Volume 8 Chapter 73 Watch Yourself. I Have a Black Bear.

Had it been under different circumstances, Shen Yiren would’ve scoffed at the notion that somebody divined her whereabouts on his fingers and accused Ming Feizhen of fibbing. He was lucky he told the right laughable lie at the right time because, coincidentally, things lined up.

“Empyrean Zha?” repeated Shen Yiren, chin tucked and nose wrinkled. “Isn’t that the fraud at Luo Clan’s estate?”

I was going to starch him after I came to. If he’s the one who told Ming Feizhen where I was, could he also be the inconceivably advanced adept who joined the fight at Luo Clan’s place?

“In that case, was Empyrean Zha also the one who subdued the two?”

“Beats me. Probably? He told me that, since fate allowed us to meet, he’d lend me a hand three times. Subduing them probably was the second favour,” Ming Feizhen responded.

“The first favour was guiding you?”

Ming Feizhen was going to nod until he had an enlightened moment and changed it to, “And how to wake you.”

Empyrean Zha did mention feeding me the medicine via mouth to mouth. Although Ming Feizhen didn’t have the medicine, maybe Empyrean Zha meant it only as a figure of speech to suggest that kissing was the actual fix? It’s too embarrassing to ask even though I want clarification.

Meanwhile, Ming Feizhen’s grin read, “Yep, I knew it all in advance. I’m a genius. I need to talk to Zha Pi to ensure our story is congruent. I’ll say he passed out as soon as he entered Luo Clan’s estate, and then some travelling safe replaced him. Bai Yeshuang knows where Zha Pi went, so it’s going to be a headache if he’s questioned as to how he pulled off all that crazy stuff.”

With that mystery out of the way, Ming Feizhen filled Shen Yiren in on recent events ever since the later was out of commission, including Green Prince’s presence.

“His Majesty is here? Why didn’t you stop him? Monarchs shouldn’t leave the imperial court unless absolutely necessary, let alone during New Year. His absence is going to leave the imperial court in a volatile state.”

“I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. He’s not here purely for you. I think he’s looking to speak to Luo Clan and has been preparing for a while. I suspect rescuing you was a last-minute addition to the agenda.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m speculating. By instating Red Prince His Highness to a supervisor position, His Majesty can put His Highness’ abilities to the test on top of weeding out retainers who have been waiting for an opportunity to stir the hornet’s nest or forward an agenda. The excuse he came up with for his departure was accompanying Empress Dowager Her Majesty through New Year on Mount Zisheng. For all we know, it might’ve been Prime Minister Li’s idea. His Majesty might not have been the mastermind.”

“You sound more like the mastermind. Why do you make His Majesty sound like some sly strategist with superb foresight?”

The two laughed the way they usually laughed back at Liu Shan Men whenever inserting jokes into serious discussions, and then Ming Feizhen proposed, “We have no way of telling when those two are going to come to. I suggest we stick a knife in them and then rendezvous with His Majesty.”

“Mm… No.”

“You serious? If we fight them fair and square, they’ll murder us.”

“Not only must we keep them alive, but I must also stay.”

“You’re not coming?! What did I come all the way here for if you don’t come with me?!”

“Behave. What are you even belting for?” Shen Yiren poked Ming Feizhen on the head as he kept bouncing up and down. She sat back down on the bed and covered her legs with the blanket then continued, “Feizhen, listen carefully to everything I say now. I can’t leave. The two of them are with Evil Spirits. They are planning something big. If they die here, Abels will call off their plans until he can resume when we least expect it. We have to foil Abels’ plan, which means we must s