Chapter 128 (1/2)
Chapter 128: Reaping the Benefits
The man didn't immediately respond. With a chuckle, he said, ”Those are not spells. Just magic tricks. If you're interested, I can teach you two some basic ones.”
Jun Huang and Qi Yun were of course interested. They nodded earnestly.
The magic tricks were easier to do than they had expected. Soon, they were able to do them themselves. They set out for the palace with a content heart.
On their way back they had a run-in with some bandits. They were rescued by the guards who left the palace to search for them. Afterwards Jun Huang was grounded for a month, but that wasn't the important part of the story.
Jun Huang thought about what she should do to help Ji Bo prove himself. Ji Bo was highly respected and even revered. Many were convinced that he was G.o.d reincarnated. She decided to teach Ji Bo how to do those magic tricks.
After some preparation, Ji Bo took the pigeon a servant had brought him and, with a wave of his hand, the pigeon disappeared. Then he swung his broad sleeve like a whip and out came a flower with petals of five colors. The flower exploded into a handful of colorful petals and fell from the sky. It was shocking enough to make one question reality and beautiful enough to captivate one's heart.
Another wave of his hand, and hundreds of doves flew out from his sleeves. They took off to the sky and arranged themselves into the third prince's name.
The third prince stared up in awe. He didn't know that these doves were kept and trained by Jun Huang. He was gullible enough to believe that Ji Bo was a celestial being descended from the heaven, and that Ji Bo was able to manipulate reality at will.
Ji Bo let out a quiet laugh. He didn't say anything, but his silence spoke volumes.
”The gentleman is indeed the reincarnation of a G.o.d,” the third prince said respectfully. ”I was wrong to have doubted you. I hope the gentleman can forgive me.”
Ji Bo waved his hand dismissively. ”There's no need for the prince to be this formal with me.”
The third prince shot one of his servants a look. The servant quickly picked up the blood jade and presented it to Ji Bo with both hands. Ji Bo glanced at it and said, ”Consider this jade my gift to Your Highness.”
”Thank you.” The third prince took the blood jade and turned to his servants. ”Go prepare the finest room for Mister Ji Bo. He is going to be the most honored guest in our manor from now on.”
The servants nodded and left. Some was not yet recovered from the awe-inducing performance they had witnessed.
The third prince invited Ji Bo to take the main seat with a servile smile and started talking about the recent development in the world. The change in his att.i.tude was striking.
At the same time, Jun Huang was talking to Qi Yun about the situation in the imperial court. Without ceremony, Jun Huang said, ”We should lay low.”
”Why?” Qi Yun asked with a frown.
”Qi Chen possess more power than us for the time being. That's not something we can change immediately. If we are too hasty, we risk exposing ourselves. If Qi Chen knows we are the ones who have been working against him, we will be at a great disadvantage.”
Jun Huang looked up at him. ”We can't fight him headon. Otherwise we risk losing everything. If we stay in the dark, we can at least protect ourselves. Besides, Qi Chen is the crown prince a.s.signed by the emperor. We can't possibly go against the emperor's will openly, no matter the reasons.”
Qi Yun opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He looked at Jun Huang's gentle and beautiful face, then at the falling leaves behind her. For a moment, he couldn't say anything.
Jun Huang sighed. ”We back off now to conserve our strength,” she said quietly. ”I'm not telling you to give up on the throne. Qi Chen has his feet firmly in the court. Our efforts will only be able to destabilize his position a little. He now has many supporters, even more so than the emperor. Our top priority – and our best option – is to seek help from courtiers who are against Qi Chen.”
Qi Yun calmed down once he heard Jun Huang's a.n.a.lysis. He met her eyes and asked, ”What is your plan?”
”Qi Chen's most powerful enemy is the banished empress. The death of her son would not be so easily forgotten. She can serve as a proxy for us to connect with potential allies. There are officials who have been oppressed by Qi Chen. There are also officials who disagree with how Qi Chen do things. They are the ones we can use.” Jun Huang's tone was so casual, it was as if she was talking about the taste of tea with Qi Yun, instead of talking about changing the political landscape of the country.
Qi Yun frowned. ”Then…”
Jun Huang gave him a smile. ”We back off. Stay in the shadow. Let the third prince have his fight with Qi Chen. Naturally, Qi Chen will a.s.sume that it is the third prince who has been undermining him. Once they end up crippling each other in their feud, we will be the fisherman reaping the benefits.”
Qi Yun nodded after some thinking. He then asked about Ji Bo. He frowned worriedly when he heard that Ji Bo now served the third prince.
His worries weren't enough to sway Jun Huang. She leveled him with a calm gaze and said, ”Ji Bo plays an important role in this plan. I hope Your Highness isn't going to doubt our own people.”