Chapter 44
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Chapter 44
Gong Wu felt a stir upon hearing that answer, growing somewhat dazed.
The one time she had tried before, the test came late, and in the end, her inner demon was the heavy sleepiness of midnight; her master comforted her that having a clean heart was just like this.
Her senior brother had previously mentioned the numerous trials he experienced, almost like a storyteller, as if he had lived through countless illusions ahead of time.
Once one enters the Path of Emotionless, there’s no turning back.
He had witnessed his parents being killed in the illusion, personally experienced the joy of passing the imperial examination, and even transformed into a wealthy young master in a gold-digging den, everything captivating him and drawing him in.
He fell into hatred and the desire for power, wishing never to wake up again.
In these years of trials, only that one time in the Illusory Sea made him linger in the illusion for a whole half-year.
However, six months in the secret realm was merely two hours in the mortal world.
He stayed for a long time, experiencing moments of childhood he had never felt, in the guise of a newborn baby, before finally pressing down on the willow leaves.
"Sometimes I feel envious," she chuckled, "and I also worry about you."
"But you have always been so calm and composed, so even the most powerful inner demons can’t shake you much."
Du Ren listened with emotion, relating it to herself.
"If I had twenty or thirty handsome men dancing around me while I practiced, I might not be able to keep my composure."
Gong Wu choked on her hot tea, "Really?"
"I’m young and vigorous, full of energy; how could it be fake?" Du Ren waved her hand, "It’s too bad that healers have few opportunities for retreat, always busy gathering herbs and treating patients."
After some idle conversation, the task of ensnaring the emperor in an illusion was laid before them.
A dream only required vague sensations and a few fragmented images.
An illusion needed to sketch out the scene and characters, each character having their own personality; the difficulty was vastly different.
The hardest to create was the Illusory Sea that Ji Yang had previously experienced, where the entire world felt equally real and unreal, each person leading an independent life, indistinguishable from the real world.
"I’ll weave the scene, and you can take on the roles."
"Eh?" Du Ren realized, "That’s right, to convince that emperor, we have to make it genuine."
"Then I’ll play Lady Fuju, Junior Brother Ji will play the Prime Minister, and Junior Sister can pick any concubine from the Harem, pretending that she actually married the Prime Minister."
"Be careful about your safety…" Gong Wu pulled at her, "What if the emperor wants to get close to you?"
"We’re already tricking him into the illusion, what’s there to be afraid of?" Du Ren laughed, "With a wave of my sleeve, I’ll sprinkle a fragrance; Little Wu need not worry."
Only in the warm main chamber where the emperor resided was there a Taoist master’s strict defense; who could stop him if he wanted to sneak out in plain clothes?
When the time came, in the same palace, at the same fork in the road, once the formations were altered, the Emperor would fall into the illusion, as if experiencing a very real life.
Without delay, Gong Wu and Du Ren followed the guidance of the spiritual scroll to find the narrow path to the emperor’s usual residence, transforming the nearby willow tree into the entrance to the illusion.
Once he passed this tree, he would step into another world.
Du Ren specifically visited the Prime Minister’s residence, altering her form to reflect the smile of Lady Fuju, instantly appearing graceful and gentle, very approachable.
Gong Wu, on the other hand, flew around the Upper Three Palaces, choosing a less favored Lady Chen, and transforming her appearance to match.
Before long, Ji Yang also disguised himself as the Prime Minister and chose a robe in a color similar to Gong Wu’s.
"Is everyone ready?" Du Ren confirmed the strategy, "I’ll act as his concubine, smiling while saying a few words, then retreating as per the rules."
"And then you’ll go to the hall after marriage to thank the emperor for the wonderful fate he bestowed upon you."
Ji Yang held a red brush in the shadows, drawing out formation symbols, adding a few more strokes to create a hint of fragrance to deepen the effect.
"Alright, I’ll take care of that."
The emperor would pass by his residence, witnessing their harmonious marital bliss firsthand.
He would truly understand where the problem lay.
As the clock chimed, Yun Junxi awoke in the jade palanquin, propping his forehead with one hand and asking, "What time is it?"
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it is two quarters past noon.”
The willows outside the gauzy curtain swayed gently, bringing a refreshing breeze.
“We are approaching the warm chamber,” the head eunuch said with a hurried smile, “Lady Shu has been waiting for you and arrived about an hour ago.”
Yun Junxi frowned in displeasure, “I did not summon her; yet she knows how to appear uninvited.”
As the imperial carriage halted, he stepped into the side hall.
Before he could cross the threshold, a familiar, soft voice greeted him, “This humble servant is late in receiving Your Majesty; I beg for your forgiveness.”
Yun Junxi looked up sharply, as if doubting his own ears.
Before him stood Lady Fuju, dressed in the attire of Lady Shu from the Harem!
Suddenly, she seemed no different from the other concubines of the Harem, smiling with a respectful gentleness, her eyes alight with unmistakable joy as she gazed at him.
It must be a dream; it had to be a dream.
He took a step back, and instead of the overwhelming joy he expected after such a long separation, a wave of anger surged within him.
Lady Fuju was clad in the formal attire of a palace consort, her demeanor and appearance unchanged from before.
Yet, he felt as though something was lodged in his throat, akin to discovering that his cherished summer flower had inexplicably faded in the deep palace.
No, no, something was amiss; this should not be happening—she should not be here!
Lady Fuju ushered him into the hall, serving him his favorite tea and engaging in light conversation.
Yun Junxi’s gaze remained fixed on her, so intensely that she covered her mouth and laughed, “Your Majesty must have missed this humble servant dearly; we seem to have grown distant today!”
He did not even touch the teacup; everything felt alien and strange.
Fortunately, the eunuch’s announcement came to his rescue, sparing him from further close interaction with her.
“Your Majesty! Prime Minister Zhang has come to express his gratitude!”
Yun Junxi pursed his lips and nodded; the woman beside him took the cue and withdrew, restoring a semblance of tranquility.
In the brief moment before the Prime Minister entered, his thoughts were in turmoil.
When he observed her from afar, his heart raced uncontrollably; even a single word exchanged after a year felt intensely passionate.
But how could it be… how could it evoke such an unmistakable disgust when she drew near?
She was supposed to be different from the women of the Harem!
As Prime Minister Zhang entered, his demeanor was as refreshing as a spring breeze, exuding an undeniable lightness and vigor.
“I humbly thank Your Majesty for the gracious gift of this wonderful marriage, allowing me to have such an excellent wife!”
He smiled, his eyes gleaming with excitement, his voice clear and vibrant.
“Lady Chen is so gentle and kind; her temperament is truly remarkable!”
Lady Chen?
Yun Junxi’s heart skipped a beat, recalling that there was indeed a Lady Chen in his palace.
He had summoned her a couple of times according to the royal records, but her face was now almost a blur in his memory.
Could it be—had this Prime Minister exchanged wives with him?!
No matter what the Prime Minister said next, Yun Junxi could not bring himself to listen. Instead, his mind churned with the thought of whether this Lady Chen was the same Lady Chen he had once possessed, as if he had lost a beloved consort.
In the past, Yun Junxi had made countless wishes in the Dao Palace, yearning for a chance with the one he should never have touched.
Now that his long-held desire had been fulfilled, it felt as though he had slammed into an iron wall; even his breathing grew heavy and labored.
When the Prime Minister finally took his leave, Yun Junxi barely lifted his eyelids and responded with icy indifference.
Before the officials could walk far, Yun Junxi swiftly ordered the eunuch to prepare a change of clothes and hurried out of the side hall, slipping through a narrow passage to exit the palace.
He needed to see with his own eyes whom the Prime Minister had married!
The secret path out of the palace was winding and twisting, but as he galloped away, it felt as though only a flash of lightning separated him from his destination.
In the past, whenever he wished to see her, he would pretend to discuss chess with the Prime Minister, casually exchanging a word or two when Lady Chen came to serve tea.
But now, he could not wait; he had to see her immediately!
The Lady Fuju, who resembled a palace concubine, was suddenly pushed to the back of his mind.
Yun Junxi’s thoughts were consumed by the Lady Chen who had been taken from him, and a nameless fury surged within him.
Before he could devise a way to sneak into the Prime Minister’s residence, laughter drifted from outside the main gate.
Gong Wu’s laughter was slightly forced, but with the help of her senior sister’s medicine, her disguise was flawless, making her look exactly like Lady Chen.
“Shall we go to Diequan Alley today?”
“If you want those green rice cakes, we can just send someone to buy them.”
Ji Yang glanced down at her and extended his arm slightly.
Gong Wu then realized and linked her arm around his, playfully leaning against the young man’s elbow.
“It’s not just about the rice cakes!”
“I’ve been waiting and waiting, just hoping to walk out with you, silly!”
She had studied Lady Chen’s smile for a long time, and now she imitated it perfectly.
Ji Yang allowed her to snuggle close, his peripheral vision catching the Emperor standing nearby, looking utterly lost and desolate.
Casually, he plucked a plum blossom and tucked it into her hair.
His smile was warm, and his voice brimmed with affection.
“Taking leave early today—just to accompany whom?”
The two of them did not bother with a carriage, walking hand in hand like an ordinary couple, slowly making their way into the distance.
In just that brief moment, Yun Junxi’s defenses crumbled, leaving him trembling uncontrollably.
Lady Chen—why did the Lady Chen, who had always seemed timid and fearful in his presence, now bloom with such radiant smiles after marrying the Prime Minister?
He wandered back in a daze, his expression flickering between a smile and tears, finally realizing that he was the one who had been lost in obsession all along.
How many beautiful women had he pushed away, treating them as nothing more than tools for producing heirs?!
He did not love the Lady Fuju from the Prime Minister’s residence; he loved the wives and families of others, those whom he had resented and guarded against for countless years!
As he returned to the palace, Yun Junxi leaned against the wall, his spirit utterly adrift.
Even when a willow branch grazed his hairpin, he remained completely unaware.
He remembered many of the concubines with whom he had fathered children, yet he had forgotten even more.
He should have loved someone with true sincerity.
He should have loved someone long before now.
The shadows of childhood fears and his resentment toward his father’s favoritism toward the noble consort were now laid bare under the clear light of day.
Yun Junxi did not notice that three Daoists were calmly observing everything from high up on the palace walls.
Step by step, he walked back to the warm pavilion, as if preparing to swallow the bitter fruit of facing Lady Fuju once more.
Unexpectedly, the head eunuch hurried over with a palanquin, exclaiming anxiously, "Your Majesty, I was terrified something had happened when I couldn’t find you!"
"Please, ascend quickly and do not strain your imperial body!"
The water clock chimed once more.
Yun Junxi had already stepped into the palanquin when he suddenly raised his brow and asked, "What time is it now?"
"Your Majesty, it is a quarter past noon," came the reply.
He froze in place, as though awakening from a dream.
High above, Gong Wu stood watching intently, fearing the Emperor might curse in anger. The jade pendant at her waist floated up on its own, swiftly transforming into rapidly flipping pages.
Du Ren, too, was anxiously awaiting the outcome, muttering nervously, "Should we speed things up now? Shouldn’t we try to compensate somehow?"
"I didn’t touch it!"
"Ah?! Could it be—"
The three individuals felt their feet grow light, followed by a familiar wave of dizziness.
Qin Cuohua steadied Du Ren, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"You all—have you completed all Four Tribulations?!"
"How is this possible? Have you finished already?!"
Gong Wu glanced into the distance, where representatives from all thirty major sects had suddenly emerged. Some old men stared so wide-eyed it seemed their eyes might pop out.
…Would it be too inappropriate to return to Master now and ask for a bowl of chicken soup?
