72. Chapter 72 Return to Beijing
Pei Xiuhan's eyes turned cold, and he looked at Xiaoxing with a cold look.
Xiaoxing's hand trembled slightly, but the dagger in his hand was firmly against Xiaoxiao's neck. Seeing that Pei Xiuhan did not move, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He whispered to Xiaoxiao, "Sister, I must take you away."
Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and said, "I won't leave."
Even though the knife was pressed against her neck, there was no fear in her eyes. She even tilted her neck and moved it towards the dagger.
Xiaoxing's heart trembled, and he hurriedly moved the dagger away.
Xiaoxiao turned her head to look at him. The boy's eyes were full of panic, and he was obviously afraid that she would get hurt.
Xiaoxiao extended her hand towards him, pursed her lips and said, "If you still recognize me as your sister, give me the dagger."
Xiaoxing felt a little sad. He had been in Zhang's house for quite a long time, so he naturally knew how much Pei Xiuhan valued her. He knew in his heart that holding Xiaoxiao hostage was the only way for them to leave safely. When he met Xiaoxiao's clear eyes, he finally handed the dagger to her.
Xiaoxiao reached out and caught the dagger.
Xiao Xing's legs felt weak, his tense nerves completely relaxed at that moment. Attempting to murder the emperor was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his clan. He lowered his head, looking as if surrendering, and said to Pei Xiu Han, "I did everything. It has nothing to do with Xiao Xiao, Zhang Li, or my mother. You can kill me or chop me up as you please, but don't implicate innocent people."
Pei Xiuhan ignored him and walked straight to Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao also looked at him. After not seeing him for more than two months, Xiaoxiao felt that he had changed a lot. Not only did he look tired, but he also looked much thinner. The only thing that remained unchanged was the aura around him, which was as captivating as ever.
Xiaoxiao's heart and eyes were filled with him, and she could hardly suppress her longing. She trotted to him and threw herself into his arms. Pei Xiuhan put his arms around her slender waist and kissed her hair.
Xiaoxiao hugged him for a moment before she raised her little head and said, "Brother, don't you still have about twenty days before you can come back?"
Pei Xiuhan returned secretly. The disaster situation had been mostly stabilized. He had been investigating the robbery of disaster relief silver. Facts had proved that this was not as simple as collusion between officials and bandits. Pei Xiuhan suspected that Dajin was behind it.
After learning from Yang Hao that a man in black had contacted Xiaoxing, Pei Xiuhan returned to the capital. When he was about to arrive in the capital at noon, he received a secret report from Luzhu, and learned that Xiaoxing had taken Xiaoxiao away. He changed his route and chased after him.
Pei Xiuhan said: "The plan was changed temporarily."
He looked Xiaoxiao up and down carefully, and when he saw that the little girl was not injured, he looked at Xiaoxing. The boy lowered his head, his face was pale, and his expression was dull. He seemed to have accepted his fate and stood there dejectedly.
"Take him with you."
After Pei Xiuhan gave the order, guards from a distance came over. One of them took a rope and tied Xiaoxing's wrists. Xiaoxing stood there without moving, allowing the guards to tie his hands.
Xiaoxiao had a hint of worry on her face. Knowing that the road was not the place to talk, she didn't say much. In fact, although she knew Xiaoxing was forced, she was also a little angry.
Fortunately, Luzhu and Yang Hao had been monitoring him and discovered his contact with the man in black in advance. They also replaced the medicine bag on him in time, otherwise Pei Jing would have been in trouble.
Pei Xiuhan took Xiaoxiao and mounted the horse. They rode ten miles forward, but it was already dark before they reached the Huguo Temple.
Not only does it get dark quickly in winter, it's also very cold outside. Seeing Xiaoxiao's hands were a little cold, Pei Xiuhan stopped in front of the inn and said, "Rest here for a night and go back tomorrow."
Knowing that he must have been traveling for several days and must be tired by now, Xiaoxiao nodded obediently.
The inn wasn't very big, and there weren't many guests at the moment, so there were some vacancies. Xiaoxing and the guards stayed on the first floor, while Pei Xiuhan and Xiaoxiao stayed on the second.
After dinner, Pei Xiuhan took Xiaoxiao upstairs.
There happened to be two empty rooms on the second floor, so Pei Xiuhan let Xiaoxiao live in the inner one, and he lived next to Xiaoxiao.
Pei Xiuhan went into her room and checked. Seeing nothing unusual, he said, "Come in."
The room was not very big, with only a table, a clothes hanger and a bed inside, but fortunately it was clean.
Seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes and his tired face, Xiaoxiao felt distressed. She couldn't help but urge him, "Brother, go back and rest early."
Pei Xiu Han didn't move. He still looked down at him. The candlelight shone on his face, making him look indescribably gentle.
"Come here and let your brother hug you again."
His deep voice was already extremely pleasant to the ear, and at this moment he lowered it deliberately. Xiaoxiao's heart couldn't help but beat heavily, and she couldn't help but throw herself into Pei Xiuhan's arms again.
Pei Xiu Han touched the girl's head and held her in his arms. The longing he had felt for her for more than two months seemed to have reached its peak at this moment. Even though he had already seen her, a sense of restlessness still surged in his chest.
He bent down and kissed her hair, but felt it was not enough. He couldn't help but pinch the girl's smooth chin, bent down and kissed her lips, touching her twice like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Xiaoxiao's heart almost stopped beating. She couldn't help but hold her breath. Her little hands unconsciously grasped Pei Xiuhan's clothes. She even raised her little face obediently.
That demanding look made Pei Xiu Han's heart constrict. He couldn't help but kiss her lips more deeply, no longer just lightly. When the four lips touched each other, the fire in Pei Xiu Han's heart suddenly flared up, like a prairie fire, wanting to burn her to ashes.
He unconsciously pried open her teeth and, as if he had learned it by heart, entangled her small and flexible tongue. Xiaoxiao felt a little dizzy, her face flushed, her heart beat fast, and her legs inexplicably weak. If Pei Xiuhan had not held her waist tightly, she would have slipped down.
Pei Xiu Han didn't let her go until she was out of breath. The girl's eyes were filled with moisture, and her delicate and tempting lips were slightly swollen. Pei Xiu Han's deep eyes were darker than the night sky. His hand unconsciously caressed her delicate lips. When his fingertips slid across her lips, Xiao Xiao's body trembled uncontrollably.
She lowered her eyes shyly, not daring to look at him at all. Even after she crawled into bed, Xiaoxiao's heart was still pounding. She felt shy and panicked, but also inexplicably sweet, as if she had eaten candy.
The next day, after getting up, her lips returned to normal. Because she went to bed a little late, she couldn't help but sleep for half an hour longer. Pei Xiu Han didn't call her until Xiaoxiao woke up and finished her breakfast, then they set off again.
Pei Xiuhan separated from them when they were about to return to the capital. This time he returned to the capital secretly and did not intend to let too many people know his whereabouts for the time being. On the surface, he still stayed in Guzhou.
After he left, Luzhu appeared and returned to the capital with Xiaoxiao and Xiaoxing.
The streets of the capital were as prosperous as ever, bustling with people selling all kinds of things. Today there was a temple fair on the streets, and riding horses in the streets was not allowed, so they dismounted.
Walking on the street, Xiaoxiao discovered that the street vendors were all talking about the emperor's sudden fainting in the court. Even though she knew that Pei Jing was fine, Xiaoxiao still felt a little panicked when she heard these discussions.
Xiaoxing's eyes turned red, and her thick eyelashes trembled slightly. She felt inexplicably heavy. Even though she had not met Pei Jing many times, Xiaoxing actually had a very good impression of him.
The boy was sunny and unrestrained, and whenever he came, he always had a fresh energy with him. That was a life Xiaoxing had never experienced before.
But he killed his vitality with his own hands. Xiaoxing scratched his palm unconsciously and didn't even notice that his palm was broken. Drops of blood flowed down his white palm to the ground.
They soon arrived at Prince Yan's Mansion. After Xiaoxiao jumped off the horse, she looked at Xiaoxing. When she saw the wound on his hand, Xiaoxiao's heart tightened and she quickly grabbed Xiaoxing's hand.
The boy's palm was scratched to a bloody mess, which looked horrifying. Xiaoxiao felt heartbroken. Knowing that he had scratched it himself, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but knock on his head, "Why are you so careless?"
Xiaoxing lowered his eyelashes and didn't dare to look at her. Guilt, annoyance, uneasiness, and fear intertwined together, making him feel flustered and powerless.
Xiaoxiao glared at him. Fearing that there might be people from Dajin outside, she did not untie the rope on Xiaoxing's hands. Instead, she pulled the rope and dragged Xiaoxing into the palace.
She took Xiaoxing directly to Suyuexuan.
Pei Xiuhan arrived earlier than them. As soon as he returned to the house, Yang Hao hurried to greet him. He walked beside Pei Xiuhan and told him a general overview of what had happened in the capital.
After Pei Xiuhan had the medicine bag in Xiaoxing's hand replaced, he asked the imperial physician to examine the powder in the bag. Several imperial physicians examined it for several days, but they could only find out a dozen or so herbs contained in it, and could not find out the specific effects at all.
Finally, he took out a small amount and tested it on a mouse. Five hours later, the mouse fainted and never woke up again.
Pei Xiuhan had planned to take advantage of Pei Jing's trick, so he had him feign unconsciousness during the morning court session. Yang Hao briefly reported on the palace affairs, "I have already told Mr. Xiao the truth as you instructed. The Xiao family is still under his control."
Pei Xiuhan nodded and said, "Keep watching. Not only keep an eye on the people in the Xiao Mansion, but also keep an eye on Princess Yuyang. Pay attention to who she has close contact with. Don't let go of anything abnormal or not."
Pei Xiuhan also heard what Xiaoxing said. He had asked someone to keep an eye on Princess Yuyang, and he reminded her because he was afraid that his subordinates might overlook some small things.
"As for Pei Jing's health, we must keep it a secret from the other imperial doctors, except for Imperial Physician Qin. The fewer people who know about this, the better."
Yang Hao agreed.
Pei Xiuhan continued, "You should meet with Mr. Zhang secretly and tell him that I will come over tonight."
After everything was arranged, Xiaoxiao happened to return. After arriving at Suyuexuan, Xiaoxiao untied the rope on Xiaoxing's hands.
Xiaoxing was slightly stunned and couldn't help but look at Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao ignored him. She asked someone to find the ointment and applied it to him first.
The girl's hands were very warm. Looking at the bandaged hands, Xiaoxing's tears flowed down his cheeks unconsciously. He wiped his tears hurriedly.
Xiaoxiao still didn't tell him that Pei Jing was fine.
After applying the medicine, she brought Xiaoxing to Pei Xiuhan with a tense face and said to Xiaoxing, "Brother Pei promised me last night that he would give you a chance to redeem yourself, but only if you submit to Prince Yan's Mansion. In addition, if you can provide useful information, he will help you rescue your mother. What do you know?"
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