Double row
When the sky had completely turned so dark that not even a trace of red glow could be seen, Zhou Yanzhi arrived at Baiyangpo. In the darkness of the night, a man stood with a lantern, already waiting on the official road that Zhou Yanzhi would inevitably take.
Upon hearing the neighing of the spirited horse, the man with the lantern turned around and bowed to Zhou Yanzhi.
"Your humble servant Liang Zhi greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Upon seeing the person, a flash of surprise crossed Zhou Yanzhi's eyes, but at the same time, a strange sense of entitlement arose in his heart—Liang Zhi, a confidant of Crown Prince Zhou Shouji, and the Minister of Rites.
Touching the silk scroll hidden in his chest, Zhou Yanzhi dismounted and bowed slightly to Liang Zhi in return. He then quickly said, "His Majesty has ordered me to come here to find His Highness the Crown Prince. Please lead the way, Lord Liang."
Liang Zhi nodded and said gently, "Your Highness, please follow me."
...
Although Baiyangpo has "po" in its name, the surrounding scenery is not at all like a slope. Replacing "po" with "valley" would be a better fit.
Even in the dead of night, the peaks and shadows around Baiyangpo are still faintly visible. The twilight and frost mist gather and disperse, like a light veil covering it. The hazy moonlight adds a touch of tranquility to the scene.
Zhou Yanzhi followed Liang Zhi, quickly passing through the mountain passage and following the sound of the babbling stream, until they arrived at a spacious valley surrounded by mountains and streams.
At first glance, it looks ordinary, just a bit darker and deeper, but the further you go in, the more you discover that there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
The mountain walls on both sides gradually narrowed, and as you walked, your clothes would occasionally brush against the water droplets hanging on the stone walls, bringing a chill that seeped into your bones. With each breath, you were enveloped in a thick dampness.
At the end, the seemingly wide stone path could only accommodate one person at a time.
Before they reached the end, a beam of warm light suddenly pierced through the dark abyss in the distance. Zhou Yanzhi quickened his pace and stepped out. After seeing the scene before him, even though he had expected it, he couldn't help but gasp in silent amazement.
The continuous mountain ranges we saw in the cave earlier, one after another, cleverly enclosed a vast and deep basin in this area.
Looking around, one sees various military tents, one after another, one after another...
The orange-yellow firelight shone on the cowhide curtains, revealing the scene inside. From a distance, it looked like one huge lantern after another. The flickering firelight fell on Zhou Yanzhi's handsome profile, completely dispelling the grimness that had settled on him after a long day.
Liang Zhi stood aside, turned his head and saw the fire in Zhou Yanzhi's eyes, and explained in a gentle voice: "This is where the late emperor and empress dowager hid their Black Feather Camp."
Zhou Yanzhi's gaze returned: "Hidden?"
Liang Zhi remained calm, his eyes unchanged: "Your Highness need not be surprised. On the surface, Your Highness was imprisoned because of the Xiao family case."
On the surface?
A hint of gloom settled in Zhou Yanzhi's eyes. Liang Zhi's words were like a gust of wind, blowing away the fog that had clouded his mind, and the intangible secret gradually became clear.
Back in the library, he had a suspicion about something—was this case investigated too easily? Was someone pulling strings behind the scenes?
If this whole affair is a political game from beginning to end, then is the Xiao family... just a pawn in this game?
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanzhi's breathing became inexplicably heavy. The firelight around him reflected on his face, revealing his inner panic.
But Liang Zhi, dressed in a scholar's robe, was completely unaware of this, and continued to slowly state the facts—"But the truth is that as early as the beginning of last year, His Majesty and His Highness knew about the Fourth Prince and Consort De's ambitions."
Zhou Yanzhi didn't speak, but stared at Liang Zhi in front of him. It felt as if frost was spreading in his heart, inch by inch, so cold that he couldn't make any expression.
Liang Zhi glanced at the cowhide curtains covering the mountainside, his tone calm and undisturbed: "To avoid alerting the enemy and to expose the corrupt officials in the court, we decided to play along and stage this play with His Highness the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi's heart, which had been restless and uncertain, suddenly sank.
"A play?" He exclaimed abruptly, staring incredulously at Liang Zhi, whose face was calm and even carried a faint smile. "So, in His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince's plan, the Xiao family is the pawn to be discarded?"
Thinking of the people suffering from the cold outside Yangqu City, and the Yangqu woman who hid silver in her body that day, Zhou Yanzhi's voice became even hoarse: "Was the Yangqu City incident also a play?"
Seeing tears welling up in Zhou Yanzhi's eyes, Liang Zhi sighed and said to him with pity, "Your Highness, although the Yangqu incident was part of our plan, we never expected the Fourth Prince to be so audacious as to disregard human life so lightly, but..."
"But what?!"
Before Liang Zhi could finish speaking, Zhou Yanzhi angrily interrupted him: "But is the greater cause the priority? So sacrifices are inevitable?"
Liang Zhi smiled apologetically at him: "I know that the Crown Prince is kind and does not want the people to suffer, but... just as the Crown Prince said, the greater cause is of utmost importance."
Therefore, they could let Zhou Yu'an use the disaster relief funds from Yangqu to set up a scheme, and calmly watch the Xiao family be wiped out overnight, even at the cost of their own lives.
After all, as he said before, the greater cause is the most important thing.
Therefore, there must always be some sacrifices; isn't that the way of a ruler?
Before Zhou Yanzhi could speak again, he gave Zhou Yanzhi a slight bow, and his gentle voice rang out once more.
"The situation is urgent. If Your Highness still has any questions, please wait until things are settled, and I will certainly answer them for you."
"Now, Your Highness, please come with me."
...
Meanwhile, in the dungeon of Qi Minghua's mansion, Jie Xiangsi, dressed in plain clothes, was tied to a rack, her consciousness almost completely dissipating.
Previously in the Zichen Palace, she could regain consciousness by injuring herself, but now, bound and unable to move, and knowing that this was Qi Minghua's territory, her defensive awareness subconsciously relaxed.
The effects of the seductive powder spread rapidly, and she answered the questions of the people in front of her almost entirely on instinct.
"Did you approach Prince An just to help your clansmen clear their names?"
With her eyes vacant and unfocused, Jie Xiangsi answered instinctively, "Yes."
"Then let me ask you another question: Is your affection for Prince An more affectionate, or is it more about using him?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi frowned slightly, but still replied earnestly, "Use it."
There was a moment of silence in the cell, followed by a deep sigh.
Qi Minghua grabbed Su Feng, who was about to confront Jie Xiangsi, bowed to the two old women standing to the side, and then looked out of the prison cell.
The two old women exchanged a glance, then silently left the cell. Qi Minghua then pulled Su Feng, who was reluctant to leave, and followed them out.
Stepping out of the dungeon, Su Feng ripped the hand off his mouth and pointed angrily at the cell, saying, "Qi Minghua! Why are you stopping me? Didn't you hear what she just said?"
Qi Minghua rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and said, "I heard you."
"You heard me and you still..."
“But she’s not fully conscious right now.” Qi Minghua lowered her hand, raised her eyelids to interrupt Su Feng, her eyes revealing a trace of helplessness: “No matter how many times you argue with her, she will only follow her instincts and say things you don’t want to hear.”
Raising his hand and patting Su Feng's shoulder, Qi Minghua calmly stated the facts: "In the end, you were furious, jumping up and down, while she, after sobering up, was only a little sore-throated and not really affected."
"That's still not allowed..."
Su Feng's eyes widened and his neck stiffened. He was about to say something, but he stopped when he saw Qi Minghua's calm gaze. After a moment of silence, he said in a muffled voice, "I just think that Ce An is too humble in this relationship."
Upon hearing this, Qi Minghua also nodded in agreement, a rare occurrence for him.
Who can argue with that?
This relationship began with exploitation, mixed with Ce An's sincerity and Xiao Yan's feigned sincerity. Yet, Ce An was willing to go through fire and water for this sincerity, even at the cost of his life.
Isn't that humiliating?
Qi Minghua was a physician, so the vast Qi mansion was filled not with flowers and grass, but with herbs. A gentle evening breeze carried the scent of herbs into the air, which initially smelled bitter, but then strangely revealed a hint of sweetness as the breeze subsided.
The two remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, Su Feng sighed, patted his side twice, and then turned to Qi Minghua and said, "Hey, you've read so many medical books, can you concoct some kind of... uh... you know, the kind of medicine that makes people forget their feelings?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Minghua raised an eyebrow, turned his head and stared at Su Feng with a half-smile, saying, "What? Do you want to give it to Ce'an? Or to Miss Xiao?"
Su Feng felt uneasy under his gaze, but still honestly replied, "Of course it's for Ce'an to eat."
Once Ce'an breaks off his relationship with Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan will surely regret it and start pursuing him. However, Ce'an may not turn back, and the two will eventually forget each other in the world.
That's how it was written in the storybook he read.
A bestselling storybook can't be wrong, right?
Qi Minghua smiled and said, "It's ready. Go and cook it for Ce'an."
"No, no!" Su Feng shook his head violently, saying, "What if I fail? If Ce'an finds out, he'll chop me in two, so..."
Qi Minghua chuckled, revealing Su Feng's hidden thoughts: "So, you want me to go and give it to Ce'an."
Su Feng chuckled, "Isn't it because you're the most reliable one among the three of us?"
"Am I not afraid of being cleaved in two by Ce'an?" Qi Minghua glared at Su Feng, then looked at him like he was an idiot, saying, "Besides, I'm a physician, not a sorcerer. And a love-severing drug..."
Su Feng: "...You're being so sarcastic."
Why didn't you just say you couldn't do it?
"Just realized?" Qi Minghua teased, patting Su Feng's shoulder. "Yunyun, read less of those storybooks, they're bad for your brain."
Thinking of something, he smiled slightly: "Ce'an and Miss Xiao are like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai, one is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit. Since they are enjoying themselves, why should we interfere?"
"There is no true equality when it comes to feelings."
“No one except the parties involved has the right to interfere. I spoke up for Ce’an earlier and have already figured out his feelings. Since that’s the case, as long as Ce’an likes Miss Xiao, we will protect Miss Xiao.”
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