Chapter 34

In the meeting room of the Prince of Xiyi’s residence.

"Your Highness!" Liefeng flashed in and interrupted Gong Yuchen's thoughts.

"What's the matter?" Gong Yuchen raised his head.

"Li Fei, Master Li is here.

"Please ask him to come in."

"Gong Yuchen, I'm sorry to bother you."

"Sit down!" Gong Yuchen invited Li Fei to sit down and waved his hand.

"Tea, please." There were two cups of tea on the coffee table, which had obviously just been poured.

"Thank you." Li Fei sat down and looked at him calmly.

"I'm sorry to bother visiting you because I have something I hope you can help me with."

Last night, Yi Luoyue sent someone to inform him that he had reached an agreement with Gong Yuchen regarding the incident three years ago, and asked him to discuss it in detail with Gong Yuchen. He also thought it was a good idea. If he had to choose between the virtuous king and the Cheng king, he would definitely choose the Cheng king. The Cheng king was kind and friendly, and with the Cheng king's noble character, Gong Yuchen, as his close friend, was a suitable ally in every way.

"I don't like beating around the bush. What do you want from me today? Just tell me straight away."

Gong Yuchen picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and observed his reaction.

Although he hadn't had much contact with Li Fei, he knew he was a secretive man. As Wu Cheng's most trusted son, how could he possibly be the idle son of an aristocratic family that everyone saw? Based on the intelligence he'd gathered, Li Fei not only systematically managed most of the family's assets but also engaged in activities that neither he nor King Cheng could uncover. Despite his deliberate attempts to conceal his true identity, he was likely a martial artist. His steady steps and nimble movements meant he was undoubtedly skilled, but why did he constantly appear weak?

Somewhat doubting his ability, Gong Yuchen deliberately knocked over the teacup on the table without any warning. Unexpectedly, Li Fei quickly picked up the teacup as soon as it fell, and put it back on the table with the cup and saucer, without a drop of tea exposed.

"I hope I didn't disappoint His Highness." Li Fei knew that Gong Yuchen was testing him intentionally. Since he needed to ask for help from others, he also needed to show due sincerity.

This move of his really won Gong Yuchen's attention.

Since he could see through his intentions, he was obviously a smart man. This was one of the reasons for calling him here. The other reason was that he wanted to know what role he played next to Yi Luoyue.

"There are two things today. You tell your story first." Gong Yuchen gestured for him to speak first.

This kind of thing needs to be resolved quickly, so Li Fei counted a few times in his heart before speaking.

"Okay, in that case, I'll be frank. Gong Yuchen, what is your attitude towards Xue'er?"

"Do you like her?"

"If possible, I hope to marry her." Li Fei looked straight into his eyes without being humble or arrogant.

"Do you think her father would approve?"

"It's not impossible, if you can help."

"Let's be frank. We've sent people to investigate your Li family... Of course, you're one of them, but your identity doesn't seem simple. It's hard for me not to doubt your motives."

He was puzzled, but he had time to figure it out today.

"Mingxue is just a girl from the boudoir. She doesn't understand the court and power struggles. Besides, how could you fall in love with her given your own conditions?"

"Getting along with her is simple and down-to-earth. She always shows her truest side, regardless of poverty or wealth. You may not believe me when I say this, but she not only looks ordinary, but also has a weird personality and is extremely dull. She is the most unromantic woman I have ever met, but these are also what attracts me." Li Fei's heart warmed when Gong Mingxue was mentioned.

This Li Fei seemed to have a bit of a normal mind. It was the first time he saw someone praising someone's shortcomings as strengths. But from this, it could be seen that he really liked Ming Xue. Seeing his serious look, what he said must be true.

"You want to marry Mingxue, but what can you do for her?" As Mingxue's happiness is at stake, he has to keep a close eye on it as her brother.

"Did you know that her father has been hoping for me to marry her as the Crown Princess for many years?"

"I know this very well. I also know that if you really liked her, she would have been your Crown Princess by now."

It's quite clear.

"But I also know that although Lord Gong loves Mingxue, he loves his son more. After all, having a son-in-law of noble status can help his son no matter what."

"Now that you know this, with your current status, what qualifications do you have to think that he will marry Mingxue to you?"

"I know I may not be able to give her the status of Crown Princess or Queen, but I can make her the only woman in my life, Li Fei's only wife. Besides, my family background is not bad. If you do me a favor, I can still qualify."

Even if it is difficult, she is worth his desperate fight.

"What do you want me to do?" If he could do so much for Mingxue, instead of tying Mingxue to himself, maybe it would be a better choice for Mingxue to be with him.

"You just need to refuse the marriage, and I will take care of the rest."

"But what good will it do me if you reject the marriage proposal, Brother Li?" She picked up the teapot and poured him a new cup of tea.

"Brother Gongyu said that, so he agreed!"

"You are a talented person. Although I don't know why you hide your strength, if you can do this for Mingxue, I can help you." Besides, helping you is equivalent to helping me. Of course, this is what he really thinks.

Li Fei's identity remained a closely guarded secret. Unbeknownst to the world, King Yi doted on Yi Luoyue to such an extent that even though she was only a princess, he assigned her a special secret guard. These guards were known only to a handful of people, operating outside the court's control. Unbeknownst to even the two princes, they answered only to Yi Luoyue, with Li Fei as their leader.

As the Empress's maternal family, the Li family naturally understood the principle of shared prosperity and shared suffering. Furthermore, Yi Luoyue was the only daughter in the family, and her cousins ​​doted on her with unwavering affection. Li Fei, in particular, knew his mission from a young age: as a legitimate brother, he would protect the family's honor, while he would safeguard Yi Luoyue's safety. Although he was required to swear an oath as leader of the secret guards to care for her, love her, and never oppose her wishes, he truly cherished her, treating her like a precious jewel.

"Brother Gongyu, as long as you are willing to help, Li Fei will owe you a favor. If you need me in the future, please feel free to ask for my help."

"I've made a note. I can refuse this marriage, but it has to wait until after Princess Qiri's birthday banquet."

He paused.

"However, based on my understanding of Mingxue's father, before that, I suggest you seek an imperial decree granting the marriage. I just don't know if His Majesty will agree."

"That's not a problem. I can ask my cousin Luo Yue to help me."

"As far as I know, His Majesty has always wanted you to become the prince consort? Why did you give up?" If Li Fei was interested in the position of prince consort, it would be difficult to determine whether he would win or lose.

"It should be like you and Mingxue, right? Luoyue is my favorite sister, that's all."

"By the way, there is one thing I think you should know. I am not the only one that Your Majesty has chosen as a husband for your cousin Luo Yue."

"What did you say?" He hadn't expected that His Majesty actually had a favorite candidate besides Li Fei! Who could it be?

"Do you know who it is?" Gong Yuchen asked uncomfortably.

"His Majesty has not told Luo Yue explicitly, but is just waiting for cousin Luo Yue to speak. As long as she says she likes him, His Majesty will agree to the marriage." Since Gong Yuchen helped him, they can reciprocate and become a family, so he is very happy to serve.

Looking at Gong Yuchen with a serious expression, he was right. The reason why Gong Yuchen agreed to his rejection of the marriage proposal was probably because of his cousin Luo Yue. To be honest, for Xiao Yue'er, they were like a family, but how far they could go was not something he could participate in.

"Shouldn't we talk about another issue?"

"Tell me, what exactly happened three years ago? Why did you look for a woman? And who was that woman?"

"Qin Ying was once a third-class maid beside the Queen."

"What did she do?"

"Did you know that three years ago, the Queen went to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager and her cousin Luo Yue, and that both the Queen and the Empress Dowager contracted a serious illness and died?"

"Yes, the whole country was in mourning for a month."

"Then do you know what kind of disease it is?"

"I don't know."

“It’s an epidemic.”

"Epidemic!?" Gong Yuchen never thought that the Queen and the Empress Dowager would die from an epidemic.

"But there are imperial physicians in the palace, and the food they come into contact with has been strictly inspected. Even if they contract an epidemic, it shouldn't be fatal."

He hadn't heard of any outbreak of an epidemic in Yidu, so even if there was an epidemic, it should be a common one with limited spread and would most likely be curable.

"You are right. The reason why the Queen Dowager and the Empress died was because the Queen Dowager was old and the Empress happened to be pregnant."

"What did you say? The Queen is pregnant?"

"Yes! All these years later, we all thought he died of an illness. Half a year ago, Luo Yue accidentally discovered that the so-called epidemic might have been deliberately caused by someone."

The news was so shocking that Gong Yuchen was unable to react for a while.

"Go on."

"It all started one day when Luo Yue happened to be passing by the backyard and overheard a conversation between two maids. It turned out that a maid had disappeared before the epidemic, and the epidemic started after her disappearance. No one had originally connected the two events, but it was said that this maid happened to be a third-class maid serving the Queen. She had rarely interacted with others during the Queen's travels, and upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, she claimed to be unwell, but took the initiative to do the laundry. Then, just before the epidemic broke out in the Imperial Palace, she disappeared."

"Later, Luo Yue investigated the maids who had accompanied the empress to the palace and discovered that the water she had used for washing clothes was actually drawn from an abandoned well. She then investigated the well and found the remains of a woman inside. However, after examination by the coroner, it turned out that the body was not that of the maid."

"Did Luo Yue get sick back then?" Although he knew she was fine, he still couldn't help but feel shocked.

"Yes, but it was discovered early, and coupled with her youth and good health, she recovered quickly. However, the Empress Dowager and the Empress were not so lucky. The Empress died of two deaths. At the time, the Empress was over three months pregnant, and the imperial physician's pulse diagnosis revealed that she was expecting a prince."