The guards outside the side chamber were really no longer there. Ye Shu had intentionally committed to memory the route to the side chamber on his way there during the day. Now, following his memory, he slipped out of the ancestral temple easily.

……Then he lost his way.

Imperial worship was no trivial matter. The main mountain roads near the ancestral temple were heavily guarded, thus the map that Chang Yuan left to Ye Shu was all marked with mountain trails.

But this style of drawing…

So abbreviated and abstract that it was totally unrecognizable.

Ye Shu finally accepted the fact that he had lost his way again after circling around the same woods several times. He sat on a blue rock by the mountain road, looking up at the clear, cold moonlight in the horizon, and sighed helplessly.

Why does he always have to go through the woods every time he escapes…

This was truly too tough for a person with no sense of direction.

Ye Shu sat in place for a moment, when he suddenly heard people coming not far away.

That earlier experience had already left him with palpitations. Ye Shu hurriedly hid behind the rock. He crouched down, hands and feet curled up, completely concealing himself behind the rock and the grasses.

He had just hid himself when a conversation reached his ears.

“…This is not the way to go on, we must hurry to think of a way ah.”

“What can we do? His Majesty found that biting fox from nowhere and is so entranced that he even made an exception at the worship ceremony. I can’t think of what else can be done.”

“……”It turned out that he was this type of person in the eyes of others.

Ye Shu looked over through the overlapping grasses and saw clearly the two chattering people’s appearance.

The two young men also happened to stand in front of the rock. Ye Shu quickly identified that they were the officials who had accompanied them earlier. Duan Chengzhi of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and General Zuo Yan who was responsible for escorting patrols.

Ye Shu was actually unclear of how the court discussed his existence, and Jin Wang had not told him either, but he could still make a rough guess.

After all, down the ages, no emperor was able to escape from carrying on their ancestral line and selecting an heir.

His Majesty was a cut sleeve. It was conceivable how anxious these officials would be.

“The General can’t say that. His Majesty is momentarily deluded. We, as subjects, must not let this matter slide. We must admonish him.”

“Admonish?” The man beside him snorted coldly. “Didn’t those Lords previously do that and were punished to kneel in the imperial study for a whole day as a result? If Lord Duan wants to try, then feel free to do so.”

Ye Shu then breathed a sigh of relief as the two men walked past the rock and went forward. 

This official from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was under the command of the original owner and had once appeared in the novel.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices was ranked as the first of the Nine Ministers. That man had some prestige in the court and had no bad intentions. However, he was still not liked by the ruler, for no other reason than that he was too worried about the immensely important major turning point of his life.

Because he only had a minor role in the book Ye Shu didn’t remember his story line quite clearly.

If he recalled correctly, this man seemed to have done something that greatly angered Jin Wang.

But what exactly was it…… Ye Shu couldn’t recall at the moment.

His train of thoughts drifted away, unaware of the gradual change in his body.

A fruity fragrance of green plum wafted from him.

When the Kunjun is pregnant, their faith incense will often be out of control, by force of circumstance.

And so ever since the imperial physician found out that Ye Shu was pregnant, Jin Wang no longer gave him the suppressant pill, but instead used Qianjun’s faith incense to cover up his own.

He came out in a hurry tonight. Jin Wang’s ad hoc infusion of faith incense was not enough to smoothly get him through the night.

This was the moment when the faith incense lost effectiveness.

Ye Shu, of course, knew nothing about this. He simply tugged at his neckline, trying to dispel the heat that was gradually creeping up.

In the distance, the two men who had already gone far stopped in their tracks.

Duan Chengzhi asked, “General, what’s the matter?”

“This smell is…” Zuo Yan frowned, looking back to the way they came. “There’s a Kunjun here?”

Duan Chengzhi was just an ordinary person, but as for the protector of the state General Zou Yan, he was actually an out-an-out Qianjun.

Things that would happen can hardly be controlled once the faith incense divulged.

Ye Shu’s consciousness soon began to become blurred. He clutched the grass beside him, trying his best to not make any sound. 

At that moment, a whole new smell pervaded the air.

The smell was a robust scent of rosin. It burst open in the forest without pity, tracking the Kunjun down in the dark. Unlike the fragrance of Qianjun’s faith incense that marked him, this smell was far from comforting, but rather made him extremely oppressed, almost making him unable to breathe.

Ye Shu then lost all his strength and fell to the ground without resistance. In his trance, he vaguely felt that someone had come close to him.

“T-This is really a Kunjun?” Duan Chengzhi asked.

Under the moonlight, a young man in black clothes lay huddled in the grass. A small, slender, fair wrist was visible under his tight cuffs, as delicate as if his hands might possibly be snapped off.

He involuntarily gripped the grass beneath him, his brows furrowed and lips slightly pursed, beautiful enough to move anyone’s heart.

……Ye Shu had chosen an unrivaled stunning appearance for his disguise. Although it was still somewhat inferior to his true original appearance.

Zuo Yan suppressed the lust that surged in his eyes. “Correct. It is none other than a Kunjun.”

He was about to step forward, when Duan Chengzhi stopped him. “What is the General going to do?”

Zuo Yan was somewhat impatient, but he also became sober in this obstruction. He took a deep breath and said, “It is still unknown why this person appeared here; he should be handed over to His Majesty to be dealt with.”

Duan Chengzhi, however, stopped him. “The General must not do so. We can discuss this matter.”

“Discuss what?”

Duan Chengzhi’s eyes slightly lit up, and his voice trembling with excitement, “This is but a Kunjun! A one in a million Kunjun! A Kunjun who is fertile!”

Zuo Yan, “…What are you thinking?”

“Come. Let me tell you…”

Ye Shu couldn’t hear them clearly, and even if he could, he also didn’t have the ability to distinguish information. His mind was in chaos, and he soon lost consciousness under the unrestrained fragrance of the Qianjun. 

Before losing consciousness, there was only one thought left in Ye Shu’s mind.

The woods really didn’t suit him; he really wouldn’t run away again.

—

Early the next morning. The sound of shattered porcelain echoed in the side hall where the state ruler was staying.

The servants and the imperial guards knelt outside, and inside the hall, two imperial guards were escorting a dark figure who was kneeling on the ground.

Jin Wang sat in his seat, his complexion terribly gloomy.

“You said you would meet him at the foot of the mountain. Where is he now?”

The man kneeling down in the hall was badly wounded. He was bowing his head, not making any sound for a while.

Chang Yuan waited all night at the foot of the mountain, and never saw Ye Shu come, but instead met the emperor’s guards.

He originally thought that something had gone wrong on Ye Shu’s side to keep him from running away, but now it seemed that he had indeed left the ancestral temple.

……But where could he have gone?

The tea cup shattered at Chang Yuan’s feet, and the boiling hot tea spilled all over. Before he could react, a great strength suddenly choked him. 

Chang Yuan let out a curt whimper from his throat and his face quickly turned red.

He struggled to look up and met Jin Wang’s red eyes.

“If something really happened to him, Gu will definitely make your life worse than death,” Jin Wang’s voice was low and hoarse, his eyes cold and sinister. “Speak!”

Chang Yuan raised his hand to grab Jin Wang’s wrist and said with difficulty, “This subordinate…really doesn’t know.”

An undisguised killing intent instantly emerged in Jin Wang’s eyes.

Chang Yuan even felt that Jin Wang would crush his throat then and there.

But Jin Wang just threw the man back towards the imperial guards’ feet. “Take him back.”

The imperial guards quickly dragged the coughing man away. Jin Wang returned to his seat, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

He could never have imagined that Ye Shu would have the cheek to drug him.

He didn’t know if it was because the news of Ye Shu’s pregnancy had made him let down his guard, or because the man acted too well these days, so well that he didn’t even half suspect his intentions.

Every pretense of obedience was all for today.

But if he really escaped, why were there no traces of him now?

A Kunjun who couldn’t do martial arts and was pregnant; who knew what he would encounter outside. Jin Wang didn’t even dare to think more about this.

The chief personal attendant Gao Jin pushed the door and walked in. “Your Majesty, you…”

Jin Wang abruptly opened his eyes. “You found him?”

“No,” Gao Jin said in a low voice. “Your hand… Shall this humble servant seek the imperial physician to bandage it for you?”

Jin Wang was stunned, and only then did he look down at his hand.

His hand drooping by his side had been cut by a shard of porcelain and was bleeding in torrents.

He smiled bitterly and ignored it, rather saying in a low voice, “Pass Gu’s order; immediately recall all the spies from the capital. Let them and the shadow guards search for him starting from the ancestral temple. Permit digging to a depth of three feet if necessary. Gu wants to see him either alive or……dead.”

“Yes.” Gao Jin then asked again, “Then the ancestral worship ceremony…”

“Put it off for the time being,” Jin Wang said wearily. “The news of the noble consort absconding must not be known by anyone. Just say that Gu is feeling unwell, so the ancestral worship will be held at another time.”

Gao Jin, “Yes.”

From that day onwards, all the spies and shadow guards under Jin Wang began to search secretly. 

But there was no news of his whereabouts.

One day, two days, three days passed…news of Ye Shu seemed to have sunk to the deepest bottom of the sea without any trace.

And Jin Wang, except for his emotional outburst the first day, always behaved quite calmly.

The imperial worship convoy returned to the capital on the third day, and the ruler even started attending the morning court the very next day, not looking the least bit ill.

Except for the gloomy look and more ruthless methods with each passing day.

For several days, there were frequently officials who spoke the wrong thing at the court and were punished and deposed by His Majesty. Even the barely guilty were beaten dozens of times with planks and nearly lost their lives.

Some of the officials and generals who survived a few days in the court began to have some speculations.

The most convincing assertion was that His Majesty had finally come to his senses from being blinded by the beauty and had begun to regret his move to take a concubine.

Otherwise, with His Majesty’s favor for the noble consort, why would he put off the ceremony and never mention the big wedding?

But well, it was hard for young people to find their first love, and thus it was normal for it to be difficult coming out of it.

Only that it caused naught but suffering for them courtiers.

Numerous officials kept whining, when finally at morning court on the seventh day, someone came forward.

The court hall was so quiet that even a pin would be heard if it was dropped, and Jin Wang, in a black-gold court robe, casually tapped his fingertips on the dragon throne, dangerously narrowing his eyes. “Say that again?”

This tone of his voice sounded so deep that it could cut through to their bones. The Official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Duan Chengzhi, had spoken haltingly, and braced himself to speak again, “This… This subject found a stunning Kunjun a few days ago, and wanted to…wanted to present the beauty to Your Majesty.”

“Present the beauty…”  Jin Wang repeated these words slowly between his lips and sneered, “Who gave you the courage?”

“Your Majesty, forgive me!” Duan Chengzhi knelt down. “Your Majesty had previously said that he preferred men. This subject has found a Kunjun and wanted to present him to Your Majesty. This subject is acting in respect of Your Majesty’s edict!”

Jin Wang paused.

Did he ever say that?

Perhaps he did say that during the past few days when he quarreled with this group of officials in order to pass the buck down.

It was too hard to find a Kunjun in this world. He never thought they would find one so soon.

——Even more right in the crosshairs.

Jin Wang laughed out loud in anger and said quietly, “Since he’s a stunning Kunjun, Gu could certainly have a glimpse.”

Duan Chengzhi had just breathed a sigh of relief, when Jin Wang casually added, “But if Duan Chengzhi is exaggerating, then how shall he be punished for the crime of deceiving the monarch?”

With that said, Duan Chengzhi immediately repented.

But the matter of presenting the beauty had already been spoken. Withdrawing his previous remark would be considered as deceiving the monarch.

Duan Chengzhi could only force himself to answer, “Yes.” Jin Wang then said insipidly, “Bring the man up.”

Four servants soon carried a sedan chair into the hall. 

The brocade sedan chair was draped with bright red satin on all sides. Duan Chengzhi went towards it on his knees, grabbed one side of the satin and pulled it off.

The brocade satin fell away and inside was a gilded iron cage.

The bottom of the cage was also covered with a thick layer of red satin, on which lay a plain-clothed beauty.

The cage couldn’t be regarded as small, just large enough to fit a grown man lying down. The beauty was curled up at the bottom of the cage; his complexion rosy and peaceful, sleeping soundly, unaware of the happenings around.

His long hair fell to the ground, revealing only half of his pretty, fair side profile.

Just this side profile was already breathtaking enough.

Jin Wang, however, lazily said, “Just so-so.”

His looks are not a millionth as good as Ye Shu’s. This was what they called stunning?

“Deceiving the monarch is a serious crime. Drag him down and flog with a hundred strokes.” Jin Wang indifferently ordered.

The servants immediately stepped forward to drag Duan Chengzhi, who pleaded, “Your Majesty, forgive me. H-He is but a rare Kunjun ah, Your Majesty, you—”

He wailed so loudly that the beauty in the cage seemed to be disturbed, turning over on the soft red satin.

The cinnabar mole that was kept behind his ear finally came out into the open, and a fresh and sweet fragrance immediately enveloped the entire court hall.

The Kunjun’s faith incense was like fresh green plums, light and fresh, with a sweet and sour taste that brought water to the mouth.

Jin Wang’s expression changed in an instant.

Almost no one could resist such a sweet smelling faith incense of a Kunjun. In the hall, many Qianjun’s faith incense were faintly hooked and began to compete amongst each other.

The beauty in the cage was disturbed by the fragrance of all the faith incenses, frowning and softly letting out a murmur.

“Ugh… Uncomfortable…”

Jin Wang sobered up in a flash.

In the next moment, the powerful fragrance of a Qianjun’s faith incense arose in the court hall.

The purity of the ruler’s faith incense was extremely high and aggressive and it instantly concealed everyone else’s scent. 

The legs of the crowd of officials went so weak that they could barely stand.

In this breathtakingly high concentration of faith incense, the officials heard the young emperor on the dragon throne say with a smile, “Gu likes this present very much. Official Duan is thoughtful.”

—

Ye Shu was lying in a bed canopy when he woke up again. He rubbed his eyes and sleepily rolled over.

He had been in the hands of that surnamed Duan these days. That man may have given him some kind of sleeping drug. He had slept more and woken up less, unaware of what night was tonight.

Once when he woke up, he had heard that Duan say that he would be presented to His Majesty.

……Hold on. Be presented to His Majesty???

Then, it suddenly occurred to Ye Shu that it was written in the book that shortly after Prime Minister Ye Shu’s execution, Duan Chengzhi began to search around and then presented a stunning beauty to the Changlu emperor.

Unexpectedly, the beauty was too simple and rough, which clashed with Jin Wang’s fastidious eyes.

He didn’t even have a glimpse at the beauty that was presented to him and directly had the servants dragged out and flogged to death.

Duan Chengzhi was also given a punishment of a hundred strokes and nearly lost his life.

This wouldn’t do. If he was really presented as a beauty to Jin Wang, wouldn’t that mean he would fall into the tiger’s den again?

Not good, he had to run away.

Ye Shu dragged his sore and limp body to sit up, pulled open the gauze canopy, and was startled by the man sitting quietly on the bedside.

Then, he met a pair of glaring, red eyes.

The atmosphere was still for a moment.

In the next second, Ye Shu’s hand suddenly yanked and pulled the gauze canopy down.

Jin Wang, “……”

A/N:

Ye Shu: I’m going to die. Right here and right now.