DLWAV CH144

The Little Milk Dumpling was so angry that it couldn’t even articulate its words clearly.

Listening to this string of unintelligible curses, which even carried a hint of a sob, Ao Ruize: “…”

However, Ao Ruize could roughly guess what it was saying.

It was nothing more than: No wonder I fed Jiang Zimo two supreme body-strengthening potions, yet his health still didn’t improve.

And: Why did we suddenly end up sleeping together? Before this, our relationship was merely the most ordinary superior-subordinate dynamic, and I hadn’t pursued Jiang Zimo in any way like in the previous worlds…

What could Ao Ruize do?

Ao Ruize could only say to Jiang Zimo: “It wasn’t me, it was a… friend of mine who cured your poison. It likes you very much.”

Hearing these words, the Little Milk Dumpling’s whimpering abruptly stopped.

And its ears instantly perked up as well.

“Oh?”

Jiang Zimo blinked: “Then I must thank it properly.”

“As it happens, I recently learned a few new dishes. When I have time one of these days, I’ll make them, and you can take them for it to try.”

Ao Ruize: “Alright.”

The Little Milk Dumpling: “…”

The Little Milk Dumpling: “…………”

The Little Milk Dumpling: “………………”

Aww!

Its wife actually wanted to wash her hands and make soup for it?

Was this a treatment it could ever hope to have?

No, wait—

He was no longer its wife.

He had been seduced away by Ao Ruize again—

The more the Little Milk Dumpling thought about it, the angrier it got.

And so, in the next second—

Crack!

The processor in its head blew a fuse again.

And then it went offline once more.

Ao Ruize: “…”

Ao Ruize, accustomed to such strange occurrences, simply pulled Jiang Zimo a bit closer into his embrace: “Alright, time to sleep.”

“Fine.”

After such a minor interlude, Jiang Zimo’s restless heart slowly settled down as well.

Anyway, the poison in his body was already cured.

So his days of sexual bliss in the future were still long.

With this thought, he buried his face directly into Ao Ruize’s chest and then closed his eyes alongside him.

However, precisely because everything had gone a bit too smoothly—

Right after he discovered his feelings for Ao Ruize, he found out that Ao Ruize liked him too.

Before he even had the time to worry that he might not have the chance to grow old with Ao Ruize, Ao Ruize told him the poison in his body was already cured…

One by one, all these events sounded exactly like a dream.

But the next morning when he woke up, the large pectoral muscles that immediately met his eyes told him he was not dreaming.

—Of course, this was mainly because he casually grabbed a handful, which successfully woke Ao Ruize up, and then his butt was promptly smacked again.

But a new problem also arose: since he was definitely unwilling to kill Ao Ruize now, how was he going to deal with the order Emperor Jianzhao had handed down to them?

Right at this moment, those Fuyun Courtyard servant boys came in carrying toiletries.

The next second, their expressions completely changed.

If you could say that when they stumbled upon Jiang Zimo getting his jaw held and being kissed by Ao Ruize last night, they just assumed it was because Jiang Zimo had slipped Ao Ruize an aphrodisiac again.

Then right now, even if they wanted to pretend they didn’t know Ao Ruize wasn’t drugged last night, it was impossible.

Because in the past, every time Jiang Zimo drugged Ao Ruize, to prevent Ao Ruize from finding out, he would always sneak off to another room to sleep in the middle of the night.

But now, Jiang Zimo was lying on the same bed with Ao Ruize.

Most importantly, upon noticing that when Jiang Zimo was putting on his shoes, he subconsciously rubbed his lower back—likely because it felt a bit sore—Ao Ruize directly stepped forward, bent down, and helped Jiang Zimo put on his shoes.

Their expressions completely cracked.

So the moment Ao Ruize left, they couldn’t wait to ask: “Ninth Brother, what exactly is going on here?”

Jiang Zimo’s attention at this moment, however, was entirely focused on his shoes.

Seeing this, the servant boys couldn’t help but call out again: “Ninth Brother?”

Only then did Jiang Zimo snap back to reality. He looked up and suddenly said: “Just as you saw, Wu Ruize and I are together.”

“What?”

Even though they had already realized this, when they actually heard Jiang Zimo admit to the matter, they still couldn’t help but gasp.

“Ninth Brother, are you crazy?”

But Jiang Zimo said: “Do you want to be death knights for the rest of your lives?”

The servant boys hesitated at once.

If anyone else had asked this question, they would undoubtedly have answered that their lives were given by Emperor Jianzhao, so they were willing to serve him with their lives and shed their blood on the ground for him for the rest of their days, sparing no sacrifice.

But this question was asked by Jiang Zimo.

Jiang Zimo wasn’t just the boss who had single-handedly brought them up; he was their savior. The only reason they were able to survive safely until now in the Imperial Dragon Guard—which had an annual attrition rate of over seventy percent—was because Jiang Zimo had dragged them back from the gates of hell countless times.

So in the end, gritting their teeth, they answered truthfully: “I don’t want to.”

“I… want to live.”

“I also want to find my family and ask them why they sold me all those years ago.”

Then the problem was very simple.

Jiang Zimo: “Since we can’t resolve the order Emperor Jianzhao handed down to us, we just have to resolve Emperor Jianzhao.”

“As long as Emperor Jianzhao dies and the Great Yang falls, we will be free.”

Hearing the word “free,” the expressions on the servant boys’ faces invariably became complex.

It was yearning and longing.

Jiang Zimo continued: “Wu Ruize actually figured out our true identities a long time ago.”

The servant boys’ expressions changed once again instantly.

Only this time, they turned into ones of shock and fear.

Which meant that the intelligence they had been transmitting back in the past was clearly information Wu Ruize deliberately wanted them to know.

One could imagine just how much damage that intelligence had already caused Emperor Jianzhao and the Great Yang.

If Emperor Jianzhao and his people ever found out about this, they would likely be made to bear the severe consequences and suffer endless trouble.

Jiang Zimo: “You have all seen Prince Wu’s methods. He has completely figured out Emperor Jianzhao’s bottom line long ago, yet Emperor Jianzhao still hasn’t figured out Prince Wu’s bottom line to this day. So do you really think Emperor Jianzhao can be his match?”

At this point, the servant boys all calmed down.

They didn’t immediately refute Jiang Zimo’s words, because they also felt that what he said made a lot of sense. Instead, they said, “But Ninth Brother, Prince Wu might not be trustworthy either.”

They couldn’t believe that Ao Ruize was genuinely together with Jiang Zimo.

After all, this wasn’t a storybook. Who would be stupid enough to fall in love with their enemy… Wait, didn’t Jiang Zimo just fall in love with his enemy, Prince Wu?

The servant boys: “…”

So they quickly added another point: “And Ninth Brother, don’t forget, even if Prince Wu wins in the future, he is the only male heir of the Wu family. He will definitely want to pass on the Wu family’s great legacy. When the time comes for him to marry a wife and take concubines, what will you do?”

Jiang Zimo looked at his feet again: “But just now, he actually noticed that my… body wasn’t feeling too agile, so he voluntarily bent down to help me put on my shoes.”

Speaking to this point, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve upwards: “If he didn’t care about me deeply, how could he possibly pay attention to me at every moment, and be willing to bend his knees for me?”

“So I want to take a gamble. I bet he will not let me down, just as I will not let him down.”

“If you are unwilling to gamble, I can have Wu Ruize let you leave right now.”

Hearing these words, the servant boys all fell silent.

Because they knew that Jiang Zimo was absolutely determined to go down this path with Ao Ruize, come hell or high water.

What could they do?

They were also unwilling to leave Jiang Zimo all alone in Prince Wu’s manor—just like in the past, Jiang Zimo would never abandon them when danger arrived.

They could only grit their teeth and say, “We will gamble too.”

But what they were gambling on was that Jiang Zimo hadn’t misjudged Ao Ruize.

And it was true that Jiang Zimo had never once made a mistake in judging character in the past.

Jiang Zimo merely said: “Rest assured, we won’t let you down.”

And while Jiang Zimo was busy enjoying this easily won sexual bliss, half a month later, news arrived from the front lines saying that Prince Rui had first led the grand army to defeat the Prince of Yun and the Prince of Lizhou in Nanzhou. Then, dividing his forces into two routes, one route captured the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Luzhou alive in Lizhou and absorbed their fifty thousand troops into their ranks. The other route tightly besieged the Prince of Minjiang’s grand army in Changzhou, making it impenetrable. Now, they just needed to merge the two routes into one to eradicate the Great Yang’s final vassal king.

When the news reached the capital, it goes without saying that the entire court and the public erupted into a wave of joy and encouragement once again.

Emperor Jianzhao’s face was especially flushed with joy: “Good, good, good.”

“In times of national calamity, fortunately, we still have a prince as shrewd, capable, and exceptionally intelligent as Prince Rui to hold up the sky and protect the throne. My heart is greatly comforted; My heart is greatly comforted!”

He had originally valued Prince Rui not only because Prince Rui looked the most like him among all the princes, but even more so because Prince Rui had almost perfectly inherited his personality.

It was only after Wu Chuyao’s incident blew up that he removed him from the list of heirs to the throne.

After all, the Great Yang did not need a successor emperor who couldn’t even control a mere woman.

It wasn’t until the Prince of Qinghe suddenly raised an army in rebellion, and the Crown Prince proved truly useless, that he was forced to utilize Prince Rui again.

But what he never expected was that besides having a disposition extremely similar to his own, Prince Rui was actually well-versed in the art of marching and fighting. So much so that in just a short span of five months, all nine major vassal kings had been wiped out by him.

Because of this, he suddenly was no longer afraid of future generations cursing the Ji family for being ruthless and unscrupulous for the sake of the throne. With such an outstanding successor, why worry that the Great Yang wouldn’t prosper? Why worry that the Central Plains wouldn’t become rich and powerful?

When that time came, who would still care about how the Ji family had treated the Wu family?

At this thought, Emperor Jianzhao couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter once again.

“Draft a decree. Order the Ministry of Rites to lay out a grand long-street banquet outside the Meridian Gate starting today. All commoners may go to the Meridian Gate to enjoy this feast and celebrate this great victory together, until Prince Rui returns triumphant to the court.”

“Furthermore, proclaim this matter to both the domestic realm and foreign nations. I want all vassal states to know that our Great Yang has produced a prince and Grand Marshal who excels in both pen and sword, and is second to none, even Bai Qi or Li Guang.”

The head eunuch immediately replied: “Yes.”

However, Emperor Jianzhao also knew that now was not the time to relax their guard. After all, they still had Prince Wu’s manor to deal with.

So the moment all the court ministers had retreated, he directly summoned the commander of the Imperial Dragon Guard.

But unexpectedly, before he could speak, the commander of the Imperial Dragon Guard dropped to one knee and said excitedly: “Your Majesty, good news! Word came from Old Ninth’s side. They have successfully administered the drug into Wu Ruize’s body. Within at most five days, he will die suddenly.”

“The two male courtesans bought off by this subject also said that last night, right after Wu Chuyao arrived at their place, people from Prince Wu’s manor followed closely behind to call her back. Originally, Wu Chuyao was unwilling to tell them the reason, until they pestered her and refused to let her leave, causing Wu Chuyao to let it slip that Wu Ruize’s illness had suddenly worsened…”

“Congratulations to Your Majesty! The internal strife and external threats are all about to be thoroughly eradicated. The world will be at peace, and the Great Yang will be at peace.”

Only then did Emperor Jianzhao snap back to reality.

Jiang Zimo had actually succeeded.

Wu Ruize, whom he had regarded as his greatest hidden danger, had actually been eliminated by them so easily.

“Good, good, good!”

“What an excellent Old Ninth! I certainly did not misjudge him.”

“Hahahahaha.”

The wild joy on Emperor Jianzhao’s face practically materialized into substance.

“It must be Emperor Taizu protecting us, it must be Emperor Taizu protecting us.”

“Men, open the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I must announce this great news to Emperor Taizu—”

Right at this moment, five hundred miles away in Changzhou, the imperial grand army just happened to breach Changzhou and capture the Prince of Minjiang alive.

Half an hour later, the sounds of slaughter completely subsided.

Prince Rui subsequently led his troops to station at the Prince of Minjiang’s manor.

“Good, good, good.”

Sitting in the main seat, looking down at the Prince of Minjiang and the others kneeling below with faces the color of dead ashes, the wild joy on his face mirrored that of Emperor Jianzhao five hundred miles away in the capital.

His trusted aides couldn’t wait to congratulate him: “Congratulations, Your Highness.”

If it weren’t for the fact that they were mindful of the other generals present, they would have loved nothing more than to directly address Prince Rui as the Crown Prince.

Because just a few days ago, they had caught two spies attempting to collude with the Prince of Minjiang to assassinate Prince Rui.

Under severe torture, the two spies confessed directly, saying they were sent by the Crown Prince—

One could imagine how Emperor Jianzhao would deal with the Crown Prince once he found out about this.

The Crown Prince was finished!

Which meant that Prince Rui securing the position of Crown Prince was already a done deal.

But Prince Rui was still not satisfied.

He immediately said: “There is no time to lose. Immediately reorganize the army; we will return triumphant to the court tomorrow.”

Having said this, he couldn’t help but clench his fists.

He had finally waited until this day.

His trusted aides also immediately replied: “Yes.”

They, too, had finally waited until this day.

Having said this, they turned to leave, only to finally realize that in the massive hall, only they had been talking; the other generals hadn’t uttered a single sound.

And right now, their expressions were incredibly stern and unmoving. Most importantly, the gazes they turned upon them held not the slightest trace of warmth.