Chapter 392: The Rollover Asura

Chapter 392: The Overturned Chariot of Rivals

Tang Wanzhuang, who had just criticized Zhao Changhe for his "rooftop antics" and demanded punishment, was now climbing over the wall herself...

Compared to her earlier behavior, this time was slightly better—she no longer carried that furious temper, her robes fluttering with an elegant grace. It was clear that after a cooling-off period, she had somewhat detached herself from the dizzying state of infatuation from the past few days and regained a semblance of composure.

The excuse she used was stern and justified: "You are an imperial consort—how can you stoop to such shamelessness!"

"So what?" Huangfu Qing hadn't come because she couldn't bear the pangs of longing. She knew full well that sneaking over for a tryst would inevitably be caught by Tang Wanzhuang, and that she couldn't truly get intimate with the young man. Yet she deliberately came anyway, just to see Tang Wanzhuang's exasperated expression. But she didn't see it—how could this woman be so calm again? Just looking at her was infuriating...

A flicker of regret passed through her heart, but her voice remained cold as she sneered: "Back when I entered the palace, which woman stopped me privately and sternly questioned my intentions?"

Tang Wanzhuang replied calmly: "It was I. You and I have known each other for over a decade, Huangfu Qing. I know better than anyone how proud and aloof you are—you would never willingly enter the palace as a mere concubine. You must have had ulterior motives."

"Well, thank you for your high regard." Huangfu Qing crossed her arms and said leisurely: "Back then, you suspected I might be a member of the Four Symbols Sect, didn't you? You even questioned whether I was the Vermilion Bird Venerable. Later, when the Vermilion Bird Venerable killed the Flame Demon Lord in Lingnan and ascended to fourth place on the Earth Ranking, His Majesty personally testified that I was in the palace at the time, and you had no choice but to drop that suspicion."

She had entered the palace under an agreement with the false Xia Longyuan, so the impostor naturally covered for her. At that time, she was nowhere near the palace—she was in Lingnan killing people. That battle had been thrilling... When the "emperor" himself gave false testimony, even the sharpest and most astute head of the Demon Suppression Bureau had to abandon that suspicion.

Whether she had truly abandoned it remained uncertain—after all, such a powerful Vermilion Bird couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Most likely, she had simply tucked it away in her heart, unwilling to bring it up again without new evidence.

When Huangfu Qing entered the palace back then, the most troublesome issue was how to deceive Tang Wanzhuang. This woman's previous wisdom was almost unrecognizable compared to the foolish version she had displayed in recent days.

Tang Wanzhuang said flatly: "Even if you are not the Vermilion Bird, the evidence that you belong to the Four Symbols Sect is conclusive."

"So yes, I am Yi Huo Snake of the Four Symbols Sect, and I did enter the palace with ulterior motives. My dear Chief, your guess was spot on." Huangfu Qing said with a smirk: "Since you know I entered the palace with ulterior motives and never intended to be a real consort, what's so strange about me sneaking out to steal a man? Why do you try to restrain me with that? Ha..."

The impromptu alias of Yi Huo Snake had turned out to be unexpectedly useful. She should have used it long ago! Huangfu Qing felt an exhilarating thrill inside. As for being bullied by Chi Chi later—that was nothing. She had plenty of ways to teach that woman a lesson that would leave her in tears.

Tang Wanzhuang said: "Aren't you afraid I'll expose you to His Majesty?"

"No matter how trusted the Demon Suppression Bureau is, it is still an external agency. The Chief should mind her own business when it comes to palace affairs... But if you insist on exposing me, go ahead. See if His Majesty will even listen to you... Hmm, maybe he has a cuckold fetish and enjoys watching his consort take lovers? Do you really want to ask, Chief?"

Tang Wanzhuang: "..."

Huangfu Qing continued with her smirk: "By the way, I suggest you don't use ethics to block my man. First, my identity here has another purpose—I'm not a real consort. Second, it's still uncertain whether Changhe is a prince. Even if he is, he has never been willing to acknowledge it, precisely because he resents His Majesty's abandonment back then. Stealing a nominal consort is just a minor, painless act of revenge. What reason do you have to stop him, Chief?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Tang Wanzhuang glanced at him but said nothing.

Zhao Changhe might very well not be a prince—she knew that better than anyone. The whole prince situation was something she had fabricated herself. Since he wasn't a prince, there was no ethical issue to begin with, and she couldn't use that as an argument. But personally, she was disappointed, because it proved that Zhao Changhe truly didn't want to be a prince—otherwise, he would have avoided such entanglements.

She sighed and simply said: "This woman entered the palace with ulterior motives. Why couldn't her approach to you also be for some hidden purpose? How can you be so blinded by lust that you can't even see that?"

Zhao Changhe was about to speak, but Huangfu Qing cut him off: "Why would my approach to him be for some hidden purpose?"

Tang Wanzhuang said flatly: "I'll say it again—you are not the type to throw yourself at a man... I know you too well."

"You're wrong, Tang Wanzhuang..." Huangfu Qing dropped her smile and replied word by word: "I like him."

Tang Wanzhuang's eyes widened in shock.

Even Zhao Changhe was somewhat surprised—he hadn't expected Huangfu Qing to be so direct.

"Entering the palace was merely a sect duty. As for my personal feelings, I like him—why can't I face that? Why can't I approach him?" Huangfu Qing said calmly: "I, Huangfu Qing, come from a military family and studied under a demonic sect. I dare to love and hate. Why should I be bound by mere status? Unlike some refined ladies from noble families, who are all coy and pretentious, clearly burning with jealousy yet still hiding behind the guise of official business—how boring and hypocritical."

Tang Wanzhuang began to stammer: "Who, who said I'm jealous..."

"If you openly declared yourself my rival in love, I would respect you as an opponent. Since you're not... what business is it of the Chief if two lovers reunite after a long separation? That wall isn't high—go back where you came from, Chief. Take your time climbing, no need to rush!"

In truth, Huangfu Qing was still bound by her status—she would never dare to reveal her identity as the Vermilion Bird, and there was a hint of guilt in her words. But after finishing her speech, having even convinced herself, she felt an exhilarating release. In all the years of rivalry with Tang Wanzhuang, she had never won so decisively. It was as satisfying as drinking fine wine.

At this moment, Tang Wanzhuang was truly defeated. It wasn't that she was being coy or pretentious—Zhao Changhe's earlier analysis was correct. She hadn't even sorted out her own feelings, so how could she respond to such a direct declaration?

Just then, a small head peeked over the opposite wall.

Cui Yuanyang had been eavesdropping for a long time...

She had originally been unable to resist sneaking over the wall to find Brother Zhao, but what did she witness...

Lady Consort, you were just putting on airs and lecturing me, even threatening me that His Majesty was watching—turns out it was all to steal a man?

How outrageous! Are you bullying me because I'm young?

Seeing that Tang Wanzhuang seemed to be at a loss, Cui Yuanyang, who had previously been wary of her, now felt relieved. It seemed that Chief Tang and Brother Zhao didn't have much going on after all—she must have been overthinking things earlier. But this mysterious consort who had suddenly appeared—she was the real enchantress!

Cui Yuanyang immediately sided with Tang Wanzhuang and spoke up to rescue her: "Oh, Lady Consort, what are you doing here..."

Huangfu Qing's expression froze.

She had been enjoying her victory so much that she had forgotten to keep an eye on that wall...

Cui Yuanyang rested her chin on her hands, propped on the wall: "Just now, someone told me I shouldn't hang all over a man, for the sake of the Cui family's reputation... It seems the Huangfu family's reputation isn't much better, is it? Married and still stealing men."

Huangfu Qing: "..."

She had been so smug in her earlier deception, and now she was paying the price in utter humiliation.

"Everyone's family reputation is pretty bad, but I'm still a bit better than some—at least I don't mind Brother Zhao taking a few concubines or mistresses." Cui Yuanyang continued resting her chin: "Unlike some people who don't have a shred of parental arrangement or matchmaker's word to stand on—even if they manage to trick someone away for a while, it's useless..."

Huangfu Qing gritted her teeth: "And you have a matchmaker?"

Tang Wanzhuang slowly spoke up: "Yes, I am the matchmaker."

Huangfu Qing suddenly remembered her earlier analogy about Cao Wei—it had been terribly ominous.

Just when she was at her most triumphant, she had encountered the Battle of Red Cliffs... So the two of you had actually joined forces?

She could have retorted—"If we're talking about a proper wife, it should be our Saintess, not you!"

But she would rather die than say that out loud, thinking of Xia Chichi's smug expression made her furious.

She had offended too many people... She was surrounded by enemies.

Zhao Changhe, who had never known how to handle such a battlefield of rivals, finally found a way to mediate: "Um... Did the Vermilion Bird Venerable send you here to ask about the Night Emperor Token? Let's talk about that?"

Official business was indeed the best way to shift attention. Huangfu Qing breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, I have legitimate business with you, unlike some people who have nothing better to do."

Seeing her stubborn, weak bluster, Tang Wanzhuang, who had been on the defensive, finally smiled. She said leisurely: "Yuanyang."

"Yes, Chief."

"Come to my courtyard for some tea? Let's give them some space—don't be too petty." Tang Wanzhuang walked toward the door, sighing as if to herself: "Some people are actually quite pitiful. Sent thousands of miles just to ask a trivial question, and afterward, they might even have to warm the bed... Looking like a consort, but actually a maid. Next time, just let Baoqin talk to her."

Huangfu Qing was furious.

The identity of Yi Huo Snake was terrible! This was so unfair!

"Alright... Wanzhuang was just deliberately provoking you to test if you might be the Vermilion Bird Venerable." Zhao Changhe sighed: "Besides, being sent around by the Venerable isn't so bad. What's the point of staying in the palace? You've always preferred the carefree life of the martial world. Besides..."

Huangfu Qing said stiffly: "Besides what?"

"Besides, I wanted to see you."

"She's gone, and now you say sweet things. Why were you silent just now?"

"First, I really don't know how to handle such situations. Second, I felt like neither of you wanted me to speak."

Huangfu Qing paused, realizing there was some truth to that. Just now, when he had tried to speak, she had cut him off. At that moment, she truly hadn't wanted him to take sides—even if it was on her behalf, it wouldn't have been satisfying.

In the end, it wasn't really about stealing a man...

Though they all had possessive desires, the essence was that these proud women, who had competed their whole lives, had simply changed battlefields. Rather than fighting over a man, it was more about driving each other to death.

Otherwise, she should have tried every means to make Tang Wanzhuang give up on this man, instead of saying, "If you openly declared yourself my rival in love, I would respect you as an opponent"—that was practically helping her.

Looking at Tang Wanzhuang's final reaction, it seemed she might already be considering entering the fray. It looked like there was some interest...

Huangfu Qing stared at Zhao Changhe, a thousand ellipses in her heart. She and that woman had fought to the death, and in the end, he was the one who benefited? He seemed silent, but he was quietly reaping the rewards... Look how precisely he had used official business to defuse the situation.

"Ahem." Zhao Changhe said with a straight face: "Shall we talk inside? I need to explain this token to you in detail, from top to bottom... Ouch! Why did you hit me?"

"Making you philander, making you a fickle heart, making you quietly get rich—are you proud? Go to hell! And explaining the token? Does it matter? I don't care if you're the Night Emperor's heir; even if the Night Emperor himself came, I'd still beat you to death!"

In the night, a man's suppressed screams came. Two peeping heads appeared on the courtyard wall. They looked at each other for a long time, then both said: "It seems this should have happened long ago. We were mistaken before."