Her eyes still held a pitiful tear, but now, as she spoke these words through gritted teeth, she possessed a certain venom and ruthlessness that made Hu Cheng feel a chill down his spine, yet he also felt an indescribable allure from the woman before him.
Hu Cheng almost agreed to Xiao Shu'er's request, but before he could finish, he calmly said, "Chang Lili is Meng Yuxiu's fiancée now. Once Meng Yuxiu leaves, he will definitely make arrangements for her. If we make a move now, he will definitely suspect us."
It's not about whether he's afraid of Meng Yuxiu or not; it's about the sheer size of Meng Yuxiu's army, which even the emperor has to respect. Although Hu Cheng doesn't get along with Meng Yuxiu and has always been resentful of him, he knows deep down that he is no match for Meng Yuxiu in his current state.
Xiao Shu'er said, "Once Meng Yuxiu leaves, what difference does it make how many people he put around Chang Lili? Besides, I'm not asking you to do it yourself. Don't you understand that you're using someone else to do the dirty work?"
"Whose knife should I borrow?"
Xiao Shu'er smiled slightly: "Meng Yuxiu is now second only to the emperor, so naturally he owes it to my imperial brother."
Hu Cheng stared at her in astonishment, his heart filled with shock and fear, and exclaimed, "Princess, you..."
"Are you scared?" Xiao Shu'er took a step forward, leaning towards Hu Cheng. "Are you scared?"
Xiao Shuer asked twice in a row. Hu Cheng struggled between reason and temptation, his throat dry as he said, "I'm not afraid, but what do you want to do?"
Xiao Shu'er knew she had succeeded more than halfway and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't let you take any risks. When I said 'using a borrowed knife to kill,' I meant His Majesty asked you to investigate the Three Pages Gate in the capital, didn't he? Have you forgotten where you first found out about the Three Pages Gate?"
Hu Cheng thought for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on and said, "Forbidden Area!"
"Yes, it's forbidden territory. That bitch is hiding in there. Don't you understand?"
"Does the princess mean to lure Chang Lili out of the forbidden area under the pretext of investigating the Three-Page Gate, and then...?"
“Not entirely, why lure her out?” Xiao Shu’er stroked her long hair, tilted her head and smiled at Hu Cheng, like a mountain spirit. “What if she is from the Three Pages Sect? As a traitor, shouldn’t she die?”
Hu Cheng suddenly realized and smiled at Xiao Shu'er, saying, "Princess, you are wise. I understand. As long as Meng Yuxiu leaves, I will arrange the manpower. I don't believe anyone can protect her from the Emperor!"
Xiao Shu'er smiled with satisfaction.
Hu Cheng's mind raced, and he reached out to hug her, saying, "After this matter, Your Highness, may I ask you for a reward?"
Xiao Shuer raised her face and kissed Hu Cheng on the cheek with her red lips.
Hu Cheng immediately became excited, hugged Xiao Shu'er tightly, and kissed her haphazardly. The force in his hands made Xiao Shu'er's face change color. She hurriedly pushed him away a few times and said, "You're hurting me."
Hu Cheng reluctantly let go of her, saying, "I've been holding back for so long."
Xiao Shu'er said, "It's not a big deal. You can't even compare to Meng Yuxiu now, how can you marry me? After this Three Pages Gate incident, you will make a great contribution to His Majesty, and His Majesty will naturally promote you. At that time, you can ask His Majesty to grant you a marriage. Why do you need to hide here with me?"
Xiao Shuer was right, but Hu Cheng was still unwilling to give up. He couldn't even taste the delicious food in front of him, which made him furious.
"And what's the rush? What's yours will be yours sooner or later, it's not going to run away." Xiao Shu'er whispered in his ear with a breath as sweet as orchids, and then gently moved away when Hu Cheng reached out to grab her.
It gives you a feeling of wanting to grasp it but being unable to, which makes you extremely anxious.
Hu Cheng took a step forward, but Xiao Shu'er stopped him with her delicate hand, saying, "Alright, you should go back now. Don't forget what I told you. Don't let me down this time."
After saying that, she called her maid over, rubbed her forehead, and said that she was tired.
Hu Cheng looked at her with resentment and gritted his teeth, saying, "I will definitely not let you down. This time I will definitely surpass Meng Yuxiu, and you will definitely be mine."
A mocking smile appeared on Xiao Shu'er's face, who had her back to him.
After Hu Cheng strode away, her maid asked worriedly, "Princess, did you really agree to him?"
Xiao Shu'er laughed mockingly: "Ridiculous. He's just a dog. If he really kills Chang Lili this time, do you think Meng Yuxiu will let it go? Meng Yuxiu isn't afraid of my brother. He'll have my brother thoroughly investigate this matter. Do you think Hu Cheng will survive?"
Those around her suddenly realized what was going on.
Xiao Shu'er then asked, "Is there any situation with the Empress?"
"There's been no news from the Buddhist temple yet."
"That can't be right. Could it be that the Empress has really taken care of herself this time? I don't believe it. Have someone keep an eye on her."
Inside the Buddhist temple where the Empress resides.
Deep in the mountains, the Buddhist temple stands silently, its shadows layered upon each other, concealing untold secrets and unseen eyes.
The Empress knelt before the prayer mat, facing the golden statue of Buddha. She clasped her hands together in a complete Buddhist salute before speaking to the person behind her, "Do you understand?"
"Your subject understands." Standing behind the Empress was the current Crown Prince, Xiao Lingshou.
Xiao Ling had been observing mourning at the imperial mausoleum for many years. His pale face and the quiet, dimly lit Buddhist temple gave him an indescribable sense of gloom.
"His Majesty is about to make a big move. He is the most suspicious person. This time, the Three Pages Gate incident hit a nerve. You must take this opportunity to make a difference and change his opinion of you. Now that I am not in the palace, he will definitely treat you much better. You must seize this opportunity."
Xiao Lingshou bowed his head in agreement, staring expressionlessly at the Buddhist temple in front of him, seemingly oblivious to how much of the Empress's words he had actually heard.
The quiet night reminded him of the countless silent darknesses of the imperial tombs.
Although he was the crown prince, who treated him as such during those years?
The struggle between the emperor and empress was fierce. The emperor hated the empress, and the empress resented the emperor. Both of them used their only son as a bargaining chip to take revenge on each other. The empress desperately clung to the crown prince, while the emperor never showed any affection for him.
Since Xiao Lingshou returned from the imperial mausoleum, he had never seen the emperor show him a gentle expression.
It's unclear whether the long separation had eroded the only remaining bond between father and son, or whether the emperor harbored resentment towards the empress's child from the very beginning.
Now the Empress seems to have let go of the Eastern Palace, but she is still keeping a close eye on Xiao Lingshou's every move. She has always wanted her ear to become what she wants.
Every few days, Xiao Lingshou would secretly leave the palace and come here to follow the Empress's arrangements.
That's why Xiao Lingshou often felt that his existence was somewhat absurd and laughable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
