Chapter 1037 — The Mystery of the Snatched Cat
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 4
Emperor Yanxiu was struck speechless, and could not help shaking her head. "Before my sister Yun Chuxiu, saying a thing like that is enough to get your head cut off.
" She did not know Yun Chuxiu's true identity, but she could guess that Yun Chuxiu must be one of the power-holders in the Heavenly Court. On that day, when the Spirit-Energy Transfer Bridge had connected Jingping with the Heavenly Court, it was Yun Chuxiu who had walked out of the bridge. To be able to authorize the building of a Spirit-Energy Transfer Bridge in the Heavenly Court, she had to be a person of overwhelming influence.
That was also why, when Yun Chuxiu had proposed that they become sworn sisters, she had agreed at once. She was a clever woman, and knowing that Yun Chuxiu enjoyed extraordinary status in the Heavenly Court, she knew she had to agree no matter what Yun Chuxiu's aim might be.
This was the key to Jingping's survival. In fact, the reason Jingping had been able to establish a connection with the Zaofu Palace was also because of this relationship with Yun Chuxiu.
Watching Lian Huahun, Yun Chuxiu, and the others approach, Shen Mu let his spiritual sense ripple and sent a telepathic voice: "Yun Chuxiu is Madam Yuanmu, the younger sister of Her Majesty the Empress.
Lian Huahun is Her Majesty the Empress.
" Emperor Yanxiu was secretly alarmed but betrayed none of it.
"Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, can we use the rift between the Empress and Madam Yuanmu to keep Jingping safe? " "It can be done, but you must mind the heat.
Those two women are at each other's throats until death, yet they drift together and apart by turns. Do not draw too near, nor too far.
" With that, Shen Mu laughed heartily and moved forward to greet Yun Chuxiu and Lian Huahun, but in his heart he groaned, "I handed Yun Chuxiu over to the Primordial Earth Mother—will she kick up a fuss about that? " Yet Yun Chuxiu did not mention the matter at all.
She took his arm and quickly recounted the five girls' swearing of sisterhood, laughing, "If I die, my four sisters will have to be buried alongside me. Don't you think so, Shen Lang? " The corner of Shen Mu's eye twitched.
Yun Chuxiu was threatening him: if he made another move against her, she would kill Ling Yuxiu, Gongsun Yan, and the others. To her, it would be only the loss of a body born of Creation—neither pain nor itch. But to Shen Mu, the loss would be no small matter.
Ling Yuxiu was the heir to Emperor Yanfeng's reforms and the mainstay of present-day Jingping. Unlike Emperor Yanfeng, she could more readily take things up and let them go.
Because she was a woman, the Heavenly Court neither guarded against her nor took her seriously. She could lower her stance, go to the Heavenly Court and the Zaofu Palace to negotiate, and with her polished social skill she could mediate between Jingping and the Heavenly Court, keeping Jingping from becoming a thorn in the Heavenly Court's eye.
Emperor Yanfeng had been a mighty sovereign, but in a situation like the one Ling Yuxiu faced, he could not have done better—he would only have made it worse. At the very least, Emperor Yanfeng could never have sworn sisterhood with the Empress and Madam Yuanmu.
As for Gongsun Yan, she was the Little Primordial Earth Mother guarding Jingping, with immense potential, and she absolutely could not be lost. "Better to leave Jingping soon. The longer I stay, the greater the danger to Jingping.
" Shen Mu calmed his mind and chatted idly with the girls for a while. As the sky darkened, he yawned, claimed to be tired, and returned to his room to rest.
At midnight, Emperor Yanxiu came to visit.
The monarch and his subject sat knee to knee in talk through the night, until the rooster crowed and Emperor Yanxiu rose to leave.
Outside, stars glittered in the sky, and the emperor returned to her palace wrapped in their light. Shen Mu sat silently for a moment, then smiled.