By the time he left the ancestral temple, dusk was nearly upon them.
Dai Weisi did not return to his palace. Instead, he headed straight for the imperial prison.
Cold, damp, and thick with the smell of rust and mold: these were the eternal hallmarks of the imperial prison. The farther down one went, the dimmer the light became and the more stagnant the air grew.
On the lowest level, in a solitary cell, Dai Mubai leaned against the cold wall, gasping for breath.
His wounds still throbbed, but compared to the pain in his body, his heart was surprisingly calm.
He went over everything that had happened that day again and again.
Pretending he would rather die than yield had been the right choice after all.
Dai Mubai sneered inwardly.
If he had fallen to his knees and begged for mercy, making a complete spectacle of himself, those nobles and officials who swayed with the wind would probably have called for him to be killed on the spot.
As things stood, though he had been thrown into the imperial prison, he had at least kept his life.
As long as he was alive, there was hope!
He thought of Tang San.
That brother of his, who could always create miracles, had an endless arsenal of methods and a talent that was one in ten thousand.
What was more, behind Tang San stood Clear Sky Douluo, the man who made the entire Soul Master World tremble!
Dai Weisi, you won today, but you can't win forever!
When Tang San and the others arrive, I, Dai Mubai, will turn the tables!
He even began to imagine how, once he escaped, he would make Dai Weisi...
"Creak-"
The heavy iron door swung open, interrupting Dai Mubai's fantasy.
A tall figure walked in, silhouetted against the dim torchlight outside. That familiar, oppressive presence made every muscle in Dai Mubai's body tense at once.
It was Dai Weisi.
"My dear brother, it seems you've adjusted to your surroundings well enough?"
Dai Weisi's voice carried a trace of amusement, as though he were admiring an interesting piece in a collection.
Dai Mubai raised his head and glared fiercely at him with eyes as defiant as ever, forcing out a few words through clenched teeth:
"If you're going to kill me, do it! Why put on this act?"
"Kill you?"
Dai Weisi sounded as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "No, no, no. I've changed my mind. Wouldn't letting you die like that be too easy on you?"
He walked slowly to the center of the cell and looked down at Dai Mubai as though he were a beast trapped in a cage.
"I'll make sure you live well, listening from this deepest darkness to how glorious and prosperous the world outside has become."
"Father Emperor has already decided to pass the throne to me within a year."
Dai Mubai's pupils contracted sharply.
Dai Weisi was very pleased with his reaction and continued, "Oh, right, there's one more thing I should tell you."
He paused, the smile on his face growing crueler.
"Zhu Zhuqing-I'll take good 'care' of her."
"Father Emperor has already agreed. In a few days, he'll issue an edict making her my first secondary consort."
"Tell me, should I call her Consort Qing, or my beloved consort?"
"You... you dare?!"
Dai Mubai's eyes nearly split with rage. He struggled to lunge at him, but the chains restraining his Soul Power and his heavily injured body held him fast.
"What wouldn't I dare do?"
Dai Weisi bent down close to Dai Mubai's ear and spoke each word distinctly, in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Not only will I take her as my concubine, I'll also find out just how delightful that supple body of hers really is!"
"Dai Weisi!"
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"
At those words, Dai Mubai went completely mad. Like a frenzied beast, he let out a hysterical roar.
This was ten thousand times more painful than killing him!
Zhu Zhuqing was his woman!
And even he had yet to truly have her!
After all, he was a playboy with a long record of misdeeds, and Zhu Zhuqing had never been able to put her mind at ease. She had said they should wait until after his duel for the throne!
But he had never, ever expected things to come to this...
"Aaargh-"
As he listened to Dai Mubai's desperate, impotent howls of rage, the smile on Dai Weisi's lips grew wider and wider.
No wonder everyone curses Cao Cao as a villain, but who among them doesn't want to be a villain like Cao Cao?!
He straightened up, brushed the nonexistent dust from his clothes, and turned to leave.
"Enjoy yourself, my dear brother. The rest of your life will be very, very long..."
The iron door slammed shut, locking every howl and every shred of despair within that endless darkness.
In stark contrast to the sinister despair of the imperial prison, the Zhu Family residence, the Grand Marshal's residence, was decorated with lanterns and bright colors, overflowing with celebration.
The servants hurried about spreading the news, their faces all bearing smiles of shared pride.
Everything that had happened today had already spread throughout Star Luo City. The eldest prince, Dai Weisi, had defeated Dai Mubai with thunderous might, been named crown prince, and put in charge of governing the state!
That meant the Zhu Family's eldest daughter, Zhu Zhuyun, was assured of becoming the crown princess!
Her future place as empress was assured as well!
Even more of a relief to them was that the second young lady, Zhu Zhuqing, had not been implicated and imprisoned because of Dai Mubai. She had merely been brought back to the residence.
This was undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill from His Highness the Crown Prince.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived-!"
The piercing announcement brought instant silence to the entire residence.
Grand Marshal Zhu Xiaotian hurriedly led his family outside to greet him, and they respectfully knelt on the ground.
"Your subject Zhu Xiaotian respectfully welcomes Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Father-in-law, please rise."
Dai Weisi stepped forward himself and made a show of helping Zhu Xiaotian to his feet.
Then, without wasting words, he swept his gaze over his future father-in-law.
"I trust you. Put the army in order."
Those three words, "I trust you," carried the weight of a thousand catties!
Zhu Xiaotian trembled all over, and his eyes grew warm.
This was not merely an order, but the highest trust and authority bestowed upon him!
He immediately straightened his back and replied in a firm, ringing voice, "Your subject will not fail Your Highness!"
Dai Weisi nodded, looked past the others, and asked directly, "Where's Zhu Yun?"
"Your Highness, my daughter is in her chambers, taking care of Zhu Zhuqing."
"Take me to her."
In Zhu Zhuyun's chambers, fragrant incense curled through the air.
She sat by the bed, quietly watching her younger sister, who remained unconscious.
Zhu Zhuqing's face was pale, and even in her unconscious state, her brows were tightly furrowed.
Zhu Zhuyun's feelings were complicated at the moment.
Dai Weisi had told her to bring Zhu Zhuqing back, and what he meant by that went without saying.
Was she jealous?
Perhaps a little.
Her younger sister's figure was indeed even more voluptuous than her own, and her face was just as breathtakingly beautiful.
But more than that, she felt an acceptance that the dust had settled.
Since ancient times, what emperor had not had three thousand beauties in his harem?
A ruler as gifted and ambitious as Dai Weisi was even less likely to have her as his only woman in the future.
Rather than let some other woman share his favor, she would prefer it to be her own sister.
At least they were bound by blood, and in the future they could support each other in the harem.
This was fine too.
As she sat lost in thought, the door was gently pushed open, and a figure she knew all too well walked in.
"Your Highness."
Zhu Zhuyun rose and curtsied.
Dai Weisi waved a hand and walked over to her. His gaze fell on the alluring figure on the bed, then turned back to Zhu Zhuyun, an amused smile curling his lips:
"Zhu Yun, what is it? Were you just afraid your sister would steal my soul away?"
Zhu Zhuyun rolled her eyes at him, a look so full of charm it could have set any man's heart swaying.
With a trace of grievance, she leaned close to Dai Weisi's ear and spoke half-jokingly, her breath as fragrant as orchids:
"Weisi..."
"Am I not enough to satisfy you on my own?"
The bold flirtation sent a rush of heat through Dai Weisi's heart.
He wrapped an arm around Zhu Zhuyun's slender waist, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her.
The kiss was possessive and scorching, allowing no refusal.
At first, Zhu Zhuyun gave him a couple of token pushes, but she soon melted into his arms and responded passionately.
The temperature in the room seemed to rise considerably in an instant.
"Mm..."
A faint sound came from the bed.
The two stopped at the same time and turned to look.
Zhu Zhuqing had awakened at some point and was gazing at them with a pair of beautiful, bewildered eyes.
A becoming blush quickly spread across her cheeks.
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.
A flush swept across Zhu Zhuyun's face. She hurriedly slipped out of Dai Weisi's embrace and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes.
She glanced at her thoroughly embarrassed sister on the bed, then at the intrigued Dai Weisi, and said to him:
"This sister of mine is much more stubborn than I am."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you'd better persuade her yourself."
With that, she made an excuse and left, thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind her.
Only Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuqing remained in the room.
Laughing, Dai Weisi walked to the bed and sat down, openly admiring Zhu Zhuqing's breathtaking curves and the expression of mingled shame and anger on her face.
"You're awake?"
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"I know you won't accept this, and I know you're still thinking about Dai Mubai."
Dai Weisi's voice was deep and magnetic, yet carried a trace of icy cruelty. He bent close to Zhu Zhuqing's ear and whispered so that only she could hear:
"His Majesty has already agreed. You'll be my first secondary consort!"
"They say a sovereign's command is hard to defy. You can choose not to obey and resist me with your unyielding spirit."
"But I've never been one to waste things! I usually eat every last grain of rice in my bowl, leaving it completely clean!"
"You choose. Is it..."
Dai Weisi left the rest unsaid.
But that unfinished threat was like an invisible hand that instantly gripped Zhu Zhuqing's heart!
She could imagine the terrible things Dai Weisi, with his methods, could do to Dai Mubai, who was now a prisoner!
Would she herself even become a prisoner too?
Zhu Zhuqing's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
All her stubbornness and all her unwillingness were utterly shattered at that moment.
Zhu Zhuyun waited outside, curious about what was happening within and wondering how Dai Weisi would tame her sister, who was like a spirited horse.
Suddenly, the door creaked open from inside.
Zhu Zhuyun looked closely and froze on the spot.
There was her younger sister Zhu Zhuqing, that cold and proud sister of hers, willingly reaching out with both arms and wrapping them tightly around Dai Weisi's neck.
Then she pressed her entire burning body into his embrace.
Never before had she been so forward, so... submissive.