Chapter 103

Henceforth, the Emperor smiled gently. “Well then, let’s do things according to Muhou’s wishes and have Ling’er help Mu Xiaojie. However, Zhen does not allow him to marry her. Mu Xiaojie’s marriage matters will be discussed after two years.”

When he said these words, Zi You’s face that was capable of causing the downfall of a country emerged in his mind. He couldn’t help but lustfully fantasize what kind of devastating beauty she would be in two years. No one deserves such a woman, other than Zhen, the son of heaven.

The Emperor and Empress Dowager’s conversation was known by Taizi less than two hours later.

Taizi thought of the words Darong Ka said the night he returned from the General’s Manor and unconsciously frowned.

He was originally insistent on not having Darong Ka reveal himself. If his Fuwang knew he had a Miao shaman in his fu, he didn’t need to think about being Taizi anymore. He might even be beheaded.

Therefore, he said to Darong Ka at that time, “You cannot let anyone know of your existence. Now is not the time you should make your move. This Taizi wants to know who else is moving secretly.”

“Yes.” Darong Ka agreed at the time, but he snuck into the General’s Manor. He was not only bitten by a poisonous snake, but he also said to Taizi, “This slave is certain that Mu Xiaojie has spiritual ability. You have to find a way to use her. Those with strong spiritual awareness have the destructive power of 10,000 soldiers. Even a city can be annihilated.”

Taizi could no longer remain calm. Old General Mu had 1/3 of Great Yan’s army in his hands. Almost everyone knew about Mu family’s troops.

Even some of the senior generals in his Fuwang’s 1/3 share of the army came from Old General Mu’s troops.

The last 1/3 of the army was in the hands of his uncle, An Wang.

Whether it was An Wang or Old General Mu, they were both loyal to his Fuwang. Because of the Empress Dowager’s love for An Wang, the Emperor was growing more distrustful of his own younger brother. As a result, the Emperor relied more and more heavily on Old General Mu.

Although he was Taizi, he had no military power in his hands and he was not Fuwang’s most favored wangzi. In addition, with the Empress Dowager’s blind love for An Wang Shizi Shangguan LingRan and An Wang’s heavy military power, it would not be strange if he was kicked off the Taizi position one day.

His in-laws, the She family, was a civil official family. They could not help him in a decisive role anyway.

Thinking of this, Taizi couldn’t help but be annoyed at his mother. She only knew how to think for her clan’s sake when she picked out his Taizifei from the She family. She didn’t think about whether they could help him or not.

Fortunately, he did the Empress Dowager’s work and begged to marry Liu Ruixue as ceifei. At least, he dragged Duke Anguo fu onto his ship.

Although Duke Anguo returned his military power back to his Fuwang, his prestige was still there. He was also the Empress Dowager’s maiden family. Taizi was very satisfied with this marriage.

He also had another cefei, who was the Minister of War’s daughter. Would Zi You, a great general’s Di granddaughter, be willing to marry him as shufei [imperial concubine of lower status than cefei]? The answer was clearly no.

Wouldn’t Old General Mu hate Taizi then? Not only would he not help him, but he might disrupt Taizi’s plans.

Taizi thought about Zi You’s figure that was capable of causing the downfall of a country and Old General Mu’s military power and went outside.

At the same time, Shangguan LingRan also found out the details of the conversation between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. [TL Note: No wonder Taizi was so “in love” with Liu Ruixue. He was after her powerful family]

Shangguan Lingkan put away the carefree smile on his face. His whole person was colder than an iceberg.

At this moment, his hatred for his biological imperial uncle, the Emperor, was clearer than anything else.

Dog emperor! You sent two cheap women to steal away mother’s happiness and deprive this Shizi Ye of a happy childhood. Now you want to steal Ye’s You’er? You want to be an old bull eating tender grass? Would this Ye let you have your way?

The Shangguan LingRan you killed was a dandy. This Ye is not. The winner has yet to be determined. From now on, let’s have a good fight.

For his disguise, Shangguan Lingkan imitated his substitute, the deceased dandy, to some degree. But his true face was someone who was evil on the surface and a cold-to-the-bone person on the inside.

The fake Shangguan LingRan was lustful. He would lay his hands on any female with a bit of charm. But the real Shangguan LingRan was still a virgin.

The reason was before his breakthrough to the seventh stage of the martial arts skill he practiced, Xuantian Jue, he could not lose his virgin status. Otherwise, he would never reach the tenth stage.

After he reached the seventh stage, his personality grew colder. It wasn’t that Xuanyuan Sect did not have any female disciples, but that he didn’t put them in his eyes.

Girls in Jianghu (the pugilistic world] were more forthright, but lacked elegance and refinement. No matter how he looked at it, he felt they were a bit vulgar.

After he returned to the imperial capital, the Empress Dowager really wanted him to be engaged. But the noble blue-blooded xiaojies he saw were either weak and fragile or arrogant and looked at him with contempt

Either that or they were love-struck fools who were stunned by his appearance. They put on a fake bashful appearance. Only Mu Zi You, in the market that day, with her proud and aloof figure, attracted his gaze in the

crowd.

The second time they met was in Zhao HongXiang’s study at Duke Yongnan fu. He saw that such a young girl already had the seductive charm of a mature woman and was shocked.

But the thing that happened next made him more shocked. He was shocked that an underage girl had ability, ingenious schemes, and a malicious heart.

She seemed to have some hatred with that person called Zhao HongXiang. The malice and hatred in her eyes at that moment surprised Shangguan Lingkan.

As a result, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He didn’t expect that although the little yatou struck him, she did not use her full strength. Otherwise, it would not have been that easy to dodge that ox-hair needle.

The interesting thing was that the little yatou saw that she missed and immediately pretended to be weak and helpless to win his sympathy.

At that moment, looking into her beautiful jewel-like eyes shedding crystal-clear beads of tears, he didn’t have the heart.

Therefore, he flew with her out the window before the people arrived.

But he did not expect the little yatou to bite the hand that fed her and spat out a hallucinogen at him.

At the moment she wanted to strike him, the little yatou finally let him off. At that moment, he felt inexplicably happy.

As for why he was happy, when he saw her again at Duke Anguo fu and heard her righteous words to Shangguan Lingluo insulting her mother, he finally realized it. This girl had the same pride and unyielding character in her bones as him.

He was not mistaken. Everything that happened later confirmed that although this girl was ruthless and scheming, she was only that way to people she hated.

Towards her friends and family, she loved and protected them bone-deep. In the throne room, she was stubborn about following her grandfather onto the battlefield. A blue-blooded noble xiaojie was willing to do the lowest work to save soldiers. Shangguan Lingkan was once again moved.

He fairly flew back to Jingyang Palace. He coaxed and acted spoiled to the Empress Dowager and she finally agreed to summon Zi You. He ridiculed and mocked her while they were talking, to help her.

The more Shangguan LingRan thought, the more he felt uneasy. First, he didn’t know how Zi You saw him. Looking at her previous attitude towards him, he feared she didn’t like him.

His imperial uncle the Emperor was just like Taizi. He was a dark-hearted, sanctimonious hypocrite.

Shangguan LingRan did not have a definite ability to compete with them yet. The key issue was that his Fuwang’s [An Wang) attitude was ambiguous. He was deeply loyal to his imperial brother. He even favored the cefeis the Emperor used the Empress to bestow to him and the son Su Cefei born. He hated he couldn’t take away Shangguan LingRan’s Shizi title and give it to that Shangguan Liran.

Although the Empress Dowager favored him out of guilt, if he really fell out with the Emperor, he wasn’t sure that the Empress Dowager would stand on his side.

The worst thing was that no one could stop the Emperor from taking Zi You as a consort. Would the Empress Dowager offend her own son for her grandson and Zi You?

Shangguan LingRan tightly frowned. He suddenly beckoned to his guards. “From now on, protect Mu Zi You twenty-four hours a day.”

The next day, the Emperor’s imperial decree arrived at the General’s Manor. The eunuch was longwinded and said a lot of words she was unable to comprehend. The translated meaning was: “Old General Mu’s Di granddaughter, Mu Zi You, is loyal, patriotic, filial, and intelligent. She is conferred as the commander of the female medical team. She is permitted to form a female medical team and follow the army to the front lines. In recognition of her patriotism and filial piety, she is bestowed 10,000 silvers, 1,000 gold, and two guards to protect Mu Zi You. An Wang Shizi Shangguan LingRan, Imperial Doctor Qi, and Imperial Doctor Yin are to assist Mu Zi You.”

Old General Mu was a bit unhappy. He was vehemently opposed to men being by his granddaughter’s side, but the Emperor still sent out such a decree.

What does he mean? Is he using this opportunity to put me in my place? He wants to tell me that what he says goes. He is the ultimate ruler of the world?

Or is he sending someone to control You’er and essentially controlling me? Perhaps, it is both.

But why is he sending An Wang Shizi over, someone he always had qualms about?

The things Old General Mu thought of, Zi You also thought of. She was finally certain that Shangguan Lingkan held no malice towards her. In fact, he had always been helping her.

Then, was the Emperor sending him to her side this time to test Shangguan LingRan or to test her?

Also, with four people constantly watching her, how was she to train the females according to her own training program?

The Emperor absolutely could not find out that she knew martial arts. The Emperor seemed to trust her grandfather very much, but that was because he was using her grandfather to suppress An Wang.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep