CMWKSD -Chapter 150 The Cunning Merchant

But the next day, Ji Chaomian took the initiative to look for the magistrate, only to find out that he had gone to the outskirts of the capital to handle a case, with no set return date.

It was incredibly inconvenient. Ji Chaomian made a note of it. This matter had to be clarified; otherwise, if anything went wrong in the future, layer by layer, it would be their low-level subordinates who would bear the blame. Ji Chaomian certainly wasn’t going to take that risk.

The detoxification of Prince Fu went very smoothly.

After being in a haze for several months, Prince Fu opened his eyes one day and thought he had already arrived in the underworld. He couldn’t understand why the huge weight pressing on his chest, the all-over aching pain, seemed to have disappeared entirely.

Opening his eyes, he saw Emperor Fengyuan sitting at the bedside. His eyes filled with tears as he cried out, “Yuan’er! You… you too…”

They were about the same age, and the Chus had very few heirs. When they were young, Prince Fu had played with Emperor Fengyuan for several years. For Emperor Fengyuan, Prince Fu was both like a brother and a father.

“Yuan’er” was the nickname the Empress Dowager had given Emperor Fengyuan, which he later even used when drafting his own title.

Prince Fu thought Emperor Fengyuan had also come to the underworld. He grabbed the Emperor’s hand and cried uncontrollably.

Emperor Fengyuan stared at Prince Fu in disbelief. He thought it might be a side effect of the detoxification and was about to call for Jiu Yue, when he saw Prince Fu squeeze his hand, shakily wipe his own tears, and mutter twice, “Why is it warm?”

Emperor Fengyuan laughed out loud: “Little Imperial Uncle!”

Prince Fu instinctively responded. Even when he was seriously ill, no matter how many times Emperor Fengyuan called him “Little Imperial Uncle,” Prince Fu would, with all his remaining strength, respond.

The Chu family had long since accepted their fate, but having grown up together, and separated by generations, the bond between Prince Fu and Emperor Fengyuan was naturally extraordinary.

Prince Fu just wanted to hold on a little longer… one more day, two more days… not to leave Emperor Fengyuan alone to face that terrifying curse.

Emperor Fengyuan patted Prince Fu’s hand: “Little Imperial Uncle, you’re healed. The poison is gone!”

Prince Fu then looked around at his surroundings—it wasn’t the ghostly, hellish underworld described in dramas. He was still in the human world. He was still alive. Feeling his body, it was warm. Though it felt bony, it was warm.

“I… I’m still alive.”

Emperor Fengyuan nodded. Chu Yi peeked at Prince Fu and noticed that his face had regained some color, almost moved to tears from joy.

Prince Fu, momentarily excited, then remembered something. His expression turned serious: “You mean we were poisoned?”

Emperor Fengyuan’s face also darkened: “Yes. All members of the Chu bloodline were poisoned, which is why heirs were scarce and lifespans short.”

Prince Fu nearly leapt out of bed, though his weak body couldn’t manage it.

“You! You mean that for so many years, the reason no one in our Chu family lived past forty-five, the reason we had so few children, is because we were poisoned?!”

Emperor Fengyuan’s solemn expression confirmed Prince Fu’s suspicion.

Prince Fu slammed the bed: “Who! Who exactly? Who silently poisoned our Chu family for all these years?!”

Emperor Fengyuan comforted him: “Little Imperial Uncle, rest assured. I will give all members of the Chu family an explanation!”

Prince Fu weakly nodded: “Good.”

Jiu Yue approached, glancing at Prince Fu: “Let him sleep. All his energy has gone into being angry.”

Prince Fu looked at the suddenly appearing beautiful young girl and opened his mouth to speak—but before he could, Jiu Yue pricked him once with a silver needle.

Then everyone watched as Prince Fu’s head tilted, and he began to snore.

Emperor Fengyuan: …

Chu Yi: !!!

Emperor Fengyuan looked at Jiu Yue, whose silver needle seemed to glint with a cold light, feeling a strange sense of fear. With Jiu Yue’s masterful skill, she could make anyone do as she pleased.

Seeing that Prince Fu was indeed fine, Emperor Fengyuan looked at Jiu Yue sitting at the lower seat. Now he had to discuss with her how to handle the remaining people.

The descendants of several princes living in distant territories were still Chu family members. Each was an only child. Though they held the title of prince, their power had been largely stripped.

They were not a threat.

Emperor Fengyuan was harsh with outsiders, but gentle with his own. He planned to use some pretext to bring all the princes to the capital and then detoxify them.

But looking at Jiu Yue, her hands on her hips in that little proud, stubborn pose, he realized if she were to detoxify so many people, she would definitely get irritated.

Better to start with the Crown Prince, Chu Yi, and the Princess.

Jiu Yue secretly glanced at Emperor Fengyuan, trying to look composed, exuding the cunning essence of a shrewd merchant.

After all, she was about to negotiate with the top authority in this dynasty. She hadn’t experienced this before, so she had to carefully gauge her approach.

Emperor Fengyuan raised his eyes and saw Jiu Yue lower her head slightly, lips tightly pressed, pretending to be serious, looking like a grown-up learning something.

Emperor Fengyuan couldn’t help laughing. But the more he looked at her, the more a pang of sadness arose. Why did Jiu Yue even need to learn such ordinary matters?

Yet, whether it was Li Feng, Ying Yi, or himself, they all noticed that whenever Jiu Yue occasionally revealed her true expressions and emotions, it was already intimidating.

That ruthlessness and cruelty seemed etched into her very bones. No deliberate learning was needed. Even Li Feng admitted that when Jiu Yue occasionally revealed herself, even he was unconsciously shocked.

It was clear this had been Jiu Yue’s daily life once, leaving its mark in her bones.

“Who should be detoxified next?”

Jiu Yue had been pretending for a while but couldn’t maintain it, and gave up. She wasn’t cut out to be a cunning merchant!

“The Crown Prince, the Princess, the heir, and Your Majesty—you can all be done together.”

Emperor Fengyuan smiled: “How long will it take to detoxify me?”

The situation with Emperor Fengyuan differed slightly from Prince Fu. Prince Fu had been unconscious; Emperor Fengyuan was not.

“If two hours were spent each day, continuous detoxification for half a month would suffice.” Jiu Yue said this truthfully.

She then explained the detoxification schedule and steps for the Crown Prince, Princess, and heir.

Of course, to increase her bargaining power, she emphasized one point:

After the Crown Prince begins detoxification, he must abstain for three months. But during this time, she would help condition the bodies of his consorts, aiming to allow him to produce more children once the abstinence period ended.

Hearing this, Emperor Fengyuan felt a stirring in his heart and subtly looked at Jiu Yue: “Then I…”

Jiu Yue gave him a look that said it all. While giving birth at forty or fifty wasn’t uncommon, given Emperor Fengyuan’s situation, whether he could… well, that was uncertain.