Two Daji

As night fell, the lights in Shouxian Palace gradually extinguished.

Su Daji dismissed the attending palace maids and lay quietly on her couch. The moonlight was hazy, yet she couldn't fall asleep.

At midnight, a faint shadow suddenly appeared before her bed.

"Sister, I'm here!" the shadow called out softly.

If anyone were to see this scene and discern the shadow's appearance, they would surely be greatly astonished.

For this shadow looked exactly like Daji lying on the couch. Su Hu himself would likely be unable to tell which was his daughter.

"The Great King has already gone to sleep. Many things happened today; he must be very tired!" Su Daji whispered into the other's ear, "Hurry over there!"

The shadow nodded lightly, left Daji's chambers, and tiptoed towards Di Xin's sleeping quarters.

Meanwhile, Daji on the couch quietly got up and disappeared behind a stack of curtains.

The shadow, identical to Daji, gently opened the door and entered Di Xin's room.

Inside, a single lamp flickered, shrouded in a light veil.

The shadow swept its gaze across the couch, only to find it empty. King Zhou was nowhere to be seen.

After searching the room carefully, it confirmed the space was indeed empty; King Zhou was not in the room.

The shadow lingered for a moment before turning and leaving the room, sneaking back to Daji's chambers.

"Sister, you're back so soon?" Daji emerged from behind the curtains, asking in surprise.

"Sister, the Great King isn't in the palace. I don't know where he went," the shadow replied, shaking its head slightly.

"Sister, hide yourself first. I'll go out and ask. The Great King usually doesn't leave his chambers at night," Daji said softly before leaving the bedroom.

She passed through the main hall and several corridors, arriving outside Shouxian Palace.

Over a hundred Imperial Guards were stationed here, guarding day and night.

Su Daji questioned a minor officer among the Imperial Guards and learned from him that the Great King had gone to the Ancestral Temple.

The Ancestral Temple was where the past kings were enshrined. The Great King not sleeping in the middle of the night and going there was utterly unbelievable. Had the aphrodisiac she administered under the influence of alcohol not worked?

After inquiring, Daji returned the way she came, not daring to linger at the palace gates for too long, lest Di Xin discover it and become suspicious.

Back in the bedroom, she informed the shadow of the Great King's whereabouts and then said, "Sister, wait here. The Great King will return sooner or later. If he went elsewhere, Xi Mei can handle it."

The shadow nodded, then vanished from the room in a flash.

Inside the Ancestral Temple.

Di Xin sat before the memorial tablets of the past kings, his face flushed and his breathing heavy.

He knew his condition clearly; he had definitely been drugged by Daji. He could feel himself losing control but dared not suppress it with his Magic Power.

He feared that if he used his Magic Power, someone might notice.

It seemed Goddess Nuwa was truly anxious, determined to test if he truly possessed Magic Power.

However, what she didn't know was that another demon was trying to test him, and Daji's drugging was a desperate measure.

She didn't want to be exposed, so she intended to facilitate this matter. Otherwise, the crime of deceiving Goddess Nuwa was no light offense!

Di Xin could not touch Daji, nor could he appear to be resisting touching her, especially since he was no longer in the "incapable" state previously mentioned.

Therefore, his only recourse was to hide!

In other words, to "play it safe."

He had been "playing it safe" these past few days.

He had no choice; his strength was insufficient. To protect his life and achieve his ultimate goal, this was the only way.

To this end, Di Xin even quoted ancient texts to comfort himself.

Even Zhuge Liang said, "To preserve one's life amidst chaos."

This showed the great benefits of "playing it safe."

The ancients also said, "Playing it safe can restrain encroachment..." and "Playing it safe leads to wealth..."

"Playing it safe"... it was truly omnipotent!

Since he had to hide and "play it safe," the Ancestral Temple was undoubtedly the best choice.

This was a solemn place; he would just have to slowly digest the effects of the drug himself.

"Ancestors, your unworthy descendant Di Xin seeks your forgiveness here!"

"Di Xin is without virtue and has been criticized by the world. Goddess Nuwa inscribed a poem in the palace, causing a giant stone to descend from the heavens, which then exploded... Today, perhaps my son has been endangered and captured by villains..."

Di Xin sat on a meditation cushion, mechanically mumbling as he pondered the traps Daji might have set.

What he said was entirely insincere, merely for others to hear.

"Di Xin is determined to mend his ways from this day forward. I implore the ancestors to bless Di Xin, bless the foundation of the Yin-Shang dynasty for ten thousand years, and bless my son's safe return..."

He droned on like this until dawn, when he finally felt the effects of the drug gradually dissipate and his body completely return to normal.

Only then did he light three sticks of incense in front of the many ancestral tablets again, kowtow, and leave.

He returned to Shouxian Palace with a heavy heart and ran into Daji, who was coming to greet him.

"Great King, why did you go to the Ancestral Temple in the middle of the night? If it weren't for the fact that the inner palace is not allowed in there, this consort would have accompanied you!"

Di Xin had intended to return directly to his chambers, but since he ran into Daji, he couldn't ignore her.

He put his arm around Daji's waist and sighed softly, "Beloved Consort, I will explain it to you in detail inside."

In the main hall, breakfast had already been laid out, but Daji hadn't touched a single bite, clearly waiting for Di Xin.

Di Xin sat down and said, "Beloved Consort, I went to bed early last night, but I had a dream while I was sound asleep. The former kings and ancestors rebuked me for losing the Crown Prince and said they would punish me. I was so frightened that I woke up from the dream, but I felt extremely unwell, my body was burning hot, and I couldn't even breathe properly. I knew the dream was prophetic."

"Therefore, I dared not delay and hurried to the Ancestral Temple to beg forgiveness from the former kings and ancestors, requesting that my predecessors bless my dynasty and forgive my mistakes."

Hearing Di Xin's words, Daji let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Great King didn't suspect aphrodisiacs, she thought, otherwise it would have been difficult to explain.

"This consort doesn't think you did anything wrong, Great King. Even if you did, there's no need to spend the entire night at the Ancestral Temple begging forgiveness. Your health is more important!"

What Daji said next expertly concealed her earlier expression of relief.

Di Xin glanced at Daji and said, "My health is fine, but my son's life is paramount. I made a promise in the Ancestral Temple that if the Crown Prince returns safely this time, I will atone at the Ancestral Temple for ninety-nine days, eighty-one times."

"Ah..."

Daji was stunned and didn't know what to say.

"Let's eat!" Di Xin said no more and began to eat.

After a hasty breakfast and a quick wash, Di Xin was ready and left Shouxian Palace for the outside.

"Where is the Great King going?"

Daji followed him all the way.

She followed him to the palace gates, where she saw many Imperial Guards, fully armed and ready, numbering over three thousand. They were all lined up, their armor gleaming.

This scene was completely different from how they usually guarded the Royal Palace.

"This King is leaving the palace!" Di Xin explained briefly, then said to Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, who were leading the troops, "You don't need to follow. This King is going alone!"