Chapter 44 He was always worried if he wasn't allowed to write.

They did not participate in the Yu family's affairs. After bidding farewell to Master Yu, who repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay for dinner, the three returned to the inn.

Seventeen asked curiously, "Your Highness, what did you mean by what you said at the Yu family?"

Long Zhaoming paused for a moment, and was about to speak when Mingyue explained for him, "Yu Huixin has the qualifications and the courage to join the army."

"join the army?"

Seventeen tilted her head and thought for a moment. This did seem to fit Yu Huixin's personality, so she said "Oh" and didn't say anything more.

"What are Your Highness's plans for the future?"

As Mingyue poured tea for them, she asked, "I'm flattered. I respectfully placed the teacup in the cup and pondered for a moment before saying, 'This bandit camp must be eliminated. I suspect the person behind them probably doesn't know that this group is committing crimes in Fenglin Town. However, we haven't yet found the exact location of the weapons. If something goes wrong...'"

“I have an idea. Why don’t we send troops here to ambush them first, so as not to attract the attention of those bandits? In the meantime, Seventeen and I will go again to see if we can win over Xie Qingyan.”

Long Zhaoming nodded, agreeing with Mingyue's idea. Seventeen looked left and right, and it seemed that between His Highness and Brother Yue, Brother Yue was more dominant.

It's so strange. He'd always felt that the atmosphere between His Highness and Yue-ge was odd, but he'd never quite figured out exactly what was strange about it.

"Let's do it this way for now. These guys are definitely not clean either."

No sooner said than done, Long Zhaoming had just sent out the message when Mingyue and Seventeen had already returned to their familiar spot.

It was just past noon, and Xie Qingyan was lying on the bed taking a nap. His face was very pale, and he looked very unwell.

Seventeen gently nudged Mingyue beside her and asked in a low voice, "Is he unwell?"

"His breathing is weak and shallow, as if he has a chronic illness..."

Mingyue frowned slightly. The Xie family... was seriously ill. Could it not be the Xie family he knew?

Seventeen, who was standing nearby, did not notice Mingyue's deep thoughts. He was just looking at Xie Qingyan on the bed and thinking about how to win this person over to his side.

Just then, Xie Qingyan, who was lying on the bed, opened his eyes and looked straight at the place where Seventeen and Mingyue were squatting.

Seventeen was startled. Mingyue immediately pulled him back, and the force and warm touch on his waist made Seventeen pause slightly.

"Distinguished guests, please come down and have a talk."

Xie Qingyan's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable certainty, as if he had known all along that there were two people watching him.

Seventeen was surprised. His lightness skill was so good that he could almost fool everyone. Xie Qingyan... For a moment, he was also a little nervous and flustered.

Mingyue, who was supporting his lower back from behind, remained calm and said in a low voice, "Go down."

Two figures leaped down from above and landed on the ground without making a sound, as nimble as two cats.

Xie Qingyan coughed lightly, glanced at Seventeen, then at Mingyue, and let out a puzzled "Eh."

Mingyue remained calm and asked, "When did you discover it?"

"Ahem, you noticed it when you came over last night."

Mingyue remained silent, walked over and stood by the bed, placing her hand directly on Xie Qingyan's pulse.

Seventeen was shocked and was about to say something when Xie Qingyan interrupted her: "I have been ill since childhood and I don't have many years left to live. That's the truth."

He chuckled softly after speaking, then coughed twice. Mingyue remained calm, but her words left Xie Qingyan speechless: "It can be cured."

Xie Qingyan was stunned, and after a long while, she stammered, "Wh-what?"

“You have a foundation in martial arts, so this poison has been suppressed and can be cured, but you will lose all your martial arts skills.”

Xie Qingyan was still in a daze for a long time, somewhat incredulous: "I can't use my skills now, they're ruined... Can they really be cured? Who... who are you people?"

Mingyue chuckled lightly, "Only now do you think of asking about our identities?"

"Please don't be offended, but I simply couldn't attend to it."

Seventeen also stepped forward. Xie Qingyan carefully examined the two of them. They did not seem to be guards of any wealthy merchant in Fenglin Town. Could they not be from Yu Huixin's household?

“We heard from Yu Huixin that you are collecting evidence of the evil deeds committed by this band of mountain bandits.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyan understood the purpose of the two men, and a strange sense of joy welled up in his heart, along with a hint of anticipation.

"Yes, I was raised in the Xie family since I was a child, but I know that I am not their biological child. They... poisoned me so that they could control me, and they also intended to rebel."

The words about losing one's head were uttered so casually by Xie Qingyan.

Tell me about it.

Seeing that the two men remained so calm upon hearing of the treason, Xie Qingyan's guess inevitably shifted: Could it be some high-ranking official? Yu Huixin was right after all.

“They were very secretive in their actions. I was poisoned for many years, and I was only told the truth on my coming-of-age day. They threatened me with poison, saying that if I didn’t help them, I would die.”

Xie Qingyan coughed again as he spoke, just then there were two knocks on the door: "Brother Xie, how are you?"

"Cough cough, it's nothing, I just got up a little too quickly."

Just as someone approached, Seventeen and Mingyue instantly concealed their presence and were not detected.

Judging from this, Xie Qingyan's skills are not bad; perhaps he was just hampered by the poison.

Hearing the footsteps outside gradually fade away, Xie Qingyan paused for a moment and said, "I don't actually know much. They still don't trust me very much. The reason they let me follow them is because they know that this bandit leader is unreliable. Hmph, sure enough, he's been bullying people in Fenglin Town without the Xie family's knowledge."

Mingyue stroked her chin and pondered for a moment before asking, "So you're essentially condoning what these people did and even helping to cover it up?"

Xie Qingyan was silent for a while, then gently shook his head and said, "None of these people have been innocent. I tried to stop them at first, but because of my special status, I not only failed to stop them, but they also mocked me for a long time. After a while, I thought it would be better to collect evidence of their evil deeds and hand it over if there is an opportunity in the future."

"Didn't you consider what if you couldn't hand it over?"

"They have never doubted me."

Xie Qingyan spoke tactfully, but Mingyue understood perfectly. This was a two-pronged plan. If the rebellion succeeded, he, as a pawn of the Xie family, would still have a chance to survive. If it failed, the evidence he had would be enough to save his life.

He's not at a loss either way.

"You're having a good time, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger."

Mingyue's voice contained no hint of sarcasm; it seemed she was genuinely praising Xie Qingyan.

Seventeen also realized what was happening and felt a little uncomfortable, but he understood that if he were Xie Qingyan, he would probably make the same choice.

The realization that things in the world are not simply black and white made him sigh.

"Are you coming with us?"

Xie Qingyan nodded: "I've finished collecting all the evidence against this group. If you need it, I can hand it over now. It's just a pity about the Xie family..."

"They've been planning this for years, how could they let you find out so easily?"

Mingyue wasn't particularly disappointed, at least now he knew that besides the Zhou family, the Xie family was also involved in the plot.

"Tell us where you hid the weapons. Someone will come to take down this gang of thieves later, and then we'll come to pick you up."

Xie Qingyan nodded, trusting the two men completely. Perhaps it was because the tall man gave him a somewhat familiar feeling, which naturally made him feel trusting.

Seventeen and Mingyue quickly retreated outside and returned to the inn before nightfall.

Long Zhaoming had been waiting there for a while. Mingyue recounted the evidence she had obtained and the events that had transpired, and finally said, "I looked through the evidence on the way here, and there's nothing wrong with it."

"Yes, I have notified the nearby garrison and asked them to come quickly. They should arrive tonight."

Seventeen listened to the conversation between the two, resting his chin on his hand. He was impressed by their comprehensive understanding and couldn't help but sigh. It was one thing for His Highness to be so capable, but Yue was also incredibly skilled. He could even see a hint of His Majesty's influence in Yue's every move.

If I were to stay by His Majesty's side for many years, would I also become this powerful?

Thinking of His Majesty, Seventeen's thoughts drifted away again. She wondered how things were in Yejing, and how His Majesty was doing.

"...Seventeen? Seventeen?"

Seventeen only snapped out of her reverie when she heard someone call her name. His Highness and Yue-ge were looking at her with concern: "Little Seventeen, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly freeze up?"

"Ah...no, no, Your Highness and Brother Yue have already discussed it?"

Long Zhaoming nodded with a smile, glancing at Mingyue beside him out of the corner of his eye, and laughed loudly, "What is Little Seventeen thinking about? You're almost mesmerized."

"I'm thinking of Your Majesty, Your Highness. May I write a letter and send it back to Yejing?"

Seventeen remembered the interrupted letter-sending incident. At that time, he learned that His Majesty was seriously ill, and in his panic, he had completely forgotten about it. Although he slowly realized that it might have been His Majesty's plan, he still couldn't recall sending the letter.

Just now, Seventeen felt his heart was flying back to Yejing, wanting to know how His Majesty was doing, what the situation was like in Yejing, and whether His Majesty... was also worried about him like this.

Seeing that Seventeen was once again immersed in his own world, Long Zhaoming suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up and looked at Mingyue with his eyes conveying his message: Your Majesty is truly blessed.

Mingyue ignored him, but looked at Seventeen with calm eyes, and then said in a low voice: "Okay, you can write it. Have Zero Five send it back later."

"good!"

Seventeen was overjoyed. After hurriedly saying goodbye, she returned to her room, found paper and pen, and began to think about what to write.

While Seventeen was still basking in his joy, the two left behind fell into silence.

Long Zhaoming felt as if he had sensed something, but he couldn't quite believe it.

"Are you really writing it?"

“I’m always worried if I don’t let him write, so I’ll just write him another reply.”

Mingyue remained calm, as if her momentary loss of control in front of Long Zhaoming was an illusion, but Long Zhaoming knew it was not.

"No, Your Majesty, you...you chose to make things this way, and now you still..."

Sometimes Long Zhaoming really wanted to kneel down and beg himself not to know his elder brother so well. He really didn't want to be used as a joke between the two of them.