Her plan
Deep in the dense forest, the sizzling sound of the raging fire burning the green bark of branches and the oil on the skin of wild rabbits was swallowed up by the orange-red flames. Si Pei used a stone to prop up his other leg. Perhaps it was because he had been lying down for too long, this leg always ached from time to time and he had no strength to use.
Zuo Yuanwu had a grayish-green stubble on his chin, and blood from the animals he hunted was still on his body, making him look rather rough and unkempt. He stood up, took the branch from Si Pei, and continued to grill the fish and the hare he had just prepared.
Si Pei's condition wasn't much better, and the current situation was actually very unfavorable to him. If his leg hadn't been damaged, he would certainly have been confident enough to go head-to-head with Zuo Yuanwu and not be at a disadvantage. However, right now... unless he attacked first, there was no chance of victory.
Fortunately, Zuo Yuanwu didn't seem to want to wipe him out completely, and Si Pei still wanted to make more use of him, so he maintained such a strange calm with Zuo Yuanwu.
The two of them had been walking in the dense forest for two days. The good news was that they hadn't found any signs of Jing Yao and the others getting hurt. The bad news was that they hadn't found any traces of them along the way either, causing them to almost lose their direction.
"Let's go down along the river first. Yaoyao and the others might have already walked out of this forest."
"Um."
Si Pei didn't know whether he was explaining to Zuo Yuanwu or trying to comfort his own anxious heart. Although he didn't show it on his face, the gloom in the atmosphere was extremely obvious.
Zuo Yuanwu silently tore the roasted hare into two halves. Si Pei found some flowers and herbs that could be used as spices and spread them on the roasted rabbit meat, which immediately gave the greasy meat a special flavor.
"Or?"
Si Pei handed the spices over as he spoke. Zuo Yuanwu didn't say anything in response, but he honestly took them and applied them.
The two ate their dinner in silence, their gaze fixed on the firewood pile before them. Although each had their own concerns, Si Pei could guess that they were worried about the same thing.
"Why did Prince Lin suddenly attack the young lady?"
Zuo Yuanwu was puzzled. Si Jue once swore that after he succeeded to the throne, no matter who he touched, he would never touch Jing Yao.
"He had previously drafted an edict to make Miss the Queen, so how come..."
"What did you say!?"
Si Pei suddenly spat out a mouthful of fish bones. He was so shocked by what Zuo Yuanwu said that the fish bone almost got stuck in his throat. Fortunately, he reacted in time.
"That bastard Si Jue is a piece of shit..."
A cold murderous intent flashed in Si Pei's eyes, and so did Zuo Yuanwu.
"Haha, a person like him is two-faced and hypocritical to the extreme. It's not surprising that he goes back on his word now."
Si Pei couldn't help but sneer. Zuo Yuanwu, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly changed his expression. He smiled as if he had heard a joke. "Your Highness the Crown Prince is full of lies. He shouldn't have the right to accuse others of being hypocritical, right?"
"What did you say?"
Si Peifeng narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Zuo Yuanwu in front of him with a threatening and dangerous look. Zuo Yuanwu didn't even look at him.
"You know better than I do what I mean."
Zuo Yuanwu was busy cleaning up the remains of the grill in his hands. He lowered his head and completely ignored Si Pei, a sneer on his face. "The young lady knows now that the Jing family didn't participate in the rebellion. You killed the entire Jing family because of your ridiculous selfish desires. Do you think she will still accept you?"
Si Pei hesitated to speak, as this was the failure he was most reluctant to mention.
"What? Are you finally feeling guilty? Or do you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, dare not take responsibility for your actions?" Zuo Yuanwu usually presents himself as a loyal and taciturn person, but unexpectedly, when he satirizes people, every word he says is so sharp and to the point.
He turned his head away. "It's no use denying it. Baili Wenfu has the evidence he found, the files from the investigation into the Jing family."
"Since you knew it all along, why did you keep it a secret and only tell Yaoyao now?" Si Pei suddenly laughed, his smile particularly bright. "If I hadn't lost my power, you would probably have to keep this to yourself for the rest of your life."
"No, that's not right. You'll still use every possible means to bring me down." Si Pei's smile suddenly disappeared, and his expression became extremely cold. "Should I thank you, General Zuo, for being so deliberate and conspiring with Si Jue to deal with me?"
Si Pei is not a fool. Zuo Yuanwu's so-called loyalty to him has never come from him as a person, nor for power. It is all because of his old master Jing Yao.
He had long thought that Zuo Yuanwu could endure by his side for so many years, and one day he would also betray him for Jing Yao.
"If Si Jue knew that you were using him just to escape and didn't intend to give Jing Yao to him, what do you think he would do to you?"
Si Pei forced a smile on his face, but a raging rage was burning in his heart.
The reasons for his anger were extremely complicated, and even at this moment his emotions were still mixed and difficult to sort out.
It was because he knew that Zuo Yuanwu and Si Jue coveted Jing Yao, and also because even though Zuo Yuanwu had betrayed him, he found himself unable to condemn the reason behind his actions.
Si Pei knew that if it were him, he would also take Jing Yao away at all costs.
Of course, what infuriated Si Pei the most was Zuo Yuanwu's mocking him with the Jing family's past. Even if he was truly at fault in that incident, it was only because he hadn't anticipated that the Jing family would inexplicably encounter an accident on their way south.
As for the Jing family's involvement in all the cases, he had suppressed them with just one sentence: they were colluding with the King of Jin. In the end, he only stripped them of their titles and demoted them, which was already a great mercy...
Now even the file that Baili Wenfu could find was the result of Si Pei's revisions. There was no need to bring up those dirty things in the past and make Jing Yao sad for no reason.
Si Pei's threat had no deterrent effect on Zuo Yuanwu. He snorted coldly and turned to answer the previous question: "I don't want to tell the young lady, not because I'm afraid of you. But I know that you, a lunatic, won't let go easily. If the young lady knew, it would only make her suffer more."
Zuo Yuanwu's words softened Si Pei's attitude considerably: "Since you know this truth, you should also understand why I chose to remain silent."
"We are different." Zuo Yuanwu raised his eyes and stared coldly at the man in front of him. After a long moment, he said, "Don't compare yourself to me."
Si Pei suddenly smiled. He could certainly hear Zuo Yuanwu's disdain for him. In the past, Si Pei had always refused to admit that Zuo Yuanwu had never lost to him in terms of devotion to Jing Yao. But he asked himself, if he were in his shoes, could he watch the person he loved being embraced by another man?
The answer is obvious.
"We're both doing this for Yaoyao's own good. I don't want to make things too awkward with you at this juncture. The most important thing right now is to deal with Si Jue. After that, it's up to Yaoyao to choose whoever she wants or not."
Zuo Yuanwu widened his eyes. Are these words coming from Si Pei's mouth?
"You probably knew that the young lady would not forgive you, so you said this in advance to appear magnanimous."
Si Pei gritted his teeth and held back his anger, saying, "Whatever you think is fine."
“Chirp!”
Suddenly, there were a few strange bird calls in the forest. Zuo Yuanwu knew that they were not the sounds made by real birds. Si Pei responded with two calls with an indifferent expression.
As expected, not long after, a tall, thin black figure jumped out from the nearby bushes, jumped to the fire, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head to Si Pei: "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Si Pei took one look at his clothes and knew that he was one of the secret guards assigned to Jing Yao. He quickly asked, "How is Yao Yao? Why aren't you with her?"
Fourteen raised his head and said, "I am here to see you, Your Highness, on Madam Jing's orders."
"What?" Si Pei and Zuo Yuanwu said in unison.
The two were very surprised, especially Si Pei, who was extremely worried. Fourteen then told them everything about their accidental fall off the cliff and their encounter with the hermit master.
"Did Yaoyao send you here to take us to the valley to meet them?"
"No." Fourteen shook his head. "Madam Jing's original words were that she hoped you would continue to go to Jieyang to find the forces you left behind. She should have... already set off to return to Beijing."
"What did you say!?"
Zuo Yuanwu and Si Pei became even more excited after hearing this. Zuo Yuanwu stood up and asked anxiously, "Why didn't you stop such a dangerous thing?"
Si Pei muttered to himself, "She's going back to the capital alone. What if... what if she runs into Si Jue's people on the way?"
Fourteen explained, "I can't stop the young lady... but that master and disciple will accompany her back to the capital. Their strength far surpasses mine, and I've already notified the other brothers to contact her. As for interception at the checkpoint, Master Liu has provided her and her companions with disguises so they won't be recognized."
At first, Fourteen was still unwilling to submit to Liu Shiwei, but after being tied up twice, he truly admitted that this man's strength was unfathomable.
Zuo Yuanwu sighed repeatedly: "How can I trust a stranger?"
No matter how anxious Si Pei was, he could only comfort himself by trusting Jing Yao's judgment: "So what exactly is she going to do in Beijing?"
Fourteen hesitated for a moment, his thoughts turning back to before he set out.
Si Cheng opened his mouth so wide that he almost wanted to stuff three eggs into it: "Are you going to wake that old man up?"
"Um!"
Jing Yao nodded. Since the palace was already in chaos, she would add another dose of shocking stuff to it.
"Oh, no, even if we rescued our father, he wouldn't be able to take care of Si Jue, right?"
Jing Yao snorted coldly, "Do you think everyone is like you? Daring to rebel without any preparation? The old emperor must have a backup plan. Given his character, he will definitely quarrel with Si Jue. Anyway, the more chaotic the situation, the better it is for us."
"I told you I didn't commit treason! And do you have the nerve to say that to me? How did you manage to sneak into the palace? Even if you disguised yourself and no one recognized you as Jing Yao, it's not easy to enter the palace these days."
“This requires connections.”
Jing Yao glanced at him smugly, then beckoned Fourteen over: "Fourteen, do you have a way to contact Baili Wenfu?"
The boy was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
"Then tell him for me that he has come from afar and wants to meet him at the New Pavilion in the south of the city in five days to reminisce about the past. You don't need to leave your name; he will understand."
"Yes, miss."
Jing Yao looked at the carrier pigeon flying away outside the window, then turned to Fourteen and said, "Fourteen, please go find Si Pei and the others. You can tell them my plan truthfully, but tell them not to worry about me and not to try to stop me."
She sighed deeply: "I don't do these things for anyone else, but for myself."
Fourteen stood there in a daze, and only nodded after a long time.
"What's wrong?"
He came back to his senses, shook his head violently, took a deep breath, and smiled, "I just feel that the young lady is really amazing."
She was no longer the delicate girl he had seen before, nor was she the pretty girl who said she didn't care about anything and just wanted to lie down.
Jing Yaoyi was silent for a long time, so long that Fourteen thought she was angry and wanted to apologize, but he saw her raise a bright smile:
"I know."
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