The “National Master” in front of Jiang Xuan suddenly said something that gave him a scare.
In his eyes, if he really went to see the so-called end of the secret passage out of curiosity, it would definitely lead to a disastrous fate.
At this moment, Jiang Xuan secretly complained in his heart:
“Wow, come on! I’ve only escaped from the Empress a couple of times.
Oh wait, that last time wasn’t even me running away!
What, you think you’re gonna test me, little calamity?
Alright, alright, since you’re playing this game, I’ll see it through to the end.”
On the surface, Jiang Xuan appeared hesitant as he spoke:
“Uh, National Master… about that endpoint… I thought about it, and I’d better not go see it…”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because… it’s just not necessary… I’ve thought it through, and since I might cause the Empress to perish prematurely, at that time, I definitely can’t selfishly run away.
That would only make her think I abandoned her, even if my intention was to save her.
She won’t get it and, like always, will just end up hating me.
Honestly, I believe your prophecy, National Master.
I’ve always been cursed; wherever I go, calamity follows.
I’ve escaped from the Empress before, but what she doesn’t know is that I secretly yielded… to ensure her safety.
Never had the guts to really be honest with her, after all, that would hurt her ego as an emperor.
Everything shouldn’t be like this; I’m just not supposed to be here as the emperor.
This wrong decision, with the Empress’ current power, is unbearable.
She probably knows this better than I do.
But this time, I won’t run away; I want to try believing in the Empress just once.
If you’re buried below, I’ll go to the underworld with you.
I believe… the Empress will… win…”
As soon as Jiang Xuan finished speaking, the “National Master” was left dumbfounded, standing there in silence for quite a while.
Finally, she slowly replied:
“I didn’t expect you, Emperor… sigh… I shouldn’t have kept this from you. Actually, I’m not really a National Master; I just modified my voice a bit to tease you.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Xuan’s pupils slightly shrank.
“You… you’re Sister Wu Shuang…”
“Yep, it’s been me all along…”
“Sister Wu Shuang, why do you keep trying to lead me away from you? Are you… rejecting me?
Really, why make it all complicated? Just say the word, and I’d pretty much leave gracefully, no strings attached…”
As Jiang Xuan said that, his expression looked hollow.
He started walking step by step toward the exit of the secret passage.
“Sister Wu Shuang, I’m leaving now. Don’t worry, I won’t drag the Cold Light Dynasty down with me. I hope you have everything go smoothly from now on…”
In the next moment, Leng Wu Shuang rushed from behind and hugged Jiang Xuan tightly.
“Emperor, you misunderstood me! I never intended for you to leave my side!
I… I just wanted to test if you had any secret plans to escape from me!
I’m sorry, I misunderstood you before…
Actually, after the court matters wrapped up, I went to see that old witch, the National Master.
Under my forceful persuasion, she finally confessed what the divination said.
In her divination, you turned out to be the disaster I’m destined to face.
If I can’t get through this disaster, it will bring down the luck of the entire dynasty, even leading to the downfall of the Cold Light Dynasty!
Then that old witch even suggested I hand you over to her, claiming as an elder, she’d protect me from disaster.
So, I punched that old witch, and made sure she’d lie down for a few months.
On my way back to the palace, I suddenly realized, could the disaster I face in the future be because you decided to run away again?
So, to test my theory, I had the bright idea to impersonate the witch to probe your intentions.”
Jiang Xuan: “……”
“Oh, so this means… Sister Wu Shuang, you never chose to believe in me from the start…
Now, please answer me this: if I hadn’t changed my mind and stepped out of this secret passage, what would be waiting for me?”
“Well, actually… even if you really had plans to leave, I wouldn’t do anything to you…”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan didn’t hesitate and stepped through the secret passage’s exit to see what awaited him.
The sight before him, however, made him tremble in an instant.
What greeted his eyes was a cluttered room filled with sturdy-looking chains and all sorts of unknown objects.
He gasped sharply and immediately felt the sweat break out all over his back.
Wasn’t the exit supposed to be a cave outside the Imperial City? Honestly, you can’t trust a single word that comes out of these bad women’s mouths!
Just then, Leng Wu Shuang hurriedly stepped forward to explain:
“Emperor, you don’t need to worry; all of this stuff isn’t targeted at you.
Actually, this used to be a dungeon where prisoners were held, with solid chains, so it’s only natural, right?”
Jiang Xuan: “……”
“And these objects are…”
“Hmm… just like I said before, this place used to be a dungeon with some interrogation tools. Nothing weird about that, right?”
With that, Jiang Xuan surveyed the surroundings but his gaze landed on Leng Wu Shuang.
“So… Sister Wu Shuang, why would you bring me to a dungeon like this?
You said the secret passage led outside the Imperial City, and that was all a lie. I want to know, Sister Wu Shuang… did you ever say anything sincere to me?”
Leng Wu Shuang: “!!!!”
