Chapter 63
Just as Yu Zhao was about to step forward, Yu Xi grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him aside. He held his neck and protested, "Brother Wang, I'm an adult now. Stop bringing me up all the time and making your wife laugh."
Yu Xi ignored his complaints and ruthlessly took little Qi Xian out of Ling Huanchen's arms and stuffed her into his arms. "That story of yours is only suitable for Xian'er. It's very childish."
The uncle and nephew stared at each other, and Qi Xian suddenly raised her hand to grab his face, "Childish!"
Yu Zhao looked at Ling Huanchen aggrievedly, but he didn't dare to move Qi Xian away, lest the little ancestor burst into tears.
Yu Xi nodded approvingly, "Not bad, our Xian'er has learned some new words."
Qi Xian, who was being praised by him, seemed to feel the encouragement from her father. She kept grabbing Yu Zhao's face and said happily, "Uncle Wang, you are childish!"
Yu Zhao's face was even more wrinkled now. Not only was he hurt by the father and daughter, but he was also being pulled by Qi Xian. His expression was particularly funny.
"Mrs. Wang, look at them, they only know how to bully me."
Ling Huanchen had been watching for quite some time, and he couldn't help laughing more and more. If he could speak, he would definitely laugh out loud.
He stretched out his hand towards Yu Xi, who immediately came over and shook it.
"What does Huanchen want?"
During the days when Ling Huanchen couldn't speak, he would communicate through hand gestures. Ling Huanchen would gently gesture on Yu Xi's palms, the backs of her hands, and even her chest. Usually, he would simply write two words, and Yu Xi would know what he meant.
When Yu Zhao saw this scene, he finally rescued himself from Qi Xian's clutches and stretched his neck to watch.
"Brother Wang, what is Mrs. Wang writing?"
Yu Xi and Ling Huanchen exchanged a glance and said, "Yes, write it so that I won't bully you."
Yu Zhao was delighted when he heard this, "I knew that the Queen's wife loved me the most."
The Jade Luan Palace was bustling with activity for quite a while, mostly due to Yu Zhao and Xiao Qixian. Seeing how they had made Ling Huanchen happy, Yu Xi allowed them to stay until dinner.
After dinner, Yu Xi dismissed the others and stayed alone with Ling Huanchen, telling him stories. Perhaps influenced by Yu Zhao, his stories had evolved from the initial grudges and disputes in the martial arts world to a story about a young boy looking for his mother.
The storyteller was completely oblivious and continued to tell the story in a soothing tone, while the listener blushed and could no longer listen.
It's obvious that she is treating him like Xian'er to be coaxed.
Ling Huanchen suddenly raised his hand and touched his lapel, and Yu Xi's story was immediately interrupted.
He tilted his head to look at the person in his arms, "Want some water?"
Ling Huanchen shook his head, his cheeks flushed and his eyes full of light.
"That story isn't good. Can you change it?"
Instead of listening to children's stories, it's better to do something else.
Ling Huanchen shook his head again, his fingers sliding into his clothes and lingering gently.
Yu Xi held his hand and asked, "Huanchen, are you sure?"
During these few days, Yu Xi personally watched over Ling Huanchen while he was taking the medicinal bath. He was the one who carried him in and out. It was impossible for him not to react, but he never did anything.
The poison in his beloved's heart has not yet been cleared, so how could he take advantage of her misfortune?
However, when he tried to restrain himself, Ling Huanchen provoked him. After he reminded him, he did not restrain himself but became more direct.
Ling Huanchen couldn't unbutton Yu Xi's clothes, so he unbuttoned his own instead. He opened his red lips and said silently to Yu Xi, "I miss you."
He wanted to truly feel that Yu Xi was by his side.
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the room suddenly went out, leaving only a rustling sound.
During the recuperation period, Ling Huanchen always had a smile on his face. Even so, people around him were still afraid that he would feel bored, so they tried their best to find new things for him to entertain him.
Among them, Xiaoqi is the leader. He loves to collect things in the market. A few days ago, he asked someone to look for it outside the palace. Later, he felt that the things brought back by others were not to his liking, so he simply went out himself.
He didn't go there often. He would go out every few days. After arranging the matters of serving Ling Huanchen, he would be gone for no more than two or three hours and would definitely return before dark.
Ling Huanchen leaned against the head of the bed, holding a collection of poems in his hand. He subconsciously reached out to touch it, picked it up, and saw that the teacup was empty.
He tapped the table lightly twice with his teacup, and immediately a palace servant came into the room.
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
When Ling Huanchen saw that the person coming was not Xiaoqi, he picked up a pen and wrote a few words.
The palace attendant glanced up and said, "Your Highness, Xiao Qi left the palace yesterday and did not return overnight. Sister Yun He is now looking for someone."
Xiaoqi has never stayed out overnight without permission. If he doesn't come back all night, I'm afraid something must have happened.
Ling Huanchen hurriedly wrote, "Wait for Yunhe to come back and have her come see me. If you have any news about Xiaoqi, report it immediately."
The palace attendant nodded, "I obey your command."
He waited a whole day but received no news from Xiao Qi. Yun He also didn't come back, so he must have not found her.
Ling Huanchen held onto the wall and walked out of the bedroom step by step. The remaining poison had mostly cleared, and walking was no longer a problem, though he still felt a slight pain.
Two or three palace servants were guarding the door, whispering to each other while no one else was around. Ling Huanchen, leaning against the wall, happened to overhear everything.
"Do you think Xiao Qi met with an accident? Otherwise, why haven't we found him yet?"
"Don't talk nonsense, be careful not to be overheard by His Highness. Sister Yunhe just came back and explained. If His Highness asks, just say you're still looking. Don't say anything else."
"That means they didn't find him. If Xiao Qi was okay, why wouldn't he come back? What if... His Highness would be so sad."
Ling Huanchen suddenly pushed open the door. When the palace servants outside saw him, they knelt down in panic.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Seeing Ling Huanchen walking out, the palace servants knelt down in a row to block his way.
At this moment, Yu Xi just came back from court and saw Ling Huanchen standing at the door. He walked over quickly, picked him up and put him back on the couch.
"Why did you get out of bed? Your legs still hurt."
Ling Huanchen grabbed his hand and wrote, "Xiao Qi is missing. I'm afraid something might have happened to him."
"I know." Yu Xi covered him with the quilt. "I've already assigned more people to Yun He and asked her to search the entire city. She will definitely find him."
Ling Huanchen knew that this matter was not that simple. If it could be easily found, Xiaoqi would not be missing until now.
After Yu Xi settled the people and waited for them to fall asleep, he turned around and left. The secret guards reported all the information they had extracted from Jie Yuan over the past few days. Following the clues, they captured another spy from another city in the royal city.
"This person said that there are other spies in Youcheng, and they also have people in the court, and they are in high positions and powerful."
Yu Xi put down the letter and asked, "Can't you tell me?"
The secret guard lowered his head and said, "This person demands a trial. Otherwise, he will not reveal his identity even if he dies."
"A spy still has such a request." Yu Xi raised his eyes and said, "Go tell him that the trial is fine. Let Du Heng arrange it."
There must be something fishy behind this, and he wants to see what kind of trouble Mingcheng's spies can stir up.
The secret guard disappeared, and Yu Xi returned to the inner room, only to find that Ling Huanchen had woken up.
"Why don't you take a break, Huanchen?"
Ling Huanchen pulled him aside, waited for him to sit on the bed, and wrote on his hand, "I will also go to the trial."
Seeing that Yu Xi disagreed, he covered his mouth before Yu Xi could speak and looked at him insistently.
He had a hunch that this matter might be related to Xiaoqi's disappearance. He was also feeling uneasy waiting for news in the harem, so he might as well follow and know the result first.
In the end, Yu Xi gave in and pulled down his hand, holding it in her palm. "You can go, but you can only listen in the back hall."
Ling Huanchen nodded. As long as he could follow him, it didn't matter whether he was in front of or behind the hall.
The Mingcheng spies demanded a court trial at the morning court. Yu Xi agreed, but the venue was changed to the Ministry of Justice. Yu Xi personally sat in the main hall, flanked by the Left Prime Minister and Du Heng as jurors.
When the spy was brought up, he found that he was in the wrong place and there were only two court officials, so he was very uncooperative.
"The dignified King of Youcheng breaks his promise. Is this the way of doing things in Youcheng?"
Yu Xi didn't even raise her eyes, she just said, "Speak now, or go back and be punished."
These spies may have been trained to not be afraid of death, but they cannot help but fear a life worse than death.
The spy shut up and knelt down in front of the hall, answering every question Du Heng asked.
"Where are the other spies in Mingcheng now?"
The spy sneered, "It's in the court, would you like to hear it, sir?"
Du Heng glanced at the person in the upper position secretly and said, "Tell the truth."
The spy shook his head nonchalantly. "Since I've been captured by you, I'll tell you everything I know. This spy in the court is quite influential." He looked directly at the hall. "This person is the former prince of the mermaid tribe, and now the consort of the King of Youcheng."
"How dare you!" Du Heng slammed the gavel, "Don't lie."
"Your Excellency is putting me in a difficult position. If I don't tell you, you will force me to confess the truth. Now I tell you, you won't believe me." When the spy said this, although he was answering Du Heng, his eyes drifted towards Yu Xi.
Unfortunately, he did not see the result he wanted. Yu Xi's expression remained unchanged. He was not shocked or angry at all.
In fact, Yu Xi had already made preparations when he agreed to the trial, so he only invited the Left Prime Minister and Du Heng to serve as co-jurors, just in case. If the spy had said this in front of the ministers, it would have been a lot of trouble. Now, with just one word from him, the matter could be settled quietly.
There is another thing, which is also the reason why Ling Huanchen insisted on coming along.
Yu Xi finally looked the man in the hall in the eye and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"
The spy changed his provocative attitude and knelt down in fear and trepidation like an honest commoner. "I have a witness. I have revealed the gathering place in the royal city, and there is a witness among them."
Yu Xi looked at Du Heng, "Where is the witness?"
Du Heng stood up immediately and said, "There are two people held outside the hall. They were both captured from the gathering point."
The spy kowtowed again and said, "Everything I said is true. If King You doesn't believe me, you can call witnesses."
Yu Xi nodded. Du Heng took a deep breath and said to the outsiders, "Bring the witness to the court!"
Ling Huanchen, who could only hear the voices from behind the hall, also stood up at this time. With the support of Yunhe, he walked to the door and did not take another step forward.
The witness walked slowly into the hall and fell to his knees with a thud.
Du Heng asked in a deep voice, "Who is here?"
The author has something to say:
Thank you to "Snow Leopard An Yongyuan Di Shen", "Carrying the Rainbow Banner", "Chu Jun is very beautiful", and "Li Luoluo" for the nutrient solution encouragement~
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