It took the Dragon Shadow Guard a full half hour to return to the wine shop's private room, no longer posing as a senior monk, and recount every detail of what had just happened.
"Quick as a flash! With my earth-shattering, god-defying acting skills, I had Fourth Young Master Du completely fooled right on the spot! When we got back to the wine shop and were alone together, he dropped his pretense and showed his true vulnerable, terrified self..."
The Dragon Shadow Guard spoke with vivid expressions, curling his hand in the air as if grasping at a phantom. "He said, 'Master, what on earth was that just now?' And I told him, 'Benefactor, the grave sins you have committed have summoned a rakshasa that I keep in my alms bowl...'"
"His face drained of color the second he heard that! He immediately offered to pay me to make this go away, but I pushed his hand aside right then, saying this wasn't something money could fix. He stammered and fumbled out a stack of silver notes to shove at me, and I pushed those away too, telling him the price was something else entirely, that the real issue here was the karmic sin he had committed..."
Inside the private room, there was a monk with burn marks of precepts on his head and a kasaya draped over his shoulders. Instead of looking compassionate and benevolent, he was yelling at the top of his lungs, completely caught up in his own exaggerated, excited storytelling.
The whole scene was... really hard to describe.
"Stop." Yun Yaoyao glanced at the Dragon Shadow Guard, who was fully indulging his drama queen side, and cut him off. "Just tell me the result."
The Dragon Shadow Guard immediately bowed his head obediently. "Du Huanshu was terrified after hearing all that, but he still refused to spill the real reason behind it. From what I managed to pry out of him, my best guess is this whole thing is tied to a plague."
The second the word "plague" left his mouth, every person in the room froze, their faces turning serious.
They thought about it further. Right now, the Du family and Consort Miao were locked in a fierce standoff, both trying to win over the people by helping the commoners get through the winter to gain an edge in the battle for the imperial consort position. If a plague broke out in the territories under Consort Miao's jurisdiction, the Du family would win by a landslide.
"The Du family really is rotten all the way to the core..." Yun Yaoyao's eyes turned cold. "Dragon Shadow Guard, take my order. Focus your investigation on the areas under Consort Miao's rule, find the source of the plague, and make absolutely sure not to alert anyone unnecessarily!"
At the same time, in several neighborhoods in the western part of the capital, hoarse, ragged coughs kept ringing out, mixed with the wailing and weeping of grieving families.
Nine out of ten households on those streets had their doors shut tight. Everyone inside was bedridden, some dizzy and wracked with body aches, others burning with fever and sore throats, and some had even fallen unconscious. Doctors were hurrying in and out of the street nonstop.
The few families that hadn't been affected leaned against their doorframes, watching the chaos unfold, a faint, uneasy feeling creeping up in their chests.
"Why are so many people sick all of a sudden? Did everyone forget to cover up with their blankets last night and catch a cold?"
"Or maybe they ate something bad? Yesterday I ate two bowls of cold rice on an empty stomach, and my stomach felt a little off too."
"Wait, I remember something. A while back there were rumors that someone in the capital caught the plague and infected a whole group of people, but the officials found out right away and quarantined them all outside the city. Could it be that..."
"Shut your mouth, don't say that! The plague is no joke!"
The crowd fell silent, but the worried, unsettled looks on their faces only deepened.
Then a horrified scream burst out from one of the nearby households. "This... these are all plague symptoms!!"
Every single person on the street paled in terror, and with a series of loud bangs, they slammed their doors shut and locked themselves inside.
Chaos and panic swept through the neighborhood in an instant.
Late that night, the wind howled wildly. A figure in deep black robes that blended into the darkness climbed over the outer wall of the Lin Manor.
Dozens more figures followed right after.
After landing softly, the Dragon Shadow Guard asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, why didn't we enter Lord Lin's residence through the front gate?"
Yun Yaoyao brushed the dust off her sleeves. "The Du family must have planted spies watching the Lin Manor. If we can sneak over the wall, there's no need to draw attention by going through the front door. That's what I call taking the road less traveled."
The Dragon Shadow Guard nodded in sudden understanding. "Your Majesty, your foresight is truly unmatched!"
Halfway to their destination, as they passed the main hall of the Lin Manor, Yun Yaoyao accidentally stumbled on a huge juicy secret.
She had always thought Lin Qingti was fully devoted to court affairs, had no interest in romance, and was a perfectly pure, upright man. Turns out he was far more "adult" than anyone expected.
There he was, pressed up against a plum blossom tree, kissing a woman so passionately the two of them were practically glued together. Tsk tsk tsk.
The saying that the more proper and serious a man seems on the surface, the more wild he gets behind closed doors, was absolutely true.
The whole group stood there watching, completely absorbed, as the two by the tree shifted positions. The woman even pushed Lin Qingti straight onto the ground, straddled his waist, and kissed him fiercely.
That was when the woman's face came into view.
Yun Yaoyao realized to her shock that it was none other than Ning Ying, the daughter of the Minister of War and the current leading official of all female court officers!
Tough, fierce female general × refined, noble civil official, this pairing was absolutely perfect!
She thought to herself that once they had wiped out the Du faction, she would definitely arrange a marriage for the two of them.
The scene that followed was far too suggestive, and the whole group got so flustered they didn't dare watch any longer. They hurried on their way to Tu Shanjin's quarters.
When they finally reached the side wing where Tu Shanjin was staying, the Dragon Shadow Guard knew their emperor was about to sneak in for some private, intimate time, so he tactfully withdrew to stand guard outside.
Yun Yaoyao rubbed her hands together, grinned, and pushed the door open. "My beloved Tu consort, I've come to play hide and seek with you~"
But before she could step further inside, she was pulled straight into a warm embrace.
"Duck your head." Tu Shanjin's voice came out low and hoarse.
For some reason, Yun Yaoyao found herself obeying without a second thought. The next thing she knew, a long, lingering kiss stole her breath away, tangling up all her thoughts and making her heart race wildly.
The two moved from the doorway to the table, before finally tumbling together onto the bed.
Even though they were both currently trapped in women's bodies, Tu Shanjin still had this strange, unshakable insistence on taking the lead.
He straddled her small frame, kissing her with a possessive, almost aggressive hunger, his hands wandering restlessly to undo the fastenings of her robes and slip his fingers slowly under the fabric.
After a moment, Tu Shanjin's hands froze, and he quietly pulled them back.
Yun Yaoyao was already breathless from the kiss, so she pushed him away playfully, complaining, "You're practically a dog, you've been gnawing at my lips this whole time."
Tu Shanjin sat up, then lay back down beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh, half helpless and half nostalgic. "When will we be able to swap our bodies back..."
Every time his desire flared up, he couldn't stop his hands from reaching for more, expecting the soft, familiar curves he remembered, only to be met with the flat, smooth plain of his own body.
Thank goodness he had gone for her upper half just now. If he had reached lower, that would have been a total, terrifying disaster.
Just the thought of that absurd scene made Tu Shanjin shiver.
Outside the window, the cold winter wind howled loudly, but inside the room the atmosphere was soft, warm, and full of tender intimacy. One of them buried their face in the other's collar, and the other wrapped their arms tighter around their waist.
The two of them, who had been tense and busy all day, finally let down all their guards at this moment, savoring the peaceful, cozy time they got to spend together.
As usual, they took turns sharing everything they had seen, heard, and found out over the course of the day.
When Tu Shanjin heard that the Du family had ignored the lives of countless commoners just to use the plague to win the power struggle for the imperial consort position, his hand that had been gently stroking Yun Yaoyao's waist stopped, his eyes turning sharp and icy. "They are digging their own graves."
Yun Yaoyao said, "The second I got the news, I sent the Dragon Shadow Guard to launch an investigation. We've already found the source of the plague, and all the areas where the outbreak started have been secretly cordoned off. The imperial physicians are already there treating the sick."
"But I've deliberately spread false rumors that the plague in Consort Miao's territories is spreading out of control, that it's impossible to contain, and that countless commoners are dying..."
The two of them locked eyes for a second, and no words were needed to understand what the other was thinking.
Everything was already prepared. All they needed was that final gust of east wind, and this plague would be exactly the push they needed.
The Du faction, that rotten cancer that had conspired against the court and harmed the people, was finally going to be cut out for good.
"Next, we do this... and then that..."
