Although Xuanyuan Han's arrival was expected, Emperor Jing was still taken aback when he heard that he had come so quickly.
Clenching his teeth, he thought angrily, "It seems I underestimated him. This man is truly difficult to deal with, time and time again!"
Once he came to his senses, he ordered the guard, "Let him in!"
Then, Xuan Yuanhan, dressed in a black brocade robe, his dark hair tied up, stood tall and imposing, strode confidently into the hall with a commanding presence.
With each step he took, images of the people who had been ruthlessly abandoned and persecuted by Emperor Jing, those who were suffering terribly, and those who had tragically died flashed through his mind.
And then there are those soldiers who, amidst the flames of war, sacrificed their lives to defend this land and its people, those who had followed him through countless life-and-death struggles for many years.
In particular, his wife, who perished in a sandstorm and whose fate remains unknown.
Because of all this, it seemed as if thousands of sharp arrows were resentfully about to be shot out from his eyes.
Emperor Jing sat high on the magnificent golden palace.
Suddenly, she was also taken aback by the imposing aura of the man who appeared before her, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
When Xuanyuan Han arrived in front of him, he slowly clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty! It has been a long time since we last met. I hope Your Majesty has been well."
Emperor Jing then came to his senses, immediately stood up, and walked towards Xuan Yuanhan.
He took his arm and, feigning concern, asked him, "Your Highness, you've finally woken up! You've truly suffered this time to defend Lu County. Fortunately, thanks to the protection of our ancestors, the Xuanyuan royal family, you've been able to wake up. This is wonderful!"
Unexpectedly, this time Xuanyuan Han looked at Emperor Jing's face and asked him seriously, "Is Your Majesty sure that you are truly happy to see me again?"
Upon seeing this, Emperor Jing froze the smile that had just appeared on his face and said, "This... what are you saying, brother! Could it be that you are still blaming me for the delayed arrival of reinforcements?"
Xuanyuan Han withdrew his gaze, his expression remaining unchanged, and no longer looked at his extremely hypocritical face, saying, "Your subject dares not!"
Emperor Jing reluctantly released his grip, turned around, and sighed, "Alas! It's all that damned general Wang Chong's fault. At that time, before I had even bid farewell to my brother, I learned that he was eager to help with the disaster and had already led his men to Lu County. Just then, Wang Chong came to the palace to report on his duties. I had clearly handed over the military tally to him and ordered him to lead the reinforcements to Lu County day and night to meet up with my brother and provide you with full support."
As he spoke, he slowly sat back down, then said angrily, "But I never imagined that Wang Chong had already harbored disloyalty towards the court and had not obeyed my orders. Even the thousands of elite troops I sent are still missing."
He paused, then said to Xuan Yuanhan with great conviction, "But don't worry, Your Majesty, I have already ordered men to arrest Wang Chong and his entire family. This time, he not only treated state affairs as a joke, but he also almost harmed you, Your Majesty. I will definitely bring him back to confront him face to face, execute his entire clan, and give Your Majesty and the world a satisfactory explanation!"
Xuanyuan Han had already anticipated that, in the end, Emperor Jing would definitely use Wang Chong, who was already dead and unable to testify, as a scapegoat.
So he told him calmly, "Wang Chong... he won't be coming back, he's already dead."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing feigned surprise and said, "Brother, what did you say? Wang Chong... he's dead?"
"If it weren't for Wang Chong blocking that poisoned arrow that was shot from the shadows for me, I would probably have died far from home," Xuan Yuanhan thought to himself.
But the person who started all this was right in front of him, yet he could do nothing about it.
Thinking of Wang Chong's two children, Xuan Yuanhan only said, "Actually, Wang Chong... at least he died for my brother. That night at his residence, someone secretly shot a poisoned arrow, and he blocked that poisoned arrow for my brother."
"What? Who is so bold as to dare to do this to your brother, the Emperor..." Emperor Jing sat on the throne, putting on a spectacular performance.
Looking at him now, Xuanyuan Han felt a burning hatred welling up inside him.
Suppressing his anger, he said, "In the end, apart from two newborn sons still in swaddling clothes, the Wang family's wife and younger brother all followed Wang Chong in death. Considering that their merits and demerits offset each other, I hope Your Majesty will not pursue the matter any further. As for the lost soldiers, I will do my utmost to find them."
Emperor Jing was overjoyed at his successful plot. Not only did he get rid of a thorn in his side who was full of rebellious spirit, but he also gained a group of troops.
So he went along with him and said, "In that case, I'll leave everything to you, brother!"
Xuanyuan Han bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Jing said, "These are all minor matters, Your Majesty, please don't worry about them!"
Unable to bear facing that face any longer, Xuanyuan Han prepared to leave, saying, "Your Majesty, I have just recovered from a serious illness and still need to recuperate. If Your Majesty has no other important matters to attend to, I will return to my residence first."
Emperor Jing anxiously instructed, "Your Majesty, you must rest well after returning to your residence. Western Qin cannot be without you for even a day!"
Xuanyuan Han didn't say anything more, but simply clasped his hands in a salute before turning and leaving the hall.
Watching his departing figure, Emperor Jing's face suddenly darkened. He snorted coldly and said, "Let's see what the future holds. I have plenty of time to play with you! I don't believe you can be so lucky every time!"
Now that the Guardian has been found, Emperor Jing clearly feels more confident in making all his decisions.
As soon as I stepped out the door.
Lieutenant Cheng Liang, his face grim and seething with anger, said angrily, "This time, Your Highness has truly lost both your wife and your army! Why didn't Your Highness argue with the Emperor in court just now? The court didn't send a single soldier to Lu County to support us!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan asked in a deep voice, sparing with words, "Where is the evidence?"
“Evidence…” Cheng Liang was clearly speechless.
Xuanyuan Han said, "We are all very clear about Emperor Jing's conspiracy. With Wang Chong dead, there will be no way to testify. No one will ever be able to testify that Wang Chong did not receive the military tally that Emperor Jing gave him. Now, all I can do is ensure that Wang Chong's two young sons can grow up safely. This can be considered as comforting the general's spirit in heaven."
As they spoke, the master and servant arrived at the entrance of Changning Palace.
For some reason, as if drawn by a familiar aura, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly stopped involuntarily and slowly looked towards the palace gate.
Cheng Liang continued walking with his head down, muttering to himself thoughtfully, "I'm just unwilling to accept this. His Highness and the Princess risked their lives to defend Lu County. After all that effort, we can't do anything against that person? In the end, we even have to sacrifice thousands of our troops. Perhaps I should check the Ministry of War's troop deployment records; maybe we'll find something new..."
Xuan Yuanhan replied somewhat absentmindedly, "Since he dared to say that, he must have already ordered everyone to do all the pretense. Why would he be so stupid as to wait for you to investigate..."
"I'm just not reconciled..." As he walked, he suddenly felt that his master's presence was gone, so Cheng Liang quickly turned around to look.
Xuanyuan Han was still standing far away with his hands behind his back, staring blankly at the entrance of Changning Palace. So he turned around and walked back.
They stopped beside Xuan Yuanhan and examined the magnificent vermilion palace gate together for a while.
After a while, Cheng Liang turned his head to look at Xuan Yuanhan's profile and asked, "Your Highness is so engrossed in what you are looking at?"
Xuanyuan Han did not answer his question, but asked himself, "Have you found out everything about the matter I ordered you to investigate yesterday?"
"How could I have almost forgotten about that!"
Upon being asked this question, Cheng Liang slapped his forehead and hurriedly replied, "As Your Highness predicted, a new advisor recently recruited by the Emperor has indeed moved into Changning Palace these past two days."
"A staff member?!" Xuan Yuanhan asked, somewhat puzzled.
Cheng Liang continued, "Your Highness may not know this, but I heard that this morning, the Empress even brought people here to cause a scene regarding the Emperor's newly appointed advisor."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan was even more puzzled and asked, "Imperial sister-in-law...isn't she always indifferent to the Emperor's affairs? Why would she make a fuss over a mere advisor?"
Cheng Liang smiled and explained, "There's nothing unusual about having a staff member, but it's strange that this staff member is so handsome that people have mistaken him for a woman. Changning Palace has always had a rule that women are not allowed to reside there, so this has caused quite a misunderstanding."
Cheng Liang seemed to believe it all without a doubt, but Xuan Yuanhan seemed to be deep in thought as he listened.
After thinking for a while, he asked Cheng Liang, "In the past, the Emperor always put his advisors in the Juxian Hall. Why did he put this one in Changning Palace this time? It's only a wall away from his bedroom."
Cheng Liang pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness means... this person in Changning Palace is not the Emperor's advisor, then who is he?"
Upon realizing this, Xuan Yuanhan hurriedly asked, "Do you know if the Empress personally went into the palace to meet that so-called advisor?"
Just as Cheng Liang was scratching his head, engrossed in the information he had gathered, desperately searching for answers.
With a creak.
Suddenly, the gates of Changning Palace were opened from the inside.
Two palace maids slowly walked out after crossing the threshold.
As soon as the palace maid came out, she approached the tall, imposing figure in front of her, and they all bowed their heads in unison to pay their respects.
"This servant greets Your Highness, the King of Qin."
"This servant greets Your Highness, the King of Qin."
However, Xuan Yuanhan did not look at the palace maids, but focused all his attention on the plates held by the two palace maids.
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