Chapter 77 The Traitor: "Minister Baili, do you still remember me?"
Cui Xiangzhu shouted several times, but before the eunuchs could run over, the Fourteenth Prince covered his mouth.
Fourteen frowned for a while, "Eunuch Cui."
Cui Xiangzhu looked terrified. He was afraid that the Fourteenth Prince wouldn't believe him, but he also vaguely felt that the Fourteenth Prince was not right. "Fourteenth Prince! This old servant just extinguished the candles in the hall. How could the lights still be on!"
"His Majesty has just returned to the palace."
Cui Xiangzhu was about to speak when he suddenly heard the word "Your Majesty" and froze, his eyes lighting up. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty is back?"
"Yes, Your Majesty will return to the palace quietly. Eunuch Cui, please remember to transfer all the palace servants in the Cloud Palace away so that no one will know His Majesty's whereabouts."
Cui Xiangzhu quickly realized his mistake and found his earlier behavior amusing. "Yes! This old servant will go right away!"
Seeing the person jogging away, Fourteen sighed helplessly and turned to walk towards the Cloud Palace.
Inside the hall.
Gu Huizhou reached out and picked up the battle report handed to him by the Fourteenth Prince. He frowned as he read it. "Crown Prince Xiao has personally gone to the battlefield again. We can't let anyone go back empty-handed."
Fourteen paused, "Your Majesty means..."
"Let Han Jiqing leave no room for maneuver, and catch all the ghosts in the capital at the same time."
"yes."
Next day, morning.
Xu Yi's eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't slept well again yesterday, constantly fearing that what would be sent back from the front lines was His Majesty's corpse. Whenever he thought about it, he would slap his head repeatedly, and he woke up with a terrible headache this morning.
"We heard from the front lines that Crown Prince Xiao personally led an expedition to confront General Han. General Han is fighting with all his might to avenge his strategist. Shouldn't we send some supplies over as well?"
Li Li frowned. "Send supplies? Is life in the capital really that good? Now that His Majesty is dead, how can we possibly keep up with the supply needs of the front lines? If these two battles continue, the capital will soon be completely drained!"
As soon as Li Li finished speaking, someone stood up to refute him, "Lord Li's words are truly interesting. Does he expect us to immediately order a ceasefire at the front? We have now captured two cities in Xiao Kingdom and a city on the grasslands. How impressive is that!"
"If we lose our composure just because of a rumor of His Majesty's death, that would be laughable!" After saying that, Li Li glared at the man, but he only smiled contemptuously and spoke again, "Lord Li is too naive. In the current situation, you think you can stop the war?"
"It's not up to us to decide!"
Li Li shouted, "Send people to the front lines immediately to negotiate peace with Xiao Kingdom! Why can't we stop the war?"
"The Xiao Kingdom invaded because they wanted to take something back. Do you think the Crown Prince of Xiao is so easily appeased? Now that we have won, how can we take the initiative to seek peace? If we take the initiative to seek peace, we must make sure that the Xiao Kingdom takes back those two cities. Otherwise, all the previous battles will have been fought for nothing!"
Li Li: "Only in this way can we achieve a truce and stop the losses in time!"
"You...sir, are you only concerned with your own few taels of silver?" The minister was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He wished he could rush up and fight Li Li.
Li Li said, "I am doing this for the sake of the people of the capital."
Xue Qingping scoffed, frowning deeply. "We cannot let the soldiers on the frontier die in vain!" He glanced at Li Li. "Lord Li, watch your words!"
Li Li turned her head and humphed.
The morning court session ended in discord once again. Now they had to wait for news from the front lines and for information about His Majesty's health, which inevitably caused widespread anxiety.
After the court session, Baili Yi sneered. The news he received last night was that someone had died. These people were stupid and ignorant, and they were even talking nonsense.
He walked slowly, following behind the officials. Li Li tried to approach him to strike up a conversation, but Baili Yi casually dismissed him.
Li Li had already had a bad day at the morning court session, and now he couldn't swallow his anger. Without saying a word, he turned and left. Baili Yi watched the man's retreating figure and sneered, "That's the dumbest one."
He staggered along, bumping into the Fourteenth Prince leading a group of Imperial Guards. Among the guards was someone being dragged along who looked somewhat familiar.
Baili Yi adjusted his smile, "Fourteenth Lord, what is this...?"
The man being dragged shakily raised his head and saw the Fourteenth Prince turning to look at him, shrinking back in terror. Baili Yi was startled, "The Nineteenth Prince?!"
Fourteen snorted coldly, "What 'adult'! He's just a criminal now."
criminal?
Baili Yi's heart skipped a beat. If he remembered correctly, this nineteenth official was a favorite of His Majesty, and he had also heard that he had some connection with His Majesty.
He pondered for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, are you mistaken? These are people from the Shadow."
“From now on, there will be no such person as Shadow.” Fourteen glanced at him coldly, then hesitated, afraid of offending his eyes. “Half a month ago, we received an imperial edict from His Majesty that anyone from Shadow who left the capital without permission was guilty of a serious crime. He didn’t even obey His Majesty’s edict, so what kind of person is he? Moreover, he—” His voice suddenly stopped.
An unnatural look flashed across Fourteen's eyes. "Let's leave that aside for now. I have other matters to attend to. Please take care, sir."
"This..." Before Baili Yi could figure it out, Fourteen had already taken the person away. He couldn't tell what was real or fake for a moment, and stood there for a long time watching the backs of those people, especially Nineteen, who was being escorted by them.
The whip marks all over his body didn't seem faked; there was a trail of blood on the ground.
With his brows furrowed, Baili Yi couldn't figure it out and quickly left the palace.
Night falls.
In a courtyard, a bird chirped twice. The moonlight, hazy and pale, cast a shadow of a person under the fragrance of pear blossoms, their steps hesitant yet steady.
A short while later, a tall and agile figure leaped in from the dark corner of the wall. The man glanced around coldly, then strode over to Baili Yi under the tree and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"
Upon seeing the man, Baili Yi quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Lord Xiao."
Xiao Han said impatiently, "Get to the point."
Baili Yi hurriedly smiled apologetically and took out a letter from his sleeve. "Please trouble you to pass this on to His Highness the Crown Prince. Also, please inform His Highness that the grain supplies in the capital of Yun Kingdom are almost exhausted, but it's all just a bluff. Tell His Highness not to worry, once this period is over, the entire Yun Kingdom will be yours for the taking."
Xiao Han nodded, "Understood."
Baili Yi nodded, "Also, may I inquire on behalf of this old minister, His Majesty once promised this old minister an official position and a residence, is that alright...?"
Xiao Han glanced at him lightly, "When has His Highness ever mistreated you?"
"That's right, that's right! Your Highness has always treated me very well." Seeing that the tone was not good, Baili Yi did not dare to ask any more questions. He thought for a moment and then told Xiao Han what he had seen in the palace today, "That person was once a confidant of Gu Huizhou. Because of his outstanding appearance, he had a close relationship with Gu Huizhou. It seems that Your Highness has also seen that person."
"Now that he's in jail, why don't we take this opportunity to rescue him? Wouldn't that allow us to learn more information?"
A cold laugh swept through the wind, "Minister Baili, I will relay your matter to His Highness, but for now, I urge you not to do anything futile." The words passed by Baili Yi's ears on a warm breeze, and a figure leaped away and disappeared from the corner of the wall he had just jumped into.
Those words stung him deeply.
"Damn it!" Baili Yi cursed in a deep voice, "Who does Xiao Han think he is, daring to speak to him like that? He's just a lackey of His Highness the Crown Prince, and he really thinks he's someone important."
When he returns to Xiao Kingdom in the future, there will be a time when Xiao Han will call him "Master"!
As he turned to go back to his room, Baili Yi thought to himself about the figure he had seen in the palace. Xiao Han didn't know, but he did know that His Highness the Crown Prince was quite fond of this Nineteenth Prince.
He sneered and muttered to himself, "Useless stuff?"
He might not think so.
More than twenty days passed in the blink of an eye. Baili Yi figured that the news from the front should be coming back soon. He smiled and stepped into the main hall with the several adults beside him.
As he expected, news from the front lines arrived just before the end of the court session, making Xu Yi tremble with rage. "Send it! Send people to deliver supplies to the front lines right now!"
Xiao Kingdom suddenly increased its firepower. General Han was ambushed last night and shot in the abdomen with an arrow. The Yun Kingdom army was driven back dozens of miles by Crown Prince Xiao and his men!
"What! Wasn't General Han leading the troops at the front? How could they have lost?"
"He's speaking without thinking," Li Wenjing said, turning to look at the person who said it. He sneered, "Do you think General Han is a god? Even the most powerful general needs to be well-fed before going to the battlefield!"
"If we don't supply the front lines now, what will they use to fight? Are they going to fight the Xiao people with stones in their hands?!"
"This... why is Lord Li so angry? I was just saying it casually."
Li Wenjing ignored him, saying, "I agree with what Lord Xu said. We will immediately send the grain and armor to the front lines."
That morning, Li Wenjing and Xu Yi almost completely suppressed the court proceedings. No matter what they wanted to say, they couldn't get a word in edgewise. Baili Yi secretly gestured to those people to stop arguing, and then the court session ended.
On the way back to the manor, Baili Yi sat in the carriage rubbing his temples. After getting off, he looked at another carriage parked in the courtyard and couldn't help but ask, "Who has come?"
The servant chuckled, "Reporting to you, sir, she is a concubine from Vice Minister Li's household, here for a short gathering with her wife."
Li Li? His wife and concubine are both about to give birth, how could he still come out at this time? Baili Yi frowned, "How come the wife is getting so close to a concubine?"
Hearing the displeasure in Baili Yi's tone, the servant nodded reluctantly, "In the first few days of summer, an official's wife held a flower-viewing banquet, and it was at that time that she met the concubine of Minister Li's family."
"That Madam Bai is very charming. She's been chatting with people a lot lately, and she even mentioned wanting to give her child a pair of bracelets."
The servant followed behind Baili Yi, talking incessantly. However, when they were almost at the study, he stopped, bowed silently, and then took another path, quickly leaving.
Baili Yi turned his head and looked around at the deserted courtyard. He glanced at a parrot by the door, patted his robe, and then pushed open the door.
Xiao Han was already waiting in the study. Baili Yi's serious expression faded, and he nodded to him with a smile, "Lord Xiao."
Xiao Han tapped the letter on the table. "His Highness gave this to you."
"yes."
Baili Yi looked up and said, "Your Highness, the battle report of repelling the Yun Kingdom's army at the front has been sent back to the capital. I am afraid that supplies will be sent to the front soon. I hope Your Highness will make preparations as soon as possible."
"Your Highness knows what you're doing."
Baili Yi nodded. "This old minister has a question. A month ago, news was sent that Gu Huizhou had died. Why has his body not yet been returned to the capital?"
"His Highness sent people to stop it, so perhaps it was burned or thrown into the wilderness and eaten by wolves, either way is possible."
Hearing this, Baili Yi felt a chill run down his spine. Such a decisive and ruthless person could only end up like this. It was truly a pity.
"Yes, Your Highness is wise."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person in front of him was nowhere to be seen when Baili Yi stood up again.
He was used to it and was lost in thought about what had just happened. He hadn't seen a corpse for so long because of this, so what did he have to worry about?
Two days ago, he saw the Fourteenth Prince carrying a whip covered in blood as he came out of the Ministry of Justice. "It seems it's time to go and see that Nineteenth Prince."
Suddenly, "Clang—"
A crisp sound rang out; it was the sound of the jade bracelet accidentally hitting the door.
Someone's there!
Baili Yi turned around instantly, looking towards the direction from which the sound came from. His heart pounded wildly. He grabbed the dagger from the shelf and flung open the door. "Who's there!"
"Ah—" A terrified scream rang in his ears. Baili Yi stared at the woman in front of him. The woman was beautiful, but had a effeminate air about her. She stood trembling in place with her pregnant belly. Her face turned pale when she saw Baili Yi. "I, I didn't hear anything!"
"I didn't hear anything!"
Baili Yi didn't believe her. Her expression clearly showed that she knew everything. His heart turned cold, and he felt as if he had fallen into an icy hell. Baili Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Tell me! What did you hear!"
"No, no!" Bai Yu waved her hands in a panic, backing away repeatedly. "I, I just went to the wrong place. The maid went to get me some snacks, but I can't find my way back to the garden!"
Ignoring all that, Baili Yi pressed closer, his hand gripping the dagger hidden in his sleeve. "Speak!"
"I don't know! I don't know anything!" Bai Yu staggered backward. Bai Liyi wanted to kill her, and her heart was pounding faster and faster. She lost her footing and fell to the ground. A sharp, piercing pain shot through her lower body, and Bai Yu screamed, "Ah! It hurts—it hurts—"
Damn it!
Upon hearing footsteps outside the courtyard, Baili Yi instantly threw away his dagger.
"Madam, Madam!"
The noise grew louder and louder until Bai Yu heard it too. Ignoring the excruciating pain beneath her, she crawled toward the door, crying, "I'm here! I'm here!"
"lady!"
Baili Yi, his face ashen, opened the courtyard gate. The maids outside were taken aback. "Greetings, sir." Then, they immediately noticed Bai Yu on the ground and exclaimed, "Madam!"
Three or four people quickly surrounded Bai Yu.
Baili Yi concealed the murderous intent in his eyes. "Your wife went to the wrong place and accidentally fell. Hurry up and fetch the midwife and the physician!"
"Yes, this servant will go right away!"
Lady Baili, who was following closely behind, also heard the shouts and looked distressed. "Quickly, have someone prepare a side room. Also, quickly go and invite Minister Li here!"
Lady Baili was dressed in an elegant and dignified manner. She didn't ask Bai Yu why she was there. The woman, with the demeanor of a mistress of the house, busied herself with the matter. Finally, she ordered several maids and servants to carry Bai Yu to the side room, accompanied by the woman's sharp screams along the way.
A gentle breeze blows, but the heat of August makes it even more unbearable.
Baili Yi's face was ashen, his fists clenched as if he wanted to crush them. His sinister gaze was fixed on the group that was gradually disappearing around the corner. He shouted sharply, "Go! Bring Li Li to me!"
"Yes, sir."
Night falls in the Cloud Palace.
Gu Huizhou looked at the secret letter sent by the Fourteenth Prince. Yao Ruyi was nestled on the dragon bed eating snacks. He had been eating them every day for almost a month, but he never got tired of them. He hadn't had any to eat while he was on the frontier for the past six months, and as soon as he returned, he craved this snack, so he ate it all the time.
"Your Majesty, are you really not going to eat? Then I'll finish mine."
Gu Huizhou chuckled. Now he knew to ask him. Why didn't this mushroom ask when Cui Xiangzhu brought over the snacks? "I don't eat."
Smiling with her eyes crinkling, she said, "Okay." Yao Ruyi was wrapped in a gauze robe, and the scars on her arms had disappeared, leaving them clean and smooth as if she had never been injured. A whole block of ice was placed next to the dragon bed, which was quite cool.
Seeing that Gu Huizhou was in a good mood, Yao Ruyi thought that the secret letter must contain good news, "Have you won the battle against the grasslands?"
"Hmm." Gu Huizhou slowly stood up. "Hmm, Minister Han led his men in a surprise attack overnight, capturing two cities in succession and almost taking the head of Yuan Liao."
"A great victory!"
“It’s a great victory,” Gu Huizhou helped Yao Ruyi up, letting her lean against him. He subconsciously reached out and pinched the smooth neck of the person in his arms, his tone dissatisfied, “You’ve been in prison for so many days, I thought you didn’t want to stay in this little dragon bed.”
Yao Ruyi paused, how could he be unwilling? "How could that be?"
"Of course you would."
The burning gaze made Yao Ruyi feel guilty. He did like the damp air in the prison, so he used the excuse of acting to take the flowerpot and stay there for a few days. Mushroom hurriedly tried to make amends, "I stayed in the Cloud Palace during the day."
"Hmph," Gu Huizhou tilted his head and bit the other's earlobe, "If you weren't here during the day, I would have gone and brought you back long ago."
He'd wanted to do this for a long time.
He was initially worried that the fighting and bloodshed on the battlefield would frighten people, but he never expected that this person would go to the battlefield himself. He felt both heartache and pride, thinking, "My nineteenth son can also become a famous general."
Yao Ruyi was overjoyed, "Really?"
"Really?" Gu Huizhou hugged the person affectionately. "Yuan Liao will send news of peace talks in the next few days, and send Lan Yan and Li Wenjing to them."
"He was clear-headed and didn't fall for Baili Yi's trick."
It's been quite a while since I've heard from Lan Yan.
Yao Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. After Lan Yan and Baili Rou got married, Lan Yan became Baili Yi's son-in-law. "If Baili Yi's secret collusion with Xiao Kingdom is made public, what will happen to Lan Yan and Baili Rou?"
Those who colluded with enemy states should have their entire families punished, up to nine generations.
"Lan Yan is the top scholar whom I personally promoted; I will not kill him."
"That's good."
"good?"
Mushroom was taken aback. "What's wrong?"
The emperor felt another sharp bite on his neck, and his jealousy surged again. "Why is the Nineteenth Prince always so worried about him?"
Yao Ruyi died unjustly. When did he ever worry about Lan Yan? Besides, he and Lan Yan were good friends. How could he watch her be killed without a care? "I didn't!"
"I don't care."
Gu Huizhou was deliberately making things difficult for him. Yao Ruyi was not to be outdone, so he bit Gu Huizhou's earlobe and instantly heard the man let out a muffled groan in his ear.
Yao Ruyi stopped talking, which benefited him again.
"Heh," Gu Huizhou, having tasted something new, wasn't about to let it go so easily. He reached out and pulled the person into his arms, rolling them forcefully to the inside of the dragon bed. The emperor pressed the person down, "Continue."
Yao Ruyi was unwilling, but just as he was about to get up, the emperor lowered his body and their lips met, bringing a burning sensation.
"Hmm—"
The candlelight flickered and didn't go out until after midnight.
The next morning, Fourteenth sent a message that Li Li had met with Baili Yi the previous night and then contacted people from the Ministry of Justice. Gu Huizhou nodded, "Okay, then let's wait and see in the next two days."
Upon hearing this, Yao Ruyi immediately packed her things and prepared to go to the prison to wait.
Why is the 19th Party Congress in such a hurry?
Yao Ruyi snorted, "That skin has been sitting for so long it's almost dried out. We need to go and sprinkle some blood on it."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go with you."
"good."
As expected, that afternoon, Baili Yi bribed someone from the Ministry of Justice to enter the prison. As soon as he entered, he was overwhelmed by the stench of blood, and he couldn't help but frown.
He tried to wipe away the musty smell of the prison with his sleeve as he walked, but it was to no avail.
This prison only holds nineteen people, which is a sign of respect for him. Thinking this, Baili Yi slowly walked forward. No matter how bright it was outside, the prison was always dark and damp. Every now and then, a rat would dart across the ground, startling Baili Yi.
After seeing what it was, he kicked it away and cursed, "Beast!"
The further they went, the more humid the air became, and the bloodstains on the ground gradually turned bright red. Baili Yi heard weak breathing, sneered inwardly, straightened his robes, and strode over.
"Your Excellency, it's been a long time."
Yao Ruyi was chained up, his body covered in wounds, his waist and legs were whipped raw and bloody, and even his neck was injured. His cheeks were sunken and his lips were cracked, indicating that he had been starving for many days.
"What are you doing here?"
Hearing how weak her voice sounded, Baili Yi felt even more at ease. He walked around the fence and looked Yao Ruyi over, clicking his tongue twice. "The dignified Nineteenth Prince, I never thought he would end up like this."
Baili Yi smiled and said, "Your Excellency was simply unlucky. If news of your presence on the frontier had arrived in Beiyuan a few days later, the Emperor would have been dead. You wouldn't have had to suffer this hardship."
Yao Ru, sounding weak and defiant, stammered, "Ahem... What does Your Excellency wish to say?"
The old minister spoke with a deep, resonant voice, quite unlike the man hanging in the prison.
Baili Yi spoke casually, as if chatting with someone, "The Nineteenth Prince possesses extraordinary skills. Wouldn't it be a waste of his talents if he could only stay in this small area from now on?" After saying that, he examined the face of the Nineteenth Prince.
Even after being tortured in this prison, her features remain bright and sharp; she is truly beautiful. No wonder Gu Huizhou and His Highness the Crown Prince are so captivated by her face.
"What do you mean by that, sir?"
A look of surprise flashed across Yao Ruyi's eyes as he struggled to look up at the people outside the railing.
Baili Yi could tell from his appearance that he was struggling. Blood seeped into his clothes with every movement, and his white robe was already soaked through. The slightest movement made it even more soaked, turning the blackish-purple color redder. "If Your Excellency Nineteen has thought things through, this old minister can lead you out of this hell."
"You weren't originally called Nineteen, were you, Lord Haruka?"
Yao Ruyi looked up suddenly, and Baili Yi could clearly see the helplessness in his eyes.
Sure enough, the old minister chuckled and said, "Why should Lord Yao be limited by a title? If you can escape this prison, you will surely become a general or a minister in the future."
"Whether it's literary or military matters, we should follow the adults' own ideas."
A self-deprecating laugh escaped her lips. Yao Ruyi moved slightly, and the sound of chains dragging on the ground echoed, "Clang—"
Yao Ruyi gasped for breath and asked, "What does Minister Baili intend to do? Declare himself king?"
"Hahahahahahahahaha," Baili Yi laughed heartily, waving his hand, "This old minister has no such ambition, I'm just trying to earn some money and make a living." His voice gradually lowered.
A beam of light shone through a small window high up into the prison, landing directly between the two men. The light blurred their vision, and after a while, they could no longer see each other clearly.
"That……"
Baili Yi looked around, chuckled softly, and examined Yao Ruyi's mottled and bloody flesh. "Come with me and follow Crown Prince Xiao of Xiao Kingdom. I will ensure that you have no worries about food and clothing."
Seeing the man suddenly look up with his pupils contracted, Baili Yi asked confidently, "What does Lord Yao think?"
Yao Ruyi's shocked gaze gradually turned into a smile, and Baili Yi nodded, "If Lord Yao is willing, then I will release the great man in a while."
"In a while?"
"Hahahaha, my lord, do not be anxious. After His Highness the Crown Prince enters the capital in a few days, and everything settles down, that will be the time when you see the light of day again!"
He smiled, and then saw Yao Ruyi smile at him too; the two of them smiled together.
After a while.
Baili Yi gradually realized that something was wrong. Why was Yao Ruyi smiling so strangely... as if she was toying with him?
"Hahahaha." A third voice suddenly broke the laughter, cold and gloomy.
"Minister Baili, do you still remember me?"
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