The Empress’ Livestream
chapter-368

Chapter 368: Happenings in Shangjing (25)

Xu Ke frowned anxiously. If it was like what Jiang Pengji had said––when could they leave Shangjing City?

Could it be that they had to wait for the demise of the Emperor, and for the princes to fight it out with Prince Changshou? The world would probably have already fallen apart by then.

Jiang Pengji seemed to have sensed the worries in Xu Ke’s mind. She sneered. “It won’t take that long. We’ll just wait for an opportunity.”

Not to mention anything else, as long as Huijun could get close to the Emperor smoothly and drive him crazy, it would not be difficult for them to leave Shangjing City.

“But…” A hidden worry emerged in Xu Ke’s mind. He felt that things were not that simple.

Jiang Pengji replied, “Do you think… the princes and the ambitious Prince Changshou have the patience to wait for the demise of the Emperor?”

Upon hearing that, Xu Ke felt like his body was electrocuted by lightning. Something seemed to have burst in his brain.

“Do you mean that… they’ll force the Emperor to abdicate the throne?”

“I can’t tell… However, throughout the short history of the Dongqing royal family, the killing of one’s own father and siblings has happened before,” Jiang Pengji responded sarcastically. Apart from the founding Emperor, several other Emperors of Dongqing were of dubious backgrounds. Everyone knew about the scandal. The current Emperor seemed to want to repeat the ancestors’ doom. It was as if he wanted to be envied by his own brother and sons.

The game would depend on who could not wait to start. The outstanding one would usually bear the brunt of the attack. Whoever stood out first would be attacked.

Compared to Xu Ke, who could hardly retain his composure, Jiang Pengji looked as though she were sitting leisurely on a fishing dock.

She suddenly thought of something and revealed a peculiar and cold smile. “All good things come to those who wait. So what if we’re put under house arrest in Shangjing? The Emperor doesn’t dare launch an attack towards the aristocrats yet. It’s impossible for us to be trapped here forever. We just need an opportunity to leave Shangjing City safe and sound. Before that, just think of it as though you’re on a vacation in Shangjing. Don’t worry… Even if the sky falls, I’ll be here.”

Xu Ke laughed bitterly and his heart was calm. “Since you’re patient, I’ll definitely accompany you until the end.”

As soon as he finished speaking, it grew silent in the carriage. Jiang Pengji clasped her hands together, and her eyes were drooping. Not the slightest emotion could be seen on her indifferent face.

As the carriage went further, she suddenly asked, “Xiaoyu, under what circumstances will the Emperor summon Prince Changshou, who has been living in seclusion, to Shangjing?”

Startled, Xu Ke thought about the question and replied firmly, “This is impossible.”

“Why?” Jiang Pengji asked.

Xu Ke replied, “Everyone in the palace knows that Prince Changshou has engaged in factional activities in pursuit of personal gain. Even if the Emperor is obsessed with beauties every day and neglects the affairs of the state, he treasures his life. Why would he summon an ambitious wolf to Shangjing? If he does, isn’t he bringing disaster upon himself?”

“Yeah. I think so too.” Jiang Pengji nodded in agreement. She did not see any merit in the Emperor; he had countless flaws of all kinds.

Although the current Emperor was fatuous, it was impossible for him to be a complete idiot when he, as Prince Gongshun of Hejian, was able to kill the late Emperor and ascend the throne.

If his brain was normal, why would he summon Prince Changshou to Shangjing during such a jittery time?

Xu Ke asked, “Why did you suddenly ask about this?”

“I suddenly remembered something my friend said before I left,” Jiang Pengji replied indifferently.

As she finished speaking, a tall and straight figure, who resembled a stalk of bamboo, popped up in her mind. Wei Ci was not someone who shot without taking aim. There had to have been a reason that he asked her to prevent Prince Changshou from leading his troops into Shangjing upon being summoned.

Xu Ke repeatedly thought about it and frowned. “If the presumption is valid, there may be three possibilities. One of them is that the candidate whom the Emperor favors isn’t any of his sons, but Prince Changshou, who’s the youngest son of the late Emperor. However, thinking about what has happened over the past few years, this is almost impossible. Secondly, the Emperor is forced to summon Prince Changshou when a misfortune happens in Shangjing––that is, if the 100,000 imperial guards are useless…”

However, the probability of those two possibilities occurring was too low. The options were almost no longer considered.

“What about the third one?”

Xu Ke answered, “Delivering a false imperial edict.”

Jiang Pengji’s heart jolted. “Delivering a false imperial edict is indeed a way.”

Shangjing was currently a huge trap. Jiang Pengji had a thorough grasp of the situation, and keenly noticed that there were many informers in the area that the high officials and nobles lived in. The informers were disguised as manservants, servant girls of the residences, or vendors from all walks of life. They were staking out the area 24 hours a day.

They were about to arrive at the residence. Jiang Pengji made a signal with her eyes to stop Xu Ke from speaking. Stepping on the bench, they got out of the carriage one after another and returned to the residence unperturbed.

At that moment, the audience in the streaming room sensed that something was odd. They eagerly asked about it.

Doraemon: “Are you guys not able to leave Shangjing for the time being?”

Laosiji Lianmeng: “The streamer seems to have been put under house arrest. The Emperor of Dongqing will continue to do stupid things as long as he’s alive.”

Toudu Feiqiu: “Hey, I’m going to bet 50 cents that, according to the streamer’s narrow-mindedness, she’ll definitely find a way to retaliate.”

Most of the audience members were just ordinary onlookers. It was not a problem for them to look on, but they had a slow reaction time when things that required a lot of thinking were involved.

The audience in the streaming room seemed to trust Jiang Pengji blindly. They had been watching the streaming for years, yet they had never seen anyone who could truly make Jiang Pengji acknowledge her defeat. Even if there was someone, it was of a joking and amusing nature. The streamer was broad-minded and did not take it to heart.

Of course, there were many people who objected.

Zuiai Latiaole: “You’re talking crap. Are you all obsessed? The streamer has no achievements or fame. Even if she has a proud father, distant water won’t put out a fire that is close at hand. The Emperor of the feudal dynasty wants to do something to her. Can she go up to the sky?”

Shenshou Yangtuo: “Hmm, I love this streaming the most. I always see fools flattering a normal streamer.”

Laosiji Lianmeng: “Haha. I see that there are indeed a lot of mentally retarded people in this streaming room. Who still remembers the streamer’s skills? Not to mention flying over the eaves and running up the walls… At least she can leave Shangjing safe and sound. This isn’t a question of whether to leave or not, but moreso of when to leave.”

Jiang Pengji ignored all the bullet screens, no matter if they were encouraging or slandering.

One’s abilities were fake when they were just described verbally. They would only be real when they were shown.

Although she was “put under house arrest,” apart from the fact that she could not leave the city, there was no restriction on personal freedom. In fact, she lived quite a happy life.

After more than half a month, Jiang Pengji and Huang Song, who was Shangjing’s patrol, had “coincidentally” run into each other a few times. As time passed, they considered each other as friends. Huang Song took the wild kid, Feng Jue, with him. The three of them often got together to drink tea and watch shows… The venue where they drank tea and watched shows was, of course, unsuitable for children.

Feng Jin, who found out about it, was speechless.

They leisurely leaned against the tables in the venue. A row of musicians were playing music and singing in the corner. The soft songs were so sweet that they penetrated deep into one’s heart.

Jiang Pengji peeled some peanuts and stuffed them into her mouth one by one. The peanuts were said to have come from the land of barbarians in northern Zhongzhao. The peanuts were quite crispy when they were fried.