Plan before you act (1)
"Who are you?"
Hearing Jun Qixiu's voice, Xie Sili looked at him but did not answer his question.
Not receiving a reply, Jun Qixiu asked again.
She stood there looking at Jun Qixiu standing opposite her.
She always felt that Jun Qixiu was a contradictory character. Even in the original novel, he launched a coup under the name of the former crown prince. Even though the rebellion failed, he died at the hands of Jun Qiyu without any regrets, and entrusted his daughter to Jun Qiyu's care before his death.
In the original work, there were only two people who truly admired the former crown prince: Jun Qixiu and the second prince. They were the only ones who knew the truth.
Jun Qixiu launched a coup for the sake of the former crown prince, while the second prince had been taking medication, resulting in him having no children after many years of marriage. When people blamed his principal wife, he would not hesitate to defend her.
She easily dodged the thrusting blade, a nonchalant smile still playing on her lips. "Who I am is not important. What's important is that I want Fang Ye dead." She flicked something from her hand, causing Jun Qixiu's sword to fall.
"There is absolutely no chance of turning things around regarding Fang Ye's matter." Xie Sili sneered. "Otherwise, we would be letting down those who died. Jun Qixiu, what goes around comes around. Don't harbor any illusions."
Jun Qixiu's eyes darkened, and Fang Ye's face reappeared in his mind.
"Saving Fang Yuanchao is simple, just castrate him. What's the point of keeping a man like that around? Is it just to let his filthy bloodline continue?"
Receiving no response from Jun Qixiu, she scoffed, "If that's the case, then let's just sever this bloodline completely."
"Who exactly are you!" Jun Qixiu asked again, "What is your purpose in stirring up trouble in the court?"
"How could a mere weak woman like me possibly stir up trouble in the court? Jun Qixiu, you overestimate me." A slight smile appeared on her face.
Seeing Jun Qixiu about to attack again, Xie Sili changed his expression, looked up at the person standing not far away, and directly knocked Jun Qixiu unconscious with a chop to the neck.
"girl……"
Xie Sili stood there and glanced at Si Ze. "Aze, shall we go check on Fang Yuanchao's situation?"
"It's an eyesore for the young lady..."
Xie Sili didn't give Si Ze a chance to speak. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from Jun Qixiu's residence in a few quick movements.
Whether it's the eldest prince, the second prince, or the third prince, they are all stepping stones for Jun Qiyu. Since Jun Qiyu is destined to ascend the throne and become emperor, why not go with the flow and let the three of them help Jun Qiyu purge those forces in the court?
The two of them arrived at the Fang residence undetected, and they quickly determined the location of Fang Yuanchao's courtyard.
The two of them remained hidden in the shadows, observing the movements inside Fang Yuanchao's room.
The continuous exercise had taken a toll on Fang Yuanchao's body, but he still showed no sign of stopping.
Zhao looked at Fang Ye and pleaded that Fang Yuanchao was their only son and they couldn't let the Fang family line end.
"Enough! Look at the good son you raised!" Fang Ye shook off Zhao's hand with displeasure. "A doting mother spoils her son." With one sentence, he placed all the blame on Zhao.
"Father, can't you think of something?" a woman standing beside him said softly. "If this continues, my brother will die."
Fang Ye glanced at the woman beside him and said in a deep voice, "Then let him die." After he finished speaking, he turned and left with a flick of his sleeve, the coldness in his eyes seemingly indicating that he had already given up on Fang Yuanchao.
"father……"
Watching the figure about to turn and leave, Zhao closed her eyes, her face contorted in pain. "Never mind, he was always like this." Her words still carried a hint of despair.
“Mother.” The girl sat down next to Zhao Shi. “What should we do about my brother now? If this continues, he will die.” She spoke with tears in her eyes.
Zhao, lost in thought, stood up and resolutely walked into the room. Not long after, a painful scream was heard coming from inside.
"Women are inherently weak, but become strong when they become mothers."
She had barely finished speaking when she felt Si Ze pull her into his arms. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Si Ze's voice, "Miss, we've got you covered."
She herself has little memory of her mother and has never experienced maternal love;
As for this body, it has never seen its mother since birth.
Seeing this scene suddenly, one might feel envious of others.
Fortunately, her grandparents always doted on her, which somewhat made up for that slight regret.
Later, she got to know Si Ze, everyone else, and everyone in Si Garden.
"Does the young lady want to go back to the dungeon?" Si Ze's voice rang out again.
"Before I go back, I'll go find Jun Qiyu and see how he plans to handle this matter." Xie Sili glanced at Si Ze beside her.
After leaving the Fang residence, Xie Sili went directly to find Jun Qiyu.
She found him at the brothel where Jun Qiyu often stayed.
Rather than saying he stayed overnight in a brothel, it would be more accurate to say that the brothel served as a cover for him.
Xie Sili sat by Jun Qiyu's window, his legs dangling down, holding a wine gourd in his hand.
She waved the wine gourd in her hand, "It does look somewhat like it's from Yuzhou City."
Why are you here?
Hearing Jun Qiyu's words, she looked up at him and said, "You're not surprised that I was able to find this place."
"Not only could you find this place, but you could also avoid all eyes and ears." Jun Qiyu put down his pen as he spoke. "Jiang Chen and the others never discovered your whereabouts."
Xie Sili smiled but remained silent.
"You were responsible for the grievance drum incident. (You were responsible for the Zhenshan Pagoda incident.)" The two voices rang out simultaneously.
"Yes," the two answered in unison again.
Seeing that Jun Qiyu hadn't spoken, Xie Sili said, "Do you still remember Green Bamboo?"
After receiving a nod from Jun Qiyu, she continued, "Her family all died because of Fang Yuanchao. Fang Yuanchao took a fancy to Lvzhu's older sister. The older sister was a strong-willed person. In order to avoid being humiliated, she hanged herself. Her parents wanted to sue Fang Yuanchao, but the officials protected each other, which led to her parents dying tragically in the fire."
"She hopes I can help her get justice." She said, tilting her head back to drink. "Since she's my maid, I naturally have to stand up for her."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Jun Qiyu, who was standing there.
“I originally discovered the abandoned well, but found that the well cover couldn’t be opened, so I followed the clues to the Zhenshan Pagoda.” Jun Qiyu said as he walked up to her. “Why couldn’t the well cover be opened?”
“That was a small array. Aze moved the array core before they went so that they could open it, which can be considered as clearing their name.” She leaned against the wall behind her and looked up at Jun Qiyu.
Jun Qiyu, standing before him, wore a long black robe. In the flickering candlelight, the distance between them seemed both far and near.
"Jun Qiyu, what do you think of Princess Anning?" she asked without much thought. "I've heard she's the current Empress's niece, a beauty that could topple kingdoms."
“Even the most beautiful woman pales in comparison to you,” Jun Qiyu replied almost without hesitation.
Xie Sili laughed, "As expected of you." She patted his shoulder as she spoke, "With the joint trial by the three judicial authorities, and with you and me pushing things along behind the scenes, the Fang and Zhao families should be able to be removed from the list of aristocratic families, which can be considered as getting rid of a major threat."
Noticing Jun Qiyu's gaze, Xie Sili continued, "What's your response over there?"
“The eldest son is too sharp-tongued, the second son has no interest in the throne, and the third son’s thoughts are unpredictable. In the absence of anyone else to balance the court, I am the best candidate.” Jun Qiyu said as he poured himself a cup of tea.
"First comes the ruler and subject, then the father and son. He was more afraid than anyone that we would seize his throne." His tone was mocking. "If it weren't for that, the former crown prince wouldn't have died."
Upon hearing the words "former crown prince," Xie Sili turned her gaze to him.
"I thought there was no crown prince in the court, but today you say there was a former crown prince." Xie Sili tightened his grip on the gourd in his hand and looked at Jun Qiyu.
What kind of person was the late Crown Prince?
“He was a man of refined character and gentle nature.” Jun Qiyu’s eyes relaxed when he mentioned the late Crown Prince. “He was a role model for all the ministers. He could debate with scholars and was skilled in horseback riding and archery. He was proficient in all six arts of a gentleman, especially painting. He was a man of great talent, possessing seven-tenths of that talent.”
“I have never met anyone as gentle as him. Apart from the third brother, the eldest, second brother, and I all admire him very much.” Jun Qiyu’s tone was tinged with a smile. “He was the most amazing person I had ever met when I was young.”
Xie Sili listened to Jun Qiyu's words without speaking for a long time, her mind seemingly preoccupied with various thoughts. She slightly tightened her grip on the gourd. "Then what caused his death?"
"I heard that he was ambushed on his way back to Chang'an. By the time he was found, his body was unrecognizable. It was the Empress who recognized him as the late Crown Prince." At this point, Jun Qiyu paused slightly and then turned his gaze to Xie Sili.
"What a pity." Xie Sili raised her wine gourd to the waning moon in the sky and said, "If he were alive, he would be just like you." After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank the wine.
“I’m far inferior to him,” Jun Qiyu said with a hint of self-deprecation.
Jun Qiyu's words made Xie Sili turn his gaze to him.
She touched the cup in his hand with her wine gourd, and asked, "Jun Qiyu, after you ascend the throne, will you kill those who helped you to the throne?"
"Who knows?" Jun Qiyu said ambiguously. "Perhaps anyone who touches the emperor's interests will be killed, just like him now."
He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "He wanted to relinquish power, but he was worried that his son would seize his throne; he wanted the people of the world to submit to him, but he was unwilling to seek happiness for them."
"Why didn't he eliminate the Grand Secretary of the Court of Judicial Review, the Minister of Justice, and other people related to the late Crown Prince? It was simply to stabilize the court. The eldest, second, and third sons all had people siding with them in the court, but the second son had no interest in the throne."
When the Second Prince was mentioned, Jun Qiyu sighed, "Not only does he have no interest in the throne, but he is also said to be obsessed with cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao. He has been married for many years but has no children."
"I am obsessed with beautiful women and often frequent brothels. Neither of them cares about me. The reason that person does this is because he knows that he can't persuade the second brother, only he can."
Seeing Jun Qiyu hand him a wine glass, Xie Sili filled it with wine.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Jun Qiyu down the glass of wine in one gulp. "You're drinking wine?"
"It's always been wine, it's never changed."
Noticing the change in Jun Qiyu's expression, Xie Sili glanced at him and said, "Get some rest. I'll head back now."
“Ali”.
Hearing the voice behind him, Xie Sili, who was about to leave, turned around and asked, "What is it?"
Not receiving a reply from Jun Qiyu, Xie Sili assumed he was drunk. She stood up and disappeared in a few flashes, thus ignoring Jun Qiyu's words.
--I like you.
When Jiang Chen heard the noise and appeared in front of Jun Qiyu, he found Jun Qiyu staring blankly out the window.
"Master, what has happened?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Jun Qiyu turned around and looked. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about when I'll be able to defeat Si Ze."
"The guard beside Miss Xie?" Jiang Chen's mind conjured up the image of Si Ze.
"Si Ze is the most powerful person beside her. Even if I were in front of Si Ze, I would be far inferior. Didn't you notice her when she appeared just now?"
"Who?" Jiang Chen asked belatedly, "Does Master mean that Miss Xie appeared just now?"
Not receiving a reply from Jun Qiyu, Jiang Chen spoke again, "Is Master sure?"
"Um."
"No, is Miss Xie really that skilled?" Jiang Chen asked again in surprise. "Did Si Ze bring Miss Xie with him?"
“No,” Jun Qiyu replied. “In the end, it’s just because we don’t understand each other well enough.” There was a hint of self-deprecation in his tone. “A lot of things have changed.”
Without looking at Jiang Chen, Jun Qiyu waved to him and then disappeared from his sight.
Jun Qiyu returned to his desk. In front of him was a piece of paper, and the figure on the paper was none other than Xie Sili.
He raised his hand and stroked Xie Sili's cheek, whispering, "I owed you so much in the past, and now I want to make it up to you, but I find that you don't need me at all."
"You said you wanted to wear a phoenix robe once, so I would give it to you. Why didn't you wait for me?" His voice choked with emotion.
"If I hadn't left you alone in Chang'an, would you have jumped off a building and died?"
"You said you didn't want to be a burden to me, but I have never regarded you as a burden, but as my only wife."
Plop, Jun Qiyu's tears smeared across the drawing paper.
He picked up his paintbrush and painted the blurred area into the most magnificent peony.
A sword-wielding girl stands amidst numerous peonies, raising her sword to invite the moon.
There was also a line of inscription next to it:
——① It seems there's a special reason for the east wind, the crimson silk is rolled up high and cannot contain the spring; if it could speak, it would be able to topple a kingdom, even if it is heartless, it would still be moving.
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