Chapter 32 Something is wrong, let’s go!
"Don't think about it. Let's go to the study and buy some more books to read."
Zhao Siyuan just felt that the Ninth Prince was ungrateful and didn't want to talk about him at all.
Xihe nodded listlessly, as a sign of agreement.
As they arrived at the study, a young servant, unfamiliar to them, approached them and said with a smile, "Your Excellency has arrived. The books are ready for you. They are in the backyard. Please come this way."
Zhao Siyuan was a regular customer and had long been familiar with the people here. When he saw unfamiliar faces, he didn't think much of it and just thought they were new hires. After all, this business was indeed booming.
"Let's go, sister."
Xihe had just taken two steps when she felt something was wrong. Just as she was about to step into the inner courtyard, she grabbed Zhao Siyuan and said, "Sister, I don't think something is right. The books are all in the front, why did he bring us to the back?"
Zhao Siyuan frowned and carefully observed the wind around him. "Something's wrong. Let's go!"
She pulled Xihe and was about to retreat, but the man saw that the two of them looked strange, so he took the initiative and used drugs on them. The two girls immediately became unconscious and fell to the ground unconscious.
When they woke up again, they found themselves tied up and placed in a dilapidated temple.
The two men were only slightly drugged and had no other wounds on their bodies.
Xihe closed his eyes, stood under the sacred tree, clasped his hands together, and looked pious.
[Oh, sacred tree, can you give me a knife?]
A gust of wind blew in the space, the red ribbon fell, and a small knife appeared in Xihe's hand.
"Sister, don't move. I'll cut it open for you first."
Fortunately, that group of people were tied in front, otherwise it would be inconvenient.
Zhao Siyuan was completely stunned by his sister's actions. "Where did you get the knife?"
"I peeled an apple before leaving the palace and forgot to put it back." Xihe smiled and spoke nonsense seriously.
Zhao Siyuan had no doubts.
While I was cutting the rope, I heard voices outside the door.
"Lord Liu, do we really want to kill Princess Zhaoyuan? I'm afraid Emperor Jingyuan will blame me."
As soon as the voice of the man called Lord Liu sounded, the two sisters recognized that he was the man who had attacked Xiao Mingxuan in Qianyuan Hall.
Lord Liu laughed out loud, "What are you afraid of? If something goes wrong, just blame it on Nan Li. Who would have thought it was us who did it?"
"But it's just a child."
Lord Liu sneered, "She is indeed a child, but who made her bear the title of Lucky Star? Think about it, if Tianshuo's Lucky Star suddenly died, wouldn't the people think that it was the tyrant's immorality that caused the heavens to send down punishment and take away the Lucky Star?"
If enough people spread a rumor, it will become true. Who will care whether the source is true or false?
"Your Excellency, this is a brilliant plan. With this plan, the tyrant will surely lose the support of the people."
The two sisters looked at each other and felt hateful.
Xihe rolled her eyes, handed Zhao Siyuan a packet of powder, and whispered in her ear.
The two sisters made up their minds and sprinkled the powder while the two men came in.
"Xihe, let's go!"
Zhao Siyuan took his sister's hand and rushed out. The dilapidated temple was in the mountains. Although it was easy to hide in the woods, it was easy to get lost. After many twists and turns, the two found a small temple.
Zhao Siyuan swallowed, not sure whether the people here were accomplices.
Xihe looked around. There was a faint Buddhist light covering the sky above the temple. It seemed to be a blessed place.
"Sister, let's go in."
Zhao Siyuan had complete faith in his sister and strode ahead to explore the way.
This was a Taoist temple. When the temple master heard about their experience, he let them stay there and sent someone with a token to report to the palace.
The two little girls hugged each other in silence for a long time.
"Sister~" After finally calming down, Xihe couldn't help but feel a little scared. The calmness she had just had was swept away, and she kept moving closer to Zhao Siyuan's arms, seeking a sense of security.
"I'm here." Zhao Siyuan was only nine years old, but with a five-year-old Xihe, he looked like an adult. "It's okay. We've been missing for the whole afternoon. Seeing that we didn't go out, those people will definitely return to the palace to ask for help. Father and the others will find us by tomorrow morning at the latest."
Xihe responded with a deep voice.
Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside the door. The two sisters looked at each other and immediately became alert.
As the door opened, the cold wind whistled past, bringing some snow.
Xiao Mingxuan stood at the door in a disheveled state, his body covered in snow, even his eyelashes were covered with a layer of frost.
"Little brother?" Xihe opened his eyes wide and looked at the person at the door in disbelief. The grievance in his heart suddenly surged up.
Xiao Mingxuan was panting heavily, and was afraid that the wind and snow on the fox fur would freeze the little girl, so he lifted the fur and hugged her inside. When he spoke, it startled the little girl, and his voice was very hoarse. "Xiao Xi'er, fortunately, fortunately you are okay."
The warmth in the arms lingered, and it was so hot that it made the little girl cry.
Then she thought of the other party's ruthlessness that day. The little girl pouted, raised her head and pushed Xiao Mingxuan away.
Xiao Mingxuan was caught off guard and was pushed back a few steps.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Mingxuan's throat was very hoarse as he hadn't drunk a sip of water for the whole day.
Xihe turned her head away, clearly showing that she didn't want to pay any attention to Xiao Mingxuan.
"Don't you hate me? Are you telling me to get lost? Don't you want me anymore? You bad guy!"
When talking about her grievances, the little girl couldn't help but redden her eyes, and she looked even more pitiful.
"I didn't abandon you. I was wrong, wasn't I?" When Xiao Mingxuan thought of what he said that day, he wanted to go back to the past and beat that stupid Xiao Mingxuan to death. "Xiao Xi'er, didn't we agree last time that you would tell me after you leave the palace?"
The little girl responded in a muffled voice.
"You didn't go to the National Academy that day. I learned that you ran away again. I was very angry, so..."
Xiao Mingxuan is not a fool. He guessed it almost right on the way here and has already punished Shi Jian. Once this matter is over, he will send Shi Jian back to Beili.
He doesn't need subordinates who act on their own.
"I wanted to give you a surprise, but in a hurry I... forgot the agreement." Xihe knew that she was in the wrong, so she felt awkward and didn't dare to look the other person in the eye when she apologized.
"I found out later." Xiao Mingxuan still felt a lingering fear.
Every time he withdrew his secret guards, something happened to the little girl.
"Fortunately, fortunately you are okay." Xiao Mingxuan took the little girl into his arms again, and it felt real again. "If anything happened to you today, I'm afraid I would hate myself to death."
No one knew how terrified Xiao Mingxuan was when he learned that the little girl was missing. He never wanted to feel that way again.
Once the conflict was resolved, a familiar feeling of intimacy lingered between the two of them. Xihe's eyes suddenly became moist, and she leaned into Xiao Mingxuan's arms and cried.
"Wow, little brother, why did you come just now? I almost missed seeing you." All the grievances of the past few days came pouring out. Xihe cried breathlessly, kept complaining, and looked extremely miserable.
When the little girl cried, Xiao Mingxuan felt his heart aching and numb, and he hugged her even tighter.
"It's my fault, everything is my fault. I won't be mean to you anymore. You can do whatever you want. When we get back, I'll take it if you want to hit me or scold me. Okay?"
Xiao Mingxuan was the first to discover that the little girl was missing. He borrowed people from the National Academy and secretly sent secret guards to investigate. After a thorough carpet search, he finally found the girl in this Taoist temple before dark.
Xiao Mingxuan felt only infinite regret in his heart at this moment. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he had been a step later and something had happened to the little girl.
A feeling quietly split open the earth and bounded the borders in my heart, standing firm under the beating of the cold wind, and even showing signs of getting stronger and stronger.
Xihe: "Then can I still go to Mingyue Palace?"
Xiao Mingxuan: "Come if you want to. If you don't want to move, I'll pick you up."
Xihe: "Will you still be mean to me?"
Xiao Mingxuan: "There will never be another one."
Xihe: "Then can I go out of the palace to play?"
Xiao Mingxuan: "If you want to go, just tell me and I'll go with you."
After several questions and answers, Xiao Mingxuan agreed to everything Xihe said until he made the little girl laugh.
Zhao Siyuan: “…”
I always feel like she shouldn't be here.
The little girl was very tired and soon fell asleep in Xiao Mingxuan's arms.
Before falling asleep, he was still mumbling, "You can't scold me! You can't be mean to me! If you are mean to me again, I will never talk to you again."
There were still tears hanging on her eyelashes. Xiao Mingxuan sighed and patted them gently.
"No."
*
Emperor Jingyuan was also quick to act. Just after midnight, the Imperial Guards arrived.
Emperor Jingyuan took his little daughter in and quickly wrapped her in a cloak.
"Where's Siyuan? Is he hurt?"
Zhao Siyuan smiled flattered and shook his head quickly, "Don't worry, father. I'm fine."
Only then did Emperor Jingyuan feel relieved.
He glanced at Xiao Mingxuan but had no intention of punishing him.
"You saved my daughter, so the matter of leaving the realm is over. Your merits and demerits offset each other."
Xiao Mingxuan stood in the snow, with the light behind him, and said a few more words, "She is very good to me."
Emperor Jingyuan knew about the relationship between the Ninth Prince and his youngest daughter. He didn't want to spoil his daughter's fun, so as long as Xiao Mingxuan behaved well, he would turn a blind eye and pretend not to see anything.
"Have you found the kidnapped person?" asked Emperor Jingyuan.
Xiao Mingxuan nodded, "It's Beili's envoy."
Everyone was shocked.
Now not only Emperor Jingyuan, but even Zhao Siyuan thought that Xiao Mingxuan was crazy.
The envoy from Beili has a close relationship with him, so it is obvious that he has surrendered himself.
Emperor Jingyuan looked at the child in front of him with great interest, "Where is he?"
Xiao Mingxuan replied, "Inside the ruined temple not far away, people from the National Academy are watching."
This answer was frank and neither humble nor arrogant, which made Emperor Jingyuan look sideways.
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?" Emperor Jingyuan was rarely interested.
"Xihe will be sad." Xiao Mingxuan said.
Emperor Jingyuan's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly became furious, with murderous intent. "How dare you threaten me with Xihe? Xiao Mingxuan, are you tired of living?"
His little daughter is his bottom line. If someone touches her, he will show no mercy no matter who the opponent is.
The Royal Guards drew their swords, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.
"You won't. Your Majesty is very discerning and will not let evildoers go, nor will he implicate innocent people." Xiao Mingxuan's expression remained unchanged, and he remained unmoved. "Besides, I can't bear to see her in such a dilemma."
These words were somewhat presumptuous, but they also gave the remaining people in Beili a glimmer of hope.
When the emperor is angry, millions of people will die. Emperor Jingyuan never shows mercy.
If he didn't speak up today, the rest of the delegation would definitely not survive.
Emperor Jingyuan suddenly laughed out loud, looked at Xiao Mingxuan carefully, and said something incoherent, "You... are not bad."
"In that case, I'll leave the thief to you. Xu Qingye, lead the troops to help him."
Emperor Jingyuan said this and left with the two princesses.
Xu Qingye called a group of people, "Ninth Prince, please!"
Xiao Mingxuan walked in front with Shi Jian, and Xu Qingye was a full two meters away from him.
Shi Jian endured it all the way, and when he saw that the other party could no longer hear him, he asked in a special code: "Sir, why did you take such a step today? It made the dog emperor suspicious of you for no reason."
"Zhao Yuheng has never been completely confident in me. It's only a matter of time before he finds out. Besides, a prince with some potential is always more reassuring to him than a foolish and unpredictable prince."
Xiao Mingxuan had already planned to show his true colors, and he just went with the flow.
"So you're not trying to protect the rest of the Beili delegation."
"Yes and no." Xiao Mingxuan walked with his hands behind his back. The wind and snow ahead were getting stronger, and his feet made a crunching sound on the snow. "The only person I want to protect is General Ning Yuan. He holds a quarter of the military power of Beili. With what happened today, he has to accept this favor even if he doesn't want to."
As for the others, they were worthless and he didn't care whether they were dead or alive.
"Then Princess Zhaoyuan, what are your plans?" Shi Jian asked despite knowing that it was an overstepping of his bounds.
Xiao Mingxuan paused for a moment and quickly returned to normal.
Before today, he might have been determined to give up completely, but now, if he were to ask himself honestly, he could no longer let go.
It turns out that there really is a person in this world who can cause mountains to collapse, and thousands of butterflies fly by, flapping their wings at the tip of your heart.
He accepts life or death, blessing or misfortune in the future.
There is only one person he will never let go.
Even if she hates him in the future.
"Before you leave, leave the secret medicine behind." Xiao Mingxuan said this and walked forward on his own, disappearing into the wind and fog.
Shi Jian suddenly opened his eyes wide, unable to say anything to stop him.
Beili Palace's secret medicine, used to make one forget their name, identity, relatives, friends, and past, is called "rebirth".
The wind and snow grew stronger, covering the entire mountain, and there was no trace of sunlight.
*
The next day, Emperor Jingyuan received a report from Xu Qingye, which mentioned how Xiao Mingxuan tortured and killed the two men.
Emperor Jingyuan bestowed rewards as a token of his appreciation and had no intention of pursuing the actions of the other members of the delegation.
This test is passed.
As soon as Xihe returned to the palace, she was cared for by many people. First, Concubine Xian sent her many precious tonics for calming the mind. Zhao Chengning and Zhao Jinyuan came together and brought Xihe many interesting books and toys. Zhao Zhinan also came and secretly brought her some new storybooks, and even scolded the group of Beili envoys.
After resting for two days, Xihe could no longer sit still and was scrambling to go back to the National Academy to attend classes.
When Emperor Jingyuan found out, he chuckled twice, did not expose his little daughter's ulterior motives, and waved his hand in agreement.
"Why don't you rest for a few more days? There's no rush in the National Academy." Zhao Chengning asked worriedly, looking at his sister's still pale face.
Xihe certainly didn't dare to say that she was going there to see Xiao Mingxuan, so she could only chuckle and say, "The annual exam is coming up soon, I can't fall behind in my studies."
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