Song Xi arrived not too late, just right after her.
Looking at the young boy in front of her with a serious face, she inexplicably found him... so cute.
"Although you have recognized my identity, I won’t conceal it anymore. I have a bigger deal to propose," Song Xi said earnestly.
Xin He blinked, watching his small legs dangling from the stool. After all, a six-year-old child is not tall and his feet could not touch the ground.
A faint smile played upon Xin He’s lips, not very noticeable, "Before that, I’m more interested in how the supposedly sick young master Song stands here safe and sound."
"The drug that person put in my food, I didn’t take. But it is a fact that someone tried to poison me," Song Xi said candidly.
Ji Xinhe had guessed this truth long before, but she was slightly surprised that he was so direct about it now.
"Is that so? Who poisoned you?"
Song Xi confidently replied, "That’s when our deal comes into play."
Xin He raised her eyebrows, so he was waiting for her here.
"Tell me, what kind of deal do you want to make?"
"I can tell you all the secrets behind my poisoning, but I need a promise. A promise from Mu Houchu," Song Xi said.
A flicker of surprise aglanced across Ji Xinhe’s face. Was this the deal?
Nothing else but a promise, what surprised her more, how did such a six-year-old child get to know all the secrets behind this incident, which even Marquis Mu had yet to find out?
Xin He had some doubts.
However, Song Xi seemed to have noticed the doubt in her face and said seriously, "Believe it or not, after all, you are involved in this matter. If you miss this opportunity, I’m afraid..."
In his previous life, this conspiracy did exist, and he naturally knew all the ins and outs of it. He knew that Mu Houchu had suffered a lot from this plot and only managed to evade it later. Hence, he would bring up this matter to negotiate with Ji Xinhe.
Ji Xinhe’s face turned at his words. She had already suspected whether the final target of this incident was them, but she didn’t expect that the child meant exactly that.
Ji Xinhe also lost her casual expression and became much more serious, "What is the promise you want?"
"I want Mu Houchu to protect the Song family," Song Xi said, word by word.
Ji Xinhe was startled at first, then she lifted her lip in a smile, "The Song family is currently favored by the Emperor, much more glorious than him. Young master Song, you must be joking."
"Current glory is just temporary, who knows what will happen in the future? I want the Song family to be safe for a lifetime, just that. The Emperor can’t promise this," Song Xi said seriously.
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but take another look at the child. The implication in his words couldn’t be more obvious, the Song family intended to stand by Marquis Mu.
Everyone in the capital knew that the influential Mu Xiang had already left the capital city and dropped his power, withdrawing from the political arena. However, who dared to underestimate him? Everybody avoided talking about him, but everyone knew that his influence was still as great as ever and never disappeared.
The Song family was the first to bring this matter to light and also the first to indicate that they want to side with Mu Houchu. Although Marquis Mu has no ambition for power, it’s impossible for him to withdraw from this vortex intact. The efforts she was making now to flourish Yu State, wasn’t it also to expand his power and increase his momentum?
If they could win the covert support of the Song family this time, it would probably make things much easier. However, Ji Xinhe didn’t believe that the Song family would give up the great favor bestowed by the Emperor and instead choose to side with Mu Houchu, who was currently silent in the struggle for power.
Ji Xinhe stayed silent, but Song Xi was not in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the teacup and sipped slowly. He knew this was sudden and that Ji Xinhe needed time to digest it, so he was willing to wait.
After a while, Ji Xinhe finally said, "Fine."
Whether this deal was true or false, she had no reason to refuse. Even if it was a lie, she had to know all the ins and outs before she could judge its authenticity.
Song Xi seemed not surprised, as he was an intelligent person and naturally knew what Ji Xinhe was thinking. He had nothing to fear because he was sincere.
"I actually doubt this deal, but my trust in the Song family naturally depends on the truthfulness of what you say," Ji Xinhe’s words couldn’t be clearer.
You’d better not lie to me.
Only then did Song Xi say, "The person who poisoned me this time was not from our Song family. I just took advantage of the situation. And the person who poisoned me was not the Emperor."
Song Xi paused, then continued, "It was the Duan family."
Xin He was taken aback, "Duan Family?"
"Right! This scheme of the Duan family serves three purposes at once. Firstly, they can remove me, which would cause mistrust between us, the Song family, and the Emperor. Secondly, they can throw the blame onto the Emperor and make him lose popularity among the common people and the courtiers, which disheartens the courtiers. Thirdly, this is aimed against you. When the conflict between the Emperor and the Song family intensifies, the furious Emperor will inevitably investigate the matter thoroughly. The following clues will indicate that the real mastermind is Marquis Mu."
At that time, the Emperor will not show mercy.
Ji Xinhe’s face turned white but she still questioned, "The Duan family has been loyal for generations, and they only pledge loyalty to the Emperor, how can they do this?"
Song Xi curled his lips, "Generations? The loyalty of the Duan family only goes up to Elder Duan. Can you guard against the ambitions of the descendants?"
What surprised Song Xi the most was that in his previous life, it was Duan Ming, the eldest son of the Duan family who started harboring stray thoughts first. In this life, it was the third son of the Duan family, Duan Lan who was remarkably conspicuous. He didn’t remember Duan Lan in his previous life, as he was known to be dedicated to his studies at Jishan Academy and didn’t care about power and wealth. He did not know what happened in this life.
However, Song Xi had no intention of thinking more about it, all he knew was that the Duan family already harbored rebellious intentions.
It was indeed the case. The Emperor was incompetent, and naturally, more people had their eyes on the throne. If the Emperor could really dominate the court, who would dare to show wolfish ambitions openly?
Ji Xinhe’s face became a little more serious. The Duan family? How much does Duan Lan know about this? How much was he involved?
It hurt to hear these things about people she had once considered as sincere friends.
"How does young master Song know this?" Ji Xinhe asked, with sharp eyes fixed on him.
Song Xi was quite open about it, "To outsiders, this confusing situation might be hard to figure out. However, I’m in the midst of it, and the Song family is no pushover in the capital. We will naturally find out the ins and outs of things. You don’t have to believe me. When the Emperor’s wrath falls on you, I’m afraid you’ll believe then."
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