Chapter 118 Why Risk Your Life for Me Most importantly, I promised you…
The news of Li Xing's interrogation in the palace spread rapidly outside the palace in less than half a day.
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever; if anyone is present, the secret will eventually be revealed.
Moreover, the emperor canceled the morning court session due to the "banditry in the three prefectures," which caused a great deal of discussion throughout the court and among the people.
To avoid suspicion, Langxi secretly discussed the matter with Yu Nie before entering the palace.
She would never set foot back at Hongzheng Pavilion until the truth about Li Xing's matter came to light.
The two also agreed that all future meetings would be held in the small courtyard in the west alley, and they would never meet in person unless it was a very important matter.
If they needed to discuss matters on a regular basis, they would only entrust someone close to them to deliver secret messages, or use carrier pigeons to send letters.
Standing at the window, Yu Nie accepted the letter in Lang Xi's own handwriting that Cui Wei had brought back.
She twirled the corner of the paper, her gaze sweeping over each word.
The letter stated that the memorial had been properly delivered to Zhao Yunfu, and that Langxi had returned safely to the courtyard without any incident.
After reading the letter, Yu Nie's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.
She turned around and told Huan Xun everything contained in the letter, without missing a single detail.
Coincidentally, no sooner had she finished speaking than Huan Xun received a secret letter sent by Yang Du.
After he opened and read it carefully, he did not hide anything and immediately told her everything he had written in his mind. In addition to the various changes that had occurred since Langxi left Dongguan Pavilion, he also told her about Zhao Yunfu's follow-up arrangements for the Li Xing matter. He told her everything without missing a single word.
At the end of the letter, Yang Du specifically mentioned that he agreed to Zhao Yunfu's previous suggestion not to recommend him as the commander-in-chief for the southern expedition. He would also reply to Yan Yue, stating that this decision would be made in his own voice.
Having military power is clearly a good thing. Since ancient times, holding military power has been much more important than being a puppet under the emperor's watchful eye.
Anyone with eyes can see that he is now nothing more than a pawn used to check and balance Yan Yue in Jian'an.
Now that he has the opportunity to return power to the Xuan Ce Army, why is he making a fuss? And why did he send Yang Du to tell Yan Yue that it is not appropriate for him to go south at the moment?
This contradicts what he said to Xie Cheng that night.
Yu Nie didn't hide this question from him and asked him directly.
Huan Xun lowered his eyes, as if considering his words carefully, before explaining his reasons for doing so.
His gaze fell on her, and he pondered for a moment: "There are some things I cannot say to my godfather myself. He is stubborn and headstrong. If I directly contradict him, he will see me as cowardly, weak, or even disloyal. This would destroy the little trust that remains between us and would not be good for the overall situation."
Hearing him say this, she was quite surprised. Yan Yue was such a person. She had thought that he and his son should trust each other deeply.
He paused, gathering his thoughts, and revealed part of his true feelings to her: "Letting Yang Zhongshu speak is the safest way. To him, Yang Zhongshu's words are a matter of public opinion, not my personal opinion. If these words come from Yang Zhongshu's mouth, my godfather will definitely take them as a wise and insightful piece of advice, and will carefully consider them. But if I speak in person, in his eyes, it will probably be seen as me deliberately shirking my responsibilities because I am unwilling to take the risk, and he will suspect that I am hiding something."
Then he said, "The matter at hand is not yet finished. Those aristocratic families must not be allowed to stab me in the back while I am away on campaign."
He looked into her eyes and explained the implications: "If I leave Jian'an now, it would be tantamount to leaving the gates wide open behind me, handing over my rear to those who are eyeing me covetously. As long as the power of these aristocratic families remains, they will stir up trouble in the court, cut off my frontline supplies, and disrupt my military orders. I will be unable to rest easy on the battlefield, and the thousands of soldiers marching south will be unable to fight with a clear mind. Only by uprooting these hidden dangers and thoroughly clearing the court can we achieve true security."
“Therefore, the southern expedition must be postponed. At least, we must wait until the dust settles in Jian’an City.” His voice was low and resolute. “I need time, and Yang Zhongshu can buy me that time.”
Yu Nie asked in confusion, "But if it's to eliminate the aristocratic clans, why didn't you just tell Governor Yan? He should understand you on that point."
After a long pause, a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "Speak frankly? Speak frankly to him: I need to kill all the gentry in the court first, so I can't go south?"
He said, “You underestimate your adoptive father. In his eyes, the Southern Expedition against the Northern Expedition is an urgent matter, a matter of national importance. But the purge of the aristocratic clans is, in his view, merely a matter of court factional strife, a minor issue. If I were to go to him now and say that the Southern Expedition should be postponed for the time being, and that I should kill a few people in Jian'an first, what do you think his reaction would be?”
Before she could reply, he continued, "He'll just think I can't separate public and private matters, that I'm narrow-minded, and that I'd let personal grudges interfere with important national affairs. In his mind, internal power struggles are never as important as national matters."
Many people might rebel in Beiye, but Yan Yue, who held considerable military power, never harbored any intention of rebellion. That's why he repeatedly tried to dispel Zhao Yunfu's suspicions and maintain peaceful relations with him.
"Besides, Zhao Yunfu is an extremely suspicious man." He added, "I have only recently returned to Jian'an after relinquishing my military power, and the court is not without other generals to use. Even if my adoptive father is wholeheartedly devoted to the country, in Zhao Yunfu's view, once I regain military power, it will only bolster the Yan family's influence and attract more suspicion."
On the surface, he seemed to be speaking from Yan Yue's perspective, but his truest, unethical thoughts remained hidden in his heart, never revealed to her.
He revealed his deeper intention: by refusing military power, he wanted to carefully play the role of a trusted confidant in front of Zhao Yunfu.
The more he refused this readily available power, the more he acted as if he valued the affairs of the state above all else and did not want to see Yan Yue become too powerful to control, the more the emperor, who lived deep within the palace, would feel that Huan Xun was wholeheartedly dedicated to sharing the emperor's burdens and that he would not even need military power if it were handed to him.
Zhao Yunfu would be even more convinced that he was an ally who could be on the same boat as him and fight against all those who threatened the imperial power.
This growing trust was the sharpest and least suspicious weapon he would use to deal with Yan Yue later on.
His ultimate goal was never to become a pawn in the eyes of a useless emperor like Zhao Yunfu. He wanted to wait, to wait for this emperor to lower all his guard, even with eagerness and reassurance, to personally hand him the knife that could rightfully eliminate Yan Yue.
Every refusal, every detour, was not a concession; he was planting a seed of trust in Zhao Yunfu's heart. He would wait for that seed to take root and sprout, so that he could legitimately use the king's name to overturn the game.
He couldn't tell her all those intertwined past events right now, but he thought that he could tell her about them later when things were settled.
After these complex thoughts surfaced in his mind, he suddenly smiled, his previous deep calculations vanished, and his eyes were full of arrogance: "Most importantly, I promised you that I would wipe out the aristocratic clans along with you, and I will definitely do it."
“Not only that, I will do anything you want to do.” He gazed at her, his words carrying immense weight: “Even… overthrowing this dynasty.”
This was the second time he had uttered such earth-shattering words.
She quietly clenched her hands clasped in front of her, looked up at him, and poured out all her doubts: "But this is a capital crime that will implicate nine generations of your family. Why... are you willing to take such a risk for me?"
Hearing this, he laughed even harder, his eyes sparkling, and his words were intriguing: "Rather than risking your life for you, you should ask me if I... have ulterior motives towards you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent. The sunlight hanging in the sky spilled over the carved window frames and over his eyes and brows.
His words were like pebbles thrown into a pond, creating ripples that spread from her heart to her eyes, making her heart tingle.
The words "overthrow the dynasty" carried a breathtaking and unrestrained quality as he uttered them with a smile.
She didn't immediately pick up where he left off.
She met his dark, unfathomable eyes, which held a fatal attraction and an undisguised ambition. The previous air of strategic brilliance had vanished, replaced by a clear reflection of her own figure, focused intently, as if nothing else could be in the way.
This almost all-consuming focus is far more chilling than any straightforward words.
“Attempt?” she repeated the word softly.
She tried to mask her panic with a calm tone, as if that could dispel the invisible yet scorching pressure that had suddenly risen around her: "I may be a princess, but I'm just a substitute. What could I possibly have that you would want?"
Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she said, "Could it be for gunpowder, or water to ignite, or alcohol?"
He smiled at her words and leisurely observed her. His gaze swept over her beautiful and charming face, which was full of doubt, then over her slightly pursed, rosy lips, and finally settled on her earlobe, which had a pale pink sheen.
That unnatural shade of pink couldn't hide the panic beneath her forced composure.
His voice held a hint of languor, like a soft feather gently tickling the heart, making one feel a tingling sensation: "There are plenty of things I can scheme for."
“But what you’ve said…” He didn’t take his eyes off her, gazing at her intently, “none of these are what I’m after. Even if you can’t do anything right now, and you can’t make any of those strange and unusual things, it doesn’t matter.”
He paused briefly, his gaze lingering on her face with a subtle, almost imperceptible aggression, mixed with some indescribable emotion.
"Then what else can you..."
Her words were barely hanging in mid-air when they were abruptly cut off by a hurried voice.
"grown ups!"
Yu Nie turned her head and saw Xie Cheng hurriedly stepping in from outside the door. He first gave a neat bow, his whole body was excited, and his voice was full of uncontrollable excitement.
"Just now, I saw from outside the gate that the people from the Imperial Horse Administration were heading towards the Li residence."
Before Huan Xun and Yu Nie could ask for details, he continued, "I heard that after the Emperor re-examined Li Xing, he has issued an edict to arrest him and imprison him."
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