Chapter 71

“What is magic?” Tu Shanjin asked humbly upon hearing the new term from the underworld.

“You can think of it as sorcery. It generally doesn’t exist in real life.”

“Continue with my brilliant plan.”

Whenever there was trouble to stir up, Yun Yaoyao’s eyes shone brightly. “Since Tushan Ze knows how to exploit the common people’s love of gossiping about other people’s romantic affairs, I can naturally use the same thing to strike back.”

“When it comes to gossip, the more scandalous, dramatic, and full of twists, the more addictive it is!”

“Tushan ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍Ze’s story relies on the regret of childhood sweethearts, the tragedy of two lovers being torn apart by fate, and the novelty of a dignified king being cuckolded.”

“Then my story will have to be even more complicated.”

Yun Yaoyao straightened up like a professional storyteller, her brows and eyes full of animation.

“All the world knows that Prince Ze is a charming, affectionate man who treats every woman with courtesy and consideration. Countless women willingly entered Prince Ze’s residence, and this became a celebrated tale.”

“But what the world doesn’t know is that Prince Ze suffers from a rare secret illness called skin hunger. He has an abnormal need for physical contact with women. If he doesn’t touch someone a dozen times or so every day, he has trouble breathing and feels miserable all over!”

“This illness causes Prince Ze immense distress. The women in his residence were all taken into his household to ease his skin hunger. In truth, he doesn’t love a single one of them!”

“Until...” Yun Yaoyao drew out the word dramatically. “He encountered Yun Yaoyao during another attack and was forced to touch her arm.”

“After that single touch, Prince Ze didn’t suffer another attack for an entire half-month!”

“Recalling that breathtaking glimpse of her, with his heart pounding like thunder, Prince Ze realized that the woman destined for him had finally appeared!”

“Thus began a doomed romance...” Yun Yaoyao paused to take a sip of tea.

“Prince Ze pursued her again and again, only to be rejected time after time. Disheartened—and tormented by his skin hunger—he turned love into hate and embarked on a journey of emotional abuse! From then on, she ran while he tormented her. He seized her by force and locked her away in a dark room. Though she had no hope of escape, she would rather die than submit!”

“Who could have expected that, during a palace banquet, Yun Yaoyao would bide her time and use an assassination attempt to marry the Emperor she loved?”

“His fiancée had become his sister-in-law. Watching the two of them act so lovingly together, Tushan Ze was consumed by jealousy and hatred. His personality changed completely, and he became twisted and warped!”

“He secretly began tripping up his imperial brother and sister-in-law. Amid their love-hate relationship, Tushan Ze suddenly realized one day that he had fallen in love with his own imperial brother as well! This unspeakable forbidden love caused him even greater torment...”

Yun Yaoyao imitated Tushan Ze, clutching her head and growling in a low voice, “I can’t be the only person in the world who has fallen in love with both a woman and a man... No, the only person I love is Yun Yaoyao! ...But why does my heart feel as though it’s being cut by knives whenever I see Imperial Brother getting intimate with someone else? Why do I want to hide him away in Prince Ze’s residence, where only I can see him?”

“Who do I really love...?”

Tu Shanjin’s expression at that moment could only be described as: jaw-droppingly stunned.jpg.

After finishing her performance, Yun Yaoyao suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! I almost forgot that Tushan Ze was castrated!”

She cleared her throat and continued vividly, “And on the day of the Double Ninth Festival palace banquet, the final move left behind by the dead Yun Liang turned Tushan Ze into an Eunuch Prince. He completely descended into darkness... blah, blah, blah...” She continued with a thousand words of utterly outrageous melodrama, courtesy of Yun Yaoyao.

Afterward, worried that Tu Shanjin might not understand some of the new terms in her story, Yun Yaoyao thoughtfully explained them all.

“Well?” Yun Yaoyao raised her brows slightly. “Isn’t this story much more compelling than the one Tushan Ze made up?”

Even though Tu Shanjin had prepared himself mentally, Yun Yaoyao’s story still left him utterly shaken.

More compelling? It was far more than that. It was simply too... too... too...

For a moment, Tu Shanjin couldn’t think of a suitable description.

Even Tushan Ze’s own mother would probably rise straight from her coffin after hearing this story.

Yun Yaoyao assumed that Tu Shanjin thought the plan was too vicious and underhanded. The story was indeed rather vicious, so she sat down in front of him, preparing to persuade him otherwise.

Who could have known that Tu Shanjin would suddenly look up and meet her gaze?

“Add one more detail.”

“What?”

“After Tushan Ze turns evil, he stops at nothing. He colludes with the Xiongnu, sells military intelligence, and trades two cities on the frontier for an elite iron-blooded cavalry force. His goal is to march on the imperial capital in the future, kill his brother, steal his wife, and seize the throne!”

Yun Yaoyao froze. Looking into his serious eyes, the corners of both their lips curved upward despite themselves.

This rumor was truly brilliant. It would directly cut off every possible path for Tushan Ze to raise an army and rebel in the future!

The story was ready. Now all that remained was figuring out how to spread it.

On that point, Yun Yaoyao had plenty of experience.

“We’re fighting a war of public opinion. In the underworld, there are four kinds of people we can’t do without when fighting one.”

“They’re marketing accounts, major influencers, paid commenters, and public-relations specialists!”

Yun Yaoyao explained the meanings of all four terms to Tu Shanjin.

“And as for clever, brilliant me, I’ll naturally be the public-relations specialist!” Proud Yaoyao gave herself a modest little pat on the back.

“As for the marketing accounts, they can be storytellers, theatrical troupes, or even the women from the Manyu Brothel. They’ll be responsible for polishing and spreading the story in different forms.”

“As for a major influencer with plenty of clout and countless followers, Mister Rich is the perfect candidate. We’ll leave that to him.”

“As for the paid commenters, we can bribe some ordinary citizens and beggars. Or we can have the Dragon Shadow Guards disguise themselves and blend in with the common people!”

With just a few simple sentences, Yun Yaoyao had arranged every capable person under her command with perfect clarity.

“He can sling mud at me, and I’ll sling mud right back at him. The final result of this war of public opinion will depend on who comes out on top!” A cold glint flashed in Yun Yaoyao’s eyes.

At this point, Tu Shanjin no longer had the slightest concern about the rumor crisis. Silently, he lit a stick of incense for Tushan Ze in his heart.

Of all people, he had to provoke Yun Yaoyao.

Well, now he was about to be punished for it.

He was on his own.

Early the next morning, Yun Yaoyao and the others left the Commandery Princess’s Residence.

The Wanfu vessel cast off and headed toward the capital. On the shore, Du Luoling waved a small handkerchief at Tu Shanjin with deep reluctance.

Yun Yaoyao, you must complete your system mission soon~~~

By the time Yun Yaoyao reached the imperial palace, it was already deep into the night. After bathing and changing into a comfortable everyday outfit, she headed toward Xiwan Palace.

The three-day deadline set by the wicked son would expire in less than half an hour. She could never figure out what went on in a lunatic’s mind, and she didn’t want any more unexpected complications.

The moment she stepped into Xiwan Palace, Yun Yaoyao put on a dignified yet warm and kindly smile.

“Good son, Father has come to see you!”

But as soon as she entered, she saw two people sitting beside the pavilion turn their heads toward her in unison.

The Empress Dowager no longer looked quite as insane as before. She yawned while wearing an aggrieved expression.

Huyan Mu, on the other hand, looked even more seriously ill. He gave her a chilly smile, placed the fish food in his hand on the table, and stood up.

Behind him, the pond was filled with a vast expanse of white-bellied koi floating on the surface, as though they had been fed to death.

A smile touched Huyan Mu’s eyes as he stared at Yun Yaoyao, his gaze evoking a suffocating sensation, as though something were tightening around her throat.

“If you didn’t come soon, I was planning to rot and stink right alongside these koi~”