His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

However, we've only discovered a tiny bit.

It's okay.

A barely perceptible mocking smile curved at the corners of Song Xianya's lips.

She wanted to see just how capable this woman really was.

"King Qingyue, you know better than we do who Shen Hanzhou has grudges against. On the way back with him, they were ambushed and tried to steal his body."

Mo Sangyu spoke to the King of Qingyue, but her gaze was subtly directed at Song Xianya: "By the way... she also wanted to kill me."

This move was also a test, to see how much trust the King of Qingyue had in their Holy Maiden.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qingyue frowned deeply: "Is this true? Has the Empress of Da Chen suffered any harm?"

Mo Sangyu slowly picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and said, "It's alright."

"I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give the Empress Dowager and the two officials an explanation."

"No problem."

"Then, Your Highness and the two gentlemen, would you like to stay a few more days and experience the customs and culture of our Qingyue Kingdom?"

After speaking, the Prince of Qingyue looked at Xiao Ling and said, "Ling'er, you will be in charge of taking care of and accompanying the Empress during this period. Also, have Minister Liu and the others stay by her side around the clock. Do your best to fulfill any requests the Empress or the two officials may have."

"Yes." Xiao Ling stood up and bowed to King Qingyue: "Your Majesty, rest assured, Ling'er will take good care of the Empress."

She turned to look at Mo Sangyu, her eyes filled with a mixture of joy and cautious nervousness.

I wonder if the Empress still keeps her promise to help them break the curse on the Qingyue royal family.

Shen Hanzhou's death has made this matter even more complicated and dangerous. If she gets involved now, she will inevitably fall into the same danger.

Moreover, as she just mentioned, they were ambushed halfway there, so if she's unwilling to help...

Xiao Ling mentally prepared herself for rejection.

After all, this is Qingyue's own business, and it's not right to force others to risk their lives to help them.

Unexpectedly, Mo Sangyu agreed without hesitation.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Princess."

Xiao Ling quickly waved her hand: "No trouble at all, it's my honor to be by Your Majesty's side."

Song Xianya sat in her seat, holding a teacup, and took a sip.

His expression remained calm on the surface, revealing no emotion, but a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

The King of Qingyue said a few more polite words, nothing more than "I have not been hospitable enough" and "Your Majesty, please forgive me."

When Mo Sangyu didn't want to talk, Yu Chengwei would quickly take over.

The banquet ended in a fairly harmonious atmosphere.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Xiao Ling followed Mo Sangyu and her group back to their residence. Seeing that she lingered there, Mo Sangyu knew that she had something to say.

"Princess, please feel free to speak your mind."

"Your Majesty."

Xiao Ling glanced at her gratefully, then at the man beside her, seemingly hesitant, or perhaps with a strange fear of him.

The Empress's shadow guard has such a strong presence that even when he's just standing there quietly, he's impossible to ignore.

That's right.

She took a deep breath before speaking, "There's something I've thought about a lot, and I feel I can't lie to you. Lord Shen's death must have been because someone didn't want you to get involved in the affairs of the Qingyue royal family. If you stay, it will mean..."

"Does this mean someone is plotting against me?"

Although Mo Sangyu didn't care much, she felt a bit more favorably toward the girl because Xiao Ling was willing to bring it up at this crucial moment.

"It's alright. Since I've promised you, I will do it. However, you must not hide anything from me that I need to know."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I guarantee there will be no secrets."

"very good."

Mo Sangyu lightly flicked her sleeve, looked up at Feng Xingyu who stood ramrod straight beside her, and asked, "What do you think?"

Feng Xingyu: "This servant will obey Your Majesty's will."

Tsk.

This man.

Those words sounded quite nice.

Xiao Ling secretly glanced at Feng Xingyu again, and for some reason felt that the relationship between the Empress and him was... a little ambiguous.

No way?

Xiao Ling was startled by her own thoughts.

After all, His Majesty of the Great Chen Dynasty is already an outstanding man, how could His Majesty possibly be interested in someone else?

She must be overthinking it.

"Princess."

Mo Sangyu's cool voice rang out calmly: "Tell me first, what's the situation with this Holy Maiden?"

"The Holy Maiden is a disciple newly accepted by the Imperial Preceptor a few years ago. The Imperial Preceptor values ​​her highly, and she is also very capable. In just a few years, she has gained the King's favor and become the Holy Maiden of Qingyue Kingdom. However, she is rather wicked and ruthless in her actions, and Lord Shen has always been dissatisfied with her. Their relationship as fellow disciples is..."

In the end, Xiao Ling used only four words to describe it: "Like fire and water."

"Is her ability also superior to Shen Hanzhou's?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I understand."

Mo Sangyu only asked this one question, but he already had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"It's getting late, you should go back now."

"Alright, then I won't disturb Your Highness any longer."

As Xiao Ling stepped out of the room, she couldn't help but look back once more.

That shadow guard, he stays in the same room as the Empress, doesn't he leave at night?

Forget it.

She should refrain from meddling in things that are not her concern.

Only Mo Sangyu and Feng Xingyu remained in the room.

Feng Xingyu removed his mask and placed it on the table. Then, he rested his arms on the armrests of Mo Sangyu's chair and leaned down to look at her: "Holy Maiden, you are the person from Luanshi Mountain."

"Not only that."

Mo Sangyu leaned back: "Those zombies were also her doing."

Feng Xingyu looked at her, his posture still bent over, trapping her in the chair: "Her martial arts style doesn't seem to be from the Cangxuan Realm, nor from the Nine Provinces Continent."

"Oh?"

Mo Sangyu's eyes flickered slightly: "She might be from another place."

"Um."

Feng Xingyu nodded, his thumb gently stroking her shoulder: "What she cultivates is very evil."

"Well, I'm pretty wicked too," Mo Sangyu said with a smile. "After all, the things she did were things I'd already done."

"..."

Feng Xingyu looked at her, paused for a moment, and then quietly changed his words: "Actually, it's not that evil. It's quite powerful, at least much more powerful than the puppetry of the Yun Clan."

Before Mo Sangyu could speak, he slid his fingers from her shoulder to her cheek and gently lifted her chin: "But then again, compared to Ayu, she is far inferior and utterly vulnerable."

Mo Sangyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Feng Xiaoqi, how come I never noticed before that you have such a strong survival instinct? You're a natural at it!"

"What?"

Feng Xingyu, with a serious expression, leaned over and kissed her on the lips: "I'm just telling the truth."

"All right."

In the warm and ambiguous atmosphere, after exchanging information, Mo Sangyu pushed him away, got up and walked towards the door: "It's late, let's get down to business."

The phoenix's journey was not yet over.

Putting their masks back on, the couple disappeared out of the room.

Yu Chengwei had already rested, while Lu Jin and five imperial guards patrolled the vicinity of the palace, making arrangements for the night watch.

You have to be extra careful when you're on someone else's turf.

However, none of them noticed that Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu had already leisurely strolled out of the palace.

To speed things up, the couple decided to split up.

Feng Xingyu was responsible for investigating half of the area, while Mo Sangyu flew to the highest palace rooftop and used his soul sense to investigate the other half.

Surprisingly, they searched the entire palace but found no trace of the curse.

Mo Sangyu stood on the palace roof, the night wind blowing her silver hair, and the moonlight falling on her cool and aloof eyebrows and eyes.

With her eyes closed, she used her spiritual sense to search every palace, every corridor, and every dark room inch by inch...

Nothing was gained.

She opened her eyes and withdrew her consciousness.

His gaze fell in the direction of the Imperial Study.

The lights were still on there, and the candlelight shone through the window paper, dim and weak, as if it might go out at any moment.

Feng Xingyu appeared behind her at some point and put his arm around her waist: "Nothing."

Mo Sangyu nodded: "I don't have any here either."

The two remained silent for a moment.

"Go see him," Mo Sangyu said.

Feng Xingyu knew who she was talking about.

The two figures flashed and disappeared from the rooftop. When they reappeared, they were already standing under the corridor outside the Imperial Study.

The guards stood ten paces away, and no one noticed them.

The couple walked through the door and entered.

The Imperial Study was very large, with bookshelves against the walls piled high with scrolls and books, and several memorials lying on the desk, the ink still wet.

The King of Qingyue sat behind his desk, not reviewing any documents. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, his face as white as paper.

Mo Sangyu walked to the desk and looked at his bloodless face.

At the banquet just now, she still had a rosy glow that she was barely maintaining, but now that glow has faded, revealing her paleness underneath.

It was bluish-gray and withered, like a lamp that was about to burn out.

Feng Xingyu stood beside her, his gaze fixed on King Qingyue, his brows furrowing slightly.

Mo Sangyu reached out and checked the pulse of the King of Qingyue.

The moment her fingers touched him, the King of Qingyue woke up.

He opened his eyes and saw Mo Sangyu and the distinguished shadow guard standing in front of him, and he was stunned for a moment.

"you……"

He looked down at the fingers resting on his wrist, neither struggling nor calling out, "Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

The voice was very soft, with a slightly hoarse quality, like sandpaper rubbing against a stone.

Mo Sangyu did not answer, her fingers still resting on his wrist, her soul exploring his meridians, moving little by little.

His internal organs were failing, his meridians were dry and sluggish, and he was deficient in both qi and blood. His condition was far more serious than when I first saw him at the banquet.

This wasn't something that happened overnight; it was the result of years of accumulated deficits that had already emptied his foundation.

Now, it seems that no medicine will work for him, and he won't be able to absorb it even if he drinks it.

Mo Sangyu withdrew her hand and looked at him: "What kind of medicine do you usually take?"

King Qingyue paused for a moment, then took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

The porcelain bottle was very ordinary, without any decoration, and the mouth of the bottle was sealed with wax.

Mo Sangyu picked it up, uncorked the bottle, and poured out a pill.

The pill was dark red, with a cold, eerie light, and it had no medicinal fragrance, only an indescribable fishy-sweet smell.

"Made by the Holy Maiden."

King Qingyue spoke softly, his expression unusually calm.

"Take one pill a day. It will keep you energized enough to attend court, review memorials, and meet with ministers. Without it, you won't even be able to get out of bed."

Mo Sangyu looked at the pill in her palm, crushed it, and smelled it.

The medicine is extremely potent, abnormally so.

It forcibly stimulates the last bit of vital energy remaining in Qingyue King's body, transforming it into a superficial spirit. Once the medicinal effect wears off, the backlash will be doubled.

His already weak body will die even faster if he continues to overwork himself like this every day.

"Do you know that this medicine will kill you?" Mo Sangyu said.

The King of Qingyue looked at her and smiled.

The smile was faint, tinged with bitterness, helplessness, and a hint of relief: "I know."

"Then why do you still want to eat?"

The King of Qingyue did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, looking at the few memorials on the table, at the words that had not yet been approved, and remained silent for a long time.

Mo Sangyu thought he wouldn't answer, but he finally spoke: "Because the Crown Prince is still young, even if I could live for another year without this medicine, I wouldn't be able to do anything while I'm alive. It's better to shorten the time so I can do more for the Crown Prince..."

Mo Sangyu and Feng Xingyu exchanged a glance.

Compared to that emperor, I feel utterly ashamed.

King Qingyue raised his head, his eyes showing no resentment or unwillingness, only a calm, resigned acceptance.

"The curse of the Qingyue royal family has been passed down through generations. Those who sit in this position never live past thirty. I am not the first, nor will I be the last."

"Everyone knows that those who sit in this position are destined to die young. The chosen ones cannot escape, and the unchosen ones will not even try to take it. This is the fate of the Qingyue royal family."

"I was chosen, and I accept it. But the Crown Prince is still too young. I want to pave the way for him before I die."

What utter bullshit about destiny.

Mo Sangyu put the pills back into the porcelain bottle and placed it back on the table: "Stop taking this medicine for now."

"no."

The King of Qingyue suddenly looked up at her, his gentle gaze turning sharp: "If you stop taking the medicine, I can't do anything."

"Then consider it as if you've already died."

Mo Sangyu's voice was cool and aloof, his tone indifferent yet brooking no argument.

"You should know that the reason I came here in person is not specifically to escort Shen Hanzhou's body. If you want to change yourself and change the fate of the Qingyue royal family, then listen to me and stop taking the medicine first."

"solitary……"

King Qingyue was not an ungrateful person.

He knew very well that it was only through Xiao Yan and Xiao Ling's painstaking efforts that the Empress of Da Chen had come here in person, and now, even Lord Shen's life had been sacrificed.

He shouldn't have refused.

Perhaps, it was a sign of divine mercy that a wise man was sent to save him?

"If we stop taking the medication, then..."

"You abdicated prematurely, allowing the crown prince to ascend the throne, and then publicly declared that you were terminally ill and unable to get out of bed."

"But this medicine?"

"What, you think you can't explain it to the Holy Maiden if you don't eat it?"

"After all, she put a lot of effort into making this. If I don't eat it, I should at least give her an explanation, so that she won't... become suspicious."

Upon hearing Qingyue King's last words, Mo Sangyu's somber expression eased slightly.

From this perspective, King Qingyue wasn't completely confused.

Deep down, he understood everything, but he was powerless to change anything.

"Then just say that the medicine is lost, and you don't need to worry about anything else."

King Qingyue pondered for a long time.

He leaned on the imperial desk to stand up and bowed deeply to Mo Sangyu with difficulty: "I will never forget the kindness of the Great Chen Dynasty."

"Alright, let's talk about 'yes' or 'no' after things are resolved."

The next day.

Before dawn, news spread that the King of Qingyue was critically ill.

Song Xianya entered the palace early in the morning and discovered that the medicine that Prince Qingyue always carried with him was gone. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, did someone come looking for you last night?"