Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Li Xuanbai left him no chance...
The rest of the days passed by like water.
The entire Dingwang Mansion was executed, and the Chang family army was split up and reorganized, stationed in three places.
Mao Linyan was implicated and passed away on a sunny day in September.
All officials of the Ding Wang faction in the court were purged. Some were sent out to other places, some were demoted, and the more unlucky ones were beheaded.
Gu Huaijin was sent to prison.
Emperor Jiaqing conferred the title of Supreme Emperor on him.
Nan Qiongshuang was placed under house arrest in Handan Palace and was not allowed to take a single step out without the order of the Regent.
Prince Ding fell, and Wu Dao had nowhere to go, so he followed her closely, occasionally bringing her some news from the outside world.
For example, Emperor Jiaqing spent his days playing cards in Xiaoleyuan, while all the concubines were confined to Ganye Temple. Wang Maoxing and other officials petitioned at Huangji Gate, but were driven away by the Feiyu Guards with clubs. The Regent issued a general amnesty, commuting corvée labor and pardoning death row prisoners. The Hanlin Academy drafted a manifesto, fabricating charges against Chang Gu, and dispatched it to the empire. The Ministry of Rites prepared for the coronation ceremony, with the Regent scheduled to ascend the throne three months later.
Power changed hands, and things became complicated. Li Xuanbai was so busy that he had no time to rest. Nan Qiong Frost watched the leaves under the window turn yellow, but he didn't see the gate of the Handan Palace courtyard open.
She was already exhausted and hopeless from waiting.
These days, every time Wu Dao brought her news, she was terrified.
However, after listening to each message one by one, she still didn't hear the one she wanted to hear the most.
Gu Huaijin is imprisoned, how does Li Xuanbai plan to deal with him?
Everyone said that Gu Huaijin was doomed. To be honest, if she saw it from her perspective, she would also think that he was doomed.
But.
She stretched one arm on the small table, leaned her head on her arm, and stared blankly at the yellow leaves on the branches.
However, I still held on to some hope, thinking that his fate was not over yet and that there would always be a turning point.
If we talk about turning things around...
The turning point all depends on Li Xuanbai's consideration.
If Li Xuanbai hadn't come to see her...
She didn't dare to think about it. Her eyes were already painful and dry from being opened. She blinked slowly and closed her eyelids, unwilling to open them again.
The cool breeze of early autumn gently brushes the hair on my forehead.
A gust of wind blew by, making a whooshing sound.
Wu Dao: "I'm back again. Auntie, guess what's going on outside?"
Nan Qiongshuang closed her eyes, looking haggard and weak, too lazy to respond.
Wu Dao: "Everyone outside is cursing Gu! They're saying he's authoritarian, bullying his master, having mean ambitions, wanting to turn the Forbidden City upside down and trample it underfoot, wanting to piss on the emperor's head, and being worse than pigs and dogs. There's a manifesto and his portrait hanging outside, and the people have trashed the painting."
She opened her eyes a little, but had no energy to answer.
Wu Dao circled around until he was right under her nose, then squatted down. "Why aren't you talking? Are you going to finish your mission or not? Are you going to save Mr. Gu? If you don't come up with a solution, Mr. Li will start. You know, everyone out there is guessing when Mr. Gu will die! A blind fortuneteller said he'll only live for seven more days!"
The more Nan Qiong Shuang listened, the more her heart ached. She turned her face away and didn't look at him.
Wu Dao swished in a different direction. "Hey, you should think of a solution. Why are you taking a nap at this hour? It's not time to close the net yet. Gu can't die! If he dies, you, your work will be in vain!"
Think of a way, think of a way.
She should think of a way, doesn't she know it? If she can think of it, what else can she say!
She pointed her index finger out the window and said coldly, "Get lost."
Wu Dao became even more anxious and changed the direction to look at her.
Nan Qiong Shuang raised her eyelids slightly and asked, "Is there anything going on in the court?"
Wu Dao: "It's raining blood in the court. The Li guys are killing people to death. The accomplices of Chang and Gu have all been killed. A few days ago, a hundred old men knelt outside the Huangji Gate, begging for mercy for Gu, and let those Feiyu guys beat them like rotten wood. Some have broken waists, some have broken legs. I see, there won't be many of those old men left alive."
Nan Qiong Shuang said nothing, rested her forehead on her arm woodenly and closed her eyes.
"Well, think of something quickly! If Gu's accomplices are acting this way, what's he supposed to do? If you don't figure it out, I'm afraid Li will shred him into pieces and use them to feed his own body!"
A few birds chirped outside the window. Nan Qiongshuang buried her eyes in her elbows, exhausted, and sighed deeply.
Two eunuchs were playing dice under the window. The window was open, and a voice came through clearly: "Where do you want to bet on when that traitor will be beheaded by the Regent?"
Another one chuckled: "Half a month, I think only half a month. The Regent is very busy and I'm afraid he won't be able to take care of it."
"Half a month?!" The eunuch proudly knocked over the bowl and rolled the dice loudly. "Let me tell you, last night I observed the celestial phenomena and saw that the traitor only has three days to live!"
Nan Qiong Shuang was extremely upset, and with a bang, she slammed the window shut.
Wu Dao smacked her lips. Ever since she was ordered to rescue the Prince Regent, her martial arts skills and identity had been exposed. As a result, the person in power became Li Xuanbai, who knew everything about her. Even though she was exposed, she still sat firmly in Handan Palace.
Right now, I'm too lazy to even hide it.
After a long pause, she spoke dryly, "Go keep an eye on the Regent, and report back if anything happens. If we want to save Gu, we have to ask the Regent to change his mind..."
But she didn't know how to make Li Xuanbai change his mind.
Wu Dao received the order, turned around and disappeared.
Nan Qiongshuang was hunched over a small table. She hadn't slept for days and nights, her head pounding and her ears ringing. Rubbing her temples, she felt a splitting headache.
If you want to convince Li Xuanbai...
There was no point trying to persuade him out of affection. There was no affection at all between these two.
It is useless to persuade him based on the current situation. Even the cats in the palace know that it is better to cut the grass at its roots.
If she wanted to use her face and her favor to beg him to release her...
Asking for help comes at a price.
Once some questions are asked, she cannot afford them and is afraid that it will be difficult to end them.
But……
In the final analysis, even she herself understood that Li Xuanbai had no reason to spare his life.
*
The days were tough, like taking a decoction of medicine. I couldn't do anything, couldn't go anywhere, and couldn't see anyone.
She was like a herb that had been cut into slices and dried, and was repeatedly boiled in boiling water, draining out a little bitter and spicy soup.
The days are flat, solid, unchanging and monotonous.
There has been no news on how Gu Huaijin handled the situation.
All the rumors were passed around, and Li Xuanbai never said anything.
No one knew why Li Xuanbai didn't take action. No one knew what Li Xuanbai was waiting for.
Nan Qiongshuang went from being anxious and fearful, to having fantasies, to being exhausted, to being numb.
However, Li Xuanbai never set foot in Handan Palace.
Even though he wasn't coming, Handan Palace was filled with the finest meals every day. She was the only one sitting at a large round table, filled with delicacies from the land and sea, as well as the light side dishes she always loved.
Every meal was watched over by eunuchs from the Daming Palace, who would report back how much she had used and what she had used. If she took a few extra bites, the food would be prepared differently and served in different ways the next day.
Even when he was under house arrest, he never lacked her for food, clothing and other expenses.
She picked up the chopsticks listlessly, held the bowl, and chewed the rice grains like chewing paper.
Li Shenshu stood by her side and scooped a bowl of warm chicken soup for her: "My queen, even though you are under house arrest, you still need to drink some. Take care of yourself."
Nan Qiong Shuang raised her eyelids and glanced at her.
She returned to her thoughtful look, as if an actor had taken off her makeup, with her heavily painted rouge eyebrows washed away, and she became an ordinary person again.
Li Shenshu is a man of unfathomable character. He would not take off his mask and help her just because she was suffering from a headache.
Besides, how else can we help?
Even if Yun Manyue and Li Shenshu worked together to rescue Gu Huaijin from prison, where could he go? Would Wuliang Mountain still be there?
The head of a mountain, the monk can run away, but the temple cannot.
She took the chicken soup reluctantly. There were oil seeds swirling on top and some green onion chopped floating in the water. She took a sip.
A hand as big as a millstone reached out from the other side of the table and spread out: "Auntie, there is a table full of delicious food. Give me a pair of chopsticks."
Li Shenshu stepped back in silence.
Nan Qiongshuang closed her eyes impatiently, waved her hand back, and handed a pair of chopsticks to Wu Dao.
"Let's talk about something. I didn't ask you to sit here and eat for free."
Wu Dao crossed his legs, picked up a piece of pork elbow with his chopsticks, and held it up to the candlelight. The meat was crystal clear, and his tongue was sticking out of his mouth:
"I say, I say. There's some news."
"The original mad emperor also wanted to kill that Gu."
Nan Qiong Shuang suddenly raised her eyes.
"I'm so angry, maybe after all these days, I've finally come to my senses." The bowl was placed on the table, and Wu Dao buried his head in the rice. "They say he lied to me, humiliated me, and deliberately led the Jurchens to kill him. He also monopolized power and plotted against him." He swallowed everything down his throat hastily. "Every day he goes crazy in Ningshou Palace, making a fuss and cursing, saying things like 'You crazy pig, dog, and thief! If I don't kill you, I will die with my eyes open!'"
Nan Qiongshuang put down her chopsticks again, leaned back in her chair, and didn't move for a long time.
"What does the Regent mean?"
"I can't tell." Wu Dao's face was covered with rice particles, and he swallowed with a gulp. "The Li family is really cunning. They won't say a word to the inner circle of the court."
Nan Qiong Shuang looked at the light shadow on the wall tiredly without reacting.
"But." Wu Dao suddenly raised his head to look at her. "Just now, he seemed to be coming this way." Nan Qiong Shuang's eyes moved half an inch, and she was stunned. "What did you say?"
Wu Dao: "Regent..."
Wu Shun shouted loudly outside the gate: "The Regent Prince has arrived at Handan Palace——"
The eunuchs in the corridor shouted one after another: "Welcome - the emperor -"
All the lights in the courtyard were lit one by one, and the courtyard was brightly lit in an instant.
Nan Qiong Shuang stood up suddenly, stunned and flustered. She fumbled with the pearl hairpins on her temples, then stood up again with her hands hanging down.
The mist knife disappeared immediately.
With a creak, the partition door opened wide.
A man stepped in. The hall was silent for a moment before a familiar voice said, "Everyone, go down."
The other palace maids then retreated silently and closed the door gently.
The lights flickered, the doors and windows were closed, purple smoke lingered around the golden beast incense burner, and it was so quiet that only the sound of the man's footsteps could be heard.
From far to near.
It was too quiet, too tense, she lowered her head and hardly dared to think about it.
A pair of shoes with dragon patterns and cloud heads inlaid with oriental pearls finally appeared in the field of vision, and both feet stood firmly.
"Look up," the man ordered.
Nan Qiongshuang then closed her eyes and raised her long eyelashes.
She looked at him for a moment, then turned away in an attempt to hide her mistake.
She was indeed looking forward to Li Xuanbai coming to see her. Only when he came could they talk, and she would have the opportunity to test his opinion.
However, she still had no idea how to say it or what to do. He came to see her so infrequently that she was afraid that if she said something wrong once, she would never have the chance again.
When he really came, she was at a loss and didn't know how to start the conversation.
"What are you standing there for?" He pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. He picked up a large piece of Dongpo pork elbow and saw that it had been touched. "Is there someone in your palace?"
He suddenly looked up, his eyebrows furrowed, "Who?"
At this point, she no longer needed to hide it from him: "My teachings. Just want this bite of food, beg from me every day."
Li Xuanbai thought a thief had sneaked into her Handan Palace with ill intentions. Hearing this, she uttered an "oh" and went back to picking up some food: "I ordered this table of delicious food for you, but you really don't take it seriously and even dared to feed it to the dogs."
She hesitated and had no idea what to do, but was afraid that if she continued to hesitate, she would appear timid, so she pretended to be calm and sat next to him.
"Why?" Li Xuanbai chewed until his cheeks bulged. "I used that little thing between you two to trick him, causing him to lose the emperor's favor and hate me now?"
Nan Qiong Shuang frowned and smiled disdainfully, "Who would resent others just because something they actually did was exposed? If you did it, don't be afraid of what others say."
Li Xuanbai picked up a large shrimp and put it in his mouth: "You are still a petty person."
"What's the matter?" Li Xuanbai didn't look at her and buried his head in his food. "He's in jail, and you resent me?"
Nan Qiong Shuang closed her eyes, easing the pain in her eyeballs: "No. The victors are kings and the losers are bandits, that's the truth."
"Then what do you mean?" Li Xuanbai laughed and glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Lock him up, kill him, do you have any objections?"
Nan Qiongshuang picked at the pattern on the small silver wine cup and said nothing.
"If you don't mind, I won't bother. It's been dragging on for so long, I've killed everyone but him, all for you."
Li Xuanbai looked at her expression carefully again.
She still had her eyes downcast, with no emotion on her face, and her long eyelashes drooped like the surface of an umbrella with falling snow.
She doesn't speak.
Li Xuanbai laughed: "You really don't want to ask me?"
"Will your plea be of any use?" This man was a pushover. After knowing him for so long, she knew his temper thoroughly, so she simply refused to give him a push. "How can the Regent be easily persuaded? Things must be done as they should be done. You have made your decision, and no one else can change it. There is no need to ask anyone else."
Li Xuanbai kept tapping the edge of the bowl and laughing.
"Chu Jiaojiao." He shook his head and pronounced her name, his tone both lenient and bitter. "You understand me so well, but you really don't plan to stay with me?"
"Intend".
She could taste a hint of leeway—as if he had loosened up and was interested in asking for her opinion.
She bit her lip, pondered for a while, and picked a reason that he could not resist:
"How can I reassure the Emperor? Gu Huaijin was so kind to me before, yet I still stabbed him with a sword. I'm not a kind person, and I'll remain like this even if I'm loved. The person by your side is so unpredictable, are you really at ease?"
Li Xuanbai simply sighed and casually picked up another crystal dumpling. "Honestly, I just love your unpredictability."
Nan Qiong Shuang was shocked and then speechless.
For a long time, no one spoke in the hall, only the purple smoke lingered between the pillars.
He finally put down the bowl, looked up at the ceiling where shadows overlapped in the candlelight, and tapped his fingers on the edge of the table, one by one:
"I came here today to ask why you don't like me and only like that boy."
Nan Qiong Shuang frowned and twirled her handkerchief.
"I know you're also unpredictable. We're alike. But precisely because we're so similar—I can't be at ease."
She lowered her eyes and murmured word by word:
"I've seen fathers and sons turn against each other, and even husbands and wives become enemies. Friendship is something that needs no further explanation. Ultimately, fate and affection are shallow and fragile, and cannot be relied upon. Therefore, even if we look alike, I cannot trust you."
"Rather, it's precisely because we're similar that we understand better that you and I might not necessarily betray each other."
She was looking right into Li Xuanbai's eyes.
Li Xuanbai hugged his shoulders. Perhaps the candlelight was too dim, and there was a slight redness in his eyes. He looked at her without blinking.
"But it was only after meeting him that I realized that not everyone in the world is like the people I met."
Li Xuanbai laughed sarcastically and took a sip of wine: "Do you really believe him?"
She knew he was laughing at her naiveté.
But she shook her head. "Those who often deceive others are always suspicious of deceit. Those who often betray others are always afraid of being betrayed. If you believe that the world is full of lies, you will inevitably lie yourself. If you worry that everyone will betray you, you will inevitably betray others. There is no good or evil in human nature. It is just what you believe. That is what you are."
She slowly turned her eyes and stared at him:
“But as a man believes, so he does.”
"So." She hadn't finished speaking yet, but he already understood. He turned his head and smiled bitterly, "Those of us who only believe in the evil of people can't live together forever."
"Then he..." Li Xuanbai crossed his legs and tapped his five fingers on the table. After a long while, he didn't say anything else and smiled with an awkward smile.
"Huai Jin is not like that. Even after experiencing the disaster at Tianshan, Huai Jin still believes in the goodness of people."
She looked at the table full of rare delicacies, took a deep breath, and her voice seemed to sigh:
"Actually, it was so easy for me to trick him back then. For a while, I thought he was stupid and he was too credulous."
“I later realized that the honest are gullible, the kind are weak, and the selfless are infatuated.”
"He doesn't lie, so he doesn't suspect me. He doesn't harm anyone, so I'm less on guard. He doesn't use love to seek anything, so he doesn't think anyone would use love to assassinate him."
"After all, it's not that I'm strong." She scoffed softly, "I'm just bullying the good guys."
She lowered her head, stroking the ring made of his natal bead on her finger, and spoke each word softly and detachedly:
"I already owe him too much."
Li Xuanbai suddenly smiled, propped up his chin, and flicked the small wine cup, making a tinkling sound:
"Why, with your temperament, you're also thinking of making amends?"
She was looking at the edge of the round table. Li Xuanbai didn't know where she was looking at. Her eyes were as far away as smoke.
“That’s what’s even more incredible.”
"I am not the same as I was before."
She murmured: "...Huai Jin seems to have changed me."
"I used to be the last person to believe in love, in people, and even in all the relationships between people. But one day..." She lowered her head, staring blankly at her hands, as if seeing herself for the first time, "I suddenly realized that I was starting to believe."
She repeated blankly, "There are some things. I don't know when... I started to believe."
"Maybe someone is good. Maybe love can be trusted. Maybe you can trust your colleagues. Maybe you can trust the new leader. Maybe you can live your whole life without being betrayed. Maybe you can always have someone to support you."
Tears began to well up in her eyelashes as she gazed into the distance, as if her eyes were filled with two moonlit lakes.
"I don't understand whether this is right or wrong, whether I'm being foolish or naive, or whether this is good or bad."
“…But I’m starting to believe it.”
"I prefer to believe in these things rather than intelligence, efficiency, and self-interest."
"…Because Huai Jin is by my side. So many things have happened that ordinary people would find unbearable, but Huai Jin has accepted them all. …I have to believe it."
"I believe him and believe he won't hurt me. Because of him, I dare to love others."
"so……"
Li Xuanbai thought it unnecessary to listen to the rest of the words.
He stood up, grabbed the small wine cup beside him, filled it with wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
If they loved each other, then that was it. He was lowering his status and bringing humiliation upon himself by interfering.
He casually threw the glass cup away.
The priceless glass cup fell into the layers of curtains and shattered into pieces, but even in pieces it was still priceless.
Nan Qiongshuang was startled back to her senses by the explosion.
But amidst the flickering candlelight, Li Xuanbai stood tall, aloof and proud, with his arms folded, looking around with a domineering look.
"Okay, you just like him, why are you dithering?"
He raised his chin towards the remaining food on the round table and said:
"Eat all this food, and I'll let you go tomorrow."
Nan Qiong Shuang was so shocked that she was speechless: "...You let him go?"
"Let him go." Li Xuanbai repeated, stretched lazily, waved at her, and walked to the door.
"I think it's bad luck for him to stay in the capital. From now on, I want him to stay in Wuliang Mountain and never return to the capital."
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