The moment he obtains the Sovereign Ring will be the end for those old fools. When the time comes, he would not be blamed for disregarding past ties; after all, it was those old fools who were heartless to him first.
Not wishing to dwell on that person any longer, Mr. Wu changed the subject. "I have heard of the current power dynamics at court. Nalan Wuque is merely a puppet emperor; he has the military authority but lacks the competence. I wonder when you intend to launch your coup."
He, for one, could not wait any longer. He had already waited for ten or twenty years—he did not have that kind of time. If those old fools were to find out that Wu Xue still had a daughter, then his chance to rule all of Miaojiang would become impossible.
"The situation at court is indeed as you say, Mr. Wu. However, there are always a few of those old fools who are blindly loyal, stubborn, and completely opposed to me." At the mention of this, Mu Zhirui’s eyes turned ruthless. No matter how he tried to win them over, they remained unmoved by either soft or hard tactics.
"Prime Minister Mu, you are so clever—could it be that you cannot handle a mere few officials? Besides, they are only a few officials; are they truly worth so much of your concern?" In Mr. Wu’s view, Mu Zhirui was simply timid, constantly worrying about this and that. If it were him, he would not waste so much energy; he would force the throne immediately. Most importantly, after waiting so many years, he was tired of waiting. He wanted to see results.
"Hahaha!" Mu Zhirui let out a hearty laugh. "Mr. Wu, since you are not involved in court politics, you naturally do not understand how deep these waters run. If it were as easy as you say, I would not be sitting here right now."
"I certainly do not understand, but I do hope, Prime Minister Mu, that you will not make me wait another ten or twenty years."
Mu Zhirui remained silent at these words. Having listened for a while, Mu Yunshu realized there was not much useful information left. She gave Po'er a look, signaling that it was time to leave. Since there was nothing of importance to be learned by staying, they might as well go and handle the tasks they had planned for the night. Po'er nodded.
Just as Mu Yunshu was about to leave, a single sentence from Mr. Wu made both of them freeze.
"By the way, you said Mu Yunshu came back from the dead?"
Mu Yunshu and Po'er exchanged a glance. If the name "Mu Yunshu" had come from Mu Zhirui’s mouth, they might not have found it strange, but coming from this Mr. Wu...
"That is the very reason I sent word to you, Mr. Wu," Mu Zhirui began. "I wonder if you could examine her to see if something has gone wrong with the gu inside her."
*Gu?* Mu Yunshu and Po'er looked at each other again. Mu Zhirui had actually planted a gu in her body. The realization struck Mu Yunshu—no wonder she had always felt something was wrong with her body. She had been poisoned. However, she knew nothing of the art of gu and had no idea what kind it was.
"I do not have the gu larva with me; I cannot examine it for the time being," Mr. Wu said, glancing at Mu Zhirui. "I told you long ago that few people can endure its agony. It should not be awakened unless as a last resort. Look at you—Mu Yunshu is just a naive, wet-behind-the-ears girl. It is highly likely she would bite her tongue and kill herself."
"I did not want that either, but you said, Mr. Wu, that once the gu took hold, Mu Yunshu would obey me implicitly. Why, then, did she dare to defy my orders half a month ago?" Mu Zhirui did not believe he was in the wrong and quickly challenged Mr. Wu.
"Defied you?" Mr. Wu had not expected this. "Impossible. The Death Gu is the greatest taboo in Miaojiang. You can imagine its potency—how could Mu Yunshu possibly resist its influence?" This was something he had never seen before. Unless... a thought suddenly occurred to Mr. Wu.
"If that were not the case, why would I have awakened the gu within her? Who knew she would actually try to kill herself?" Mu Zhirui grew puzzled. That Mu Yunshu had returned from the dead was one thing, but she seemed like a completely different person. Yet, she had indeed come back to life right in front of him. He could not put his finger on what was wrong.
"She must have been in a state of suspended animation. I never sensed any change in the gu within her. Coming back from the dead—that is a fantasy," Mr. Wu said confidently. No one knew the nature of the Death Gu better than he did.
Listening from outside, Mu Yunshu mentally cursed Mr. Wu’s ancestors to the eighteenth generation. She felt her luck was truly abysmal. What kind of body had Heaven given her? If she didn't get this gu removed, would she have to continue obeying Mu Zhirui like the previous girl? And this daughter—surely she wasn't picked up off the street? How else could Mu Zhirui be so cruel as to plant a gu in her?
As this possibility crossed her mind, Mu Yunshu looked at Po'er. However, Po'er had her head lowered, lost in her own thoughts. Ignoring her, Mu Yunshu continued to listen closely to the vital information being exchanged inside.
"Will Mu Yunshu defy me a second time?" Mu Zhirui asked. Having experienced it once, he could not be certain it wouldn't happen again.
"Haha, is it not normal for there to be a second time?" Mr. Wu sipped his tea and added, "Prime Minister Mu, surely you have not forgotten whose daughter Mu Yunshu is."
*Exactly.* Mu Yunshu curled the corner of her lips. She had guessed right: Mu Yunshu was definitely not Mu Zhirui’s daughter. If she was not mistaken, the only thing Mu Zhirui coveted was her peerless martial arts, which was why he wanted to use the gu to control her.
Po'er raised her head, a complex look in her eyes. Everything Mu Yunshu could deduce, she had also realized. It was just that she could not bring herself to accept the reality of it.
"What do you mean, Mr. Wu?" Mu Zhirui was confused. What did it matter whose daughter she was?
Mr. Wu looked at him. "Since Mu Yunshu can inherit Mu Xiao’s peerless internal energy, why could she not also inherit Wu Xue’s unique constitution?"
"Ah-hahaha!" Mu Zhirui remembered. "I almost forgot. Wu Xue was the Saintess of Miaojiang; ordinary gu had no effect on her. Perhaps Mu Yunshu, being her daughter, is even better than her mother."
"However..." Mu Zhirui suddenly stopped.
Seeming to know what he was going to say, Mr. Wu interjected, "Do not worry, Prime Minister Mu. Wu Xue died by the Death Gu, and their daughter will follow in their footsteps."
"Hahahahaha!" Both men roared with laughter inside the room.
"What does it matter if Mu Xiao was powerful? In the end, he suffered qi deviation and his fate is unknown. Their daughter, meanwhile, obeys my every command and has called her father’s killer 'Father' for over a decade." Mu Zhirui looked ahead triumphantly. "Mu Xiao, oh Mu Xiao, if you knew the current situation, would you be so angry you'd come back to life? Unfortunately, your bones are long gone, and you were never a match for me, hahahaha..."
*Heaven,* what a staggering secret. Mu Yunshu had to admire the two men inside. This scheme must have been secretly in motion for over twenty years. They had calculated everyone they intended to use.
Just as Mu Yunshu was about to say something to Po'er, a thick, palpable murderous intent erupted from Po'er. The temperature in their surroundings plummeted so instantly that even Mu Yunshu could not stop it in time.
*Oh, no!*
"You..." Mu Yunshu glared at Po'er, and without a second's hesitation, she turned on her heel and left.