Chapter 336: Chapter 11: Dragon, This Is the Sign of an Emperor
"What did you say?! Xiyue, one of Shen Wanshang’s own, saw Zhong Ming and fell for him at first sight just because of his good looks, defecting to his side right then and there?!"
"How could something like that possibly happen? Are you trying to make a fool of me?"
Although it was only a secondary estate in Immortal Martial City, the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s halls were still majestic. But even as the bells on the eaves swayed gently in the wind, they couldn’t dispel the heavy atmosphere within the hall.
Upon hearing her subordinate’s report, Ji Yao’s eyes flew wide open, her face a mask of disbelief. Clearly, she refused to accept something so outrageous, assuming the scout had lost his mind to dare try and fool her with such a preposterous tale.
Beside her, Ji Hao’s gaze hardened as well. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, and his heavy gaze swept over the bowing subordinate, an unspoken pressure filling the air.
Fixed under the scrutinizing and suspicious gazes of his princess and young master, the scout immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He bowed hurriedly and reported, "Princess, sir, I would never dare to deceive you! I know the news sounds outrageous, but it’s absolutely true. Fairy Xiyue said it herself in front of everyone. There were over a hundred people there, and they all witnessed it!"
"And that’s not all. Fairy Xiyue is incredibly protective of Zhong Ming. Another one of Princess Shen’s subordinates was severely injured after she attacked him just for making one careless remark mocking Zhong Ming! She even laid down a threat—if anyone dares to move against Young Master Zhong Ming, they must first step over her body!"
"..."
At his words, the hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Ji Hao and Ji Yao both wore peculiar expressions. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same look of absurdity in the other’s eyes.
Ji Hao even raised a hand, pressing his fingertips to the space between his brows. It was clear that even now, he still found this outrageous news hard to accept.
Ji Yao, however, after her initial shock, found an irrepressible smile touching her lips. A deep curiosity surged in her eyes—a curiosity about just how handsome this Zhong Ming could be.
At the same time, a hint of mocking schadenfreude was hidden in her eyes.
"Hehe, that Shen Wanshang has always been insufferably arrogant. With her cold, aloof personality, she acts like no one is good enough for her and is especially dismissive of us from the Royal Family. Well, now she’s finally taken a huge tumble!" Her clear laughter was filled with glee. "Her own trusted subordinate, whom she personally groomed, fell for a man’s looks and just ran off with him! I’ll be laughing at her about this for the rest of my life!"
Before she even finished speaking, Ji Yao shot to her feet. With a flutter of her robes, she strode toward the doors. "No, an occasion this ’joyous’ demands I pay a personal visit to the Celestial Sea King’s mansion. I have to ’congratulate’ her in person and see that frustrated look on her face when she can’t even lash out!"
"..."
Watching his sister’s fiery departure, Ji Hao simply raised an eyebrow, not saying a word to stop her.
The Silver Moon Royal Mansion and the Celestial Sea King’s mansion represented a Royal Prince and an Alien King, respectively. They were also the main rivals for the position of New Army Commander, their open and hidden conflicts never-ending. Even so, they were far from being in a fight to the death. He was certain Shen Wanshang wouldn’t completely burn bridges over a mere war of words.
Even if she got angry, the most she would do was bicker with Ji Yao for a bit.
Thus, Ji Hao paid his sister’s taunting expedition no mind. His own thoughts were on matters far more profound than such petty theatrics.
’I’ve met Wanshang’s subordinate, Xiyue, once before. Hailing from a Merfolk Tribe, she’s not the type to be so reckless... Besides, her tribe is located within the Celestial Sea King’s sphere of influence. Neither her own nature nor her tribe’s predicament would allow her to commit an act so akin to betrayal...’
After a moment of contemplation, his expression grave, Ji Hao concluded that the entire affair was riddled with oddities. It could not possibly be explained by the four words "love at first sight."
Being who he was, he naturally wouldn’t believe such superficial rumors. He felt there had to be a hidden motive that no one knew about.
"Someone," Ji Hao said, looking up, his eyes revealing an icy chill. "Investigate at once! I want to know everything about Zhong Ming’s situation and every single thing Xiyue has done at the Immortal Martial Daoist School. Do not miss a single detail!"
Ji Hao’s command was swiftly carried out. A large number of the Silver Moon Royal Mansion’s spies shot off in all directions like arrows loosed from a bow, gathering intelligence on Zhong Ming.
And in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a string of reports came back from his subordinates. One piece of news in particular made the ever-composed Ji Hao abruptly clench his fists, his eyes filled with utter shock.
...
’So this is a portrait of Zhong Ming? He looks rather unremarkable. Nothing special about him at all.’
The Silver Moon King’s faction was quite capable; the first thing Ji Hao received was a likeness of Zhong Ming. Just as he was frowning and muttering his assessment of Zhong Ming’s appearance...
SLAM! A figure burst in anxiously and fell to his knees directly in front of Ji Hao, delivering a piece of news that left him utterly stunned.
"Sir, we’ve uncovered another rumor concerning Zhong Ming’s Charm. It’s said that even before he met Xiyue, Shen Wanshang’s subordinate, he had already secretly won the hearts of Prince Qinghe’s two Commandery Princesses! What’s more, people saw the two of them, Ji Qingyue and Ji Qinglian, openly fighting over him on the road, completely unabashed!"
Two Commandery Princesses fighting over a single man? That news alone was already heaven-shattering.
But the next piece of news made Ji Hao’s pupils shrink, nearly causing him to lose his composure and shoot to his feet. "And another thing! The word outside is that Master Luo Zhiwei, the one who just underwent the Thunder Tribulation, refused offers from everyone else, yet chose to pledge allegiance to Prince Qinghe—and the rumored reason is that she, too, fell for Young Master Zhong Ming at first sight!"
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