Chapter 108: Kingdom of Great Light — Was She the Greatest Schemer?
Shen Yanzhou, with Ran Yi's assistance, dressed neatly in the Chilin Guard's Thousand-Household uniform, feeling refreshed and spirited. Even his collar was arranged flawlessly under her meticulous care.
The buns and white steamed bread on the stone table outside were still hot.
He picked one up casually and made his way toward the Thousand-Household Office, ready to take over the shift.
How should he explain this morning's incident to Wu Ruyue later?
On the way, Shen Yanzhou kept pondering this question.
It was all Ran Yi’s fault for being so teasing and unrelenting, insisting on stirring up some chaos.
"Seems like my plan for the black-silk secretary uniform will have to be put on hold for a while." Shen Yanzhou shook his head with a trace of regret.
He had been quite tempted by the idea, even fantasizing about persuading Wu Ruyue someday to wear that misty, sheer black silk ensemble from Chunshui Pavilion.
That way, reviewing cases every day would not feel so dull.
...
At the same time, inside the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion.
In a quiet room.
Shen Tian sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, silver needles inserted all over his forehead, his face pale and tightly shut.
In the incense burner beside him, flood dragon bone charcoal burned softly. Threads of dark-golden smoke coiled upward, twisting into dragon-like shapes that swirled through the air. If one listened carefully, faint dragon chants seemed to echo within the mist.
These fumes were continuously absorbed into Shen Tian’s body, and his complexion appeared to improve slightly.
It was a precious material capable of refining the soul, exorbitantly priced, and typically only used by the descendants of powerful aristocratic families.
Even among the disciples of major immortal sects, few outside the core bloodlines could afford it.
Of course, for the Demon Suppression King, Shen Jingxiao, such spiritual materials could be acquired with mere words.
“Tian’er’s condition has indeed improved considerably.” Shen Jingxiao stood beside him, observing his son’s state and nodding faintly.
An old man, shrouded entirely in a black robe with a hood concealing his head, hunched at his side, laughing hoarsely.
“Heh heh, all thanks to the Cui Clan’s Seeking Life Technique. Truly a secret art from the ancient ruins—even if one’s divine soul is scattered and broken, dissipated into heaven and earth, it can still be traced and retrieved. However, Young Lord Shen Tian’s greatest problem remains the incompleteness of his soul—a large portion is still missing.”
“Still, compared to when he first returned to the imperial capital, this is much better.”
“The fact that part of his soul has not dissipated is indeed good news.”
Shen Jingxiao nodded slightly at the words. He could naturally discern Shen Tian’s current condition himself.
“This old servant shall take his leave.”
The black-robed elder bowed deeply, pushed the door open, and quietly withdrew.
Not long after, a voice came from outside the room. Shen Jingxiao’s calm gaze swept over and he spoke indifferently, “Come in.”
Ran Yi entered respectfully, her expression submissive.
Shen Jingxiao fixed his eyes on her, as though confirming something. Then the corners of his lips slowly curved into a faint smile—a smile that held relief, but more so mockery and scorn.
“Heh, womanly compassion.”
“I truly thought that unfilial son of mine had some backbone. Turns out he still fell under your skirt in the end. Seems the years I spent cultivating you were not wasted.” Shen Jingxiao’s tone eased into casual satisfaction.
Ran Yi’s primordial yin had already been lost, meaning Shen Yanzhou had surrendered completely.
“My lord, there must only be some misunderstanding or resentment between you and the Heir. I believe it’s not irreconcilable.”
“Perhaps the two of you could talk things out.”
Ran Yi bowed her head as she spoke.
Shen Jingxiao’s expression remained unchanged. “Are you lecturing me?”
“This subordinate wouldn’t dare.” Ran Yi quickly shook her head.
“Good. You’ve done well, Ran Yi. This is a great achievement indeed. From now on, stay by that unfilial son’s side. Since he likes you so much—so much that he’s even willing to compromise for you—then use every means to tie him to you, make him unable to leave you.”
Shen Jingxiao’s face softened slightly, his tone returning to its usual calm.
These days, Shen Yanzhou had posed a growing threat to him—especially after learning that Shen Yanzhou had created a Dao technique capable of influencing the heavens themselves. That had greatly unsettled him.
At first, Shen Jingxiao had little confidence in the plan to use Ran Yi’s beauty trap to ensnare Shen Yanzhou.
In his mind, anyone who could reach Shen Yanzhou’s level must be clever and self-disciplined enough to restrain himself.
Shen Yanzhou surely knew that Ran Yi was dangerous—that she carried a pitfall on her body.
Yet he still chose to accept her.
That was foolishness, arrogance—and a weakling’s mercy.
“Since Zhou’er took up the post of Chilin Guard Thousand-Household, our mansion hasn’t held a proper celebration for him.”
“He should have time to return home today.”
“Come, spread my orders—have the Jingshui Pavilion cleaned and invite the city’s officials to a banquet to celebrate Zhou’er’s promotion.”
“And also to celebrate Tian’er’s recovery—that our Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion welcomes back its qilin son.”
Shen Jingxiao smiled faintly. The feeling of everything being back under his control returned once more.
Since Shen Yanzhou was again within his grasp, he did not mind bestowing a little favor.
A chess piece in hand, after all, still had its use.
Soon, the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion bustled with activity. Servants and maids busied themselves cleaning pavilions and courtyards.
From the kitchens, people rushed out for supplies. Meat, vegetables, and fruits were delivered in large quantities, all prepared for a grand feast.
In Emerald Bamboo Courtyard, Princess Consort Yu Chenyu looked slightly surprised.
She wore a light shawl, her dark hair coiled high to reveal a slender, snow-pale neck. Lounging lazily in the sun, several maids shaded her with green banana-leaf parasols.
“The sun must be rising from the west today—His Lordship actually agreed to host a celebration for the Heir?” Chunchao was astonished.
“When something strange happens, there’s always a hidden cause. Perhaps something occurred that even I don’t know about.”
“That father and son are like fire and water—no chance they’d act so harmonious. If Shen Jingxiao dares to hold a feast, it means he knows Shen Yanzhou will return tonight,” Yu Chenyu said lightly.
Chunchao muttered, “Could it be the Heir has someone else outside? He hasn’t come back for days, nor come to pay respects to Your Ladyship.”
Yu Chenyu shot her a glance, her voice calm as ever. “Whether he returns or not, whether he pays respects or not, that’s his business.”
“But Your Ladyship has seemed angry these days—surely with the Heir…” Chunchao began.
Before she could finish, Yu Chenyu had already drawn a wooden sword from beside her and tapped it against Chunchao’s head.
...
At the Thousand-Household Office, inside the attic.
“Where’s Miss Wu? Haven’t seen her today.”
Shen Yanzhou sat behind his desk, his hands resting lightly as he leaned back in the chair, relaxed and casual. The chair was made of sandalwood, with soft leather padding on the armrests that made it comfortable to touch.
He accepted a cup of warm tea from Li Yunpeng and asked offhandedly. Coming this early, he hadn’t seen Wu Ruyue anywhere.
He thought she should have arrived at the office long ago.
Could it be that after running into him this morning, she was too embarrassed to face him?
“My lord, Miss Wu took on a case and left in a hurry. She said it might be connected to that major case.” Li Yunpeng explained quickly.
“What case?”
Shen Yanzhou asked casually.
Li Yunpeng lowered his voice. “Seems to be related to remnants of the Kingdom of Great Light. The dossier is right here, my lord may review it personally.”
Shen Yanzhou was slightly stunned. Having arrived early, he hadn’t yet reviewed the submitted case files, only now noticing the thick stack before him—even larger than yesterday’s.
His head began to ache.
So much for a few days of leisure.
Li Yunpeng, thinking his superior unaware, whispered further, “The Kingdom of Great Light was a small state neighboring our Great Qian Dynasty, with a population under thirty million, destroyed thirteen years ago.”
“Its ruler at the time sought to forge an eternal national treasure and, through sacrificial rites, made contact with an evil spirit from another dimension, thus founding the Holy Light Cult, worshiping the Lord of Holy Light.”
“Where the light shines, darkness breeds. The cult’s teachings warped its followers into madness and cruelty. To gain the Lord’s favor, they offered the things they treasured most—often sacrificing their own kin and children.”
“When our Great Qian’s Chilin Guards raided one of their cities, they stumbled upon a ritual in progress. The scene… even as recorded in the annals, was stomach-turning and vile.”
At this, he even made a gagging motion.
“..."
“Understood. You may go.”
Shen Yanzhou casually waved his hand, set down the teacup, picked up the foremost dossier, and began to flip through it.
“Remnants of the Grand Radiance Kingdom?”
Before long, his brows furrowed. This had indeed been mentioned in the original plot.
Moreover, this part of the plot involved the true protagonist of the original story — that so-called Reincarnator of Eternal Life.
When he passed through the ruins of the Grand Radiance Kingdom, he had accidentally sensed a wisp of obsession left behind by it.
Through that obsession, he gradually uncovered the truth behind the Grand Radiance Kingdom’s destruction.
There had been no so-called “otherworldly evil spirit.” The so-called sacrificial ritual had merely been a smokescreen to deceive others.
The kingdom’s destruction had indeed been caused by the refining of a so-called “National Treasure of Inheritance,” yet that was nothing but a borrowed womb for another’s seed.
The true culprit lay elsewhere.
Furthermore, the true protagonist of the original story was of that cryptic, riddle-speaking sort — detached, looking down from the sidelines. Even after learning the truth, he had merely uttered, “All sins originate from cause and effect; retribution will come naturally,” and refrained from meddling further.
Thus, this entire plotline had become a loose, unfinished foreshadowing.
It wasn’t until much later, during the Imperial War Arc, that the real mastermind behind the Grand Radiance Kingdom’s downfall was revealed — none other than the Empress reigning over the Palace of the Yearly Rites.
Yet, many details required careful deduction before and after to piece together.
“In the original plot, the vast majority of perspectives belonged to that Heaven’s Mandated Protagonist, so much of the information was incomplete.”
“From my current point of view, however, everything leaves traces to follow.”
Shen Yanzhou frowned as he flipped through the dossier in his hand. Yet, it contained no detailed record of how the Grand Radiance Kingdom had perished — instead, it described the cruelty and bloodshed of the sacrificial scene.
In recent days, perhaps because the Empress’s birthday was approaching, traces of the Grand Radiance Kingdom’s remnants had begun appearing within the Imperial Capital.
These remnants harbored hatred for humanity and all creation, intent on destroying all beauty and life.
In the archives of the Great Qian Dynasty, they were even classified alongside the Nether Cult as “heretics” — to be exterminated upon sight.
“How could Wu Ruyue believe that the appearance of these remnants of the Grand Radiance Kingdom is related to the case of the ‘Northern Sea Heaven-Transforming Human Pill’?”
“But once she decides to investigate something, there’s bound to be a connection — that must be her heroine’s halo.”
For now, Shen Yanzhou felt no apparent link between the two matters. Even in the original plot, they had been entirely unrelated events.
However, since Wu Ruyue had begun to involve herself, it was highly likely the two would become entangled later on.
In the original story, this too counted as a sort of conceptual ability.
In the Imperial Capital arc, most of the plot was advanced through various cases.
Whenever Wu Ruyue found something suspicious and began investigating deeply, all kinds of hidden clues would start surfacing, leading to an intricate web of people and old cases.
Of course, in the original story, this could be attributed to the author wanting to push the plot forward — and since Wu Ruyue was one of the main female leads, such developments had seemed natural and logical.
But now, in reality, Shen Yanzhou had completely taken over the role that should have belonged to Shen Tian.
Whether such a conceptual ability still existed was uncertain.
“No… wait, is there another possibility…”
Suddenly, a thought struck Shen Yanzhou.
He recalled a cryptic line once spoken by the Heaven’s Mandated Protagonist in the original — “All sins originate from the dragon.” That protagonist often referred to himself as the “Dragon-Slayer.” The main storyline had revolved around overthrowing the Great Qian’s rule, revealing its darkness step by step.
The “dragon” referred to the Great Qian itself.
Among the remnants of the Grand Radiance Kingdom, there had been a disfigured imperial concubine who later followed the Heaven’s Mandated Protagonist. Each day she either cursed Emperor Mingde or spat venom at the Empress — her hatred for the Great Qian ran bone-deep.
There was never hatred or love without reason in this world.
“Though the Demon Suppression King rebelled and committed treason, in the original story he wasn’t actually portrayed as a villain. On the contrary, he was part of the protagonist’s faction — a positive character. So Shen Tian could also be considered one of the story’s main characters…”
“Moreover, the Heaven’s Mandated Protagonist, despite often being a mere spectator like a wandering traveler, was still a traditionally righteous hero at heart. He wouldn’t slander the loyal or massacre the innocent.”
“If the remnants of the Grand Radiance Kingdom were truly as evil as described in this dossier, then that disfigured imperial concubine would never have been allowed to remain by his side.”
“By this reasoning, perhaps the Demon Suppression King, Shen Jingxiao, was merely a scapegoat pushed to the front — just as the imperial concubine Yu Chenyu had hidden her true self deeply.”
“This Empress Cui Jingyi, though she didn’t show her claws in the original story, was actually the most ruthless, calculating villainess behind it all.”
“So… was the true mastermind behind the ‘Northern Sea Heaven-Transforming Human Pill’ case her?”
Shen Yanzhou fell silent.
Emperor Mingde had tasked him with investigating this case to lure out the serpent hiding in the shadows — yet now, the serpent turned out to be his very consort? The most terrifying woman in all the empire?
No wonder Shen Jingxiao had never taken this case seriously.
“This is quite the fine task indeed,” Shen Yanzhou thought wryly. “It seems clinging to this thigh won’t be so easy.”
……
Night fell.
Before the gates of the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion, guests arrived one after another. Luxurious carriages lined up outside as numerous court officials in plain attire came with their families, faces bright with congratulatory smiles.
Shen Zhigao and several clan elders personally came out to greet them.
Their faces were full of genuine joy — they had already learned from Shen Jingxiao that Shen Yanzhou had agreed to submit.
Now that the mansion’s greatest thorn had been removed, the pent-up frustration they had harbored these past days finally dissipated. They felt utterly relieved.
No matter how capable Shen Yanzhou was, he still couldn’t escape the Demon Suppression King’s grasp and had to behave obediently under his control.
“Congratulations to the Prince’s Mansion on welcoming back the qilin son.”
“May we ask if Heir Shen Tian’s hysteria has improved?”
Several ministers inquired warmly, their tone full of concern. Some had even brought their daughters along — all of them exquisitely dressed, graceful, with delicate makeup, each around the age of twenty. Clearly, marriage alliances were on their minds.
“Thanks to your concern, the young heir has received treatment from a famous physician and is much better now,” Shen Zhigao replied politely as he led the guests inside.
“Really? Is it true?”
“I wonder what that Heir Shen Tian is like when he’s normal?”
At the gate, several black-lacquered carriages belonging to the Marquis of Divine Might’s Residence pulled up.
Liu Zi’an, young master of the Duke’s Residence, stepped out upon hearing the ministers’ chatter, his eyes lighting with surprise.
“Who knows? We’ll see for ourselves soon enough.”
A mild, gentle voice answered beside him. A handsome young man set down his book and rose to his feet.
This time, Liu Zi’an had brought along his friend Qi Haoran, under the pretext of introducing him to influential nobles — in truth, to expand their social network within the capital.
Liu Zi’an had noticed that his friend had grown suddenly ambitious recently, even asking to accompany him in meeting the scions of aristocratic families in the Imperial City.
After some inquiry, Liu Zi’an had discovered that his friend had been getting closer to Zhao Qingchan lately — they had been seen together often, walking side by side through the Confucian Courtyard or reading together in the Loft of Vast Righteousness.
That had stirred Qi Haoran’s determination. He wanted to break through to the Fifth Rank and claim the top place in the Imperial Examination, so he could have the right to marry Zhao Qingchan.
“Look over there — the Marquis of Divine Might’s carriage just arrived…”
“Your Senior Sister Zhao is here too.”
Liu Zi’an patted his friend’s shoulder and said with a smile.