Chapter 991: with translation of chapter title

Emperor truly regarded Chen Wuji as someone he could confide in.

The letter was written like a foot-binding cloth—smelly and long, full of irrelevant nonsense.

They had no fear of embarrassment, hurling feces, urine, and farts at it.

"Fortunately, that meal wasn't poisonous; it was extremely tasty, far better than the slop made by those scoundrels in the palace. The palace food is like those eunuchs—looks good but useless, and often rotten inside."

"I haven't eaten anything that looks good outside but is rotten inside, but those below have eaten plenty of such things—those eunuchs who are handsome but useless, twisted inside, rotten within; I can actually understand that."

"Looks like I've gone off topic; let me continue talking about that meal with the Qin family old coot..."

Chen Wuji silently skipped over what the Emperor actually ate and his reflections on the meal.

"The Qin family had that old coot come see me; I was initially puzzled, but after hearing a bit, I sensed the meaning—they were sounding me out."

"Damn, it's hilarious—the Qin family, whom everyone outside courts and wants to drag into their camp, actually came here to hint at asking this caged emperor what they should do!"

"I could laugh about this for a whole year—if I could live that long."

"Kid, you need to take this to heart; from the tone of that Qin family old coot, I gather he has some ideas about you. But since I'm the emperor, they can't say it outright, though the meaning is much the same."

"You already have that connection with the Qin family's young lady; have her put in more effort, find a way to bind the Qin family to your chariot—then your northern campaign will be twice as effective. Though you come from a declined noble clan, you're still of noble stock; you should understand the weight of a noble house."

"Kid, let's just say whether I give you face or not—I, a proper emperor, am giving advice to a rebel; I'd probably be the first in history to do so. When I die, well, let's say 'pass away'—after all, I'm the emperor, so mind your wording."

"After I pass away, if you dare not set up a spirit tablet or offer incense, see if I spit on you! If you refuse, then whenever it rains, I'll be spitting at you from beyond the grave."

"..."

The Emperor's nonsense is truly endless, but as Chen Wuji read on, he suddenly felt uneasy.

Damn it!

That old emperor, far away a thousand li, actually added to his heart's burden.

It also felt like something got into his eyes, making him uncomfortable.

"Don't worry—if you ever do pass away, I'll definitely give you a grand funeral. But you should have sent a few sets of clothes with the letter; putting only these letters you wrote in the coffin feels a bit shabby." Chen Wuji pinched the corner of his mouth, giving a bitter smile.

Zhang Xiuer looked over sharply, 'Wuji brother, the Emperor...'

"It's fine; he's not dead yet, just the old geezer nagging me to cry at his grave."

"Oh..."

Chen Wuji turned a page and continued reading downward.

"I'm trapped in the palace, wanting to get you some useful news but have none; those rebel ministers have tightened their guard around me more and more."

"But there's one good thing: I seem to still be a hot commodity, with Ruan Yuchang and my dear Imperial Uncle both wanting to snatch me away… Oh, I almost forgot—you need to guard against that Imperial Uncle of mine; this Lao Zamao is extremely scheming."

"I just spaced out a bit, so the writing's a little messy; you'll have to make do with it, anyway don't expect me to rewrite it."

"First, the Wise King: he's pretending to be a loyalist, formally raised troops, and every few days sends experts to storm the palace, also sending people to deliver secret letters to me, urging me to hold on, saying he'll surely find a way to rescue me and restore the world."

"But I will never believe a word of that Lao Zamao again; I'd rather believe Ruan Yuchang is a loyal minister, or that Yan Yan could father a child himself."

"The Wise King has long harbored disloyal intentions, merely concealing them more deeply than anyone; precisely because of that secrecy, I now suspect he's already made many preparations in secret. On the day he announces his loyalist uprising, supposedly—I can only say 'supposedly' because I have no direct evidence, only hearsay from below."

"Supposedly, the Wise King—what a damn Wise King, Yu Yuan—I've been used to shouting his name, yet to this point I'm still being polite to him."

Chen Wuji's face darkened a bit.

His Majesty the Emperor's talent for spouting nonsense is truly growing day by day.

One 'supposedly,' another 'supposedly'—nothing substantial.

"Supposedly, on the day Yu Yuan raised troops for loyalism, severe internal strife broke out under Yan Yan and Ruan Yuchang's commands, killing many; Ruan Yuchang himself nearly got killed."

"It's a pity—why wasn't it Yan Yan's grandson who nearly got killed instead? Actually, I still like Ruan Yuchang; even though this matter directly led to my predicament, let's just call it even."

Chen Wuji's face darkened another layer.

No wonder this letter is thicker than before.

You old emperor, you really stick to your principles—you can even call this 'one for one.'

In modern society, he'd have the potential to be a turtle man.

"I've heard that Yu Yuan plans to kill Ruan Yuchang and Yan Yan in one fell swoop, successfully launch his loyalist uprising on the day he announces it, then seize the court. He likely already arranged my death; if I don't die, his emperor can't reign, since I'm a generation younger than him—I couldn't possibly become that grandson's grand emperor."

"Fortunately, it didn't succeed; after suddenly attacking and killing a batch of Ruan Yuchang and Yan Yan's troops, the army withdrew to the outskirts. Yu Yuan is deeply scheming—he could plant people silently within Yan Yan and Ruan Yuchang's forces, hard to say if there won't be a backup… so… kid, be careful."

"After all that, you should probably understand what I mean by now, right?"

"The capital region is now in turmoil, a divine battle raging, so they likely won't spare attention for you; if you want to do something, act quickly, because once those brats sort out the winner, it'll be too late for you to act."

"Alright, that's it; with the divine battle, even if I watch blindfolded I see little, and these are all the news I can send—hurry and make the Qin family your eyes and ears; that bunch of old foxes surely sees clearer than I do."

"Kid, are you moved? Don't rush to cry—this world is now a cauldron of demons and monsters in chaotic stew; also don't think too highly of me, for if there's any chance left, I'll still want to leap about. But I can promise you in advance a princely title, a proper prince, mighty and imposing."

Chen Wuji gave a speechless, light chuckle.

This bun now isn't fragrant at all; it's even a bit choking.

You old thing, you'd better hurry and think about your own situation.