Chapter 121: Meeting Princess Jin at night, do you like this?

The climate in Xizhou is dry and cold. I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night from the sound of fireflies and saw a hazy figure sitting outside the tent. I was startled and quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep before I could shout out.

But then he heard the man outside chuckle softly and say, "Your aura has changed."

Cong Ying couldn't pretend anymore, so he sighed, stood up, put on his inner clothes, and opened the green tent.

Xie Xuanlan sat with his legs crossed at the window table opposite the bunk bed, reading her half-written letter to the Prince of Jin in the moonlight.

She wanted to tell King Jin about the imperial edict and ask him to find out the reason behind it. However, she had not yet figured out how to express it, so she did not put pen to paper. The first half of the letter contained only simple greetings and ordinary concerns, as well as a description of her experiences in Tiehuaer City.

Although it was only a few words, Xie Xuanlan felt very uncomfortable. He said, "I have been in Xizhou for so long and have never received a single word from you. Yet, you treated him so attentively, writing to him on the first day you arrived."

He read the letter in front of Ying, then crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the charcoal stove where sparks were flickering and about to go out.

Cong Ying frowned at the flame and said, "You're not sleeping so late at night, are you trying to embarrass me?"

Xie Xuanlan nodded: "Yes, that's right."

He stood up and walked towards her, holding her hand as she was about to take down the green curtain to keep him out.

He rested one leg against the edge of the bed and, with a single lean, encircled her against the headboard. The moonlight tonight was bright, just like their wedding night, except there were no candles burning brightly, no shy smiles from the beauties. In the dry, cold night of Xizhou, beneath the silvery moonlight, only a pair of eyes, mingled with love and hate, met another pair of clear, sharp eyes.

Xie Xuanlan asked her, "Why on earth did you come to Xizhou?"

Cong Ying said, "Because I don't want you to rebel, and I don't want you to be left with nowhere to go."

He smiled: "So, it's for me?"

That smile seemed ironic, and Zong Ying's eyelashes fell lightly: "If you don't believe it, then it doesn't matter."

"I believe it, but I also need you to let me believe it."

He lifted her chin and lowered his head to kiss her. Zong Ying tilted her head slightly, and the kiss fell on the corner of her lips. After a slight pause, he sucked hard, and the tip of his teeth left a shallow mark on her jaw.

Cong Ying did not struggle. Since she had come this far, struggling was meaningless.

But she still had to make her stance clear: "To outsiders, I am the imperial envoy and the Princess of Jin. I have come to Xizhou to announce the imperial decree and reassure the generals. If I were to have an affair with you here, and word got out, it would make people think I was unfair and discredit me. They would suspect that my words and actions were not on behalf of the court, but were directed by you. Then my purpose for coming here would be defeated."

Her attitude was too rational and calm, and the more so, the more infuriating it became.

Xie Xuanlan sneered, "You and I once swore homage to heaven and earth and signed a marriage certificate, but now, in your mouth, it's become an adulterous marriage. Jiang Congying, you're planning to turn your back on us, aren't you?"

Cong Ying said, "No."

But it was really difficult for her to explain. After all, her feelings for Sanlang and the King of Jin were genuine. If she told the truth, it would only add fuel to the fire. If she used clever words to deceive, it was not what she wanted to do.

She simply stopped talking and changed her mind. She took the initiative to hug him, tilted her neck up and kissed his thin lips.

He had drunk wine at the banquet, but now he had no smell of alcohol on his face. His breath was filled with the cool fragrance of a fresh bath, which had once made her dream about him.

When their lips parted for a moment, she said, "So, do you want to believe it?"

Xie Xuanlan looked at her with a gloomy gaze: "I didn't come to you just for this."

Cong Ying said, "If it weren't for this, you should go back early to avoid General Sun's suspicion and gossip in the future."

Xie Xuanlan refused to give up: "You really don't have anything else to explain to me?"

He really wanted to know how much of her tender affection for the Prince of Jin, their loving relationship, was genuine, and how much of it was genuine? How much of it was actually genuine, and how much of it was actually genuine? A heart is so small, how could it possibly hold two people at once? If he and the Prince of Jin stood before her at the same time, which one would she choose?

Xie Xuanlan hopes that she can confess on her own initiative. Considering their past affection, perhaps their relationship can still be saved.

Cong Ying thought for a moment and said, "You must return the imperial edict to me and change the content. When you summon Zhiyuan to transfer grain in the future, you should avoid revealing any loopholes—"

Before he could finish his words, Xie Xuanlan stood up, threw away the green tent, and turned away, unable to bear it any longer.

Cong Ying huddled in her heatless quilt, tossing and turning, sighing constantly. Sometimes she worried about the court's attitude toward Xie Xuanlan, sometimes she was melancholy about the relationship between them. Feeling cold and worried, she completely lost the desire to sleep.

Just as I was about to get up and rewrite the letter, I suddenly heard a noise outside the window.

It turned out to be Xie Xuanlan who had returned.

The biting cold wind outside chilled his heart and calmed his mind. Countless sorrows turned into a desire for revenge, driving him to turn back the way he had come.

"I think what you just said makes a lot of sense."

Cong Ying looked at him from under the covers, puzzled, "What?"

Xie Xuanlan smiled and said, "If I ask too many questions, nothing good will happen tonight. If we can't be in love with each other, it's good to sleep peacefully in this muddle-headed way. The long night is enough to comfort the loneliness."

From Ying's heart, that wasn't what she meant.

Xie Xuanlan raised his hand to remove his belt, and while unbuttoning his clothes, he looked down at her with an extremely presumptuous and aggressive look, as if he was calculating where to start tearing her apart and eating her.

When his cool hands grasped her ankles, Zong Ying shivered all over. She was already cold enough, and he brought in the chill of the frosty night, making her so cold that she couldn't help but curl up inward.

But he was locked up tightly, with his knees and wrists unable to move, as if he was wearing a yoke in his quilt.

The delicate kisses moved along the corner of her temple to her ear. His breath was hot, and the collision of hot and cold made her feel itchy.

He smiled in her ear and said, "Let's make a confession first. Tonight, I'm being ungentlemanly and forcing it on you. If he asks about it in the future, it won't be difficult for you. How about it, Princess Jin, do you like this?"

Cong Ying looked up and blocked his mouth.

The coldness soon dissipated, and later I began to sweat from the heat, and a spring atmosphere filled the green tent.

The young body was filled with endless desires, love and hate. Zong Ying only had the strength to breathe. One wrist stretched out from the green tent, but was dragged back into the storm.

"It's hot..." Her thirsty voice sounded a little pitiful.

Her body felt lighter and she was finally able to breathe a little. After a while, a cup of water warmed on the stove was handed to her.

Moonlight filtered through the gap between the green tents, allowing Ying to clearly see the interweaving of old and new scars on his body. The newest one was on his shoulder, washed red by a light layer of sweat, making it look as bright red as a peach blossom.

She felt extremely distressed, and she stroked his side with her fingertips, asking him how he got injured.

Xie Xuanlan was unmoved. He grabbed her hand and walked downstairs, saying, "Instead of wasting your energy on these false pretenses, why not promise me some more benefits?"

They tossed and turned all night, as if they were going to die together.

It was not until she faintly heard the crowing of a rooster that she regained some consciousness and pushed him: "Hurry up and go."

Xie Xuanlan chuckled softly in her ear, "The wind and rain are dark, the cocks are crowing, and seeing a gentleman like you, how can I not be happy? You should have kept me."

Cong Ying said, "You are not a gentleman."

"Who is it, the King of Jin?"

Cong Ying sighed deeply and wondered why he brought up this pot again.

Fortunately, Xie Xuanlan was not completely stupid and did not plan to stay until the maids came in. After asking for favors again, he got up and dressed, and then he fished out Cong Ying who was buried in the quilt with a refreshed mind.

He said to her, "I'll come to see you again tonight. Let's get to know each other better in Xizhou a few more times. Then I'll be able to go to the Prince of Jin's mansion to see you easily in the future, right?"

This man was so angry that he became as invulnerable as gold and stone. He no longer exploded with a single poke like before, and became even more difficult to deal with.

Cong Ying pulled out a buckwheat pillow with all her strength and threw it at him: "Get out of here!"

She thought to herself, Prince Jin treats her better. Since they are both Sanlang, why is Prince Jin more considerate than him?

＊

In fact, except Cong Ying, no one thinks that Prince Jin has anything to do with the word "considerate".

Ever since Princess Jin left the capital, the Yunjing government has become a hell of turmoil, and Prince Jin is the black hand behind this chaos.

He invited Xie Xiang to have a private talk and told him that he already knew his life experience. He was the illegitimate child left by his one-night stand with the eldest princess, and the two were father and son by blood.

Although Prime Minister Xie did not want to acknowledge Prince Jin as his adopted son, he was very interested in his next proposal: Prince Jin said he was willing to join forces with the Xie family to overthrow King Ying in exchange for the Xie family's support in his fight with the noble lord for the position of crown prince.

Prince Jin knew Prime Minister Xie intimately and understood what he cared about most. He addressed him, "A nephew, no matter how close, is not as good as a son. While the child in Concubine Xie's womb may carry Xie's blood, it's not a proper member of the Xie family. But I am different. If Prime Minister can help me seize the throne, I promise you that upon my ascension, I will announce to the world that you are my biological father. Following the example of the previous dynasty, I will honor you as the Supreme Emperor. Only then will the Xiao family's empire truly become the Xie family's. Isn't this easier and more legitimate than your hope of first becoming Huo Guang and then usurping the throne?"

His words hit the nail on the head for Xie Xiang.

This is a win-win plan. If successful, Prince Jin will be able to ascend to the throne. Therefore, Prime Minister Xie did not think that Prince Jin would deceive him, and the two reached a cooperation.

Unfortunately, the Prince of Jin fell ill the next day. Before he fell ill, he sent someone to secretly deliver a stack of books, which clearly recorded the interactions between the King of England and court officials, including where they gathered on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, what gifts they received, and what words they said that were tantamount to treason. The content was so detailed and accurate, as if it were the daily records written by the lice on the King of England's head.

Xie Xiangru was overjoyed to obtain the treasure, so he summoned all the censors under his command and compared the "Daily Notes" to impeach the officials under the King of England one by one, with every sentence implicating the King of England.

The most important thing is that the King of England colluded with the eunuch Xue Huanjin to spy on the Holy Word. The King of England's palace also copied out the treasonous letters between the two. The letters recorded that Xue Huanjin pretended to be the Lord and made things difficult for the family of the old Censor Jiang. In fact, he was entrusted by the King of England to ruin the Lord's reputation.

Once this matter was exposed, Emperor Fengqi completely lost interest in his brother. He summoned the three courts to hold a joint trial and convicted the King of Ying within half a month.

He was demoted to a commoner and exiled to Guangnan.

The line of British kings, which was once so powerful and was believed by the world to be about to ascend to the throne, fell.

However, the turmoil in the court did not end there.

About ten days later, a woman with a tattoo on her face came to the capital to beat the drum to report the incident. It turned out to be the Princess of England who was supposed to be in exile.

Holding a sharp knife as evidence, she cried out that Prime Minister Xie was cruel and merciless, and had sent people to kill the King of England during his exile.

She cried before the onlookers, the Emperor, and Concubine Xie, "My brother, Xie Huanzhi, is a beast without human ethics! He only cares about Xie's rebellious cause, completely disregarding brotherly love, loyalty between ruler and subject! Concubine, you and I are both his sisters. If he can harm me today, won't he harm you in the future?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar, and Concubine Xie also changed her expression.

Then, as if it had been rehearsed in advance, the second scene began: the King's followers who had not been wiped out jointly wrote a letter to accuse Prime Minister Xie of conspiracy and conspiracy.

The pile of diary records that Prince Jin gave to Prime Minister Xie were not all true. There were also a few false records, which were proved to be false at this time and became evidence of Xie's party's favoritism and frame-up.

Only then did Prime Minister Xie become suspicious of Prince Jin's intentions, but Prince Jin had been ill for a month. Who would believe that this matter was related to Prince Jin if he told others about it?

Although the Prince of Jin pretended to be sick, he sneaked into the palace through the flying inn of Princess Chun'an's residence and secretly met someone, Concubine Xie.

He said to Concubine Xie, "You and Prime Minister Xie have missed a very important point. The lack of an heir in the six harems is not because the Emperor is unable to have children, but because he does not want to. Even after the death of the previous Empress, the Emperor took a sterilizing drug. He has already decided to leave the throne to you, my lady. Therefore, the Emperor has long known that the child in your belly is a bastard."

Concubine Xie's face was pale, and she was trembling all over, protecting her bulging belly: "He tricked me... He tricked me!"

This "he" might refer to Emperor Fengqi, or it might refer to Prime Minister Xie. Neither her husband nor her brother were good men, and Concubine Xie was caught in the struggle between these two men, cautiously dreaming of her son's status as a mother, only to realize at this moment that it was a huge joke.

"You have two options."

The King of Jin looked at her with pity and said, "One is to hang yourself on this tree with the child in your belly. The other is to expose the crime of Xie Xiang for confusing the royal bloodline. I promise you that I can spare the life of your unborn child."

Concubine Xie couldn't stop crying and didn't say anything for a long time.

"You should think it over carefully." Prince Jin said this and left the Imperial Concubine's Palace.

All these conversations were relayed to your lord by the palace maid behind the partition. At that time, your lord was discussing matters with the Prince of Jin, and he pondered for a long time after listening to them.

It was not until this moment that she began to understand a little bit of the King of Jin's style of doing things.

She asked, "The reason you allowed Ah Ying to go to Xizhou was so you could avoid her and take advantage of the opportunity to attack the Xie family? Were you afraid that the Xie family would implicate her?"

Prince Jin did not deny it: "Aying has always been kind-hearted. I am afraid that she will be sad if she sees it with her own eyes."

The noble lady asked, "Aren't you afraid that she will hate you? Actually, it would be more appropriate for me to do these things."

The Prince of Jin smiled faintly and said, "I am a dying man, and I may not be lucky enough to see her one last time. It doesn't matter if she hates me. But the princess and Aying must be king and subject for life. The more pure and sincere their love, the better. Don't let any rifts arise."