Emperor's Cunning Wife

When Jinlong got out of the room his mood was heavy.

Carrying the corpse of the man he killed, he tossed it to Lan. "Tell Mo Bai to arrange the stand in for me. We're going to the south to visit the Black Market."

Lan caught the body and was startled by the head that had loosely moved in 180 degrees. He shook it, and it moved again in a creepy way resembling the cat good luck charm one would place in front of a shop for luck.

"Did Master crush his throat?" Lan mumbled and shook it once more.

The head with the only skin as a support moved along with his actions.

"Unlucky guy."

Caught in thought, Lan was too late to notice that Jinlong was gone.

Tap-

A burst of footsteps sounded not far from where Lan stood. "There are people coming." Lan spoke wanting to tip Jinlong but when he lifted his eyes, he only saw the bamboo groves in the dark night, no trace of his Master.

He was abandoned again.

A sigh escaped his lips before disappearing from his spot. The head dangled along like a spineless kite.

On the other hand, the musicians of the Exquisite Drunken Brothel ended their performance at the peak of the song.

The woman flew, a long white ethereal trail twirled following her graceful movements.

A shower of petals once again rained down the stage completely wrapping the woman's form until she vanished.

Boom-

The sound of the loud gong penetrated the minds of the listeners.

'What happened?' This was their common thought. They only felt their heart hadn't calmed down, it was still pounding hard and fast. The musical score looped in their subconscious minds in a disturbed unending manner.

The musicians bowed one after the other.

The Lady Boss took the plug out of her ears and applauded.

Clap-

"Did you enjoy the performance?"

Did they enjoy it? They looked at each other before nodding in a slow and unsure pace.

The Lady Boss smiled at their small actions.

"Then do you want to hear it again?"

"Yes!"

They answered in one booming voice. The thunderous response almost broke her hearing.

There was something in their heads that wanted to hear those sounds again.

"Then for the following days our Exquisite Drunken Brothel will play the performance every night. Only those that managed to reserve their seats will have the opportunity to hear it again." Those words rolled of her tongue like a tempting spell.

'Reservation?'

Behind the paper screen walls of the rooms, gripping the tea cups, wine jugs in their hands the young masters' blood rushed to their brains. The song had also reached their ears, pinned their minds with each beat enrapturing them into hearing more of it.

"I'll reserve a room." Someone shouted igniting the start of an auction.

"Lady Boss, two rooms for me!"

"I'll pay for one!"

The Lady Boss was satisfied their responses and waved her hand. "Alright Alright!"

The other occupants also broke out of their rooms and started bidding for their rooms. The entrance crowded again and everybody wanted to have a peak of the Lady Boss and the on-going calls.

Mother Shen bit her lips when the song ended. Something is wrong. She needed to report this to Master.

With chaotic minds, the women regained control of their thoughts and begun asking what had transpired just now. They held their heads sensing headaches coming.

Ning Lou also looked around and especially paid Mother Shen's expression a huge attention.

"Mother Shen the song was- how should I say it- extremely unsettling?" One of the courtesans finally opened up the topic. Touching her restless heart, she voiced her opinion.

"Yes, in addition, I don't know if it was only me but I saw some bamboo poles swaying, hear the sounds of clashed blades and felt a blood- a blood bath." Shivered by the idea, the woman shrunk her shoulders and went closer to snug into the other woman's embrace.

"Did you also see it? I can't believe that we share the same thought."

Just after the woman said those words, light footsteps approached them.

It was the male guards from their brothel who were probably became impatient waiting for their return.

Mother Shen head was not muddled like theirs, pursing her lips, she pinched their waists and stopped their discussion. "Feng Hong, escort them back."

The boy blinked squeezed the area between his brows. "What?"

"My head hurts, the song kept rewinding. I can't get it off."

"Xiaohua, now you said it, I feel the same way."

Ning Lou nodded inside. The song she gave was unfinished.

Why unfinished?

An unfinished song will be playing like a broken tape inside the listeners' minds, this was a psychological trap. It will wrap your head making you hummed to the beat from time to time and the only way to erase it is to finish the song. So ever wondering why a certain passage of a song that you casually heard from somewhere will etch itself on your subconscious mind and eventually travelled to your mouth making you a slave to its enchantment. Well, fret not. Uttering the finishing line will be your antidote.

Then why Ambush the ten sides? You may ask.

Here's a simple logic, the ambush of ten sides' musical score was quite intense to begin with. It was made to accompany battle scenes, such gripping beats, powerful notes flowing to your ears may not be so scary but once you became unguarded you will fall under chaos and that's when the real nightmare begins. Once your subconscious mind was attack, every note and beat will affect your emotions like a puppet, strings will attached to you and make you follow its every command.

Ning Lou had seen a lot of those malls or shops who used particular musical scores to secretly affect the customers' emotions in purchasing their product.

Not just that, swindlers got a knack for tongue twisters, claps and snapping of fingers.

And there's more but let's save it for the future…

--

"From the time of the Empress' poisoning, death of those two maids, and the arson, bring me what you can find. Zhen needs to know what that woman is planning."

There was a brewing storm inside the Hall of Mental of Cultivation.

"Master won't you be leaving tomorrow? Will Master have enough time to go over the cases?"

A pair of eyes shone with aggressive light. Although Jinlong's face was veiled by the darkness, the other man still felt the suffocating aura around him.

"This one understands." He gulped and submissively replied. The emperor wasn't this mad when he left the palace grounds earlier.

"I want the reports on this desk by morning."

By morning?

It was two hours before midnight, so he has only eight hours to compile the reports?

"But-"

"Got any question?" In a tone that indicated no refusal will be accepted, Jinlong spoke.

"No Your Majesty!" The complaint in his throat didn't have the courage to come out.

The other side of His Majesty is downright terrifying.