Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 356 She is a Sacred Being

Chapter 356: Chapter 356 She is a Sacred Being

Murong Jiu had always detested the Fifth Princess.

In her dreams, she had sincerely treated the Fifth Princess well for the sake of the Second Prince, but not only did the latter look down on her, but she even intensified the humiliation.

The Fifth Princess had always been partial to her elder brother, Fu Heng, but nothing mattered more to her than her own interests. She had merely watched as the Fu Family was decimated, her so-called affection was no more than that.

Murong Jiu was caught off guard when the Fifth Princess shifted her fixation to Lou Zixi.

But then she thought that recently, her elder brother had been severely injured and had fallen into a mountain torrent. Certainly, the Fifth Princess must have thought him dead, thus she firmly moved on to pester Lou Zixi.

Back in the dreams, the Fifth Princess looked down on Lou Zixi.

Lou Zixi then had a limp, held no titles, and was merely an aide under the Second Prince. Moreover, he was always of a gloomy demeanor and distinctly gaunt—quite different from the Lou Zixi standing before her now, as if they were two different people.

The current Lou Zixi was a rising star in the Capital City, greatly favored by the Emperor, and acclaimed as the newest Top Scholar. His poetry and stratagems were unmatched, turning him into the dream lover of numerous young ladies in the Capital City.

Illuminated by his dignified appearance and refined elegance, it was no wonder the Fifth Princess was drawn to him.

Murong Jiu, frowning, said, "The Fifth Princess conducts herself improperly; indeed, we must be on guard. Even if the engagement is settled, we must be wary of her meddling."

It wasn’t alarmist to say so. The Fifth Princess and the Second Prince truly shared the same bloodline; both were unyielding until their goals were met. However, the Fifth Princess was significantly more foolish and arrogant than the Second Prince.

Manager Chai nodded in agreement, "After all, the Fifth Princess is a royal, if she really pressures Zixi under the guise of innocence, the Emperor will surely side with her."

Lou Zixi said, "I won’t give her such an opportunity. Since I have decided to get engaged to Miss Sikong, I won’t let others take advantage."

"That’s very good,"

said Murong Jiu.

She felt Lou Zixi was responsible. She had initially worried that Lou Zixi was using Miss Sikong as a shield by getting engaged to her. Hearing this statement, she knew that regardless of the reason he married Miss Sikong, he would surely not let her down after their marriage.

She didn’t feel it was appropriate to nitpick over someone else’s marriage, but mentioned she would invite Miss Sikong to the mansion to enjoy flowers and tea when possible.

Lou Zixi bowed his head, emotions swirling in his eyes.

Murong Jiu offered her congratulations again, and then they turned to more pressing matters.

"Those people you asked me to check last time indeed had issues, yet they haven’t touched anything important. As you said, we pretended to be unaware, and we’ve rechecked the accounts they submitted. So far, no problems have been found,"

said Manager Chai.

"They dare not stir the grass and startle the snake, but will wait for an opportunity to act. Keep a close watch on them for now—they still have other uses. I called you all here today for another matter, also concerning the Fourth Prince."

As is well known, both the Salt Gang and Canal Gang have been repeatedly prohibited by the Imperial Court yet have enriched many. The Fourth Prince had long been colluding secretly with them, quickly becoming one of his most lucrative income sources.

Nevertheless, the growth of maritime transport greatly affected the Canal Gang. The Canal Gang had the Grand Canal as their main stage, but with many coastal wharfs now established, large ships could travel directly from Tianjin Guard to places like Fujian, much faster than navigating the Grand Canal.

Thus, the Canal Gang saw reduced profits.

Still, smuggling salt remained exceedingly profitable. The Fourth Prince had a trading guild under him, secretly dealing in salt smuggling, but outwardly just a tea trader between the north and south.

Of course, the Fourth Prince had many other clandestine businesses, but from the timeline, only his illegal salt trade emerged after Murong Jiu "died."

That is to say, for his other businesses, the Fourth Prince must have been well-prepared, but regarding the illegal salt, he must have been highly confident.

Moreover, since the illicit salt trade brought in money very quickly, he wouldn’t cut off such a lucrative revenue source just to be cautious.

Whether it was recruiting soldiers, nurturing a private army, or attracting talents, silver was needed, and nothing could be done without it.

What Murong Jiu intended to do this time was to directly cut off the Fourth Prince’s illegal salt trade, strike directly at the heart of the matter, expose his ownership of illegal salt wells, and then seize the opportunity to take the Fourth Prince’s profits.

This was not a small matter; she needed to discuss with Manager Chai and others to devise a complete plan.

"Princess Consort is saying that the private salt wells owned by the Fourth Prince are outside Luzhou City, just a day’s journey from the Capital City. I believe we still need to personally investigate to better formulate the plan,"

Lou Zixi stated.

Murong Jiu nodded, "That’s exactly what I’m thinking. I plan to send Chang Chonghai there; his martial arts skills are formidable, and he can investigate thoroughly."

After all, a dream is a dream. She had been "reborn" for more than a year, and changes could have occurred. A thorough investigation was essential.

"Guard Chang is tall and rather conspicuous," Manager Chai pointed out.

"That’s not a concern. Senior Brother Miao has already created a human skin mask as thin as cicada’s wings. I’ve seen it, and it’s extremely realistic."

Manager Chai and Lou Zixi were both surprised; they had not expected that a human skin mask could be made.

To tell the truth, Murong Jiu was equally shocked at the time.

Her master had experimented for years before succeeding in making a faux human skin, but crafting facial features was particularly challenging. Who would have imagined that Miao Wuxie possessed this specific talent?

He had been working on making human skin masks a long time ago. Later, when Zhuo Yinzhu was disfigured, he shut himself in his room claiming to be researching a treatment for her burns. In reality, the expensive medicinal materials provided by the Second Prince were all used in crafting the human skin mask.

Soon after his return to the Capital, he had successfully created a human skin mask that fit snugly to the face, which he first discreetly delivered to the Prince Mansion.

At that time, he, his master, and the Prince saw it and were all amazed.

Since the mask was slightly oversized, they tried it on several people, and it happened to fit Chang Chonghai’s face perfectly, altering his features so much that he seemed like a different person. Those unfamiliar with his body movements would definitely not recognize him.

"That’s excellent. We can start drafting plans here, and after Guard Chang gathers detailed information, we can finalize them more accurately."

Murong Jiu first shared her plan, while Manager Chai and Lou Zixi refined it at her side. Neither asked how she came to know these intricate details; they never asked more than was necessary.

Having tentatively agreed on the plan and confirmed that there were no loopholes, the two men began to prepare what could be prepared in advance, and only after dining did they leave the Prince Mansion.

Just after leaving the Prince Mansion, Manager Chai patted Lou Zixi on the shoulder and said:

"Deciding to marry Miss Sikong was a decision you made after deep reflection. Those unworthy thoughts should have been severed long ago."

Lou Zixi looked up at him, his expression calm, "Brother, I have never harbored inappropriate thoughts towards her. She is a sacred presence in my heart, like a Goddess above the nine heavens, whom I look up