Jin Se

Chapter 71

A few days after the mysterious phenomena had appeared on Dagu Road, the court received urgent notification. It's said that the emperor, who'd been doing "after-dinner activities" with his concubines at the time, made countless "imperial descendents" come out early.

After which, he vomited so badly he could hardly eat for three days... of course, whether it was the incident at Dagu Road or the little accident that no one dared whisper about even in the dead of night that disgusted him more was anyone's guess.

The court, an easily agitated bunch, was thrown into an uproar when they heard about the news. They started arguing like they were at a meat market, name-calling and all.

The news of Zou Yanlai's, Sir Zou's, death didn't make the slightest waves. It seemed that some people, no matter how famous they were in life, no matter how hard they worked, would be unremembered once they died.

The information, brought back by the Cuibing bird, made Shi Wuduan, his once-enemy, pause.

"Oh, Zou Yanlai's dead?" Shi Wuduan had said. When the Cuibing bird flew in, it'd spilled a bowl of water all over the table and splashed its owner's sleeve with cold water. At the moment, it was preening itself - ever since the rabbit had died, it'd been pitifully lonely for a long time. But upon seeing Bai Li, it instantly came back to life, somehow knowing that the person it'd feared for so long was the same companion that it'd spent countless years beside.

Meng Zhongyong and Li Si-niang were sitting to the side, waiting to hear his expert opinion. But unexpectedly, Shi Wuduan seemed to have forgotten about the matter as he turned all his focus to wiping off his wet sleeve.

After a decade on the battlefield, Meng Zhongyong was no longer the brash youth who'd once squatted in a courtyard and secretly shared a bowl of noodles with Shi Wuduan. His handsome features now had an air of cold austerity. Even though he was still foul-mouthed and unmannered as ever, he'd already become a dangerous and astute man. He was no longer like a simpleminded large-size pet.

Since Shi Wuduan kept his whereabouts concealed, he'd seen them less and less over the years. Even so, his "so overly-conscientious that he had to overthink it even when he farted" behavior made Meng Zhongyong's balls hurt every time he saw him.

It was a good thing that Li Si-niang was there because he didn't quite dare to swear out loud in front of her. He had no choice but to try and pretend politeness as he asked, "You said just then that Zou Yanlai died, so how's that?"

"Very good." Shi Wuduan replied, "Yan Zhen's practically lost an arm, now that Zou Yanlai is dead. Not to mention that the Mi Sect has lost over half their elites on the battlefield. I think it's a rather good thing. We can celebrate with a bowl of noodles."

Li Si-niang frowned, catching on to his undertone, "What, you think that emperor's going to go back on his words and reinstate Yan Zhen?"

"It's no matter if he does. The emperor's words are worth their weight in gold, so of course, they're worthless." Shi Wuduan paused, looked down, and rolled his sleeve before continuing, "Even if he didn't plan on reinstating Yan Zhen, I've already sent a message to eldest brother, the situation will force him to do so."

Meng Zhongyong asked, "Is it really that important who the emperor reinstates?"

Shi Wuduan's lips curled in a cold sneer as he said slowly, "If he doesn't reinstate Yan Zhen. then how will I catch them all in one net?"