Chapter 342

After Li Miao finished speaking, the Emperor's face was happy.

But Zhu Zai didn't show joy, only throwing a glance at Li Miao without moving.

"Do you really want to use him?"

"There's no other way."

The gaze touched and retracted, the two completed the exchange in an instant.

Some words cannot be let the Emperor hear.

Although Li Miao spoke happily, it was actually a helpless move forced by the situation. If the Emperor was so easy to use, Zhu Zai would have used him half a year ago, where would he need Li Miao to rush back to Shuntian from Nanjing?

If one person doesn't die, Li Miao will never be able to rest assured about the Emperor.

Ji Tianrui.

In Nanjing, those eunuchs in black knew the details of the Imperial Mausoleum battle like the back of their hands. They even deliberately guarded against Li Miao breaking through in battle by killing. But only three people knew the details of the Imperial Mausoleum battle. And the Emperor and Li Miao couldn't possibly mention this matter to others.

Then their source of information was only one place.

Ji Tianrui.

Having disappeared for nearly a year, this Ming Sect demoness revealed a faint smile from behind the scenes again.

She was an opponent Li Miao had to be twelve points careful to deal with, just in terms of martial power, she could exchange with Li Miao alone, not to mention there was Anqisheng who hadn't appeared yet. The scale of victory had already tilted toward the opposite side.

Therefore, even at the risk, Li Miao had to actively help the Emperor re-cultivate his Wu Gong, in order to barely pull the Heavenly Human martial power between the two sides back to a balanced state.

This was also the reason why Li Miao didn't mention handing the Xuanlan technique to the Emperor to cultivate. If the Emperor reached the realm of five paths in one, even Li Miao would be difficult to control him. If Ji Tianrui left means on the Emperor, when the Emperor turned back and attacked, Li Miao might not be able to hold it.

Let's get back to the present.

Zhu Zai confirmed Li Miao's meaning, sighed secretly in his heart, withdrew his gaze, and only drank tea silently.

The three sat silently for a while, Zhu Zai got up and left to make some arrangements, leaving Li Miao to re-cultivate Wu Gong for the Emperor.

But as Zhu Zai left, the atmosphere in the room became even more awkward.

The Emperor's gaze dodged, occasionally sweeping over Li Miao and shifting away, opening his mouth to speak, but swallowing the words back.

Some things, Zhu Zai and Li Miao were used to, so they didn't feel anything. But Zhu Zai's feelings for Li Miao couldn't be summarized by "close as father and son."

That tranquility illusion wasn't fake.

That is to say, Zhu Zai, who valued the Zhu family world more than his own life, really wanted to pass the world to Li Miao from his original heart.

Just this point, Zhu Yijing might not be able to catch up.

The Emperor had lost his memory, which is to say his heart was empty now, all filled with Zhu Zai's feelings, without any factors like reason or face affecting him.

You know how the Emperor feels about Li Miao now.

The awkward atmosphere in the room lasted for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, before Li Miao sighed and held up a finger to the Emperor.

"Don't try to get close, don't say what shouldn't be said, or rather I won't let you speak, so don't open your mouth."

The Emperor really shut his mouth, nodding violently.

"What broken thing... forget it."

Li Miao shook his head, raising a hand to summon.

"Come, start practicing."

The Emperor obediently closed his eyes.

The world changed, and Li Miao came to the hall again.

He paced slowly, his gaze scanning left and right, finally landing on the few himself beside the Emperor.

"Speaking of which, before when we were fighting in the Imperial Mausoleum, the skeletons in the illusion could pull the opponent's movements. What's the procedure for this illusion of yours now?"

The Emperor still didn't speak, raising a hand to summon.

Behind him, the two guards in gold helmets and gold armor suddenly had lively eyes, handed their weapons to one hand, pressed the other hand on their shoulders, and slowly shook their necks.

Li Miao's eyes jumped. And when the two gold-armored guards showed Li Miao's signature, ferocious smile on their faces, Li Miao slapped his own face.

"Damn... am I that pretentious?"

Swish!

Just when Li Miao's palm was still covering his face, just an instant! The two gold-armored guards appeared in front of Li Miao, their two faces identical to Li Miao's with ferocious smiles, weapons bringing up shrill wind, smashing toward Li Miao's head!

Boom!

Boom!

Two loud noises overlapped, Li Miao smashed two heads into the ground!

"Still laughing! Still laughing!"

"Laughing at your mother!"

Boom boom boom boom boom—

The ground shook, Li Miao grabbed two heads and rushed toward the Emperor on the dragon chair.

At the moment when the distance between the two sides was only a zhang, a figure blocked Li Miao.

Red woven gold robe, cloud dragon pattern ribbons.

It was the crown prince standing beside the dragon chair in the illusion.

Only unlike the dragon-spirit and tiger-fierce of the two gold-armored guards, this crown prince's shoulders were slumped, his waist and back were loose, his face was listless, and his whole body revealed one meaning—a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water.

Li Miao looked at that face, identical to his own, playful yet listless, and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh—"

"Really damn punchable."

————————

Zhu Zai called a few eunuchs and gave a few instructions.

After the Imperial Mausoleum affair, the eunuchs in Shuntian Prefecture had been cleaned up once, and those who stayed knew who was in charge in the palace now, so he could command these eunuchs.

Li Miao and the Emperor were both here, so there was no need to worry about safety. So Zhu Zai gave some instructions like "nothing to do, don't enter," "prepare three meals a day," and walked toward the Wenyuan Pavilion.

On the way back, Zhu Zai frowned tightly.

Half a month.

This half month of time was the time Li Miao estimated the other side would move at the latest.

Compared to Li Miao, Zhu Zai's burden was actually heavier.

He had to delay the time the other side moved to this "latest" as much as possible, and place all the bargaining chips he could mobilize until the decisive moment arrived half a month later.

Thinking while walking, Zhu Zai arrived at the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Stepping into the first floor, the clerks outside revealed expressions of hostility, only not as obvious as when facing An Ziyang.

Zhu Zai was used to this, and walked up to the second floor.

Zhu Yijing was still kneeling outside the door, his posture no different from when he left, as if he were a stone statue.

And in the surrounding area, it was already full of people.

An Ziyang, Mei Qinghe.

Xiaolingwei Commander Zhu Shoujing.

Ruan Mei, Hong Chou.

Liu Baiyun, Deng Baixuan, Zhou Yingxue, Zhang Jingfeng, Gao Ling.

And the confidants Zhu Zai had accumulated over the past few decades in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Except for Wang Hai, Xiaosi, Zheng Yi, and others assigned by Li Miao, the powerful figures in the Embroidered Uniform Guard had all arrived.

Zhu Zai scanned the circle, first waving his hand to let An Ziyang take Zhu Yijing away, and by the way, check if Liu Jin left any means on him.

Afterward, he walked into the inner room.

After everyone entered, holding their breath and waiting for his order, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly.