Chapter 117 Chapter 117 The Winner Takes All

King Yi's generous donation made this flower viewing banquet a great success.

Mrs. Qin didn't dare to act rashly again. She glanced at her stepdaughter who didn't even look at her, and went home in shame.

After the government checked the donations from each government office one by one, only King Yi, Nan Xu and others were left in the restaurant.

What should have been a joyful scene was now silent and still.

"Commander Xiao," Nan Xu looked around, her gaze finally locked on Xiao Jing. "You knew His Highness would come, didn't you?"

Xiao Jing stood in front of the window with her arms folded, looking at the servants who were cleaning up the mess downstairs, and was a little afraid to meet her gaze.

Seeing this situation, Nan Xu had nothing to understand.

She laughed miserably and fell into the armchair as if she had lost all her strength.

"Ah Xu!" Yin Ruizhu called out to her worriedly, hurriedly sitting beside her and whispering, "What's wrong? His Highness is still here. Are you asking me this? Are you trying to save yourself?"

Although Nan Xu is related to King Yi, there is a difference between the monarch and the subject. Now is not the time when the previous emperor was in power. King Yi has been in Shu for two years. It is difficult for outsiders to guess whether his character remains the same or what he is planning in secret.

Yin Ruizhu was afraid that Nan Xu would anger King Yi.

But among all the people present, she seemed to be the only one who had this worry.

"He won't." Nan Xu looked at King Yi steadily. His voice, though soft, was extremely firm. "Your Highness used me to achieve his goal. He must be grateful to me right now. How could he blame me?"

She suddenly stood up again, her eyes blazing with flames, almost burning a hole in Prince Yi. "But I just want to ask, Your Highness, have you ever thought about the Concubine Dowager and the Yong'an Marquisate far away in Kyoto? I also want to ask, Second Brother, have you ever thought about your parents and the whole family?"

Her words were fierce, but no one seemed surprised by the "Second Brother" she mentioned. Only Yin Ruizhu opened her lips in astonishment, her face full of confusion.

King Yi covered his lips and coughed twice, then called out meaningfully, "Ah Xu."

Nan Xu sneered and raised her lips: "Your Highness, please don't address me like that. I can't bear it."

"How dare you!" A figure emerged from behind the screen and shouted, "Who allowed you to be so disrespectful to His Highness?"

It was none other than Nan Yiling, the second son of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion.

He bowed to Prince Yi and looked at Nan Xu with disappointment. "Your Highness should have inherited the throne. You were taught by Your Highness when you were young. Now Your Highness is simply trying to use the disaster in Shu to win back the hearts of the people. It's a blessing for you that he's using you as a hand. How can you complain?"

Her luck? What a joke!

What is the crime against the Yong'an Marquisate! What is the crime against the young nephews and nieces! What is the crime against the nine clans that participated in the rebellion and had their property confiscated and their families exterminated?

She pointed at the people in the room, all with varying expressions, and asked hoarsely, her fingertips trembling, "Do you think His Highness is trying to win over the people?"

"Alright! Then let me ask you, did you know that Xiao Jing is His Majesty's personal guard? Sima Xun has always been dedicated to defending the imperial power. The Zhao family may appear to be allies, but they actually have other agendas. Your Highness believes that by opening the granaries, distributing food, and contributing money and manpower, he can win back the hearts of the people and one day storm the capital. But have you ever considered that she, he, and they have already set a trap, waiting for Your Highness to jump in?"

She was just a girl in the boudoir, just the daughter of her parents and the sister of her brothers. She was not an official in the court, nor was she a minister who strategized.

She should have lived a peaceful life taking care of her husband and children, so why did she have to question these "relatives" who only cared about their own power and had wasted the lives of others?

Nan Xu was a little overwhelmed.

Seeing her in pain, Li Zhan felt uncomfortable too. He was about to step forward to comfort her, but someone was one step faster than him.

Duan Wenpei stood up and walked over. Just when everyone thought that he would hold Nan Xu in his arms and protect her domineeringly as usual, he only saw him slowly pour a cup of warm water and hand it to Nan Xu.

"Miss Nan Er," he said in a low voice, "stop talking."

He turned his back to the crowd and silently mouthed to her, 'Leave it to me'.

Nan Xuning stared at him for a moment, calmly pushed away the cup of tea he handed her, and turned to look at Nan Yiling.

"Second brother, let me ask you one thing. Your secret entry into Shu this time only represents your personal wishes and has nothing to do with the Yong'an Marquisate. Do you agree?"

Nan Yiling looked at Nan Yicheng, who was sitting silently beside him, and nodded with a complicated expression, "Yes, I have made up my mind. But, the blood of the Yong'an Marquisate flows in my veins. How can the Marquisate stay out of this? You and Big Brother..."

Nan Xu raised her hand to interrupt him. "Just admit it," she asked Xiao Jing, "Commander Xiao, did you hear the Second Young Master of the Nan Family's words clearly? Please report everything he said and did today to the Emperor, so that His Majesty will be informed."

After saying this, she was no longer able to argue, so she took her cloak, stood up and was about to leave.

Just as she was about to step out of the room, King Yi suddenly called her.

He no longer appeared weak, his voice full of energy, his tone filled with the dissatisfaction of a superior, "Ah Xu is so eager to distance himself from your second brother. Are you sure that I will lose sooner or later?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of armor rubbing against each other in the darkness, and the dazzling light of a knife broke through the darkness and headed straight for everyone in the hall.

Looking at the sharp blade pressing on his shoulder, Nan Xu retreated into the house.

"Your Highness!" Nan Yicheng was a little impatient and wanted to step forward to protect Nan Xu, but was forced back to sit by the armored guards. He could only look at King Yi anxiously, "A Xu is a woman, Your Highness, you don't have to take her words to heart."

"Really?" King Yi snorted coldly and pressed him, "What about you? What about the Yong'an Marquisate? You are my in-laws, yet you want to stay out of this. I don't want such an in-law."

"Come here, take them away to this king!"

Guard Jia followed orders and was about to take action when Sima Xun rushed in with his men.

The moment he came in, Xiao Jing and Duan Wenpei's men took action at the same time, snatched Nan Xu and others from Jiawei's men, and retreated in a siege.

Jingyi protected her belly and followed Li Zhan quietly.

This was the first time since entering Shu that everyone had fallen out with King Yi and engaged in battle.

King Yi was somewhat dissatisfied with Duan Wenpei's actions. He turned the jade ring on his thumb and asked in the air, "Is this the Zhao family's sincerity?"

He was answered by a long silence. Just when everyone thought that King Yi was just talking casually, a few more people came out from behind the screen, led by Zhao Mingcheng, the head of the Zhao family.

Facing King Yi's questioning, he put on a warm smile, stepped forward, and scolded him as "rebellious son".

Then he slowly raised his hand and placed it on King Yi's shoulder, and slowly and unquestionably pushed King Yi back to his seat.

"Miss Nan Er misunderstood your Highness's good intentions. Your Highness should explain to her instead of getting angry."

Being held down by Zhao Mingcheng in front of so many people, King Yi's face looked a little ugly. He was about to get angry, but when he looked up, he saw the restraint signaled in Zhao Mingcheng's eyes.

After being hit twice on the shoulder, King Yi's eyes rolled and his anger gradually subsided.

"Cough cough cough..." He suddenly covered his lips and coughed hard, gasping for breath and his face flushed red. He pushed Zhao Mingcheng away and waved to the guards, "Stand back."

"Ahem, Patriarch Zhao is right. I've been ill and confused. As a member of the royal family, I should help Your Majesty resolve her worries and difficulties. It was wrong of me to open the granaries to provide relief without permission, but I have already submitted a memorial to Your Majesty to apologize. As for the hundred gold coins donated at the flower viewing banquet, it was done out of compassion for the people of Shu. If the people appreciate my kindness, it is Your Majesty's credit, not my intentional pursuit of public opinion."

He covered his mouth and leaned on Princess Yi's shoulder, looking weakly at Nan Xu, "Ah Xu, you misunderstood me."

The tense atmosphere just now disappeared because of King Yi's weak and powerless words of "misunderstanding".

The sharp blade was halfway out of its sheath when it was retracted. After a sudden turn of events, it seemed as if everything was returning to its original place.

Since King Yi has said so, if she continues to hold on to it, it would be a false accusation and slander.

Anyway, her goal has been achieved, and it's time to bow her head.

Nan Xu's eyes darkened slightly. After a moment's thought, she met the gentle gaze of King Yi, pushed aside the people who were protecting her, stepped forward, and respectfully performed the palace etiquette. "This humble servant has not seen her family for many days, and now she is divorced from her former husband in a foreign land. That is why she suddenly said such outrageous words. I beg Your Highness to forgive me for the sake of our past friendship."

King Yi was coughing and couldn't speak. He just shook his head and motioned Nan Xu to get up.

Zhao Mingchen smiled and said for her, "This can't be entirely blamed on Second Miss Nan. If the Second Young Master of the Nan family hadn't suddenly appeared and said something inexplicable, Second Miss Nan wouldn't have lost her composure. In my opinion, it would be best if His Highness doesn't keep such people around while he recuperates. Come," he waved towards the darkness, "take Second Young Master Nan away."

Nan Yiling never expected that Zhao Mingcheng, who was chatting happily behind the screen during the flower viewing banquet, would suddenly turn against him and have someone take him into custody.

Shouldn't we capture Nan Xu and the others? Why capture him? Is he still going to help King Yi with his plans? And is he still going to be a great hero to the new king...

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please believe me, woo woo—"

Nan Yiling was dragged away, and King Yi coughed even more violently, as if he was going to cough out his lungs.

At this point, King Yi didn't want to stay any longer, but before leaving, he asked Nan Xu to see him out of the restaurant.

He coughed so hard that his face turned as pale as snow, but the look in his eyes when he looked at her was as gentle as before. Nan Xu thought for a moment and agreed to his request.

Duan Wenpei had a gloomy face and fell behind him not too far away.

King Yi covered his lips, took Nan Xu's hand and went downstairs, talking about the past in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"I still prefer you to call me Brother Yiwang. Ahem, but Ah Xu doesn't seem to want to acknowledge me as his cousin."

Nan Xu looked at the road beneath her feet and asked softly, "When Your Highness lured me into the game and kept my second brother to serve him, did he ever think of me, his younger sister?"

King Yi shook his head. "Why don't you understand? If that day comes, even if I sever all ties with the Nan family, will that person in the palace let you go? Wealth and power, no matter what, must be paved with blood. Right now, you and the eldest and second oldest are in Shu. As long as I win, with you three siblings here, the Nan family's bloodline will not be cut off. Ah Xu, don't be soft-hearted."

Halfway up the stairs, he leaned over and took in the entire lobby. Nan Xu's eyes were filled with endless melancholy, "Where's my aunt? Brother Yi Wang, whether you rebel or fight your way back to Kyoto, at least leave a way out for those still alive. If you rebel now, His Majesty will immediately sacrifice my aunt. She raised you for years, and you don't care at all?"

She understood that the winners were kings and the losers were bandits, but she still felt that her loved ones should not be allowed to die in an untimely manner.

Many people want to be in that position, but there are always some people who just want to live a simple and free life.

She also hoped that Prince Yi could be the daughter of Concubine Dowager and live the high-spirited days of the past, instead of being so busy and anxious as he is now, taking risks to return to Kyoto.

"Ahem," Prince Yi patted the back of her hand, bringing her mind back from its wandering state. "It seems you're determined to stick to your guns. That being the case, I have nothing much to say, except for some regrets. I personally taught you a lot in the past, and you've learned well. Today's banquet to break off the engagement, protecting your second brother and the Marquisate, was a dangerous move. My only regret is that I didn't teach you to assess the situation and not get hung up on trivial matters."

"However," he glanced back at Duan Wenpei, who had been watching them the entire time, "I'm truly impressed by your decisiveness in proposing a divorce. At least let the person in the palace know that his will... isn't something everyone has to obey."

"Ahem," his voice suddenly dropped again, like a sigh and a warning, "I just hope your womanly kindness won't turn into a sharp blade that takes your life someday."

To outsiders, he looked like a doting brother, even patting her hair lovingly. But only Nan Xu could see clearly that the depths of his lonely eyes had long been devoured by greed, resentment, and resentment.

Watching the carriage go away, Nan Xu stood there and suddenly understood many things.

Everyone has obsessions, but those with different ideals cannot work together. In this world, it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong, light from darkness.

He is like this, she is like this, and all living beings are trapped in it.

That's all.

Nan Xu lowered her head and nonchalantly kicked the stone at her feet away. When she raised her eyes again, she met Duan Wenpei's deep gaze.

There was a dark emotion in his eyes that she could not understand. Nan Xu just turned her head, called Yin Ruizhu softly, and passed by him without hesitation, her clothes fluttering in the wind.