CALID Chapter 83

Move Forward

Yan Ke’s gaze shifted to Bai Sanxing, who was bound behind Jiang Ai. Bai Sanxing glared hatefully at Jiang Ai before locking eyes with Yan Ke, sneering, “What, do you still think I would keep your secrets for you? You, as the enemy who killed He Simu’s father, still have the audacity to stand on her side, deceiving her into killing me, the only one who knows the truth. It would be strange if He Simu didn’t annihilate you.”

Jiang Ai approached Yan Ke with a few steps, her robe swaying. She leisurely said, “Lord Yan was so nervous before, turns out it’s not because he’s afraid Bai Sanxing will come looking for him, but because he’s afraid His Majesty will know the truth about Bai Sanxing. I find it strange. You used Bai Sanxing’s power to eliminate the former Ghost King, and now you’ve used He Simu’s hand to get rid of Bai Sanxing. There’s only He Simu left on the road to the throne. Why have you been so quiet as the Right Deputy for so many years? Are you really not interested in that throne anymore?”

Approaching Yan Ke, she put her hand near her lips and whispered, “Former Ghost Palace Master, the poor child behind you is your doing, isn’t it, Right Deputy? You want He Simu’s Ghost King Lamp, don’t you?”

Yan Ke looked at Jiang Ai with a cold face, saying nothing, his eyes flickering.

Jiang Ai laughed softly, taking a few steps back, her lips covered in a smile full of charm and her dress fluttering. She said, “With such a big leverage in my hands, the Right Deputy still dares to question me? When Bai Sanxing becomes the witness to correct you one day, He Simu will have to thank me.”

“What do you want?”

“What do I want? You know I have no interest in the throne. Whether it’s you or He Simu on the throne makes no difference to me. But, Lord Yan, I’ll give you some advice. Don’t be too greedy, wanting both the throne and He Simu. There’s no perfect solution in this world. You’ll have to face off against He Simu sooner or later. If you become the king in the future, don’t forget that I helped you conceal today.”

She gestured towards the gate, invitingly. Yan Ke looked at her for a moment, then disappeared into the mist with a cold smile.

Jiang Ai’s smile faded as she confirmed Yan Ke’s complete disappearance. She released Bai Sanxing from his constraints and said to him, “Well played.”

Bai Sanxing seemed somewhat disgruntled.

Then she walked towards the room behind the courtyard, opening the door. Behind the door was a gorgeous emerald-inlaid golden screen, with several hidden enchantments applied to it. A woman was seated behind the screen, holding a scroll and reading, with a lamp emitting a faint blue light around her waist.

Jiang Ai said, “Your Majesty, he confessed.”

He Simu closed the ghost scroll, lifted her eyes, and looked through the carved seams of the screen at Jiang Ai, saying, “Hmm, I heard.”

Jiang Ai remained silent for a moment but couldn’t resist asking, “Si Mu… Your Majesty, when did you find out about the former Ghost King?”

“I guessed most of it,” He Simu’s fingers casually tapped on the ghost scroll. She said, “My father wouldn’t commit suicide. There aren’t many people who could harm him. Although Bai Sanxing is rebellious, he wouldn’t stoop to taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability. At that time, my father was immersed in the pain of losing his wife. It wouldn’t have been the right moment for Bai Sanxing to strike. Moreover, if it were him, he would have declared it to the world long ago. Why would he use the guise of a suicide pact?”

“What about Yan Ke…”

“How did Yan Ke die? Do you know?”

Jiang Ai hesitated, shaking her head.

“He was a prince, proclaimed king, rebelled, got captured, escaped, revolted again, and was finally executed by being torn apart by chariots and his body discarded in the market.” He Simu flipped through the ghost scroll, saying calmly, “His obsession was power, the supreme ruler of all. How could he possibly submit to others?”

Those distant past events may have been forgotten by Yan Ke himself, but they were clearly recorded in the ghost scroll, things that would not disappear or change. He Simu often flipped through the yellowed pages containing the life stories and weaknesses of all evil spirits, telling her about the misfortunes and malice surrounding her, insatiable and endless.

In fact, in this realm of ghosts, she only trusted this ghost scroll and her Ghost King Lamp.

Jiang Ai looked at He Simu through the exquisite and luxurious screen, watching this girl grow up in the mortal realm, then ruling as queen in the ghost realm for three hundred years. Suddenly, she felt unable to understand her anymore.

“So when you say you don’t like evil spirits, you’re actually torturing Yan Ke?”

“Making him my subordinate, unable to obtain the throne or me, seeing but unable to touch, isn’t it interesting? This maze outside the Nine Palaces Maze is much more agonizing than complete annihilation.”

He Simu’s calm voice came from behind the screen.

“But, I really don’t like evil spirits. If I could like evil spirits, it would be nice to be like you and Bai Sanxing.”

This reminded Jiang Ai of half a year ago, when He Simu suddenly gave her this plain bracelet with a bell tied to it.

At the time, she asked—what is this?

He Simu calmly dropped a bombshell—Bai Sanxing’s Heart Candle.

She was utterly astonished, then He Simu explained that she had preserved Bai Sanxing’s Heart Candle and brought it outside the Nine Palaces Maze, where it was kept burning by the He Jia lineage. The twentieth generation of He Jia was a formidable and skilful individual who had modified the Heart Candle into a tool capable of manipulating and suppressing its master.

Jiang Ai couldn’t help but wonder—Your Majesty, did you give me this tool?

“In fact, there’s not a complete lack of affection between you and Bai Sanxing. It’s just that he was too arrogant, wanting to control you, pushing you too hard. I saw you were very sad when he died.”

“He Simu…”

“Now that it’s you controlling him, he has suffered a lot in the Nine Palaces Maze. I just woke him up and brought him out. If you’re willing, I’ll give him another chance. Aunt Jiang Ai, you’ve been very good to me, and I hope you find happiness.”

At that moment and now, apart from feeling a sense of unfamiliarity with He Simu, Jiang Ai also felt somewhat saddened. She thought this child had known everything, known who was responsible for her father’s death, known the hidden motives of seemingly close people, for over three hundred years, without making a sound or attempting to tell anyone, relying on no one.

But He Simu was still just a young girl, only four hundred years old, who had laughed, cried, and played on her parents’ knees in the mortal realm. How did she become so mature to this extent today?

Walking behind the screen, Jiang Ai looked at He Simu, who seemed somewhat surprised. Seeing the reluctance in Jiang Ai’s eyes, she waved her hand and smiled, saying, “Aunt Jiang Ai, don’t be like this. Yan Ke can’t control you, but he will definitely hasten his preparations and rebel sooner if he feels excluded. It’s a good opportunity for me to see who else has dissenting thoughts, saving me from having to find them one by one later. I’ll need your support then.”

“That’s natural. But… Si Mu, why choose this moment?” Jiang Ai was puzzled. After all, He Simu had known these things for over three hundred years.

He Simu pondered for a moment and said, “Actually, I’ve been waiting for his rebellion for a long time, but it never happened. I wasn’t in a hurry.”

Perhaps it was because she didn’t know where to go after avenging her father. She had been walking on a foggy road, with a lamp of vengeance in hand, but now even that lamp was gone.

After a pause, He Simu said, “But recently, I’ve felt that maybe it’s time to end it. I should move forward.”

Jiang Ai found He Simu’s current expression very familiar; she always showed this expression when mentioning the child from the mortal realm. Although he wasn’t mentioned in this sentence, Jiang Ai had a feeling that He Simu was referring to him.

In the mortal realm, Duan Xu had gained control of Jingzhou, and the rebel forces in Qizhou had submitted, so he began to plan to attack Youzhou. The Danzhi General stationed in Youzhou happened to be his old friend, who had once led troops across the rivers and directly attacked the southern capital, Feng Lai.

The power struggle that had caused Danzhi to lose control of three provinces finally came to an end. The sixth prince, supported by Feng Lai, finally secured the position of heir. He received numerous rewards and became the Grand Marshal, the highest-ranking general of Danzhi. Originally, he didn’t need to go to the front lines himself. However, upon hearing that Duan Xu would lead the troops this time, Feng Lai immediately demanded to go to war, leading a hundred thousand elite soldiers straight to Youzhou. He intended to vent his anger at Duan Xu’s poor handling of the rebellions in Jingzhou and Qizhou, drive Duan Xu away, and make him return the captured territories.

Duan Xu couldn’t help but feel sorry for the generals who were beheaded. The general in Jingzhou thought that Tang Dequan would surrender to Danzhi, so he handled the rebellion with indifference. But unexpectedly, someone stirred up trouble and disrupted his plans, making it too late to deal with the rebellion seriously. As for the general in Qizhou, he was diligent and responsible, but he couldn’t resist the influence of the Zhao family, a prominent clan with deep roots in Qizhou. Five out of ten people in Qizhou were surnamed Zhao, and the Zhao family’s influence permeated every level of society, from the government to the military. Once they rose up, they naturally received widespread support.

Of course, the most crucial factor lay in Youzhou, which was strategically important with heavy defenses at every pass. The army of Daliang was eyeing Yuzhou and Luozhou, so Danzhi couldn’t easily spare troops to suppress the rebellion.

Duan Xu leisurely arrived in Qizhou and had a conversation with Zhao Xing, using the example of Qian Chengyi, who had surrendered from Weizhou, to comfort him. Zhao Xing’s implicit intention was to avoid leaving Qizhou and being enfeoffed in the capital. Duan Xu knew what he was thinking and assured him that the Zhao family had deep roots in Qizhou. If Zhao Xing made any mistakes in the capital, Qizhou would be unable to justify itself, and Daliang would naturally do everything to ensure his safety. Besides, life in the bustling capital would be much more comfortable than in Qizhou.

Both Zhao Xing and Duan Xu knew that if Zhao Xing left Qizhou, he wouldn’t be able to return for at least twenty years. Unlike Qian Chengyi, who had no significant influence in Weizhou, Zhao Xing was the local emperor of Qizhou, controlling politics, commerce, and the military. Leaving him in Qizhou would be a huge problem, so he had to be kept under the emperor’s watchful eye.

At that moment, news came from the capital that the emperor had been unconscious for five days and had just woken up. The Astrological Bureau concluded that the northern military star had clashed with the emperor, and the military star corresponded precisely to the area around Qizhou.

The emperor immediately decreed that Zhao Xing, who was coming from Qizhou, should temporarily postpone his enfeoffment in the capital. Zhao Xing was overjoyed, while Duan Xu felt a headache coming on. Fortunately, although Zhao Xing didn’t listen to him, he wouldn’t cause trouble behind his back, so Duan Xu temporarily let it go.

“What’s going on with the Astrological Bureau? How did they come up with these things?” Duan Xu couldn’t help but sigh.

Sitting in the tent, Luo Xian, who brought the news from the capital, said lightly, “The Imperial Tutor Feng Yi has left the capital for a pilgrimage and is no longer the High Priest. The people at the Astrological Bureau are trying their best to present more reports to the emperor to secure their position.”

“The Imperial Tutor has left the capital?” Duan Xu was somewhat surprised.

The Imperial Tutor Feng Yi generally wouldn’t leave the capital to protect the royal family. If he had left at this time, something must have happened in the ghost realm. When Si Mu came to find him before, she mentioned that the ghost realm had been unsettled recently.

Duan Xu interlaced his hands by his lips, lost in thought, but then heard Luo Xian continue, “There’s also recent news from Master Fang’s side. He’s been demoted.”