Chapter 241

The monk nodded.

Mu Yuanzhi heard this and breathed a sigh of relief, then went to look at the Qilin; not only had his complexion returned to a healthy flush, but there were signs of him waking up!

She waited, delighted, without speaking to disturb the monk.

"Yuan Yan...?" the Qilin, who had slowly opened his eyes, still didn't know what had happened; his dazed gaze fell on Mu Yuanzhi's joyful face, and he furrowed his brows: "Senior sister..."

"Great! Qilin, you've finally woken up!" Mu Yuanzhi's hanging heart could finally be set at ease.

Thank heaven and earth!

"What happened to me?" the Qilin inadvertently saw Pei Shangling sleeping beside him, frightened into instant wakefulness; he instinctively tried to sit up, but had no strength.

The monk smirked teasingly: "A surprise?"

"More like a fright!" the Qilin grumbled as he lay back down, "What exactly happened to me?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Because Pei Shangling, that idiot, was drugged, the Symbiotic Gu in your bodies mutated, a near-death experience; fortunately Master Yuan Yan saved you."

"..." the Qilin gave Pei Shangling, still unconscious beside him, a disgusted glance, rubbed his stomach, and asked: "I feel my body is in great shape now; have I already been freed from the Symbiotic Gu?"

Isn't this a blessing in disguise?

The monk chuckled: "With me here, of course it's been resolved."

"If you had a way, why didn't you free me earlier?" the Qilin asked. "Are you deliberately wanting to see me make a fool of myself?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Qilin, Master Yuan Yan not only gave you a blood transfusion but also poured his inner strength into you; you yourself know that dispelling the Gu isn't that easy."

"I naturally know." the Qilin curled his lip, "Stink... Master, did you eat the antidote we previously got from the Black Sea?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "That's a long story."

Thus, Mu Yuanzhi told the Qilin the full story of what had happened.

After hearing it, the Qilin's face was full of question marks: "How could Pei Yunxi just bounce away like that? After exchanging blood, shouldn't she be on the verge of death?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Probably it's Ah Zi's doing; even Rongjin doesn't really know her, she has many secrets."

"That terrifying woman, we'd better just kill her quickly!"

Mu Yuanzhi indifferent: "You're fine, so her life doesn't matter."

"Let's keep her for now; the monk wants to see what happens when this source of plague loses its attachment." The monk smiled, curling his lips.

Mu Yuanzhi nodded: "Fine, Master, take her; you can use her as a medicine person or whatever you like."

"What about this person?" the Qilin, without any hesitation, kicked Pei Shangling away with one foot.

That kick drained what little strength he had left, leaving him considerably weakened.

But he was happy; now that the Symbiotic Gu was gone, that guy's life or death was no concern of his! He felt light as air.

With a thud, Pei Shangling hitting the ground showed signs of waking up.

Gu Rongjin pushed the door open and entered: "According to me, we should send him to the front lines to boost our morale and dampen the enemy's."

Mu Yuanzhi didn't even think: "Fine, it's at least somewhat useful."

Naturally, no one else had any objections.

"Ah Zhi..." the equally weak Pei Shangling, not receiving such treatment, could only lie on the ground, pitifully gazing at Mu Yuanzhi: "Ah Zhi, I only have half a life left—can you bear to do this?"

Mu Yuanzhi reacted as if she'd heard the funniest joke ever, laughing loudly.

"Ah Zhi..." Pei Shangling crawled to Mu Yuanzhi's feet: "You don't need me as your brother; let me be your dog, okay? As long as you're happy!"

Mu Yuanzhi found it strange: "A fourth prince, acting so abjectly?"

"Not abject; this is what I deserve!" Pei Shangling lunged and grabbed Mu Yuanzhi's foot.

Before Mu Yuanzhi could kick him away, Gu Rongjin couldn't take it any longer, shoved Pei Shangling aside: "Get out, get out, get out! Don't bother my wife! Scram!"

He really drove Pei Shangling away like a dog.

Pei Shangling seethed, thinking that if he weren't currently weak, he'd make Gu Rongjin look bad!

"Someone, take this dog away and lock him in the woodshed under strict watch!" Gu Rongjin barked outward.

"Ah Zhi! Don't drive me away! I still have something to say!"

The dragged-away Pei Shangling had no strength to struggle; flailing his hands and feet did nothing.

"Ah Zhi! I have a secret to tell you! It's about the Father Emperor!"

Gu Rongjin: "Don't listen to his nonsense; he's a worthless prince who knows nothing, he just wants to stay here shamelessly."

The Qilin likewise: "Exactly, senior sister, don't pay him any heed."

"I don't intend to pay him any attention." Mu Yuanzhi also didn't believe him.

"Really! Believe me! Ah Zhi! I only want to tell you this alone!" Pei Shangling was urgent.

In his current sorry state, he bore no resemblance to a prince at all, but he didn't care!

"Take him away, gag him." Gu Rongjin waved his hand impatiently.

"Mmm mmm mmm!"

Even with his mouth gagged, Pei Shangling refused to give up, until he could no longer see Mu Yuanzhi.

Jingcheng, inside the Xuanshi Hall of the imperial palace.

The Emperor finished reading Pei Shangyan's eight-hundred-li urgent memorial, flew into a rage, and swept everything off the imperial desk, precious tea ware shattering across the floor.

No one dared to step forward and tidy up at that moment.

"These rebels really are getting above themselves!" the Emperor rose, flicked his sleeves, paced back and forth, his anger unabated.

The Chief Eunuch, steeling himself, asked: "Your Majesty, should we send reinforcements again?"

"How many?" the Emperor turned, "Send all the troops, a full million, to Xiangcheng?"

The Chief Eunuch lowered his head, not daring to answer.

"They act with impunity." the Emperor drew a deep breath, "but I cannot let my anger dictate my actions."

He wanted to wipe them out in one fell swoop, rather than give them a chance to gain advantage in the court.

"The Prince who pacifies the North is the only one among these vassal princes who has ever led troops……" He is also the only vassal prince who did not defect to the rebels.

The Chief Eunuch said cautiously, "If the Prince who pacifies the North has not yet proceeded to the capital, he is probably assessing the situation."

"You think I don't know?!" the Emperor snorted coldly, "Give him 100,000 troops—no, 50,000 troops—let him lead them to reinforce the Crown Prince, then give him half of the tiger tally, while the other half remains in the Crown Prince's hands."

That way, it would be foolproof.

First, give the Prince who pacifies the North a little sweetener.

The Chief Eunuch wanted to say something, but all he ended up saying was "Your Majesty is wise."

What could he say?

His Majesty would never entrust military authority to a single person; only with great difficulty had he managed to take command of these vassal princes' troops.

When the Prince who pacifies the North received the Emperor's secret letter, he laughed out loud: "Give him 50,000 troops to send off a beggar?"

Furthermore, they want him to share military authority with a Crown Prince who hasn't even grown hair yet—when the time comes, if there's a dispute in battle, whose orders will they follow?

"I, the prince, only want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight; whoever wants to go can go."

As he spoke, he was about to tear up that secret letter.

The steward stepped forward and said, "But, my lord, several thousand troops have surrounded our manor outside!"

"Trying to force a bow like a hegemon, huh!" the Prince who pacifies the North slammed the table, "Fine! I'll take those 50,000 troops!"

"Just don't regret it!" the Prince who pacifies the North smiled, curling his lips.

The steward broke out in a cold sweat; "What is the lord planning?"