23

23

The air inside Xiaoyou Villa was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

Xuan Yuan Tianyi lay on the soft couch, her face still pale, but the vermilion mark on her forehead had regained some of its former vibrancy. Leng Moyan entered carrying a bowl of dark medicine. Seeing her gazing absently at the paulownia tree outside the window, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Still thinking about other things? Drink your medicine."

"Bitter." Xuan Yuantian glanced at the medicine bowl, his brows furrowing slightly, with a rare hint of coquettishness.

"Jiang Yuan specially added licorice." Leng Moyan held the medicine bowl to her lips, his tone brooking no refusal. "Your spiritual energy is depleted, and your heart meridian is damaged. If you don't take care of it in time, you'll suffer greatly in the future."

Helpless, Xuan Yuan Tianyi drank the medicine down in one gulp from his hand, the bitter taste making her face contort. Leng Moyan then offered her a candied fruit, and seeing her swallow it, her expression softened slightly before he asked, "Worried about Zhan Zhao?"

"By using Siming, Chai Siyi has completely abandoned all pretense of civility." Xuan Yuantian's gaze turned cold. "She knows perfectly well that Zhan Zhao is someone Zhen values, and someone I protect. This action is clearly a provocation."

"It's not just provocation," Leng Moyan said, sitting down on the edge of the couch, her lake-blue hair cascading down, "she's testing your limits and forcing Chai Wenyi to act prematurely. The Southern Frontier Seal has been unstable in recent years, and her stirring up trouble now suggests she has much more to gain."

Xuanyuan Tianyi was silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously tracing lines on the edge of the bed: "Back in Ailao Mountain, she said, 'Since I can't be your wife, then I'll be your enemy.' Her obsession with Zhen runs too deep; she's become possessed."

"And what about Zhan Zhao?" Leng Moyan suddenly asked, his devilishly handsome face scrutinizing him.

Xuanyuan Tianyi paused in his drawing, looked up at him, his eyes revealing an unreadable emotion: "Mo Yan, even you feel that I treat him differently?"

"It's not just my opinion, it's the truth," Leng Moyan said calmly. "You expended your spiritual energy for him, almost damaging your own very foundation. Even Zhao Zhen never made you do that."

Xuan Yuan Tianyi looked out the window again, watching the paulownia leaves fall one by one. "Perhaps," she said, her voice as soft as a sigh. "Seeing him is like seeing another possible Zhen... a Zhen who doesn't have to bear the burden of the empire, who can roam freely in the martial world. The purity and warmth he possesses are things that have long been lost in the imperial court." She paused, a self-deprecating smile curving her lips. "Besides, doesn't Zhen also want me to 'take care' of him?"

Leng Moyan gazed at her for a long time, then finally sighed, "It's good that you know what's going on. But what about Zhao Zhen..."

"Zhen is a wise ruler," Xuan Yuantian interrupted him, his tone regaining its usual languid and confident tone, "He knows better than anyone what to fight for and what to give up. He has already made his choice between the empire and me. Besides, that's his own brother, connected to him by blood."

Just then, Yin'er announced from outside the door, "Master, Miss Wuji has arrived."

Before the words were even finished, a red figure rushed in like a swallow returning to its nest, throwing herself directly into Xuan Yuan Tianyi's arms: "Auntie!"

Xuan Yuan Wuji raised her small face, her starry eyes filled with worry: "I heard that you have overdrawn your spiritual power, and Wuji is so worried!" She carefully examined Xuan Yuan Tianyi's complexion, and gently pressed her small hand on her wrist pulse, a gentle spiritual power probing in.

Xuanyuan Tianyi let her do as she pleased, gently patting the top of her head: "It's alright, you'll be fine after a few days of rest. Why did you run off out of the palace?"

"Uncle Zhen gave me permission to come." Xuan Yuan Wuji withdrew his hand, slightly relieved, then said angrily, "Aunt, that Chai Siyi is too hateful! She actually dared to poison Uncle Zhan! And Chai Wenyi, he's been jumping around in the court, and yesterday he even went to the Empress Dowager to cry and complain that someone had framed him for treason, begging the Empress Dowager to do justice!"

Xuan Yuan Tianyi and Leng Moyan exchanged a glance, both seeing the coldness in each other's eyes.

"A clown." Leng Moyan sneered.

"What did the Empress Dowager say?" Xuanyuan Tianyi asked.

"What could the Empress Dowager say? She could only offer some reassurance, saying that the Emperor is wise and would never wrong a loyal subject." Xuan Yuan Wuji curled his lip, "It was nothing more than trying to smooth things over. However, Uncle Zhen did reprimand two censors at the morning court session today, saying they had reported based on hearsay and slandered members of the imperial family, and he fined them their salaries."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuantian's lips curled slightly: "A veiled demotion while a covert protection, a move to scare the snake out of its hole. Zhen is trying to lure the snake out."

"Then what should we do?" Xuan Yuan Wuji asked eagerly.

"You?" Xuan Yuantian glanced at her. "Go back to the palace obediently, be a good princess, and keep an eye on the movements in the harem, especially... Princess Qingyuan's side."

Xuanyuan Wuji's eyes lit up: "Auntie suspects..."

"Duan Qingyuan's entry into the palace at this time may not be entirely innocent," Xuan Yuantian said calmly. "The state of Dali is not monolithic either. Go ahead, and have Xueyuan contact us if anything comes up."

"Yes! Wuji understands!" Upon receiving the mission, Xuanyuan Wuji immediately perked up and instructed Xuanyuan Tianyi to rest well before leaving.

After Xuanyuan Wuji left, Xuanyuan Tianyi pondered for a moment and said to Leng Moyan, "Moyan, go to the Eighth Prince's residence."

"What do you want with him?"

"The Chai family's affairs require a highly respected member of the imperial clan to oversee them. The Eighth Prince is Zhen's uncle, known for his impartiality, and he also holds some control over the defense of the capital region. Give this to him." Xuan Yuan Tianyi took out a small, exquisite black iron token from his robes, engraved with intricate cloud patterns and the ancient seal script characters "Xuan Yuan" in the center. "He will understand once he sees it."

Leng Moyan took the token and put it into his sleeve: "You want to use 'Dark Feather'?"

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Xuan Yuantian's gaze was profound. "Chai Wenyi has cultivated his influence in the court for many years, his roots running deep. Relying solely on Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial Guards may not be enough. 'Dark Feather' has been lying low for many years; it's time for them to stretch their muscles."

"Dark Feathers" is a force secretly cultivated by the Xuanyuan family. It is not part of the Xiaoyao Tower's open forces and specializes in intelligence gathering, assassination, and protection. It directly obeys the orders of successive family heads and is only used when there is a life-or-death crisis or when the fate of the world is at stake. Even within the Xuanyuan family, only a handful of people are aware of its existence.

Leng Moyan nodded, asked no more questions, and disappeared from the room in a flash.

Xuan Yuan Tianyi leaned against the couch alone, her fingertips caressing a warm jade bracelet on her wrist. It was a coming-of-age gift from Zhao Zhen. She closed her eyes, and the images of Zhao Zhen's deep eyes, Zhan Zhao's gentle smile, and Chai Siyi's resentful gaze alternated in her mind.

The highest court and the farthest reaches of the martial world, love, hatred, and grudges—all are contained within this game of chess. And she is both the player and the pawn.

Inside Zhan Zhao's room in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Zhan Zhao was able to get out of bed and walk slowly, but his internal energy still needed to be nurtured, and his limbs were somewhat weak. Bai Yutang stayed by his side almost every step of the way, ostensibly to "prevent the sick cat from running away."

That day, Gongsun Ce brought new medicine. After Zhan Zhao took it, he asked, seemingly casually, "Sir, Tianyi... is she alright?"

Gongsun Ce glanced at him, stroked his beard, and said, "Patriarch Xuanyuan has merely overexerted his spiritual energy and is recuperating in the separate courtyard. He is perfectly fine. Guard Zhan, there's no need to worry."

Zhan Zhao nodded slightly, feeling somewhat relieved.

Bai Yutang winked at him from the side: "Oh, little cat, you've got your eye on it already?"

Zhan Zhao blushed slightly, but didn't hesitate, saying frankly, "Brother Bai, don't talk nonsense. Tianyi saved my life, so it's only natural for me to care."

"Yes, yes, that's common sense." Bai Yutang drawled, clearly disbelieving, but he stopped joking and instead said, "Speaking of which, Chai Wenyi has been quite quiet these past few days. Apart from going to the Empress Dowager's to cry, he hasn't made any moves."

"It's just the calm before the storm." Zhan Zhao frowned. "He's waiting, waiting for an opportunity, or... waiting for news from Fangzhou. We also need to hurry."

"So we're just going to wait here?" Bai Yutang said, somewhat annoyed.

"Waiting is also a strategy," Zhan Zhao said calmly. "We need time to recover, and the court also needs time to make its plans. I believe the Emperor and Lord Bao have a plan. Besides," a faint smile played on his lips, "sometimes remaining calm allows us to see the demons lurking in the shadows more clearly."

Just then, Wang Chao came to deliver a message, saying that Lord Bao invited Young Hero Bai to come over. Bai Yutang agreed and left.

Only Zhan Zhao remained in the room. He walked to the window, watching the leaves flutter in the courtyard, the inexplicable longing in his heart growing ever clearer. That woman in red, languidly dressed, with a vermilion dot on her forehead, had saved him from danger time and time again. He wasn't heartless; it was just... Considering his own situation and that invisible chasm, he finally suppressed his surging emotions, letting out a barely audible sigh. Now was not the time to ponder these things.

For him, love might ultimately be a luxury. But his determination to protect her never wavered.

In the days that followed, the capital city appeared calm on the surface, but beneath the surface, tensions were running high.

Under Gongsun Ce's meticulous care, Zhan Zhao recovered extremely quickly. Although he still couldn't fully utilize his internal energy, his daily actions were no different from those of an ordinary person, and even his swordplay practice became increasingly proficient. Together with Bai Yutang, he drew a detailed defense map of the Fangzhou military camp, marking possible weak points and attack routes, which he then secretly presented to Zhao Zhen by Bao Zheng.

That day, Zhan Zhao was practicing his sword slowly in the courtyard to warm up his body when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front hall. He sheathed his sword and stood there, only to see Bao Zheng walking quickly towards him with a solemn expression, followed by Gongsun Ce, who also looked serious.

"Guard Zhan," Bao Zheng said in a deep voice, "we just received a secret report that Chai Wenyi was assassinated in the palace after the morning court session this day."

Zhan Zhao's pupils contracted slightly: "How badly is he injured?"

"It was only a minor injury; the assassin committed suicide by poison on the spot." Bao Zheng frowned. "But this matter is strange. After Chai Wenyi was assassinated, he immediately went to the Emperor crying and claiming that someone wanted to kill him to silence him, implying that the Kaifeng Prefecture's investigation was too forceful, which led to this disaster. The Empress Dowager was furious upon hearing this and has issued an edict ordering the Emperor to thoroughly investigate the matter and to temporarily suspend all investigations into the Zheng Prince's residence."

Zhan Zhao instantly understood the key point: "A self-inflicted injury ruse? He's using this to turn the tables, buy time, and even confuse the situation."

"Exactly," Gongsun Ce interjected, "and the timing was extremely opportune. There are already many voices in the court questioning the Kaifeng Prefecture's aggressive methods of handling cases; after this incident, I fear..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Chao rushed in to report: "My lord, an imperial decree has arrived, summoning you to the palace immediately!"

Bao Zheng and Zhan Zhao exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. The storm arrived faster and more violently than expected.

Zhan Zhao watched Bao Zheng's departing figure, gripping the giant sword in his hand tightly. He knew that Chai Wenyi's actions were not only for self-preservation, but also to drag Kaifeng Prefecture into a quagmire. They had to find conclusive evidence as soon as possible; otherwise, not only would all their previous efforts be in vain, but the real culprits who had brought disaster to the country might also escape justice.

As night deepened, Kaifeng Prefecture was brightly lit. Zhan Zhao stood alone in the courtyard, gazing towards the imperial palace with unwavering determination. No matter how many difficulties lay ahead, he had to persevere. For the sake of Kaifeng Prefecture's peace and prosperity, and for... those who deserved to be protected.

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