Human greed seems to grow ever stronger. He was prepared for Huai Xu to hate him for the rest of his life, and he thought he would never utter a word of complaint.
But when this person is constantly in front of him, smiling at him, talking and eating with him, he wants more and more.
It became increasingly difficult to bear the resentful and hateful look in this person's eyes.
He will feel pain, sadness, and unbearable pain, and may even feel a sense of resentment and bitterness.
I know I shouldn't, but I still can't control myself.
The only thing I could do was avoid direct confrontation and silently process these negative emotions.
However, Chu Huaixu was completely unaware of Song Ting's inner thoughts. In his view, both of them knew perfectly well what Song Ting was angry about, and since the other party had spoken frankly, he did not intend to hide it any longer.
Chu Huaixu then walked barefoot to Song Ting, removed his own mask, and placed it on Song Ting's face. His gaze was even colder than the light emanating from the silver mask.
"Does Your Excellency not remember what you did three years ago?"
"I trusted you, and what did I get in return?"
His tone was even colder than the gleam emanating from his mask, making no attempt to conceal the hatred and resentment in his heart.
"It's betrayal, it's deception, it's my parents and brothers leaving me."
"Song Ting, Commander Song, please tell me, if you were me, would you still dare to trust that person?"
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Song Ting's forehead. His teeth were clenched, and his lips were bloodless. He stared at Chu Huaixu, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes gradually disappeared with each question from the man. In the end, his eyes were empty and completely lifeless.
"My deal with you is just a mutually beneficial transaction, but I will not put all my eggs in one basket. If you can accept it, our deal will continue; if not, then I will leave."
"A deal?" Song Ting stared blankly at his face, and for a moment he felt a deafening roar in his ears, as if something had enveloped his hearing, making him almost unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Yes." Chu Huaixu continued, "I need your help, sir. You like my face. Isn't this a deal?"
So that's what he was thinking.
So that's how it is.
Song Ting slowly closed her eyes and said with difficulty, "I understand. I won't ask about these things again unless you're willing to tell me. But you need to be careful, otherwise I will definitely investigate to the end."
Chu Huaixu lifted his eyelids slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Don't go to the grand ceremony; it's too dangerous."
Chu Huaixu, however, had no intention of listening to him: "What if I absolutely have to go?"
Song Ting: "..."
The two stared at each other, locked in a stalemate for a long time, neither seemingly willing to change their minds. Chu Huaixu's gaze grew colder and more hateful as time passed.
In the end, Song Ting finally gave in. He couldn't bear the look in her eyes and averted them sharply: "I'll have Xiao Wu and Qi Zhou accompany you then, otherwise I won't feel at ease."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Huaixu chuckled and leaned back lazily: "Thank you, sir."
...
Since the founding of the Dayan Dynasty, the Empress Dowager has always presided over the sacrificial ceremonies. This is the first time that the Emperor has personally attended and held two grand ceremonies.
The weather on the day of the ceremony was not good. It was gloomy from the morning, with clouds covering the sky. Although there was no sun, it was unbearably hot and dry, and you couldn't feel even a breeze.
To allow the people to witness firsthand that Emperor Chu Minghuan was indeed a dragon descended to earth, the people were allowed to go up the mountain to watch the ceremony on the day of the event.
Therefore, Song Ting specially brought the emperor's edict to transfer the garrison troops from Luoyang.
However, perhaps influenced by the rumors, not many people came to watch the ceremony, as they were all afraid of being implicated in the curse like the people of Sishui Town.
More than half of them were even bribed by Zhang Bingzhi to come up from several villages at the foot of the mountain; otherwise, there would be too few people to watch the ceremony, and the emperor would lose face.
Even so, there were only a few scattered people in the square. Chu Minghuan, being young and impatient, frowned clearly displeased at the sight.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Once the ceremony is over, the rumors will naturally dissipate, and the people will understand," Zhang Bingzhi reassured the young emperor, observing his expression.
The emperor's mood did not improve as a result; he remained silent with a sullen face.
Song Ting led the Imperial Guards to carefully inspect the surroundings and found nothing unusual: "Your Majesty, everything is ready."
"Then let's begin." The young emperor said with a stern face. Song Ting accepted the order and was about to leave when the young emperor called him back, "Where's Huaiyue? Isn't he coming to the ceremony?"
Song Ting: "..."
The young emperor was in such a bad mood that he was still worried about whether Huaixu had arrived. Now, it wasn't just the young emperor who looked unhappy; all three—the emperor, his minister, and the emperor himself—looked gloomy.
Song Ting, in particular, felt quite uneasy. The young emperor's attention to Huaixu had truly exceeded his expectations.
"Fine, he shouldn't come. It's too crowded and dangerous."
Song Ting: "..."
Zhang Bingzhi: "..."
Zhang Bingzhi: "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is approaching, let's prepare the ceremony first."
The ceremony proceeded as before, with the first step being the emperor offering incense to the golden statue of Buddha. It was during this step that the Empress Dowager met her demise. Fearing a repeat of history, Song Ting and Zhang Bingzhi stayed by her side at all times, protecting her closely.
The news of the emperor's presence at the White Horse Temple had already spread before the ceremony. It was highly likely that the Red Lotus Sect would take action at this time, most likely by blending in with ordinary people.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha... Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
With the emperor's personal presence, the ceremony was even more grand than before. Sixteen eminent monks from the White Horse Temple, along with the abbot, sat around the square in front of the main hall, chanting sutras with their eyes closed, their sandalwood prayer beads constantly moving in their hands.
Chu Minghuan stood in the center of the square, holding three sticks of sandalwood incense, and slowly bowed to the golden Buddha statue inside the main hall.
Behind him, the concubines, officials, and common people who came to watch the ceremony all bowed down.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha... Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
First bow, rise.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha... Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
The second bow, then rise.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha... Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
The third bow.
The Empress Dowager's incident occurred at this time. Song Ting gripped the soft sword hidden in his sleeve, subtly observing the actions of the surrounding people out of the corner of his eye.
The emperor, who rarely makes an appearance while residing deep within the palace, presents a perfect opportunity for assassination. The Red Lotus Cult is unlikely to remain idle.
Just as I was about to look away, my gaze caught a glimpse of a pure white hem of clothing, and my eyes involuntarily lingered on it.
It is the Chu-Huai Preface.
This scene was similar to that day, except that Huai Xu was wearing red on that day, but today he was wearing white.
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