Shi Yu watched the two men leave and asked, "How long has it been since your father ascended the throne?"
"More than half a month." Xiang Yanchao half-knelt down, holding his waist with his hands to let him sit against the wall, and looked him straight in the eye. "Master, can you please remove the extra words?"
Shi Yu coughed weakly twice: "Sheng Yuantang hasn't returned to Beijing yet?"
"I have already summoned him. He is on his way back. It will probably be within a few days."
"Your father has already taken over this kingdom. As his direct heir, you are now second only to the emperor and above everyone else. What can't you get?"
Xiang Yanchao frowned slightly.
Shi Yu said softly, "I asked the jailer to bring you a message, half of which was just out of a gamble. But you really came, which means Sheng Yuantang must be very important to you. He was sent to the border by an imperial edict of Emperor Cheng, and strictly speaking, he was an official of the previous dynasty. He grew up in a general's mansion who had followed the previous emperor to war and was loyal to the court. He learned that the master humiliated the minister and died for the country. Now that the throne has been passed, are you worried that your father will not let him go, and that he will have a hard time in the court? Or are you worried that he is dissatisfied with the new emperor and would rather die than surrender? Or are you worried that even if he passes the test of the emperor safely, he will still be estranged from you?"
In fact, it is very simple. There are only three directions. Either focus on the new emperor as biological father, or focus on Sheng Yuantang as friend, or focus on yourself.
Xiang Yanchao pursed his lips and said nothing, but his hands clenched unconsciously.
"If the new emperor really didn't want to let him go, he wouldn't have summoned him back to the capital. He could have sent someone to the border to give him a cup of wine. If he was dissatisfied with the new emperor, he wouldn't have agreed to come back. He could have died at the border to show his loyalty. At worst, he could have led his men to rebel, which would have been more practical than assassinating someone in the palace. As for his relationship with you," Shi Yu looked at him quietly, "he has so many close friends around him. If there hadn't been a rebellion, would he really remember who you were?"
Xiang Yanchao didn't have time to figure out what emotions filled that moment, and the other party spoke again: "He remembers."
He was startled: "...Ah?"
"Young Master," Shi Yu's eyelashes drooped weakly, and his voice was very light, "If you really want to talk to me in prison, I'm afraid you can only go here."
Xiang Yanchao frowned: "Master, is this a threat?"
"No." Shi Yu felt more and more exhausted, and he barely moved his lips. "I can't hold on any longer."
The hot, salty and fishy taste surged from his throat, and a streak of bright red flowed down the corner of his lips.
【Mistress——!!!】
Xiang Yanzhao subconsciously reached out to catch his falling body, stared at his face in a daze for a moment, turned around and said, "Someone come."
The attendant who accompanied him was one step faster than the jailer: "Your Highness."
"Call the doctor."
"But……"
"I will naturally explain to Father," Xiang Yanchao stood up, "You don't need to ask, just do it."
The attendant lowered his head and said, "I will go right away."
※
Wuer cleaned the remaining muscle from the eyeball in his hand and threw it into the glass bottle beside him.
The eyeball was just taken out of the eye socket of a guard who was guarding outside the cold palace. Since the other party was too noisy during the process, she simply cut a hole in his neck first and waited until the person was still before taking action. The removed eyeball was slightly elastic, and it made a slight crisp sound when it hit the bottom of the bottle, bouncing up and falling, turning half a circle.
She used the water from the kettle to wash her hands and the silver knife she used to pick her eyes, then used a tissue to wipe the knife clean, wiped the kettle clean, and finally wiped her hands clean.
After putting on the glass stopper, Wuer carefully picked up the bottle and looked at it for a moment in front of the lamp next to the jailer, and then put the bottle into the storage compartment of the bracelet.
Once players of Xia Jiu Tian enter the game, there are only five prop slots that can be used. The storage slots are the same as the slots used to store props on weekdays and occupy the same place. Not only do you have to spend points to open the permissions, but you cannot put props in the slots once something is stored in them.
In short, it is a thankless task and it is easy to lose your life at a critical moment.
Wuer put away the glass bottle, put the kettle of water and the remaining napkins into two compartments respectively, then held the silver knife and pushed open the prison door.
The other guards, whose feet were broken and lying on the ground, were forced to see the noise she had just made. The clattering sound of the girl's shoes on the bluestone floor was like beating drums on people's hearts.
It makes my scalp tingle.
Wu'er was still wearing her pink skirt and staggered all the way to the steps at the end of the bamboo forest.
It was very dark in the evening, and flying insects were surrounding the lights on the palace walls, making the already not-so-bright light even more dim.
At the corner, Xu Xian piled the grass on the ground together. Her messy clothes were covered with mud. She just breathed a sigh of relief, but at this moment, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
She turned around suddenly and raised her hand, swinging the wooden stick in her hand heavily, but someone caught it.
Wuer climbed in after hearing some noise outside the wall.
She tilted her head curiously: "What are you playing?"
Xu Xian tried twice to pull the stick out of the other person's hand but failed. When she relaxed, her whole body was shaking. She was no longer as calm as before and her eyes were red.
Wu Er became even more curious and was about to speak again when a voice came from outside: "Are you okay? Don't ruin such a top-notch item. Save some strength for your brothers!"
Xu Xian opened her eyes wide and stepped back hastily.
No one responded.
Then, a guard with squinting eyes walked in. The first thing that caught his eye was the young girl in a pink skirt in the yard. His squinting eyes were almost staring at her.
Wu Er looked at him innocently and said sweetly, "Brother, are you here to guard?"
The guard stepped forward with his sword in hand, looking greedily at the girl's face, and was still alert: "Why are you here?"
Wu Er approached cautiously, like an innocent little animal seeking a sense of security. Her hands were as white and tender as lotus roots under the wide sleeves of her skirt: "I'm lost."
The guard's breathing became disordered for a moment. "This is all the cold palace, it's really hard to tell apart, but do you want me to take you there? Where are you coming from?"
Wuer repeated, "Where from?"
The wooden stick hit the back of the man's head from behind her.
There was a dull thud, and the man's entire consciousness went blank for a moment. Before he could utter a single curse, the wooden stick was picked up again and inserted straight between his legs.
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”
The girl half-knelt down and said in a low, gentle voice, "I came from hell to take your life."
"Brother." She whispered, "Do you know which two kinds of eyes in the world I like to collect the most?"
The guard cried seven times in so much pain and couldn't utter a word.
Wu Er lowered his eyes, his face still soft and harmless, his voice was as sweet as honey: "One is that she is beautiful, and the other is someone like you."
The guard's face and body were splattered with blood, but he was still alive, convulsing unconsciously.
※
Wuer was troubled by the two fresh eyeballs on the ground.
One glass bottle takes up one grid, and each time she enters the game, she can only bring one glass bottle in addition to washing water and paper towels.
Originally, she wanted to give the glass bottle to Shi Yu, but now she couldn't bear to part with it, so she used it to store the eyeballs of the people guarding outside her palace.
What now?
She hesitated for three seconds, and finally decided to leave these eyes to the crows that stopped by and passed by. She stood up, lifting her skirt, and walked out leisurely.
She felt a pull on her body, and she stopped and looked back at the woman behind her.
Xu Xian grabbed her skirt and swallowed: "Can you take me with you?"
“No.”
"……Why?"
Wu Er pulled her skirt back and chuckled, "Who made me hate you?"
Xu Xian was startled: "Why?"
Wuer kicked away the weeds that the woman had piled up before with his toes, revealing the unconscious companion that the guard with his eyes gouged out had called out to before.
"You bit it off, didn't you?" She looked at the woman's suddenly changed expression and said softly, "Sister Xu, next time you see someone coming, remember to put on your skirt first."
Xu Xian is not an ordinary woman. Judging from the ability to control the situation she showed during the half, she is not the type of person who panics when encountering problems. The best proof of this is when Wu Er climbed over the wall and saw her hiding the body.
So why not wear your skirt properly?
Isn't it convenient to use your body as a bargaining chip to get information?
This kind of thing cannot be discussed openly, Xu Xian's face turned red with shame.
Wuer twirled the silver knife between his fingers and walked away with brisk steps.
※
There was a heavy rain at night.
The imperial physician worked for half the night under pressure from the crown prince, and finally lowered the injured man's frighteningly high body temperature. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked out of the room.
Xiang Yanchao sat on a bench in the hall, looking away from the heavy rain outside the window: "How is it?"
"The injury has stabilized." The imperial physician bent down and said, "Now as long as you can wake up smoothly, you will basically be fine."
Xiang Yanchao put the teacup in front of him on the tray: "Is this freedom based on being a normal person, or based on being able to live?"
The imperial physician lowered his head, his hands shaking unconsciously: "Your Highness..."
"I understand." Xiang Yanchao said, "Go down."
The personal servant beside him spoke only after seeing the man leave: "Your Highness, it's almost midnight, aren't you going to bed yet?"
Xiang Yanchao: "I can't sleep."
The servant held back for a long while, but couldn't help but asked, "Your Highness, why did you save him?"
He thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out what kind of poison had possessed his prince. He went to prison and brought back an old subordinate of the previous dynasty, who was a criminal destined to die.
Xiang Yanchao stood up and walked out of the room, pushing open the door: "If it was you who was in jail, could you think of a way to make me willingly take you out and escape this death?"
The servant's face changed drastically: "Your Highness, I am loyal to you!"
Xiang Yanchao turned his head calmly: "Now do you know why he can do it?"
Servants: “?”
Xiang Yanchao: "Because he is smarter than you."
Servants: “…”
Although he didn't understand a word, he felt that he was being mocked by his master.
[Translate, because you are stupid hahahaha. ]
[So, can anyone explain? I've been thinking about it all night. Why did he save Shi Yu? Even if he is now the crown prince because of his father's status, he has no right to care about who his father wants to kill, right? ]
[It's very simple. Do you remember what they talked about before? Sheng Yuantang has so many friends, but he still remembers Xiang Yanchao's words, which are rare and insignificant. Why? Shi Yu obviously stopped here on purpose. Xiang Yanchao wants to know, so Shi Yu can't die. Otherwise, who can he ask? ]
[But he didn't consider the consequences at all? The emperor has thousands of descendants, so he won't be replaced if he disobeys? ]
[There are three possibilities. Either his father is happy to spoil him, or he has leverage over his father, or else, Master Meiren has a back-up plan that she hasn't used yet.]
[Low-level players use intimidation, high-level players use psychological aggression. ]
Xiang Yanchao did not go in. He just took a look from a distance at the door and then returned to his bedroom.
The heavy rain continued until the early morning.
A bird with a red beak landed on the window frame, stretched its neck to look inside for a while, then shook its head and flapped its wings twice.
Then a hand reached out from the window, its knuckles pale.
Shi Yu had just woken up and didn't have much strength yet, but that didn't prevent him from moving his uninjured hand.
He has always been liked by these animals, including the stray cats and dogs downstairs in the community, and the bird in front of him is no exception. He doesn't need to say anything at all, the bird flutters into the window and lands on the edge of the bed.
After a moment, it moved a little closer.
After another moment, it moved a little closer.
Then, it moved closer and rubbed his fingers carefully, with an arrogant posture but an honest body, and the touch was transmitted through the feathers to the cold joints of the human being.
Warm, soft, and real.
Shi Yu thought, after all, he survived.
The little animal was dissatisfied with his absent-mindedness and opened his mouth to protest, but a servant ran in at the right time and shouted, "Your Highness——"
All its feathers exploded and it almost fell off the bed.
The servant ran into the next yard and said, "General Sheng has returned to the court!"
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