Chapter 38: Complicity
His words suddenly turned Qiandeng's originally confident mood into fear.
She suddenly looked up at him, her voice filled with disbelief: "So, was he really caught with a little red fish?"
"I don't know. But power and greed can change a person's nature."
Qian Deng felt an ominous premonition in her heart, and she whispered, "If he returns to Chang'an safely, what will happen to those he has hurt..."
Apart from anything else, even if she could hide in Kucha and never return to the Tang Dynasty after exposing all his conspiracies, her father's and grandfather's tombs were still in Chang'an, and the people in the royal palace were all in the capital, so even Kucha would probably be affected.
What's more, the younger brother and sister-in-law that Shi Jingning tried his best to protect before his death, as well as the entire Ji family, are all in the army, making their lives even more precarious...
Cui Fufeng saw her expression change drastically and naturally knew what she was worried about.
In front of the Thousand Buddha Cave at night, where no one was around, he lowered the light in his hand, leaned close to her ear, and whispered softly, "Don't worry, whether Little Red Fish is there or not, he won't have a chance to go back."
"But didn't you just say..." When he said this, a white light flashed in Qiandeng's mind, and he completely understood what he meant.
She stared blankly at Cui Fufeng. An indescribable feeling made her throat tighten and she couldn't say a word.
She knew that the Crown Prince had no chance of survival, but it turned out that the one who cut off his path was not the Princess of Changyi or Princess Gao as she had thought, but...
"The news that the Changyi Princess had planted the little red fish with him will soon spread back to Chang'an. Ultimately, he will follow all the signs of the little red fish poisoning and go mad—" Cui Fufeng's voice was softer than the night wind, his tone calm but firm. "In the Tang Dynasty, there will never be a crown prince like this."
The night wind blew sideways, causing the lantern in his hand to shake continuously.
Under the dim lights, he still retained the demeanor of a distinguished young man from a famous family in Chang'an, with a bright and brilliant face, an elegant and noble demeanor, a son of Boling, and a handsome man of the Cui family.
Qiandeng opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in an instant the scene in the spirit hall suddenly flashed before his eyes.
After she left, he sat inside and quietly copied the scriptures for an hour, transcribing what Kumarajiva had translated that year.
At that moment, he should have set up everything and was ready to move towards the final goal.
Her throat seemed to be blocked and she couldn't utter a single word.
Only Cui Fufeng's voice, like a vow, whispered in her ears, repeating softly: "County Lady, I promised you that we would walk together, plot together, and return together."
So before he helped her uncover the truth, he had already taken care of all the worries.
Even though the other party was of such status, even though he and his family had to bear huge risks, he still did not hesitate to get his hands stained with filthy blood.
Seeing her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at him, he smiled slightly, raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, whispering, "Why are you surprised? Has the county lady forgotten those rumors about me?"
Of course she wouldn't forget. Who could forget? This young man had once wiped out entire families and was the most notorious villain in the Chang'an boudoirs.
It was just because he had been silently and wholeheartedly assisting her all along the way. His gentle and considerate support made her gradually ignore this and forget his true nature.
Now that he has helped her avenge her, she can only become his accomplice. They are destined to be inseparable on this road and can only be tied together by his conspiracy and continue on this path.
He stroked her hand so gently, tucking her hair, which was messed up by the night wind, behind her ear.
The flickering lights in the wind flickered between them. In front of this desolate Buddhist cave on the cliff in the northwest, the eternal stars above their heads were ethereal and faint, just like the eyes he stared at her, making people trance-like.
He lowered his head and moved closer to her, bringing the ambiguous relationship between them even closer.
As their breaths intertwined, she suddenly understood what he was going to do. She subconsciously turned her head away, avoiding his gaze and hastily avoiding the kiss that was about to fall on her.
His gaze became increasingly deep behind the stars, but in the end, he simply stood up calmly and said, "Let's go, County Master, go back and rest early."
Qian Deng walked out with him silently, looking around awkwardly and asking, "Where's Ling Tianshui?"
In fact, they all knew that the other party was not Ling Tianshui, but when they mentioned it at this time, it seemed that only this name was the most appropriate.
"Although the previous encirclement and suppression was meticulously planned, there were still some flaws. Otherwise, Ji Linyou wouldn't have been in trouble because of the Uighur army's actions. We suspect that the Western Region Army's deployment was too precise, and it's likely due to an internal leak." Cui Fufeng explained briefly, "We just received a tip that there might be a problem within the Kucha army, so he went to monitor the Western Region Army's movements."
Qian Deng nodded. "Yes, I already know the contents of the letter that the prince destroyed. There are indeed rebels in the Kucha army who are colluding with the Western Regions and attempting to overthrow the regime. As a result, some people are even lurking around me to achieve their goals."
"So, the county lady already knows the truth?"
"Well, what I lack now is an opportunity to lure the snake out of its hole. I still need to think carefully..." As she spoke, she inevitably looked towards the west. "I wonder if he can find some more accurate clues over there. When will he be able to come back?"
"Is the county lady in a hurry to share the results with him?" Cui Fufeng said calmly, revealing a hint of advice at the right moment. "Some things are known only to heaven and earth, and only to you and me."
"No, my search for him has nothing to do with this matter, and I will not involve him in it." Qian Deng said softly, yet solemnly as if vowing, "Some secrets should rot in the hearts of accomplices."
"Actually, it can't be considered complicity. After all, you, the Princess, had no contact with the Crown Prince along the way, and you were even unaware of it until just now." He smiled and emphasized with certainty, "This is all fate and heaven's will. Who made Princess Gao leave behind the witchcraft artifact? Who made the Crown Prince's temperament change along the way? Who made the Empress refuse to let Princess Changyi go? Who made the Emperor want to leave a last bloodline for Princess Gao's mansion? Who made the Crown Prince personally see her off... From start to finish, this was their own choice. How could it have anything to do with anyone else?"
Regardless of whether the emperor and empress believe it or not, or whether they will regret it or not, the prince will die of madness and it will be his imminent end, and no one can be blamed for it.
In the desolate and howling night wind of Kucha, Qiandeng nodded silently, raised his hand and gently stroked the scar on his eyebrow, with a myriad of complicated emotions rushing into his heart.
She recalled the moment of the palace coup when she was thirteen. She had exchanged clothes with the crown prince, and from then on her fate was entangled with the royal family.
She and her family faced a turning point in their fate. That night, her face was disfigured as she bid farewell to her grandfather in the burning alleys of the palace; she heard the tragic news that her father had been chopped to pieces; she was unable to hold her grandmother's fallen body; and she bid farewell to her own happy times forever.
But who knew that the young man her family had protected with their lives was not worthy of being the master of the Tang Dynasty, not worthy of controlling the world, not worthy of being in charge of the direction of the court and the life and death of the people.
So, he was about to face the end of his fate right before her eyes.
Everything that has happened in the past four years is like a dream, and it is time to shatter it now.
Everything the Bai family had done was in vain.
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