The Demon Concubine of God

The events in my dreams illustrate that the pitiful Shen Wen was later used as a bargaining chip by the mad Chu Yanqiu and Prince Rui. On their wedding night, she was given to Prince Rui. However, this was merely a temporary measure by Chu Yanqiu. He treated Shen Wen as a useful object, only temporarily handing her over to someone else for a few days. Once his grand plan was complete, he would eliminate Prince Rui, who held the Blood Talisman Army, and the "object" would naturally return to his hands.

Shen Wen sat on the bed. In the pitch-black night, she didn't want to light a lamp. The quiet night was just right for her to think things through.

The plot has not developed like it did back then. The ruthless and cold-blooded Chu Yanqiu no longer treats her as an "object." I wonder if this will still happen on the day of the wedding.

Shen Wen kept thinking about what had happened these past few days, pondering Chu Yanqiu's subtle expressions in every matter. She sat quietly thinking until dawn when exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she lay down to catch up on sleep. Even when the maids came in to help her wash up, she didn't bother to open her eyes and give them a perfunctory response. The two maids didn't dare to disturb her, and seeing that she wouldn't wake up, they quietly withdrew.

Shen Wen woke up at noon. At that time, Chu Yanqiu, in the midst of his busy schedule, learned that she had been unconscious and, worried that she was sick, personally brought a doctor to stay by her bedside to treat her.

She was relieved when the doctor said she wasn't sick.

Shen Wen was starving as soon as she woke up. When she saw Chu Yanqiu ordering someone to bring her lunch, she took the meat porridge that Chu Yanqiu personally served her and then remembered that the palace had summoned him to the palace.

Chu Yanqiu watched her wolf down the meat porridge, and hesitated for a moment when asked about her question.

Only after Shen Wen had finished his lunch did he say, "His Majesty is ill and unconscious. I heard that his condition has been getting worse since last night."

Shen Wen paused, holding the rice bowl, and gently placed it on the tray.

She recalled the plot of her dream, remembering that the young emperor did not die from the curse in the story, and that he had the elite troops left by Emperor Shizong. He relied on Lord Shen, who held a large army, instead of the current situation where Lord Shen, who held a large army, was completely defeated.

The young emperor with his large army, Prince Rui with his Blood Talisman Army and private soldiers in various regions, and Chu Yanqiu with Yuchi Lian and Xiliang City as his backing—these three forces are in a strong confrontation, forming a tripartite balance of power in the small Dajue Kingdom.

Despite the fact that Chu Yanqiu ultimately emerged victorious after Shen Wen, whom he considered the "antidote" and "elixir of immortality," died, Chu Yanqiu was the winner in the end.

Oh! No.

It was Yu Chi Lian, who was behind him, who became the winner.

Shen Wen pulled himself back to reality, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Shen Wen's expression was subtle, but Chu Yanqiu couldn't discern any meaning from it. For some reason, he felt a sense of pleasure, especially when he heard her say, "Then the little emperor should be out of danger, right?"

Chu Yanqiu nodded and said, "Yes. The imperial physicians have been helping with the treatment."

Shen Wen raised his hand and shook it casually, saying, "I won't die."

So the two of them tacitly changed the subject and stopped mentioning it.

The two chatted about matters in the manor, and for some reason, Shen Wen had an idea. She said, "I remembered something, and perhaps I should do it before the wedding."

When Chu Yanqiu heard her inexplicable series of events, he stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to mention what she would say next.

But she didn't say anything more. She just stretched and said, "I've had enough sleep and food. It's time to get up and go for a walk."

Chu Yanqiu then stopped pursuing the topic she had mentioned and agreed, "Okay, then I'll accompany you for a stroll in the small garden."

The two of them went out the door together, chatting and laughing as they walked. To the servants in the mansion, they looked like a perfect couple.

The entire Ji State Duke's Mansion has two gardens. One large garden is located on the central axis of the mansion and can be enjoyed by the former old lady's courtyard, the main house's courtyard, the second house's courtyard, as well as the young master and other masters and guests.

There is also a small garden not far from the Crane Tower, naturally located within the second courtyard. This garden was specially built for Chu Yanqiu to entertain literati and scholars. The garden's layout was entirely tailored to the tastes of these scholars and literati, with every plant, flower, and facility being elaborate and exquisite, making it very popular among them.

Shen Wen knew this small garden very well. When his predecessor was Ji Ziyin's concubine in the main house, he would always hear the masters and servants talking about that small garden. In particular, the servants would secretly pass on the words of envy and jealousy from the eldest master Ji.

Shen Wen held a Dendrobium orchid in her hand. A memory surfaced and she remembered these things. Chu Yanqiu, who was behind her, looked at the orchid in her hand and couldn't help but smile.

The Dendrobium orchid was transported from a foreign country thousands of miles away. It is very precious and difficult to cultivate, and it is also very expensive. It is remarkable that among the hundreds of flower varieties, she took a liking to this flower at first glance, and picked it as casually as picking a blade of grass, swinging it back and forth in her hand.

It could only be her. If those discerning officials and dignitaries saw her, they would probably be heartbroken and start cursing her.

Thinking of this, Chu Yanqiu couldn't help but look at her back with a doting smile.

At this moment, Shen Wen stopped and turned around, saying, "By the way, are Master Ji and his wife out on a tour? I haven't seen them for the past few days."

The key point is that I never heard a single word about them from the servants.

Chu Yanqiu remained expressionless and said calmly, "They stay home all day, but because of your identity, you don't often see them. What? You suddenly had a whim to see them today? Do you want to meet them? Then? In what capacity will you meet them? You wouldn't happen to be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Wen covered his mouth with a blanket.

"This is getting more and more outrageous. You used to be respected by the world for your integrity, but when it really matters, you're just as cunning as anyone else."

Chu Yanqiu felt a surge of tenderness as her soft fingers stroked his stubble-covered chin.

Her eyes, glowing with warmth, were unaware that the ice and snow had melted away.

The two stopped mentioning the matter and began to talk about the current situation in the capital. Chu Yanqiu knew as much about the situation in the capital as Shen Wen did. Now that the young emperor was critically ill, apart from a few members of the royal family who held important positions, the person in charge of the Ji State Duke's Mansion at this time was him, who was in charge of many things.

If the young emperor were to pass away one day, the question of who would succeed him would become a major concern. As a result, from high-ranking officials to imperial relatives, there was a lot of undercurrent of activity and frequent planning and actions.

Chu Yanqiu didn't dare to talk to Shen Wen about these things. His wedding, which he had been looking forward to, was just around the corner, and he felt uneasy whenever he thought about Shen Wen's relationship with the young emperor.

Ultimately, he hoped the young emperor could live a few more days, and he hoped his wedding could proceed smoothly.

After a while, the steward of the second branch came to see Chu Yanqiu about something. Shen Wen told him to go ahead, and she went back to her own courtyard to rest.

Chu Yanqiu followed the steward, but after a few steps he suddenly remembered Shen Wen's inexplicable words. He couldn't help but turn back to look at Shen Wen and ask again, "What exactly is it that you said you wanted to do?"

Shen Wen said, "My wedding is in a few days. I don't want anyone to disturb such a happy occasion."

As she said this, she didn't see the light gradually appearing in Chu Yanqiu's eyes as he looked at her.

Chu Yanqiu said, "Is that so? Then tell me which matter and which person it is? Why don't you take care of it? I'll do it for you."

Shen Wen's mind raced. He thought this madman was trying to kill the young emperor again, but he couldn't start arguing with him, so he said, "You don't need to worry about it. I can handle such a thing."

Chu Yanqiu realized he had guessed wrong when he saw her roll her eyes; it wasn't the young emperor. Thinking back, she had only agreed to the marriage on the condition that he wouldn't kill the young emperor, so she genuinely didn't care about him. He recalled visiting the young emperor at the palace yesterday; he truly looked like he was nearing his end. In any case, it was beneficial to him.

As he watched Shen Wen's figure gradually disappear, he immediately understood where she was going.

The brief moment of pleasure lasted only until the frown relaxed, and the unpleasant thoughts crept back into my mind.

The image of the Immortal Ancestor Yuchi Lian, with his imposing presence, would often come to mind.

Afterwards, Chu Yanqiu went to the palace and dealt with some important matters with several other senior officials. He watched as the imperial physician rewrote the prescription and even used acupuncture to treat the young emperor, but the young emperor still did not improve.

Everyone was so nervous they scratched their heads, trying to figure out what the reason was.

As they talked, the conversation drifted to things like gods and ghosts, and curses—matters that shouldn't be discussed in the imperial court.

Chu Yanqiu frowned upon hearing this.

At this moment, those few fearless families who thought that the young emperor's death would give them a chance actually dared to come to him.

The first to be targeted were the two imperial grandsons who were stationed in two separate prefectures. These two grandsons were the illegitimate sons of the late emperor, making them the only remaining members of the royal bloodline after the fall of the dynasty. Fortunately, their maternal families were of humble origin, and their lineage was even questionable. Yet, Pianpian, having gained power, immediately assumed she was above all others. It was only those raised in such a lowly, mundane environment, completely ignorant of the vast court, who dared to act so arrogantly before Chu Yanqiu.

One of them even pointed at Chu Yanqiu's nose and said, "I've heard of you. You're the one who stole His Majesty's woman, which made him so angry that he fell ill. I've also heard that your Ji family is arrogant and powerful, and acts with extreme audacity. You even dared to lead your private army into the capital to force His Majesty to abdicate. You are simply despicable. Such a controversial person is acting as if nothing happened and comes to this hall to participate in such an important matter."

Another said, "You should go back. This matter concerns important royal affairs, and it's not something someone like you should be qualified to participate in."

Despite their boastful words, they failed to notice that all the important officials behind them had almost uniformly retreated a great distance away, each one looking as if they had seen death or bad luck.

Because they had already guessed what would happen next, they were afraid that when these two people, unaware of the impending disaster, were bleeding profusely, it would be bad if their blood got on them.

At this critical moment, a sudden loud noise and the shaking of the ground drew everyone away from where they were trapped.

Because a momentous event had occurred outside the palace. In a luxurious mansion in the royal and aristocratic area not far from the capital, a massive explosion suddenly occurred. The commotion was so great that it shook half of the capital, causing the earth to tremble as if a dragon had turned over. The peaceful common people, who had been living peacefully, were shaken by the sudden earthquake and then scattered like ants startled by a gust of wind.