Chapter 94
Xi Rong secretly met with the envoy from Western Xia in his mansion, so the Xi mansion was naturally on high alert. However, the person he was on guard against was someone else, not the emperor, and certainly not his younger brother, whom he had protected and doted on all his life.
He knew that Xiao Jie heard everything.
After being together for so many years, the other person was like another self. He was extremely familiar with every expression and movement of Xiao Jie, but he had never seen Xiao Jie show such an expression when he was with him - panic, shock, trembling, disappointment and fear.
Xi Rong felt a sharp pain in his heart, but his voice was gentle: "Your Majesty."
Xiao Jie stood there in a daze, as if he was looking at a cruel and vicious stranger.
Xi Rong called out again, "Ah Jie."
Xiao Jie woke up as if from a dream, his eyes suddenly reddened: "Ah, A Rong, you... you are a traitor..."
Before Xiao Jie could even finish his sentence, Xi Rong interrupted him: "Ah Jie, you misunderstood me."
"I heard it all! I heard it all!" Xiao Jie's tears welled up in his eyes. "That man wanted to do business with you. He wanted you to harm General Gu, and you agreed!"
Xi Rong took two steps forward, wanting to hold Xiao Jie in his arms and comfort him as he did when they were children. Xiao Jie was a man of weak character. He had no care from his biological mother or stepmother, and was not liked by the previous emperor. From childhood to adulthood, he had suffered a lot of grievances in the palace where people were treacherous. It is the responsibility of an older brother to make his younger brother happy. He comforted Xiao Jie as many times as he cried. But this time, Xiao Jie did not jump into his arms as usual. Instead, he backed away like a frightened kitten: "You, don't come over..."
Xi Rong stopped and said, "Ajie, I told you that Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou will not tolerate me being by your side to assist you. As soon as Gu Fuzhou returns to the capital, Lin Qingyu will take action against me. Do you understand?"
Xiao Jie choked up and said, "Then you can't collaborate with the enemy and sell out your country! I may be a little stupid, but I am also a descendant of the Xiao family. General Gu is fighting for Dayu, you can't harm him at this time - I, I'm going to tell the Queen Mother and Doctor Lin!"
Xi Rong shouted, "Stop."
Xiao Jie had never been treated so harshly by Xi Rong before. He felt aggrieved and angry, and cried like a pear blossom in the rain, looking pitiful.
Xi Rong said rationally, "The Xixia envoy came to me and wanted to use Gu Fuzhou's life to stop the war between the two countries. What can I do if I disagree? Should I ask the envoy to go back and tell the Xixia military advisor to give up this idea as soon as possible, or should I just kill him? No matter what we do, it will only make Xixia more vigilant against Dayu."
Xiao Jie was confused, but he understood one thing: Xi Rong did not really agree to Xixia. "What do you mean..."
Xi Rong's expression eased a little, and he said, "Ajie, think about it carefully. Now that I have agreed to Xixia's 'peace talks', will they feel that they have a sure win and take the battle with Yongliang lightly?"
"So you pretended to agree—you lied to them?"
Seeing that Xiao Jie's eyes were looking at him the same as usual, Xi Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Remember the story of Huang Gai's false surrender that I told you when you were little? If he can pretend to surrender, we can also pretend to surrender. Don't worry, I will not let myself, let alone let you, be charged with treason."
"So that's how it is!" Xiao Jie was coaxed by Xi Rong with a few words. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I misunderstood you."
Xi Rong grabbed Xiao Jie's hand and wiped his tears with his sleeve: "It's all right now once the misunderstanding is cleared up. Okay, stop standing there and come in."
The two men entered the study, and Xi Rong ordered someone to fetch water for the emperor to wash his face. Xi Rong asked Xiao Jie why he suddenly left the palace, and Xiao Jie told him about his conversation with Lin Qingyu.
"Arong, do we really have to fight with Doctor Lin and the others?" Xiao Jie asked innocently, "I don't want to hurt them. I think the current situation is good and it will be fine if it continues like this."
Xi Rong touched Xiao Jie's head and said, "Let's talk about these after Gu Fuzhou defeats Xixia."
"Okay." Xiao Jie saw the wet handwriting on the table and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Xi Rong did not hide it from him: "Gu Fuzhou has been consuming Xixia's food and grass in the northwest for more than a month, and the two sides have become a stalemate. So Xixia wants to know Dayu's food transportation route."
Xiao Jie asked: "Are they going to steal our food supplies?"
Xi Rong nodded: "It should be."
"Oh!" Xiao Jie suddenly became excited, "Then can we tell them the wrong route, and then ambush them there in advance, and kill them by surprise!"
Xi Rong was a little surprised and said with a smile: "Ajie has become smarter."
Xiao Jie chuckled and said, "You are the only one in the world who would praise me for being smart. We have been together for so long, I should have learned something."
Xi Rong opened the map from Guizhou to Yongliang and asked: "Ajie, where do you think is the best place to set up an ambush?"
Xiao Jie thought carefully for a long time and pointed to one of the roads: "This is the farthest from the real food route, and it is also a narrow path between canyons. If the enemy enters, they will not be able to retreat!"
Xi Rong hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Just do as A-Jie said."
Xiao Jie finally did something to help Dayu and felt very happy. "By the way, I think we should tell Mother and Imperial Physician Lin about this. They are also concerned about the situation in the northwest."
"No need." Xi Rong stopped laughing, "They don't need to know."
Xiao Jie hesitated and said, "But..."
Xi Rong said seriously, "Ajie, you have to remember that Lin Qingyu wants my life. It's not a good thing to let him know too much. Anything could be the blade that takes my life."
Xiao Jie was confused by what he heard. Although Xi Rong always said that Lin Qingyu wanted to harm them, he always felt that Lin Qingyu would not do that. Lin Qingyu looks as good as an immortal, but could he really be so vicious?
Although Xiao Jie and Xi Rong finally reconciled, he was really scared in the process. Xi Rong was afraid that he would still be frightened, so he specially found a famous opera troupe from the capital to enter the palace. Xiao Jie loved watching plays. When he was in the mood, he would sit in front of the stage for a whole day.
The palace's stage was set up in the Peony Garden. The Peony Garden is not far from Ci'an Palace. It was originally a place for the Empress Dowager to listen to operas, but now it has become a place that disturbs the Empress Dowager's peace.
The Queen Mother was discussing the taxation of Jiangnan with Lin Qingyu when she heard the melodious singing from afar. The Queen Mother was displeased and asked, "Who is listening to the opera in the Peony Garden?"
Lin Qingyu said: "The emperor has no one in the harem, and the concubines all live in Jinyang Garden. Who do you think there is?"
The Queen Mother frowned and said slowly, "The Emperor is a man with leisure time."
"This is a good thing." Lin Qingyu said calmly, "For someone like the emperor, it's best to do nothing, at least he won't cause trouble for others."
"Having said that, there is still a war in the northwest. Even if the emperor does not interfere in state affairs, he should at least pretend to do so to avoid the censors from interfering." After thinking it over, the empress dowager asked someone to invite Xiao Jie.
Xiao Jie didn't let the empress dowager wait any longer and rushed over almost immediately. After being scolded by the Queen Mother, Xiao Jie finally realized what he had done. He didn't care about Lin Qingyu's presence and said, "I know I was wrong. I didn't think so much... I'm sorry, mother. I will never listen to opera again."
The emperor admitted his fault so sincerely that the empress dowager did not know whether to laugh or cry: "It's not that Your Majesty cannot listen to operas, it depends on the time. When Dayu has quelled the rebellion in the northwest, I would also like to listen to operas."
Xiao Jie nodded: "I understand. Thank you for your teachings, mother. When the world is at peace, I will invite mother and my sixth brother to watch the opera together."
Xiao Jie looks younger than his actual age, and he looks very obedient when he nods. Although the Queen Mother had been negligent towards this illegitimate son in the past, she had no ill will towards him, and it was enough to give him this kind of warning. It happened to be time for dinner, so the empress dowager asked Xiao Jie to stay for dinner. "Qingyu, you come too."
Lin Qingyu said: "I had dinner in Ci'an Palace yesterday."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "If you accompany Li'er, he will always eat more."
During the dinner, Xiao Jie always had an expression as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. The Queen Mother asked him if he had anything to say, and he said no decisively. After dinner, Xiao Jie returned to the Qinzheng Hall.
The Queen Mother could not help but say, "The Emperor is not hopeless. If he were not the ruler of a country, he would still be a kind-hearted child."
Lin Qingyu said "hmm".
"If the emperor can leave Xi Rong alone and give him more guidance, he can at least not be a wise ruler, if not a wise ruler."
Lin Qingyu chuckled: "Unfortunately, he can't leave."
"You are more certain about what you said." The Queen Mother said, "Even brothers with the same father and mother would turn against each other for their own selfish interests, let alone them. I have been in the palace for so many years, I have seen everything. The emperor is young and not favored, so he relies on Xi Rong so much. If he is found a dignified, elegant, and considerate queen, so that he can have someone to trust his feelings, perhaps he will not value Xi Rong so much." The more the Queen Mother thought about it, the more she felt that this was a solution, "The emperor has long reached the age, and now that the mourning period for the late emperor has passed, it is a good time to establish a queen and consort for him."
The Queen Mother thought Lin Qingyu would agree with her, but unexpectedly Lin Qingyu had no reaction. The Queen Mother couldn't help but ask, "Qingyu, what do you think?"
Lin Qingyu said: "Please forgive me, Queen Mother, but I am not interested in using marriage to imprison others."
The Queen Mother was slightly stunned and her expression turned a little colder. "Whatever." She said uninterested, "Then let's watch it again."
That night, Xi Rong personally helped Xiao Jie to bed. Before going to bed, the two would talk to each other privately, which was a habit they had since childhood. Xi Rong asked Xiao Jie which plays he had watched today. Xiao Jie looked disappointed and said, "I don't want to watch plays in the palace anymore."
Xi Rong asked: "Why?"
Xiao Jie told Xi Rong what happened today, "What mother said is right. The soldiers in the northwest are fighting bloody battles. It's fine if I can't help them, but how can I enjoy luxury in the palace?"
Xi Rong was not concerned about this: "Did you have dinner with the Queen Mother and Lin Qingyu?"
"And my sixth brother." Xiao Jie spoke whatever came to his mind. "My sixth brother is still the same. He doesn't react to anything and only smiles at Doctor Lin..."
Xi Rong interrupted him: "Did you tell them about the ambush on the grain route?"
Xiao Jie was stunned for a moment, his eyes a little guilty: "No."
Any changes on Xiao Jie's face could not escape Xi Rong's eyes: "Do you still want to tell them?"
"I... after all, I didn't say anything in the end. Are you satisfied?" Xiao Jie covered his head with the quilt and said in a muffled voice, "I'm going to sleep. You can leave now."
Xi Rong half-closed his eyes and said, "I'll take my leave."
As soon as Xiao Jie heard Xi Rong call himself a "slave", he knew he was angry. But he really didn't know what to do. Why did Xi Rong and Lin Qingyu have to fight to the death? These two people were fine when he didn't ascend the throne.
Xiao Jie fell asleep with a lot on his mind. After an unknown amount of time, he was awakened by the sound of "Your Majesty". When he opened his eyes, he saw Xiaoxuanzi, the eunuch who served him personally.
There was a burst of hurried footsteps outside, and Xiao Jie immediately lost his sleepiness and asked, "What happened?"
Xiao Xuanzi said in panic: "Your Majesty, there is an assassin in the palace. Eunuch Xi, he, he..."
Xiao Jie grabbed Xiao Xuanzi's shoulders and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
"Eunuch Xi was seriously injured and bled a lot... He is currently in a side hall..."
Xiao Jie rolled and crawled off the bed and ran barefoot all the way to the side hall. The imperial guards have been dispatched and have surrounded the palace tightly. Xi Rong had been carried to the bed, with a shocking knife wound on his left abdomen, and blood was constantly oozing out of the wound. Because of the blood loss, Xi Rong's face had lost all color and he looked defeated, but he was still conscious.
As soon as Xiao Jie saw him, he burst into tears: "Where's the imperial physician? Call the imperial physician quickly!"
Xiao Xuanzi said: "I have sent someone to call him. The doctor should be on the way."
Xi Rong grabbed Xiao Jie's hand, breathing weakly: "Your Majesty, I'm fine, don't worry."
"How could it be..." Xiao Jie hugged Xi Rong, on the verge of collapse, "How could there be an assassin in the palace? How could someone want to harm you!"
Xi Rong showed a strange smile: "Who else can be such an unscrupulous assassin in the palace except them?"
Xiao Jie cried out of breath: "Who is it?"
Xi Rong let out a painful groan. Xiao Xuanzi hurriedly said: "Eunuch Xi said that it should be someone from the Tianji Camp."
Xiao Jie shed tears in bewilderment: "Why?"
Xiao Xuanzi said: "I remember that the token of Tianji Camp is in the hands of Doctor Lin."
"… Doctor Lin?"
Xi Rong closed his eyes and exerted force on his hands: "In this case, do you still want to be close to Lin Qingyu and tell him everything?"
Xiao Jie cried and shook his head: "I don't want it, I won't tell the Queen Mother and Lin Qingyu, I won't say anything, I just want you to be fine... Ah Rong, don't die, I won't let you die!"
Xi Rong's injuries looked scary, but they did not hit any vital parts, so his life was not in danger. However, he had lost too much blood and his energy was severely damaged, so he had to rest for a while.
There was an assassin in the emperor's bedroom. This is a top priority. Wu Zhan did not dare to be negligent at all. He led the imperial guards to search the palace for a whole night, but could not find any clues. When Lin Qingyu heard about this, he called Wu Zhan and the imperial physician who treated Xi Rong that night to ask them, and then he understood everything.
"Don't worry about it anymore." Lin Qingyu said, "The assassin can't be caught."
Wu Zhan said: "Ah? Why?"
"Since the assassin has the ability to come and go without a trace in the palace, how could he not be able to kill even a eunuch? This trick with so many loopholes can only fool the emperor who is too concerned."
Wu Zhan still didn't quite understand: "What Doctor Lin meant was..."
Lin Qingyu said: "Xi Rong just wants to capture the emperor's heart and make the emperor stand on his side forever."
Wu Zhan hissed, "So this is a self-torture tactic. How cruel! He actually did this to himself."
Lin Qingyu suddenly smiled: "Indeed."
Xi Rong's action reminded him of Gu Fuzhou. Back then, Gu Fuzhou did not hesitate to poison himself with the Sky Spider in order to return to the capital from the northwest and to be with him. In this regard, Gu Fuzhou is also a ruthless person.
So this time, he will definitely fight hard to come back.
The author has something to say: The tenacious Er Zhuang has lived another day. I'll give you three more days, no more!
Ancient and Modern Small Theater:
When he just brought the beauty home, Jiang, who had lost his memory, did not completely believe what he said. It just so happened that Jiang’s gay friend paid a sum of money to buy a lie detector online. Whenever he told a lie, the lie detector would beep.
then--
Beauty: Mr. Jiang is a diligent person
Polygraph: Beep——
Beauty: Mr. Jiang never stays in bed
Polygraph: Beep——
Beauty: Mr. Jiang is my husband.
Polygraph: ...
Jiang: emmm
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