To outsiders, it was clear that Lord Huo had merely offered a greeting, without any apparent sign of intimacy or unusual behavior.
Qin Xun's heart was filled with turbulent waves.
A simple "Take care on your journey" seemed to see right through him, Lord Huo...
Suddenly it dawned on me that this Lord Huo had always admired Xie Lingqin.
...
At this moment, after the court session, the Emperor went straight to the Imperial Study. As soon as he sat down, he looked at Eunuch Ni beside him and asked, "How is Consort De?"
"Your Majesty, it is quiet."
"Ah, if I had known she had such snow-white skin and such captivating charm, I really shouldn't have let that scholar have her back then."
The emperor's expression was both sarcastic and ruthless, revealing his ability to manipulate people at will.
“Your Majesty, now that the scholar is dead, Aunt Nie… oh no, Consort De, is unaware of what happened back then. You have completely controlled her.”
"Heh, she can't be underestimated. After all, didn't the news say that she had some dealings with Xie Lingqin?"
"yes."
The Emperor withdrew his gaze and fell upon the memorial on his face. It contained the Crown Prince's report on arrangements for the suffering people in remote areas, as well as the importance and investigation into the recent disappearances of people in and around the capital.
"Smack—"
The Emperor's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly slammed the memorial to the ground. "This Crown Prince is truly unfilial."
The emperor was furious, and Eunuch Ni quickly lowered his head.
"Do you really think I'm so easily fooled that I can't tell who's who?" The Emperor's brows furrowed sharply as he suddenly called out from the shadows.
The Thunder Guards appeared in secret.
"Is everything arranged?"
The messenger said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, it should be almost done."
"Remember, I want them alive. I may wound or kill them, but they must be spared."
The visitor was terrified by the emperor's sinister tone, and immediately nodded and withdrew.
Standing to the side, Eunuch Ni listened to the conversation between the Emperor and the newcomer, lowered his brows, and dared not utter a sound.
...
In the Moon Palace, the gauze curtains flutter, and a subtle fragrance fills the air.
The woman, dressed in magnificent palace attire, was alluring and captivating, possessing a natural charm that seemed to seep into her very bones. Every smile, every gesture, every curve of her lips and the slightest touch of her brow was not something artificially acquired. Any man who caught her eye would be utterly mesmerized.
However, as the woman raised and lowered her hand, she slipped a deadly dagger and a small bottle of poison into her belt.
A stunning beauty, yet with a poisonous heart.
"You think you can kill the emperor this way?"
A person suddenly appeared in the quiet hall.
Dressed in an apricot-yellow prince's robe, with a jade crown on his head, and handsome eyebrows and phoenix eyes, he looked as if he were looking at a deep, dark sea, and felt a chill in his touch.
Consort De, also known as Nie Zuier, looked at the newcomer and smiled sarcastically, "Heh, so it's His Highness the Crown Prince. You entered the palace of the Emperor's consort without announcing your arrival or giving any greetings. That's not very proper."
"You shouldn't have entered the palace."
The crown prince stepped forward, his voice and expression cold and aloof.
"Ha! Yes, I shouldn't have entered the palace. But shouldn't the Crown Prince thank me? If I kill the Emperor, I will not only avenge him, but the Crown Prince will also be able to ascend the throne without bearing the infamy of regicide. At that time, he will be able to dominate the world and achieve great things in no time. It will be much faster than when you hurt Xie Lingqin, won't it?"
Every word was spoken with a light laugh, every sound a sarcastic remark.
The Crown Prince remained silent, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, his phoenix gaze like an unfathomable, deep sea. "I'm just here to warn you, you can't kill the Emperor, so don't waste your time."
"How will I know if I don't try? It's like..."
Nie Zuier's expression suddenly turned cold, and in the next instant, she held a dagger and thrust it straight at the prince's chest, saying, "I'll kill you."
The voice was cold and menacing, but the Crown Prince had clearly anticipated this. As he retreated, he raised his leg to block the dagger with a thunderous force, knocking it aside with a crisp sound.
"Overestimating one's abilities."
The Crown Prince spoke coldly and bloodthirstily, but Nie Zuier looked at him and her expression changed in surprise. "No, you are not the Crown Prince, you are..." Nie Zuier's voice was heavy, "You are the legendary Yuwen Yao's younger brother, Yuwen An."
The Crown Prince, Yuwen An, remained calm even after being seen through. Instead, he sneered, "Since you know, shouldn't we silence you?"
"Where is the real crown prince?"
Nie Zuier asked, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.
"This is not something you should know. I was only asked by him to stop you so that I wouldn't let you die a violent death. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind having another corpse in this world."
"The Crown Prince won't let me die?"
“Yes, so you’d better shut up.” Yuwen An leaned closer to Nie Zuier, his voice cold and his eyes sneer. “After all, I’m not as merciful as Yuwen Yao.”
"Mercy? Ha!"
Upon hearing this, Nie Zuier raised her lips and sneered, "Are you joking with me? Isn't that too insulting to the meaning of the word 'mercy'? Well, yes, he is quite merciful. In order to avoid being shamed by the world for murdering his father and seizing the throne, he wholeheartedly serves as the emperor's lackey."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen An's face darkened with displeasure, his brows furrowing deeply. "You wouldn't understand."
"Yes, I don't understand how ambitious a man can be to manipulate people's hearts like that, to take advantage of the woman who loves him the most, and to hurt her so deeply."
Yuwen An's mood was gloomy, and his face was full of anger. "You've been in the palace for so many days now. Don't you know that people are dying in the palace every day? And that more and more people are going missing in the capital every day? Haven't you heard?"
Nie Zuier, of course, knew and had heard about it. Looking at Yuwen An, she asked, "What do you want to say?"
"I'll take you somewhere."
Yuwen An led Nie Zui'er out of the palace quietly and arrived at a back mountain. There was no moon tonight, and a cool breeze seemed to be blowing, like a mournful cry.
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