When Zhuang Tianer was suffering from the backlash, Zhuang Li and King Qi brought a soft couch and huddled together to enjoy the cool air.
The West Mountain is covered with dense forests. From time to time, cool breezes blow through the branches and leaves, carrying the fragrance of pine needles and green grass.
The King of Qi sniffed the fragrance, then lowered his head to kiss the young master's hair, a satisfied smile on his face. No one could have imagined that before yesterday, he was still hovering on the brink of life and death.
He hugged the young gentleman from behind, buried his face in the other's neck, and sighed with happiness from the bottom of his heart.
Zhuang Li suddenly grabbed a strand of his hair, tugged it gently, and asked, "Tell me how you were ambushed back then. How did this poison needle penetrate your heart?"
The King of Qi hesitated. He didn't know how to describe the bloody and cruel palace struggles.
Zhuang Li became impatient and pulled his hair again.
The frantic Prince of Qi finally said, "Four years ago, my brother was seriously ill and summoned me back to the capital to take charge. I secretly rushed back to the capital, but was ambushed by the eldest prince on the way. This poison needle was left there at that time."
"Since you were ambushed, there must be a traitor around you. Did you find the traitor later?" Zhuang Li asked immediately.
"Found it. It's one of my generals. I've already dealt with him."
"You are such a powerful martial artist, how could you not be able to defend yourself against a poison needle?"
"At the time, I was distracted by trying to save Evergreen."
"Who is Changrong?"
"Evergreen is the child I adopted."
Hearing this, Zhuang Li stopped asking questions, but the chill in his heart grew. He closed his eyes and asked in his mind, "System, did this Changrong Crown Prince end up with Zhuang Tianer?"
"Yes, they are the fairy couple of Jin State." 7480 nodded honestly.
"System, what do you think this Changrong Crown Prince likes about Zhuang Tianer?"
7480: "Look at Zhuang Tianer, you're lucky."
"Well, he was lucky to have fallen for Zhuang Tianer, but what else? Zhuang Tianer is a peasant girl, with no status, no position, and no looks. What on earth could a prince of a royal palace have in mind to marry Zhuang Tianer? Does he truly love her? Does he not realize that Zhuang Tianer has the ability to manipulate people?
"The child of destiny in every small world will regard killing my lover as a mission. So, not long after Zhuang Tianer married Prince Changrong, my lover died quietly. Is this a coincidence?
"If this isn't a coincidence, does Crown Prince Changrong know about it? As the biggest beneficiary, is he completely innocent? Was it fate that made him the ultimate victor? Throughout this process, he did nothing and knew nothing. Is he the purest person?"
At this point, Zhuang Li raised his eyebrows and asked, "System, if I say that Crown Prince Changrong, who has fought on the battlefield and slain enemy invaders, and who has thrived in the filthy and turbulent imperial court in recent years, is a pure and innocent white lotus, would you believe me?"
7480: “…”
It really can't believe it.
Zhuang Li continued to ask, "System, Crown Prince Changrong finally became the emperor, right?"
7480: "Yes, Master."
Zhuang Li sneered, "But he is destined not to become emperor."
7480 foolishly retorted: "Why was he destined not to become emperor? It's written in the script, and he did become emperor in the end."
"Because he is not a member of the royal family at all. He does not have royal blood. Who knows this secret?" Zhuang Li opened his eyes, and there was an extremely cold light in his pupils.
7480 seemed to understand something, and his tone became horrified: "This secret is only known by the gods and their confidants."
"Yes, they were the only ones who knew this secret, so they all died in the end, and Crown Prince Changrong became the emperor smoothly." Zhuang Li grinned, "I hope this Crown Prince Changrong is not who I thought he was, otherwise..."
What else could happen? Zhuang Li didn’t continue speaking, but 7480 shuddered violently.
---
If you have something on your mind, the scenery in front of you will not be beautiful.
Zhuang Li broke free from the King of Qi's embrace and said bluntly, "I want to hypnotize you and take you back to the day when you were poisoned."
"Why?" The King of Qi was puzzled.
"I have a guess in my mind, but it's hard to say. I want you to go back and take a look yourself." Zhuang Li turned around and stared at King Qi seriously.
The King of Qi could not refuse any of the young master's requests, so he obediently accepted the hypnosis.
The guards standing not far away immediately gathered around and protected the small courtyard tightly.
"Now that you have returned to that day, I ask you to carefully observe Prince Changrong's every move and then tell me what he is doing." Zhuang Li asked his doubts.
The King of Qi closed his eyes and replied, "He is being besieged by several assassins."
"Are those assassins really besieging him? Is he in danger?"
"It was dangerous. He was stabbed several times."
The King of Qi stood in the air, silently observing the assassination taking place in the woods.
This wasn't a God's perspective, but rather what he had seen out of the corner of his eye back then, only these scenes were stored in his subconscious and ignored. As he dodged and evaded, his gaze could easily have scanned the entire scene.
"Except for you, is there no one who can save him? Take a closer look at his every move. Is he really in danger? If you don't save him, will he definitely die?" Zhuang Li asked further.
This time, the King of Qi hesitated. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, as if he had seen some details that he could not understand.
Zhuang Li keenly grasped the hesitation and asked, "What did you see?"
"The assassin slashed at him. He could have dodged, but he didn't. He deliberately extended his arm. At that moment, he deliberately raised the volume of his screams." The King of Qi's face began to harden in his sleep. He seemed to realize something.
"What else have you observed? Think carefully and don't be anxious." Zhuang Li comforted him in time.
"He looked at me and yelled, 'Father, help me!'"
Sweat began to form on the Prince of Qi's forehead. After struggling for a moment, he changed his words in a hoarse voice, "No, he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at a tree to my left. The assassin who shot the poison needle at me was hiding in that tree. His eyes widened, his pupils slightly constricted, and his expression was unnatural for a moment. I'm sure he saw the assassin, but he didn't yell, 'Father, be careful,' but 'Father, save me.' In my haste to save him, I exposed myself, and the assassin seized the opportunity to shoot the poison needle at me."
Having said this, the King of Qi fell into a long silence.
Chang Rong was the first to discover the assassin, but he did not alert the King of Qi. Instead, he deliberately put his arm under the assassin's knife, risking his injuries to divert the King of Qi's attention. This assassination may not have been planned by him, but he cleverly seized the opportunity, a chance to kill his adoptive father without anyone noticing.
If the King of Qi had not been so worried, he would not have been able to avoid even a poisonous needle.
After revisiting those overlooked details, the King of Qi finally understood everything that happened back then.
The memory was so clear, what else could the King of Qi not understand? Even in his dreams, he couldn't help but reveal an expression of heartbroken pain. The poison needle that had been pulled out seemed to pierce his heart again in an instant.
Seeing that his expression was becoming more and more painful, Zhuang Li hurriedly guided him to wake up.
The King of Qi suddenly opened his eyes. Cold sweat immediately trickled down his forehead, soaking into his eyeballs, causing his reddened eyes to ache. This was the child he had personally raised, the one he had deceived his father, the Empress Dowager, and mother into getting on the Imperial Jade Records.
He taught him martial arts, advised him on strategies, paved the way for him, and granted him authority, but in the end, is this how he repaid himself?
What was going through his mind the moment he saw the assassin? Had he long known his origins? Was he hoping for his adoptive father's death? Would he then be the true grandson of the Emperor?
One speculation, more cruel than the other, pierced the heart of the King of Qi like a knife, causing him to cover his already blood-stained chest and groan in pain.
Zhuang Li quickly hugged him and comforted him softly: "Don't be sad, you still have me." He didn't know how to say more emotional words, so he could only kiss his lover's sweaty forehead over and over again.
Beads of sweat wet Zhuang Li's lips, but there was only pity in his heart.
The King of Qi, utterly distraught, quickly calmed down. Though the cold sweat still streamed down his face, the ache in his heart slowly faded. Yes, he still had the young master. Thinking of this, he didn't feel so sad at all. He had raised a wolf; that was nothing. He could just get rid of the wolf after seeing the truth.
The King of Qi quickly figured out everything and was about to reply, "I'm fine," but he swallowed the words back.
He held his breath, clenched his teeth, and his eyes turned red. He looked like he had lost all hope.
Zhuang Li felt even more distressed. He kissed him from his forehead to his cheek, and finally gently held his thin lips, whispering soothingly: "From now on, I will always be with you. Don't be sad, okay?"
"How long has it been?" King Qi looked at him deeply.
"How long do you say?" Zhuang Li pressed his lips against his lover's lips, ready to offer a soothing kiss at any time.
"I said forever." The King of Qi was obsessed with these two words. For him, forever was never a false proposition.
"Then forever." Zhuang Li promised without hesitation.
"Okay, it's settled." The King of Qi then smiled contentedly, then held the young gentleman's cheek and gave him a deep kiss.
He had completely forgotten his adopted son's betrayal.
The guards who had originally intended to comfort the prince: "..."
---
When Crown Prince Yun Changrong arrived at the villa, Zhuang Li and his guards were sitting in the pavilion playing the game of "Asking the Immortal." The King of Qi sat nearby, watching with a warm smile.
Yun Changrong immediately stepped forward to greet him, and said anxiously, "Father, I heard you found a master to treat your illness. Is he reliable? Would you like me to help you investigate him? Even someone like Xuan Zhenzi is a liar. I am really worried."
"No need to investigate. The master has already helped me pull out the poison needle." King Qi said calmly.
Yun Changrong was stunned for a moment, then revealed an ecstatic smile. He strode over to the King of Qi and asked loudly, "Father, was the needle removed? So quickly? You no longer have to endure the excruciating pain day and night? That's great, that's great! Your son is so happy!"
As he spoke, he began to choke up.
As if feeling embarrassed, he turned his back and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. When he turned back, his face was filled with gratitude: "Father, where is that master? I must thank him!"
After saying this, his tearful face suddenly broke into a bright smile.
Every expression of his revealed his sincere filial piety, and every action of his showed cherishment and respect. There was not a single flaw to be found.
The King of Qi smiled at him, his eyes full of gentleness and kindness, and there was no flaw either.
"This is the master." He stretched out his hand and pointed at Zhuang Li, who was surrounded by guards and fiddling with a Ouija board.
Yun Changrong seemed to have not expected that the master who saved his father was so young, and was slightly stunned.
But he quickly recovered, strode forward, and respectfully thanked Zhuang Li. He then looked at the Ouija board and asked, "Sir, what are you doing?"
"I'm helping them tell fortunes. If you're interested, you can give it a try." Zhuang Li raised the corners of his lips and smiled with interest.
"Oh? Fortune telling with a board? Okay, let me try it too." In order to please the favorite person of his father, Yun Changrong agreed immediately.
7480 silently held his forehead: "It's over, another idiot has appeared who has taken the initiative to rush into the host's gun. The host's so-called fortune-telling, translated into "taking your life"!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
