After a while, she tore the last page out of the book, crumpled it, and threw it in a corner of the room.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open by a man in black and red robes, his voice carrying a dangerous tone as he called out, “Tan Ge.”
Su Xi-er was surprised to hear this. Tan Ge? This man sounds like he has some deep-seated enmity towards Tan Ge for some reason.
She turned around quickly, only to see the icy glint of a sword pointing right at her.
Su Xi-er dodged the attack and took a proper look at her visitor. Her breath caught when she realised who it was. The man frowned when he saw her.
It was Shu Xian, the same gentle and thoughtful Shu Xian from the Imperial Library who had always been bickering with Chao Mu. She had never thought that he would’ve changed so completely into the bloodthirsty man in front of her.
Su Xi-er called out to him softly, “Shu Xian.”
The man’s frown grew deeper. Good move, Shi Mo. Keeping Tan Ge hidden and placing Su Xi-er with me. Pei Qianhao and Du Ling will focus their energy on me now.
“Shu Xian, we weren’t able to find you after you left the palace with Chao Mu in your arms. I didn’t expect to see you here in Dongling. Chao Mu…” Su Xi-er had never seen Chao Mu’s body, nor had she been there to witness her death. There was a tiny glimmer of hope in her that Chao Mu was still alive.
“You’ve got the wrong person. I am not Shu Xian.” The man spoke coldly, sheathing his sword.
“What do you have against Tan Ge if you aren’t Shu Xian?” Su Xi-er asked calmly.
“That’s none of your business.” He then turned to leave.
Su Xi-er went up and stopped him from leaving. “It’s my fault for not being able to protect Chao Mu. I’d like to know where she is now.”
At the same time, an armed guard appeared with a letter in hand. “Your Majesty, a letter.”
The man glanced at the letter, opening it immediately after recognising the familiar insignia on the bottom right. He then scoffed, ripped the letter to shreds, and threw it on the ground with bloodthirsty eyes.
Shi Mo, do you take me for a fool?
He then turned to glance at Su Xi-er as he addressed the guard, “Take this woman back to the palace.”
Su Xi-er watched him. To be able to become the new emperor of Dongling after forcing Chu Linglong out… Shu Xian has changed.
The guard moved to grab her, but she dodged and managed to kick him to the ground instead.
“You asked this Emperor where Chao Mu is; I’ll take you to her. She’s in the palace. My name is now Chu Xian.”
Seeing the cold glint in his eyes, Su Xi-er pursed her lips before asking, “Was it Shi Mo who helped you take Chao Mu out of the palace that night? You already knew Shi Mo then.”
Chu Xian smirked. “We each simply have our own goals. Do you think Prince Hao is as kind as you imagine him to be?”
Pei Qianhao had pursued me closely on the night I fled the palace, giving the order to kill me on sight. It was a struggle for me to reach Dongling, where I had to participate in another fight to defeat Chu Linglong and take control of the court. Su Xi-er has always been doted upon by Prince Hao, and having only seen the loving side of him, it is no surprise that his cruel and heartless methods are unbeknownst to her.
“I’ll call you Shu Xian no matter who you are, but you should already know that Tan Ge is with Shi Mo. There’s no reason to work with him if all you want is her.” Su Xi-er kept her gaze on him as she spoke.
