Knock knock—
There was a knock on the door, at a rhythm unknown to outsiders.
However, the person inside the room easily recognized the words, took a slow sip of tea, and then called out "Come in".
Xiao Jing and his son dismissed their attendants and quickly stepped into the house, then closed the door tightly.
After exchanging glances, Xiao Jing laughed first, "I, Xiao, have traveled a long way, enduring wind and rain, and it took me more than a month to get here."
Clearly, meeting with the prince is no easy feat!
Just moments ago, Xiao Chengyao had been arrogant and obedient in front of Dugu Pingting, but now he obediently lowered his head and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Chengyao greets Your Highness."
"Get up." Dugu Xuancheng was all smiles, and his gaze toward Xiao Chengyao was exceptionally kind.
He pointed to the seats beside him and said, "Let's all sit down and talk."
Given the current unclear situation and the presence of many unrelated individuals, it's unwise to risk arousing suspicion. Therefore, we have no choice but to have your people stay in this temple to avoid attracting attention. We are truly sorry to have to make things difficult for you.
However, you must trust me. Once I succeed in this great undertaking, our two families will surely share wealth and honor, and stand together through thick and thin!
As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea for Xiao Jing and his son, his attitude very sincere.
When the teacup was placed in front of Xiao Chengyao, there was a slight pause.
Xiao Chengyao raised his glass before Xiao Jing, saying, "What Your Highness said is understood by my father and me, and we also understand Your Highness's situation."
There's a saying in your region, "Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles." These are all minor matters; the key is the subsequent planning.
"Cheng Yao is right. I was just joking with the prince."
Xiao Jing also raised his glass, looking at Xiao Chengyao with a gaze that was both gratified and proud, without any attempt to hide it.
As the city lord, he certainly had more than one son, Xiao Chengyao, but among his many sons, Xiao Chengyao was the best at speaking Chinese, almost indistinguishable from a Han Chinese.
Moreover, he was highly regarded by the Prince of Xiaoyao and had been secretly contacting the Prince of Xiaoyao for many years, bringing considerable benefits to the Xiao family and Xiao Jing personally.
This time, the father and son traveled a long way to Huaxu. One reason was to observe Ji Yunyuan, but more importantly, they wanted to establish an alliance with the Carefree King and strive for a more glorious tomorrow.
Everyone tacitly agreed that success or failure hinged on this one move!
However, he was careless and did not notice that behind his gaze, there was another gaze, which was extremely sharp and fixed on his back.
That was none other than Dugu Xuancheng!
Dugu Xuancheng was naturally unhappy that his own son was calling someone else "Dad," allowing that person to glorify the family and show off.
The fact that I haven't reacted yet isn't because I'm magnanimous or indifferent to details, but simply because it's not time to turn hostile yet.
The three of them discussed for about an hour before Dugu Xuancheng stood up and said, "Brother Xiao, Nephew Xiao, thank you for helping me."
It'll be the day after tomorrow.
At the 100-day celebration for that damned child, Dugu Ling, I will make sure that all three of them, grandfather, grandmother, and grandson, are reunited in the underworld, one by one.
After everything settles down, let's drink to our hearts' content, for three days and three nights, until we're completely drunk!
“That’s for sure,” Xiao Jinglang said with a smile.
Xiao Chengyao lowered his eyes. "Father, I'll see the Prince off."
Please rest in the prince's room. After I see the prince off, I will rest in the next room myself.
Having traveled for so long, Xiao Jing was indeed tired, so he nodded and said, "Don't linger outside for too long; it's not safe."
"Son understands." On the surface, Xiao Chengyao was capable and filial, but once he left the house, in the dim moonlight where Xiao Jing couldn't see, his expression was one of utter contempt.
"Your Highness, Xiao Jing thought you had truly allied with him to conquer the land."
He's waiting for you to conquer Huaxu, share the world with him, and let him sit on Ji Yun City and establish himself as king.
Bah! Him?
"A barbarian who's all strength and no brains, does he even deserve the title?"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Xuancheng stood with his hands clasped together, glanced lightly at Xiao Chengyao, and neither scolded nor blamed him.
"What did you call me?" he suddenly asked with a smile.
Xiao Chengyao paused in his cursing, then laughed, "Father."
I spoke too quickly just now; it was my son's fault.
"It's all because I've lived in the Xiao family for so many years that I've become estranged from my father."
It turns out that Xiao Chengyao was actually a descendant of Dugu Xuancheng, not Xiao Jing!
The reasons are too complicated to explain in a few words, but Dugu Xuancheng has always kept a mistress in a separate courtyard. That mistress and Xiao Jing's concubine are twin sisters.
Dugu Xuancheng discovered this matter by chance in his early years.
At that time, he was already very worried about Xiao Chengyao's identity. At that time, Dugu Tianxiong only had one son, the crown prince, who was sick every few days. Even the imperial physicians predicted that he would not live past the age of twenty-five.
To prevent his healthy son from being feared by Dugu Tianxiong, who had a terrible prognosis, Dugu Xuancheng, after careful consideration, devised a scheme to switch his son with Xiao Jing's son, making him one of Xiao Jing's sons.
So most of Ji Yun's subordinates died back then, but only Xiao Jing survived. It wasn't because he was more powerful, but because Dugu Xuancheng couldn't let him die.
Of course, he was a fence-sitter and betrayed Ji Yunzhan without much persuasion, and even took the position of city lord because of it, which was something Dugu Xuancheng did not expect.
Later, Dugu Xuancheng simply went with the flow and let Xiao Jing train his son to guard Ji Yuncheng.
His thought was that if his plans failed, he could retreat to Ji Yun City to observe the situation, or even establish himself as king, without having to worry about Dugu Tianxiong's attitude anymore!
...
Not long after, the father and son also separated.
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