"Here, have a smoke. Now, tell me everything."
After a brutal beating, Di Feijing, his face bruised and swollen, followed Shen Zhao to the rooftop of the Warm Fragrance Pavilion.
Shen Zhao even thoughtfully offered him a cigar.
"Big Brother, you're surprisingly kind," Di Feijing said, taking a drag from the cigar and expressing his genuine gratitude.
Shen Zhao patted his shoulder and asked, "I just beat you black and blue, and you immediately ran to your lover to report me and have me killed. How can you be so vicious? Look at you—even though I beat you half to death, I held back. I never intended to kill you, did I? After all, Chu Liuxiang never stains his hands with blood and never wants anyone dead. You should know that."
Di Feijing shuddered and hastily apologized. "Big Brother, it was my fault. I'm not human. I shouldn't have told the Emperor. Please, just let it slide, considering my ignorance."
"No problem, no problem. If you'd been this reasonable from the start, none of this would have happened, right? Still hurting?"
"N-no, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Then tell me, why did you impersonate Di Feijing and even alter your face to match his?"
"B-Big Brother, I don't know what you're talking about..."
"You don't know? Fine."
Hearing this, Shen Zhao immediately clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking with a series of sharp pops.
"Let me help you remember."
Di Feijing flinched back in terror, shouting, "Big Brother, let's talk! Please, don't hit me again! I really can't take another punch."
"If you don't want to get beaten, tell the truth."
Di Feijing took a deep drag from his cigarette before slowly explaining, "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. If I don't, I'll suffocate from holding it in sooner or later.
Big Brother is right, my name is also Di Feijing, but I'm definitely not the one His Majesty is looking for. Someone approached me and forced me to impersonate this Di Feijing to get close to the Empress."
"Who? And what was their goal in having you approach the Empress?"
"I don't know that either. About a year ago, someone found me and promised me endless wealth and luxury for life if I agreed to impersonate Di Feijing and get close to the Empress."
"So you agreed?"
"How could I dare to agree? I was just a lowly servant disciple of the Heaven Sect. Let alone marry the Empress, I wouldn't even dare to steal a glance at her without wanting to gouge out my own eyes.
But I had no choice. That person's methods were too ruthless; I couldn't resist. So I agreed and had my appearance altered.
To my surprise, after meeting the Empress, everything that person said turned out to be true.
She never doubted my identity and showered me with favor. Whatever I wanted or did, she granted it. Over the past year, I've enjoyed a level of luxury and wealth I never dared to dream of before."
"Ah, so you plan to continue living as this person."
"Big Brother, do you want to hear the truth?"
"Speak."
"I'm both shocked and terrified, living in constant anxiety. Yet I also relish the feeling of being flattered by everyone. It's a complex state of mind, but I think you understand, Big Brother, right?"
"Continue."
"Several times, the Empress has hinted at wanting to become closer to me. How could I dare?
Though I'm lustful, I value my life more. I know the difference between a fleeting pleasure and enduring bliss. What if the truth is exposed one day?"
Even with nine lives, I wouldn't be enough for her to kill. I was truly terrified.
Several times I tried to escape, but she warned me that if I left, my family would suffer.
So I had no choice but to live day by day, just trying to survive.
To secure a fallback and to make the Empress loathe me, I started associating with all sorts of lowlifes and causing trouble in the city. I spent nights in brothels, hoping to make her change her mind and banish me.
Brother, you can't imagine how unbearable it is to live with this sword hanging over your head. Especially the Empress's gaze—it seems full of tenderness, but I swear by a man's intuition, it's more filled with suspicion and calculation.
After all, if the Empress wasn't out of her mind, why would she ever fancy someone as lowly as me? I know my own worth perfectly well.
No money, no power, and even this face has been altered by someone else.
What could she possibly see in me? At best, I'm just a substitute, a way to soothe her longing.
Shen Zhao nodded. "I deeply understand your predicament. What do you plan to do next?"
Di Feijing gave a bitter laugh. "What else can I do? I'm just a pawn in someone else's game, no better than an ant. I'll just live day by day and enjoy whatever pleasures I can before I die. At least that way, I won't have lived this life in vain."
"Then I wish you good luck," Shen Zhao replied.
Seeing that Di Feijing's words seemed genuine, Shen Zhao lost the desire to press further.
Di Feijing was merely an abandoned alt account from a past life. Shen Zhao had no energy to investigate how he had become involved with the noble Empress.
The immediate priority was to use the clues provided by Ying Zhaoyun to find the mastermind behind Di Feijing.
And Di Feijing was the perfect entry point.
"Where is the person who arranged for you to get close to the Empress?"
"I don't know. He always came to me first. I have no idea where he is or what he's up to."
"Didn't he ask you to do anything specific?"
"No, only to do my best to stay by the Empress's side, occasionally prepare some dishes for her, and make sure she noticed me from time to time. He never asked for anything else."
Shen Zhao fell into thought. After a moment, he patted Di Feijing on the shoulder. "Alright, good luck."
Then he turned to leave.
Just as Shen Zhao was about to take off, Di Feijing grabbed the hem of his pants. "No, Big Brother, I've told you so much. Aren't you going to help me?"
"Help you with what?"
"Help me escape the Black Hand's control and regain my freedom."
"Are you out of your mind? Did you listen to too many storytellers? You think just because we've exchanged a few words, I'm going to help you? Our relationship isn't that close."
"No, Big Brother, you're so powerful. You must have a way. Look, if you help me with this, I'll tell you another secret about the Empress."
"What secret?"
Shen Zhao's interest was immediately piqued.
Di Feijing glanced around nervously before whispering, "The other day, I delivered morning tea to the Empress without prior notice. When I entered her chambers, I heard her on the bed, clutching a portrait and moaning as she masturbated."
Shen Zhao was stunned. *Holy shit, she's that desperate?* This shattered his mental image of the Empress as a dignified and refined figure.
This news was indeed explosive. If he could sell it, it would make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.
The only catch was surviving the Empress's inevitable retaliation.
Seeing Shen Zhao's skeptical expression, Di Feijing grew anxious. "I'm not lying! That faint panting, the writhing figure on the bed, muttering things like 'I want you' and 'Give me a child'—these are unmistakable signs of a woman in heat. Later, I confirmed it from the Empress's flushed face. Fortunately, I kept my composure perfectly. You have no idea how she looked at me, like I was a dead man."
"So, it was all just your guess?"
"No, I'm absolutely certain it's true. After all, I've been with countless women this past year. Those in brothels resort to self-gratification to relieve pent-up desire when their needs aren't met. It's no different from us men rewarding ourselves with a few shots when we're feeling good."
"Then why tell me this secret?"
"Don't you understand, Big Brother? Now that I know such a earth-shattering secret, I'll be dead if my identity is exposed. Please, you must save me no matter what."
Shen Zhao stared blankly for a moment before finally realizing. Pointing at Di Feijing, he roared in fury, "You damn bastard! You tried to set me up!"
"Big Brother, you've finally caught on. With the Empress's temper, if anyone finds out about this, there's no chance we'll survive. We're both in the same boat now.
Please, Big Brother, save my life. It's as good as saving your own. If I blab before I die, you'll be dragged down with me. Don't you think?"
"Sixth Brother, to think that I, Chu Liuxiang, the ever-shrewd, would be outsmarted by a mere ant like you... Your scheme was indeed clever.
It's a shame. I've never shed blood in my life, or you'd be a corpse right now. You're ruthless, I'll admit defeat."
"Don't be angry, Big Brother. I just want to survive. This water is too deep for me to navigate alone. I'll pull anyone I can down with me—at least I'll have a companion in death."
"Fine. I'll help you this time, but you must draw out the mastermind behind you."
"If he comes for me, I'll lead him straight to you, Big Brother."
Shen Zhao, resigned, stood to leave when the sky suddenly darkened. A vast black cloud surged from the distance, rolling toward Yanhuang City like a tidal wave.
"The storm is coming. Yanhuang City may not be peaceful for much longer."
-----------------------
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