Chapter 129 (End of Chapter 129)
After leaving the quiet room, Xiao Che used his token to summon assassins for his command.
In an abandoned mansion of a foreign merchant in the western market of the capital, Yan Xiao arrived at the address given by the man in black on time.
He stood at the door, feeling a mix of trepidation and excitement.
The vermilion paint on the door had long since peeled off, and the copper rings were also covered in rust.
He hovered his finger in mid-air, took a deep breath, and finally pushed the door open and went in.
With a creak—
When he caught sight of the tall, slender figure standing by the window in a dark cloak, half of his body trembled violently.
A surge of emotion welled up in his eyes, and he stepped forward, clenching his fist and pounding it hard on Xiao Wenqi's shoulder: "Xiao Wenqi, I knew you were still alive!"
"You've been playing tricks on me for so many days, I wonder where you've gone! Do you know how worried I've been, how I haven't been able to eat or sleep properly for a while now!"
The person in front finally turned around slowly, raised his hand and took off his hood. The shadow that had fallen from his brow bone faded, revealing his brown eyes.
The moment he looked up, the dark room was suddenly illuminated.
He glanced at him, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, "Why are you crying? Wasn't it you who came to see me first after I got out?"
Yan Xiao hastily wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, not caring about anything else at the moment, and hurriedly asked, "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened that day?"
Xiao Che chuckled: "I did die once that day. The mark left by the fox on my arm has completely faded. It turns out that only when I died could the bond be broken and her strange illness be completely cured. At that time, I had no breath left, only a faint heart pulse. Even the fox thought I was dead, which is how I deceived it and completely severed my ill-fated relationship with her."
He then recounted to Yan Xiao what had happened that day in Chenghuan Palace.
Yan Xiao frowned more and more as he listened, and said angrily, "That little princess could be so ruthless!"
However, a hint of reluctance lingered in his gaze as he looked at him. He knew that for Xiao Che, the most painful thing was probably not the knife stabbed into his vital spot.
However, Xiao Che merely curled his lips indifferently, maintaining his nonchalant attitude: "The one she has always loved is Xiao Jue. Whether I live or die, why would she care?"
Yan Xiao frowned, unwilling to mention Yan Jiarou again in front of him, and only asked, "Then who saved you later?"
"It's Cui Lingyi."
"It's her?" Yan Xiao was taken aback, then murmured, "I didn't realize she was so devoted to you."
Xiao Che swallowed hard, seemingly unwilling to say more, and instead asked, "What is the situation in the palace now?"
"His Majesty has been in a coma since suffering a stroke. The imperial physicians have tried everything, saying that His Majesty's pulse indicates he is not in a coma, but for some reason, he just won't wake up."
Xiao Che frowned and pondered, "Where is Xiao Jue?"
"Him? Now that His Majesty is in a coma and you are 'dead,' he is temporarily acting as regent and is naturally riding high."
"If His Majesty does not wake up after a while, he will probably have to ascend the throne as a matter of course."
"Succession?" Xiao Che scoffed. "How can someone who has no descendants be allowed to rule for thousands of generations?"
Yan Xiao: "It's strange. Recently, Xiao Jue has grown a beard, which is black with some white. Not only that, his temples are also gray. It is said that because the emperor is in a coma, he was worried too much and his hair turned white overnight, along with his beard. He has no intention of shaving, so he simply let it grow."
"Ha, when did he become so filial to Xiao Yuangan? I never noticed before, he's quite the actor."
Yan Xiao: "That's right. After this performance, the whole court praised the Crown Prince for his benevolence and filial piety, which won over many people. Not only that, his actions also dispelled the rumors that he had fallen from his horse and seriously injured his vital organs. After all, no eunuch grows a beard."
Xiao Che narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and said with a half-smile, "That thing can regenerate after it's broken? Yan Xiao, do you believe that?"
"I naturally also feel that there must be something fishy going on, but given the current situation, more and more people believe it. With His Majesty in a coma and the Crown Prince overseeing the country, the imperial physicians probably wouldn't dare to go against him. Without evidence, there's naturally no way to expose him."
"Then I will have no choice but to personally go to the palace to investigate the situation."
"You want to enter the palace?"
Xiao Che hummed in agreement: "However, we cannot let Xiao Jue find out that I am still alive. The matter of entering the palace must be carried out in secret. Please make the arrangements for me."
Yan Xiao nodded: "Okay, do you have any other instructions?"
Xiao Che glanced at him and handed him a portrait and a waist token: "Open this portrait and see if there is such a person in the palace. And this waist token, I saw it fall from a rebel on the day of the palace riots. But this is clearly a waist token from the Palace Construction Bureau. I'm afraid that those who colluded with the rebels were not just a few eunuchs in the palace."
At this moment, Yan Xiao opened the portrait and immediately recognized the person in the painting as Cui Yan, the Crown Prince's Inner Palace Attendant: "Isn't this the Crown Prince's Inner Palace Attendant? He is in charge of the Crown Prince's market and storage, and is most familiar with all walks of life. However, I heard that he went out of the palace to purchase rare items for the Crown Prince and only just returned recently."
"The Crown Prince's Inner Palace Attendant? But I clearly saw him during the palace turmoil; he was a member of the rebels. Although his face was covered by a black veil, I had a strong impression of his slanted eyes and the red mole behind his ear. I was certain I had seen him in the palace, so when I left, I tore off his black veil, and there was a clear moment of panic in his eyes. So he was actually the Crown Prince's Inner Palace Attendant; this is quite interesting."
Yan Xiao frowned: "You suspect that this matter is related to Xiao Jue?"
"Whether it is or not, we'll know once we try. You can spread some rumors in the palace, saying that the Crown Prince's Inner Palace Attendant bears a striking resemblance to one of the rebels during the palace turmoil. It's true that anything can happen in this world. Once these rumors spread, anyone with a guilty conscience will naturally become restless."
"good."
——
Inside the Zichen Palace, the lights were bright.
Outside the palace, Xiao Che, dressed in black, blended into the deep night. Yan Xiao gave him the guard rotation schedule for Zichen Palace. Taking advantage of the guard rotation, he successfully climbed over the inner wall and hid behind a pillar. He originally wanted to sneak into the sleeping quarters while the palace servants were not paying attention, but he found that there were no palace servants on duty around the sleeping quarters, which was really strange.
Xiao Che frowned, hugged the palace wall, and circled around to the southwest window of the sleeping quarters. He gently cut open the window paper with his dagger and peered through the half-open crack. When he saw what was inside, his pupils contracted sharply—
Xiao Jue was found still in Emperor Wei Xi's palace late at night for some unknown reason. That was bad enough, but what was even more chilling was that he slowly inserted a three-inch-long silver needle into Emperor Wei Xi's waist, speaking to him with a sinister smile as he did so: "Father, don't blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being bewitched by the bewitching concubine and favoring her and her son too much! I am clearly your eldest son, yet you never even give me a second glance!"
As the silver needles were inserted, Emperor Wei Xi's body convulsed continuously, as if he were enduring great pain, unable to utter a sound, his eyes fixed on Xiao Jue.
This situation is clearly not a stroke-induced coma.
Despite the intense hatred in his eyes, Xiao Jue merely smiled lightly.
He leaned down, a faint smile playing on his lips, his expression somewhat crazed: "Father, you must bear with it. Only by burying the silver needles deep into your body and changing them every three days can you remain unconscious and suffer a stroke. Tsk, you said you should have used more pills back then, so you would have been truly unconscious and wouldn't have to suffer like this now."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wei Xi made a "whooshing" sound, his face turned bright red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Looking at his pained expression, Xiao Jue felt a twisted pleasure rise in her heart. Suddenly, her eyes turned blood red as she stared at him with venom and said, "What, are you in pain? When you poisoned my mother in the Cold Palace with aconite and mercury, causing her to go mad and die, did you ever think that she would suffer like this?"
Xiao Che, who was outside the window, was startled by what he heard.
Just then, a crow flew by, the noise prompting Xiao Jue to glance out the window. He saw that the window paper was torn, and immediately stood up abruptly, his face grim, and shouted sharply, "Guards! There's an assassin! Protect the Emperor!"
In an instant, countless torches lit up the area around the sleeping quarters, and the only sound was the metallic clatter of armor rubbing together.
The Imperial Guards have arrived.
Xiao Che's expression hardened. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto the roof. With a few quick movements, he jumped into a secluded palace path.
In order to avoid the Imperial Guards, he kept running to remote places, and unknowingly, he climbed over the inner wall of Chenghuan Palace.
He gave a slight twitch of his lips, his eyes filled with coldness.
He was very familiar with this place.
——
Inside Chenghuan Palace, the woman was undressing. Just as she draped her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) over the clothes rack, a man's body suddenly pressed against her from behind. His firm chest was pressed against her slender back, and his night clothes were soaked with the chill of winter. Yet, the breath he exhaled on her ear was still scalding hot: "Don't make a sound. Send the people outside away, or I'll kill you."
A familiar scent enveloped and entwined her.
Those many nights of intimate physical contact seemed to have left a mark on her soul, making her body recognize her before she did.
Yan Jiarou felt a tremor in her heart, and before she could speak, tears were already streaming down her face: "Xiao...Xiao Che?"
...
When the Imperial Guards searched Chenghuan Palace, they hesitated about whether to go in, since it was the princess's bedroom. However, the Crown Prince's expression tonight was truly frightening. If they couldn't find the person, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves. So, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask the princess for permission outside the palace.
The princess, usually so gentle, was now acting quite differently, angrily demanding that they leave immediately.
This only fuels suspicion.
The imperial guards exchanged bewildered glances, but the lieutenant general finally mustered the courage to push open the door and enter: "Princess, please forgive me."
But the huge sleeping chamber was empty, with only Yan Jiarou inside.
At this moment, she was facing away from them, wearing only a thin gauze dress, her snow-white shoulders half-exposed, her figure graceful and slender.
Hearing the noise, she turned her face slightly, her watery eyes trembling, her face showing fear, looking pale and distraught.
A moment later, a look of anger appeared on a fair and delicate face, and she scolded, "You bastards, get out of here now, or I'll tell my brother the Crown Prince tomorrow and have him chop you all up!"
It turned out the princess was changing clothes, which was why they weren't allowed to enter. The general, realizing his rudeness, repeatedly apologized and immediately left with his men.
After everyone had gone far away, Xiao Che slowly emerged from behind the screen. He glanced at her indifferently and was about to leave when Yan Jiarou could no longer hold back. She ran forward, crying, and hugged his waist tightly from behind, as if she would never let go, even if it meant death.
She pressed her cheek against his back, greedily savoring his warmth and breath. No one knew how much she missed this moment.
She sobbed, as if filled with overwhelming grievances, and poured out her heart to the person before her, word by word: "Xiao Che... they all say you're dead!"
“I am dead,” Xiao Che slowly turned around, reached out and placed his hand on her waist, prying off her fingers one by one, and sneered, “Princess, have you forgotten so quickly? I died by your hand, stabbed in the vital spot by you. I still remember, it was snowing heavily that day, and the weather was very cold, just like your heart.”
Yan Jiarou's body trembled violently, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head, sobbing, "No, it's not like that... Xiao Che, I never intended to kill you... I didn't mean to, I was just used by Xiao Jue..."
Xiao Che found it laughable and actually laughed out loud: "Do you think I would still believe such nonsense nowadays?"
His eyes turned icy cold as he raised his hand, gripping her chin and lifting it forcefully. "Yan Jiarou, you always do this. You deceive me, then shed those pitiful tears, making me soften my heart again and again, forgiving you each time. And what's the result? You just let me hurt you step by step until I die by your blade, only then do I have to wake up. I've already died once. If I still believe these lies, wouldn't I be making no progress? Do you really think so little of me?"
Yan Jiarou smiled bitterly, "Since you don't believe me, then kill me... If killing me will make you feel good, Xiao Che, I'm willing to die for you... To this day, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you..."
"You think I wouldn't be willing?" A hint of malice flashed in Xiao Che's eyes as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You think you're worthy to kill me?"
"Many times, death is a relief; life is worse than death, isn't that more interesting?"
Yan Jiarou laughed and said, "Fine, do whatever you want to me as long as you're happy..."
Xiao Che suddenly felt annoyed, let go of her hand, turned his head and ordered, "Take off your clothes."
"Wh...what..."
"Didn't you say you'd do anything for me? I'm telling you to take your clothes off right now."
She was only wearing her undergarments at the moment; if she took them off, she would be completely naked.
Yan Jiarou pursed her lips and did as she was told.
After a rustling sound, all the clothes were piled up at the ankles.
Xiao Che slowly turned his face to look at her.
Under the lamplight, the girl's body was perfect, her snow-white skin glowing and smooth, without a single flaw.
For some reason, Yan Jiarou felt a little nervous. She secretly glanced at him, and her heart sank immediately at that one look—Xiao Che's gaze towards her was devoid of any lust, only scrutiny and observation, as if he were seeking confirmation of something.
After a moment, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Xiao Jue didn't touch you?"
Yan Jiarou's face paled, and she immediately shook her head, saying, "No!"
Although he had thought... that day he claimed he had taken a secret formula, which turned out to be a child's brain marrow, supposedly to make his manhood grow back, but in the end he still couldn't get it up, so he stormed out in a fit of rage.
Xiao Che narrowed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought: "As expected."
Yan Jiarou wasn't sure if he believed her, but she was afraid he suspected that she and Xiao Jue had really had something going on. In her anxiety, she blurted out, "There's really nothing between him and me. You can check again if you don't believe me..."
Xiao Che scoffed: "Inspect? How do you inspect? Insert it?"
He said, "You are not worthy."
Yan Jiarou's face turned pale, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a word.
Xiao Che coldly withdrew his gaze: "When I came in just now, I pressed myself against you from behind and actually drugged you. If you want to live, you'd better behave yourself. If even a little bit of what happened today is leaked out, you won't survive, understand?"
Yan Jiarou seemed oblivious to what Xiao Che was saying, staring blankly at him.
As he turned to leave, she pressed herself against him from behind, pleading, "Xiao Che... please don't go... or take me with you... I have so much to tell you..."
Xiao Che suddenly laughed and said, "What's the rush? Before long, you'll be kneeling at my feet, begging for mercy."
"...When that time comes, you can talk for as long as you want."
——
Unexpectedly, that day came so quickly. Yan Jiarou later heard that it was the third day after she met Xiao Che in the palace when a major event occurred in the court.
As Emperor Wei Xi's condition worsened and his recovery seemed far off, Xiao Jue, with the support of his ministers, decided to ascend the throne and honor Emperor Wei Xi as the Retired Emperor.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the coronation ceremony, someone no one anticipated arrived—the Third Prince Xiao Che, who was still alive.
The entire court was in an uproar.
Xiao Jue's expression turned extremely ugly.
If it were just Xiao Che who came, he could have tolerated it, but he also brought someone else, someone he had long believed to be dead—Cui Yan.
Kneeling in the main hall, Cui Yan, before all the officials, revealed that Xiao Jue had colluded with the Maitreya Sect, instigated palace chaos, and seized the opportunity to murder Xiao Che. "...Your Highness, you are truly heartless. I have been infiltrating the Maitreya Sect, a den of dragons and tigers, for months, constantly passing on messages for you. Even if I haven't made any great contributions, I should at least have earned some credit for my hard work. But when you heard that rumor circulating in the palace not long ago, fearing that my identity would be exposed, you cruelly wanted to kill me to silence me. Even if you had just asked me to leave the capital, I wouldn't have uttered a single complaint... But you wanted my life..."
"If you are heartless, don't blame me for being unjust... Now, this is the only way I can save my life."
After speaking, he presented all the letters he had exchanged with Xiao Jue over the past few months to the officials, which were prominently stamped with the seal of the Crown Prince.
Xiao Jue refused to admit it, and he had already prepared a backup plan: "...Ridiculous, you think you can slander me with just these things? Everyone knows that the Crown Prince's seal was lost a few months ago. You are a member of the Crown Prince's Palace. Perhaps it was you who stole the seal and colluded with Xiao Che to frame me!"
Xiao Che smiled upon hearing this and said, "Is that so?"
He slowly pulled out the last letter from the stack: "Your Highness, why don't you take a look at this one? You've planned everything perfectly, but you probably didn't expect that this last letter would be delayed for several days, and that it's written with the new seal you just acquired not long ago..."
He pulled the letter out of the envelope and gave it a light shake: "Tsk, why don't you cherish this brand new seal? Look, there's a chipped corner on the lower right of the seal. If you look closely, it seems to have a gap when you stamp it on the letter."
"Perhaps the Crown Prince is too busy with state affairs to notice. Why not bring the seal out from the Eastern Palace and compare it to see if they are identical? Such a gap is probably difficult to forge."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue's face turned deathly pale.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Xiao Che stepped forward and ripped off his beard: "Ouch, how come it's a fake beard? Wearing it all day has made your lips red. Crown Prince, why are you doing this?"
Upon seeing this, the officials below immediately changed their expressions, whispering among themselves and discussing the matter.
"Why is it a fake beard? His Highness is not yet thirty. Young men in our dynasty do not have the habit of growing beards. He can simply not grow one. Why bother with a fake beard?"
"This fake beard is just an attempt to cover up something, it only makes it more obvious..."
"Could the rumors be true? After His Highness the Crown Prince fell from his horse, he really became impotent..."
"If that's the case, how can my Great Wei Dynasty allow a prince who is impotent to inherit the throne..."
Listening to the discussions of the officials below, Xiao Jue felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His eyes were vacant in mid-air, and after a moment, he slowly collapsed to the ground.
He knew that from this moment on, this supreme position would no longer be related to him.
But the most hopeless thing was yet to come—he saw Emperor Wei Xi being helped by the Empress Dowager, walking step by step into the main hall.
His lifeless eyes suddenly darted around, then he chuckled, his expression becoming completely numb.
It's over, he thought, everything is over.
Everything that followed went as he had predicted. Emperor Wei Xi announced to the world his crimes of regicide and patricide, and he was subsequently deposed.
——
Unfortunately, Emperor Wei Xi suffered so much from his poisoning and took elixirs for many years, and his health was completely ruined. He passed away half a month later, and before his death, he passed the throne to Xiao Che.
The day Xiao Che ascended the throne was a rare day of fine weather.
The enthronement ceremony was a grand and solemn affair.
The new emperor ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. A joyous atmosphere permeated the palace.
Yan Jiarou thought that he must be very busy with many things since he had just ascended the throne, and that even though they were in the palace, she probably wouldn't be able to see him.
She didn't expect him to come looking for her so quickly.
——
A eunuch's shrill voice rang out from outside the hall—
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Yan Jiarou, supported by Yingxue, came out to greet him and knelt down beside his boots.
He slowly turned around.
Today he was wearing a black imperial robe with gold thread embroidered on the hem, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight. A jade belt was tied around his waist, which made his tall and slender figure even more striking.
He looked down at her. She slowly raised her head. The sunlight was blinding, and she squinted slightly. It took her a while to see the person in front of her clearly.
The emperor's robes suited him exceptionally well, making him appear even more strikingly handsome.
He finally got what he wanted and obtained the country.
She was genuinely happy for him.
She thought she was a very crybaby; whether she was sad or happy, tears would always fall without her realizing it.
When she came to her senses, her face was already covered in tears.
Xiao Che scrutinized her for a long time, frowned slightly, and finally leaned down, raising his hand to pinch her chin.
"Why are you crying?" He gently wiped away the moisture from the corner of her eye with his fingertip, but when he leaned close to her ear, the words he spoke were like the spit of a venomous snake, sending a chill down her spine: "There will be many more places for you to cry in the future."
**************The main story ends in an OE (oe) format, while the epilogue is a HE (happy ending). If you'd like a BE (bad ending) version, I can release another BE version.*****
**********Actually, the male lead being abused isn't entirely without its benefits. The female lead feels guilty, so she lets the male lead do whatever he wants, cough** Just to say, never forget the main theme of this story! **********************
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
