Cao De was a senior eunuch in the palace, and the only one who remained from the late emperor's side. He was also very intelligent and was the first to surrender after Xia Jingfeng led his army into the palace.
However, the book doesn't describe him much, and he disappears completely after Qi Yu commits suicide. Xia Yixin is unaware of his true nature, and Xia Jingfeng is obviously the same. Therefore, he replaced all the Imperial Guards with people from the Northern Martial Army to take control of the palace's security.
Cao De and several guards bowed respectfully to her, and Xia Yixin said bluntly, "Cao De, take me to see my father."
Not long after Xia Yixin left with Cao De, the boy who had been lying on the bed with his eyes closed slowly opened them, showing no trace of ever having been asleep.
He got out of bed and tiptoed away from Longgan Palace. If Xia Yixin were there, she would be shocked by his lightness skill and internal strength.
In fact, Qi Yu was far from weak on the surface. There were also special martial arts instructors in the palace to teach him. Although Qi Yu could only peek at the training each time, he was exceptionally talented. However, he never showed it to outsiders, not even Empress Dowager Xiaode knew about it.
Qi Yu would also deliberately increase the intensity of his steps to make it difficult for others to notice.
He arrived at an abandoned palace, where someone was already waiting for him. It was a tall, thin man in black. If Xia Yixin were there, she would recognize him at a glance. He was the same man who had incited the people in the market.
"Master." An Wu knelt respectfully.
Qi Yu stopped him. "How did things go?"
Anwu took out a letter from his clothes. "Your Majesty, this is a reply from the Shen family."
Qi Yu had been in the palace for many years, and his survival was due to more methods than outsiders knew, besides luck.
From the outside, it may seem like only Cao De is there, but in reality, he has some other people outside the palace.
Dark Five was one of them. He had rescued him during a hunt outside the palace one year. He was absolutely loyal and managed a vast information network for him outside the palace.
If Xia Jingfeng hadn't come, Qi Yu would have been able to escape unscathed with his mother within two years, and might even have quietly executed the old emperor and his close brothers.
Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes.
His letter to the Shen family was actually very simple: he requested an alliance. Although the Lin family had been brought up again, the late emperor had done a terrible job when he banished his mother to the cold palace. Now, the Lin family had no one they could rely on. On the other hand, the Shen family had always remained neutral and was one of the regents.
Qi Yu received the letter and quickly read it by the moonlight. His expression grew increasingly grim, and finally he tore the letter to shreds. "The Shen family has quite the appetite!"
The Shen family actually wants the tiger tally!
On the surface, they were willing to cooperate with Qi Yu, but in reality, they used the excuse that "the Shen family had no legitimate reason to launch an attack" to make Qi Yu find a way to obtain the tiger tally that Xia Jingfeng had hidden so that he could command the three armies.
In reality, it was the Shen family who didn't believe in him, this powerless and insignificant emperor!
Seeing Qi Yu's bad expression, An Wu comforted him, "Master, don't worry. You have just ascended the throne, so there is no need to rush. The things you asked An Wu to do have already been done. Now, everyone in the capital is saying that she is the reincarnation of an evil ghost and is cursing Xia the traitor. The Lin family's old connections are still there, and various clans are interested."
Qi Yu took a deep breath and calmed down. "When you do things, do you clear any escape routes for yourself?"
"Don't worry, Master, we've been very careful and no one will find out."
After An Wu left, he returned to Longgan Palace. At this time, Xia Yixin had not yet returned.
He sat on the bed, his cold face revealing a pair of deep black eyes. Although the Shen family was audacious, the Tiger Tally was indeed the most advantageous thing for him at the moment. He was now beset by internal and external troubles, and the only thing he could control was an information network. He really needed a breakthrough.
At that moment, a round, chubby face flashed through his mind, and his hands gradually clenched.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Xia Yixin followed the Northern Wu soldiers all the way out of the palace to the Prime Minister's residence.
Although Xia Jingfeng is powerful, he still has to maintain appearances and won't live in the palace to leave any leverage over him.
However, the Prime Minister's residence is very large. It was originally a villa of the late emperor. Now that the situation is unstable, Xia Jingfeng has not yet sent the Xia family from Beiwu over, so it looks rather desolate with him all alone.
When Xia Yixin went in, Xia Jingfeng was reviewing memorials. Now all memorials had to pass through his hands before reaching the young emperor.
"Father."
Xia Yixin said softly.
Xia Jingfeng had received the news as soon as she left Longgan Palace, but seeing that she was dressed so thinly, he frowned and coldly rebuked the guards, "What are you doing? What will happen if Wan'er catches a cold dressed so thinly?"
The two guards hurriedly knelt down, saying, "Your subordinates know their mistake."
Xia Yixin pulled Xia Jingfeng back. "Father, you know I get hot easily. Wearing too many clothes will only make me feel hotter."
Xia Jingfeng's expression softened slightly, and he let the two terrified guards leave.
Xia Yixin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, the fact that the original owner's body was hot was a secret, and no one knew about it except for Xia Jingfeng.
Of course, this alone could not completely dispel Xia Jingfeng's doubts. After all, Xia Yixin had changed a lot since the day the sedan chair was overturned. No one knew her better than Xia Jingfeng, and he vaguely felt that his daughter was different.
Therefore, Xia Yixin still needs to give him a good answer.
But Xia Jingfeng, that old fox, couldn't say it directly. He pulled her to the table, where a scroll of letters filled with names was placed.
Xia Jingfeng proudly displayed the names on the paper like a child eager for a teacher's praise. "Wan'er, come and see. These are the people your father has investigated these past few days. They are all people who secretly participated in the riot that day. Among them are even several scoundrels who usually fawn over your father. What do you think we should do about this?"
Xia Yixin had already suspected something was amiss about what happened that day, and now seeing so many names made her even more alarmed. Some of them even had official titles written on them, and they were all civil officials.
Based on the original owner's personality, she probably would have killed him directly. Xia Yixin knew that this was Xia Jingfeng testing her again.
She mimicked the original owner's personality, glancing at the scene indifferently before casually remarking, "Father can kill whomever he wants. Wan'er doesn't understand these things, but after killing so many people, does Father still have any connections in court?"
If these words had come from a strategist, Xia Jingfeng would have thought they were profound. But hearing them from his own daughter, Xia Jingfeng was initially startled, but then, meeting her clear eyes, his heart gradually calmed down.
That was a daughter's genuine worry and concern for her father; he felt that when she said those words, she was truly worried that he had no one to rely on.
And indeed, killing so many people at once would likely cause a mutiny.
Xia Jingfeng pondered for a moment, "That's right. Although these people are not honest, it's too early to kill them now. Father will find a way. I will definitely not let Wan'er suffer the injustice that day in vain. Father will make them pay the price!"
Looking at the man in front of her, whose face was full of fierce flesh and whose eyes were blazing with anger, Xia Yixin thought that, putting aside what he had done, he was actually a good father and his concern for his daughter was genuine.
She thought for a moment, then her knees buckled and she knelt on the ground.
Xia Jingfeng was shocked. "Wan'er, what's wrong with you?!"
"Father, there is something I have been keeping from you."
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