Chapter 44 Chapter 44 I have been tired of her for a long time.
In response to the sudden news of Zhong Qi's death, the emperor returned to the palace to arrange various matters, with Pei Jue leading most of the Shen Ce Division's guards.
He kept the prince and Xie Zhize behind, and only set off after he had burned the last stick of incense for the late queen.
The carriage on the return trip wobbled and swayed as it wound its way down the mountain road. Nie Xiangyi sat in the carriage, his face pale, his mind lost in thought.
For the emperor, Zhong Qi's death may only mean the demise of a good general, but for Nie Xiangyi, it is a real pain of losing a loved one.
From now on, no one will be so nice to her.
She has nothing left.
Her eyes were empty and numb, and her eyes, which had always been lively, were now bloodshot, like a pair of holey eyes of a clay figurine. Even tears were a luxury.
"Why did it happen that my grandfather died..."
She suddenly felt regretful.
If my grandfather had not married Xie Zhi at that time, would he have died?
She resented her own willfulness, resented why she did not listen to the advice that day, resented herself for being stupid and ignorant of state affairs, and even not knowing who the murderer was.
There is not even anything to hate.
Guilt and resentment were like a rusty, blunt knife, slowly grinding against her heart. She could not blame anyone else but herself.
Outside the carriage, Xie Zhi arranged all matters related to the return journey of the Shen Ce Guards, and turned back to the carriage to take care of Nie Xiangyi.
He stood in front of the carriage and was about to lift the curtain to go in, but suddenly he heard her voice coming from inside the carriage.
"Hanxu, tell me, if I hadn't insisted on marrying His Highness, would my grandfather have died because of it?"
Her voice was light, like the mist that was about to dissipate in the morning light, weak and ethereal.
Xie Zhi's movements suddenly stopped.
"Madam, why would you think so?" Han Xuyi's eyes were red as she sobbed and tried to comfort her. "The old general said that no matter whether Madam marries or not, these things are unavoidable!"
"No, that must have been my grandfather comforting me..." Nie Xiangyi murmured and shook his head, "Cousin Lingyu clearly told me all this a long time ago! I was willful... I was stupid... It's all my fault..."
How she wished that time could go back. She would never marry Xie Zhi. She only asked for a complete maternal grandfather to be returned to her.
"Miss, please don't torture yourself! What has this human misfortune got to do with you?" Han Xu held her hand tightly. "If the old general were still alive, he wouldn't want to see you feeling so guilty!"
"But I don't even know who the murderer is!"
She was almost paranoid and took everything on herself. She wanted to turn back time, like looking for a sword on a boat, as if this could save her grandfather.
"If I could do it again, I...would not marry Your Highness."
Xie Zhi's hands tightly grasped the curtain until his knuckles turned white, and his joints made a crisp cracking sound, like the sound of shattering glass.
After the truth was revealed, she regretted it. Regret only comes from resentment in one's heart.
He suddenly let go of the curtain and turned to leave.
A layer of mist rose in the mountains, and gradually a drizzle began to fall, bringing with it the chill of winter and landing on Xie Zhi's shoulders.
He looked up at the gray sky and felt confused for the first time in his life.
With a "whoosh" sound, a sharp arrow pierced the raindrops.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop.
Nie Xiangyi lifted the curtain and glanced forward. In the diffuse mist, he saw black shadows flashing by, and the black armor of the Shen Ce Guards made a rustling sound.
Her eyelids twitched, and a sense of foreboding surged into her heart again.
"Madam." Ling Zhu suddenly appeared and surrounded her carriage tightly with several Shen Ce guards.
She looked a little nervous, "What happened?"
"There are rebels ahead, madam, please be careful."
It was the rebels again. The very first rumor was caused by the rebels.
What is the purpose of these rebels? Are they related to the death of my grandfather?
She remembered that last time, these people had targeted the Imperial Concubine. Today, the Imperial Concubine had already returned to the palace with the Emperor, and the only ones left were members of the Imperial family.
Nie Xiangyi immediately clenched the corner of her clothes, "Who are you targeting this time?"
"The rebels are heading towards the Crown Prince's carriage, and His Majesty the Third Prince is also heading there with the Divine Strategy Guards."
Nie Xiangyi was stunned. Why was it the prince this time?
If they were rebels, they would not target the emperor with this great opportunity, but would keep an eye on the imperial concubine and the prince.
In the misty rain, Nie Xiangyi vaguely heard the sound of fighting coming from not far away. The sound of weapons colliding was cold and clanging, which was frightening.
The complicated situation was like a mountain fog, which made Nie Xiangyi feel uneasy. She was afraid that in the next moment, Xie Zhi would suffer the same fate as his grandfather.
The corners of her clothes were almost wrinkled by her, "No, I have to go and take a look!"
As she spoke, she lifted the carriage curtain and tried to jump out.
"Madam, you can't!" Ling Zhu stood in front of her. "His Highness has ordered his subordinates to protect Madam! Madam, it would be best for you to stay in the carriage."
"My grandfather died because of this! How can I calm down!" Nie Xiangyi, who was stopped, became anxious, and then he realized that his tone seemed a little harsh.
She looked at Ling Zhu with red eyes, her voice tearful and almost pleading, "Lord Ling Zhu, with Yang Qiu and these Divine Strategy Guards here, I'll be fine. Please let me take a look, at least to give me some peace of mind, okay?"
At the same time, a sharp arrow came through the air and pierced the frame of the prince's carriage with a whoosh. The soft curtain suddenly rose up, and the arrow blade flashing with a cold light almost brushed past the prince's cheek and was heavily nailed to the wall of the carriage.
Several gray figures appeared in the misty fog, like ghosts.
"Kill Xie Chengxin! Sacrifice his blood to Wanyue!"
The mud under his feet splashed, the knife flashed with a dazzling sharp light, a three-ring broadsword clanged, and with a sharp cold wind, it rushed straight towards Xie Chengxin's face.
Several secret guards suddenly appeared around him, and together with Mo Jiu, they drew out their spears to resist and fought with the assassins who kept coming one after another.
Xie Zhi just watched coldly from the side.
Their target was clear: the prince.
These assassins were extremely skilled in utilizing the terrain. Seeing fog rising in the mountains, blurring vision, and the rain and muddy conditions, they finally appeared and took action.
Not only did several people attack Xie Chengxin closely, but several hidden arrows whizzed out from the forest and headed straight for Xie Chengxin.
Unlike the arrows shot at the emperor in the hunting ground, every arrow at this moment carried a decisive determination to kill, as if it was bound to take Xie Chengxin's life.
"Sacrifice blood to the moon..." Xie Zhi muttered these words in his mind, and suddenly doubts arose in his heart.
If I remember correctly, the late queen's maiden name was Wanyue.
Calling the late queen by her maiden name is a crime of great disrespect. Only those who are familiar with her dare to use such an intimate name.
What is the relationship between these people and the late queen?
If they had a past relationship with the late queen, then the prince was clearly her biological son, so why did they attack him and even sacrifice his blood...
"Third brother, if the Divine Strategy Guards don't take action, I will die today."
Xie Chengxin glanced at the Shen Ce Guards around him. They were usually elite soldiers and brave generals, but now they seemed to be powerless against these few assassins.
He glanced at Xie Zhi with a half-smile. In such a tense situation, he seemed to be unconcerned and even had the leisure to make fun of him.
"You're targeting me like this, aren't you paving the way for my third brother?"
Another sharp arrow flew towards Xie Chengxin, but was blocked by Mo Jiu with great difficulty.
"Royal brother, the Divine Strategy Guards are already taking action." Xie Zhi looked up at him and responded calmly, "It's out of reach."
"What a long way out." Xie Chengxin sneered, "I don't believe that the Divine Strategy Guards, who are so powerful in the imperial court, would be like these idiots who can't even resist a single move from the rebels."
Xie Zhi's expression remained unchanged, "Royal brother, you are now the commander of the Divine Strategy Division."
It was none of his business. He only needed to watch coldly.
Seeing that Xie Zhi clearly wanted to let things go and use the hands of the rebels to get rid of him, Xie Chengxin smiled coldly.
"Third brother, tell me, why do these rebels only want me dead? If you return to the palace safe and sound today, will the emperor suspect you?"
Xie Zhi's expression froze slightly, but he didn't move.
"The rebels want me dead, and you want me dead too. Kill two birds with one stone." Seeing his hesitation, Xie Chengxin only raised his lips slightly with a sly smile, "Third brother, guess, if I really died today, would she miss me for the rest of her life?"
Xie Zhi's eyes suddenly became stern.
He knew how much Nie Xiangyi cared about that encounter. The person he had been thinking about so much in his youth might have become a bright moonlight in the passage of time.
She just realized that the person she met was the prince. If he died at this moment, it would definitely become an indelible scar in her heart.
He hesitated for just a moment, and the long sword suddenly flashed with a cold light. With a few cold and hard "clang clang clang" sounds, the big knife that was about to hit Xie Chengxin deviated a little and fell on his shoulder.
"Your Highness!"
Xie Chengxin suddenly groaned in pain, and thick, red blood flowed from his shoulder, soaking his clothes.
"Third brother, you did it on purpose."
His face grew paler, revealing an almost transparent greyness. However, he still wore a ghostly smile, looking at Xie Zhi with a calm demeanor.
Xie Zhi remained silent, glaring at him coldly, "The rebels are vicious, what does that have to do with me?"
Even though I can't let him die, I don't want him to get away with it so easily.
"Are you kidding me! Why did Xie Zhi take action!" A rough shout came. When the rebels saw Xie Zhi coming to the rescue, their movements froze and even their eyes were filled with disbelief.
He retreated repeatedly to avoid Xie Zhi's sword.
Seeing Xie Zhi's move, the Shen Ce Guards responded and routed the rebels. Their decline was evident, and having lost the best opportunity for assassination, the rebels nearly collapsed and fled into the forest.
"Leave him alive." Xie Zhi ordered coldly.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a soft "puff" sound of flesh bursting open, and Mo Jiu stabbed his spear into the chest of the rebel in front of him without mercy.
"Third brother, you're a little late." Xie Chengxin pretended to be apologetic, but his eyes were looking grimly at the muddy ground stained bright red.
He guessed that these rebels must also know the secret.
Xie Chengxin had a deep expression as he watched the rest of the rebels disappear into the mist like birds returning to the forest.
"Thank you, Third Brother, for saving me."
The sharp pain from the wound made him cough, but he remained calm. "Although I know that Third Brother is reluctant, it's a pity... no matter how reluctant you are, you still have to save me."
As he spoke, he shook his head with pretended regret, "Third brother, you still care."
He didn't even mention Nie Xiangyi's name, but it was enough for Xie Zhi to take action.
The smile on his cheeks was filled with the confidence of victory. "I never thought that someone as cold and aloof as my third brother would care about someone. If I had known earlier, I would not have attacked Zhong Qi. I should have attacked Nie Xiangyi instead."
Xie Zhi's eyes darkened, "It turns out you were the one who did it."
"Of course it was me." He made no secret of it, his smile frivolous and self-satisfied. "To be honest, it was my third brother who killed him. If the Divine Strategy Division wasn't tightly controlled by my third brother, why would I bother with the Zhong family? One can't be too greedy."
As the cold winter wind blew, Xie Chengxin suddenly started coughing violently. The wound on his shoulder bled more due to the shaking of his cough, leaving his face with an eerie, almost ghostly paleness.
"It's just that I feel a little regretful. If I had known this would happen, killing Zhong Qi would have been a bad idea. Nie Xiangyi is still more interesting."
He did not hide the evil in his eyes at all. For the first time, Xie Zhi felt disgusted by such an expression.
Ever since he was little, he'd always had this look on his face whenever someone stole something from him: a nasty, provocative, ostentatious one, waiting for him to lose his composure due to the loss.
He never cared.
But he knew that he still wanted to attack Nie Xiangyi.
Xie Zhi's eyes gradually became as cold as frost and snow, almost freezing people.
"When I think about the person my third brother cares about and has been thinking about me for so many years, I feel inexplicably excited."
He exhaled eagerly from his lips, his eyes flashing with excitement and strangeness, "Third brother, how does it feel to be someone else's substitute?"
For so many years, he has kept that secret every day, and the feeling of being someone else's substitute is like a thorn in his throat, hard to swallow.
He is not as good as Xie Zhi in any way.
It turned out that Xie Zhi had also used the same method to snatch what belonged to him. This thought suddenly gave him a subtle sense of balance and satisfaction.
Xie Zhi's fingertips were curled tightly into his sleeves.
He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart, whether it was resentment or anger, he would never let go.
"Care?" He looked at Xie Chengxin coldly, his eyes were as indifferent as ever, and his tone was cold and impatient.
"She acts without rules and is unruly and willful. I've been fed up with her for a long time."
The surroundings suddenly became silent.
The rain in the mountains was getting colder and colder, making people shiver for no reason.
"Hate her?"
Xie Chengxin's eyes fixed, and the smile on his lips gradually widened until he laughed out loud.
He laughed so hard that his shoulders trembled slightly, his eyebrows curved into a line, "I think so. Someone as cold-hearted as my third brother has never truly cared about anyone. I guess all the affectionate displays before were just a trick for Zhong Qi to see."
He leaned over and looked at Xie Zhi, his smile meaningful, "Third brother, what you care about is actually the military power of the Zhong family."
His tone was quite strange, as if he was intentionally leading him to admit it.
Xie Zhi did not answer, but looked at him coldly, "My royal brother seems to care more."
The smile on Xie Chengxin's face turned strange and sinister. His eyes passed through Xie Zhi and fell behind him.
"Miss Nie, did you hear everything?"
Xie Zhi's pupils suddenly constricted and he turned around abruptly.
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