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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nAt the Shouning Palace…

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nLi Mu fumbled with the jade piece, his mental powers projecting into the piece time and time again.

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nHe still was unable to find out what made the piece tick.

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nStill no idea about anything…

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nHe put it away and grabbed a clean washcloth, before continuing to wipe the tables and chairs in the hall.

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n“Eunuch Li, grave news.”

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nLiu An, the Fourth Prince, came in just as he was finishing cleaning the furniture and was about to head out with a bucket of dirty water.

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n“What do you mean?”

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nLi Mu was puzzled.

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nThings in the palace had been quiet for many years, with the gravest of happenings being the infightings: the conflicts that had happened between the emperor’s consorts.

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nNone of that had much to do with the Shouning Palace.

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n“Sis is getting married!”

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n“Huh? That quick? Wasn’t your sis unwilling to get married?”

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nLi Mu was puzzled yet again.

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nRuirui had long ago reached marriageable age.

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nHowever, she would throw a fit whenever the emperor tried to find suitors for her.

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nShe adamantly refused to get married.

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n“Man, when she learned that the seventh son of Clan Zhao was more than he seemed, she actually said yes. Well, my father had wanted to seal the deal in the first place, so all is well, I guess.”

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n“Has the seventh son agreed to it then?” Li Mu asked.

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n“Hee, hee, hee, like he had a choice in the matter… The seventh son was forced to agree to it whether he liked it or not. But, with sis being sis, I’m afraid that seventh son…”

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n“What are you saying, Liu An?”

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nRuirui stood in the doorway, shooting cold glances at her brother.

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n“I was saying that the seventh son was forced to agree to the marriage,” Liu An tilted his head and answered.

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nHe didn’t realize that there was anything wrong with the way he’d worded things.

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nThe seventh son of Clan Zhao had been pretending for so many years, so he was most definitely up to something.

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nThe man might have thought that he was just about to marry some dumb wife.

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nBut then again, Ruirui was a smart person who was versed in just about anything that mattered, and, moreover, she was the eldest princess of the royal family.

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nThat meant that the seventh son’s plans had just run into obstacles.

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nWorse still, Ruirui had already exposed the true reason for that man’s intentions of getting married.

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nThe way Liu An saw it, the man was indeed being forced to comply.

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nUmm…but judging from the way sis is behaving, I’ve just said something wrong, haven’t I?

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n“Liu An, you piece of sh*t. I’m pretty, and I’m as smart as a girl can be. Him being forced to marry me, you said? He should be thankful that he’s got himself such a bargain, all right!”

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n“Sis, that’s not what I meant.”

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nLiu An was dumbfounded.

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n“What did you mean then? That I’m unfit for marrying a rich playboy like him, eh?”

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n“Sis…”

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n“You’re asking for it!”

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nThe Shouning Palace became all rowdy again.

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nLi Mu put down his bucket, standing in the compound as he watched the show.

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nHowever, the look on his face slowly changed before long.

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n“Hey, the floor that I just mopped! The table that I just cleaned!”

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nLiu An was chased out of Shouning Palace by Ruirui a little while later.

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nShe stood on a chair panting.

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nSigh~

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nLi Mu sighed.

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nHow could she hope to wrestle against that guy if she was so short-tempered?

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nLi Mu began to worry for her.

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n“Princess, I heard that the seventh son is quite a piece of work, that he’s a warrior at the Higher Heaven Realm. You…”

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nLi Mu was trying to warn her cautiously.

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n“There’s a wet nurse among the servant girls who will be coming with me as I get married off to Clan Zhao.”

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n“I’ve heard that the seventh son is very cunning.”

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n“As cunning as Liu An?”

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nRuirui pouted and continued, “If it hadn’t been for him reminding me that the seventh son of Clan Zhao was more than he seemed to be, I wouldn’t have asked father to look into it, and he would have just kept hiding what he’s hiding. Xiaolizi, don’t you think that Liu An and that guy could get along really well?”

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n“Umm, I’m not sure.”

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nCome to think of it, the two of them really do share some similarities.

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nBoth had tried their best to conceal their martial genius.

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nCunning, strategic, intelligent, everything they had were above the common people.

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nThat guy’s powers are even higher than those of Liu An.

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nBut then again, the prince has gotten all manner of resources from my check-ins throughout the years.

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n“Oh come on, you’re just reluctant to speak ill of him.”

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n“The Fourth Prince is still my master after all. He may be rambunctious and stubborn, but it is not my place to criticize him.”

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nLi Mu lowered his head.

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nSpeaking of which, I’m probably the one who knows how to hide my stuff best.

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nThat seventh son or Liu An, child’s play…

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n“Whatever. Didn’t Concubine Jing have a book named “Plots” around here? I’d like to take a look.”

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n“Umm…princess, I’m illiterate,” Li Mu lied.

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n“How do you go about doing diagnosis and writing prescriptions then?”

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n“It’s all guesswork.”

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n“Xiaolizi, you’ve really gotten evil.”

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nRuirui narrowed her gaze and wore a smirk on her face.

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nNot only did the ones from Shouning Palace know that Li Mu was literate, many eunuchs had also learned that he knew a lot more than he let on.

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nAt the moment, however, he was lying right to her face.

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nWorse still, his sincere look made him seem as if he was telling nothing but the truth.

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nGuess I’ve just learned something today…

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nGosh, you’re shameless!

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nWhoosh~

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nRuirui left Shouning Palace.

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n…

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nIn the Taihe Hall moments later…

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nRuirui massaged her father’s shoulders, thumping hard every now and then.

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n“Father, you need to learn to be shameless. That’s how you’ll be able to deal with the remaining noble clans. Don’t ever bother being reasonable with them. The more you try to do so, the more loss you’re gonna take.”

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n“Who did you learn this from?”

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nThe emperor turned around and shot a look at his daughter.

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nHe seemed to have sensed that his daughter had become someone else altogether.

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nLike many men out there, the emperor was practically a slave to his daughter in many ways.

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nIt was she who brought light into his life when he was at his lowest points.

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nThe love and affection he showed his daughter were totally different from what he showed the princes.

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n“Don’t bother from whom I learned this. Just tell me if I’m making sense here.”

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n“Yeah, you’re right.”

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n“And, Father, you need to get people to keep an eye on that seventh son.”

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n“Yeah, I already did.”

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nThe emperor was feeling quite a headache whenever that man was brought up.

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nNo one had known that Clan Zhao actually had some genius who was so cunning in their midst.

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nNinth tier of the Higher Heaven Realm…

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nJust one more step and he’s in the Spirit Manipulation Realm!

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nHe knew that the man would have a bright future ahead of him. He then thought about his own sons.

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nMan…

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nRuirui is really going to have a hard time.

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nI wonder just how bad it’ll be for her when she finally marries into Clan Zhao.

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nI owe this girl too much.

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n“Ruirui, just tell me if you need anything else. Anything I can do for you, I’ll see to it.”

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n“A guqin then. A very good guqin.”

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nRuirui thought for a bit and answered.

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n“That’s all?”

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n“Yeah.”

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nRuirui nodded furiously.

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nSigh~

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nThe emperor sighed.

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nIf only the boys were just as mature as Ruirui here.

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n“Tell me, Ruirui. If I were to crush Clan Zhao now, then you wouldn’t have to marry that seventh son. Your little brothers wouldn’t need to deal with such a headache in the future.”

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n“Father, no. Just no. Clan Zhao is very, very powerful. If we were to do such a thing, the noble clans would definitely rise against us. The regime would definitely be left in ruins.”

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n“We have a Saint-level master in the royal palace,” the emperor added.

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nThat was the trump card of the royal family.

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n“The Xuan Sect is right behind the fifth son of Clan Zhao. Even if the sect were to keep their hands to themselves while we razed Clan Zhao, what would happen if that guy came back to seek revenge because we couldn’t get to him?”

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nSigh~

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nThe emperor let out another long sigh while slumping onto his chair.

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nRuirui then massaged the emperor’s temples.

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n“Father, not all of my younger brothers are good-for-nothings, all right. There’s still a genius or two among them.”

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nRuirui couldn’t help but bring the subject up, seeing the state her father was in.

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n“Yeah, there’re some better ones among them, yet when compared to the seventh son of Clan Zhao, the difference is between heaven and earth.”

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nRuirui’s mouth twitched.

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nCome on, I just gave you a hint, Father. Why aren’t you getting it?

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nShould I tell father about Liu An then?

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n“Your Majesty, we’ve found the Saint-level warrior emerging out of the underground palace!”

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nA purple-robed eunuch came in at that moment.

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nWhoosh~

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nThe emperor straightened up at once.

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n“That’s fine so long as he’s still around. Make sure to not disturb him.”

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nThe emperor stood up and paced around Taihe Hall.

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n“Great Friend Yu, ask him about the man when you get the chance. Forget it, I’ll do it myself someday.”

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nRuirui was dumbfounded for quite a minute before she quietly excused herself from Taihe Hall.

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