Chapter 43: A Great Guess, Don't Guess Again Next Time

As Yan Shuzhu spoke, her eyes were practically beaming with excitement.

It seemed she was convinced she had hit upon the truth.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? You didn't want to overshadow your brother's brilliance; you wanted him to stand out and make a name for himself, which is why you deliberately ruined your own reputation, right?"

"..."

Great guess, but don't ever guess again!

I'm sorry, but the former Ye Liuyun really was just that much of a good-for-nothing.

Standing nearby, Sinuang seemed to have fallen for this explanation as well, and the look he gave Ye Liuyun turned into one of profound admiration.

To ensure his brother had a bright and glorious future, he had deliberately destroyed his own life.

How truly admirable!

"Ahem! Let's just say that's how it happened!"

There was no way he could explain every single detail clearly. Since she was so fond of imagining her own elaborate scenarios, he might as well let her keep building on them.

"I knew it!" Yan Shuzhu smiled happily.

As for how the original Ye Liufeng had died, Yan Shuzhu deduced that he must have offended someone and was murdered as a result.

And the reason Ye Liuyun assumed his brother's identity to enter the Brocade Guard was simply to investigate the truth behind his brother's death.

One had to admit.

Without a single word of explanation from Ye Liuyun, Yan Shuzhu had already pieced together a grand drama entirely in her own mind.

"As long as you are willing to help me, I can restore your true identity as Ye Liuyun and allow you to serve openly in the Brocade Guard without ever needing to hide who you are again. Moreover, whatever you wish to achieve—

As long as it is within my power, I will help you accomplish it!"

Yan Shuzhu genuinely felt that the man before her was a rare talent, and thus she was sincere in her desire to recruit him.

At first, Ye Liuyun intended to refuse.

But the offer was simply too generous to turn down.

"How can I assist you?"

Ye Liuyun smiled, and upon receiving this reply, Yan Shuzhu broke into a smile as well.

...

Soon after, Yan Shuzhu took her leave.

Judging by her radiant smile, she was clearly in a very pleasant mood.

She didn't immediately demand that Ye Liuyun do anything. According to her, she needed to go back and think things through first, and sort out Ye Liuyun's identity issues before proceeding further.

Ye Liuyun had no objections to this.

He simply stood watching as Yan Shuzhu departed.

Once the surroundings fell quiet, he turned his gaze sideways toward Sinuang.

Shi Sheng might be a bit slow to react, but Sinuang was a clever man. Presumably, through the conversation that had just taken place, he had already realized that he was addressing Ye Liuyun, and not some Ye Liufeng.

The moment Ye Liuyun's gaze landed on him, Sinuang understood the implication. Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to his knees before Ye Liuyun, cupping his hands together.

"This subordinate is willing to offer his utmost loyalty to Your Excellency!"

Sinuang was no fool. Following Ye Liuyun now—to say nothing of anything else—meant that the routine rewards alone were countless times greater than before.

Besides, judging by the current situation, following Ye Liuyun clearly offered a much more promising future.

As for this "Ye Liufeng" person? Apologies, but they weren't acquainted.

"???"

Beside them, Shi Sheng stared at Sinuang with a head full of question marks.

He couldn't fathom why, out of nowhere, Sinuang had suddenly begun pledging his loyalty. Had something happened?

Puzzled though he was, after a brief moment of dazed hesitation, Shi Sheng dropped to his knees as well.

"I, Shi Sheng, am also willing to serve Your Excellency."

Though he didn't know why a declaration of loyalty was suddenly necessary at this moment, working under Ye Liuyun always made Shi Sheng feel thoroughly at ease.

A true gentleman dies for one who truly knows him.

For Shi Sheng, Ye Liuyun was precisely that kind of person.

"Alright, alright!"

Ye Liuyun waved his hand with a smile.

"Just keep this in mind to yourselves. Everything remains exactly as it was before; I'll be heading back now."

Taking advantage of this opportunity to reclaim his original identity wasn't a bad idea either.

At first, he had no choice, but now that he had the capability, there was no longer any need for apprehension.

"Whew!"

Once Ye Liuyun had left, Sinuang let out a long breath of relief. It was a good thing his reactions were quick.

Shi Sheng, who had stood back up alongside Sinuang, noticed the latter's expression and leaned in curiously.

"Tell me, what on earth just happened?"

"..."

Sometimes, it really was nice to be simple-minded; not knowing anything could be a form of happiness.

Glancing sideways at Shi Sheng, Sinuang gave a helpless explanation.

"From now on, when you address Your Excellency, you can no longer call him Ye Liufeng. You must call him Ye Liuyun."

"Ye Liuyun? What does that mean?"

There were moments when he genuinely felt like reporting himself to the authorities.

However, since they were going to be working together for a long time to come, Sinuang patiently began to explain.

...

Nighttime.

As soon as Guan Bao departed, he hurried straight back to the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old, recounting everything that had just transpired in meticulous detail.

Within the imperial palace stood a palatial residence of extreme luxury—this was the dwelling of the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old.

Eunuchs lacked descendants and were deprived of certain worldly desires, which led most of them to harbor an intense obsession with either immense wealth or supreme power.

The position of the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old was essentially the highest pinnacle an eunuch could ever hope to attain.

Consequently, he placed an extraordinary emphasis on matters of wealth.

When Guan Bao was delivering his report, the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old was toying with a piece of jadeite and agate just presented to him by a subordinate, unable to tear his eyes away from it.

It was only after listening to the entirety of Guan Bao's account that the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old gently placed the jadeite and agate back into its brocade box.

"It seems our young Emperor is not content with mediocrity after all. To think she actually wants to recruit the Brocade Guard!"

From the perspective of the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old, the young Emperor Yan Shuzhu going to such lengths to protect a member of the Brocade Guard could only mean one thing: an attempt at recruitment.

An attempt to seize control of the power wielded by the Brocade Guard.

Clearly nothing more than a puppet pushed forward to occupy the throne for a few short years, yet she actually dared to defy her predetermined fate. How utterly laughable.

"Foster Father, do you need me to handle it?"

Guan Bao cautiously raised his hand, speaking in a soft voice as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

He meant to ask whether he should quietly eliminate that Ye Liuyun.

It was evident that Guan Bao possessed immense confidence in his own martial prowess, not considering the silent removal of Ye Liuyun to be any sort of difficult task.

"There is no need!"

The Nine-Thousand-Year-Old dismissively waved a hand.

"Even a puppet remains an Emperor, after all."

The Nine-Thousand-Year-Old was fiercely loyal to the Great Qian dynasty.

It was just that the object of his loyalty was not Yan Shuzhu, but rather her late imperial father. In the eyes of the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old, he was the true and rightful master of the Great Qian Empire.

"His Majesty only entered seclusion a few years ago; presumably, it will still take some time before he breaks through and emerges. During this period, this old servant cannot allow the Great Qian to descend into chaos. Otherwise, when His Majesty emerges from seclusion, wouldn't he view us as utterly incompetent? Isn't that so?"

"Therefore, there is no need to do anything at all. Since the young Emperor wishes to protect that member of the Brocade Guard, let her protect him. If she wants to control the Brocade Guard, let her try; it will merely serve to waste some of her time."

"Besides, once His Majesty emerges from seclusion, this Great Qian dynasty will still belong to him and him alone."

His tone throughout remained completely nonchalant.

As long as the Great Qian dynasty did not fall into turmoil, nothing else could possibly be considered a problem.