Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Who Says Women Aren’t as Good as Men?

“Who is he?” Jing Mo demanded, gesturing with his chin towards the boy in his bed.

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “Yu Ziming, my family’s sixth son. He’s the one going with you to Zhuri.”

“Hold it right there,” Jing Mo raised a hand to give himself some time to think it over. Yu Xiaoxiao shut her mouth and sat waiting.

“He’s Yu Ziming?” Jing Mo verified.

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded.

“He’s Consort Zhao’s son?” Jing Mo asked next.

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded again. Did you even need to ask? “Are you okay?” she asked. Was doing it once with a woman not enough? He’s not satisfied yet, so he’s not talking on the same frequency as me?

Jing Mo massaged his temples and said, “How could anything be wrong with me? You know he’s Consort Zhao’s son, yet you took him to find me?”

“Why can’t I take Consort Zhao’s son to find you?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

“You want him to die that much?” Jing Mo asked. Because it wasn’t convenient for you to murder your little brother and stain Gu Xinglang’s reputation, you found me to help you finish the deed?

“Do you know that if he dies, I might still bring Yu Ziyi with me to Zhuri?”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s face was wooden, but her heart grew restless. “Why would I kill him? Nobody wants to, ah.”

“If you don’t want him dead, why bring him to me?” Jing Mo asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao tried to reason out the logic in Jing Mo’s words, but she wasn’t clever and ingenious enough to figure out black-bellied types and their tricks. After some thought, she was still lost and said, “I want you to take care of him more because he’s still young. Although his mother and father are both worthless, my family’s little sixth’s is very cute, isn’t he?”

Now it was Jing Mo’s turn to rack his brains. You say his mother and father are worthless, sure. I can see you cursing out Consort Zhao, but isn’t Xianzong your father too? Is that really okay?

Yu Xiaoxiao winked at Yu Ziming. On the way here, sister and brother had already agreed on a secret signal. Once she winked, he was to start selling meng.1

Yu Ziming split his lips into a grin and did his best to blink flutter his eyelashes at Jing Mo, who only felt a throbbing headache coming on. Just what was going on? The wise and brilliant Eldest Prince Jing began to suspect his own intelligence. I’m not an idiot, right? Why can’t I see through Yu Linglong’s schemes?

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Jing Mo’s knitted brows and wondered, Did I make an unreasonable request? Is it a lot of trouble to look after a little kid?

After turning his mind inside out, Jing Mo noticed that Yu Ziming was nodding off from drowsiness. He put the child to bed beside him so he could sleep and murmured to Yu Xiaoxiao, “Do you think doing this will estrange the relationship between mother and son?”

“Whaa?”

“As the saying goes, a mother and son’s hearts are joined as one,” Jing Mo felt that Yu Xiaoxiao’s actions were only a matter of course. “Do you think the sixth prince will feel closer to his imperial sister instead of his mother just because you’ve cared for him a couple of times? Princess, he’s an imperial prince like His Seventh Highness. Even if His Seventh Highness was born of the first wife, if Consort Zhao becomes the master of the imperial harem, His Sixth Highness will be an official wife’s son as well. Do you think he’ll accept His Seventh Highness’s status then?”

Yu Xiaoxiao only shook her head after his tirade. “I don’t understand.”

Angered and amused, Jing Mo only said, “Princess doesn’t need to understand in front of me as long as your heart is as clear as a mirror.”

What does heart as clear as a mirror mean? Am I supposed to plant a mirror in my chest? What kind of perverted request is that? Yu Xiaoxiao continued to shake her head at Jing Mo. “I can’t do that.”

Jing Mo wanted to hit her. Do you think it’s fun to play the fool?!

“Just take care of my family’s little sixth,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “How could it be that easy for Consort Zhao to birth another son? As long as Little Sixth’s in your hands, then that bastard Zhao Qiuming will have to listen to your words. You can have him ruin your brother or extort him, whatever you want. He’s got a cheap character anyways, so he’ll be poor enough to save you money.”

Jing Mo’s headache intensified. “Can you say things I understand?”

“Which part didn’t you understand?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

“You know about the dealings between Zhao Qiuming and Jing Qian?” Jing Mo asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao gave a start. Wasn’t Jing Qian Jing Mo’s little brother? What did he have to do with Zhao Qiuming?

Jing Mo stared at Yu Xiaoxiao and asked, “Princess is willing to help me, then?”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. Although they couldn’t be lovers, they could still be pals.

“Then how does princess think I should deal with Jing Qian?” Jing Mo asked.

This bastard had committed patricide to take the throne, so did she still have to tell him how to deal with Jing Qian? Yu Xiaoxiao said, “If you can’t earn your father’s love, don’t force it. Who do you need to fear as long as you’re strong enough?”

Jing Mo looked at her in shock. Yu Xiaoxiao privately sympathized with the man. He’s gotta feel terrible that his father doesn’t love him.

Jing Mo rubbed his eyes. To seize the throne, there were those who used political tactics and trickery while others chose the power route. It seemed like he’d picked the wrong choice in the past. Since his imperial mother wasn’t favored and his maternal clan an enemy in imperial father’s eyes, what could he gain by trying to please him with all his heart? Princess Linglong was right. If he couldn’t get what he wanted, why force it? Why not set on a path of all-purpose slaughter to gain power?

His gaze darkened as he stared at Yu Xiaoxiao. “It’s a pity that princess isn’t a man.”

Yu Xiaoxiao knitted her brows. “What’s wrong with being female? Who says women aren’t as good as men?”

Who says women aren’t as good as men? Jing Mo thought of Yu Xiaoxiao’s words and laughed in spite of himself. “Princess has grand aspirations.”

I’m going to be a female emperor in the future, so of course I need aspirations! (Author: Hey hey, drillmaster, you’re over thinking things!)

“Thank you,” Jing Mo said suddenly.

What did I do? Yu Xiaoxiao wondered. Is he thanking me for bringing Yu Ziming here to familiarize relations with him?

“I’ll take good care of you sixth brother,” Jing Mo added. “As long as I’m here, no one in Zhuri will endanger his life.”

“Can you help him find a few good teachers too?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

“Teachers?” Jing Mo asked. “What does princess want His Sixth Highness to study?”

“Anything’s fine,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “Children should study well and strive to do better everyday.”

Jing Mo smiled. “Princess has far-reaching foresight.”

“Of course, ah,” Yu Xiaoxiao’s lips quirked into a grin. Her foresight was more far-reaching and deep than anyone else in this world. After all, she was at least a few thousand years ahead of them all.

“Princess can choose to take something from my side chambers,” Jing Mo said next. “Count it as a make-up gift from me to Your Royal Highness.”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked around. It would be a shame not to grab something valuable at a time like this. Jing Mo pointed at a few wooden chests below the window and said with an arrogant air, “There are some treasures over there. If princess doesn’t mind, you can bring back a chest with you.”