Chapter 100 - Confessing His Sin (1/2)

At the same time, a storm was brewing in the nine heavens because two other men had come to a decision: It was time to confess!

Hong Bao had informed the goddess of love after she came back from the mortal realm and of course, she had run to Shun Tao's palace right after that. She had told him she had found a way and that he didn't have to worry anymore. His answer had only been a pat on her head and a resigned smile, though.

Even if Hong Bao had found a way — which he certainly couldn't imagine if he himself had worked a whole week without any solution in sight — he still couldn't continue lying to the heavenly emperor, could he? If Tianjun should ever hear of that he would be furious. No, it was still better to admit his mistake.

With that in mind, Shun Tao made his way over to the most magnificent palace in the whole nine heavens. Heavenly guards stood at both sides of the staircase leading up to the door and were lined up next to the entrance all the same. He had always felt slightly intimidated by this sight but today, Shun Tao felt like the presence of these men was already spelling his doom. He might very well lose his life today.

Ah, he didn't really have any regrets. The worst thing might be that he had doomed the crown prince to die shortly after him. He hadn't known him that good but the few times they had spoken he had given him an exceedingly good impression. If His Highness had at least managed to pass one minor trial … He didn't deserve being punished by heaven's law either but that would at least be better than dying.

Shun Tao shook his head and climbed the stairs. He waited to be announced and finally entered the hall with a grim expression. There was no good way to tell the heavenly emperor that the crown prince would most likely die and there certainly was no right way to tell a loving father that he would lose his beloved son with near certainty.

Shun Tao went into the middle of the hall and knelt down. ”Fate's scribe Shun Tao greets His Majesty Tianjun”, he said, possibly for the last time in his life. At the end of this day, he might be dead. But even if he could keep his life through some stroke of luck, he certainly wouldn't be the fate's scribe anymore. That position he had spent nearly a thousand years to be able to finally call it his own and which he had hardly occupied for ten millennia … he would definitely lose it today.

The heavenly emperor smiled. ”Fate's scribe, what brings you here?” He already had a hunch what was going on, hence the good mood. Though, what he thought of most probably differed vastly from Shun Tao's real reason.

Shun Tao drooped his head even lower and gulped. Now it was time. ”This lowly one has sinned and came to confess to his wrong-doing.”

Unexpectedly, the heavenly emperor laughed. ”So, you indeed came because of that!”

Shun Tao couldn't help but widen his eyes. The heavenly emperor … knew? And he could even laugh in the face of such a danger to his son's life? No, this couldn't be right. ”This lowly one is afraid that His Majesty might be misinformed as to the reason for this lowly one's visit.”

Tianjun Rong Su chuckled. ”Misinformed? Be honest with me: Isn't it because of that little servant girl?” Even someone like the heavenly emperor who had to make a good impression couldn't help but laugh at the rumors he finally heard this morning.

The fate's scribe and a servant girl … It seemed like a bad joke but he had also heard that even his brother-in-law, the god of war Qiang Yan, had fallen in love with a servant girl. Seriously, what was it with the servants? Did they have that much charm to seduce two mighty men? If one of them hadn't been his brother-in-law he might have suspected that the demons had a finger in the pie with this development.

Servant girl? Shun Tao furrowed his brow and couldn't help but take a peek at the heavenly emperor's expression. He looked amused, not worried in any sense. Shun Tao looked back down. He still hadn't perceived any of the rumors and he wasn't of a mind to care for them now.

”This lowly one doesn't know of anything concerning a servant girl.”

”Oh?” The heavenly emperor lifted his brows. ”You didn't come to beg for my consent to marry her?”

Shun Tao frowned even deeper. ”This lowly one doesn't know any servant girl.” He didn't even think of Hong Bao at this moment.

”But you were seen together …” The heavenly emperor had been of the impression that this couldn't be wrong. He heard of the rumor concerning Shun Tao and Shun Tao came. He said he wanted to confess his sins and called himself 'this lowly one' all the time since his greeting as if he had done something unforgivable. What could that be if it wasn't because he hooked up with some unknown servant girl and carelessly got her pregnant? The heavenly emperor truly couldn't imagine.