Hong Beimo respectfully accepted the scroll Qiqi had written. She had not disappointed him: she had actually reproduced the entire Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter from memory. He eagerly unrolled it and found that the corresponding passages matched the two pages Hu Xiaotian had given him exactly. As he marveled at the wonders of inherited memory, he also had to admire Qiqi's extraordinary intelligence.
"There doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about this Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter," Qiqi said.
"I always believed it contained an earth-shaking secret," Hong Beimo said. "But only after obtaining it did I discover that it was not what I had imagined."
Qiqi smiled. "Do you feel terribly disappointed?"
"I must be too dull-witted to grasp its true meaning."
"I would like to take a look inside the Imperial Mausoleum sometime soon," Qiqi said.
Startled, Hong Beimo bowed. "Your Highness, the interior of the Imperial Mausoleum is not yet finished. It is too early to go there."
Qiqi chuckled. "Mr. Hong, I won't interfere with your affairs, but I must know what you are doing. Since we are working together, we should be honest with each other. Have you still not realized where the real Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter lies?"
Hong Beimo bit his lip. Looking at Qiqi's pretty, haughty face, he suddenly understood. The so-called Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter was merely a deception meant to lead people astray. The true Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter was Princess Yongyang herself, standing before him. Young though Qiqi was, even a seasoned schemer like Hong Beimo held no advantage over her. He began to realize that the partnership he had originally wanted was nothing more than wishful thinking. Even if he helped her ascend the throne, she would not turn a blind eye to the affairs of the Imperial Mausoleum. He had no choice but