Chapter 163
In the imperial study, an attendant who had just returned from the martial arts training ground was reporting the day's events to the emperor.
After hearing this, the Emperor of Min Dynasty asked with a somewhat puzzled expression, "So, Princess Zhaoning is unharmed?"
"Your Majesty, when Princess Zhaoning and the Sixth Prince were fighting, this servant did not notice any injuries on Princess Zhaoning's body."
"In the end, the princess from the Western Regions won the competition."
"She doesn't look injured," the attendant said truthfully, carefully recalling the scene of seeing Yingning earlier that day and reporting it to His Majesty the Emperor.
The person on the dragon throne remained silent.
After a moment, he seemed to notice that there was still a person kneeling in front of the hall, and then he spoke:
"Go down."
The emperor waved his hand casually, dismissing everyone around him.
At this moment, Chief Steward Li slowly walked over and softly called out, "Your Highness."
Emperor Min picked up a memorial from the table: "Li He, what do you think?"
Chief Steward Li placed a plate of pastries in front of the emperor and lowered his head again: "This old servant really dares not make any rash judgments."
"Speak!" a stern voice commanded.
The emperor's command cannot be disobeyed.
"Then this old servant will speak," Li He said softly, revealing his thoughts.
"This princess from the Western Regions has just arrived in the Min Dynasty and doesn't know many people yet. However, this old servant has heard that she gets along very well with the Fourth Prince."
"As for whether it is related to His Highness the Regent, this old servant is not sure. However, I heard that the woman next to the Regent that day was an injured woman who was holding a whip. Although Princess Zhaoning also knows how to use a whip, it is indeed suspicious."
"But seeing him today, he is indeed a skilled spearman, which has puzzled this old servant once again."
“Most importantly, Princess Zhaoning appears to be in good health.” Li He said each word carefully, but then stopped abruptly.
Those who frequently accompany emperors are skilled at speaking.
One must speak clearly, yet not bluntly, lest the emperor mistakenly believe that one has "unreasonable thoughts about the emperor's mind."
After speaking, Eunuch Li glanced cautiously at the Emperor as he looked down. Seeing that the Emperor seemed somewhat hesitant, he spoke again in the distinctive voice of a eunuch:
"Your Majesty, it's nothing of trouble."
"Given His Majesty's long-standing friendship with the Prince, there will certainly be no estrangement because of this. As for who the woman beside the Prince is, this matter can be put aside for the time being."
"But the matter of Lizhou should be put on the agenda," Eunuch Li whispered from the side.
When he mentioned the matter of Lizhou, the emperor on the main seat gave a sinister smile, half of his face hidden in deep shadows. At this moment, it was clear that the emperor of the Min Dynasty no longer possessed the aura of a true Son of Heaven; his eyes were filled with scheming and malice.
"Yes, things in Lizhou can't be delayed."
"I hope my dear brother will have a safe journey to Lizhou." The emperor mumbled a few words, but his smugness was unmistakable.
When Eunuch Li saw the emperor's appearance, his heart skipped a beat.
This Regent Prince has been a puppet of imperial power since my Emperor ascended the throne.
In his early years, His Majesty relied on the Regent's long-standing prestige to win the hearts of the people. Later, he relied on his abilities to defend against foreign invaders and fight on the battlefield, thus ensuring the stability of His Majesty's imperial power.
His Highness the Regent was caught between a choice between life and death.
The emperor continued to press him, demanding the Wild Goose Ash Talisman from him and now also wanting to ruin his reputation.
this...
Is this good or bad for the Min Dynasty...?
At this moment, Li He suddenly felt that His Majesty's relentless pressure might eventually lead to a desperate struggle.
But how could he dare to say it out loud?
*
After leaving the palace, Yan Chaoji came looking for Ying Ning, but he didn't expect there to be someone else in Ying Ning's courtyard. He immediately concealed himself and quietly watched the two playing chess in the courtyard.
The woman did not put her hair up, but let her long black hair fall freely on the stone table. She picked up a piece with her delicate hand and said, "Ah Chu, don't just attack blindly. Sometimes you also need to figure out the opponent's intentions."
"That's just your nature; once you lose your child, you'll fight to the death without a second thought."
"The more children you lose, the more cautious you must be."
Upon hearing this, Bai Chuning smiled easily with her clear phoenix eyes: "Ah Chu is so reckless because she has been protected by her elder sister since childhood."
"If it weren't for my elder sister's protection, Ah Chu would probably be nothing but bones by now."
Bai Chuning, when talking about this, showed no lingering fear. Instead, she smiled and coquettishly said to Yingning, "However, if it weren't for my elder sister, I wouldn't want to live either."
But the woman opposite him tapped his brow hard, somewhat annoyed: "Don't talk such nonsense."
“Ah Chu is not talking nonsense. My elder sister offended Bai Lirong because of Ah Chu.”
Bai Chuning directly stated the name of the Western Regions emperor.
"If it weren't for A-Chu..." He lowered his eyes, a mixture of resentment and regret hidden in the eyes of the foreign young man.
If it weren't for him...
Presumably, the Empress wouldn't offend Bai Lirong, and therefore wouldn't have been forced to travel to the Western Regions and come to this unfamiliar capital of the Min Dynasty.
“Bai Lirong is not a kind person, and I am not on the same side as him.” Ying Ning spoke slowly, as if she had thought of something.
Bai Chuning's expression improved considerably upon hearing this.
"A person like him is indeed not worthy of being compared with the Empress."
*
Meanwhile, the person hidden behind the trees in the courtyard, after hearing the conversation between the two, was also somewhat confused.
Yan Chaoji suddenly remembered that Yingning had said last time that the Western Regions Emperor, Bai Lirong, did not want her to live a good life.
It's not that I dislike her.
The mystery behind this is intriguing and worth pondering.
Yan Chaoji had felt something was amiss at the time, and now, hearing Bai Chuning's words, he recalled the strangeness in her words that day.
Did she offend Bai Lirong because of Bai Chuning?
He seemed unable to see through her once again.
He always felt that her new appearance was her most authentic self, but she would then show another side of herself, making her suddenly unpredictable.
Yan Chaoji knew very well that those members of the royal family who survived were not good people.
Even some harmless people only escaped being tortured by wearing a mask of pure and genuine hypocrisy.
He carefully observed the scene of the two interacting and talking. Yan Chaoji knew that she had to admit that her relationship with Bai Chuning was not like that of a dignified royal family, but more like that of an older sister and younger brother in an ordinary family.
She would gently instruct her younger brother on how to make his next move.
He would also sternly dissuade Bai Chuning when he acted recklessly.
She genuinely cared for Bai Chuning, and even when they were in a foreign country, her gentle words of instruction contained a few words of imperial wisdom.
Even though it seemed as if she was protecting Bai Chuning at this moment, she did not bind Bai Chuning's wings, as if she hoped that one day he could soar into the sky.
Yan Chaoji was inevitably captivated by her voice; it filled the courtyard.
“Ah Chu, you are in a superior position. If the other party is someone who is relentlessly pressuring you, you can retreat three steps.”
"Take one step, and remember the other party's achievements."
"Two steps: remember the kindness shown to you."
"Three steps to help the other party in the future."
"If the other party still shows no mercy after three steps, they are trying to force me into a dead end."
"At that time, you can sever all ties and stop showing any mercy," Yan Chaoji heard her say in a low voice, her tone tinged with wariness.
...
After several rounds, Bai Chuning finally left the courtyard.
Yan Chaoji watched as the woman by the stone table still held a chess piece firmly in her hand. Her phoenix eyes were lowered as if she were thinking of something. He was about to step out from the shadows of the trees.
Then a sharp sound of a hidden weapon was heard!
Yan Chaoji raised his hand to block it in an instant, only to find that the "hidden weapon" was actually a black stone?
Suddenly, a giggling female voice rang out: "How come I didn't know..."
"The Regent also has a habit of eavesdropping?"
Yan Chaoji looked up, his gaze fixed on a deep, inky pool. He kneaded the black chess piece into his palm before stepping out from behind the tree and speaking, following her words:
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