The crown prince led several ministers out of the inner palace.
The Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged.
The ministers, however, looked extremely unwell. They were pale and somewhat unsteady on their feet.
I don't know what His Majesty said to them.
Then the Crown Prince said, "It is late today. His Majesty has decreed that you all stay in the palace for the night."
The ministers fell silent.
No one dared to say a word.
The crown prince turned around and scanned the assembled officials.
He frowned and asked the eunuch beside him.
Where is Yun Zheng?
The King of Qishan? The eunuch quickly looked around, but couldn't find him.
King Qishan disappeared silently into the crowd.
…
As dawn approached, Xiao Heng returned to the Prince of Qin's residence.
His armor was stained with splattered blood, and he held his helmet in his arms.
With her lips pursed and her face expressionless, she walked back to the east courtyard where she lived.
It was still early.
There are very few servants in the Prince of Qin's mansion at this time.
Upon seeing the young master, they all lowered their heads and hid behind the wall, none daring to approach and disturb him.
Xiao Heng was known outside as a charming and romantic young man.
Back at his residence, his stern and unapproachable demeanor made him seem like a completely different person.
He went to take a shower first.
Washing away the bloodstains on my body seemed to wash away the lingering unease caused by the killing in my heart.
Before stepping into the bedroom, he turned back to the servant behind him and said:
"You don't need to come along. Just call me if you need anything."
The eastern sky outside was slightly bluish-white.
Inside the room, however, the night remained still and stagnant.
A man was sitting at a desk in the inner room, casually flipping through his usual essays.
The coldness on Xiao Heng's face melted away.
"I never imagined that one day I would see Your Highness in my bedroom."
The person reading under the lamp was none other than himself.
It was none other than Qishan King Yun Wuyi, who disappeared from the banquet at the Eastern Palace.
Seeing his teasing tone, Yun Wuyi said calmly:
"I didn't expect that either."
Xiao Heng laughed and said, "Oh dear, the night is long, and more than half of it has already passed. I hope there is still enough time left. Your Highness, I have just taken a bath. This is a rare and precious night, so why don't we retire for the night?"
Yun Wuyi's cold, dark eyes finally looked at him.
He only asked one question in return.
Are you sure?
Xiao Heng's face showed struggle.
I want it, yet I don't want it.
Jumping back and forth repeatedly.
Yun Wuyi lowered his eyes and continued turning the pages of the book.
"You don't really think you can beat me in just two months, do you?"
Very good, the anxiety is over.
Xiao Heng stopped struggling.
"Alright, I have important matters to attend to these next two days. If I get injured, I won't be able to work properly."
The two met because of a fight.
We got to know each other and became friends, but we also fought several times in between.
The Prince of Qin may have thought the playboy was a spoiled brat, but at least he came from a family of military generals.
Yun Wuyi, on the other hand, was a monk, and a highly accomplished one at that.
I've never heard of him wielding a knife or stick before. His kung fu is so good that he can beat Xiao Heng to a pulp. This is simply outrageous.
Xiao Heng put aside her thoughts of launching a counterattack.
He asked, "Was the journey back smooth?"
Yun Wuyi: "It went smoothly. But you shouldn't have come back now."
Xiao Heng laughed and said, "I already said I shouldn't have come back. I should have been staying by His Highness's side without taking off my clothes these past two days. But he didn't need me, so he forced me to come back to rest."
Yun Wuyi: "Never mind."
Xiao Heng: "Your Highness Prince Qishan, a perfectly healthy person, has suddenly disappeared. The Crown Prince is ordering people to search for him. You should stay here with me for the next few days."
Yun Wuyi: "No need. I have somewhere to go, I'll leave at dawn. You should get some rest."
Xiao Heng: "I suddenly can't sleep. Why did the Ninth Prince suddenly go crazy and go to the East Palace to be killed?"
Yun Wuyi: "Naturally, it's because someone in the Eastern Palace is colluding with him, making him believe that although this matter is somewhat risky, the rewards are extremely high."
Xiao Heng: "It's a pity they became cannon fodder. Prince Huai is gone too. No wonder the Crown Prince is so arrogant now. He almost lost his pretense of being courteous to scholars."
Yun Wuyi's expression remained indifferent.
"It's good to clear out the useless pieces first. Only after the tide recedes can we know who the hidden opponent is."
.
One hour later.
Xiao Heng had only been asleep for a short while when she was woken up by the servants.
"Young Master, Young Master—"
The servant banged on the door loudly.
Xiao Heng sat up, her face contorted in a more terrifying grimace than when she had killed someone the night before.
"You'd better have something to say, or I'll break both your legs!"
The servant boy howled.
"Your Highness, it's terrible news! Rumors are circulating outside that His Majesty has been assassinated and the Crown Prince has usurped the throne!"
In Ganjing, it was just getting light.
Shops along Zhuque Street discovered something pasted on their shop doors.
When I tore it off and took a look, I was so scared I almost jumped out of my skin.
What an outrageous thing!
Emperor Wei Zhao was assassinated at the Imperial Academy, and the seventh and ninth princes were all executed. Crown Prince Wei Zhao usurped the throne and rebelled! The Great Yan Dynasty is about to perish!
These flyers look like snowflakes.
Not just on Suzaku Street.
Longjin Bridge, Jinshui Bridge, Taixueyuan, Daxiangguo Temple, they are everywhere.
The crown prince also heard the news.
He stood before Chengming Hall with a somber expression, and gave a cold laugh.
Consort Xian and Prince Huai's faction had been keeping their intentions hidden.
So that's what they were really planning.
With the crown prince branded a traitor, the Zhennan Army, previously led by Prince Huai, could now raise the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials and suppressing the rebels" and march towards the capital.
But both Prince Huai and the Ninth Prince are gone.
They rebelled and fought for the throne, but which fool will get it?
.
The day that brought about this great change in the capital was, surprisingly, a fine day.
Facing the rising sun, Qi Su drifted on the Lanjiang River in a small boat.
She was holding a map hastily drawn with an eyebrow pencil in her hand.
We watched as the gourd-shaped mountain peak slid past on the other side.
We slid past the mountain god temple with a tattered flag stuck outside.
That cliff in front of us must be our destination.
The boatman, who often traveled this way, moored his small boat on the barren rocky beach.
The boat is propped up in the water by oars.
"Young lady, what brings you here at this hour?"
Qi Su sensed a hidden meaning in his words.
"Old man, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be here at a time like this?"
The boatman chuckled, "We usually come on the night of the first or fifteenth of the lunar month."
He pointed up the cliff.
This section of the Lanjiang River is in the middle of nowhere, with no villages or shops in sight.
This section of the mountain wall rises high above the shore.
Every so often, a hole was carved out of the cliff face. At this moment, the sunlight shone through, making those holes appear dim and eerie.
Occasionally, one of them would peek out from afar, looking quite mysterious.
"There are all sorts of people here. Wanted criminals, assassins from the martial arts world, bloodthirsty doctors—they're all desperate criminals. And you, a little girl..."
The boatman looked at Qi Su and shook his head.
Indeed, even dressed like a village woman, she was too clean.
I need to change my outfit again.
Qi Su tossed a piece of silver to the boatman.
"Thank you, there's no need to look for the rest."
Just as she was about to jump off the boat, the boatman called out to her again.
Do you have an identification tag?
Qi Su: "What identity badge?"
The boatman said, "Young lady, have you offended someone and been tricked into coming here? This Hidden Market requires a pass to enter. Otherwise, you're just a lamb to the slaughter."
After saying that, he took a small iron plate, about an inch long, from his satchel at the bow of the boat and threw it to Qi Su.
"This was left behind by a previous guest, so here it is for you."
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