Dread King's Bride

Wang Yulang's living soul was trapped. Having been separated from his body for seven days, QingWu had used Xiao Chenyuan's Yang energy to mask Wang Yulang's deathly aura, successfully deceiving the Book of Life and Death. However, the reality was grim—his death date was already set. Once his living soul was freed, it would be summoned straight to the underworld. The only way to save him was to tether his soul back with the bond of kinship, pulling him back to the mortal realm.

After instructing Mu Ying, QingWu returned to her room to prepare. She needed to gather specific items to ensure that Mu Ying could traverse the perilous Yin-Yang Road tonight.

Meanwhile, at the Minister of Revenue's residence—

"Minister, you must seek justice for me!"

A young official, his face swollen like a pig's head and his eyes bruised black and blue, spoke with a lisp due to the injuries. "The Dread King has gone too far! He seized my wife in broad daylight and ordered his men to beat me senseless. Even the Queen—your daughter—seems to be under his spell. Yesterday, she aided him in abducting my wife and accused me of failing to manage my household, blaming me for my servants' disobedience!"

Kneeling just outside the curtain, Wang Sheng was filled with indignation, ranting against the Dread King, oblivious to the ominous silence from the person inside.

"Minister, I am but a low-ranking official. Please bring this matter to the Eastern Palace! Minister?"

Hearing no response from Yun Houxing, Wang Sheng grew uneasy. Looking up instinctively, he suddenly locked eyes with a pair of venomous, sinister pupils behind the curtain. Startled, his gaze fell upon Yun Houxing's face—equally swollen like a pig's head.

"Minister, your face…"

With a burst of rage, Yun Houxing hurled an inkstone in his direction, cold sweat dripping down his back. "Who let you in here?!"

Hearing Wang Sheng's complaint, Yun Houxing's first reaction wasn't to seize an opportunity against Xiao Chenyuan—it was sheer terror! His household was in chaos, and his life hung by a thread, entirely at the mercy of his adversary. The Eastern Palace avoided him like the plague, and every letter he sent seemed to vanish into thin air.

In truth, the Eastern Palace's silence no longer bothered Yun Houxing. What he truly hoped for was that his desperate actions might catch his attention. But now, even self-preservation was a challenge. Did this fool Wang Sheng really expect him to help? With what? His ledger of crimes was already in Xiao Chenyuan's hands, the hundreds of thousands of taels he embezzled over the years had vanished, and—most damning of all—there was still the matter of what lay hidden within his own residence…

Creak! The door opened, and Madam Luo entered, followed by a few servants.

In an instant, Yun Houxing froze, like a goose suddenly gripped by the neck, unable to utter a single sound.

"Master, entertaining a guest here? What kind of service is this? How is it that no tea has been served yet?" Madam Luo addressed him coolly before commanding the servants, "Someone, bring tea for Minister Wang at once."

Wang Sheng inexplicably felt a chill creep up his spine. Something about the Minister of Revenue's residence today seemed odd, but he didn't dwell on it. Rising to his feet, he respectfully saluted Madam Luo. "Thank you, madam."

Though his words were polite, his gaze betrayed disdain. He had heard rumors that this new Madam had been elevated from a concubine to the wife of the Minister. Such a lack of propriety—she dared interrupt their political discussion as a mere woman.

Tea and refreshments were quickly brought to the table before Wang Sheng.

"Minister Wang, please enjoy your tea," Madam Luo said, her expression unreadable.

Wang Sheng murmured another thanks, half-heartedly raising the cup to his lips. The moment the tea touched his tongue, he frowned.

What was this earthy, metallic taste?

"Minister Wang, why only drink tea and not try the snacks? Are you perhaps dissatisfied with my humble culinary skills?" Madam Luo asked, her lips curving into a peculiar smile.

Wang Sheng quickly denied it, his tone flustered.

With an unsettling grin, Madam Luo glanced toward the beaded curtain. "Master, since Minister Wang refuses to eat, perhaps you should taste it on his behalf?"

"No!" Yun Houxing blurted out, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and revulsion. Struggling to maintain composure, he turned to Wang Sheng with forced cheer. "Minister Wang, this is a token of Madam's goodwill. You mustn't let it go to waste."

"Of course," Wang Sheng replied, his curiosity piqued. Suppressing his unease, he picked up a piece of the delicacy with his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes widened instantly. "Madam Luo, you have incredible skills!"

Though Wang Sheng was not one to indulge, the dish proved shockingly delectable, ensnaring his appetite. With every bite, he found himself unable to stop, as if enchanted.

"I'm delighted you enjoy it…" Madam Luo's laughter held an eerie undertone.

Engrossed in his feast, Wang Sheng devoured every last morsel, completely forgetting his earlier complaints. Somewhere in the background, he vaguely registered the sound of retching. When he finally finished, he was promptly ushered out of the residence, feeling both confused and aggrieved.

As he followed the servant leading him out, a peculiar thought crossed his mind.

How odd—the staff of the Minister of Revenue's residence… Why do they walk without their heels ever touching the ground?

Once Wang Sheng had left, Madam Luo carried a fresh plate of the delicacy into the chamber behind the beaded curtain, setting it down in front of Yun Houxing's desk. Her face bore a ghostly pallor, and her grin was twisted as she spoke.

"Minister Wang is full now. What remains, dear husband, is yours to finish."

Yun Houxing recoiled in horror as he saw the so-called delicacy—an entire plate of writhing, live insects, squirming grotesquely.

"No! I won't eat it! Please, spare me—spare me!" he pleaded, backing away in terror.

But the servants swiftly seized him, pinning his arms as another forced his mouth open. Without mercy, they poured the squirming contents of the plate into his mouth.

Standing nearby, Madam Luo watched with twisted satisfaction, her voice hauntingly serene.

"Don't rush—savor it. That gentleman said after this feast… there's still another awaiting you."

"You're so greedy—aren't you afraid of bursting? Then eat more…"

On the way home from the Minister of Revenue's residence, Wang Sheng abruptly ordered the carriage to stop. He stumbled out and fell to the roadside, vomiting violently. At first, he expelled a mass of squirming insects, some still alive and writhing as they crawled away, terrifying the nearby onlookers.

By the end, he began vomiting blood, his body trembling uncontrollably. His attendants rushed to support him back into the carriage and hurriedly returned home, summoning every available physician.

The incident was quickly relayed to the Dread King's Manor, sparking murmurs of astonishment.

Situ Jing remarked with unrestrained delight, "The Queen's method is truly unmatched! A feast of poisonous bugs—enough to rot the scoundrel's gut from the inside out. Brilliant! Simply brilliant!"

Xiao Chenyuan set down his pen, amusement flickering in his eyes as he temporarily pushed aside his military matters. "And Yun Houxing?"

"He's been eating well," Situ Jing replied with a mock dry heave, gloating all the while. "Our people reported back—every meal takes him two hours to finish, and every three hours, he gets another dose of 'discipline.'"

"We also intercepted the messages he sent to the Crown Prince, but there's been no response. The East Palace seems content to watch the spectacle. Even in his letters, that old dog didn't dare mention anything concrete—just endless pleas for an audience."

"Do you think the person who orchestrated Yun Houxing's framing of the Zhen Guo Marquis family back then could be today's Crown Prince?"

"If it's him, then everything becomes much simpler."

"Indeed," Situ Jing sneered. "Yun Houxing has ambition, but he's timid and indecisive. Over the years, our investigations often point toward him, but the evidence is always too deliberate—too staged."

"It's not that I underestimate the current Crown Prince, but with his abilities, pulling off the fall of the late Crown Prince and framing the entire Zhen Guo Marquis family within ten years? He's simply not capable of such a feat."

"So, Yun Houxing's repeated reports to the East Palace, filled with trivial matters, are likely attempts to attract the attention of his true master."

"The King's strategy to lure the snake out of its hole is brilliant. Now it's just a matter of waiting to see when the snake behind the scenes shows its head."

"By the way, did the Queen really empty out all the silver Yun Houxing embezzled? Was it truly forty hundred thousand taels?"

Xiao Chenyuan responded with a faint hum, jotting down several names on the rice paper in front of him. After a moment's scrutiny, he tossed the paper into the brazier beside him, watching it burn to ashes.

Situ Jing, mentally calculating but outwardly jubilant, exclaimed, "Forty hundred thousand taels—that's enough to cover the northern border army's expenses for two years! The King marrying the Queen is like welcoming a living fortune into the household! Haha! I bet Yun Houxing coughs blood every time he thinks about it!"

"If you're tired of living, feel free to keep eyeing that forty hundred thousand taels," Xiao Chenyuan warned in a slow, chilling tone. "Don't forget—that's her 'dowry.'"

Situ Jing's smile froze instantly. Alright, point taken—he didn't dare. "But Your Majesty, couldn't you make a little sacrifice? The northern border is genuinely struggling. The court keeps withholding military funds, and the brothers haven't had meat in ages. Even the nomads are too scared of Your Majesty to let us raid their cattle and horses."

Feeding an army of tens of thousands wasn't an easy task. Xiao Chenyuan shot him a sidelong glance but shifted the topic. "What is she doing now?"

A report soon came from outside: QingWu had locked herself in her room after meeting Mu Ying and hadn't come out since.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Chenyuan decided to check on her. As he stepped into the Yuanwei Courtyard, a creak sounded—the door opened, and the woman walked out, holding a newly crafted paper lantern.

But that lantern… once again, it bore the design of the iris flower.

Xiao Chenyuan's gaze turned deep and unfathomable.