Putting down his chopsticks, Nan Yijun stared at Prime Minister Wan's figure disappearing from his sight. He then waved for the guards beside him to come closer. With a gloomy expression, he whispered, "Send someone to bring over the guard who was talking to Prime Minister Wan just now!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" The guard immediately nodded slightly, saluted Nan Yijun, and turned to leave the side room!
Nan Yijun also stood up from the table immediately, glanced coldly at the dishes on the table in front of him, and turned his eyes again to the direction where Prime Minister Wan disappeared, but a wave of disappointment and coldness filled his heart!
At the time of the rise and fall of the country, Prime Minister Wan actually ignored his own life and death just for the sake of love!
Now that Chu Feiyang is pressing him step by step, he is still only thinking about keeping the throne for Nan Hongye!
Little did they know that once Nanxun became a vassal state of Western Chu, the throne would be meaningless! If Lu Xin's army were stationed in Nanxun again, not to mention the common people, even the royal family of Nanxun would be at the mercy of others.
Anger gradually flared within him, but Nan Yijun's natural dignity made his face appear frosty. He then walked out of the side room with a chill in his air...
In the cold and damp prison, a guard had his hands tied to a "big" shaped torture device and was severely tortured. The crisp sound of the whip touching the skin echoed throughout the originally silent prison as the whip fell!
"Will you tell me or not?" The guard holding the long whip stared at the bruised guard in front of him with a sinister look on his face. The force of the whip gradually increased as time went by. The bloody skin and flesh made the small cell suddenly filled with a disgusting smell. However, the guard who was being tortured gritted his teeth and did not betray his master because of the pain!
Boom! The prison gate was pushed open at this moment, and a wave of hot air rushed in, forming a sharp contrast with the coldness inside. The dazzling light pierced in through the cracks, allowing the people in the cell to see the newcomer clearly, and also allowing the newcomer to see the scene inside clearly!
"Greetings, Your Highness!" As Nan Yijun walked down the stairs step by step, everyone in the cell stopped what they were doing and saluted Nan Yijun respectfully!
"Everyone, get up!" The door was closed when Nan Yijun stepped into the prison. At this time, the light in the cell was dim, the humidity was heavy, and gusts of cold wind came from the corner of the wall, but Nan Yijun's eyes were always on the guard who was tortured and covered in blood!
After the jailer diligently opened the wooden door of the cell and stepped onto the blood-soaked wet ground, Nan Yijun looked at the guard with his head bowed and eyes closed and said coldly, "Hasn't he confessed yet?"
"Your Highness! No! I have been interrogating him for two hours straight, but his mouth is tight and he refuses to say anything!" Seeing Nan Yijun coming in, everyone in the cell held their breath and didn't dare to say a word. Only the guard who had just been interrogating him mustered up the courage to speak!
"He's quite a tough nut to crack. He refuses to say anything even under such severe torture. It seems he is very loyal to his master!" Nan Yijun was not angry, but there was a biting chill in his sneering eyes!
He snatched the long whip from the guard's hand and lashed it towards the person being tortured...
"Snap!" The white bones suddenly revealed their flesh, and the blood splattered everywhere. The guard, who had originally closed his eyes, suddenly took a cold breath, but he still bit his lips tightly, not begging for mercy and enduring the pain!
Nan Yijun threw away the long whip in his hand and stood in front of the guard. With a stern face and a gloomy tone, he said, "Don't even think that anyone will come back to save you! Your master is now staying in the Prime Minister's Mansion and can't protect himself. If you want to live, tell me everything you know!"
However, the guard just shook his head, endured the severe pain in his body, and said with a slight gasp, "You can kill me or shave me as you please! I know that even if I escaped from the prince, I will definitely die in front of the prime minister to apologize! Since it's just a matter of death, I might as well be a loyal person. Please, prince, don't waste your energy on me!"
As he spoke, the guard's expression changed instantly. His eyes, which had been expressionless, suddenly widened, and a streak of blood slowly flowed from the corner of his lips. By the time Nan Yijun noticed his abnormality and wanted to stop him, it was too late. The guard had already bitten his tongue to commit suicide!
Nan Yijun couldn't help but frown as he stared at the dead man in front of him with cold eyes. If he cut off this clue, it would be extremely difficult to make a move on Prime Minister Wan. And now Chu Feiyang began to press him again. Could it be that Nanxun was really going to become a vassal state of Western Chu?
At the same time, Xie and others also had a headache!
After receiving the news from Chu Pei back to the capital, Xie sat alone in the house with a pale face for a long time. It was not until Chu Qingyang came back to the Chu Palace after school to pay his respects to Xie that he discovered that something was wrong with his mother!
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Recently, Chu Qingyang has been thinking hard about letting Wen Di participate in the court, but the other party has long been as calm as water. He can see the struggles in the outside world very clearly, but he also withdrew very decisively, which gave Chu Qingyang a headache!
Hearing Chu Qingyang's voice, Xie finally came back to her senses. She slightly suppressed the emotions on her face and turned her gaze to her son standing in front of her. Xie smiled calmly and asked softly, "Why did you come back so early today?"
Judging from the sky outside, Chu Qingyang had already left school an hour earlier than usual!
Seeing his mother asking, Chu Qingyang said without hiding anything, "Mother, you know that Prime Minister Qin's health has been getting worse recently. He hasn't attended court for a long time! Today, Master Wen returned home early, so I asked someone to invite the teacher to the study, so that I could come back earlier! I wonder if mother has encountered any difficulties? Why were you so dazed just now?"
Seeing Chu Qingyang asking her the reason for her loss of composure without any relaxation, Xie's heart skipped a beat. However, she was not yet ready to confess to her son. She tried her best to suppress her anxiety and said with a faint smile, "We are now in the palace. How could mother encounter any difficulties? I am just considering the marriage of your sisters. The three of them are not young anymore. Now with your grandfather's reputation and your brother's influence, it will not be difficult to find good families for them!"
Hearing this, Chu Qingyang frowned, and looked at Xie with a hint of inquiry in his eyes. With a hint of confusion, he said, "Mother, are you confused? My sister's marriage was decided by father long ago. How can it be changed at will? If the other party knew that we had betrayed them, I'm afraid it would be difficult for father, and Jie'er's life would be ruined!"
Mrs. Xie's heart tightened. She had just said the wrong thing because she was thinking about Chu Pei. She looked up at Chu Qingyang and found that her son's eyes were already full of doubts, just waiting for her to clarify them. Her thoughts immediately left the news. Mrs. Xie calmed her mind and said, "I've been sitting here for a whole day, and my mind is in a trance! But Qingyang, you are not young anymore. Have you thought about getting married? Although your father has arranged a marriage for you, mother sees that there are many beautiful ladies in Kyoto who are worthy of praise. If you want to achieve great things, your marriage is a science. You must not focus on just one person!"
Chu Qingyang originally thought that Xie was indeed a little bored because she had been sitting for too long, but when he heard about the marriage one after another from his mother's mouth, even Chu Qingyang felt that something was a little strange!
He stopped beating around the bush and asked his mother directly, "Mom, has there been a new situation in Youzhou? Ever since Chu Feiyang and Yun Qianmeng went to Nanxun, Youzhou and Nanxun have been in constant trouble! Now Emperor Yugan has ordered Chu Feiyang to make Nanxun a vassal state of Western Chu. If he succeeds, all our efforts will be wasted! I don't know what Dad's condition is like! It's really worrying. If we hadn't stayed in Kyoto for important matters, I would have already..."
"Qingyang!" Before Chu Qingyang could finish his complaint, Xie stopped him in a low voice!
"Do you think this is the Chu Mansion in Youzhou? Don't forget, this is the Prince of Chu's Mansion! The servants here are all your grandfather's confidants. Think carefully before you speak, otherwise if you reveal any information to the other party, do you think your grandfather will side with you, me, or Chu Feiyang?" Xie's eyes were filled with warnings, and she scolded Chu Qingyang in front of her with a sharp tone, but her heart trembled slightly. She just hoped that her son would not do anything rash after knowing what happened in Youzhou!
Seeing his mother actually comparing him with Chu Feiyang, Chu Qingyang's eyes flashed with resentment and sinisterness. His originally calm brows wrinkled slightly, as if he was very reluctant to hear this topic. The anger on his face slowly faded for a while, and then he spoke with a cold and arrogant tone, "Of course I can't compare with him! He was trained by my grandfather, and now he is the King of Chu. Even my father has to bow to him when he sees him. How can I compare with him? Now, he is just relying on his status as the King of Chu to look down on us mother and son. He rushed to Youzhou and wanted to do something big to impress my father!"
After hearing Chu Qingyang's angry words, Mrs. Xie couldn't help but frown. In her heart, she disagreed with her son's words. With a hint of blame, she said, "Qingyang, you have always been calm. Even when you went to the Wen family to study, you were able to keep your composure! Why are you so impetuous today? Is it just because I mentioned Chu Feiyang? Does he make you so worried and upset? Have you forgotten what your father taught you in the past? The more you want to defeat the opponent, the more you must be calm and composed, otherwise you won't be able to see through the opponent! How can you expect to defeat Chu Feiyang if you are so impatient today! Besides, he didn't go to Youzhou this time to impress your father! If he makes Nanxun a vassal state of Xichu, your father's years of hard work will be in vain! Then, what will you two brothers and sisters, Yuanyuan and Wanwan, do?"
After she finished speaking, a trace of worry suddenly appeared between Xie's brows. The worry in her eyes made Chu Qingyang's heart jump. A bad feeling suddenly surged in his heart. He no longer cared about his anger and sat down next to Xie. He sincerely admitted his mistake and said, "Mother is right! It was my recklessness. I will never lose my mind like this again! But, mother is so worried about Youzhou and Nanxun, but is there any news from there? How is father's condition? Is he getting better?"
Chu Qingyang's question made Xie sigh slightly. She knew that even if she kept it a secret from him now, he would know in a few days. So she could only tell the truth, "Your father has regained consciousness, and all the toxins in his body have been cleared!"
Hearing this, Chu Qingyang couldn't help but smile and relax, but the next moment his eyes showed a hint of suspicion, "Who can remove the poison from my father's body?"
Mrs. Xie could only shake her head helplessly. "I just found out your father has regained consciousness! I don't know the details of what happened, but there was something even more important that happened a few days ago!"
As she spoke, Xie's right hand couldn't help but touch her left wrist, gently stroking the jade bracelet on her wrist, with a look of slight heartache and anxiety!
Chu Qingyang seemed to understand something after seeing Xie's actions, and immediately asked anxiously, "Mother, is there something wrong with the Xie family?"
The jade bracelets that his mother wore were all produced by the Xie family. Now that his mother showed such an expression, it must be that something big happened in the Xie family. This made Chu Qingyang anxious for a moment, and he stared at Xie with his eyes, hoping that she could quickly tell the whole story!
Seeing that Chu Qingyang had guessed something, Xie's frown deepened. She pulled down her sleeve to cover the bracelet on her wrist and said in a deep voice, "Han Shaomian has already ordered the closure of the Xie family. All the Xie family's jade mines have been sealed, and the main house and branches of the Xie family have all been imprisoned! Now, I'm afraid that the only three of us who are not imprisoned are Yuanyuan and Wanwan!"
Who would have thought that the newly appointed Han Shaomian would have such a thundering power that he pulled the Xie family back to earth from the sky within a day. The century-old Xie family vanished into thin air in an instant. In addition, now that Emperor Yugan has handed over all the affairs of Youzhou Nanxun to Chu Feiyang, this matter is likely to be difficult to handle!
Chu Qingyang had not expected that his loss of composure would be so serious. All the members of the Xie family were imprisoned and the jade mine was closed. This was tantamount to uprooting the Xie family!
"Han Shaomian is so bold! Is he the only one who has the support of Prince Duan? Has he forgotten that our Chu family built the Western Chu Kingdom together with our ancestor, the Emperor? If it weren't for my grandfather giving it up back then, Western Chu might not even belong to the Jiang family! Han Shaomian is actually using the power of the other family to bully the Xie family. How bold is he?"
Xie was also frowning at this moment, but compared to Chu Qingyang, she saw things more clearly and made a deeper analysis. "I don't know if Han Shaomian has the guts to do this! But he's not the only one who wants the Xie family to fall!"
"Mother, are you saying that Chu Feiyang was involved in this? But now he's the King of Chu, what else could he be dissatisfied with?" Chu Qingyang was puzzled. If Chu Feiyang really did this, what good would it do him? The Xie family's guilt would inevitably implicate the Chu family. Could Chu Feiyang be willing to sacrifice his own title of King of Chu just to eliminate the Xie family? How could such a fool exist in the world? And Chu Feiyang had always been shrewd, so how could he engage in such a loss-making business?
Xie disagreed with Chu Qingyang's point of view. "So what if he's the King of Chu? Don't forget, Madam Chu is me now! And Chu Feiyang's mother has long since become a lonely soul. Do you think he can swallow this? I'm afraid he has been waiting for this day to come! But I was deceived by that childish girl Yun Qianmeng. I didn't expect her to be so sweet-mouthed but so vicious! When we came to Kyoto, she treated us with courtesy on the surface, but I didn't expect that she was the one who was trying to trip us up behind our backs! If she hadn't flattered your grandfather, how could Chu Feiyang have won the throne of the King of Chu? I'm afraid she was the one who instigated this situation now!"
As she spoke, a cruel look appeared on Xie's face, and the light in her eyes became more and more gloomy!
"We must not sit and wait for death!" Chu Qingyang stood up suddenly and spoke in an extremely cold voice, his eyes full of hatred!
"You..." Noticing the look in Chu Qingyang's eyes, Xie's face suddenly changed. Fearing that he would do something impulsive, she immediately pulled Chu Qingyang to sit down again, suppressed her worries, and then said, "Now Han Shaomian has not yet convicted the Xie family, your father has woken up, and Chu Feiyang is far away in Nanxun. I believe that things will definitely turn around!"
But Chu Qingyang's thoughts were completely different. He clenched his fists and placed them on the table, reorganizing his thoughts before slowly speaking, "Based on what mother just analyzed, Chu Feiyang must have been involved in this matter! This shows that Han Shaomian may have obeyed Chu Feiyang's orders. Otherwise, Han Shaomian and the Xie family had no grudges, and Chu Feiyang was in Nanxun, so how could he have put the Xie family in jail? And Chu Feiyang must have seized the power from father during the time when father was injured. I'm afraid that now in Youzhou, father's words are useless! If the Xie family's illegal jade mining is reported to the court, mother, I'm afraid the entire Xie family will be in danger!"
These words were not alarmist, and Chu Qingyang had no intention of exaggerating. Instead, he analyzed the whole matter based on the facts. In addition, they had no feelings for Chu Feiyang in the first place, so naturally, the other party would not show any mercy to the Xie family!
If we add the reasons my mother just gave, I'm afraid Chu Feiyang will deal with the Xie family as soon as possible, and will not allow my father to step in and resolve the matter.
"Besides, mother, don't forget! Lu Xin is now in Youzhou! Even if Han Shaomian was bribed by Chu Feiyang, Lu Xin is Yu Gandi's man. He is probably waiting to find out the faults of the Chu family so that Yu Gandi can take advantage of it. How could he miss such a good opportunity?" Until this moment, Chu Qingyang felt a little regretful that he had only been concerned about Qin Huo's affairs in recent days. If he had paid some attention to the affairs of Youzhou, why would they be so passive!
Mrs. Xie's face was already pale, her brows tightly locked, and the fear in her eyes was undisguised in front of her son. She twisted the handkerchief in her hands tightly, and after a while, she looked at Chu Qingyang in disbelief and asked anxiously, "What should we do? Chu Feiyang is so heartless, I'm afraid your father will also suffer greatly from it. Then, our..."
"Mom, please let me think about it carefully! But you and your three sisters should still stay in the palace these days. Now in this world, only Prince Chu's Palace is the safest!" Chu Qingyang naturally understood that what Xie had not finished saying was only a temporary solution. For them, they could only protect themselves first and then find a way for others!
Standing up with a dark face, Chu Qingyang bowed to Xie, then turned and left the inner room!
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