't for the grand gathering of inspectors in Jin this year, I would have intervened long ago. But even if Elder Yao is still here, we can't just act recklessly."

Besides, do you really believe that some country bumpkin could cause such a commotion? Do you think this will silence the public? Do you think everyone else is a fool?
And do you know who's standing behind him?!

The Prince of Jin, with his neck stiff, wanted to say something, but he immediately thought of the terrifying female official of the Imperial Punishment Department earlier, who suppressed the Black Shaman with one palm and forced back the noblewoman of the Green Fox Royal Court who could fight on equal terms with the Eighth-Rank Master of the Chu Prince's Mansion. He opened his mouth but could not utter a word.

How did such a scoundrel suddenly appear, with such a powerful background?

He, the dignified heir of the Jin vassal state and the future king of the realm, was nearly driven to despair by such a country bumpkin. He said unwillingly, "Father, is this how it ends?"

The Prince of Jin ripped the towel off his face and cursed, "Foolish! When did I say we'd let it go like this? Didn't I tell you to tell me what you have to say? Show them everything those idiots collected, report it to the Imperial Execution Department, and let them decide everything. Let them come and search my residence, and the Shaman Temple can send people to keep watch. Search even my place! If they find anything of theirs, I'll accept it and pay for it all!"
I am not capable of solving this major case, so I will hand it over to the Imperial Execution Department and let them have a headache. It is better than meddling and giving random advice.

A scapegoat can at least take the blame. Think about it yourself, can that country bumpkin really bear this responsibility?

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's heir was greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "Father, where is the prestige of the Prince of Jin's residence?"

He knew his father was useless, but he never imagined he would be this useless!
What's the difference between this and a woman who is robbed on the street and lies down and lets herself be raped?
Has the Prince of Jin's mansion lost all shame?!

The Prince of Jin threw the handkerchief off his face and roared, "Where is the dignity of the Prince of Jin's mansion now? I can smell the stench of barbarians at the gate even though I'm lying here! Where is your dignity?"

The chief steward of the Prince's residence said with a pained expression, "Your Highness, we do indeed have some precious ginseng from various royal households..."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin was greatly surprised and asked, "Where did this come from?"

The chief secretary of the Prince's residence stammered, "This year, the Prince's residence is holding a grand inspection gathering. The Crown Prince is worried that time will become increasingly tight as the event progresses, so he asked us to proceed first..."

"Ouch... Ouch!"

Prince Jin rubbed the chubby head until his face contorted in pain, but he was also decisive. He waved his hand and said, "When the Imperial Execution Office arrives, tell them the truth about this matter... Never mind, report the items as well."

Since we're going to lie down, let's lie down completely.

No matter how bad it is, it's still much better than letting the Prince of Jin's family bear the losses of everyone!
The Prince of Jin's heir turned pale and hurriedly said, "Father, the Eight Princes and Eight Clans secretly raiding for grain outside the court is just a clandestine practice, something that can't be openly discussed. If it were done openly, it would be a crime..."

Prince Jin looked at his son with sympathy and said, "Is it better to punish the entire Prince's Mansion or just you? Go to the Imperial Clan Court and confess your crimes properly. After a few years in jail, your younger brother will give you your own mansion in the future."

The Prince of Jin was on the verge of collapse, and shouted urgently, "Brother? What brother do you have? Father, don't you only have one son?"

The Prince of Jin roared, "I'll go back and give birth! Get out of here now, or don't blame me for accusing you of treason! You damned beast, you almost ruined the Jin kingdom!" He then shouted to his men, "Take this beast away!"

After the hall quieted down, Prince Jin suddenly asked, "What's going on over at Yuanjian Mountain?"

A figure emerged lightly from behind the curtain; it was another white-bearded eunuch dressed in a bright red palace robe.

However, this eunuch's demeanor was more alluring than a woman's. His face was covered in makeup, his lips were painted bright red, and his fox-like eyes looked at Prince Jin with a seductive gaze, saying, "What kind of commotion could that bunch of idiots possibly make? Even Qi Zhenkun didn't come; only a few managers from Shenglong Money Shop showed up."

The Prince of Jin couldn't understand it, so he casually pulled the eunuch into his arms, fondling him all over, and wondered, "Old Master Yao left the palace before the ceremony. I thought he was coming here to meet up with the old ghost from the Prince of Chu's palace. Who knew he hadn't shown up yet? He must have run into trouble."

Since the people of Yuanjian Mountain haven't made a move... who can let a broken eighth-level Martial Saint disappear quietly? Although Old Ghost Yao sometimes doesn't think much of me, without him in charge, the Royal Palace will have to live a life of swallowing its pride from now on.”

The alluring eunuch leaned her head shyly on Prince Jin's shoulder and said, "Who knows? It's just those few people... Your Highness, that wild boy in Qingzhou City is really a bit strange. Qian Jintang disappeared without a trace, and Eunuch Liu and his five companions also vanished without a sound. Although many people saw them enjoying themselves, and Eunuch Liu and his group left Qingzhou City safely, there were rumors of ghosts the next day. It's quite interesting; there were no ghost stories before, and there were no more afterward, only on the night Eunuch Liu and his group disappeared."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's expression changed. He sat up straight, looked at the person beside him, and said seriously, "Why didn't you tell me about these things before?"

The alluring eunuch covered his mouth and chuckled shyly, saying, "I've never seen anything so bizarre before. Now that I've experienced it with my own eyes, I realize that such strange things really do exist in the world. Even ginseng can be faked, and immortal herbs and gold can be counterfeited... It's truly unfathomable."

The Prince of Jin got goosebumps all over and said, "Is it really related to that kid? Impossible, right?" He immediately became nervous and said, "A-Yuan, you mustn't get involved in this matter. If something goes wrong, wouldn't it be like tearing my heart out? Then I'll really be all alone." The alluring eunuch had once been his study companion, and soon their friendship transcended the ordinary.

For the next thirty years, the Prince of Jin doted on this woman alone, and never even wanted another child, showing such deep affection…

The alluring eunuch said resentfully, "He was just saying he wanted to give the young master a younger brother..."

The Prince of Jin waved his hand and said, "Let him get angry. That self-righteous fool, if he doesn't get angry to death, I will be angry to death myself. As for the throne, let's pass it on to his son Yuanzhen in the future."

The alluring eunuch covered his mouth and chuckled, "You really don't want this son anymore?"

Prince Jin snorted coldly and said, "You've been making those underhanded moves behind my back, thinking I'm blind? How many letters have you written to Prince Qi and the Imperial Prison to denounce us? He's always believed you killed his mother, and if I die, he'll never let you off easily. Prince Qi has always kept me in check, warning me not to act recklessly. This is a perfect opportunity to send him out and eliminate this rebellious son. Anyone who dares to slander you will not be spared. From now on, Yuanzhen will be raised by you, and you two can get along well."

Upon hearing this, the alluring eunuch nearly merged his body into Prince Jin's, murmuring, "If it weren't for that person from the Imperial Execution Department displaying such skill today, even I wouldn't have known that such a powerful person existed in the world. Your Highness, if I'm not mistaken, Elder Yao died at her hands. As for Qian Jintang and Eunuch Liu, they were probably also tampered with by the Imperial Execution Department."

During the last Blood Demon Rebellion, Situ Qingyue saw through Elder Yao's intention to seize the Blood Demon Transformation Technique and warned him, ultimately leading to a bitter argument. Because of the Crown Prince, Prince Qi also doesn't particularly like the Prince…

"Your Highness handled the situation exceptionally well today, pushing the Heir Apparent out to take the blame for various crimes and even swallowing his pride to allow the Imperial Prison to search him. In doing so, you preserved the Jin Prince's position. Had you been even slightly slower, the Prince and the Heir Apparent's situations would likely have been reversed."

Cold sweat poured down the Prince of Jin's forehead. He said, "It was her..." Then, his face contorted with rage, he continued, "Leaving aside that beast, she'll surely suffer the consequences this time. But that vile woman from the Imperial Punishment Department, how dare she treat the Prince of Jin like this?! I've never offended her!"

The alluring eunuch smiled charmingly, "Why should Your Highness be angry? Isn't this world just so cold and ruthless? Besides, even if Your Highness wanted revenge, you wouldn't need the Prince of Jin's mansion to get involved."

The Prince of Jin hurriedly asked, "My beloved concubine, what brilliant idea do you have?"

The alluring eunuch chuckled, then his fox-like eyes turned sinister. He said, "Shangqing Palace has suffered greatly these past few days, and everyone's saying it's because the Demonic Sect is avenging Ye Yun. I think there's probably more to this than meets the eye. But regardless, the key question is who killed Ye Yun. Your Highness, why don't we spread the word and tell the Demonic Sect who the real murderer is..."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's eyes lit up, and he said, "Situ Qingyue... no, her martial arts are too high, the Demonic Sect might not dare to look for her, so it must be her personal disciple, Li Changning?"

The alluring eunuch, already in his forties, chuckled and said, "Not only that, but also that princess from Prince Qi's mansion. That night, they were chasing Ye Yun together; the Demonic Sect will find out soon enough. Also, bring that wild boy from Qingzhou City along; he's easy to kill. If we kill just one of them, they'll be mortal enemies, and they won't have time to care about us anymore. Then, I can be with the Prince again, watching them kill each other until they both perish."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin was overjoyed, his face beaming with delight. In his excitement, he pressed the alluring eunuch's face down.

He inherited the throne at a young age, and what kind of beauties didn't he taste in his early years?

But over the years, this companion by his side is still the one he truly loves...

……

In the central hall of the central courtyard.

A figure stood with his hands behind his back amidst the slanting plum branches, wearing a blue robe that resembled ink-washed clouds. The robe was unembroidered with any patterns, except for a few elegant cloud patterns outlined in silver thread at the collar.

Her black hair was tied into a Taoist nun's bun, with only a single jade hairpin inserted horizontally, making her skin appear even whiter than snow, like crystal formed from moonlight.

Her eyebrows resembled distant, dark mountains, and her eyes were deep and calm, with a slight upturn at the corners, yet without a trace of coquettishness.

Her lips were pale, as if she had never been touched by the world, and even without speaking, she exuded an aura that kept people at a distance.

The soft sword hanging at her waist adds to her air of aloofness and independence.

She is Situ Qingyue, the current number one Silver Attendant of the Imperial Punishment Division of the Great Qian Dynasty.

On a long, purple-lacquered table beside her were several ginseng roots, a few immortal herbs, and several gold ingots that had been cut open to reveal their gray interiors.

There's also a statement from the Prince of Jin's residence...

……

(End of this chapter)