His Majesty is plotting a rebellion? Quickly, summon the Imperial Advisor!

"Does Commander Shang also wish to offer incense?"

Xu Bing strode over, even faster than Shang Shoucheng, and blocked his way.

This separated Shang Shoucheng from the incense burner table.

It resembled a thick wall of people.

Ji Yuan felt that all the light was blocked, and her vision was plunged into darkness again.

However, their conversation could be heard.

"Go away!"

Shang Shoucheng was already suspicious and didn't give Xu Bing a friendly look. He swept his cold eyes over Xu Bing and pushed him away.

However, to his surprise...

He couldn't push him. He placed his palm on Xu Bing's chest, mobilizing all his strength. This force was enough to send an ordinary person flying three meters, but it was as if he had entered a swamp, and he saw no effect.

In contrast, Xu Bing remained calm and composed, watching quietly with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It's that guy again!" Ji Yuan's fingernails dug into her flesh; she was only half a step away from freedom.

Zhou Xiaoyou, who had already boarded the imperial carriage, heard the commotion and lifted a corner of the curtain. The changes in the scene caught her eye, and a thought suddenly occurred to her: Could it be… that Sister Ji Yuan is still in the Jingxin Palace?

That being the case.

Standing up and reporting it at this time...

No...that's not appropriate.

Zhou Xiaoyou lowered his gaze, noticing the crimson-gold Qian Yuan Ring still on his wrist, controlling his vital point. Furthermore… Xu Bing was such a cautious person, not so easily manipulated.

"The risk is too great if we don't follow the plan." Zhou Xiaoyou made up his mind, continued to act aloof, and lowered the carriage curtain.

Xu Bing and Shang Shoucheng clashed with each other, their auras clashing like fire and water, as if a sudden, invisible gust of wind had risen.

Yu Jin, the Left Wing Guard standing to the side, looked surprised. "This useless Imperial Advisor can actually compete with the Commander in terms of aura?"

"The commander has killed countless people, enjoys His Majesty's deep trust, and has even beheaded Qi cultivators and corrupt officials. How could the Imperial Preceptor possibly shake his aura?"

Yu Jin was also cultivating his inner energy. A person's aura and presence will accompany them throughout their life, and those with strong auras will dominate those with weak auras.

In fact, it is similar to the "capital" of the Great Dao mentioned by Qi practitioners.

next second.

What surprised him even more happened.

Shang Shoucheng actually took a half step back, steadied himself, and his entire suit of armor clanged.

In a daze, standing in front of him, blocking his way, was the Imperial Advisor, who held the destiny of an emperor.

"you!"

Shang Shoucheng's eyes widened in shock, and his delicate heart pounded rapidly.

I was utterly shocked.

Xu Bing remained calm as he silently pulled up his profile screen: [Prestige: 9]

"go!"

Shang Shoucheng turned and left, declaring, "Escort His Majesty back to court!"

Just as everyone had left the Meditation Hall and were preparing to close the doors.

Shang Shoucheng suddenly turned around and ran towards the incense burner table again.

This time, Shang Shoucheng was moving at such speed that he used all his strength, like a gust of wind rushing by.

Yu Jin, showing remarkable understanding, unconditionally trusted and obeyed Shang Shoucheng, even though he didn't know why Shang Shoucheng was acting this way. He stepped forward half a step, blocking Xu Bing's path to prevent him from hindering Shang Shoucheng.

Xu Bing remained calm, his eyes did not tremble, and he did not take a step, showing no intention of chasing after him.

"My beloved minister."

As Ji Yuan watched Shang Shoucheng rush towards her, the emperor's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank.

It's over. Xu Bing lost. He was too arrogant and underestimated just how terrifying Linglongxin's intuition was.

As Shang Shoucheng abruptly lifted the tablecloth, sunlight gradually filled the space beneath the table.

"I... am saved."

Ji Yuan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his phoenix eyes regained their majesty.

His aura was like Mount Tai collapsing before him, yet he remained unfazed; even when imprisoned, he remained calm and composed, his dignified presence radiating from his relaxed or furrowed brows.

next second.

The tablecloth was completely lifted.

Ji Yuan was bathed in sunlight, yet his eyes remained unblinking and unblinking despite the harshness of the light. Such composure made his restrictive clothing seem almost superfluous.

Don't judge a book by its cover. In Ji Yuan's heart, however, she couldn't hide the embarrassment and shame that surged from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and then spread throughout her entire body.

Beneath the cloth shoes, toes curled up; beneath the blond hair, scalp tingled; and sweat beaded on the back and palms.

In stark contrast to that imposing manner, it was precisely the deliberate maintenance of the emperor's demeanor and majesty that caused this humiliation to permeate the heart and breed anger.

After a few seconds of this stalemate, she suddenly felt something was wrong. As she narrowed her eyes, a thought arose in her mind.

She could clearly see Shang Shoucheng's expression, demeanor, even his pores and the sweat on his forehead.

But… the other person seemed unable to see her. Ji Yuan turned to look at Xu Bing, who remained calm and composed, and she instantly caught the subtle smile on his face.

"I've been made invisible." Ji Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that even now, he still can't escape?

Surely such a thing couldn't possibly happen in the world? ... Ji Yuanxin thought to herself, no longer caring about imperial dignity, her beautiful eyes filled with expectation and pleading.

This demeanor possessed a unique charm, which was naturally due to Ji Yuan, an emperor, who considered weakness a disgrace, causing this "pearl" to be covered in dust for a long time, unappreciated by anyone.

Even now, only Xu Bing can see it.

Shang Shoucheng's hand trembled slightly. He lifted the tablecloth, but it was empty; there was nothing inside.

"Commander Shang, what are you doing?" Xu Bing asked in confusion, having already used his invisibility technique.

Shang Shoucheng was still not giving up and tried to reach under the table to investigate.

Xu Bing grabbed it and flicked it away lightly. "Commander Shang, do you think this Jingxin Hall is some kind of vegetable market where children play?"

"Do you know that this act is disrespectful to the emperors of all dynasties? According to military law, you should be punished with eighty strokes of the cane!"

Shang Shoucheng snapped out of his daze, his eyes glazed over, his teeth clenched, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times.

His forehead was cut and bleeding, leaving a trail of blood on his forehead.

"This humble subject will return and receive eighty strokes of the cane!" Shang Shoucheng said.

Then, he got up and left without looking back.

Ji Yuan took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, and slowly closed her eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her heart trembled as well.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

She was completely enveloped in darkness and silence... A sense of powerlessness seeped into every strand of her hair.

She was so close to being rescued, but she couldn't do it; there was nothing she could do.

……

And at this moment.

Xu Bing, who was following the welcoming party down the mountain, had a slight smile on his lips.

He brought up Ji Yuan's panel and looked at her emotional journey, which was full of twists and turns, and finally sank to the bottom.

Even emperors are, in the end, just ordinary people; they feel fear, disappointment, and anger.

"Ji Yuan, Ji Yuan, savor this humiliation."

Xu Bing murmured.

Her unparalleled dragon aura and extraordinary destiny were indeed what Xu Bing coveted.

Conquering or controlling? Actually, there's not much difference.

But before that.

Xu Bing was more inclined to tease and torment her slowly.

Their relationship was irreconcilable from the very beginning.

The final result is either one person dies and the other lives, or one person completely conquers the other.

Conquering from body to mind.

"What if he awakens some strange fetish by then?" Xu Bing wondered absentmindedly as he checked Ji Yuan's profile.

After all, he had seen quite a few people who appeared pampered and privileged on the surface, but secretly...

…………

"Commander, what's wrong with you? Why did you repeatedly..."

As he walked out of the palace, Yu Jin couldn't help but ask.

Shang Shoucheng's face was grim. "Your Majesty...I'm afraid..."

Yu Jin looked around in fright, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around. He said anxiously, "Commander, you can't say such things. His Majesty is perfectly fine. He is currently discussing important matters with the Imperial Advisor!"

Shang Shoucheng said solemnly, "That's fake."

"Fake?" Yu Jin shook his head repeatedly. Although he also felt that His Majesty was acting strangely today, he didn't think it was fake.

Those who rule are inherently fickle.

“The real Emperor is probably already in Xu Bing’s hands.” Shang Shoucheng explained, “When I first entered the Jingxin Hall, I noticed that there were only twelve incense sticks in the incense burner in the hall.”

"During the Tranquility Festival, the emperor is required to burn three incense sticks each morning, noon, and night to ensure the incense continues to burn. Logically, after seven days, there should be sixty-three incense sticks burning..."

"However, there were only twelve incense sticks, and three of them were only half-burned."

"What does this mean?" Shang Shoucheng asked Yu Jin.

Yu Jin's pupils constricted sharply. "This means that something had already happened to His Majesty on the very first night!"

Shang Shoucheng nodded. "That's right. I don't know exactly what happened at Jingxin Manor, but I have a vague guess that His Majesty is in the palace, waiting for me to rescue him."

"My senses are infallible."

"But where exactly did things go wrong?"

He was puzzled.

Shang Shoucheng looked at Yu Jin and said, "Yu Jin, you are talented, tight-lipped, and related to His Majesty. The Great Xi is currently in turmoil, and this matter must not be spread. Otherwise, it is unknown whether another rebellion will break out."

"I still need to receive eighty strokes of the cane, and I'm afraid I won't be able to move around for a long time."

"This matter can only be entrusted to you. You must investigate it secretly, and... stay away from Xu Bing."

"When I confronted him, my delicate heart almost shattered. This man is no ordinary person; he might even be the culprit who has wreaked havoc on the court!"

“Everyone underestimated him before, including His Majesty. Stay away from him and don’t try to find out his true strength.”

"Remember!"

"Investigate secretly!"

Shang Shoucheng gripped Yu Jin's shoulders as if entrusting his son to someone, his words heavy with painstaking effort.

"I will not fail in my mission!" Yu Jin nodded solemnly.

I don't know.

A crow was perched on a rooftop in the distance, watching the two of them.

Xu Bing chuckled lightly.

That's what makes it fun.

He wasn't afraid of others finding out; he wasn't exactly a loyal subject anyway, so if they knew, they knew.

No evidence is fine, just deny it.

With Ji Yuan in his hands, he would have the upper hand.