Chapter 22: The Obsessive, Lustful Hostage Prince and the Doted, Haughty Princess (22)

Could it be him?

Shu Yao felt a flicker of panic. She prayed that Shen Jingmu had not noticed anything amiss, or if he had, that he would not breathe a word of it to Princess Zhaoyang. Otherwise, everything she had meticulously orchestrated would be reduced to nothing.

"System."

[I am here.]

Shu Yao took off the wolf-fur collar and clutched it in her hand; the soft, prickly tips tickled her palm.

"The plot point has been fulfilled. What would happen if Princess Zhaoyang found out I didn't actually kill that wolf cub?"

The system's voice remained devoid of emotion, curt and clinical.

[The plot point has been fulfilled; it will not be affected.]

Only then did Shu Yao feel a measure of relief. Regardless of whether anyone had touched it, this wolf-fur collar could not be kept; eventually, someone with a sharp eye would discover the discrepancy.

"Your Highness."

A young eunuch took the expensive, exquisite wolf-fur collar from Shu Yao, which was still adorned with the small jade pendant of the Qiwu Palace.

"Take this collar away and burn it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

In a secluded corner behind the palace, plumes of black smoke drifted over the rockery. This was the designated area for burning refuse, a place rarely visited by anyone other than the menial servants.

As the young eunuch cradled the collar and approached the incinerator, he could not help but pause. He reached out to stroke the fur, his eyes gleaming with undisguised greed. Such a costly collar—what a waste to burn it. If he could smuggle it out of the palace and sell it to a knowledgeable pawnbroker, it would fetch several dozen taels of silver. That would be enough to buy his freedom.

The eunuch’s heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum. Never having done anything of the sort, his hands trembled as he gripped the fur. If Princess Jianing found out, he would surely be beaten to death. He bit his lower lip, glancing at the servants tending the fire nearby, then back at the collar. In the end, desire overcame his reason.

Finding some scraps of waste cloth from somewhere, he stuffed them into a bundle and hid the wolf-fur collar in a crevice of the rockery. He smoothed his disheveled clothes and walked toward the fire.

"Items from Princess Jianing. Burn these quickly."

"Princess Jianing?"

Upon hearing this, the menial servant took the bundle from the eunuch and weighed it in his hands. "What is this?"

If it belonged to Princess Jianing, it had to be incredibly valuable.

The eunuch swallowed nervously, putting on an imperious air. "Less talk! How can you lowly slaves question the belongings of Princess Jianing?" He sneered, "Burn it all quickly so I can return to report to the Princess. If you keep her waiting, mind your own heads!"

The servants, now terrified, dared not peek inside and tossed the bundle into the brazier, watching it burn rapidly. Satisfied, the eunuch left, his mind consumed by the collar hidden in the rocks.

*Whoosh.*

The flames died down. A servant raked through the ashes and pulled out the half-charred bundle.

"What is this! It’s all just rags!"

The bundle contained nothing but filthy scraps of cloth.

Elsewhere, the young eunuch hurried to the rockery, his face filled with excitement. He reached into the crevice to retrieve his prize, only to recoil in shock, collapsing onto the ground. The wolf-fur collar he had hidden there was gone.

***

"Master!"

Cen Mo knelt, holding the wolf-fur collar he had retrieved from the rockery. "I followed your instructions and kept a close watch on every move in the Qiwu Palace."

"After you left, a eunuch took this collar and slipped away in a suspicious manner. I heard him tell other servants that Princess Jianing had ordered him to burn it. Who would have guessed the eunuch was so greedy? He tried a shell game, hiding the real collar in the rockery and burning a decoy instead."

Shen Jingmu was applying medicine to the whip lashes on his arms and chest. The eunuchs had struck with lethal intent, leaving his flesh torn and raw. The powder stung like a thousand needles piercing his skin, his wounds burning as if touched by fire.

Shen Jingmu let out a muffled groan, beads of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He tore a strip of cloth with his teeth and slowly wrapped it around his arm before lifting his heavy, aching eyelids to look over.

The collar in Cen Mo's hand was indeed the same one he had seen earlier. The Qiwu Palace was heavily guarded; it was impossible for a mere eunuch to steal from it. Therefore, it truly was that woman's intent. Why burn the collar? To destroy the evidence? Was she afraid of being found out?

Shen Jingmu found the situation amusing and smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes. His injuries were the work of that arrogant princess; he would certainly not let this opportunity to cause her trouble slip by. If she didn't want this matter discovered, he would ensure everyone knew—especially Princess Zhaoyang.

"Go, throw this collar at Princess Zhaoyang."

He was genuinely curious: behind that venomous facade, what secrets was that woman hiding?

Seeing his expression, Cen Mo knew his master was up to no good again. He retreated, holding the collar, and found Cen Yan keeping watch outside. Cen Mo shoved the collar into Cen Yan's arms and tilted his head. "Master wants you to deliver this to Princess Zhaoyang."

Cen Yan did not doubt him and nodded to carry out the order, but his arm was grabbed.

"Hey, haven't you noticed Master has been acting a bit strange these past few days?"

Cen Yan asked, "What's strange about it?"

Cen Mo felt speechless at his comrade's blockheadedness. "Everything is strange! Haven't you noticed how much attention he's paying to Princess Jianing?"

Cen Yan hadn't noticed. He said honestly, "Hasn't Master always paid attention to Princess Jianing? Every time he was punished, he wanted to kill her." This time, she had whipped him until he was drenched in blood, treating him like an animal. When the Great Liao cavalry broke through the gates of Chang'an, he would personally hack off Princess Jianing's head to celebrate!

Cen Mo realized he couldn't get through to Cen Yan and gave up. "What are you standing there for? Go deliver the cloak, or Master will punish you!"

Cen Yan curled his lip, retorting with a jab, "The last time you spoke out of turn, you were beaten until you vomited blood. Has your body fully recovered yet?"

"Cen Yan!"

***

Noisy.

Cen Yan couldn't be bothered to respond. He leaped onto the roof, his figure vanishing into the night.

***

When he returned, Cen Mo saw him carrying two men dressed as eunuchs on his back. Their mouths were stuffed with rags, and they let out muffled groans. Cen Mo recognized them instantly: they were the eunuchs from Princess Jianing's retinue who were always the most enthusiastic about whipping his master.

Good. They had fallen right into his hands.

Cen Mo felt his hands itch and began to loosen his stiff joints. Cen Yan threw the two men to the ground and bowed to the youth on the seat of honor. "Master, the men have been captured."

"Mmph... mmmph! Mmmph!"

Even as dim-witted as they were, the two eunuchs knew they were in dire straits. Their terrified gazes darted from Cen Mo and Cen Yan, finally settling on Shen Jingmu.

"Mmmph!"

Within their frantic whimpering, one could clearly discern a desperate plea for mercy. They knelt forcefully, kowtowing repeatedly, begging Shen Jingmu to spare their lives.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Their foreheads were soon bloodied. In the prince-hostage's palace, even a carpet was a luxury; every kowtow sent sharp gravel digging into their skin.

Shen Jingmu said, "Clean this up. Leave no traces."

"Mmmph! Mmmph, mmmph!"

The two men’s eyes widened in horror, and one of them even wet his pants. Seeing the damp patch on the floor, Cen Mo looked on with disgust, theatrically covering his nose.

"How did you manage to wet yourself? Weren't you quite tough when you were whipping my master?" He sneered, "A man can survive losing his manhood, but he cannot survive losing his spine."

He drew the soft blade coiled around his waist. Seeing this, the two men scrambled to flee toward the door.

*Slash.*

A single strike severed their throats; they didn't even have time to scream. Killing was easy; the trouble was disposing of the bodies. Because of the recent assassination attempt, the palace was locked down tighter than a drum; not even a fly could escape.

They would have to be sunk in the pond.

"Master, please rest well. I will take care of the bodies."

"Wait."

Cen Mo stopped and turned to look at Shen Jingmu.

The youth lowered his brow, a strange, sinister arc touching his lips. He had thought of the perfect place to dump the bodies.