Zihe looked around and then retreated far away.
"Since ancient times, although it has not been explicitly stated, the birth of twins in the Luan family has always been considered an ominous sign. I thought that the Emperor of Beirong would be an exception and remain firmly on the throne, but I did not expect that it would be the same."
Looking at the dense bamboo grove ahead, Xie Lingqin sighed, "I'm wondering if what happened more than ten years ago was related to this incident? Did the Emperor poison Prince Yong and force my mother to marry General Xie in order to win over General Xie's army and keep him firmly under his control?!"
Xie Lingqin couldn't be sure.
The night made Yuwen Yao's eyes appear deep and dark. He patted Xie Lingqin's shoulder and said, "Don't think about it anymore. Remember, I'm here for you."
"Of course, I just realized that you look quite like a brother-in-law."
"So, you've already decided in your heart that you're going to marry me?"
Xie Lingqin glanced at Yuwen Yao.
Under the cover of night, his face was as smooth as jade, as if coated with a lustrous sheen, and his gentle, watery eyes made her want to look into his gaze without blinking.
Xie Lingqin chuckled and gently stroked Yuwen Yao's chest. "You didn't rest properly at home, but came all the way here. You must be tired."
"Not really. My uncle once said that if one day, I should treat Xie Danling well."
Xie Lingqin was slightly taken aback.
The night was so deep and cool that it seemed as if the dawn was already visible on the horizon.
Not long after, upon hearing the sound of hurried footsteps not far away, Xie Lingqin told Yuwen Yao to leave. She then tidied herself up and walked towards the body of Prince Yong, intending to take Xie Danling away.
However, Xie Danling has disappeared.
There was nothing unusual about Prince Yong's body, except that there seemed to be a water stain on his chest.
"Miss……
Zihe appeared at this moment, and upon seeing this, her expression tightened. "Where is the young master? He wouldn't have gone back to confront Zhuang Jun, would he?"
"If they're really that stupid, then there's no point in trying to save them."
After Xie Lingqin finished speaking, she waved to Zihe.
When the Imperial Guards, led by Eunuch Ni, came to collect the body, they headed towards the village from the other side.
At this time, no one in the village was allowed to leave.
The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back in the center, his face solemn. Wang Renyi and Li Junjian were leading their men to check each room one by one.
The Fifth Princess stood beside the Emperor, looking utterly bored.
"Your Majesty, those people have truly all vanished, as if they've evaporated into thin air."
"What... this Yuwen Yong, after all these years, has finally outmaneuvered me." The Emperor nodded, then ordered, "Go check the hidden corners of the room again, see if there are any secret passages."
No sooner had the Emperor finished speaking than Wang Renyi arrived with his men to report, "Your Majesty, we've discovered a secret passage inside the house. It's extremely well-hidden; we searched several times before finally finding it. We tried to find someone lying down to go down and investigate, but the passage has been completely destroyed, and we don't know where it leads."
The Emperor frowned, his face darkening. After a moment, he looked at Wang Renyi and said, "He was prepared long ago. But what can a mere hundred men do? There's no need to search anymore."
"yes."
"Give the order: no one is to divulge what happened tonight, or their entire family will be executed."
"yes."
"Words and arrows."
At this moment, Xie Lingqin was walking over slowly. Before he could say anything, the Fifth Princess was already calling him, and she seemed a little excited.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject has once again come to pay homage to your divine countenance." Xie Lingqin clasped her hands and walked over.
"Yes, I have heard about it. It was only because of your delaying tactics that the Fifth Princess was spared." The Emperor looked at Xie Lingqin with great approval. "Rest assured, I will reward you handsomely for this."
"I, a humble commoner, dare not accept such praise."
"Fortunately, these lads are all safe and sound, otherwise, my court officials would probably be crying their eyes out one by one."
Xie Lingqin followed the Emperor's gaze and looked to the side.
It was Xie Danling and Xu Shixun and a few others.
Jinmian looked as if she had survived a catastrophe.
Xie Lingqin had seen Xie Danling when she walked over earlier, and she was somewhat surprised to see that he looked normal.
However, it's not appropriate to say much right now.
"Your Majesty, when we were looking for him just now, Young Master Yan was not there. We do not know where he went."
As Xie Lingqin glanced to the side, Wang Renyi stepped forward.
Upon hearing this, all the attention of the more than one hundred people present turned to Xie Lingqin.
Xie Lingqin looked at Wang Renyi with a bright smile, "Minister Wang, even the Emperor hasn't doubted me, yet you've already started to suspect me."
“Young Master Yan, I don’t doubt you. It’s just that everyone else stayed, except you. So, I’m doing this for the Emperor’s safety.”
"Since you say that, I feel a little better. But you probably won't believe me even if I tell you."
"How could that be? As long as Young Master Yan's words are reasonable, I will believe them, and the Emperor will believe them too."
Xie Lingqin looked at Wang Renyi, thinking how wicked he was, truly wicked in every way. She chuckled lightly, seemingly a little embarrassed, and said, "My attendant and I went to urinate. Halfway through, she needed to relieve herself. This place is so dangerous, just in case, I had to wait for her. Do you believe this reason, Your Excellency?"
"this……"
Seeing Wang Renyi's embarrassed expression, Xie Lingqin waved her hand and said, "It is indeed a coincidence, but I never thought that anyone would actually ask about it."
Wang Renyi's expression was rather unpleasant.
Meanwhile, the Emperor burst into laughter, "No wonder you're friends with Yi boy, you two have quite similar personalities."
"Your Majesty, if..."
Wang Renyi was still not giving up. He looked at Xie Lingqin and said, "If what Young Master Yan says is true, just in case, could you take me to the place you and Sui went just now?"
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