Chapter 29 Meeting the Emperor (Part 2 Combined) The Fourteenth Time! ...
Chapter 29
At dawn, the dew was heavy, and there was still a chill in the air. A few lanterns hung in the corridor, faintly illuminating the way ahead. The cold moon slanted down, casting a cool glow on the eaves. The shadows of the trees were scattered, and all was quiet.
Ye Pei had to get up early for court today, and the kitchen in the front yard was already bustling with activity. The rising steam from the chimney was faintly visible in the moonlight.
Ye Xiren suddenly stopped in her tracks.
wrong.
Whatever needs to be confirmed, saving lives is the priority right now!
When Yan Danqing woke up on the morning of the third day of the third month, he was still alive, as was Chizhan Lance. If they had followed yesterday's plan, killing Chizhan Lance would have triggered the gunpowder and taken Yan Danqing away.
The Imperial City Guard also has Lu Qian, a spy from Northern Yan...
Ye Xiren took a deep breath, turned and went to the front yard. This time, she couldn't rely on herself alone.
Ye Pei was on his way to the morning court session.
Today is the third day of the third lunar month, the day of peace talks. He has something on his mind and can't help but worry about his family.
Although he had made thorough arrangements, he was worried that the Ye family would not leave... Thinking of Xixi's fate yesterday, he decided to give Jiang Sui a few more instructions later, that even if they didn't leave, they should be forcibly sent away!
He wasn't afraid of dying, but he didn't want to implicate his family.
"Father!" Ye Xiren hurried in.
Ye Pei frowned, turned his head to look at him, and asked, "Xixi, what brings you here?"
He paused, then continued:
"You can't stop it."
His memory was still stuck on the second day of the third month. Yesterday, Ye Xiren had a big argument with him about taking the blame, and naturally assumed that his daughter's appearance in the front yard early in the morning was to stop him.
Ye Xiren was panting, but she wasn't angry as she looked at the imposing man in the crimson robe before her.
Having already experienced this scene before on the previous "March 3rd" festival, and thinking of her elderly father who had worried and fretted about her late into the night, she softened her voice, her dark, bright eyes fixed on him:
“Father, I am not trying to stop you from going to court, but please believe me, there is gunpowder buried under the prison where Yan Danqing is imprisoned. Once it is ignited, the dungeon will collapse, and Yan Danqing will surely die. That gunpowder was put there by Chi Zhanlan Ce!”
Ye Pei's pupils contracted, and he raised his voice in disbelief: "How is this possible? How could Chi Zhanlan Ce have buried gunpowder in the imperial prison? Besides, where did he get the gunpowder?"
After asking the question, his eyes were fixed on Ye Xiren.
“Lu Qian is a man of Chizhan Lance, and he has half Northern Yan blood in his veins. Therefore, many people in the Imperial City Guard are spies within Northern Yan.” Ye Xiren immediately explained, “The gunpowder was sold among the goods when Chizhan Lance was buying it in Nandu a few days ago. I already know which merchants were involved, and I will be able to get their confessions soon.”
Ye Pei hesitated for a moment.
On one hand, he felt that, given the two events of yesterday, his daughter was indeed well-informed and even knew secrets they didn't. On the other hand, he thought that, judging from Xixi's attitude yesterday, she clearly didn't want him to attend court...
Ye Xiren knew what he was worried about, took a deep breath, and continued: "Whether the gunpowder matter is true or false will be found out soon. Father, please believe me. I want to save General Yan's life. I need you."
When she couldn't do something on her own, she chose to ask her father for help.
Even if her father today is different from "yesterday," and he has forgotten what she went through, he is still her father.
Looking into her dark, clear eyes, all of Ye Pei's hesitation vanished in the four words, "I need you."
He only asked one question: "Is it absolutely true? Xixi, this is a matter of great importance and cannot tolerate any falsehood."
Ye Xiren raised three fingers and swore, "I saw it with my own eyes, it's absolutely true, Father, I'll swear on my life."
"Let's go." Ye Pei took a deep breath and started walking.
Ye Xiren immediately followed.
The two walked out of the front yard together, but when they reached the middle of the yard, Ye Pei suddenly stopped.
"Father?" Ye Xiren turned around blankly, still unwilling to believe her?
“No!” Ye Pei shook his head: “If there is gunpowder under the prison, Chi Zhan Lan Ce will make a move at any time. Nothing else matters. The most urgent thing is to transfer General Yan away. We can’t leave him in the prison.”
He looked at Ye Xiren and said:
"Xixi, I must go to the palace now and meet with the Emperor privately before the court assembly begins to inform him of this matter. I'll have your brother help you get the evidence and send it directly to the palace later."
If he were to go looking for evidence first, there wouldn't be enough time. By the time he returned to the palace, the court assembly would have already begun, and he wouldn't have the opportunity to meet the emperor privately. Moreover, he wanted to avoid Prime Minister Jiang and others to prevent alerting the Northern Yan people.
The relocation of Yan Danqing must be done discreetly, and time is of the essence, so they must split up and act separately.
Ye Xiren was stunned upon hearing this.
Ye Xiren snapped out of her reverie, nodded emphatically, and interrupted with a firm voice: "I can do it. Father, go see the Emperor first, and leave the rest to me."
Ye Pei smiled, and the two exchanged a glance, everything understood without a word.
He turned and ordered someone to summon Ye Changming. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he turned and strode out. The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and he had already rushed to the palace.
Ye Xiren stood there, the sky was still dark and the chill had not subsided, but she felt a warmth spreading through her, and a bright smile appeared on her lips.
Even if someone is trapped in a cycle, even if they can't find a way out and can't see the future, they have endless courage to keep going for the sake of their loving family, until the day they break free and their family is safe and sound.
At this moment, Ye Changming, still half-asleep, called out, "Ye Xiao'er, what are you doing so early in the morning? Why is Dad calling me again?"
Ye Xiren was touched, thinking that her brother was still somewhat useful, so she said, "Brother, listen to my arrangements today. There are many things to do, so come out with me first."
Ye Changming was taken aback, and almost instinctively retorted, "Why should I listen to you? It should be the younger sister who listens to the older brother!"
Ye Xiren's breath hitched.
She suppressed her anger, remembering what Ye Changming had said "last night": as long as she revealed the secret that no one knew, he would immediately believe her.
"The fine Huizhou ink hidden in Father's study was emptied out by you."
Ye Changming: "!!!"
He strode forward, covered Ye Xiren's mouth with his hand, looked around furtively like a thief, his eyes wide, and exclaimed anxiously, "Where did you know that?!"
Ye Xiren pried his hands off and said, word by word, "What you told me, I encountered something bizarre..." She kept it short.
After he finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
A moment later, Ye Changming:
"Hahaha, you actually made up such a story to fool me, Ye Xiren, I never knew you had a talent for storytelling!"
Ye Xiren: "…………"
Ye Xiren smiled slightly: "Don't waste time. Take Fatty Jin and Thin Silver with you. If you dare to say another word, I'll tell Father about this immediately!"
Ye Changming: "".
They immediately became obedient.
This "secret" failed to convince him of the existence of the cycle, but it could be used to threaten him into obedience.
-
Ye Xiren found Ma Shan.
Before the other party could speak, she skillfully pulled out Yan Danqing's private order, and Ma Shan's expression immediately turned serious.
Before anyone could speak, Ye Xiren gave the order:
“I’ll tell you about a few merchants. Go and arrest them immediately and interrogate them. Within an hour, bring me to the palace gate with Chi Zhanlan Ce’s confession about buying gunpowder, as well as the evidence you have of the post stations. I need to go and see the Emperor to save Chun Zhou.”
"Also, summon Yan Shuang and the others, and bring them with me."
Ma Shan: "..."
All the words were stuck in his throat, and he could only nod obediently and follow orders.
Ye Xiren let out a breath. Before long, Yan Shuang and her group approached silently. Yan Shuang, dressed in black, carried a knife on her back and landed beside her without making a sound.
Ye Xiren was quite startled when she first met her, but now she felt very familiar with her and even nodded to her knowingly.
Yan Shuang: "?"
She split Yan Jiajun's men in two: Ma Shan went to collect evidence, while she took Yan Shuang and others and made other arrangements.
Ye Pei waited for her to deliver the evidence in the palace, but she knew that evidence alone was not enough. In order to successfully transfer Yan Danqing from the imperial prison without alerting the Northern Yan people, she had to do one more thing...
Ye Xiren let out a breath.
Carrying a lantern in one hand and pulling up her veil with the other, she quickly headed towards the Imperial City Guard. Yan Shuang and her men followed silently behind, keeping a safe distance.
As dawn broke, pedestrians gradually appeared on the road.
But as they walked closer to the Imperial City Guard, the number of people dwindled. Ordinary people dared not approach the Imperial City Guard. As Ye Xiren drew near, she could vaguely hear voices.
Lu Qian asked impatiently, "What exactly do you want?"
He had visited Yan Danqing at the imperial prison that morning and was still fuming. Before he even returned to the Imperial City Office after leaving through the side gate, he was harassed by this man surnamed Ye on the way, which annoyed him to no end.
Ye Changming grabbed him, arguing unreasonably: "Of course I'm here to see you, Lord Lu. Yesterday you broke into our house and framed us. I want to talk to you, is that not allowed?"
Lu Qian's face immediately turned cold, his eyes filled with venom, like a poisonous snake staring intently at the person in front of him. "Like a grasshopper in autumn, let's see how long your Ye family can keep jumping around. If you dare to stop me again, you'll die sooner rather than later. I'll send you to hell right now!"
He drew his knife, a flash of cold light.
Behind him, his entourage simultaneously drew their swords, their killing intent surging, staring intently at Ye Changming. Fat Gold and Thin Silver immediately stepped forward to protect him.
Today is the day for peace talks. Once Yan Danqing is dead, all the people of Daliang will be fish on the chopping block of Beiyan. It won't be too easy for him to destroy the Ye family.
Ye Changming felt a little uneasy under that gaze.
Remembering Ye Xiren's previous instructions, he had to keep Lu Qian occupied on the road. Although he didn't know what to do, since he was certain that Lu Qian would pass through here, there must be some arrangements.
He was unaware of the details, but he always wanted to help Ye Xiren.
Ye Changming looked at the knife, pondering how to continue stalling for time...
Behind him, Ye Xiren said calmly, "Why did you have to draw your sword, Lord Lu? My brother has been very offensive, but he was just angry about yesterday. I apologize to you on his behalf."
Ye Changming had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her apologize, and he immediately felt somewhat dissatisfied and wanted to say something.
Ye Xiren glanced at him indifferently. For some reason, he instinctively shut up and became obedient after being glanced at by his usually "well-behaved and gentle" younger sister.
Ye Changming: "?"
No one explained to him; Ye Xiren had already walked up to Lu Qian, her cloak swaying in the wind.
At this moment, upon hearing the "apology," Lu Qian's brows relaxed, and he looked at the newcomer with a half-smile, sizing him up and down with a blatant look in his eyes, "It's still Miss Ye who knows what's good for her."
Ye Xiren smiled and said softly, "May I ask if you would allow me a moment to speak with you, sir?"
Lu Qian raised an eyebrow.
What? Is this a sign that you've come to terms with reality and want to please him?
He didn't take the little girl seriously and wanted to see what she had to say, so he leisurely walked to the corner of the stone wall, and Ye Xiren followed.
Ye Changming frowned and subconsciously took a few steps forward to get closer to them, his eyes warily fixed on Lu Qian. His younger sister was just a little girl; she couldn't be left alone with such thieves.
Lu Qian: "Speak."
He crossed his arms, his sinister, snake-like eyes narrowed, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on Ye Xiren's face, filled with ill intent and nauseating.
Ye Xiren pretended not to see it.
She tightened her cloak, moved closer, and lowered her voice: "Lord Lu, I never expected you to be... a person from Northern Yan."
Lu Qian was taken aback.
Before he could recover from the shock of those words, Ye Xiren's eyes suddenly sharpened, and her hand, hidden under her cloak, swiftly lashed out, a dagger flashing coldly as it stabbed towards his heart!
Lu Qian reacted incredibly quickly, almost instinctively dodging the knife as it pierced his flesh, but it wasn't fatal. He quickly broke free, drew his long sword, and flung Ye Xiren away.
He clutched his chest, gasped, and stared at the woman before him, his face pale, filled with shock and anger.
"What do you mean?" Lu Qian clutched his chest in disbelief. "You dare to hurt me?"
How dare this woman, who is completely defenseless, lay a hand on him?!
Recalling what she had just said, a flash of murderous intent crossed Lu Qian's eyes. He raised his long sword towards Ye Xiren's hand. He had to get to the bottom of this: how did this person know?!
Before the long sword could even touch Ye Xiren, someone suddenly swung a sword at her from behind.
"Bang!"
Lu Qian turned around to block him, "Who goes there?!"
Ye Xiren exhaled, gripped the dagger tightly, and stabbed at his neck again. She had to finish this quickly; they were too close to the Imperial City Guard and only had a few breaths to spare!
Lu Qian was highly skilled in martial arts. After blocking the attack from the person in front of him, he dodged and turned around to grab Ye Xiren's hair. He was about to hold her neck to threaten her, but his hand stopped in place, and he lowered his head in disbelief.
An arrow pierced his heart.
There are archers!
"Heh heh..." He opened his mouth and made a sound with difficulty. His eyes were fixed on Ye Xiren, his face full of astonishment and shock. He really couldn't understand why Ye Xiren wanted to kill him, and how she was able to kill him.
He was careless!
Ye Xiren gritted her teeth and broke free from his hand, gasping for breath as her scalp throbbed with pain. Lu Qianbi fell straight down in front of her, splattering blood on the ground, lifeless.
She didn't care about anything else, squatted down and quickly searched the person until she found a bunch of keys. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally found it!
Ye Changming: "???"
Everything happened too fast; he didn't even have time to react before an ambush began and ended just as quickly.
He stared at Ye Xiren, then turned away stiffly along with Fatty Jin and Thin Yin.
Behind him, a woman in black sheathed her sword. In just a few breaths, the men she brought with her had wiped out Lu Qian's men. They didn't even have time to send a message before they were killed right next to the Imperial City Guard!
"Are you alright?" Yan Shuang asked.
Ye Xiren stood up, tidied her hair, put away the dagger and key, and shook her head: "It's alright. I don't know martial arts, so I couldn't kill her with one blow. The fight just now has already attracted the attention of the Imperial City Guard. Let's go quickly."
After saying that, she gestured for the stiff Ye Changming and the others to follow, and they quickly disappeared around the corner.
Before they had gone far, a gasp of surprise rang out behind them.
Killing someone here is risky, but there's no other way. Lu Qian is Chi Zhanlan Ce's man, and she can't provide any evidence to prove it. The Imperial City Commander has always been the emperor's confidant and has always been in charge of the Imperial City Division, enjoying the emperor's great trust.
When they moved Yan Danqing, they couldn't avoid the Imperial City Guard, so it was difficult to avoid Lu Qian. Once Lu Qian found out, Chi Zhanlan Ce would definitely find out as well.
And that Chi Zhanlan Ce is a madman!
Moving Yan Danqing would mean exposing the gunpowder he had buried. Since that madman was single-mindedly focused on killing Yan Danqing, he would most likely detonate the gunpowder prematurely, causing their relocation to fail and all their efforts to be in vain.
Therefore, to save Yan Danqing, the obstacle Lu Qian must be removed first.
She didn't want to go to the emperor's door to prove that the commander of the imperial city was guilty; killing such a traitor was the simplest solution.
Ye Xiren quickened her pace.
Ye Changming limped after him, unable to believe his eyes. Ignoring his leg pain, he quickly walked to Ye Xiren's side, his eyes wide: "You, you, you...you just killed Lu Qian?!"
"I didn't kill him. I was just trying to distract Lu Qian." She wanted to kill him with one blow, but she failed and had to leave it to the archers.
Ye Changming: "?" What's the difference?
He must not have woken up properly today, otherwise how could he have seen all this?
Early in the morning, Ye Xiren told him to keep Lu Qian occupied and not let anyone return to the Imperial City Guard. He thought she had something to say, but he didn't expect her to directly lead people to kill Lu Qian without any hesitation.
This...this...
Is this really his sister?
His small, innocent, obedient, and gentle younger sister?!
Ye Xiren didn't want to hear his questions, so she casually replied, "It was Father's arrangement. Don't ask anymore. If you ask again, I'll tell Father about you stealing the ink!"
Ye Changming: "..."
Ye Changming, feeling dizzy and disoriented, followed Ye Xiren away, heading towards the palace. However, when they arrived at the gate, she didn't go in but instead pulled up her veil and waited quietly.
Ye Changming was completely bewildered and couldn't help but ask again, "What are you waiting for? What are you doing at the palace again?"
"Wait for the evidence," Ye Xiren replied. In her line of sight, Ma Shan, his tattered burlap clothes splattered with blood, strode towards her, holding a stack of statements. Her eyes lit up. "Finally here!"
-
Imperial Study
Everyone left. Emperor Liang Yue sat at the head of the table, while Ye Pei, the Minister of Revenue, knelt below him. The room was extremely quiet, and neither of them spoke.
The eunuch entered cautiously, lowering his voice: "Second Miss Ye has arrived at the palace gate."
Ye Pei, who was feeling uneasy, suddenly brightened up and said, "Your Majesty, my daughter has brought evidence that the Crown Prince of Northern Yan, Chi Zhanlan Ce, purchased gunpowder. You will know the truth at a glance."
"Pass it on." Liang Yue nodded.
After the eunuch left, the hall fell silent again. Liang Yue, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat upright, his fingers rubbing together, his sharp eyes looking at Ye Pei: "Minister Ye, was there really gunpowder buried under the imperial prison?"
He paused, then murmured, "Can I trust you?"
Ye Pei's heart tightened.
He knew that the emperor suspected his motives. During this period, the pro-war faction did a lot to protect General Yan, and some of them made a fool of themselves.
Currently, in the imperial court, many people want to save General Yan, while many others want to kill him. The imperial prison is located within the Imperial City Guard, which is equivalent to being in the Emperor's hands, effectively trapping him. With the entire Imperial City Guard guarding it, neither those who want to kill nor those who want to save him can reach him.
However, if they were moved from the Imperial City Guard to a different location, it would be much easier to rescue or kill people than in the Imperial Prison, leaving no room for the Emperor to suspect anything.
Ye Pei raised his head: "I guarantee this with the lives of my entire family!"
Ye Xiren, who had just entered: "..."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here's a long chapter! Thank you all for your comments and nutrient solutions. I'll keep working hard tomorrow!
Red envelopes are still dropping in the comments section of this chapter! Did you receive yesterday's?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
