The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

Chu Xuanche took it, tilted his head back, and drank it all.

A warm current rose from his dantian, and the pent-up frustration of the past few days seemed to dissipate, along with his slight aversion to the Empress.

He laughed loudly, "Very well! Once I ascend the throne, I will surely grant you the honor of a princess and allow you to enjoy a lifetime of wealth and luxury!"

Mei Shiliu lowered her eyes, concealing the mockery deep within them.

"Yao'er thanks Your Majesty in advance."

She raised her eyes, her gaze shifting. "I heard that my brother and mother suffered divine punishment today... Are you alright?"

Chu Xuanche said smugly, "My leg was broken, but the Imperial Advisor healed it! The Imperial Advisor personally intervened!"

Mei Shiliu's gaze swept lightly over his lower back, her voice growing even softer: "Then... has the Imperial Preceptor also cured the condition of childlessness?"

The air suddenly froze.

The color drained from Chu Xuanche's face at a visible speed, and his previous smugness shattered inch by inch.

The teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.

"Cure...it?" He laughed hoarsely, his eyes red-rimmed, but no tears came.

"Didn't you hear the Imperial Preceptor's words clearly that day? 'The loss of my vital essence means my fate is sealed'—he said my destiny was to be childless! To be... not a man!"

Mei Shiliu sneered inwardly, but her face betrayed her impending tears: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger... Perhaps the Imperial Preceptor... has other reasons?"

"A predicament?!" Chu Xuanche abruptly swept his sleeve, knocking all the writing implements, ink, paper, and inkstone off the table.

"He only cares about his own destiny and the fate of his nation! He never cared whether I would die without an heir! Or whether I... am still a human being!"

He paced frantically, like a restless beast: "And Chu Qingyue! What kind of look was that?! She was mocking me!"

"She must know...she must know something!"

"Yao'er, tell me, did she pass on all those monstrous methods from her mother? Did she harm me...? Was it her?!"

Mei Shiliu waited quietly for him to have an outburst, and only spoke slowly after he had caught his breath.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Actually... Yao'er also finds her suspicious."

"Seven years of fighting, not a single scar, returning still a virgin... Such a miraculous thing is unheard of. Therefore..."

She paused, then took out a brocade pouch from her sleeve. "Yao'er went to Jinxue Pavilion and bought an answer."

Chu Xuanche stared at her intently: "Jinxue Pavilion? That Jinxue Pavilion that claims 'there's nothing in the world that can't be known'?"

Mei Shiliu nodded and handed over the brocade pouch.

The bag is embroidered with hexagonal frost flowers in silver thread, and it feels icy cold to the touch.

Chu Xuanche snatched it away, his fingers trembling as he tore open the rope and took out the note inside.

Just one glance.

His pupils constricted sharply, and his whole body trembled violently, as if he had been struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

There was only one line of small print on the paper, the ink cold and sharp:

"Chu Qingyue returned to Beiming and stayed at the Star-Picking Tower for five days. Si Chen used his spiritual power to cleanse her old wounds and smooth out her scars, making her look like a newborn baby."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence lasted for ten breaths.

Then--

"Si, Chen—!!!"

Chu Xuanche roared and crushed the paper into pieces, the scraps falling through his fingers.

"What a compassionate and benevolent national advisor!"

"What a refined and virtuous Imperial Advisor!"

"If you save me, you'll say it's fate; if you save Chu Qingyue, you'll pour out all your spiritual power and protect her with utmost care!"

"She's treated like a precious gem, so delicate and fragile! Even Father Emperor has never been this kind of mother!"

Mei Shiliu frowned at the opportune moment, and tears rolled down her cheeks:

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but on the day of the banquet, Chu Qingyue slapped Yao'er because I said that her coveting the position of Crown Prince was wishful thinking... She then said that if the Imperial Preceptor agreed to her request, the Crown Prince would surely be hers."

"Yao'er thought she was talking nonsense, but who knew... her eldest brother was injured by a tiger in the blink of an eye."

She raised her tear-filled eyes to look at Chu Xuanche, her voice growing softer yet each word piercing to the heart:

"Now that I think about it, the Third Prince was probably just a pawn."

"The one who truly wants to seize the throne is Chu Qingyue."

"And the Imperial Advisor... was her accomplice."

"Otherwise, with the Imperial Preceptor's abilities, he could have easily subdued the tiger with a wave of his hand. Why did he wait until my elder brother was seriously injured before taking action?"

"And why use 'divine punishment' as an excuse not to completely cure my elder brother?"

She took a step closer, her breath as sharp as a viper's forked tongue:

"Unless... the Imperial Preceptor never intended for my brother to participate in the sacrificial ceremony unharmed from the very beginning."

Chu Xuanche was struck dumb, frozen in place.

A crippled body, offered as a sacrifice to the heavens...

Not recognized by the ancestors...

Father Emperor gave up...

The Imperial Advisor changed the divination...

Chu Qingyue rises to power...

A series of thoughts eventually wove together the most terrifying web of conspiracy, binding him tightly.

"He dares—!" Chu Xuanche roared, his eyes bloodshot. "I am the eldest son! He dares to go back on his word?!"

"Why wouldn't he dare?" Mei Shiliu's voice was as soft as a feather, yet sharper than a blade.

"The Imperial Advisor lived for four hundred years, witnessing six generations of the Chu family rise and fall. In his eyes, how are we... any different from mayflies that live only a day?"

"Besides, if the Imperial Advisor really wanted to go back on his word, it would only be a matter of casting a divination."

"He could say the celestial signs have changed, or that you are physically disabled and no longer fit to bear the mandate of heaven... What will Your Majesty do then? What will the entire court do?"

The candle flame crackled and popped.

"They'll just say that the Imperial Advisor had brilliant insight and corrected the wrongs in time. And you..."

Mei Shiliu's voice was as low as a whisper.

"He will become the shortest-lived crown prince in the history of the Great Chu."

"Future history books will only record one thing about you—'physically disabled and morally deficient, incapable of shouldering great responsibilities, and dismissed after only three days in the Eastern Palace.'"

Chu Xuanche staggered backward and fell onto the sandalwood throne.

A chilling sensation crept up his tailbone, freezing his blood inch by inch.

Yes. Who is Si Chen?

It is the pillar of the Great Chu, and a deity whose words carry the weight of law.

He said whoever is the crown prince, that person is the crown prince.

He said that whoever is unworthy will be doomed.

"Then... what should I do?" His voice was hoarse as he looked up at Mei Shiliu, his eyes filled with a desperate will to survive.

"Am I just supposed to wait to die? Wait for that vile woman to step over my corpse and sit on the dragon throne?!"

Mei Shiliu approached and leaned close to his ear.

Its breath, like a snake's tongue, carries a sweet venom:

"Brother, I've heard that... the Imperial Preceptor has cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness for four hundred years, and his heart's essence is a supreme elixir that can heal flesh and bone, reverse life and death, rebuild one's foundation, and cure all the world's rare poisons. Perhaps... it can also make up for your congenital deficiency."

Chu Xuanche suddenly grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it almost crushed her bones: "Is that really true?!"

"This was said by an elderly nun at Liantai Nunnery. She was a former friend who had served the National Preceptor for a hundred years..."

Mei Shiliu lowered her voice to a very low hue.

"The man's meridians were all severed, but after drinking three drops of his heart's blood, he recovered in three days, and his power even increased."

"Just one drop will not harm the Imperial Preceptor, but for my brother the Emperor... it will be a new beginning."

She gazed at the raging fire in his eyes and softly added the last bit of kindling:

"My elder brother, wielding the Fish Gut Sword bestowed upon him by the late Emperor, and as the Crown Prince, sincerely requests my assistance... How could the Imperial Preceptor, with the well-being of all people at heart, refuse?"

Chu Xuanche released his grip and slowly stood up.

The last trace of fear in his eyes had been completely devoured by greed and hatred. In its place was an almost manic certainty.