Chapter 62 Could I have guessed wrong? ...
Seventeen paused, then looked up at him. Anyone would feel a little embarrassed to be looked at by such a handsome person, but Thirteen was an exception.
Not only was he an exception, but he also looked around at Seventeen with great interest.
"What are you doing? Are you treating Seventeen like a monkey?"
Fourteen came out carrying a dish of food and casually cursed Thirteen.
"No, no, I feel like Seventeen has changed a bit. Hmm... Seventeen, do you have someone you like?"
Upon hearing this, not only Seventeen, but also everyone in the small kitchen stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Thirteen and Seventeen.
Seventeen's eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed red at a visible speed.
"No!"
Thirteen pursed her lips but didn't expose him. She just strolled into the small kitchen, and soon it became lively again.
This time, it's not thirteen that's next to seventeen, but fourteen.
He was more composed than Thirteen, and he had just noticed Seventeen's hesitation and shyness. He sat down next to him and asked, "Do you really have someone you like?"
Seventeen buried his head in gnawing on the crispy fried fish bones, without saying a word.
"Why is it like a cat, always gnawing on fish bones?"
Fourteen chuckled, then said in a low voice, "Everyone has feelings, that's normal. But Seventeen, you also need to understand that we are not an ordinary family, and there are many emotions that cannot be expressed."
Despite Fourteen's attempts to persuade him, Seventeen remained silent, only making smacking noises as he gnawed on the bone.
Seeing his stubbornness, Fourteen shook his head helplessly, got up, and went back to help in the small kitchen.
Soon, the dozen or so people finished their meal in a lively atmosphere. Coach Li coughed lightly, and everyone quieted down.
“We are different from ordinary families, and I’m sure you all know that this meal is a compensation for our New Year’s Eve dinner.”
He smiled and pointed to the two large fish in the center of the table, saying, "His Majesty summoned everyone back, and he must have assigned them to live fish. In any case, we must be careful, but at the same time, we must also be willing to sacrifice our lives for His Majesty and for the Great Jing Dynasty. That's all we can do."
Some of the more sentimental ones quietly wiped away tears. This rare gathering might be the last time these dozen or so of them would all be together like this.
The last time we had everything, two of my brothers died.
Seventeen lowered her eyes, a subtle sadness in them. This time, with the Zhou and Xie families involved, the secret guards would definitely be mobilized in full force. At that time... she wondered how many would survive.
＊
"...yes."
As soon as Seventeen reached the outside of the Imperial Study, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and flew onto the roof. Eunuch Yuanfu watched in awe from below, and only after seeing that Seventeen was steady and unharmed did he feel relieved and continue guarding the door.
Seventeen had just squatted down when he heard the sounds coming from inside the study. He had thought that His Majesty was alone.
Thinking about it, he jumped down again and asked Grandpa Yuanfu at the door, "Grandpa, who's inside?"
"Seventeenth Guard, it's Zero Two Guard inside."
"Is Second Brother inside?"
Seventeen craned his neck to look, but the door was closed tightly and he couldn't see anything.
Yuanfu, the eunuch, was amused by his appearance and was about to announce his arrival when he heard Emperor Jing's voice from inside: "Seventeen, come in."
Seventeen pushed open the door and went inside, bumping right into Zero Two who was coming out.
"Second Brother."
Zero Two nodded, reached out and patted Seventeen's head, then turned and walked out.
Seventeen was confused. Why did everyone like to touch her head? Was it because she was short?
"What are you daydreaming about? Who was looking around outside just now?"
Long Langyue sat behind her desk, on which lay a parchment scroll that appeared to be a map.
Seventeen stepped forward respectfully and bowed, then craned his neck to ask curiously, "Your Majesty, what is this?"
"A defense deployment map of the northern region."
He waved to Seventeen, and the boy, who was about chest-high to him, came over. Because of his sitting posture, the boy was actually a little taller than him.
A unique scent wafted over him; it was hard to tell if it was fragrance or something else, but every time he smelled it, it made him feel very comfortable.
"From the North?"
After looking around for a while, Seventeen pointed to a spot and asked, "Is this the Stone Shoal?"
Long Langyue looked down and saw that the place was indeed a rocky wasteland.
Shiqi is located on the edge of the northern region. In recent years, it has gradually become more stable due to the presence of the northern army, and its population has increased significantly over the years.
The place where they found Seventeen was a small village on the edge of the desert.
At that time, the village had just been invaded by the Northern Rong, and apart from the seventeenth child who was hidden away, there were no survivors.
Long Langyue lowered his eyes and gently swept his fingertips across the small area on the defense map.
Seventeen regretted it after she finished speaking. When she first joined the Dark Guard Camp, Instructor Li had said that once you joined the Dark Guard Camp, you had to abandon your past, never mention it again, and disappear into the dust and smoke.
He glanced cautiously at His Majesty, who seemed oblivious to the point and was lost in thought.
The atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment. Seventeen was somewhat uneasy. He had already been suspicious of the connection between His Majesty and Mingyue, and now all sorts of chaotic thoughts kept popping into his head, but the people around him didn't notice at all.
As he watched, Seventeen became quite engrossed.
His Majesty and Yue-ge have similar builds and both use the Xuan Sword... their eyes are practically identical.
But these two are quite different in other ways, such as their voices and facial features...
"Your Majesty, is Mingyue in the palace?"
Seventeen suddenly asked a question, and Long Langyue paused, then replied casually, "He's not here right now. I sent him out to do something else. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just asking. I left in a hurry before, and I didn't even get to say goodbye to Yue Ge."
Seventeen hung her head, seemingly somewhat annoyed, while Long Langyue remembered her "departure without saying goodbye".
Would he dare to sue? It's almost like he's just going to expose them outright. What if Seventeen doesn't agree?
It would be better to run away sooner and give Seventeen some time to react; maybe she'll agree then?
Long Langyue comforted herself inwardly, but on the surface she remained calm and composed: "We'll be able to meet again soon."
Seventeen pursed her lips and softly hummed in agreement, her expression one of shyness and timidity.
Long Langyue naturally noticed it too. Her heart tightened, and she opened her mouth as if to ask something, but then closed it again.
Seeing that he didn't make a move, Seventeen's heart wavered again.
Did I guess wrong?
Enough, now is not the time to test these things.
In the blink of an eye, the rumors in Yejing intensified, ranging from the current emperor's illegitimate position bringing down divine punishment and a serious illness, to the harm done to his father, brothers, and siblings, which would destroy the Great Jing Dynasty.
Some people believe it, some people don't.
But ordinary people, whether they believe it or not, just shut themselves in and live their own lives.
The night breeze made the gilded bronze bells on the porch tinkle, their melodious sound especially pleasant in the pitch-black night.
But the ringing grew more urgent and pressing.
Amidst the urgent, rain-like ringing of bells, there seemed to be also the faint scraping sounds of armor clashing against each other.
The palace gates were wide open, and soldiers in red armor lay sprawled on the ground, their hooves trampling over them, raising clouds of dust.
The man at the head of the group had a serious expression, and his black gold armor was taut against his muscles. Several groups of people followed behind him, looking menacing.
The most eye-catching thing was the long spear in his hand.
That was a gift from the late emperor to his father many years ago, and now it was in his hands.
The man broke into a smile, looked up at the imposing palace, and his excitement was beyond words.
The dilapidated place his father had guarded his entire life was nothing more than this.
As they drove straight in, a black, ghostly figure slid down from the city wall and landed silently in front of them.
"...It's you. How are you?"
Seventeen's voice was muffled, hidden behind his mask, but his eyes were bright: "Everything is as usual."
"keep going!"
Zhou Xianze was bursting with joy. It was almost time. Soon he would be able to sit in that position above all others and achieve the status and accomplishments that his father had never been able to attain in his entire life!
When the time comes, let's move a good grave for his father; that will be a way of fulfilling our filial duty.
Seventeen leaped across the rooftops in front, with Zhou Xianze following closely behind. When they arrived at the palace where Emperor Jing resided, Eunuch Yuanfu, who was dozing off at the entrance, was suddenly startled awake. He looked at Seventeen, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Oh dear, why are you so late, Guard Seventeen? His Majesty has already retired for the night."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp blade was placed against his neck.
Yuanfu paused, his hands trembling with nervousness: "Ten, seventeen guards, what does this mean?"
Zhou Xianze emerged from the darkness. When Eunuch Yuanfu saw his face, which looked like a god of death descending, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
"You, you, all of you!"
"Father-in-law, you should know how sharp my sword is."
Seventeen's voice sounded like a demon crawling up from the underworld. Yuanfu swallowed hard, wanting to run away, but the sword at his neck was no joke.
"Someone come and take control of him."
Seventeen looked up and said, Zhou Xianze beckoned, and two more people came out of the darkness, one on the left and one on the right, to hold Yuanfu up.
"Go in."
Seventeen sheathed his sword and turned to walk into the palace. Zhou Xianze followed a step behind him, his eyes filled with excitement and a smile: "Is His Majesty really seriously ill?"
"Um."
Seventeen lowered her eyes and reached out to push open the heavy door.
Zhou Xianze's blood was boiling; he hadn't expected it to be so easy... He had thought there would be a fierce battle, and had specially brought a lot of people with him. He never expected that this good-for-nothing would actually be this sick...
That's fine too. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that I was forcing the emperor to abdicate. If I could write the imperial edict myself, I would be rightfully succeeding to the throne. After all, the emperor was already looking for a crown prince, and I was just a little too old.
Seventeen walked in slowly. The dark palace was completely dark, with no light at all. Occasionally, one could hear heavy breathing and a few coughs.
"stop."
Zhou Xianze's voice suddenly rang out, and Seventeen stopped in her tracks.
"Go and stand guard at the door."
After saying that, he didn't care whether Seventeen agreed or not, and quickly walked past him toward the bed covered with curtains.
Seventeen lowered his eyes and remained silent, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.
There was no sound from inside the house for a long time, but Seventeen was not in a hurry. He just quietly waited outside.
After a while, he heard one, two, three sounds coming from inside the house.
With three thuds, Seventeen's expression instantly changed. Panicked and disoriented, he drew his sword and slashed his arm.
Blood gushed out, and Seventeen smeared his own blood all over his body before running away in a disheveled state.
The group of people guarding outside were shocked to see Seventeen run out covered in blood. They loosened their grip and Yuanfu slipped out.
He had such old bones, I don't know where he got the energy to run so fast. He ran and shouted, waking up many palace servants who had already gone to sleep.
"What's going on?!"
One of Zhou Xianze's personal guards asked sternly, and Seventeen, leaning weakly against the wall, said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty actually arranged for other secret guards! Lord Zhou has been taken hostage!"
The guard, growing anxious, shouted, "Didn't you say all the secret guards were gone?!"
"I didn't know he would secretly keep one! Instead of arguing with me here, why don't you think of another way!"
"What other choice do we have! We'll force our way in! Follow me!"
The guards' eyes were fierce. Seventeen noticed that a soldier had slipped away quietly under the cover of night, his figure disappearing on the palace road.
Just as the guards were about to rush into the palace, a long sword fell from the sky and stuck in the ground, blocking their way.
"Who goes there?!"
Ghostly figures appeared around the palace, some wielding longswords, others holding spears, and still others deftly twirling daggers.
Instructor Li slowly walked out, looking at Seventeen with a pained expression: "Seventeen! Have you forgotten how His Majesty saved you back then?!"
Seventeen's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything.
Anxious, the guard charged forward with his sword, and in an instant, Zhou Xianze's guards and the dozen or so secret guards were entangled in a chaotic fight.
But they didn't notice that the palace servants inside seemed to be completely silent. Apart from Yuanfu's scream when he fled and the clanging of their weapons, there was no other sound.
The silence was frightening.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The identity keeps being revealed [Milk Tea emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com