Chapter 69: Sixty-Ninth Day of Being a Salted Fish

Three days later.

It was confirmed that the medicine could not be obtained. The Imperial Family finally accepted that while there might still be a chance to cure the Emperor’s illness, it was impossible for him to recover without permanent aftereffects.

The plan for a total cover-up had failed. Forced by public opinion, the members of the Imperial Family ended their lengthy bickering and decided to step forward to explain the Emperor’s condition and the reasons for concealing it.

The reasons, of course, were quite high-sounding.

As the leader of the faction that had wanted the Emperor dead from the very beginning, Crown Princess¹ Nan Xiao provided a justification convincing enough to satisfy everyone.

The Galactic Empire was not the strongest power in the universe, nor was it the strongest within the Interstellar Alliance. It had been less than two years since the victory over the Zerg, and the Empire had not yet recovered its vitality. If news of the Emperor’s serious illness broke at this time, it could easily invite the greed of foreign enemies. Therefore, the Imperial Family had hoped to resolve the issue as quietly as possible.

After offering this explanation, Nan Xiao expressed her fury, claiming she did not know who intended to undermine the Empire’s stability. First, they had hijacked the Starship transporting the medicine, preventing the Emperor’s condition from being brought under control in time; then, they had deliberately leaked the relevant information onto the StarNet to stir up public unrest.

Nan Xiao declared a thorough investigation into the matter, vowing to bring those who exposed the secret to justice.

This should have been enough to calm public opinion.

After all, such an explanation was entirely plausible. Combined with the Imperial Family’s coordinated display of misery – with members appearing one after another to express their deep concern for the Emperor and weep over the family’s grievances – the public was led to believe the Imperial Family was entirely the victim.

Unfortunately, during a live broadcast of a visit to the Emperor’s bedside, the Emperor suddenly woke up…

Most importantly, at that exact moment, the Imperial Family’s exclusive physician was earnestly explaining the specifics of Alma Disease, stating that the primary symptom was a loss of control over Mental Power, which in turn led to a coma.

He also explained the treatment plan devised by the medical team, claiming the Emperor would likely need another week before he could regain consciousness.

The words had barely left his mouth when the Emperor woke.

Everyone was caught off guard. Even Nan Xiao, standing by the Emperor’s bedside, was momentarily choked for words.

The StarNet in the Capital Star region exploded instantly. Within a few hours, the news of the Emperor’s awakening had reached every corner of the Empire.

Half of the comments were celebrating the Emperor’s recovery, while the other half questioned the professional competence of the Imperial medical team. Someone even took a screencap of Nan Xiao’s expression at that precise moment, and countless people joined the discussion about whether there was even a hint of “joy” in her reaction – it certainly didn’t look like it.

For Geshu Ming, this was a completely unexpected windfall.

She had indeed timed the detoxification of the Emperor’s poison carefully. She also knew that while Nan Xiao was intelligent, she was aggressive and flamboyant, possessing deep schemes but little patience. Her inherent arrogance meant she lacked restraint, and her emotions tended to be worn on her sleeve.

But even Geshu Ming hadn’t expected… it to be quite this coincidental.

This time, all public scrutiny was focused on the Imperial Family and Nan Xiao. To shake off these troubles, Nan Xiao would likely have to spend quite some time.

Especially since her own biological son was watching her like a hawk from the sidelines.

For instance, not long after, new information began to leak out.

The military exercise conducted in the Galactic Core Region had not been arranged by Nan Xiao. Instead, it was her son, Nan Yingxu, who had felt that relying solely on the security forces of a pharmaceutical company was unreliable and had specifically arranged for the exercise.

Consequently, the eyes of the entire Empire fell upon Nan Xiao.

Meanwhile, Geshu Ming could finally free her hands to deal with her own problems.

For example…

Was it Nan Yingzhe who had triggered this wave of public opinion?

“No,” Nan Yingzhe answered with absolute certainty.

At that moment, they were standing in a corner of the grand hall.

This was a banquet held to celebrate the Emperor’s awakening. However, the Emperor’s body was still very weak; he had only made a brief appearance before departing.

This was perfectly normal.

Geshu Ming had indeed let him wake up, but she had no intention of letting him off completely. Although part of the poison had been neutralized, it wasn’t gone entirely.

Having to let him live a while longer was one thing; whether she was willing to let him live well was another matter entirely.

With the Emperor’s departure, other members of the Imperial Family took over hosting the banquet. Geshu Ming took the opportunity to find Nan Yingzhe for a chat.

Nan Yingzhe was twenty-five years old – young, handsome, and in the prime of his life.

He was perhaps the most good-looking of the younger generation of the Imperial Family. His features were elegant and refined, his eyes carrying a faint, gentle melancholy inherited from his father, combined with the warm softness passed down from his mother.

Geshu Ming was familiar with the other three children of the Imperial Family.

Nan Yingxu was very much like his mother: flamboyant, passionate, and overflowing with talent. He possessed an aura as scorching as the morning sun, making it difficult for others to look at him directly.

Nan Yingmin was sharper, bearing a resemblance to her father. One couldn’t say she was unattractive, but her looks were by no means pleasing. She had a small frame and plain features, yet her temperament was piercing. Her eyes were cold, often filled with frost, and the corners of her mouth naturally downturned. When she smiled, it carried a hint of mockery; when she didn’t, she appeared somewhat harsh.

Nan Yinghang, surprisingly, looked like no one else in the imperial family, least of all his parents. He was fifteen years old and currently in middle school. A child raised in a jar of honey, he looked innocent and simple. Though a boy, he was exceptionally shy, his large eyes often shimmering with a watery mist. When he smiled, dimples appeared beside his lips. He was delicate and beautiful, an outlier within the imperial family.

The Nan Yingzhe standing before her, however, was clearly more to Geshu Ming’s liking than the other three imperial children.

Nan Yingzhe had only been back for a little over a year. Geshu Ming hadn’t had much contact with him, and this was the first time she had observed him closely in a private, face-to-face setting, yet she already felt a slight sense of goodwill toward him.

Most of the time, this kind of favorable impression didn’t mean much. People like them were never moved from their decisions by a bit of baseless, first-impression liking, but occasionally, it could serve as a benchmark.

A benchmark for judging friend from foe.

Geshu Ming looked at him. “The Star Pirates leaked the news.”

Nan Yingzhe nodded. “I’ve questioned several Star Pirate Syndicate leaders, but none of them will admit to it. I asked if their subordinates leaked it, and they all claimed they hadn’t told a soul about this matter.”

“Have you told anyone else?” Geshu Ming asked. “I’ve only been in contact with your side and Zhou Fei.”

“Same here,” Nan Yingzhe said. “So it must be the Star Pirates’ doing. Zhou Fei is tight-lipped and, more importantly, trustworthy enough.”

Geshu Ming watched him silently for a moment before saying, “Lu Yuan and I are friends.”

Nan Yingzhe smiled. “I know.”

His gaze was unexpectedly sincere. “I know. Because Marshal Lu is my teacher.”

The usual calm smile remained on Geshu Ming’s face, but her pupils contracted slightly in that instant.

“You gave me a bargaining chip,” Nan Yingzhe said. “So I’ll give you one. I was once part of Marshal Lu’s personal guard. Back then, the name I used was Li Xiangbei.”

Geshu Ming lowered her eyes to the wine glass in her hand. After a long pause, she raised it in a toast and pressed her lips together into a soft smile. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

“A pleasure.”

“Two birds with one stone.”

On the Desolate Planet, Lu Yuan looked at the news on StarNet and gave his assessment.

“On one hand, he’s forcing Geshu Ming to keep the Emperor alive, and on the other, he’s put Nan Xiao through the wringer. The timing is so perfect that he must have colluded with Geshu Ming.

“Nan Yingzhe has certainly improved his skills during his year back.”

Although he had no idea how the alliance between Nan Yingzhe and Geshu Ming had come about, and his deductions regarding the entire event were slightly skewed due to Goudan’s secrecy and his own cognitive biases…

Unexpectedly, in a sense, he had reached the correct conclusion.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and chuckled. “If this keeps up, it’s still uncertain who will end up sitting on the throne.”

Goudan looked at him. “Who among that lot do you think will eventually become Emperor?”

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes in thought for a while before answering, “That depends on Geshu Ming.

“Nan Mu was out of the running from the start. Nan Xiao lacks caution. Nan Yingxu’s methods are too upright. Nan Yingmin lacks charisma. Nan Yinghang is still too young. And Nan Yingzhe hasn’t been back long enough; his foundation is unstable.

“They each have their own weaknesses. So, as for who will emerge victorious, it depends on when the Emperor dies. And when the Emperor dies… well, that likely depends on Geshu Ming.

“If the Emperor dies now, the throne will probably be contested between Nan Yingxu and Nan Xiao. If the Emperor can live for another six months or a year, giving Nan Yingzhe time to establish himself, then Nan Yingzhe’s chances will increase significantly.”

Goudan blinked and nodded, only half-understanding.

A thought suddenly popped into his head.

It would probably be better if the Emperor lived a bit longer. At the very least, Nan Yingzhe seemed to be on Lu Yuan’s side!

Translator’s Notes