Chapter 52: Sick
Covered in black and red ants, Huo Zi’an screamed in despair, “Kill me! Just kill me!”
Hei Hu couldn’t bear to watch and drew his saber, “Your Highness, just kill him!”
Jin Sui slowly stepped forward, took out Huo Zi’an’s waist token, and said in a low voice:
“Are you sure? If I kill you, this King will have a new ‘Lord Niu’.”
Huo Zi’an instantly understood her meaning; she could use a Li King’s waist token to impersonate the Li King.
Naturally, she could use a Commander’s Office waist token to have someone impersonate Commander Huo.
Whatever she did with that identity then, Prince Yu, far away in Chang’an, would have no way to intervene.
In immense pain, Huo Zi’an made a decision and shouted:
“You are the Li King!”
“You are the Li King!”
Jin Sui laughed heartily, “It would have been better if you said so earlier. You suffered so much for nothing.”
“Hei Hu, take him to the river and wash him clean.”
Hei Hu dared not touch him directly, so he took off his own clothes and threw them at Huo Zi’an.
After shaking off most of the insects and ants, he dragged him directly into the river.
He was fortunate that he hadn’t worn his new red clothes today, otherwise, he would have been reluctant to part with them.
After washing away the insects and ants, the person revealed was completely transformed, his entire body covered in red bumps and blood spots.
Huo Zi’an scratched himself desperately all over, quickly developing large patches of blood marks.
Jin Sui had Hei Hu tie his hands and then applied medicine to him.
She heard Huo Zi’an constantly muttering, “You demon! You devil! You lunatic!”
Jin Sui stepped forward, “What did you say?”
Huo Zi’an said with fear, “You are the Li King, you are the Li King.”
Jin Sui nodded, “Yes, from now on, if anyone questions this King’s identity, Commander Huo must testify for this King!”
At this moment, Huo Zi’an suddenly felt as if he had fallen into a deeper pit, more terrifying than death.
However, the desire to die was just a fleeting emotion; once it passed, the will to live would return.
If he had to swear to expose the fake Li King again and endure the torment of ten thousand ants devouring his heart, he truly couldn’t.
Jin Sui smiled and instructed Hei Hu and the soldier:
“Do not speak of this matter. This kind of punishment is exclusively for the royal family; outsiders must not learn it.”
The two nodded repeatedly, their minds filled with a single thought: the royal family is truly terrifying!
The reason Jin Sui didn’t want it spread was naturally to prevent others from knowing how she forced Commander Huo to change his tune.
She had a feeling that Wei Assistant Secretary, Han Xing, and the others had never doubted her identity.
However, Cheng Yu, after hearing Huo Zi’an’s words, had become suspicious.
But Cheng Yu didn’t seem too concerned about it, feeling that as long as you were good to the border soldiers, it didn’t matter if you were the real Li King or a fake one.
She sold treasures to reward the Black Feather Camp and helped the border soldiers demand pay for the entire army. With these actions, she proved that she, as the Li King, was responsible, which is why Cheng Yu didn’t investigate further.
Huo Zi’an was sent to the infirmary to recover from his injuries. Upon hearing that he had changed his address to “Your Highness,” Wei Assistant Secretary smiled:
“It is also the King’s magnanimity. If it were someone else, this assassin would have died long ago.”
Jin Sui said, “He is more useful alive than dead. In Yandi, there are some matters that the Li King cannot handle easily.
But as the Commander of the Commander’s Office and a confidant of Prince Yu, it is much easier.”
“Besides, if an assassin sent by Prefect Li remains alive, Prefect Li will not dare to come to the borderlands so often!”
Wei Assistant Secretary’s eyes darted around as he said, “Your Highness should submit a memorial to the Emperor, detailing this matter.”
Jin Sui glanced at Wei Assistant Secretary and chuckled lightly:
“If Wei Assistant Secretary believes the Emperor will summon this King back to Chang’an for such a trivial matter, that is a delusion.”
Wei Assistant Secretary’s face turned pale. Returning to Chang’an was his lifelong wish.
It was also the only glimmer of hope he had grasped since the Li King’s arrival.
The flesh on his cheeks trembled twice, but he quickly calmed down and said with a dry laugh:
“Your Highness has great talent and strategy. One day, the Emperor will remember Your Highness’s merits.”
Jin Sui laughed heartily, “Memorize these words well. The next time this King asks you to say them, you will.”
Wei Assistant Secretary was stunned, not understanding the meaning.
Jin Sui thought to herself, flattering this fake Li King is useless!
It won’t get you a promotion, at most a reward.
When the real Li King arrives, flatter him, and he will promote you.
Why is this real Li King so slow? Haven’t Hao Duojin and the others found Grandpa Ling and the other two?
Gu Changxiao, don’t you have any secret guards to help you?
In my past life, watching novels and TV shows, princes who were cast out into the common folk would encounter people to help them one after another.
But you, apart from my family, haven’t met anyone else?
I thought I only had to impersonate the Li King for a while. If you don’t come soon, and everyone in Yandi believes I am the Li King, this fake will become real.
Where exactly has our real Li King reached? He hasn’t even arrived in Yandi yet!
With the plague in Luocheng and Yandi’s borders sealed, Gu Changxiao told Grandpa Ling that he had a way to enter Yandi.
Only after leaving Huai Prefecture did they realize how strict the Yandi checkpoints were; it was impossible to force entry.
To enter Yandi, one could only travel over mountains and ridges, just like Jin Sui and the other two had done before.
The three weighed their options. Not to mention the tigers and wolves in the mountains, Jin An was too young, and Grandpa Ling couldn’t walk fast after injuring his leg. Although Gu Changxiao’s injuries had healed, his body was weak.
For such a trio to climb the Yan Hui Mountains, which were even more treacherous than the Yao Han Mountains, the possibility of survival was too slim.
Upon learning that the Li King was their granddaughter, Grandpa Ling and Gu Changxiao were both anxious, wishing they could fly to Yanzhou.
But looking at Jin An’s small frame, they had to save their granddaughter and also look after their grandson. Winter arrived early in the north, and entering the mountains could lead to freezing to death.
Grandpa Ling calmly advised Gu Changxiao:
“If we can’t climb the mountains, we still have two other paths. One is for the old Taoist to bribe the border guards and have them let us through.”
“The second is to wait for the Li King’s subordinates from Luocheng. They will surely come looking for us after hearing the message we sent. After meeting up with them, we can enter Yandi.”
Gu Changxiao pondered, “Daoist Ji can try the first method. I will also find a way to contact someone who can bring us through the pass.”
He didn’t tell Grandpa Ling and Jin An that he had been trying to contact his former subordinates along the way and believed someone would arrive within a few days.
Just then, news began to spread like wildfire from Yandi, a place that prohibited entry.
Following the incident of besieging the city to demand funds, His Highness the Li King had accomplished another major feat.
However, to the common people, this matter sounded like a joke orchestrated by a wealthy young master.
That is, his personal seal, the name Li, the Boundless King, had become widely known.
When Gu Changxiao and the other two heard this news, they were in a small town teahouse. For the first time in his life, he spat out his tea.
Grandpa Ling also spat out his tea, and both coughed repeatedly, choking.
Only Jin An exclaimed happily, “This title is so majestic, so domineering! As expected of my… brother!”
Grandpa Ling quickly covered his mouth and turned to Gu Changxiao with an embarrassed expression, saying:
“The child is young and doesn’t understand. Your Highness, please forgive him.”
Gu Changxiao wiped the tea from the corner of his lips and said in a low voice:
“It’s alright. Daoist Ji, you can just call me Changxiao as before.”
Afterward, the three fell silent, quietly listening to other customers in the teahouse laugh and talk about ‘Li, the Boundless King’.
After a long while, Grandpa Ling and Gu Changxiao looked up at each other simultaneously, gave an awkward smile, and quickly looked down again.
Finally, Grandpa Ling gave in and chuckled dryly twice:
“That child truly has the audacity of a leopard. Not only is he not low-key, but he’s also so ostentatious.”
Gu Changxiao endured it as much as he could, but still asked the question that had been lingering in his heart:
“Daoist Ji, I’ve actually wanted to ask for a long time, Little Taoist Ji, did you have a fever when you were young that damaged your brain?”
She’s sick! Absolutely sick!
Her personal seal, ‘Li, the Boundless King,’ and then publicizing it for everyone to know.
Is this something a normal person would do?
It’s the last day of September. Wishing all my darlings a happy National Day holiday in advance! If you have monthly tickets, please cast them for Jin Sui!
