Chapter 321 - 133: Gu Xiangzhu: My Little Boy Is Actually the Demon Monarch?

Chapter 321: Chapter 133: Gu Xiangzhu: My Little Boy Is Actually the Demon Monarch?

Zhao Ci: "..."

He peeked at the space above Gu Xiangzhu’s head.

There were no subtitles unfriendly to him.

He nodded. "Alright!"

「On the carriage back to Wangshu Palace.」

Zhao Ci held her hand affectionately. "Dearest, did you ask him for a lot in return?"

Gu Xiangzhu: "..."

It felt like ants were crawling on the back of her hand.

Previously, she had been able to take his intimate gestures in stride, because in her mind, Zhao Ci was nothing more than a young boy experiencing his first crush.

She never would have thought he could be such a convincing actor.

And she still hadn’t decided how to treat Zhao Ci from now on.

To keep her options open, she had no choice but to play along.

Especially after that intoxicating dream, these intimate gestures felt like a hand reaching from an abyss, ready to drag her into eternal damnation.

’This is agonizing!’

’I so badly want to crush this little scumbag for toying with my heart and my body.’

’But he...’

’In the dream, he genuinely wanted to make me his wife.’

’That affection wasn’t fake.’

’And our little daughter in the dream... the one who looked so much like me when I was a child...’

As she thought of these things, Gu Xiangzhu found herself yearning for that dream.

’But under these circumstances, is there any way to pull him completely to my side without paying a physical price?’

She wracked her brain, but no such method came to mind.

For a moment, she felt as if her head would split open.

’I can’t think about this now!’

Gu Xiangzhu gave a faint smile and nodded. "Of course I got some things in return. And some of it is for you."

"Mhm!"

"Don’t you want to ask what it is?"

"Whatever you wanted, it’s bound to be good for me. Why would I need to ask?"

"..."

Gu Xiangzhu’s thoughts were in a tangle. ’This little scoundrel... how is he so good at acting?’

Zhao Ci suddenly sighed.

Gu Xiangzhu’s brow furrowed. "Why the sigh?"

Zhao Ci gently embraced her. "There was something unsettling in the dream."

"There are unsettling things even in a Joyful Dream?"

"The problem with the Joyful Dream is that it’s too perfect."

"What do you mean?"

"It was so perfect it felt unreal. But reality isn’t that perfect. At least... *I’m* not. I don’t deserve that dream."

Zhao Ci cupped her face in his hands. "Dearest, if you one day discover that I have ulterior motives, will you hate me?"

Gu Xiangzhu froze. "I..."

She never expected him to bring this up himself.

’Has he... been feeling guilty this whole time?’

In that moment, the turmoil in her heart subsided. She suddenly felt that the murderous rage she’d felt earlier had been unfair to him.

She bit her lip, pondering for a long while before speaking softly, "These ulterior motives of yours... are they to harm me?"

"Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Then why should I hate you?"

Gu Xiangzhu smiled. "Then let there be ulterior motives. No one is completely without them. As long as you are willing to treat me well, everything I’ve given will be worth it."

She said the words with a surprising naturalness, but even she couldn’t tell how much of it she truly meant, and how much was just another line to fool Zhao Ci.

Their eyes met, so close they could feel each other’s breath on their cheeks.

"I will treat you well!"

Visibly moved, Zhao Ci leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Mmph..."

Gu Xiangzhu’s mind reeled. She couldn’t tell if this was an act or a genuine show of affection.

Surprisingly, however, she didn’t particularly resist.

She even found it hard to tell whether this was reality or another dream.

「Back at Wangshu Palace.」

Gu Xiangzhu helped Zhao Ci inspect his Divine Soul, even using many precious elixirs to heal his injuries.

Only after confirming he suffered no lasting effects did she see Zhao Ci to his carriage to leave the palace.

「In the carriage.」

Zhao Ci breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been in Wangshu Palace for a full hour, and not once did an unfavorable subtitle appear above Gu Xiangzhu’s head.

’The situation is complicated now.’

’I’m trying to play Gu Xiangzhu.’

’Gu Xiangzhu knows I’m trying to play her.’

’I know that she knows I’m trying to play her.’

’But she doesn’t know that I know that she knows I’m trying to play her.’

’But in this game... why do I feel like I’m the one getting trapped?’

’Damn it!’

’I thought my time with her was all just a game.’

’But I still ended up catching feelings.’

’Whatever!’

’I’ll just take it one step at a time.’

...

「Wangshu Palace.」

Gu Xiangzhu leaned against the window, gazing at the night sky, her heart unable to settle for a long time.

Her past experiences flickered through her mind like shifting light and shadow.

She had finally pieced together the evolution of Zhao Ci’s thinking.

She didn’t know when that little scoundrel had become an impostor in the prince’s body.

But the starting point could be traced back to his failed attempt to take control of his fiefdom.

From that moment on, he had awakened his "Innate Wisdom," his talent for cultivation had completely reversed, and he had produced the Alchemy of Wine.

Previously, she had thought Zhao Ci was merely testing her.

Looking back, she realized he had likely guessed long ago that Zhao Huan meant him harm. After all, how could an impostor feel any affection for his supposed birth father?

Therefore, all of his actions were part of a delicate dance of push and pull.

The first act he put on for her was one of deep mother-son affection.

The second act was that of a pitiful, helpless puppy.

’Was it despicable?’

’Absolutely.’

Even now, the thought made Gu Xiangzhu grind her teeth in frustration.

And yet, the more she thought about it, the more she sensed his desperation and helplessness.

He was walking on eggshells, treading on thin ice, all just to stay alive.

’From his perspective, what had he done wrong?’

’He had wronged me, true, but what other choice did he have?’

Instead, it was he who had unknowingly developed genuine feelings.

’Even in the Joyful Dream, I was the only one there...’

She couldn’t tell how much of him was sincere and how much was strategy.