Consort of a Thousand Faces

The sky gradually darkened as an array of twinkling stars began to peek out.

Inside the posthouse, Pei Qianhao was smirking as he stared at a piece of paper in his hand.

“What, you have grabbed hold of the fox’s tail?” Du Ling grinned.

Pei Qianhao simply passed the piece of paper to him.

Skimming through it, Du Ling’s eyes twinkled in anticipation. “Hua Ziqing really knows how to play. Does he honestly think that everything is within his grasp? What do you think of Prime Minister Wen’s death?”

Arrogance spread across Pei Qianhao’s visage. “One cannot escape from the sins they have committed.”

“Hua Ziqing schemed well, and has finally obtained that object. Now, the one with a headache is Hua Zirong.” Du Ling remarked coldly.

Pei Qianhao shook his head. “The winner of this chess game can’t be determined until the end. Speaking of which, Hua Ziqing dared to think of touching this Prince; I have no plans on letting him off easily.” Ruthlessness shone in his eyes.

“He thinks that he has deceived everyone.”

“What is fake won’t be real, and what is real won’t be fake. Everything depends on how he handles it.” Iciness glimmered in Pei Qianhao’s eyes.

Du Ling’s brow was knitted. “Yun Ruofeng should also be acting soon.”

“Block incoming soldiers with generals when they come, and block the incoming flood with earth when it comes.” Pei Qianhao said in an arrogant manner.

Du Ling smiled faintly. Han Xin became a general due to Xiao He’s recommendation, but he also got killed due to Xiao He’s stratagem [1] – winning and losing at the same person’s hand; Yun Ruofeng’s fate is already set in stone.

~~~

Su Xi-er lied in bed, her emotions unstable and her eyebrows furrowed as if she was in extreme pain. Meanwhile, a man had stealthily snuck in and scattered an unknown powder in the air.

Even though Su Xi-er was dreaming, her body became alert on instinct as she felt someone approaching her. Breaking through the nightmares, her eyes fluttered open to see the cloaked man.

Su Xi-er’s eyes were at a freezing temperature. “I have been waiting for a long time.”

Wu Ling dashed in with the guards and surrounded the cloaked man.

There was not a single trace of panic on the cloaked man’s countenance. “Princess Consort Hao is indeed amazing. To think that you could battle the effects of such a potent medicinal powder.”

Su Xi-er sneered. “You were too careless. Did you honestly think that the posthouse is a place you can come and go as you please?”

Coldness glinted in the cloaked man’s eyes as he arrogantly claimed. “What you said isn’t wrong. This old man can indeed come and go as I please. Princess Consort Hao, you can’t trap me.” 

Su Xi-er smiled faintly. “Is that so? Then let’s have you try.”

The cloaked man sneered and poured some unknown liquid on the floor. In an instant, his surroundings lit up with a red colour, forcing the guards around him to retreat.

Su Xi-er smiled coldly. “I thought it was something incredible, but it turns out that it’s just a trick played by street performers in the jianghu.”

She picked up a teacup from the table and scattered its contents towards the man, causing the red glow to dim.

The cloaked man sneered inwardly. Did you really think that this is a trick by jianghu street performers?

The red light flared up again, this time more intensely.

1. From the historical records by Sima Qian in the Western Han Dynasty