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They heard faint sounds of fighting coming from outside, and Qi Shuangyun and Su Tong exchanged a glance.
The moment the door was pushed open, He Lin burst in dressed in black, exuding murderous intent, and carrying a blood-stained longsword.
Su Tong trembled and took two steps back. Qi Shuangyun frowned and shouted, "Insolence! Who are you? How dare you—"
"mother!"
He Lin pulled off his mask and quickly went over to help Su Tong.
"Lin'er!"
Seeing that He Lin's black night clothes were stained with blood, Su Tong hurriedly checked him for any injuries: "How are you? Are you hurt? Let your mother take a look!"
"I'm fine, Mother." He Lin then looked up at Qi Shuangyun and nodded slightly: "Madam."
"He Lin, why are you back at this time? What's the situation outside?"
"Ma Zhang and Shangguan Dehui are working together from the inside and outside; they have already taken control of the palace."
Qi Shuangyun never expected that the traitor was actually Shangguan Dehui. She was immediately enraged and cursed, "This old bastard! What has my imperial brother ever done to wrong him? He made him the prime minister, who is second only to the emperor, and he is still not satisfied. How dare he start a rebellion!"
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Let me take you out first. Mother, where is Jiang Yi? Where is she?"
I looked around when I came in, but I didn't see her anywhere.
Su Tong gripped He Lin's hand tightly and told him the truth: "Lin'er, Zhao Fu discovered that Yi'er had something from Yu Ling Pavilion on her, and she was taken away to see Ma Zhang."
Upon hearing this, He Lin pursed his lips, feeling a mix of emotions, a tightness in his chest.
The golden feather was originally sent to protect her. The capital city is full of powerful and wealthy people, and given Jiang Yi's impulsive nature, they were worried that she might cause trouble again. With the golden feather by her side, the people from Yu Ling Pavilion would naturally come forward to help her.
He Lin never expected that something would happen in the capital, and that Jin Yu would become her death warrant...
"She'll be fine. I'll see you out of the manor first."
Qi Shuangyun replied, "I'm not leaving. This is the General's Mansion. I'm not going anywhere."
Su Tong gently patted He Lin's hand, "Lin'er, you don't need to worry about us, just go do what you need to do."
He Lin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, Mother, you can stay here in the mansion without worry. People from the Divine Machine Battalion will come tomorrow."
Qi Shuangyun had been observing He Lin's every move. Her calm and rationality were admirable, completely unlike her usual frail appearance.
He asked in astonishment, "The Divine Machine Battalion? Without His Majesty's tiger tally, how can they obey your orders?"
He Lin glanced at her and said, "I have my own way."
Qi Shuangyun fell silent. If she had only had some doubts before, now she was certain and certain—He Lin's identity was definitely not simple.
Shan Yanzhi came out from the back door and headed straight for the front courtyard of the General's Mansion.
"Young master, everyone has been dealt with."
He Lin handed him a token and said expressionlessly, "Go and summon a team of Shenji Battalion soldiers, and have the spies keep a close eye on the Prime Minister's residence."
"yes."
Dan Yanzhi took the token, looked up at He Lin's face, which was not very good. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his dark eyes were sharp and fixed on the front, as if he was worried about something.
"Young master, Miss Jiang is still angry. Isn't she going with you?"
He Lin lifted his leg and left, saying indifferently, "Go do it."
Dan Yanzhi was stunned for a moment, then clasped his hands in a salute, turned around, flew onto the roof, and headed south of the city.
Two days later, Jiang Yi paced anxiously back and forth in the room. She hadn't been able to leave the room for the past two days, and people were bringing her food, drink, and other necessities. It was like being watched as a prisoner, and she was about to suffocate. But then she thought, wasn't she a hostage?
I wonder how He Lin is doing. Jin Yu, please don't let him get hurt.
"Young Madam, my master requests your presence."
Zhao Fu's voice rang out in the courtyard. Jiang Yi opened the door and saw a row of guards standing there.
Wow, she's got quite the presence, actually having so many guards.
What's meant to happen will happen. Don't be afraid, fear won't help. Since some things can't be avoided, then face them and solve them.
Jiang Yi comforted herself in this way, exhaled a deep breath of warm air, which quickly dissipated in the cold wind. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and followed Zhao Fu out of the courtyard.
"Your Highness, the person has been brought."
Hearing the sound, Ma Zhang turned around and waved his hand, signaling Zhao Fu to go outside and wait.
Holding the golden feather in his hand, his first words were: "Young lady, do you understand your husband?"
Jiang Yi didn't understand why he asked that, but she maintained her previous persona: "I don't know. I remember telling the prince that there is no affection between us and we are about to get a divorce."
Ma Zhang lowered his head and smiled: "So what kind of person is he in your heart?"
This question stumped Jiang Yi, and she couldn't help but pause in surprise.
"Don't misunderstand, I have never married or had children in my life. I just want to know how ordinary couples get along."
When Ma Zhang said this, a hint of sorrow appeared between his brows, as if he were lost in memories and mourning someone. Moreover, he did not refer to himself as "this king," but rather as "I," perhaps without even realizing it himself.
Logically speaking, the two were complete strangers and had a significant age difference, yet Jiang Yi felt as if he was talking to her like a friend.
"To be honest, He Lin is a rather aloof person. He doesn't usually like to talk much. When I first met him, he was quite gentle and would even smile at me. But after spending more time with him, I realized that he was just pretending. Behind his gentleness was indifference. When there were other people around, he would talk more and act as gentle and refined as jade. When no one was around, he would be very cold and indifferent to people."
Ma Zhang laughed: "Then I guess you must be special to him, different from others. In other words, he only lets down his guard and shows his true self in front of you. Girl, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"
Jiang Yi thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true.
After they became a couple, He Lin was no longer as cold as before. He would bicker and argue with her, and he seemed more like a real person.
In a flash, a white light flashed in her mind: Could it be that He Lin's previous coldness was all to get her attention?
Little devil, you've been keeping it a secret! You had to wait for her to confess her feelings first—typical Virgo!
Jiang Yi could barely contain her smile, so she quickly cleared her throat and pretended to be serious.
"Even if it makes sense, it has nothing to do with me. I'm going to get a divorce anyway."
“Girl, even though you are his bedmate, how come you don’t understand him at all? I’m wasting my breath analyzing this for you, just so you don’t miss each other. It will be too late to regret it once you’ve lost the one you love.”
Jiang Yi persisted in her explanation: "Your Highness, you've misunderstood. I really don't know him well."
Seeing that she was unmoved by his words, Ma Zhang couldn't help but sigh softly: "I'll return the golden feather to you. I don't know He Lin, but I know Yu Ling Pavilion. My assessment of Xi Chen can be summed up in one word—ruthless. Ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to himself. He must have suffered a lot to reach the position of Pavilion Master at such a young age. That's all I have to say. You can decide for yourself."
Jiang Yi had her suspicions that He Lin and the Xi Chen he mentioned were the same person.
After a moment of silence, she finally voiced her doubts: "Why are you telling me all this?"
Ma Zhang touched the jade pendant at his waist with extremely gentle movements, as if handling a precious object, as if afraid of accidentally breaking it.
Would you like to hear me tell a story?
...
With the Zhengwu Gate wide open, the two armies faced off.
Ma Zhang rode out slowly on a black horse. He Lin wore a golden mask, and on his left and right were Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi, who were also wearing silver masks.
"Your Highness, you can't leave the capital."
Ma Zhang smiled nonchalantly, half-closing his eyes as he looked up at the sky. Today, dark clouds covered the sun, the clouds surged, and the cold wind stung his face. It seemed as if the heavens were brewing a long-awaited heavy snow.
He and Emperor Liang knew each other when they were young, but later became bitter enemies and fought each other for most of their lives. To be honest, from the moment he harbored rebellious thoughts and hatred, he had long expected this day to come.
But so what? It's all worth it to avenge her, even if it means giving my own life.
Seeing that He Lin was wearing a mask, Ma Zhang did not expose him in front of everyone. He said loudly, "Xi Chen, I have done nothing wrong! And I will not regret it! I know you are loyal to Emperor Liang, and your loyalty is not wrong, but please don't help the wicked and end up being a foolish loyalist!"
He Lin stared at him for a moment and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered that the Prince of Hannan is not allowed to step out of the capital. Please come to the palace. If you resist stubbornly, you will be killed without exception."
He did not convey the wrong message; Emperor Liang's original words were indeed "please," which contrasts sharply with the later "kill without mercy."
Ma Zhang laughed loudly a few times, then stopped, his eyes turning gloomy, as if he had become a completely different person.
"Zhao Fu!"
Zhao Fu immediately escorted Jiang Yi out from the back of the group. Jiang Yi was still wearing the red cloak she had bought in Furong Town.
He Lin gripped the reins tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands, trying his best to suppress something. Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi couldn't see his eyes, but they still glanced at him at the same time.
Jiang Yi remembered Ma Zhang's instructions before he left: if she didn't want He Lin to die, she must not call him by name when she saw him. Even if he didn't say it, Jiang Yi vaguely sensed that He Lin must have an unspeakable reason for hiding his true identity...
Since that's the case, let's just pretend we don't know him.
Ma Zhang dismounted, drew his sword, and immediately pressed it against Jiang Yi's neck.
"Xi Chen, if you want me to stay, you can release my brothers, otherwise I'll kill her."
Zhao Fu was shocked: "Your Highness!"
He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your subordinate swears to follow Your Highness to the death!"
Upon hearing this, the entire army behind him knelt down and shouted the same words, their voices deafening and startling the birds in the suburban forest.
Ma Zhang sternly rebuked, "This is my order!"
"Your Highness!"
"Enough nonsense. Your wife is still waiting for you in Lingnan. Don't end up like me, with lifelong regrets. Bring your brothers home."
Zhao Fu, a grown man, couldn't help but have tears well up in his eyes.
He Lin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Did I say they were leaving? Your Highness, you should know His Majesty well."
Ma Zhang gritted his teeth; Emperor Liang would certainly not let the rebels off easily.
"Then it depends on whether you want her to live or not?!"
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