Chapter 64

The cloaked figure slowly raised his head, revealing his true face. "Your servant, Xiao Qi, is a palace attendant of the Jade Luan Palace."

Ling Huanchen raised his hand to open the beaded curtain, but Yun He stopped him. He looked back, only to see Yun He silently shaking her head at him. After a pause, she withdrew her hand and listened quietly.

Du Heng and Zuo Xiang looked at each other, then looked at Yu Xi at the same time, and suddenly understood.

No wonder the king only allowed the two of them to serve as jurors; it turned out he had been prepared for this very move.

Yu Xi glanced at Xiao Qi and frowned when she saw the sores on the side of his face. "What can he prove?"

The spy glanced at Xiao Qi. "He's the one who relayed messages between us and His Majesty the Central Palace. He can prove what I said is true. Xiao Qi, quickly tell King You how you relayed the message. This time, Jie Yuan's visit to the palace was also pre-arranged with His Majesty the Emperor. Jie Yuan served in his place while he returned to the city to report. The mermaids had prior dealings with Mingcheng, so it's not surprising that they're working for Mingcheng."

The words were so logical that others could not find any loopholes in them.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Qi, waiting for him, the witness, to speak.

Seeing that no one else was saying anything, Du Heng cleared his throat and said, "Witness, this matter is of grave importance. Tell the truth."

Xiao Qi leaned over, clapping his head heavily, and suddenly shouted, "Master is innocent. Master knows nothing! It's them. They arrested me and threatened me to give false testimony!"

Things suddenly took a turn for the worse. The spy rushed forward and was about to strangle Xiaoqi's neck, but was stopped by the guards.

"Think it over first, don't you want to live?"

Xiao Qi gritted his teeth, his whole body was shaking, but he looked ready to die.

"I don't need to live like this. Although I haven't studied much, I understand the principles of life and strive to do my best." Xiao Qi turned to Yu Xi and kowtowed again, "Every word I said is true. My master is innocent. These bastards want to frame me and drive a wedge between me and Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, see clearly!"

Yu Xi was silent for a long while, finally waiting for the spy's intention to set up a trap. Mingcheng's old fox knew how to attack from the weak point, targeting Ling Huanchen in every move.

"This man and his companions are useless."

"yes!"

The guards immediately blocked the spy's mouth, tied him up and dragged him away. Xiao Qi still lay on the ground without moving.

Ling Huanchen saw that the time had come and hurriedly opened the bead curtain and walked out, "Xiao Qi."

Xiao Qi looked up when she heard the voice and saw Ling Huanchen. Her eyes immediately turned red and tears flowed out. "Master."

He crawled forward a few steps, and Ling Huanchen hurriedly walked over with the support of Yunhe, squatted down and looked at him at eye level.

"Master, I have no intention of harming you. I will not harm you."

Ling Huanchen caressed his cheek distressedly, and stopped just as his fingers were about to touch the scar. "What happened? Did they torture you?"

Xiao Qi hurriedly stepped back, covering his face, "Master, they..." However, before he could finish his words, he fainted.

"Xiao Qi!"

Yu Xi had replaced Yun He and stood behind Ling Huanchen at some point. She picked him up by the waist and said to the others, "Take him back to the palace and let the imperial physician treat him." After that, she carried Ling Huanchen back without saying anything.

Ling Huanchen has been worried about Xiaoqi's condition, but Yu Xi was personally watching him, forcing him to lie on the bed and wait.

"Your Majesty, what did the physician say?"

Yu Xi pressed his solar plexus for him and said, "I asked Yunlou to come as well, don't worry."

Hearing that Ji Yunlou was there too, he felt relieved. He gradually relaxed under Yu Xi's massage and fell asleep without knowing when.

When he woke up, he was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sat up and said, "Your Majesty."

Yu Xi hurried back to the bed and held his hand, "I'm here."

"How's Xiaoqi?"

Yu Xi let him lean against the headboard, and then helped pull up the quilt. "Yunlou has already prescribed medicine. He has poison in his body, but it's not incurable. Yunlou is confident, so Huanchen can rest assured."

Ling Huanchen breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps the wisest decision he had made in this life was to take Ji Yunlou into his own hands.

"Have all the spies in Mingcheng been dealt with?"

Yu Xi brought the medicine and said, "In order to make the fake plan come true, it must be half true and half false. The other clues provided are all true. We have already sent people to catch them all."

Ling Huanchen nodded and drank the medicine obediently.

Without the Mingcheng spies causing trouble and Yu Zhao being captured, the outcome would still be unknown. Mingcheng had the Fengming Clan to support them, and so did they. This time, they had a chance of winning.

After several days of treatment, the remaining toxins in Xiaoqi's body were completely eliminated, and the scars on his face and body were reduced to only faint pink marks.

"Master, would you like to have dinner? Or tea?"

Ling Huanchen put the book down, looked up and saw a familiar smiling face, smiled too, then shook his head and wrote on the paper, "No need to be busy."

"Master, why is your voice still sore? Didn't the high priest say the remaining poison had been removed?" Xiao Qi began to worry about Ling Huanchen. His master's fate was truly unfortunate. He was presented to the palace as a tribute, and after finally gaining the king's favor, there were always people eyeing the position of Empress. One problem after another, and now he had lost his voice due to the evildoers.

Ling Huanchen didn't mind and wrote, "No problem."

Ji Yunlou had stated that his poison was linked to his illusion. Even after the illusion was resolved and the remaining poison cleared, restoring his voice would still take time. It might come suddenly, or it might take a long time. However, after the remaining poison cleared, he could walk normally again, so he was definitely improving.

Xiao Qi watched him write down the question and said hesitantly, "Nothing, nothing has happened recently, Master, just rest assured and recuperate."

Ling Huanchen knew from the look on his face that he was hiding something from him. This kid couldn't lie at all.

"Master, please stop looking at me and read a book." Xiao Qi avoided his sight and pretended to tidy up the table.

After waiting for a while, he secretly looked up and found Ling Huanchen still looking at him. He immediately gave up, "Master, oh, there's nothing else to say. It's just that there's something unusual happening in Mingcheng, and the two cities are going to fight."

The war that was supposed to start seven years from now has now been brought forward to the next year. Coming early has its advantages, as it saves you from having to worry about it all the time.

If a war breaks out between Youming and Yuxi, Yu Xi will have to lead the army in person, and he will have to take Ji Yunlou with him at that time.

Xiao Qi thought he'd ask more, but he only asked this one question and didn't ask any more. His reassured colleague was a little puzzled. Shouldn't his master ask what orders the king had given him? Or did he want to ask the king directly?

It was not until nightfall that Yu Xi returned to Yuluan Palace. He shed his fatigue, put on a relaxed smile, and went into the bedroom as usual.

"Why is Huanchen standing by the window?"

Ling Huanchen turned around, took his hand and wrote, "I lay down for a long time a few days ago."

Yu Xi smiled and said, "If you feel bored, let Yun He and the others accompany you to the Imperial Garden."

Ling Huanchen continued to write, "Is Your Majesty going to the border of Youcheng?" Mingcheng is different from other small cities, and Yu Xi will definitely go there in person.

Yu Xi paused, "Who can't control their mouth again?"

Ling Huanchen patted the back of his hand and continued writing, "I'm going too."

In this world, if you stake everything on one thing, you win together and lose together. He doesn't want to be the last person to know the news. Whether he lives or dies, he wants to be with Yu Xi first.

"No." Yu Xi put away his smile and said seriously, "I will let Yun He and other secret guards guard you in the palace. The battle between the living and the dead is inevitable. I promise to win. Wait for me to come back."

Seeing Ling Huanchen shaking his head and looking at him persistently, Yu Xi steeled himself and pulled his hand away, turning away from him. He knew that if he looked any longer, he would compromise again. But with two cities at war, swords were merciless, and many unknowns awaited him. He wasn't sure he could protect him.

"Your Majesty."

Yu Xi was stunned for a moment when he heard the voice, then turned around and looked at Ling Huanchen uncertainly. Only when he heard the person on the other side shout again did he confirm that he had heard correctly.

It seemed like he hadn't heard Ling Huanchen's voice for a long time.

"Huanchen, you, you can speak now?"

Ling Huanchen didn't know how he could speak suddenly. This might be the opportunity that Ji Yunlou mentioned.

"Your Majesty, I want to go with you." Before Yu Xi could speak, he put his hand on her lips. "I know the danger and the severity of this. I have thought it over. I promise to stay in the rear camp and never put myself in danger. Yu Xi, let me accompany you."

After a while, Yu Xi sighed softly. He knew that he had no way to refuse any request from Ling Huanchen.

"good."

Ling Huanchen got the answers he wanted. He took Yu Xi's hand, led her to the bed, and personally undressed her.

"Huanchen, these things don't have to happen..."

Ling Huanchen didn't stop his work and raised his eyes and said, "Your Majesty has worked hard and is about to go to war. I will serve you once."

Before his robe was undone, Yu Xi had already carried her onto the bed, and the curtains fell, blocking out the beautiful scene in the room.

Three days later, Yu Xi officially led his troops to war. Zuo Xiang and Yu Zhao were left in the royal city to take charge of the battle, while Ling Huanchen and Ji Yunlou accompanied the army.

It took nearly seven days and seven nights to march to the border between Youming and Ming cities. The war had already started in the front, and the arrival of the king undoubtedly boosted the morale of the entire army.

Ji Yunlou shared the same tent with the generals, while Ling Huanchen was placed in the king's tent.

As soon as he arrived at the camp, Yu Xi and the generals went to the front camp and were determined to personally arrange the troops.

Ling Huanchen came out of the royal tent and saw Ji Yunlou treating the wounded soldiers.

"The wound isn't deep. Apply the medicine pack to the wound and it will heal overnight."

Seeing the wounded soldiers thanking him profusely, Ling Huanchen stood in front of the tent and waited for a while. Ji Yunlou saw him only when he stood up after settling the wounded soldiers.

"Your Highness."

Ling Huanchen smiled and said, "With Yunlou here, the military doctors will finally have time to treat more people."

Ji Yunlou nodded, "I am only trying my best to help."

"Yunlou is too modest." Ling Huanchen looked towards the distant battle, "Were the casualties in Youcheng heavy?"

"It's still okay. I heard that at the moment, we have the upper hand."

Ling Huanchen nodded, his gaze gradually becoming distant. He thought that as long as he could eliminate the involvement of the Fengming Clan, a simple battle would not be a problem for Yu Xi.

The author has something to say:

Thank you "Lanlin" and "Baby" for the nutrient solution encouragement!