Chapter 330 - Bargain Bin (2/2)

”Are you the one responsible for the disappearing act the group put on?” The Emperor casually asked with a raised eyebrow.

Monk Du knit his brows again, hesitated, and then responded, ”Yes, but...It's not something that can just be given to anyone...” He said politely bowing.

The Emperor lightly snorted and nodded, ”Of course...” While it was true that it would be useful to have such a technique in his arsenal, the Emperor was honestly not too interested in pursuing it.

”Are you responsible for providing them with that magical seyu drug they used to use to poison my Empress?” The Emperor asked, slightly narrowing his eyes in irritation at the thought of the resulting trouble that drug had led to.

Monk Du froze and blinked up at the Emperor in surprise, ”Poisoning?”

”Is that a yes or no?” The Emperor asked with a frown, he was not in the mood for playing games. His session with Prince Yi was enough for one day.

Monk Du knit his brows in confusion, ”I am responsible... But the seyu drug is nothing poisonous. It's purely medicinal -”

The Emperor's lips twitched and he bit out in a low voice, ”It was used as aphrodisiac...against her will, in a plot to shame her, that is poisoning...”

Monk Du frowned, still confused. Before deciding to leave for the Long palace, he had asked Chun siblings to tell him what their situation was with Long country. After hearing how they had attacked the Empress dowager's group, he decided it was something he could bargain for mercy with the Emperor. After all, the whole thing was due to his disappearance.

But now the Emperor was talking about poisoning his Empress, completely blindsiding him. After seeing Lei Xing and the Emperor that day in the palace, he had warned Chun Hua to leave Lei Xing and the Emperor alone and let go of whatever vengeance she sought with Long country. She was naturally unyielding but he did his best to persuade her, despite not being able to tell the reasons behind his warning. He simply left it at that they were protected by divine providence and in the end, she had promised to let it go and that she would find a time to quietly exit the palace.

But now, it was clear she had not heeded his warning. As if that was not enough, they withheld the information from him.

The Emperor observed Monk Du's reaction and could see that the man was probably kept in the dark as to the true extent of the deeds of his charges.

The Emperor lightly scoffed and went, ”I believe that they did not mean the Empress dowager harm and hence they are pardoned for that.... but I do not believe that they did not mean my Empress harm and therefore I am of no mind to pardon them for that. And so now I ask again, does your ability to help the Empress dowager depend on this favor?”

Monk Du remained as he was with his tightly drawn together. While it was true that initially taking the Empress dowager to his master was up to his own whim, it was no longer the case. This time, his master had specifically requested that he bring her as soon as possible. But the Emperor did not know that and he hoped to use this as leverage.

But now it seemed that the Empress dowager's health did not have as much value as a grudge for his Empress. Tales of the Long Emperor's affection for her had spread far and wide, so Monk Du was aware of it. Monk Du thought of requesting an audience with Lei Xing so he could appeal to her and appease whatever anger she still held towards the Chun siblings. Thinking that if she was appeased and talked to the Emperor on the Emperor on their behalf, perhaps the Emperor would change his mind. But...

Monk Du glanced up at the Emperor who was calmly looking down at him with a blank expression. There was no way this Emperor was going to agree for him to have an audience with her. Jumping his way around the palace was also not ideal either, it could cause more problems than it could solve.

After a long while of Monk Du's silence, the Emperor sighed and went, ”Since that is the case... You can leave.”

Monk Du blinked and immediately raised his head, but before he could speak. Eunuch Li turned to the Emperor and exclaimed, ”Your majesty! Yo -”

The Emperor raised a hand to silence him, ”The Empress dowager is recovering well. She has survived with this for so long and will continue to survive. I will not negotiate with those who wish mine harm...”

Eunuch Li frowned, this was exactly what he was worried about - that the Emperor would ignore the right path because of Lei Xing. This was why he chose to stay to watch over this exchange. He, like the Emperor, had suspected that the reason Monk Du was requesting an audience with the Emperor was regarding the Chun siblings. It was not ideal, but given that the Empress dowager's ailment, he thought it should still be worth it.

Eunuch Li's frown deepened, he was going to argue and plead on the Empress dowager's behalf, but then Monk Du asked, ”Aren't you curious as to why I came now, at this time?... It only took me a few days to reach my master... so naturally, it should have taken only a few days for me to return here. Yet it took me months...”