"So the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—Prince Ming thought he had uncovered the truth, but in reality, it was all what Lan Xuan'er wanted him to know.
Prince Ming believed he had slipped an aphrodisiac to Lan Xuan'er and succeeded in bedding her, never realizing she was just turning his scheme against him?" Yue Fuguang clicked her tongue in amazement. What a pair of geniuses!
But why would such a brilliant woman fall for Prince Ming, that promiscuous, bisexual scoundrel?
Ah, love truly dulls the mind!
[Correct. Prince Ming was smug, Lan Xuan'er smiled knowingly—both achieved their goals. A true win-win scenario.]
The crowd: That’s how you define "win-win"?
The System: So who lost?
The crowd: !!! We’re taking notes!
"And so the prince and princess lived happily ever after?" Should we toss some celebratory flowers?
[They did live together, but ‘happily’ was out of the question. Remember how Lan Xuan'er is skilled in gu sorcery? Prince Ming soon discovered that every time he slept with another man or woman, he’d suffer headaches, foot pain, agony all over.]
"Did Lan Xuan'er plant a gu in him? The ‘Lovers’ Gu’?" She’d mostly heard of that one in dramas.
[She did it during their intimate moment. Serves him right—the Lovers’ Gu can only be successfully planted during passionate union.
Once afflicted, the victim can only perform such acts with that one person. With anyone else? Excruciating pain.
So from now on, when Prince Ming is with Beiyue, they can only kiss, cuddle, and lift each other up. Anything deeper? Impossible—unless he’s willing to risk death for an affair!]
"The Lovers’ Gu? I thought it’d be the ‘Heartbound Gu.’"
[The gu here aren’t as mystical as what you’ve ‘seen’ before, where mere thoughts of others could trigger pain. Lan Xuan'er’s gu relies on bodily fluids and scent recognition.]
"Is this gu easy to remove?"
[It’s removable, but the number of people in the world who can do it is vanishingly small—most are in Nanzhao. But Master, you could undo it.]
"Me? No way, absolutely not!" Yue Fuguang’s inner voice shook its head violently, nearly pulling a ‘Cao Cao smashing his bowl’ in protest.
[Master, have you forgotten? If I remember, doesn’t that mean you do? Would you help Prince Ming break the gu?]
Yue Fuguang didn’t even hesitate: "No. Why would I? A man of no value to me isn’t worth lifting a finger for, even if it’s effortless.
He got what he sought. We should bless this loving couple."
[Master, don’t casually bestow blessings! Though your divine power is sealed, they might still take effect. Choose your words carefully!]
The crowd: That’s a thing?
They frantically tried recalling if the celestial lord had ever blessed them with auspicious phrases...
Emperor Mingxi, often on the receiving end of scoldings, panicked. If blessings could work, surely curses wouldn’t... right?
"Little Pearl, I suddenly really want to see Prince Ming’s face when he learns the truth. Hahaha!"
[You’ll see it soon. Tomorrow night, at the emperor’s longevity banquet, Beiyue drags Prince Ming to their usual haunt for a ‘nostalgic reunion’—and the gu flares up.
Lan Xuan'er follows the scent and catches them again.
After realizing he’s gu-stricken, Prince Ming hunts for healers in vain, then plots to kill Lan Xuan'er. Too bad he doesn’t know: the Lovers’ Gu is also called the Twin-Life Gu. If the female gu (in Lan Xuan'er) dies, the male gu (in him) will commit suicide.
The dead gu’s corpse becomes a slow-acting poison, dooming Prince Ming to a torturous end!]
"Did he succeed in the original timeline?"
[No. He almost did, but upon learning the truth, he crawled back to beg forgiveness. Prince Ming will fight hard to stay alive!]
"Enough about Prince Ming. Your riddle—who’s the wealthiest in the grand hall?"
[Master, it’s you. Even the emperor, with all under heaven, can’t match a single strand of your hair!]
"Your celestial treasures don’t count. If the emperor’s broke, is it Qu Bing?"
[If we exclude Prince Ming, yes. He embezzled vast sums, though most went to Prince Ming. But his men did discover the silver mine.
Knowing he couldn’t monopolize it, he tipped off Prince Ming, who granted him 20% profits.
Their teams now mine jointly.
Qu Bing’s milk-brother oversees operations—and has skimmed staggering amounts. That lowly steward’s wealth surpasses even the crown prince and his brothers combined.]
The invisible royal brothers: Deity, must you name-drop us? Are we still not transparent enough?
The System: You’re just that poor.
"They’re broke because they spend every coin buying loyalty!"
Many officials, once ‘bought,’ lowered their heads guiltily. They’d accepted gifts, but picking sides? Unthinkable!
With the emperor in his prime and the crown prince secure, only fools would gamble on those hopeless princes.
Emperor Mingxi’s icy gaze swept over sons and ministers alike, straightening every spine it touched.
[Prince Ming is now filthy rich. He gifts Beiyue only embezzled funds, hoarding the mine’s silver for himself.
Even with his old flame, he keeps secrets—this fortune is too vast.
After wedding Lan Xuan'er, she’ll uncover it all, funneling the wealth to Nanzhao—where it funds arrows and blades aimed at Dayan.]
"Prince Ming’s that incompetent? Can’t even guard his coffers? Is it the gu’s fault?
If Nanzhao’s gu arts are this potent, wouldn’t other nations be overrun by gu-controlled puppets?"
[Gu here aren’t so easily planted. Conditions must align—like Lan Xuan'er’s requiring that act. Raising gu is also costly and laborious.
Master, rest easy—gu can’t touch you.]
The Dayan court exhaled collectively. They’d long known of Nanzhao’s mysterious gu legacy.
A century ago, neighboring Nan Yue nearly wiped Nanzhao out for it, causing gu arts to fade.
Though remnants exist, they’re no major threat—until now, with a rebel prince ensnared.
Divine punishment for Prince Ming? They could work with that.
Soon, rumors spread through the capital: Prince Ming carried a contagious gu affliction!
Under ‘public outcry,’ Emperor Mingxi ‘reluctantly’ quarantined his ‘beloved’ brother—for the people’s sake.
As for the Nanzhao marriage? Postponed until his ‘recovery.’ Can’t burden the poor girl, can we?
Their Dayan is truly full of warmth and humanity!
