At 12:00 a.m., the strong wind died down, and the moonlight shone through the dark blue clouds on the vermilion palace walls. A jackdaw was startled by the sudden sound of footsteps and flew up. The palace gate slowly opened, and the emperor's sedan chair finally returned to the palace under the escort of the imperial guards.

The news that the emperor was assassinated in the imperial mausoleum had already spread in the palace. Empress Dowager Xia was unable to attend the imperial mausoleum sacrifices because she had a high fever caused by rubella. She was frightened in her bedroom for a long time. When she heard that Zhao Yan had finally returned to the palace, she immediately sent a trusted palace maid to inquire about the emperor. She was relieved to learn that the emperor was not injured. However, as for the details of the attack, the palace maid only said that the emperor was frightened and needed to rest, and that he would report to the empress dowager in person in two days.

In Jinyang Palace, Zhao Yan, who was always known for his gentleness and friendliness, was so anxious for the first time. He even yelled at his favorite concubine Su, who came to visit him with her own stew. Eunuch Fu, who had been serving him for a long time, suddenly understood clearly that the emperor was probably waiting for something very important and didn't want to be disturbed by other things. He quickly told the eunuchs and palace maids to be more cautious and not to go in and cause trouble for the emperor.

Finally, a report came from outside the palace that the commander of the Yulin Guard, Xia Qing, had returned to the palace and requested an audience with the emperor. When Zhao Yan heard the news, he suddenly fell silent and did not respond for a long time. Eunuch Fu found it a bit strange that the emperor was restless all night, obviously waiting for General Xia to come back. Why did the emperor not rush to summon General Xia after he finally came?

After all, Eunuch Fu had served two emperors and had learned not to talk too much, so although he was full of doubts, he still knelt there without saying a word, patiently waiting for the emperor's reply. Zhao Yan stood quietly for a long time facing the palace lights, and finally sighed deeply, and said in a somewhat vague voice: "Send him in."

Eunuch Fu got up and went out to summon Xia Qing to the palace. A burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the palace gate, from far to near until someone knelt down in front of the palace with a "thump". Zhao Yan took a deep breath and turned around with difficulty, but he did not see Xiao Du's head as he imagined. His face changed instantly, and he picked up the cup at hand and threw it at Xia Qing, saying, "Where is he? Didn't I say I won't take his head? Don't come to see me!"

Xia Qing took the blow without dodging or avoiding it, but he paid no attention to the blood on his forehead. He lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty's strict order, I dare not disobey. But after I tracked Xiao Du down in the dense forest, I was about to kill him on the spot, but he said that he had a very important military intelligence that needed to be reported to Your Majesty in person."

Zhao Yan couldn't help but sneer and said, "General Xia, you have been leading the troops for a long time. Just based on Xiao Du's words, you dare to disobey military orders?"

Xia Qing said with a pale face, "Xiao Du has many tricks, so I naturally dare not believe them. But he quickly produced the evidence. After reading it, I felt that this matter concerns the safety of the country, so I dare not make a decision on my own, so I brought him back with his belongings."

"What is it?" Zhao Yan asked hurriedly when he saw that he did not look fake.

Xia Qing took out a secret letter from her arms, stood up respectfully and presented it to Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan opened the secret letter and was shocked after taking a look at it. He read it several times, crumpled the letter in his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, he said in a deep voice: "Bring him up to me!"

So Xiao Du was brought in like this, his clothes were torn by the branches, his face was frighteningly pale, but there was a relaxed smile on the corners of his eyes and eyebrows. When he saw Zhao Yan, he was about to lift his robe and kneel, then he made a "hiss" sound, pressed the wound on his shoulder, and said: "It is inconvenient for me to perform the ceremony, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Zhao Yan cursed in his heart, but on the surface he looked friendly and said, "Chongjiang was injured to save me, so what crime has he committed? Come, give Marquis Xuanyuan a seat."

So Xiao Du sat down in the hall and had someone pour him a cup of tea, which he drank. Zhao Yan was anxious and asked, "Where did you get this secret letter? Does Prince Qi really want to rebel?"

Xiao Du slowly put down the cup in his hand and said, "He personally sent someone to deliver this secret letter to Zheng Long. The letter clearly states that he wants to join forces with the Xiao family army to start an uprising and share the world after the success. Prince Qi is your majesty's uncle, and his handwriting and private seal are on it. If your majesty doesn't believe it, you can find someone to verify it and you will know."

Zhao Yan felt his fingers holding the secret letter go cold. Prince Qi was the younger brother of the late emperor. He had helped the late emperor force the former crown prince to death. After the late emperor ascended the throne, he appointed Prince Qi as a vassal king in Qingzhou. In recent years, he did intend to reduce Prince Qi's power, but he knew that Prince Qi was weak and incompetent, and did not have enough soldiers available, so he posed no threat at all. But if Prince Qi joined forces with the Xiao family army... He felt a little scared and did not dare to think about it any further.

Xiao Du-rao watched his expression with interest, and then said seriously, "Unfortunately, his wishful thinking was wrong. The Xiao family army has always been loyal to Your Majesty, how could they do such a treasonous thing? So Zheng Long reported it to me as soon as he received the secret letter. I wanted to give it to Your Majesty just now, but the situation was too chaotic at that time, and I forgot to take it out, and almost made a mistake in Your Majesty's important event."

Zhao Yan looked coldly at his righteously annoyed look, and his heart itched with hatred. Prince Qi had been quiet for so many years, and no matter how his power was reduced, he dared not speak out. He dared to take the risk of rebellion at this time, and Xiao Du must have done something behind the scenes to incite him. But he couldn't catch his flaws, so he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger for the time being. He thought for a while, and then said: "Prince Qi is in Qingzhou, which is far away from Pingdu Pass. Why would he want to unite with Xiao's army to rebellion? I'm afraid there is something strange about this."

Xiao Du looked surprised and said, "Your Majesty, don't you know? Some time ago, Japanese bandits sneaked into the Hexi area and caused chaos. General Zheng led the Xiao family army with tens of thousands of soldiers to chase them all the way to Zhongjun and finally wiped them out. It happened that the governor of Zhongjun fell seriously ill these days, and the people in the city were afraid that the Japanese bandits would return, so they begged the Xiao family army to stay for a while. General Zheng had no choice but to stay there with his troops to rest for a while."

Zhao Yan felt a chill all over his body. The military intelligence report did mention that Zheng Long led troops to Hexi to suppress the bandits, but he never expected that Zheng Long would station a large number of troops in Ping County under the pretext of suppressing the bandits. That was the last barrier to guard the Central Plains. There was no more dangerous pass to defend. As long as Ping County was occupied, Xiao's army could march straight into the capital at any time.

He was so angry that he was shaking all over. He stared at Xiao Du fiercely and said through gritted teeth, "I never thought that you know more about the military situation inside and outside the pass than I do."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Du replied calmly, "I eat your salary and I share your worries. The Marquis' family has been loyal for generations. Although I cannot risk my life on the battlefield, I am concerned about the situation at the border every day and want to share more of your worries for your majesty."

Seeing that he was still trying to take advantage of the situation, Zhao Yan wanted to cut him into pieces in his heart. But he knew that from the moment Xia Qing brought Xiao Du back, the plan to frame him had failed. Xiao Du must not die, let alone die in his own palace. If he died, the Xiao family army would have enough reasons to rebel, and behind them stood the covetous Prince Qi, not to mention that Mu Rong and the Wu Kingdom would definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble. Add to that the authoritarian Xia family, and the world would be in chaos.

At this time, Xiao Du said, "It's just that today, a bandit from nowhere dared to use the banner of the Xiao Family Army to try to provoke and frame me. Your Majesty will definitely not doubt my loyalty because of these despicable tricks."

Zhao Yan secretly clenched his fists, trying to hide the hatred in his heart, but smiled and said: "Chongjiang, you and I are as close as brothers, of course I will not distrust you. Don't worry, I will definitely investigate who did it today and clear your name." He paused and said: "You are seriously injured. Now that the palace gates are closed, you can stay in the palace for one night. I will find a royal doctor to treat you and send you back home tomorrow."

Xiao Du smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I would just like to ask Your Majesty to send someone to inform my family so that they can rest assured."

Seeing that Eunuch Fu and Xiao Du finally left, Xia Qing secretly glanced at Zhao Yan's sullen face and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to summon Prince Qi to the capital and arrest him for treason?"

Zhao Yan sneered, "Doing this will do exactly what Xiao Du wants. Prince Qi will not surrender so easily. The more muddy the situation becomes, the better it will be for him. Just pretend you don't know about the secret letter. Tomorrow you will personally send him back to the Marquis' Mansion."

Xia Qing accepted the order and was about to leave when Zhao Yan walked up to him, held his shoulder and said meaningfully, "You are a smart person. You should know where you should stand."

Xia Qing hurriedly said respectfully: "I owe my present existence to Your Majesty. I swear to be loyal to Your Majesty at all times and obey Your Majesty's orders."

Zhao Yan nodded, rubbed his brows, and waved his hand tiredly, saying, "That's good, you can leave first."

On the second day, at dawn, a carriage slowly drove out of the palace gate, with several soldiers in Yulin uniforms riding horses in front to lead the way. The leader was wearing a crimson uniform and a white feather on his helmet, which made his red lips and white teeth look even more heroic. The carriage drove all the way to the long street. Just after driving a short distance, a voice suddenly came from the carriage, "Wait, stop here."

Xia Qing quickly reined in his horse, turned around, waved his hand and called out "Stop". He looked around, feeling a little curious. There were only a few food shops on this street, so why did Xiao Du stop here? Xiao Du walked down slowly, holding his shoulder, and went into another shop to pick up a few bags of rice dumplings. When he passed by Xia Qing, Xia Qing stared at the rice dumplings in his hand and couldn't help saying, "If you need anything, just tell me. Why do you have to come and buy them in person?"

Xiao Du smiled and said, "The meat dumplings at Yufangzhai are the most famous. I promised my wife that I would buy some for her to try."

Xia Qing was stunned. When Xiao Du mentioned his wife, he showed a gentle expression on his face that he had never seen before. For a moment, he found it hard to understand Xiao Du. He had known for a long time that Xiao Du married the daughter of Prime Minister Xia. Although he had heard that Marquis Xuanyuan and his wife were very affectionate, he thought it was just a show that Xiao Du deliberately performed for the sake of his reputation. But could this ruthless character who could calmly mediate and force the emperor to submit in dangerous situations really be sincere to the daughter of his enemy?

When the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, he finally confirmed his thoughts. He saw Xiao Du hugging the elegant woman tightly in his arms, and the anger in his body disappeared. He just stroked her back and said softly: "I'm sorry, I made you wait too long."

Yuan Xi looked at the wound on his shoulder with heartache, but she knew that now was not the time to ask this. She held back her tears, smiled and shook her head, saying, "I'm glad you're back. I know you will come back."

She did not tell him how she walked around the streets in fear, and finally knocked on the door of the only villa she recognized with trepidation; nor did she tell him how excited she was when she found the pursuers outside the house had left, but only got the news that he was staying overnight in the palace; and what kind of mood she was in as she spent the long night, waiting at the door before dawn.

Because he understood everything between them without her having to say anything.

At this time, Xiao Zhixuan ran over with her skirt lifted up. When she saw Xiao Du's appearance, she couldn't help but shed tears. She grabbed his arm and sobbed, "Brother, how did you get hurt?"

At this time, Xia Qing's eyes sparkled. He leaned over the horse's back, raised his chin and smiled, "Miss, we meet again."