Chapter 529 Li Rong, please don't let us down.
"Your Highness, everything is ready."
A servant in blue placed the cage in the middle, then trotted over to Xiao Yuanshan and whispered a message.
Xiao Yuanshan slowly opened his half-closed eyes, and when he saw the cage below, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's quite quiet today."
The servant smiled and said, "As per His Highness's instructions, they were all given their medicine this morning. They should all be awake by the time the banquet begins later tonight."
Xiao Yuanshan glanced at it, then closed his eyes to rest.
To Xiao Yuanshan's left was Grand Secretary Zhang, whose eyes were dark and unfathomable as he stared at the cage, lost in thought.
Seated on the right was Lord Xie. A hint of excitement flickered in his eyes. He downed his wine in one gulp, then slammed the cup heavily on the table with a bang, abruptly stood up, walked forward, and ripped open the red silk ribbon.
A huge red silk ribbon slowly fell down.
Lord Xie suddenly met a pair of cold eyes, and when he met those eyes, the excitement on his face intensified.
Inside the cage were more than a dozen living people, most of them mutilated, their faces bloodshot, their skin festering and oozing pus, all tortured beyond recognition. Most were unconscious. A few had their eyes open, but those eyes were empty, devoid of any emotion.
On the outermost side of the cage, directly opposite Lord Xie, was Qin Lin.
The wheelchair beneath him was gone. His handsome face and clean clothes stood out from the others. When he saw Lord Xie, the disgust in his eyes was almost undisguised.
"Qin Lin, it's been so many years, you're still as repulsive as ever." Lord Xie's lips curled into a smile. "But do you think Li Rong is still protecting you? Haha, let's see how arrogant you become?"
The next second, his menacing longsword pierced through.
Qin Lin's pupils contracted sharply. He wanted to dodge to the side, but seeing the empty-eyed man sitting behind him, he ultimately clenched his fist and took the blow from Lord Xie's sword.
The sword pierced his shoulder.
Lord Xie's eyes gleamed with madness, a smile playing on his lips. Almost without hesitation, he drew his longsword. Blood splattered all around him.
Qin Lin pursed his lips, remaining silent. He sat there steadily, as if he wasn't the one who had been hurt. However, his fists clenched tightly beneath his sleeves, revealing that his emotions were not as calm as they appeared.
As astute as Qin Lin was, upon seeing Xiao Yuanshan's posture and the familiar faces around him, he knew this was a trap set for the general.
He had imagined this day would come, and even considered taking his own life to give his brothers an end.
But Xiao Yuanshan was wary of this move, and now he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand. Now, he was the butcher's knife and he was the fish on the chopping block.
Therefore, the look in her eyes towards Lord Xie carried a hint of mockery.
Lord Xie was clearly enraged; his eyes turned even bloodshot, and he drew his longsword, ready to stab again.
"Wait a minute."
Lord Xie paused upon hearing the sound, frowned, and turned to look.
Then Lord Zhang looked over and said, "He's trying to provoke you into killing him, my lord. Don't fall for it. Let him live for a while, and we can talk about it after we've dealt with Li Rong."
Lord Xie curled his lip and glanced at Xiao Yuanshan, who was seated at the head of the table.
He glanced in this direction, and then finally put the longsword back.
He snorted coldly, "Fine, I'll spare your life for now, but I'm really looking forward to it. How many years has it been? Li Rong, you'd better not disappoint us."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the doorway.
"Why is it taking so long? What time is it?"
The servant immediately stepped forward to report.
Lord Xie frowned, picked up a cup of wine, drank it, and stared intently at the doorway.
From his high position, Xiao Yuanshan glanced at the door, seemingly unintentionally; clearly, he was also waiting.
Grand Secretary Zhang remained in a daze, seemingly lost in thought.
Sitting slightly to their side was Zhao Xiuyuan.
Zhao Xiuyuan's eyes held a strange look. Could Li Rong really still come?
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes and quietly sipped his tea. A hint of almost frantic anticipation flickered in his eyes.
...
Such a commotion had occurred in the Regent's Palace. Princess Li Mingyu, naturally, also heard the noise in the backyard.
She was already in a bad mood, and after glancing at her son's somewhat obscene handwriting, she rubbed her temples and decided to stop staring at it, letting the maid push her out.
Once outside, Li Mingyu looked at the head maid beside her and asked, "Have you inquired about what the Prince is doing with such a grand display?"
The maid beside her placed a cup of tea and several plates of small pastries in front of her before saying, "Your Highness, the messenger reported that His Highness is holding a banquet in the front courtyard today. It seems he is hosting an old friend, and the preparations for today's grand banquet have been made over the past two days."
Li Mingyu frowned slightly: "Who exactly is this person?"
"That's hard to say. But over the years, it's rare for His Highness to host such a grand banquet at home. I heard that Marquis Xie, Chief Minister Zhang, Lord Zhao, and several of His Highness's usual advisors are all there. It's quite a lively affair."
As they were talking, the head maid glanced around and leaned closer to Li Mingyu, whispering, "Your Highness, the Prince has also touched some of the things that came into the courtyard."
Li Mingyu's brow twitched suddenly: "You've found out clearly that it was the Prince who personally sent people to do it?"
The maid nodded firmly: "There's no mistake."
Li Mingyu clenched her slender fingers into a fist, pondered for a while, and then instructed, "Send another clever person to go to the front yard again and find out exactly which important person the Prince is hosting the banquet for."
"Yes," the maid replied and went out.
As Li Mingyu frowned in thought, she suddenly heard a loud bang from inside the room.
Li Mingyu rubbed her temples in annoyance. The next second, a little maid ran out of the room: "Your Highness! Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Prince has smashed his writing brush and ink again..."
Ignoring everything else, Li Mingyu turned and gave the little girl a cool look: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and push me inside!"
...
The Imperial Palace.
Inside the sleeping quarters, the air was filled with the subtle fragrance of sandalwood.
The Emperor leaned back on the soft couch, with three people kneeling on the ground below. Beside him was Eunuch Liu. After the two of them finished speaking, they waited quietly for the Emperor's message.
However, the Emperor remained silent for a long time. Neither of them dared to lift their heads.
Lord Wang Yong glanced at the Emperor, then at the kneeling Sanqi and the other man, and waved his hand: "You may leave now and wait outside."
After Sanqi and Eunuch Liu left, Lord Wang stepped forward and asked softly, "Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
The Emperor's dark eyes flickered, and he slowly raised his head: "How much of what she said do you think is true and how much is false?"
At this moment, Lord Wang's entire old face was furrowed in worry. He frowned and pondered for a long while before saying, "Your Majesty, this woman from the Li family appears gentle and harmless, but based on my interactions with her these past few days, I feel that she is not simple. I truly cannot fathom her thoughts."
"But this old minister feels that if something were to happen to her at this time, it would be of no benefit to His Majesty's health..." Wang Yong said with deep concern, "Xiao Yuanshan is truly lawless. He knows perfectly well that she is currently treating His Majesty."
The emperor's eyes flickered, and the next second he suddenly laughed, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Arong is so lucky that he was able to find a virtuous wife in the Great Wilderness."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
