THE LEGEND OF SHENLI

CHAPTER 9

“I need you as a bodyguard of course. The prince isn’t going to let this slide. He’ll definitely send assassins after us, but since what he wanted to find out was of a blasphemous nature, he’ll have to keep it from the emperor and work in secret.” It was obvious to everyone yesterday, that between the two, Shěn Lí was the stronger adversary. Therefore, the best course of action would be to get rid of Xíng Yún first, then focus on Shěn Lí after. Whether or not they had the ability to take care of her was another story. Xíng Yún understood this, so of course he would drag her along with him!

Shěn Lí read the placard sign in front of her, “Ruì Palace?” She creased her brow puzzled.

Xíng Yún nodded his head. “The emperor has seven sons, and although the crown prince is the first-born from the empress, he is not the oldest prince. That title belongs to Prince Ruì, whose mother is the current favored imperial concubine. The strength of his family is strong with many ties within the government and the imperial palace. Currently, he’s the only one with the potential to stand against the crown prince.

“You are surprisingly well-versed in the politics of the royal family.”

“I didn’t know anything before last night, but if I want to clear out a certain scumbag then I have to gather my information properly.” Xíng Yún stopped talking when he heard the sound of whips approaching. Soon a carriage appeared under heavy escort. Xíng Yún slowly approached and in a clear voice said, “Foreteller Xíng Yún seeks an audience with Prince Ruì!”

After a moment of silence a voice spoke out in a derogatory sneer, “Fortuneteller? You are bold to dare approach. The people consider tricksters that swindle and cheat others to be despicable. This king feels no different.”

“In that case Your Highness can think of me as a tactician instead. I know of a plan that would be beneficial to Your Highness. Would Your Highness be interested?”

“Why should this lord trust you?”

“Last night the crown prince came to me in search of a plan . . .” Xíng Yún trailed off purposefully. Then he laughed and said, “If Your Highness wishes to know more, may we speak privately inside?”

The curtain was pulled aside and a man in purple stepped out. He had a trim figure but his face had a terrible scar that ran from the top of his forehead to the corner of his mouth. Shěn Lí thought that the emperor must have done something grievous to elicit such a retribution from Heaven upon his son.

Prince Ruì gave Xíng Yún and Shěn Lí a once over before speaking in a husky voice. “Bring them to the inner courtyard.”

The palace was extremely large with many richly decorated pavilions and courtyards. There were numerous statues, acres of beautifully planted flowers and shimmering clear lakes throughout. Everywhere she looked screamed “Big! Beautiful! Rich!” It was nice and all, but Shěn Lí felt the display was deliberately ostentatious in order to cover up the atmosphere of death and repression that permeated throughout.

Back in the Demon realm, she lived at the base of the ruin. The air was filled with thick miasma that blocked the sunlight and created a dark sky all year round. Naturally, such greenery didn’t exist as plants weren’t able to take root in such inhospitable land. It wasn’t as beautiful as the palace but there was a sense of freedom that existed in the air. Even Xíng Yún’s courtyard, although tiny in comparison, was much lovelier than this palace.

The two were led to a center pavilion to wait for Prince Ruì. He appeared not long after in a different outfit. After the ceremonial greetings, Prince Ruì and Xíng Yún began to talk about court affairs. Shěn Lí decided to escape since their talk was boring and she needed to relieve herself. With her abilities, she easily evade the palace guards and eventually came upon a pond with a beautiful lotus flower floating in the center. It was so eye catching she decided to pluck it for herself. A voice rang out from behind just as she was reaching over.