Chapter 55
Li Jinghe followed Hua and Yue to Xue's grave.
He stood there for a long time. This girl had always been with him, and now that she was suddenly leaving, it would be a lie to say he wasn't heartbroken.
What is there to feel guilty about? I'm already lucky to have your protection, even though I'm a useless person.
If I hadn't sent you to protect Yuexing, you might still be alive and well. I hope that in your next life you won't have to hide in the shadows all day.
Hidden in the shadows, Hua and Yue exchanged a glance, their feelings complicated.
"Master," Hua said, unable to bear it any longer.
Yue gave her a look and carefully tugged at the hem of her clothes.
"What?" Li Jinghe tilted his head slightly.
Yue interjected, "Hua means it's getting late, we should go back."
Li Jinghe lowered his eyes and said, "I understand."
Then Yue and Hua hid in the shadows. "Why did you stop me just now?" Hua asked.
Yue explained coldly, "Judging from Master's attitude, he remembers Xue's kindness."
“If we tell him the truth, perhaps he won’t think that way.”
After listening, Hua lowered her head, indicating that she agreed with his point of view.
Li Jinghe arrived at the Meng residence and stood outside the gate for a long time without going in. He had been in the capital for so long, but he hadn't had a proper chance to meet his cousin yet.
"Young Master," the servants in the manor bowed to him.
Meng Wang was practicing swordplay in the courtyard when she caught a glimpse of Li Jinghe not far away. He didn't stop practicing; he continued his swordplay.
An hour later, he took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid to wipe his sweat, and said with a look of sudden realization, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that my cousin was coming to see me?"
"I made you wait for me for so long."
Li Jinghe remained silent, quietly watching his feigned ignorance, and asked, "Do you know why I returned to the capital?"
Mengwang paused, looked at him and said, "Your legs are your own; you can go wherever you want."
"I'm not a mind reader, how would I know what you're thinking?" He said, handing the handkerchief to the maid and taking a teacup from another maid to drink.
Li Jinghe laughed and said, "Isn't all of this forced upon me?"
Mengwang stiffened, his eyes flashing sharply as he looked at him. "Cousin, you're making baseless accusations."
Li Jinghe then said in a low voice, "Didn't you kill my father?"
"And his concubine, wasn't that arranged by you too?"
Mengwang calmly asked, "Where's the evidence?"
Li Jinghe leaned close to his ear and said, "Because everything you did was to force me to come to the capital."
"I think you arranged Sai Taxue."
After saying that, he added, "No."
"To be precise, it was arranged by my uncle!" He stared at Mengwang with a fierce look in his eyes.
Meng Wang trembled, and after a long while, she spoke, her eyes narrowed, her aura imposing, "We've been very discreet, how did you find out?"
"Ha!" Li Jinghe said disdainfully, "Because I am dead, the greatest benefit to you is the two thousand secret guards that my maternal grandfather promised to leave to me."
Meng Jia accompanied the founding emperor in conquering the country and was the emperor's most trusted advisor.
Therefore, the Meng family has a special honor: they can train two thousand secret guards to protect the Meng family's descendants.
Because of this honor, the emperor who later ascended the throne treated the Meng family with great respect, and Li Jinghe's maternal grandfather once boasted that he would hand over two thousand secret guards to Li Jinghe.
These words made Meng Kang and his son look embarrassed.
Meng Wang's eyes flashed fiercely as he said, "These two thousand guards originally belonged to the Meng family. What does it have to do with you, surnamed Li?"
Li Jinghe smiled sarcastically and said, "In the end, you and your uncle are just jealous of my grandfather's favor."
Meng Wang stepped forward, looking mysterious, and said, "Think about it carefully, is the Meng family really the only one behind this?"
Li Jinghe's face stiffened, his mind racing.
Meng Wang, having achieved his goal, said triumphantly, "I bet you'll never guess who it is!" With that, he turned and went back to his room.
Li Jinghe stood there blankly for a long time before slowly turning around and going back.
He frowned deeply, wondering if he had missed some important clues.
When news of the princess's kidnapping reached the palace, the emperor was furious and dispatched 50,000 troops to fight against the militia.
Soon the emperor received news that the bandits had taken the princess and fled south, so 50,000 troops followed closely behind.
Xie Xuanye stood by the window when a militiaman came in and said, "Sir, the imperial court has led 50,000 troops south."
"The leading general is Ye Huaijin."
Xie Xuanye waved his hand and said, "I understand."
Su Yuexing woke up as the carriage sped away, while Princess Changyang remained unconscious beside her.
"Changyang, wake up!" she called out.
Changyang still didn't react. Su Yuexing's hands were tied with rope, and she struggled hard, but the rope didn't loosen at all.
Xie Xuanye, who was sitting outside, sensed something was wrong. He lifted the curtain and they met eyes.
Su Yuexing was startled and asked, "Where are you taking us?"
Xie Xuanye's lips curled up, and he said, "Have you ever heard this saying?"
Su Yuexing frowned and asked, "What did you say?"
Xie Xuanye said quietly, "The most dangerous place is the safest place."
Su Yuexing's eyes darted around as she said, "You're going to take us back to the capital!"
"Smart!" he praised.
Su Yuexing exclaimed in shock, "Are you crazy! You're the militia leader!"
"Going back to the capital would be like walking into a trap!"
Xie Xuanye's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "No! For me now, the capital is safer than anywhere else!"
Su Yuexing didn't quite process what he said, and said, "It's one thing for you to go back to the capital, but you even brought the princess back with you. I think you're just tired of living."
Xie Xuanye stared at her and said, "So your task with me is to keep a close eye on her."
Su Yuexing frowned and asked, "Me?"
"Why me? Now that we're in the capital, shouldn't you let me go?"
Xie Xuanye laughed loudly, "You know all my secrets, do you think I'll let you leave so easily?"
Su Yuexing swallowed hard, saying incredulously, "You wouldn't be thinking of using me and then killing me to silence me, would you?"
"It depends on my mood." Xie Xuanye said, then lowered the curtain and looked at the scenery along the roadside.
At night, a carriage secretly stopped in front of the Xie residence, and Su Yuexing and Princess Changyang were escorted into the Xie residence.
After struggling for a while, Su Yuexing said, "Let me go."
Without a word, Xie Xuanye untied the ropes binding her hands. Su Yuexing asked in surprise, "When did he become so obedient?"
"Act with me in a play, or I'll make you experience what it feels like to have a knife to your throat all over again."
Su Yuexing felt a chill run down her spine and asked, "What play?"
Xie Xuanye leaned close to her ear and whispered, Su Yuexing's brows furrowed even more, and she said, "Will she believe it?"
"Whether you believe it or not depends on your acting skills."
Su Yuexing pursed her lips helplessly, and frowned as she said, "I really don't understand you."
“You come from a prestigious family, why would you do something that is detrimental to your own class?”
Xie Xuanye lowered his eyes. "Some people spend their whole lives pursuing fame, fortune, or power."
"In my heart, I only pursue the word 'justice'!"
At this moment, Su Yuexing felt that Xie Xuanye's words had touched her. She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.
“I know what to do,” she said, bowing her head.
Xie Xuanye looked at the unconscious Princess Changyang and explained, "I gave her a sleeping potion. Judging from the time, she should wake up in about fifteen minutes."
"I'm going downstairs now," Xie Xuanye said, closing the door and leaving.
Su Yuexing looked at Princess Changyang, wondering how she should explain things to her later.
As time passed, the effects of the medicine in Princess Changyang's body gradually wore off.
She clutched her head and frowned, saying, "Where am I? Why does my head hurt so much?"
Presumably a side effect of the sleeping potion, Su Yuexing stepped forward to help her up, saying, "This is the Xie residence."
Princess Changyang kept recalling her past memories, "the Xie family mansion."
"I remember now! I remember seeing Xie Xuanye before I fainted!"
Su Yuexing tentatively asked, "Do you remember if Xie Xuanye did anything to you?"
Princess Changyang thought carefully for a moment and said, "No."
Su Yuexing clapped her hands and said, "That's right!"
Princess Changyang looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Su Yuexing immediately followed up with an explanation: "Do you remember why you ran into Xie Xuanye?"
Princess Changyang said slowly, "Because we need to hide from those mountain bandits."
Su Yuexing grabbed her shoulders and said earnestly, "After you encountered those bandits, it was Xie Xuanye who saved you!"
"He saved me?" Princess Changyang looked at the door with a serious expression.
Seeing her hesitation, Su Yuexing continued, "Don't you remember those scenes?"
Princess Changyang nodded slowly and said, "Yes, I only remember meeting him. I have no memory of what happened after that."
Su Yuexing's eyes darted around as she asked, "Then do you believe that Xie Xuanye saved you?"
Princess Changyang asked with doubt, "Is he really that good?"
Su Yuexing pursed her lips and said helplessly, "If he weren't a good person, he wouldn't have brought you back to the Xie residence."
Princess Changyang looked at her quietly and asked, "How did you escape?"
Su Yuexing was stunned; she had forgotten about this step.
She explained, "The imperial court sent 50,000 troops to deal with these militia, so they couldn't spare me and fled south."
"I also had a chance to escape."
"Having nowhere else to go, I had no choice but to settle down at the Xie residence."
Princess Changyang nodded and said, "I see."
She stood up and was about to walk towards the door when Su Yuexing quickly grabbed her and asked, "What are you doing?"
Princess Changyang asked, puzzled, "Of course we should go back."
Su Yuexing immediately refused, saying, "No way!"
"Why?" she asked, puzzled.
Su Yuexing thought for a moment and explained, "Xie Xuanye just rescued you from the militia."
“That group of militiamen is definitely watching you somewhere outside, waiting to capture you again.”
Princess Changyang thought for a moment and said, "What you said makes sense."
"I'll listen to you and stay hidden in the Xie family's place."
Su Yuexing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That was great! She hadn't expected her coaxing skills to be so effective.
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