Chapter 858 Prince Xiao Chuanyun of the Northern Hegemony
For a moment, everyone fell silent. Helan Yanran hadn't expected things to become so complicated. She wanted to say that he wouldn't treat her like that, but she swallowed the words back down her throat.
She was afraid her father would slap her again.
Just then, a hoarse, distorted male voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, "Madam Helan is entertaining guests! It seems I've arrived at the wrong time."
A man dressed entirely in black slowly walked in.
Lady Helan paused for a moment, then asked, "It's you?"
In fact, she didn't know him at all, nor did she know what he looked like. It was only that day that a man in black and a man named Xing Yun told her that Empress Jiang had killed her daughter, and they took her to find Empress Jiang.
Xiao Yu and Lin Yu suddenly stepped in front of Jiang Fenghua defensively: "Your Majesty, be careful."
Jiang Fenghua said, "You may all step back."
She whispered to Lin Yu, "Go and protect Helan Yanran. Don't let anyone kill her this time." She couldn't help but feel a chill; Zhang Yurou had been killed right in front of her, and the murderer still hadn't been found.
The man in black looked at Xiao Yu, his eyes becoming ambiguous. He then said to Jiang Fenghua, "Your Majesty the Empress has quite the refined taste, leaving the palace late at night with another man. His Majesty also allows Your Majesty to be free."
Jiang Fenghua was not surprised at all that her identity had been discovered by the men in black.
She looked at Madam Helan, then at the man in black, which reminded her of the scene at the Li family's house when Madam Helan caused a scene at Shu Xue's funeral, that street hustler named Xing Yun, and the man in black he mentioned.
There shouldn't be anyone else in black who is connected to Lady Helan except for that person!
She thought that she and Shang Hong had done a flawless job rescuing Helan Yanran from the palace, but it turned out that they were nothing but clowns, and everything was under the other party's surveillance.
The reason he was able to hold back for so long before showing himself must be because he saw that both the Fourth Prince and the Prince of Kang had failed in their rebellions!
Having figured this out, Jiang Fenghua stepped out from behind Xiao Yu and said in a deep voice, "So it was you."
The man in black paused. Jiang Fenghua, dressed in men's clothing, had transformed into a handsome young man. Her overly bright almond-shaped eyes still shone like stars in the twilight. It was hard to believe that she was a refined and elegant gentleman! She was clearly a beautiful young woman with a unique charm.
The floral decoration between her eyebrows seemed even more alluring, making him want to step forward and gently touch it to examine it.
He asked, "Does Your Majesty recognize me?"
Jiang Fenghua felt uncomfortable being stared at by him. She just wanted to roll her eyes. Who wanted to know him? She said indifferently, "I don't want to know anything that's neither human nor ghost."
She decided to remain calm and observe what the other party would do first. This person probably couldn't resist showing up!
The man in black was stunned. He wanted to continue the conversation, but she had already killed it before it even started. Who said Empress Jiang had a good temper?
The man in black was also good-natured. He seemed to have developed a strong interest in Jiang Fenghua. "Everyone says that the Empress is ruthless, but it seems that she is a kind-hearted person today! She can even rescue concubines who have committed adultery from the palace."
Jiang Fenghua sneered, "What makes you think I'm kind-hearted?"
The words "ruthless" exposed him again. Apart from the Su family, there should be no one else in the world who thinks she is ruthless!
Su Xuan was killed by her own hands, and the entire Su clan was hunted down and wiped out by her people. Su Qingqing also met her end in despair. So this person should not be a member of the Su family. She probably only knows that Empress Jiang is ruthless from the Su family.
"That's what I've heard. People outside say that Her Majesty the Empress is kind-hearted, but that's just a facade, something she puts on for the people to see, to make them sing her praises." The man in black said directly, "In fact, Her Majesty's methods are beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Jiang Fenghua scoffed, "So, young master is also someone who listens to only one side of the story and blindly follows others. I bet you've only heard one side of the story from someone else and don't really know me. You've misunderstood me!"
She slowly approached the man in black and said, "Actually, those who truly understand me know that I am not only ruthless but also merciless in killing."
As she spoke, she took advantage of the moment when the other party was distracted and suddenly drew the soft sword from her waist and attacked the man in black.
She wielded her soft sword like a silver snake emerging from its hole, aiming straight for the man in black's throat. She simply wanted to test his skills.
The man in black steadily caught her attack, and with a strange twist of his body, he narrowly avoided the sword's edge.
Jiang Fenghua suddenly changed her sword stance and unleashed another move. The tip of her sword trembled like a shooting star, and her figure was agile.
The man in black exclaimed, "Excellent swordsmanship!"
Jiang Fenghua frowned. She rarely made a move, and when she did, it was always a sure-kill. She even considered herself to be quite skilled, but this person's martial arts were superior to hers. She didn't want to get entangled any longer; she wouldn't throw an egg against a rock if she couldn't defeat the opponent.
Just as she was about to stop, the man in black seemed to see through her thoughts and forced her to continue. Every move she made was easily neutralized by him. A fierce determination to not admit defeat rose in her heart. Since he started it, she would play along to the end!
The two fought their way from inside the house into the courtyard. Jiang Fenghua changed her sword techniques, forcing the black-clad man's sword to its sheath. In an instant, the two swords clashed, producing a crisp, ringing sound in the dark night.
Jiang Fenghua was naturally more courageous in the face of setbacks. Since the other party had drawn his sword but wouldn't kill her, she continued to approach him, determined to tear through the black rag covering him and see why he was so ashamed to be seen by others.
After several dozen moves, Xiao Yu, sword in hand, suddenly cut in to launch a sneak attack, his sword tip aimed directly at the black-clad man's tiger's mouth.
The man in black sneered: "Minister Xiao's swordsmanship is still too immature. He needs to practice more. Attacking by sneak is not the way of a righteous person."
Xiao Yu said coldly, "Are you a person of integrity who doesn't dare to show his true face?"
When Xiao Yu was young, he focused all his energy on studying. He only occasionally touched a sword to improve his health. It wasn't until he met Jiang Jinyan and they became friends that they often sparred together, which allowed his swordsmanship to improve.
At this moment, his opponent was clearly more skilled than him. Not wanting to lose to Jiang Fenghua, he wielded his sword with fluid, graceful movements, relentlessly pressing towards the man in black.
The man in black used the momentum to leap lightly onto the roof. "Perhaps I am not the enemy, and you don't need to be so hostile towards me."
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "If I've decided you're not a friend, then you can only be an enemy."
"Why is Empress Jiang so extreme? Just because someone isn't a friend doesn't mean they're an enemy. Or perhaps we'll become allies in the future. You want to know from me what's going on with the mark between your eyebrows?"
Jiang Fenghua paused upon hearing this, but remained calm and composed, determined not to be manipulated. She said indifferently, "You are from the Northern Xiao Kingdom, and you are the eldest prince of the Northern Xiao Kingdom, Xiao Chuanyun." She didn't say Xiao Shang, but rather his former name, wanting to see his reaction.
The man in black suddenly changed the subject, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It seems Empress Jiang has already heard the legend of the Queen of Yinchuan. Doesn't Empress Jiang want to know your true identity?"
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