Chapter 244: This Is The First Meeting

Chapter 244: This Is Our First Meeting

Jin Jiu slipped out the door with the giggling, coquettish croupier, casually pulling it shut behind him, his demeanor suggesting he wished them well in their pleasures.

Inside, Zhao Changhe looked helplessly at the pig-faced young woman, who still stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him—though he had no idea what she was so angry about.

“What are you staring at me for?” Zhao Changhe finally said. “I’m soaking wet and really need to take a bath. Are you going to join me?”

The words had barely left his mouth when he pursed his lips, realizing that teasing her in this identity might not be appropriate…

Zhuque, however, didn’t seem to mind his flirtation. Instead, she shot back, “What, disappointed that I came in? Were you hoping that slut in nothing but a gauze covering three points would keep you company?”

Zhao Changhe shrugged. “Yeah, you won’t, so why can’t I find a woman?”

Zhuque crossed her arms and sneered, “Is that all that’s left in your head? With a mind like that, you think you can dominate the world? You’re not worthy.”

“Hey, I told your Zhuque Venerable this before: your sect honors the Four Symbols, so why defy the Two Principles? Your Venerable thought I wasn’t worthy of discussing it with her, but I still stand by it. I’ve even been thinking—maybe the Emperor’s troubles started because he stopped touching women. Look, back when he and the Empress were still lovey-dovey and had the Crown Prince, he was the best in the world. Now he’s abstaining like this, and look at the mess he’s in. Isn’t that a perfect counterexample?”

“What nonsense is that? Xia Longyuan was definitely secretly battling some mysterious existence that caused…”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her sideways. “You seem to know a lot. Even the intelligence organizations don’t have a clue, but you do.”

Zhuque said impatiently, “This isn’t the place to talk. Who knows if we’re being eavesdropped on? Stop spouting nonsense. Why are you insisting on staying in this place?”

Zhao Changhe replied casually, “Because this place is actually safer than the Huangfu residence.”

Zhuque was puzzled. “Why?”

“For example, the Empress just summoned me to the palace with an inexplicable decree. I suspect the Imperial Consort wants to kill me, so why would I walk into her trap by staying at the Huangfu residence?”

Zhuque sneered knowingly. “Why would the Imperial Consort want to kill you? What’s her motive?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I even suspect she killed the Crown Prince, so why would it be strange if she wants to kill me?”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“When I entered the city, I sought out Huangfu Shaozong’s household because I was aiming for the military. I didn’t know he was backed by the Imperial Consort back then. If I had, I would never have stayed there—it’s like I’m acknowledging her as my mother. Besides, Chief Tang is a loyal minister of the state. Seeing how the Imperial Consort and Chief Tang are at odds, she’s clearly a treacherous consort. So what if she really wants to kill me?”

“Then go die already!” Zhuque was fuming but couldn’t tear into him here. She grabbed him by the collar and said, “I have a place here too. You’ll stay with me. Why are you wandering around like a stray dog, unable to stay anywhere?”

Zhao Changhe blinked innocently. “I didn’t know where you were before.”

“Well, now you do!” Zhuque dragged him out the door. “Follow me!”

“Wait, I haven’t bathed yet…”

“I think you just want that pretty croupier!”

Their voices faded into the distance, cursing all the way. Jin Jiu emerged from a nearby room, hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression strange. “Is that Yihuo She?”

“Judging by the robe, it’s one rank lower than Zhuque’s, so definitely not Zhuque.”

“Good. If someone told me that was Zhuque grabbing a little man by the collar and pulling his ear, I’d rather the world restart now.”

“Is it really that absurd…”

“You don’t know the half of it! Back when Fifth Master tried to court Zhuque, she flew into a rage and nearly beat him. I got caught in the crossfire, and my arm still bears the burn scars.”

“Uh, we never heard about that…”

“Nonsense! Fifth Master lost face so badly he’d never talk about it.”

“But you just did…”

“Times are different now. Fifth Master has long since let go of those feelings; otherwise, he’d never have broken through the third secret vault and glimpsed the Heavenly Realm. He doesn’t care if we joke about it anymore. In any case, we have no ties to the Four Symbols Sect now. It’s not enmity, just strangers.”

“I see. So some people suspect that Imperial Consort Huangfu is Zhuque…”

“Only an idiot would think that. Zhuque is too violent and proud to ever stoop to approaching men like her old White Tiger sister did.” Jin Jiu paused, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. “But it’s hard to say. If it’s not about approaching men but some other agenda… Zhuque, as a fanatical follower of the demonic path, thinks differently from ordinary people. She probably only cares about the reputation of ‘Zhuque’ and wouldn’t mind if ‘Huangfu Qing’ lost face. She’d trample on any identity or reputation outside of Zhuque without a second thought.”

His subordinate was speechless. You’ve said it all, and in the end, it amounts to nothing. “So how should we record this?”

“This is first-hand information: Zhao Changhe and Yihuo She of the Four Symbols Sect are deeply infatuated with each other, calling each other ‘piggy.’ It’s suspected that Zhuque Venerable has replaced the White Tiger Saintess with Yihuo She. From this, we can infer that the Four Symbols Sect has reconciled with Zhao Changhe, and she may become an important ally for him in the future. Hmm… this must be relayed to Fifth Master. He’ll be very interested.”

“Why would Fifth Master be interested in this?”

“He’ll be curious about why Zhuque made such a choice.”

…

At Qili Po, an inner lake in the capital, there were several lakeside pavilions where nobles and officials sought refuge from the summer heat.

One of these pavilions, belonging to some official or merchant, was where Zhao Changhe was dragged inside. Along the way, he sensed many traces of Four Symbols Sect techniques. Even the servants and maids were elites.

But he didn’t have time to observe closely before Zhuque pulled him into a courtyard by the lake. Inside, one side faced the water, and the rain pattering on the lake created a beautiful scene.

Someone had already prepared a hot bath in the room, steam rising. A group of young maids curiously stared at Zhao Changhe.

Zhuque waved her hand lazily. “All of you, leave.”

“Yes.” The maids covered their mouths, giggling as they departed.

This was different from the maids he’d seen at the Cui or Tang residences—there was something… seductive about them.

It seemed this was a base the Four Symbols Sect could openly use with allies, possibly unrelated to the Huangfu family. It truly belonged to this piggy herself.

Thinking about it, it made sense. With her identity as Imperial Consort and the lady of a marquis, it would be easy for her to build influence in the capital. Zhao Changhe now suspected that the Four Symbols Sect’s regular forces might already be secretly formed, weaving a web through the court and the people far more sophisticated than the Maitreya Sect’s. They were truly waiting for Xia Longyuan to die before sweeping across the world.

But why would Zhuque send such an important young woman from the sect to get close to him? Was it because of the Imperial Consort’s identity, making her think this young woman could never have anything to do with him?

As he pondered, Zhuque crossed her arms and said coldly, “What are you stroking your chin thinking about? That detective act of yours every day is really annoying.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “Using your brain is a good thing, Sister Piggy.”

Zhuque’s brows furrowed beneath her mask. “What did you call me?”

“It’s just to be close…”

“Save it.” Zhuque said, “Now this is a place where we can speak freely. What were you saying about the Empress and the Imperial Consort? Drop the act and give me a serious analysis.”

Zhao Changhe smiled ingratiatingly. “From the moment I saw the Imperial Consort at the Huangfu residence, I thought she was so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off her…”

Zhuque’s lips curled into a smile. “So? Do you still think the Imperial Consort wants to kill you?”

“It’s Empress Wang who definitely wants to kill me. Whether that old eunuch was her man or not, I’ve already burned bridges with the Wang family. There’s no need to overthink it—just remember one thing: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So the Imperial Consort is my friend.”

Zhuque thought to herself, That’s not necessarily true. Two months ago, I wanted to kill you myself. Who says the enemy of my enemy is my friend? I have no rivalry with the Empress, so why couldn’t I kill you?

But hearing Zhao Changhe say this now still pleased her. “So, who do you think the eunuch belongs to?”

“The Empress. Because others might suspect the Imperial Consort is framing the Empress, the Empress sending someone directly would remove suspicion. She’s counting on that psychological trick. I just learned a lesson: don’t overcomplicate things. The simplest answer is often the right one.”

Zhuque glanced at him sideways. “Keep spinning that tale.”

Zhao Changhe glanced back, unsure what to say. I don’t even dare to tease you now. What do you want me to say?

Both of them knew the truth in their hearts.

Zhuque knew that when she entered the Huangfu residence earlier, she hadn’t known Zhao Changhe was there, so she hadn’t changed her voice or her scent. Even if she had known, it would have been strange to suddenly change her voice in front of her own brother. To someone as outwardly rough but inwardly sharp as Zhao Changhe, this Yihuo She and the pig-face mask were practically useless. He must have figured it out by now.

Whatever reasons he had just made up to believe in the Imperial Consort were all fake. The only real reason was that he knew it was her, and so he trusted her unconditionally.

For some reason, knowing that he had seen through this identity made Zhuque feel a strange sense of shame. That’s why she had inexplicably gotten angry earlier, annoyed by his smug, analytical expression.

It meant he had analyzed her identity completely. Now it would be hard to “kill off” this little slut Yihuo She, because the Imperial Consort couldn’t die.

She had no idea how to resolve this.

She just hoped the identity of Zhuque was still hidden. Imperial Consort, Yihuo She, Huangfu Qing—she could trample on those identities all she wanted, as long as Zhuque wasn’t exposed.

Thinking of this, she finally softened a bit, and said gently, "Since you've guessed, there's no need to act so hard. There's no one else here."

Zhao Changhe finally said, "Then... can the bet from a month late be fulfilled?"

Zhuque stared at him for a long moment, then slowly lifted the piggy face.

This might be the first time Zhuque and Zhao Changhe truly met.

Zhao Changhe's heart thumped uncontrollably.

Why had Tang Wanzhuang been so alarmed, scolding him for staring at the imperial consort?

Because she was truly too beautiful.

When the fierceness between her brows faded, all that remained was a blaze like wind and fire, the heroic bearing of a general's daughter, like Yue Hongling.

Yet she was also a noble lady of a marquis's household, an imperial consort of the inner palace, a leader of a sect, with her own calm dignity and authority, and a hint of an elder sister teasing a younger brother, like Tang Wanzhuang.

And there was a touch of allure, as if Chichi were added, the same Chichi who was obedient and pliant on the day of Lixia in private.

Perhaps not enough... there was also a hint of mystery and wonder, a sense of distance like a god looking down, like that blind woman.

Zhao Changhe could hardly tear his eyes away. He found it hard to imagine how so many qualities could be perfectly blended in one person, and she was merely one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions?