Nine Nights Owl Song

In the middle of March of the eighteenth year of Yong'an

The news of the second prince's confinement caused a stir in the court, but it became a topic of conversation after the fact.

One day, people's conversations quietly shifted from "the second prince assassinating his younger brother" to "the sixth prince being afraid of his wife."

The storyteller on the street claps his gavel, his eyebrows dancing with excitement:

"Speaking of the Sixth Prince, Xiao Yan, he was a notorious wastrel in Luoyang, skilled in all sorts of pleasures but completely ignorant of serious matters. Now he's married to Su Jiuge, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, a ruthless killer! Guess what? The Sixth Prince is completely subdued by her, and doesn't even dare to take a concubine!"

The teahouse erupted in laughter.

Someone chimed in, "That's right! My cousin works at Prince Zhao's residence and saw with his own eyes the Sixth Prince serving tea and water to the Princess Consort, and she didn't even give him a smile!"

Another person clicked his tongue twice: "Marrying such a shrew, you're lucky to even survive, let alone dare to take a concubine?"

Rumors spread quickly in the marketplace, but take on a different appearance when they reach the imperial court.

The ministers dared not speak to his face, but what they said behind his back was even more unpleasant.

The Vice Minister of War and the Vice Minister of Personnel were chatting idly in their office, their voices extremely low:

"Sixth Prince has really messed up this time. Marrying Su Jiuge is like marrying an ancestor."

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel stroked his beard:

"A piece of trash paired with a demon, they're actually a good match."

The two exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.

The Crown Prince hosted a banquet at the Eastern Palace to entertain several trusted ministers.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation naturally turned to the Sixth Prince.

The crown prince smiled, holding his wine cup.

"Sixth Prince has been hopeless since childhood. When the Grand Tutor taught him to read, he fell asleep. When his master taught him martial arts, he sneaked off to the Imperial Garden to catch crickets. How many times has the Emperor scolded him? Has he changed? No. Now that he's married Su Jiuge, he's lost even the last shred of dignity a man should have. I heard he's even serving Su Jiuge water to wash her feet in the mansion?"

The staff burst into laughter.

The crown prince put down his wine cup, but there was no smile in his eyes.

The sixth brother is useless, but he has Su Jiuge in his hands.

Su Jiuge possessed the Dark Pavilion, the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion, and the Thousand Machine Tower. If a good-for-nothing married a woman who held sway over three powerful forces, would he still be considered good-for-nothing? The Crown Prince raised his wine cup and drank another cup.

When the news reached the Second Prince's ears, he was confined to his residence and unable to go anywhere.

The chief of staff relayed these gossips to him, and the second prince gave a cold laugh.

"Sixth brother? A complete waste. His greatest achievement in life is marrying a good wife. Without Su Jiuge, what is he?"

He paused, gritted his teeth, and said, "That woman, Su Jiuge, will die by my hand sooner or later."

The chief of staff dared not respond.

Xiao Yan was well aware of the rumors circulating outside.

Every day, Bai Yu would compile the information collected by Qianji Tower into a thick stack and send it to Prince Zhao's residence, most of which were cursing him.

He'd heard the words "useless sixth brother" since he was a child, and he no longer cared about them.

But "fear of one's wife" was a new term, and he found it novel.

Su Jiuge sat opposite him, holding the dossier in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed.

"They said you brought me water to wash my feet in the mansion."

Xiao Yan picked up his teacup.

"You won't let me into your room, so I can't take it even if I want to."

Su Jiuge put down the file and looked at him. She wasn't good at comforting people.

She only said one sentence: "I'll kill them for you."

Xiao Yan smiled.

"Kill one, and another will come. There's no way to kill them all." He paused.

"Let them talk. I've been playing the fool for over twenty years, a few more words won't make a difference."

Su Jiuge remained silent for a moment.

"You're not useless."

Xiao Yan's fingers paused slightly on the teacup.

Five words, very short, but more effective than any comforting words.

She is Su Jiuge, Su Jiuge who never lies.

She said she wasn't useless, so she wasn't useless.

In mid-March, the situation in the imperial court began to subtly change.

With the second prince imprisoned, the crown prince seized the opportunity to win over the previously wavering neutral faction, gaining considerable influence.

But he overlooked one detail—some of those he won over were secretly arranged by Xiao Yan.

Over the years, Qianjilou has cultivated a group of young officials who are scattered across the six ministries and departments. Although their positions are not high, they are all in key roles.

One was a clerk in charge of the treasury in the Ministry of Revenue, another was an assistant director in charge of the allocation of military equipment in the Ministry of War, and the third was a secretary in charge of filing case files in the Ministry of Justice. Their official positions were not particularly prominent, but once there was any disturbance in the court, they could spread the news immediately.

Xiao Yan planted these seeds one by one in the soil of the court, and now it is time for them to sprout.

Su Jiuge wasn't idle either.

After the wedding, most of the remaining forces of the photography studio were absorbed by the Dark Pavilion, which more than doubled its strength.

Ghost Shadow led his men to take over the photography studio's stronghold in Jiangnan, Shen Qing led his men to wipe out the remaining members of the photography studio in the northern border, and Ghost Hand was responsible for integrating the intelligence network.

Faceless—now known as Zhao Tiesheng, he is in charge of training newly recruited assassins.

The Dark Pavilion's territory expanded from Cangwu Mountain to Jiangnan and the northern border.

The Crown Prince was busy suppressing the Second Prince, while the Second Prince was busy retaliating.

Neither of them noticed Su Jiuge and Xiao Yan's subtle actions.

One plots in the shadows, the other kills in the open—their teamwork is impeccable.

On the last day of March, Xiao Yan went to the palace to pay his respects.

Emperor Yong'an looked better than when they last met. Seeing Xiao Yan enter, he put down his writing brush and leaned back in his chair.

"Sixth Brother, is your hand all better?"

Xiao Yan raised his left hand and moved his fingers.

"That's about it."

Emperor Yong'an nodded.

He looked at Xiao Yan with a complicated expression.

He had never understood this son since he was a child.

When I was a child, I thought he was stupid; when I grew up, I thought he was lazy; now I know—he was faking it.

"I've heard the gossip going around," Emperor Yong'an said.

"Tell me you're afraid of your wife."

Xiao Yan smiled.

"Father, it's not that I'm afraid of my wife, it's that I respect her. She's had a tough life, she's suffered a lot since she was little. I just want her to have a few days of peace."

Emperor Yong'an remained silent for a moment.

"You certainly know how to take care of people."

Xiao Yan lowered his head and did not reply.

Emperor Yong'an suddenly asked:

"When do you plan to let me hold my grandson?" Xiao Yan choked for a moment.

Emperor Yong'an was delighted to see his son's embarrassed state; it was rare to see the sixth prince like this.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore. Go back and take good care of your injuries. I'm well aware of what's going on in court."

Xiao Yan took his leave.

Emperor Yong'an called him back as he reached the door.

"Sixth Brother, you've been pretending to be useless for over twenty years, aren't you tired?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment.

"I'm tired. But if I don't pretend, those rumors won't just be about 'the useless sixth son,' they'll be about 'the usurper sixth son.'"

Emperor Yong'an waved his hand.

"Get lost."