As Jin Shu settled into ay chair, Sun Ming's gaze shifted, nding on Li Xue, who had been partially obscured behind him. A glint of curiosity lit the Prince's eyes as his lips curled into a polite smile. “And who is this lovely young dy? Your panion, Little Brother Shu?” Sun Ming's tone was warm, but Jin Shu noticed the subtle shift in how he addressed him.

  Jin Shu's eyes narrowed as he caught a faint, lustful gleam in his elder cousin's gaze. The sight grated on him, and he immediately regretted bringing Li Xue along. He decided to dispel any dangerous assumptions before they could take root. “Yes, she's ing back to Bck Mountain City with me.” His tone was firm.

  Jin Shu was acutely aware of the political tensions surrounding Li Xue’s adopted father, a known adversary of Sun Ming’s fa. If Sun Ming learned her identity, Jin Shu had no doubt his cousin would try something underhanded, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

  “What? I-I am?” Li Xue gasped, her wide eyes log onto him, her cheeks blooming with color.

  “Yes. Now sit down,” Jin Shu said, cutting off any protests.

  Li Xue obeyed, her expressihtening as she slid into the seat beside him. Her chair scraped slightly as she scooted closer, looping her arms around his. Jin Shu felt his temple throb, but he said nothing, unwilling to create a se.

  Yin’er, however, had no such reservations. She puffed up and hissed sharply. “Don’t touch! Daddy is mine.”

  Sun Ming chuckled, his smile widening as he watched the exge. “You have such fasating panions, Little Brother Shu.”

  Jin Shu sighed, grabbing a cup of tea and downing it in one swift motion. “I’d prefer them a little less fasating.” He set the cup down and fixed his gaze on Sun Ming. “What did you call me here for, Elder Brother Ming?” he asked, his tone direct.

  Sun Ming’s polite mask faltered slightly at Jin Shu’s bluntness. “Straight to the point, as always,” he murmured. “Very well. I’ll get to it—I want your endorsement for the throne.”

  Jin Shu raised a brow. “Aren’t you first in line? What difference would my endorsement make?”

  “The third and fifth princes have been making their moves, closing the gap. Your endorsement, however, would carry signifit weight—especially with your mother’s influence. My father pces great value on her opinion.”

  Jin Shu leaned back, thoughtful. His mind wao the third and fifth prihe third, two years his senior, was a despicable little tyrant who’d once beaten a servant to death at the age of seven simply because he found it amusing. At five years old, Jin Shu had retaliated by giving him a beating of his own. Rather than punish Jin Shu, the Emperor had forced his third son to apologize, ting the younger prince's hatred—and fear—of him.

  As for the fifth prince, Jin Shu’s memories were hazier. They had gotten along well enough as children, but something about him tugged at the edge of his thoughts. A faint, inexplicable shiver ran down Jin Shu’s spine as if he were fetting something important.

  “Hmm… let’s leave the endorsement talk for aime. I have urgent business with Uncle, so if you’ll excuse us, we o leave.” Jin Shu’s tone was final. He had no iion of gettiangled in their political games.

  Without waiting for a response, Jin Shu stood and turned on his heel, leaving the private room with deliberate strides. Sun Ming’s brow twitched as he watched his cousi. “Er Lu!” he barked moments after the door shut.

  From the shadows of a nearby pilr, a eunuch emerged, bowing low. Jin Shu would have reized him as the same one from the previous night. “Your orders, Yhness?”

  “Follow him. Find out why he’s meeting my father—and iigate the woman with him,” Sun Ming ordered coldly, his voice like steel. The teacup in his hand shattered into powder under his tightening grip.

  “Yes, Yhness.” Er Lu bowed once more before disappearing through the door.

  ***

  Outside the restaurant, Li Xue was still ging to Jin Shu’s arm.

  “Let go,” he said, shaking her off with a sigh.

  Li Xue pouted, her eyes sparkling with feigned innoce. “But… aren’t we lovers now?”

  “No,” Jin Shu replied sharply. “I only said that to throw off Sun Ming’s schemes. Now that he’s seen you, he’ll undoubtedly iigate your background. Once he learns you’re ected to Shen Gong, he’ll target you to get back at him.” His tone was serious, his sharp gaze log onto hers to emphasize his point.

  Li Xue tilted her head in fusion. “Why would the prine after me?”

  Jin Shu exhaled, a mix of irritation and disbelief fshing across his face. “Are you really that naive? Didn’t you notice the way he was looking at you? His lustful gaze was impossible to miss.”

  Li Xue blushed deeply, her eyes darting downward as she fidgeted with the jewels on her dress. “No… I wasn’t looking at him. I was only looking at you,” she admitted softly.

  Jin Shu rubbed his temple with a wry shake of his head. “Regardless, you’ll e back to Bck Mountain City with me when I leave. Sun Ming won’t dare make a move against you there—not unless he wants to risk angering me. And for now, he still needs me.”

  Li Xue hesitated, her voice dropping as she asked, “So… you don’t like me?”

  Jin Shu groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Ugh, just follow me home, all right?”

  She blinked up at him, her eyes gssy with uears. “Okay…” she whispered, noddiantly.

  “Anyway, head home a ready to leave,” Jin Shu said, waving Li Xue off dismissively.

  “Won’t the priry something while you’re not with me?” she asked, her voice trembling at the thought.

  “He won’t—for now,” Jin Shu replied. “His priority is me. But once I’m gone, he’ll likely turn his attention to you.”

  Li Xue’s face paled. “Won’t he worry about offending my adopted father?”

  Jin Shu shook his head. “He’s the Prince, and Shen Gong is a disgraced ex-general. Do you really think he’d have any qualms about targeting you?”

  Her shoulders trembled, but she remained silent.

  “Don’t worry, nothing will happen before we leave. Just go a ready.” His tone softened slightly.

  Li Xue nodded and hurried off, her uill evident.

  ***

  Jin Shu soon arrived at the royal pace, its grand gates t imposingly before him. He approached the guards and fshed his seal. This time, they stepped aside without question, granting him passage.

  Oher side of the gates, a eunuch stood waiting for him. “Greetings, Golden Prince. Let me escort you to the waiting room.”

  “Hm? Does Uncle already know I’m here?”

  “The Emperor was informed of your arrival early this m, Yhness. However, pressing matters required his attention. Otherwise, he would have summoned you directly.”

  “Hm, very well. Lead the way,” Jin Shu said, gesturing forward.

  “Certainly, Yhness.” The eunuch promptly turned and led him through the pace’s grand halls.

  As they passed, servants bowed low before Jin Shu. He suspected this was an order rather than reition—few of them would know him on sight, if any at all.

  Soon, he was seated in a luxurious waiting room adorned with carvings of phoenixes and dragons fashioned from gold and jadeite, a testament to the imperial family’s wealth and authority.

  Yin’er perched oable, happily nibbling at the pastries prepared for Jin Shu. The nearby servants exged uneasy gnces, clearly uled by the animal’s presen pace furniture. However, they dared not speak up; this was the Golden Prince’s pet, and Jin Shu held more favor with the Emperor than most of his own sons.

  Time ticked by, each miretg into an hour before the grand doors finally creaked open. Emperor Sun Quaered, his regal presence filling the room, fnked by a retinue of servants.

  “Nephew! It is good to see you well!” the Emperor excimed warmly as he strode toward Jin Shu.

  Rising to greet him, Jin Shu noticed a familiar figure among the servants—the eunuch from the previous night. He instantly knew who had sent the man but dismissed the thought. Sun Ming’s political schemes were of little to him.

  “Greetings, Imperial Uncle,” Jin Shu replied politely.

  “Oh, posh! Dispeh the formalities. You know you’re exempt from them, my dear nephew,” the Emperor said, waving his hand dismissively before taking a seat opposite Jin Shu.

  “Now, tell me—what brings you here, Nephew?”

  Jin Shu sat back dowing the Emperaze. “A friend of mine has fallen into a a. I he help of a Divine Physi to wake her. I hoped you might assist me in finding one.”

  The Emperor’s brows rose, a smile tugging at his lips. “Well, aren’t you in luck? We’ve retly enlisted a Divine Physi as the pace’s head physi. While they’re still an apprehey should be more than capable of assisting your friend—provided their cultivation level is below the Core Realm.”

  “That’s perfect, Uhank you,” Jin Shu said, bowing his head slightly in gratitude.

  The Emperor leaned ba his chair, his expression softening into one of familial . “Nephew, while I am more than happy to assist you, I must ask—how is your mother, my dear sister? It has been too long since I’ve seen her.”

  Jin Shu’s fiightened slightly around the teacup in his hand. His mother’s absence weighed heavily on him, but he couldn’t risk telling the Emperor the truth. If he did, his uncle would mobilize the imperial army in a heartbeat, causing chaos and drawing unnecessary attention to her disappearance.

  “She is well,” Jin Shu said carefully, keeping his toral. “She has been dedig herself to cultivation within the Immortal Phoenix Sect. You know how devoted she is to her path.”

  The Emperhed, but a skeptical look flickered across his face. “Ah, that doesn’t quite sound like her. She was never oo sit still for too long.”

  Jin Shu hesitated, then cast a deliberate g the servants surrounding them.

  The Emperor noticed his subtle gnces and waved the servants away, leaving only an a-looking eunuch by his side. His tone hardened as he leaned forward. “Tell me the truth.”

  “It’s nothing serious,” Jin Shu said after a pause, l his voice. “She’s just upset about the sect master position being taken from her. She’s throwing herself into cultivation to surpass her Senior Sister.”

  While it artly true, Jin Shu knew his mother cared deeply for her Senior Sister. The rivalry others saw was little more than a ve fa?ade. Still, it was a believable expnation, ohe Emperor wouldn’t question too deeply.

  The Emperor studied him ily, then exhaled, his suspi easing. “Still, she could spare some time to visit her old brother. Tell her I’d like to see her the ime you speak.”

  “I will let her know,” Jin Shu promised, guilt tightening in his chest.

  The Emperaze lingered for a moment longer before he nodded. “Very well, Nephew. I’ll summon the Divine Physi for you shortly. Be sure to vey my regards to your mother when you return to Bck Mountain City.”

  “Of course, Uncle.” Jin Shu rose to his feet, bowing slightly. “Thank you for your help.”

  As he left the waiting room, Jin Shu’s thoughts grew heavy. Mother, where are you? He tightened his grip on the earring hidden in his pocket. If the Emperor ever discovered the truth, the chaos that would follow could shake the empire. For now, he would hahis burden alone—no matter the cost.