Tushan Qiong, the Situation at Court

Three days later, Di Xin sat on the bed, looking full of energy. After tucking in the sleeping Daji, he reached for the Human Seed Bag, opened it, and released the Nine-tailed fox Tushan Qiong.

With his private business taken care of, it was time to handle official matters.

"Little fox, does My palace meet your expectations?"

Tushan Qiong's nose twitched as she caught the scent of extravagance in the air. She instinctively covered her mouth and nose:

Di Xin is so lustful. With my looks, seducing him should be as easy as turning over my hand. Judging from his current attitude, he must be pretending to desire me while actually keeping me at arm's length. In that case, I'll have some fun with you.

Having made up her mind, Tushan Qiong transformed into Daji's appearance. Dressed in gauze that revealed more than it concealed, with an alluring figure, she let out a series of delicate moans:

"Long ago, Emperor Yu took my Tushan ancestor as his wife. Great King, now that you've captured this little demon, do you also wish to imitate the sages of old? Hmm? Great King~"

"We're both thousand-year-old foxes. Don't tell Me you're going to put on a Liaozhai performance for Me. Nine-tailed fox, are you trying to make Me skin you alive?"

Di Xin pulled her into his arms in one motion, his right hand settling around her neck:

"The reputation of the auspicious beast of the Tushan Clan of Qing Qiu may well end with you."

Tushan Qiong's body suddenly stiffened. That instant when he clasped my neck—he really wanted to kill me! This...

"G-Great King, you must be joking."

"Relax. I couldn't bear to kill you. With such a beautiful face, what man could bring himself to do it?"

Di Xin bared his teeth in a grin and tightened his grip by another three parts. His killing intent suddenly condensed into something tangible, only to vanish without a trace moments later.

"Good girl, tell Me. What is your name?"

"Tushan... Tushan Qiong."

Daji's pupils suddenly widened. An inexplicable chill rose from her heart and spread through her entire body, leaving her cold from head to toe.

What exactly is this Di Xin planning?

"Come, tell Me. How did the person who sent you plan to help Me?"

Di Xin's smile grew even brighter. All that intimidation had been preparation for this moment.

If he asked directly whether she had come to help or destroy him, none of her answers could be trusted. It was better to frighten her a little first. That way, he could see the truth more clearly.

"You—you know!"

Tushan Qiong cried out in alarm. Wasn't she supposed to come here secretly with her two sisters? What is Niang Niang doing now?

"She told Great King to turn his attention toward the west, saying that you should send them onto some kind of ranking list."

Tushan Qiong stammered as she revealed the first matter Nuwa had instructed her to handle, while concealing the second.

"Is that all?"

Di Xin released his grip and lowered his head until he was looking Tushan Qiong directly in the eyes:

"Think carefully before you answer."

"That's all! If you don't believe me, go ask Niang Niang yourself! Boohoohoo! Niang Niang even told me to hide it from you, but you found out first anyway. Then what was the point of all my trouble getting into the palace?"

Tushan Qiong burst into tears in an instant, her face streaked with pearly drops. She looked utterly heartbroken. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought someone had done something terrible to her.

Di Xin was dumbfounded. How is this mother fox just like a woman? She starts crying at the drop of a hat.

"All right, stop crying. I only guessed that much.

"No, wait—you were trying to trick information out of Me!"

The moment Di Xin realized it, Tushan Qiong had already risen and wrapped both arms around his neck. Her breath was fragrant, filling the room with an intoxicating scent:

"Good Great King, you're allowed to frighten this servant, but I'm not allowed to frighten you?"

"Heh heh, no wonder you're a fox of Qing Qiu. Your mind certainly works quickly."

Di Xin scooped Tushan Qiong up and placed her on the bed beside him, to Daji's right:

"My fox consort, sleep well."

"Great King, you're so bad. I like it so much."

Another four days later.

"The Great King hasn't attended court for seven days already! The memorials submitted by the eight hundred feudal lords are piled up like a mountain in the Secretariat!"

"Exactly! The Great King is building that Star-Gathering Pavilion, and he even had the old Prime Minister Shang Rong personally oversee the work, while King Wucheng Huang Feihu led troops to suppress it. This... sigh!"

"And that Kong Xuan—who knows whether he bribed Grand Tutor Wen? He merely took a trip around the North Sea before coming back! Now he's even dragging the Grand Tutor off to search for some unknown eccentric, leaving the entire court without anyone to manage affairs!"

Since Daji entered the palace, Di Xin had not held court for seven days. Some people with ulterior motives had long been restless, and taking advantage of the civil and military officials' dissatisfaction, they began fanning the flames.

"Royal Uncle Bi Gan, the Great King hasn't attended court for seven days straight, and we ministers can't go to the inner palace. Why don't you, Royal Uncle...?"

As Bi Gan stood where he was with his eyes closed, someone suddenly walked up beside him and spoke.

Only then did Bi Gan open his eyes. He calmly glanced at the minister and recognized him as Lower Grand Master Rong Qi.

"The Great King naturally has his own reasons for what he does. It isn't your place to make wild guesses. Just handle your own duties. As for baseless rumors, you'd best stop speculating."

Bi Gan possessed an exquisite seven-apertured heart, and his mind was exceptionally nimble. At first, he too had been curious about how quickly Di Xin had changed. But when he discovered that someone actually dared to use him as a weapon, he immediately understood the meaning behind Di Xin's actions.

Cast a long line to catch a big fish and make every restless faction reveal itself!

After being berated by Bi Gan, Rong Qi slunk away. At that moment, Fei Zhong approached with a jade tablet in hand. Before Bi Gan could speak, he took the initiative:

"Royal Uncle Bi Gan, I've recorded all these people one by one.

"The one just now, Lower Grand Master Rong Qi, has a close personal relationship with the Earl of the East's residence.

"That one, Lower Grand Master Yu Deng, frequently visits the Earl of the West's residence.

"And that one, Upper Grand Master Mei Jun, is a regular guest at the Earl of the South's residence.

"As for the other few who've been making the most noise, most of them also have ties to the other feudal lords. I've recorded every last one of them!

"We just need to wait for the Great King's order. Heh heh!"

Wasn't Fei Zhong usually the loudest of them all? That's true—his behavior has been strange these past few days. But has he figured it out too?

Bi Gan's eyes shifted, and he decided to test Fei Zhong again:

"Oh? Could it be that the Great King isn't simply indulging in feminine beauty, and that's why he hasn't attended court?"

"Why must Royal Uncle test me? I was previously able to infer the Great King's intentions and make him happy, so of course I understand what he's thinking.

"Now the Great King is diligently working to strengthen the state and carrying out sweeping reforms. How could he halt his steps because of a woman?

"Besides, I was the one who arranged for Su Daji to enter the palace. Some matters are inconvenient to explain openly. Why don't I visit your residence another day, Royal Uncle? I can tell you everything in detail then?"

Fei Zhong gestured subtly toward the people around them. Every one of them had stretched out their ears to listen, and among them there might well be spies planted in the court by the feudal lords.

"Very well!"

If Bi Gan had merely begun to regard Fei Zhong with new respect after they went together to recruit Kong Xuan last time, then this time he had reached an initial recognition of Fei Zhong's abilities.

Now that Fei Zhong had clearly decided to turn over a new leaf, Bi Gan did not mind lending him a hand.

"Everyone, that's enough for today. Come back to court tomorrow!"

Through their speculation, Bi Gan and Fei Zhong imagined Di Xin as a mastermind calmly watching the clouds roll by. Yet they could never have guessed that Di Xin, who had been holding himself back for three months, truly had no spare attention to deal with any of this...