Chapter 6: Different Classes

Song Lingyi stared blankly at the Crown Prince coming towards her, and her heart skipped a beat.

Who could tell her why this Crown Prince looked exactly like the bandit leader of Hutou Village?

It's over.

Putting her escape aside, once the bandit leader knew that Xu Er's death was related to her, he would not let her go...

Xiao Mingyi glanced at the girl expressionlessly, and without lingering for a moment, his gaze moved towards the group of female relatives protecting the emperor.

Under the gloomy gaze of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the female members of the family retreated to the sides, revealing Emperor Xuanyuan standing behind them.

Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes and looked at his father lying on the ground.

The king who was so vigorous in memory was now lying on the ground in a miserable state. Silver hair had covered his temples without him knowing when. His face was pale due to the pain from the illness and he looked completely undignified.

"Send His Majesty back to the Zichen Palace and summon the imperial physician for treatment." Xiao Mingyi said.

After a while, the eunuchs and palace maids entered the hall and carried Emperor Xuanyuan onto the imperial sedan chair.

Pei Zhao helped Song Lingyi up and stepped aside. Seeing the panic in her eyes, he asked softly, "Lingyi, what's wrong?"

Song Lingyi's eyelashes trembled slightly. She almost used up all her strength to ignore the man standing on the platform. She forced a smile and said, "Nothing."

Pei Zhao lowered his eyes, then looked up at the platform again, as if thinking about something.

Today's birthday banquet has come to an end. Except for some old ministers, the ministers' wives have gradually left the Linde Hall.

The moonlight was faint, and beneath the white marble terrace stood a crowd of soldiers, armed with weapons. The bluestone slabs were washed by water, washing away some of the bloodstains. From the corners, occasional wails echoed; countless families were shattered tonight.

Song Lingyi was in a heavy mood as she slowly walked down the stairs with Pei Zhao.

The square was crowded and chaotic.

She stood on tiptoe and looked around, searching for her uncle and the others, but suddenly saw a familiar, pretty face, who was also looking at her.

“…”

Song Lingyi's eyes widened, her heart suddenly rose to her throat, and she subconsciously hid behind Pei Zhao.

Pei Zhao glanced sideways at the panicked girl, frowned slightly, and looked in the direction she had just been looking.

They saw a handsome young man in tight clothes, carrying a sword, with a strong back and slim waist, striding towards them.

"Miss Ali?"

A questioning cry rang out in her ears, frightening Song Lingyi so much that her shoulders trembled. She slowly turned her head to look—

Xuan Feng, as if he was completely clueless, leaned his head close to the girl and sized her up from a distance of almost inches. After confirming her identity, he instantly became excited.

"I almost didn't recognize you. Why are you here?"

"You...you got the wrong person."

Xuanfeng tilted his head.

He is a military officer who came from a military camp. He has sharp eyes and can see in all directions. How could he possibly recognize the wrong person?

After two breaths of silence, he suddenly reacted.

Could it be that Miss Ali had a conflict with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and ran away from home, so she deliberately pretended not to know him?

Xuanfeng wanted to explain something more, but someone blocked Song Lingyi behind him. He then raised his head and looked at the elegant young man who "suddenly" appeared.

Those attending the emperor's birthday banquet tonight were all high-ranking officials and royal relatives above the third rank in Kyoto. Even though he was full of doubts, he did not dare to offend them easily.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Xuanfeng bowed.

"My surname is Pei, and my given name is Zhao." Pei Zhao's voice was gentle, but there was an inexplicable sense of oppression between his brows. "This is the cousin of the Duke of Jin. Please don't mistake her for someone else."

Xuanfeng narrowed his black eyes slightly.

It turned out that he was the son of the Pei family in Ruyang. I heard that the Pei family and the Duke's Mansion were close relatives, so it was no wonder that Miss Ali was with him.

While they were silent, someone was calling Xuanfeng's name not far away. He said "Excuse me", looked at Song Lingyi deeply, and then turned and left.

After everyone left, Pei Zhao turned his head to look at her and said, "There are too many people here. Let's go to the palace gate and wait."

Song Lingyi's mind was in a mess. After calming down a little, she nodded.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand from Pei Zhao's clothes, she heard him say, "Hold on like this, so you don't get lost and get separated."

"Yeah." Song Lingyi responded softly, and tightened her hand again after just letting go.

When they reached a slightly more open area, she considered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Brother Jianzhi, aren't you curious?"

Pei Zhao's eyebrows curved slightly as he said calmly, "Since you said he recognized the wrong person, why are you so curious?"

"..." Song Lingyi blinked very slowly.

There is no smoke without fire. The people around the prince greeted her so familiarly that anyone would be curious and ask a few questions.

"Everyone has secrets, and so do I. Getting to the bottom of everything is both a constraint and a lack of respect," Pei Zhao said.

Hearing this, Song Lingyi took a deep breath.

It's been a long time since I met such a normal and boundary-conscious human being.

Seeing the girl's stunned look, Pei Zhao's handsome eyebrows relaxed, and he looked calm and composed, "If one day, you are willing to tell me something, I would be happy to listen."

As the two were talking, a eunuch in a white beard and brocade robe came quickly towards them and bowed respectfully, "Miss Song, how are you?"

Song Lingyi didn't recognize the eunuch, but judging by his attire, he must have some status in the palace, so she returned the greeting: "I wonder if you have any advice for me, eunuch?"

The eunuch in brocade robe took out a token from his sleeve pocket and handed it to her with a nod.

Song Lingyi took it hesitantly, not understanding what he meant.

"This is His Majesty's wish," the brocade-robed eunuch said slowly. "If the young lady has any wishes, she can present this token to the palace to make her request. However, His Majesty is not feeling well and plans to move to Yaoquan Palace to recuperate in a few days. You must hurry and ask for anything the young lady desires."

"..." Song Lingyi held the token in astonishment.

Who says there is no Santa Claus in the world? Isn’t this just fulfilling her wish?

With this token, as long as Emperor Xuanyuan did not abdicate, Shen Wuhui, as the crown prince, would not dare to attack the emperor's savior.

"Can you mention anything?"

The eunuch in brocade robes smiled and said firmly, "As long as it doesn't violate the laws of our ancestors, you can bring up anything."

Pei Zhao lowered his eyes and looked at the girl's bright smile. His eyes, which were usually as calm as the willow leaves of distant mountains, suddenly showed a fine and restrained light.

…

After the palace banquet, Song Lingyi rarely went out. This day, she accompanied Lu Yu to settle accounts. As soon as she came out of a pastry shop, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and then her vision went black and she lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she was lying in an unfamiliar elegant room.

Song Lingyi's heart sank. Could it be that she had met a human trafficker?

Thinking of this, she hurriedly sat up from the couch. When she saw the scene clearly, her back stiffened and her hands and feet suddenly became cold.

Xiao Mingyi sat beside the chess table, twisting the chess pieces in his hands. He seemed to notice her gaze and slowly turned his face away, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Fifth... Fifth... Fifth Master." Song Lingyi was so nervous that her tongue was tied.

clatter--

The sound of the pieces falling is crisp.

"I was wondering where a penniless beggar could go, but it turns out you've come to Kyoto and become a cousin of the Duke of Jin." Xiao Mingyi's voice was cold and intimidating without even being angry.

When Song Lingyi heard these words, her heart trembled for no reason and she cried out "It's over".

There was silence in the elegant room for two breaths.

Xiao Mingyi tapped the chessboard lightly with his fingers. "Tell me, why did you run away?"

Song Lingyi calmed herself down, stood up and stood beside the couch.

"Because... because I originally planned to go to Beijing to live with my relatives. Entering Hutouzhai was not my own will. How could I, a woman, associate with bandits..."

Before he finished speaking, a sneer came from the front, "Are you unwilling to associate with bandits, or did you kill Xu Er and are you afraid that I will ask you to pay for your life?"

A voice without any emotion sounded in the quiet and elegant room. Song Lingyi looked up in surprise and met the man's somewhat mocking gaze.

"Do you think that just because I have His Majesty's token, I can't touch you?"

"...I don't know what Fifth Master is talking about. What happened to Xu Er?" Song Lingyi clenched her fingers and chose to play dumb.

The curve of Xiao Mingyi's mouth deepened a little, but there was murderous intent in his eyes.

"He was dead, found in a deep pit filled with bamboo stakes. Coincidentally, you ran away the same night his body was discovered."

The temperature in the room was just right, but Song Lingyi felt a chill down her spine. If she lifted her sleeves, she could see her hairs standing on end with fear.

"So?" She pinched her palms to remain calm and met his judging gaze. "What does this prove? It's just a coincidence."

clatter--

The sound of the pieces falling was clearly a hit.

The voice seemed to strike Song Lingyi's heart, causing her hands under her sleeves to tremble uncontrollably.

"If you don't tell the truth, I'll gouge out your eyes, rip out your tendons, and break your hands. I have plenty of ways to torture you until you open your mouth."

The color drained from Song Lingyi's face, and she could no longer hold back her emotions. She took a deep breath and said, "So what?"

"Could it be that the almighty Crown Prince would want the cousin of the Duke's Mansion, His Majesty's savior, to pay the price for a scumbag who attempted rape?"

Her eyebrows knitted slightly, and she spoke in a mocking tone, "Your Highness, your hands are stained with blood, don't you? In your dreams at midnight, have you ever thought that they would come after you?"

"Never, I guess."

"So what if Xu Er followed you through bloody battles and sacrificed his life for you? You know that human lives are divided into different levels, so you can kill people without even blinking. Since you don't even treat human lives fairly, why do you expect me to show mercy to a scumbag?"

Song Lingyi stiffened her neck and looked at the man sitting beside the chess table with a serious look.

The room fell into a long and agonizing silence.

Xiao Mingyi's cold and unfriendly look made her slowly calm down and she began to regret her impulsiveness just now.

This man even dared to kill his own brother. What if he gets forced into a corner and stabs her with a sword?

Knock knock knock——

The atmosphere became increasingly tense when there was a sudden knock on the door of the elegant room.

"Your Highness, the second son of the Pei family requests an audience."