Chapter 260
Ning Yue glanced at her hesitantly, then stepped forward and said awkwardly, "Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wrong you just now."
Tao Tao turned around, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "It's alright, we're staying at the inn up ahead too. Would you like to go back first?"
Her pupils widened slightly in surprise. "What a coincidence? Oh, yes, it's getting late. We just arrived today, came out for a stroll, and are planning to head back."
Seeing that Tao Tao had let go of her worries, Ning Yue felt much more at ease.
"I have some things to do, so I won't be going back with you for now. See you tomorrow."
Tao Tao waved to them, then took Leng Qiao's hand and turned to leave.
The two followed the direction Yuan Xiu had left in, and soon they saw a little monk sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed in meditation in an empty alley.
His arm hadn't even been treated; it was just wrapped in a rag to stop the bleeding. His face was bruised, his clothes were covered in dust, and he was sitting on the ground. He looked utterly pathetic.
She walked over and stood in front of him. A shadow fell over his head. Yuan Xiu seemed to sense something, opened his eyes, and looked up.
Upon noticing Tao Tao, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
"Are you just going to let your uncle suffer in the wind and rain even after he dies?" As she spoke, Tao Tao shifted her gaze to the corpse leaning against the wall, the white veil on its head swaying in the wind.
"Let's go, let's buy a coffin first so that your uncle will have a place to lie down."
"But this humble monk..."
"No buts. I know you don't have any money right now. It's okay. Consider it a donation to your temple. May your uncle in heaven bless me."
Yuan Xiu stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to her.
"Thank you, benefactor."
“Doing things for monks is also a good deed.”
Tao Tao clasped her hands together in response.
...
Suizhou.
In a room at an inn, Qiu Yanwen learned of what had happened in the capital and was furious, his face turning red with rage. "Duan Gan is truly despicable!"
"We intended to use a diversionary tactic, but he saw through our plan and even found our true hiding place!"
"The Emperor has also been bewitched by him, and has actually gone so far as to depose Qi Heng from his position as Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince has lost power and the Qiu family has been raided, I'm afraid the Empress will be of no use in the palace."
Ding Yunxian understood his meaning and cautiously probed, "Sir, how about... we rebel!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yanwen turned to look at him in surprise, but her eyes clearly showed agreement with his words.
So he said without any hesitation, "Let His Highness the Crown Prince lead us to kill the treacherous officials and eliminate the villains, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, and restore the Celestial Empire to its former state of peace and tranquility."
He wished he could get rid of Duan Gan as soon as possible! Originally, the Ding family could have escaped death, but Duan Gan refused to let them go and insisted on exterminating them.
Otherwise, the Ding family wouldn't be reduced to just him and his sister now. Although his sister hasn't been found yet, if the Crown Prince ascends the throne, finding someone won't be an easy task.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yanwen did not reprimand him. Instead, he became thoughtful and stood up, pacing back and forth in the room.
"Compared to this time, the letter has already been delivered. Although Duan Gan's confidant Chen Jinghe has already returned to the capital, the procedures are still in place, as are the Privy Council and the Xiaoji Camp."
"It's not easy to integrate the army, but if something changes in the capital, we can draw their attention to it."
Hearing him talk about his plans, Ding Yunxian was overjoyed.
"How about I write another letter to His Highness the Crown Prince to urge him on?"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Qiu Yanwen frowned and looked warily at the doorway.
The man knocked on the door, his voice low and urgent, "My lord, a letter has arrived from the capital."
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, and Ding Yunxian hurriedly went to open the door. But as soon as he opened the door, *splat!* The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Ding Yunxian's face was full of astonishment as he stared at the man in front of him. His mouth moved as if he was about to speak, but blood kept gushing out.
Qiu Yanwen, who was inside the room, sensed something was wrong and prepared to break out of the window, only to find a sharp sword gleaming coldly pointed at him.
The owner of the sword was none other than Zhang Cheng, whom they had just mentioned.
He looked at Qiu Yanwen with a smile and said, "Lord Qiu, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
With a fierce expression, Leng Xu walked in, brandishing the short knife in his hand. Only after entering the room did he pull the knife out of his abdomen.
Ding Yunxian's face and hands were covered in scarlet blood. His face was deathly pale. He lay on the ground, convulsing, struggling to stay upright as he retreated backward.
Zhang Cheng braced himself on the windowsill and stepped inside.
The two men approached Qiu Yanwen step by step, who looked tense and wary.
Zhang Cheng toyed with the sword in his hand and laughed, "Lord Qiu, as long as you obediently cooperate with us, I can guarantee that you will be alive before we return to the capital."
Qiu Yanwen said coldly, "What are you doing?! I am a minister of the Celestial Dynasty and have not violated any laws. What you are doing is disrespectful to me and to His Majesty!"
"Don't you know whether you've committed any crimes or not? Do I have to list them all out for you?"
His face suddenly turned cold, and he pointed his sword at Qiu Yanwen in front of him.
"Now listen to me, write a letter to the Crown Prince and tell him that the troops in Suizhou have been fully assembled and are ready to attack the capital at any time to help him take it over."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yanwen immediately understood what he meant. He was trying to send false information to the Crown Prince, making him believe that everything was ready except for the final push, and inciting the Crown Prince to rebel in a situation where defeat was inevitable.
This would give Duan Gan even more reason to kill the crown prince on charges of treason.
This leaves the Crown Prince with no way out or room for redemption, completely nailing them, from humble backgrounds, to the pillar of shame for treason.
He sneered, spat, and cursed, "Keep dreaming! I'm not writing it. The Qiu family has already lost, and I accept my defeat. Do with me as you please!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng remained calm and thought to himself that Fourth Master had long anticipated that he would resist so fiercely.
"Is that so? It doesn't matter if you die, it doesn't matter if your wife and children die, it doesn't matter if the Qiu family controls the many poor but noble families?"
"You know how our Fourth Master is. Sometimes he's just too lazy to investigate because of the trouble. The consequence is that your lack of cooperation will lead to the deaths of thousands of people."
"I heard that Lord Qiu was once a great scholar with countless students. I wonder if these people knew that because of you, they, their sons, and even their grandsons would be unable to participate in the imperial examinations for generations."
"I wonder what their expressions and attitudes will be like. Will they curse you in private for not considering their students?"
"After all, these poor students still need to change their fate through the imperial examinations, but now, for your own selfish interests, so many people's lives have been ruined. It's truly a pity."
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