With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

Knowing they had something to discuss, Feng Wushang picked up the empty bowl and said goodbye, "Then Wushang will take her leave."

Nangong Wu nodded. "If you need anything, go find the butler."

"Wu Shang understands." Feng Wu Shang bowed and withdrew.

Li Shuang walked in and presented the invitation with both hands. "Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort's birthday is in three days, and we have also sent you an invitation."

"Is it the Imperial Noble Consort's birthday in three days?" Nangong Wu frowned.

She had attended the Imperial Noble Consort's birthday celebrations before, but it seems it wasn't this time.

"I heard that the Imperial Noble Consort's birthday was originally next month, but the Imperial Advisor cast a divination for her and said that her birthday celebration this year should be held earlier and in a grander way. Even the Empress Dowager, who was worshipping Buddha at Huguo Temple, has returned to the capital ahead of schedule!" Li Shuang presented the invitation to her with both hands.

"The Imperial Advisor?" Nangong Wu had forgotten that such a person existed.

The Imperial Advisor is skilled in divination and has the ability to foresee the future. In this capital city, he is the only one who can use magic to seize people's luck and prolong their lives.

"Li Shuang, do we have any people in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?"

Li Shuang was taken aback. "No, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is only inhabited by the Imperial Preceptor and his two disciples. The doors are closed all day long, and apart from His Majesty, very few people from the outside can enter the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."

"Your Highness, is there something wrong with this Imperial Advisor?"

"Yes, send someone to keep an eye on him and see who he associates with." The more Nangong Wu thought about it, the more she felt that the matter of forming a bond was related to this Imperial Preceptor.

"Understood!" Li Shuang went to find someone.

Nangong Wu suddenly realized that this capital city was more complex and treacherous than she had imagined.

If it is indeed this Imperial Advisor who used her fortune to form a pact with Zhou Shaorong, then we must blow up the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and destroy him at all costs.

That night, Li An and Li Zhan went to Ji Shun Inn and brought back the old man surnamed Ma, locking him in the dungeon of the Prince's Mansion.

Nangong Wu came to interrogate him overnight.

Li Zhan pulled an old man with gray hair and wearing coarse cloth clothes out of the sack and removed the gag from his mouth.

"Who are you? What...what are you doing here?" Old Man Ma stared at the several strangers in front of him with a chilling gaze, and in shock, he shuffled back little by little.

"I said I would return your money. If you kill me, you'll get nothing..."

"Is that so?" Nangong Wu, her face veiled, stepped out from behind Li Zhan.

Seeing Old Man Ma's face, which looked exactly like Nangong Qi's, confirmed her suspicions.

This person is definitely Nangong Qi's biological father.

She took out a gold ingot and handed it to Old Man Ma, saying, "Answer my question, and this gold ingot is yours!"

"Gold?" Old Man Ma's cloudy eyes lit up immediately when he saw the gold ingots. "What do you want to ask me?"

"Do you know anyone from the Zhenyuan Prince's Mansion?" Nangong Wu asked.

"What Zhenyuan Prince's Mansion? I don't know what you're talking about?" Old Man Ma became wary, his cloudy yet shrewd eyes scrutinizing him.

"Pretending, huh?" Nangong Wu sneered. "You only have two choices: answer my question and take the gold to pay off your gambling debts. Or die!"

"Who exactly are you?" Old Man Ma looked into her eyes and felt a sense of familiarity.

Li Zhan stepped forward and kicked him hard. "Answer whatever the master asks you. If you dare to cheat, I'll cut off one of your fingers."

"I'm from the capital, and I know almost all the masters in the Zhenyuan Prince's Mansion. Which one do you want to ask about?" Old Man Ma's eyes gleamed with cunning.

"I heard that you have a lover in the Zhenyuan Prince's Mansion, and that she is of noble status and has plenty of money for you to spend?" Nangong Wu asked.

Old Ma's face turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly tried to deny it, saying, "That's not true. I did say those things, but I was just talking nonsense to save my life."

Li Zhan swiftly drew his sword and thrust it down, severing his little finger.

"Ah!" Old Ma let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"Shut up!" Li Zhan held his longsword to his neck, and the sharp blade immediately drew a bloody gash.

"If you don't tell the truth, you'll lose your head."

"Don't kill me, I'll tell you everything..." Old Man Ma trembled all over in fear, and a stream of yellow liquid flowed out from his crotch.

I was so scared I peed my pants.

"Disgusting thing, if you don't tell the truth, I'll cut your head off." Li Zhan took a step back in disgust.

"The woman I know is a trusted nanny of the old prince's concubine..."

Nangong Wu's eyes turned cold. "Cut off another one of his fingers!"

Li Zhan thrust his sword down again, severing Old Man Ma's ring finger, causing him to tremble in pain.

"The old prince's two concubines have four people they trust the most. None of them are married, nor have they had any children," Nangong Wu exposed his lie.

"I..." Old Ma's lips moved, but he stopped speaking.

He knew in his heart that once he revealed that secret, his life would be over.

"I heard you owe a lot of gambling debts. If you don't pay them back in three days, they'll sell your two grandsons to slave traders and your daughter-in-law and granddaughter to brothels."

"Your granddaughter is only fourteen years old. If she is sold into that place, have you thought about what kind of fate awaits her?" Nangong Wu threw the gold ingot in front of him.

"You'd better tell the truth, otherwise not only will you die in vain, but your children and grandchildren will also become slaves to be slaughtered because of your gambling. A good family will be torn apart because of you. Can you bear it?" Nangong Wu bet that he still had some conscience towards his family.

"Fine! I said, don't touch my children and grandchildren..." Old Ma sobbed.

After a while, he wiped away his tears with his sleeve and told the whole story.

Li An immediately took out a charcoal pencil and paper, ready to take notes.

Nangong Wu took out a ballpoint pen and gave it to her. "Use this."

"This..." Li An looked at the exquisite pen with curiosity and began to examine it, but Old Man Ma had already started talking, so she hurriedly took notes.

Forty years ago, I was a stable boy in the Zhenyuan Prince's Mansion.

That day was the day the old prince welcomed his two concubines into the mansion. A grand banquet was held in the mansion to entertain the guests, and we, the lower classes, were also given a table of fine wine and food.

That night I drank too much and was half asleep when the guards of the manor carried me to the old prince's study.

I thought I had done something wrong? I knelt down and begged the prince for mercy.

The prince looked at me without saying anything, but said to the guard, "It's him." Then the guard pulled me out and gave me a set of clothes that the prince usually wore.

Later I found out that because my figure resembled the prince's, he actually made me impersonate him to consummate my marriage with the two concubines.

I was terrified, knowing that doing such a thing would definitely not end well. The guard gave me three hundred taels of silver, saying that if I could get both concubines pregnant, he would let me leave and give me another five hundred taels of silver so I could run away.

I was tempted! I also knew that now that I knew this secret, I would die if I didn't do it. From then on, every night I would wear the prince's mask and consummate my marriage with my two concubines. During the day, I would just sleep and didn't have to do anything.

Three months passed, and it was Consort Min who became pregnant first. She leaned against me, a happy look on her face, and told me she was carrying my child.