Chapter 67 A Blaze of Light "...I admit it..."
Ning Lu, who was hiding on the roof beam, immediately bit her lip and held her breath.
Xie Qinghe's painting skills are vivid and lifelike.
She arrived a moment late, but just by looking at his face, she recognized him instantly as her rumored employer.
Before he could recover, he heard Prince Jing asking him another question.
Her heart was in her throat; she couldn't tell whether she was worried about his reply or about his current situation.
The man under the beam sat upright, eyes fixed on his mouth and nose, unmoved, his expression one of utter contempt.
Prince Jing, not getting the answer he wanted, grew angry and suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Qinghe's left shoulder, applying pressure silently.
As his skin and flesh were torn apart, cold sweat trickled down Xie Qinghe's temples, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Your Highness, if I were you, knowing the enemy’s weakness, I wouldn’t put my chips on the table so early.”
Her phoenix eyes shifted slightly, her tone already carrying a hint of mockery.
"Xie Qinghe, don't be so arrogant!"
The sword was drawn, pointed directly at Xie Qinghe's neck.
Compared to Prince Jing's excitement, Ning Lu was stunned by the reply and pondered his meaning repeatedly.
What is a weakness? Is she his weakness?
How could that be? It must be a lie!
Who would say such a thing so calmly in front of others?
Moreover, in Ning Lu's limited understanding, Xie Qinghe's biggest weakness was probably his sickly body. If he were healthy, seizing power would be a piece of cake for him.
How could he possibly...?
"Stop playing tricks here." Prince Jing looked down at him: "You are a smart man. Now that you've come this far, and have seen that jade pendant, you should know that you can't do anything to me."
"So it really was the prince's doing."
Xie Qinghe's eyes lit up with amusement, his eyelashes fluttered, and anger appeared at the corners of his lips.
"He feigned an attack on one side while secretly advancing on the other. Taking the jade pendant to deliver the message was a pretense; his real intention was to have Liu Yunying kill me."
"You really did find it."
“When Liu Yunying attacked me at Siyun Mountain, you had not yet obtained the jade pendant, yet you still wanted to kill me to silence me.”
“Jiang Yi, you’re not the kind of person who’s so rash.”
"I overestimated that bitch's abilities. Xie Qinghe, you're lucky to be alive. But you won't have that kind of luck today."
As the blade pressed down, a bloody gash instantly appeared on Xie Qinghe's fair neck.
Ning Lu wished she could immediately leap down and pin Prince Jing to the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced out the window and saw that Zhao Yue had already led his troops to surround the area.
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door.
Amidst the clash of weapons, Wei Zhan, who had been nowhere to be seen, pushed aside Zhao Yue and the others in front of the door and strode in.
Upon seeing Prince Jing wielding his sword, Wei Zhan frowned silently, but still respectfully bowed and said, "Master, the two hundred reinforcements from Yizhou and the three hundred reinforcements from Binzhou have all been blocked."
"The three hundred private soldiers in the city are under the control of Wei Chun."
"Your Highness."
Xie Qinghe raised his eyes, raised two fingers, and pushed away the weapon at his neck.
"It seems that I am luckier today."
"You!" Prince Jing exclaimed in disbelief, taking two steps back as the blade struck the ground with a crisp sound.
"Yizhou and Binzhou? Jiang Yu never revealed the list until his death, how do you know!"
"I am unaware of this."
Xie Qinghe casually wiped away the drops of blood from his neck, his eyes deep and unfathomable, revealing no emotion.
"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. This is a lesson Your Highness taught me."
Prince Jing stood there stunned for a long time before he realized the unspoken meaning in his words.
"You're speaking up for Sima Cheng."
Xie Qinghe tilted his head and coughed softly, not wanting to respond, when he heard Prince Jing's tone turn frantic, and he suddenly pounced on him.
"That's Sima Cheng's fault, he deserves to die. The late emperor is about to pass away, and the imperial edict for succession has been delayed and is wavering. It was he who insisted on being a loyal and devoted minister and refused to support me, which is why my father asked the crown prince to pass the throne to me! If it weren't for him, I would be the one sitting on the dragon throne today!"
Immediately, Prince Jing seemed to remember something, and lowered his head to sneer: "You are quite hypocritical. Sima Cheng is unwilling to submit to me, nor does he wish to help the Crown Prince ascend the throne. Back then, it was you, the Grand Censor, who said he was out of touch with reality and imprisoned him. Now that you've brought up the past, you actually want to blame me."
"Don't even mention me killing him. Even if Jiang Xu were a hypocrite, kind and benevolent, he still didn't let him go, did he?"
With his collar tightly held by Prince Jing, Xie Qinghe's already labored breathing became even more difficult. He turned his head, gripped his sleeves, lowered his eyes, and spoke in a low voice, trying his best to maintain a composed expression.
"If it weren't for your interference, the Sima family would have only been exiled, not gone this far."
"So what? He's arrogant! He deserves to die! As for sending his whole family to hell, it's you, Xie Qinghe, who's to blame. You can't blame anyone else."
The coldness in his eyes was shattered by the questioning voice, and a sense of weakness washed over him. Xie Qinghe's fingertips, which were supporting him on the side of the chair, trembled silently.
"You lured me here with your body. Then let's perish together. Without you, let's see how this hypocrite Jiang Xu can continue to act so virtuous!"
Upon hearing this, the people in the room drew their swords and confronted each other.
Prince Jing swept his leg outwards, and the long sword standing upright beside him suddenly flew into the air, heading straight for Xie Qinghe's face.
Seeing this, Zhao Yue leaped towards Wei Zhan, stopping him from making his way to the rescue.
The long whip hung down, gripping the long sword. Under the force of brute force, the blade shifted, causing Prince Jing to stagger backward.
Ning Lu leaped down from the roof beam, kicked him in the chest, and threw the dagger backhand, slashing Jing Wang's cheek and smashing it into his shoulder armor.
The metal clashed, making a clanging sound.
Seeing Xie Qinghe's pale face, her anger deepened. She lashed out with her long whip and stood across the desk.
"If you want to kill him, get past me!"
"Wei Chun!"
Seeing Ning Lu bravely engage in hand-to-hand combat, Xie Qinghe struggled to his feet, bracing himself against the edge of the table and chairs. He raised his hand to his chest and shouted again to the soldiers waiting outside.
Swords clashed, sparks flew, and tables and chairs overturned.
For a time, Wei Zhan faced off against Zhao Yue, while Wei Chun suppressed Prince Jing.
Ning Lu immediately retreated and used her whip to protect Xie Qinghe behind her, focusing intently on the battle before her. The two, who usually seemed extremely unreliable, were surprisingly powerful in their fight.
Overwhelmed by brute force, Zhao Yue could not withstand it.
Prince Jing was unable to resist Wei Chun's deadly moves and suffered repeated defeats.
"Keep alive."
Xie Qinghe frowned slightly.
Ning Lu turned her head and keenly noticed that his posture was not as steady as usual, so she quickly walked around the table and stood next to him.
For once, the man didn't use his seductive manner. Instead, he stopped her from helping him up, shook his head seriously to indicate that everything was alright, and then pulled her half a step behind him.
Prince Jing's hands were bent behind his back by Wei Chun, who then clasped his shoulders and bent over.
Upon noticing Xie Qinghe approaching, Prince Jing couldn't help but sneer.
"Xie Qinghe, you are already at your limit, yet you still devote yourself to him to such an extent. I don't understand."
"Your Highness need not understand."
“In the end, you and I are the same kind of people.” Prince Jing said dismissively, and then said sarcastically, “When you were eight years old, you flattered the late emperor and won the position of the crown prince’s companion, hoping that your grandfather would look at you differently. You never expected that this would arouse jealousy and cause your mother’s death.”
"The young man studied hard but was not appreciated by Xie Weijun. He felt indignant on behalf of Sima Cheng. Before his death, Sima Cheng was still worried about his honest and simple-minded student, Cen Wei."
“A person like Jiang Xu is born to be admired by thousands. He only needs to give a word to get what he wants, and people will fawn over him. He will only think that everything he has is his due. As for me, I strive to be the best in everything, but because my mother comes from a humble background, I am looked down upon and slandered at every turn.”
"Xie Jiming, I understand that Jiang Xu can't see you! I understand your grievances and your resentment!"
"As long as you release me, become my advisor, and fight alongside me back to the capital, all my past promises will still stand."
Ning Lu stood half a step behind Xie Qinghe, staring at Prince Jing with eyes wide with rage and her ears and eyes red.
Much of what she heard tonight was not something that had been circulating in the public eye, nor was it something Xie Qinghe had ever told her.
Even what he told her in the carriage this morning wasn't the whole story.
He stared intently at Xie Qinghe, but the man seemed tired of hearing such words. Without changing his expression, he lightly raised his finger, signaling Wei Chun and Wei Zhan to drag the man out.
Shouts, the sharp sounds of clashing swords, and the sound of wind carrying the stench of blood.
Everything faded away, leaving only a chill and deathly silence inside the room.
Ning Lu stepped forward and supported his silently collapsing body.
"I thought you went back to your room to rest."
She was on the verge of tears, and held him close as he struggled to his feet, gently tightening the fox fur coat around his shoulders.
Xie Qinghe instinctively grabbed her hand, palms pressed together, already unable to control the force of their fall.
Let me carry you.
Her voice trembled as she bent her knees, trying to catch the person.
Upon hearing this, a helpless smile appeared on the man's ashen face as he ran his fingertips across the back of her hand.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
How could nothing be wrong?
Ning Lu's nose twitched, her eyes throbbed with pain, and she silently gripped his arm tightly.
It was impossible to tell for a moment which of the two was shaking more.
At that very moment, she looked up and caught sight of the deep weariness in Xie Qinghe's eyes, and her heart tightened.
"I had a doctor waiting for you before I came. Hang in there. I'll take you back now."
Xie Qinghe opened his mouth to speak, but the pain in his heart spread throughout his body before he could speak. His chest rose and fell with difficulty as he breathed, and the scene before him gradually blurred.
"Xie Qinghe, you bastard!"
Suddenly collapsing, Ning Lu was caught off guard and slumped to the ground with him. She wiped away the blurry water stains in front of her eyes with her sleeve and hooked her arms around his legs to try to get up.
"Even after all this, you're still being stubborn."
"Ning Lulu".
The breath that was buried in her shoulder brushed against her neck, causing Ning Lu to stop what she was doing and turn to look at him.
The starlight in his sharp eyes dimmed, his gaze was blank and unfocused, and his weak and powerless hands and feet trembled unconsciously.
She was horrified and angry that he could still laugh, so she couldn't help but pinch the back of his hand.
Xie Qinghe's eyebrows drooped even more, his neck tilted back slightly, and he struggled to speak.
"Listen to me... cough... tonight, the guards will interrogate Prince Jing... only after he confesses... can he be escorted to the capital... once he leaves Changzhou, Yu Lanzhou can be released from prison..."
"Xie Qinghe."
“Cen Wei will be coming to take up his post soon. If you encounter any problems, you can seek his help.”
"The situation is still uncertain, don't run around..."
"What do you mean, Xie Qinghe?"
His words sounded exactly like a dying wish entrusted to someone, sending chills down one's spine and making one feel uneasy.
How unlucky!
In her extreme panic, she blurted out, "You big bad wolf, all you want is for me to admit that I'm worried about you, anxious about you, and concerned about you, right? I'll admit it, okay? Stop acting, stop pretending."
"Don't be afraid... you're just tired."
Knowing his own unreliable body, he would probably need to sleep for several days.
Everyone wanted his life, the interests and power behind his identity, but she was the only one who kept offering the simplest and most straightforward care.
Xie Qinghe was still worried and wanted to say something more, but he could no longer make a sound.
Her eyelashes trembled, then drooped and closed.
Occasionally, shouts could be heard from outside.
The room was eerily quiet.
Ning Lu hugged him tightly, only then realizing that the purplish-red color on his lips was spreading and his temperature was getting lower and lower.
Xie Qinghe's unconscious appearance resembled that of a docile lamb, just like Ji A'ming, whom she had manipulated at will when they first met.
She rubbed the tip of his nose with her other hand to stop sobbing, supported his unsupported back to lift his upper body, and then firmly hooked her arms around his knees.
It is an indisputable fact that martial artists have strong arms.
All the good food and drinks were brought into the east wing, and she ate until she was plump and healthy, and her strength increased.
Ning Lu gently lifted him up and said in a trembling voice, "Xie Qinghe, this is the blessing you received for bringing me delicious food."
She hadn't taken two steps when she suddenly realized that the person in her arms was even thinner than she had imagined.
Having been in Changzhou for just over a month, he was emaciated and as pale as paper.
"I told you, you're no good at handling things. You'd better retire early and go back to your hometown to enjoy your old age."
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