Chapter 38: Having experienced the pain of losing a child
Lin Yuan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. Even the roasted meat tasted like wax. Only then did she realize what Xiao Xun had just said.
"Hey, who told you that Lin Yu is my older brother?"
"You said it yourself."
Xiao Xun laughed, "You said that in your dream yesterday morning, don't you remember?"
Lin Yuan put down her chopsticks, covered her face, and sighed, feeling frustrated that she couldn't be more capable than herself.
Through his fingers, however, one could see Xiao Xun's mischievous expression.
Oh no, that's not right. When she fell asleep at her desk yesterday morning, although she had a dream, she didn't dream about Lin Yu, let alone call him "brother".
Xiao Xun saw through what she was trying to say, a smile playing on his lips as he frankly argued with her: "Even if you didn't say you were talking in your sleep, you've admitted it now, haven't you?"
Lin Yuan hurriedly accused, "You, you clearly set a trap for me to fall into!"
"Compared to you describing your brother as your childhood sweetheart and fiancé, isn't that a bit too much? You and your brother are practically deceiving each other—"
Before he could utter the phrase "the crime of deceiving the emperor," Lin Yuan bit her lip and said, "For an unmarried woman, traveling outside is fraught with inconvenience. Even with her brother's protection, she is surrounded by wolves. I had no choice but to do this. I did not intend to deceive you—to deceive the emperor."
After saying "surrounded by wolves," she herself felt a little embarrassed and her ears turned red.
Sure enough, Xiao Xun was already pondering the meaning of the phrase: "Surrounded by wolves?"
She was bound to be ridiculed again, so she propped her head up and let out a dejected sigh: "I'm already this age, it's one thing to be unmarried, but if I don't even have a fiancé, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"
"You mean, unmarried what?"
Xiao Xun seemed still immersed in laughing at her about the "pack of wolves," and casually asked, tilting his head to listen.
Lin Yuan whispered in his ear again, "Husband."
"What?"
"Husband." Lin Yuan raised her voice, thinking the music was too loud.
"Um?"
“I said, husband,” she asked impatiently, turning her head slightly, “did you hear me clearly?”
"Okay, my husband heard me clearly." Xiao Xun chuckled. "It sounds good. That's why I want to hear it a few more times."
Lin Yuan was teased again, feeling both ashamed and angry. She grabbed an orange from the plate and threw it at him.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xun caught the orange that was tossed into his arms and laughed even more heartily.
Since Lin Yu left with her clothes soaked, Xiao Jin had been listless and had no heart for conversation. Everyone had their own thoughts and pretended to be watching the song and dance. This incongruous liveliness attracted several pairs of eyes to sweep over.
Lin Yuan was about to toss the second orange at Xiao Xun. Still holding the orange in her hand, she reluctantly changed her expression, forcing a smile at the onlookers, "These oranges are especially delicious, sweet and sour. Young Master, Master He, everyone, would you like to try some?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin picked up the tangerines from her plate and absentmindedly peeled half of them.
My fingertips touched the wrinkled orange peel, which seemed to be trembling.
Lin Yu knocked over a wine glass, and Xiao Xun happened to be standing nearby. Was it an accident, or a test?
Fortunately, it was just a burn—but a red-hot stick is no less severe than the torture of branding with hot irons, he couldn't help but gasp.
"Oh, really? The oranges here are sour, extremely sour."
Because of the sour taste, a tear welled up in the corner of his eye.
He Ji also felt sour.
He was overjoyed to see Xiao Xun receive the oranges personally presented by Lin Yuan.
So she smiled and replied, "Great! Ah Yuan's oranges look really sweet!"
It was handed to me personally, and it was so sweet it warmed my heart.
Lin Yuan was very grateful to He Ji for getting her out of the predicament, and quickly asked a maid to bring He Ji a plate of oranges from her table.
Turning around, she saw Xiao Xun laughing even more unrestrainedly, and he couldn't resist teasing her by whispering in her ear, "Pour your husband another drink." Her face turned red, and she turned her head away, not wanting to pay any more attention to him.
The wine that entered my stomach was as refreshing as Lin Yu had described, yet it was truly intoxicating, with a long-lasting aftertaste and a burning sensation that kept rising up my chest.
After a while, she got up and swayed towards the carved railing of the waterside pavilion.
A bit of wind might make me feel better.
A gust of wind blew, and the cold wind brought tears to my eyes.
Lin Yuan was filled with mixed feelings when she learned that Xiao Xun had imprisoned Qu Yan and confined the Empress to her quarters under the pretext of "plotting to harm the imperial heir."
The title of "Imperial Heir" not only transformed Qu Yan's crime from murdering palace servants to the serious crime of treason, but also conveniently cleared up the rumors that Xiao Xun was impotent in bed.
That's killing two birds with one stone.
But it seems I've become a bird myself.
The third bird caught in the inescapable net. It wasn't knocked down by the stone, but its bluish-white feathers were stained with mud that couldn't be washed off.
I want to cry, but I also want to laugh.
Crying and laughing.
She clutched her cold lower abdomen, pacing back and forth in the side hall, repeating to herself over and over, "It's all fake anyway. It's all fake."
The side hall wasn't that big; we reached the end in no time. I told myself, "It's okay. Let's start over. Just keep looking ahead."
As he spoke, he slumped down on the couch, fully clothed, and listlessly watched the curtains and canopies fluttering in the summer breeze, transforming into a vast, all-encompassing net.
The net was hazy, but it reflected a pair of eyes.
Lin Yuan sat up in surprise.
"If you keep this up, I'll think you really..." Xiao Xun couldn't help but laugh so hard he bent over, "Pfft... just lost your son..."
Ever since she drank Qu Yan's medicine, Xiao Xun has come to the side hall every day.
Lin Yuan was flattered and overwhelmed.
With no Empress Dowager in the palace, the Emperor would visit this place every single day, making two or three trips daily, a practice comparable to his morning and evening audiences.
In addition, because the Qu Yan case involved many things, he obviously had a lot to do, so he didn't stay for long each time. Most of the time, he would just come over to ask if I had eaten, how I was feeling, and if I was well.
I must say, it was quite helpful.
Although this "eating" refers to herbal decoctions.
Whether someone is healthy or not depends on whether they have developed symptoms of poisoning.
His point was that, in case Qu Yan was cunning and used some other slow-acting poison that the imperial physician couldn't detect, besides aconite.
Sometimes, when Lin Yuan pondered his words, she felt a subtle sense that he was calculating the days until she succumbed to the poison.
In particular, this feeling became even stronger when she accepted the tea that Xiao Xun offered, which was so hot it would scald her to death, under his earnest gaze, and ate the chicken soup that he offered her—oh, no, that he served her, which was full of coriander—under his fervent gaze.
Fearing that it would shorten her lifespan, Lin Yuan said nervously as he reached for the soup, "I should be the one serving His Majesty. How can I trouble His Majesty to come and visit me amidst his busy schedule?"
"You're not fully recovered yet, so don't worry about taking care of me."
He grasped the lacquered dagger in the soup pot and said, "This soup is warming, drink some quickly."
Lin Yuan hesitated. Did his understanding of "heatiness" equate to boiling hot soup, rather than the deer antler and ginseng stewed in the soup?
Seeing her hesitant expression, as if she wanted to speak but was too shy, Xiao Xun smiled and said, "If you feel bad, just think of it as your husband coming to see you."
Lin Yuan's eyes widened, and her cheeks and ears slowly began to burn.
She said with a sore throat, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Thank you, my husband," Xiao Xun replied naturally.
For a long while, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard in the side hall.
All that could be heard was the sound of a lacquered dagger stirring the soup.
The word "husband" echoed in my ears and lingered in my heart.
Xiao Xun was lost in thought, and a spoonful of soup overflowed.
He burned himself.
His fingertips trembled, as if he had just come to his senses. Xiao Xun twirled his reddened fingertips, no longer looking at her, and chuckled softly, as if mocking himself: "Anyway—that's what the Qu family has always thought, and everyone here, inside and out, thinks the same way, doesn't they?"
That's not wrong.
With a muffled "hmm," Lin Yuan's heart, which had been in her throat, swayed twice before plummeting back down.
He pushed the bowl of soup in front of Lin Yuan, stood up, and paced a few steps: "By the way, I see you're bored in this side hall all day, why don't you go to Shanglin Garden?"
"What are you going to Shanglin Garden for?" Lin Yuan asked, puzzled. She had only moved to a side hall of Xuan Shi a little over a month ago.
This was the second time she had heard the name "Shanglin Garden" in recent days.
The last time was when Wang Fu told her that after the Empress was confined to her quarters, she was sent to Zhaotai Palace in Shanglin Garden. It was a secluded place. The last person to live in Zhaotai Palace was the deposed Empress of the late Emperor, who was also the granddaughter of the Grand Empress Dowager Yan, whom the late Emperor hated his whole life.
She hadn't yet found out from Wang Fu whether Empress Qu would be deposed, or what the reaction of Grand Marshal Qu Yang would be; would he plot a rebellion for his wife and daughters? Meanwhile, the eunuch Wang left the Xuan Room due to "illness" to recuperate somewhere unknown.
Xiao Xun walked to the window. Dark clouds piled up, suppressing half of the sunlight, and were rushing towards him.
He closed the window, turned around, and smiled, saying, "The weather has been nice these days. The lotus flowers in Kunming Pool are in full bloom. Boating and picking lotus flowers must be a wonderful thing, just right for a person who has lost a child to relax, get some fresh air, and also take care of their health."
The ripples spreading across Kunming Pool transformed into the fine snowflakes swirling in the Yuhua Hall waterside pavilion before our eyes.
Lin Yuan rubbed her face.
Turning my head, I saw dozens of dancers and singers of similar stature and build in the waterside pavilion, all wearing the unique Nuo ghost masks worn during the New Year.
The dancers sang while tapping on drums, twirling and dancing. The singers, dressed in the same color, held new zithers and their fingers flew across the strings.
As the strings rang out, one end turned increasingly thin and silvery-white, even smeared with faint bloodstains, Lin Yuan's heart tightened, and she let out a soft "Ah!"
"Ah Yuan!"
"careful!"
The sound of the string breaking and the desperate cry reached my ears almost simultaneously.
Looking further, a plain-colored zither string, like silver threads, floated in the wind, while the paulownia wood body seemed to emit even more silver threads, or silver needles, drifting towards him like fine snowflakes. The demon behind him stared at him with a chilling expression.
Before she could react, she had already been pushed behind her.
Before him, longswords pierced the air, their blades clashing, and the sound of silver needles striking the blades echoed.
The music was deafening, but the dancers, oblivious to the commotion, continued to play their powerful drumbeats, which, surprisingly, harmonized with the clanging of the longswords. Amidst the soaring drumbeats, the zither, which had been firing hidden weapons, sank with a "plop" into an ice hole in the water.
Singers and dancers mingled, their robes fluttering, the lamplight casting a chaotic shadow. In the blink of an eye, the light of a sword shone on a series of ghostly faces, making it impossible to discern who they were.
The drunken Cui Guoxiang, his eyes glazed over, led the cheers, "Young Master Xiao and Master Lin's sword duel was truly extraordinary and a magnificent spectacle!"
Until the flash of a blade passed before his eyes, he looked closely and saw a cold sword stuck in the table.
"Damn it! It's an assassin!" Xiao Xun's voice followed immediately.
Cui Heng trembled, and the wine cup rolled down onto the table.
Xiao Cheng was no less capable.
His eyes never left the waterside pavilion.
First, Lin Yuan walked into the waterside pavilion, her slender figure quickly concealed by the fluttering robes of the dancers.
As the garments fell, another figure reappeared in sight.
He was lost in thought and got up to look around.
Lin Yu changed into Xiao Jin's brocade dress.
The dragon soars through the clouds, its tail swaying wildly, spilling gold across the upper half of its robe.
In the halo of light and snow, he walked gracefully, with fine eyebrows and handsome eyes, the appearance of an old friend, and the demeanor of a familiar face.
Xiao Cheng's heartstrings were taut.
The drumbeats were just reaching their most thrilling moment.
Yu Guang saw Xiao Xun get up at almost the same time and walk quickly towards the waterside pavilion and Lin Yu's direction.
He couldn't help but choke.
The sword is drawn.
The drumbeats were chaotic.
The string broke.
Xiao Cheng's heartstrings snapped as well.
A buzzing sound filled my ears, and before my eyes, the two swords clashed.
When the guards of the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion arrived, all the dancers and singers had already been captured by the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the secret guards of the Imperial Guards.
Screams, pleas for mercy, and the clanging of swords and armor filled the air.
Xiao Xun glanced at Lin Yuan, whose face was pale, in Lin Yu's arms, and said softly, "Let me find someone to take you home first."
"I'm fine." Lin Yuan broke free from Lin Yu's embrace, eager to find the assassin. "Why did that person try to kill me? Who sent him?"
"Don't worry." Lin Yu patted her arm, unconsciously hugging her tighter again, and comforted her with a gentle smile, "It shouldn't be aimed at you."
"The assassination is a complicated matter." Xiao Xun's gaze swept over the two men, and he drew the Chixiao Sword from Cui Heng's table. The cold light reflected off Lin Yu's eyebrows and eyes. "Master Lin just fought with the assassin. It seems that you have a lot of insights into the assassination. Why don't you stay and discuss the doubts with the Minister of Ceremonies?"
He sheathed his sword, his voice cold and sharp. Without a word, he pulled Lin Yu aside, separated the two, and gestured to Xiao Jin, "Your Highness, send a few guards to escort Master Lin's sister back."
Xiao Jin was completely bewildered by the sudden assassination attempt. He nodded, "Oh, okay," but then his expression changed drastically. "What? Female, female brother?"
He glanced at Lin Yu, whose gaze was fixed on Xiao Xun's face, not looking at him. So he looked at He Ji instead.
He Ji turned his face away guiltily: "Heh, A Yuan, let me take you home."
Before Lin Yuan could speak, he pushed and pulled her outside.
Soon, his loud shout of "Guards, hurry, follow us!" came from outside the door, along with the murmur of "What a blunder today! I never expected that even though the Prince's mansion is heavily guarded and has a large number of guards, something like this would happen. I didn't think things through and forgot to bring my sword..." gradually faded into the distance.
Lin Yu smiled and bowed to Xiao Xun, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Xiao. If you hadn't been so eager to protect my sister and knocked my sword away, that assassin would already be dead."
Xiao Xun raised the corners of his lips slightly: "We're both anxious to save lives. We've come to the same conclusion. Isn't that a coincidence?"
“That’s my sister, of course I’m eager to save her.”
“That’s my beloved—” Xiao Xun coughed lightly twice when he saw everyone looking over, “—My beloved travels the world, and when he sees injustice, he will naturally draw his sword to help.”
Xiao Cheng was still in shock.
With his eyes closed, the sword light seemed to still be intertwining in the waterside pavilion; with his eyes open, the sword light flickered in the eyes of the two people opposite him.
He walked forward unsteadily and asked nervously, "Brother, Master Lin, how are you?"
"Brother, don't worry. The assassin wasn't very skilled, and his assassination attempt wasn't very clever either." Xiao Xun looked Lin Yu up and down and answered for him, "Master Lin should be alright too."
"We are all well." Lin Yu bowed deeply to the Prince of Huaiyang, then looked up and, when their eyes met, said slowly, "Please rest assured, Prince of Huaiyang."
"That's good, that's good." Xiao Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Someone actually disguised themselves as a dancer or singer and infiltrated the residence of the Prince of Huaiyang to assassinate him, and even when the court sent envoys! They are incredibly audacious and reckless! Prince of Huaiyang, Minister of the Imperial Household, Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud, and Young Master Xiao!" Cui Heng said angrily, clutching his chest. He then bowed deeply. "I will immediately imprison all of them and interrogate them overnight. I will do my utmost to find the assassin and get to the bottom of this."
Xiao Xun glanced at him and said, "The Prime Minister is getting old and his eyesight is failing. I'm afraid he can't tell friend from foe."
Ling Feng volunteered, "There's no need for Prime Minister Cui to do that."
Cui Heng hurriedly said, "Although I have been busy day and night with the resettlement of disaster victims and have not been able to sleep well, I was slightly careless just now and failed to identify the assassin in time, which frightened you, but such a major incident has occurred in the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion. As the prime minister, how can I be worried about being tired? I am sharing the burden of the country, so why should I care about hardship?"
Ling Feng, holding his sword, said coldly, "The other day, something was stolen from the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion, so everyone in the mansion stayed indoors. Today, only Prime Minister Cui came from outside the mansion, bringing with him female musicians from the Music Bureau. If, as the Prime Minister says, someone from outside the mansion sneaked in, then the Prime Minister will naturally be implicated."
"Your Majesty, I have been utterly loyal to the Kingdom of Huaiyang and the court. How could I have done such a thing?" Cui Heng cried out in alarm to the group of chained and shouting dancers and singers, "Who are you? Who ordered you to do this? How dare you commit such a treasonous act in the Prince of Huaiyang's residence?"
“The Prime Minister would certainly not openly order an assassination under his nose. However, the people he brings with him are not necessarily entirely innocent. Besides the attendants, we must also carefully examine the carriages and horses they traveled through, the places they passed through, and who handled them,” Ling Feng said. “I would like to trouble the Prime Minister to accompany me to the prison. The assassins did not have time to escape and are among these thirty-eight people. Once we are in prison, we can interrogate them thoroughly and find them quickly. Then, the Prime Minister will naturally be able to prove his innocence.”
After Ling Feng, Cui Heng, and the guards escorting the dancers and singers left, Yuhua Hall was empty.
"Master Lin just said that the assassin wasn't targeting your younger sister?"
Lin Yu nodded: "Yes, in my opinion, it wasn't specifically aimed at any one person. This person didn't succeed, nor did he make much effort. He abandoned the instrument he used to commit the crime and hid among the many dancers, busy trying to escape."
"Wasn't it because she saw Master Lin and Young Master Xiao both make a move, and knew she was no match for them, that she quickly abandoned her armor and weapons?" Xiao Jin asked.
“No,” Lin Yu pondered. “The tool she used for the sneak attack was a silver needle. I just checked it; the needle tip wasn’t poisoned. If it were used on someone, it would probably riddle them with holes, but it wouldn’t kill them.”
Gongsun Zhao had already wrapped the silver needle in white silk and handed it over to the Imperial Guards who were experienced in testing for poison.
He nodded, confirming Lin Yu's guess.
Then, Gongsun Zhao arrived at the center of the waterside pavilion, pacing back and forth while pointing out the location: "The distance from which this assassin shot the silver needle was less than two zhang. In winter, most people wear thick clothes. Such a thin and short needle, even if aimed at a person's chest, could not be fatal."
"Then, what is the purpose of this person who wants to assassinate but doesn't kill?" Xiao Jin asked.
He frowned, propped his cheek with his hand, and looked distressed.
"Jin'er, what's wrong?" Xiao Xun raised an eyebrow and asked with concern when he saw his appearance. "Does your face hurt? Did the bruises from the attack by the rioters at Cuiwei Mountain last time not completely fade?"
“Oh, Uncle, even at a time like this, you still bring up that matter of Cuiwei Mountain…” Xiao Jin was even more frustrated. He slapped his forehead halfway through his sentence, “Ah! That person had the same purpose, which was to cause trouble! He had calculated that His Majesty—” He saw Xiao Xun’s gaze and swallowed hard, “—that His Majesty’s envoy would come to Huaiyang Kingdom. He first stirred up trouble among the disaster victims. When that plan failed, he found out that the envoy was staying at the Huaiyang Prince’s Mansion, so he devised a way to send the troublemakers into the mansion!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun smiled, pinched Xiao Jin's cheek, and teased, "Hmm, you've learned your lesson, you've finally figured it out."
Xiao Jin grinned, scoffing at his arrogant, condescending attitude.
Unfortunately, the person in question was indeed an elder, and Lin Yu couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The smile was dazzling, and Xiao Jin turned her face away.
"Ouch, ouch, Uncle, Uncle, good Uncle, please be gentle."
He forced a smile through his tears, "It wasn't easy for me to learn this lesson."
"Prince of Huaiyang, I've found what I lost." Xiao Xun turned to Xiao Cheng. "The gates of the mansion can be opened now."
"Found it? Yes, by whom and where?" Xiao Cheng asked in astonishment.
He still didn't think anyone would covet an old handkerchief, even one embroidered with phoenixes in gold thread. After all, if someone had the skill to steal handkerchiefs and towels worn close to the body, why wouldn't they steal something more valuable like jade pendants or gemstones?
Xiao Xun paused, then scoffed, "I must have misremembered."
While Xiao Cheng was stunned, Lin Yu spoke softly, "The fourth step of the ultimate move is to strike unexpectedly and feign madness. It seems that Young Master Xiao had foreseen everything. Impressive. I admire you."
"What does Master Lin mean by this?" The Prince of Huaiyang was just as stunned as the Crown Prince.
Lin Yu tucked his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face, and looked at Xiao Xun: "Young Master Xiao, you guessed as early as New Year's Eve that the troublemaker would try another plan after his first one failed, didn't you?"
Xiao Xun raised his eyebrows, smiling but saying nothing.
Gongsun Zhao nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's all thanks to Young Master Xiao's foresight and brilliant strategies."
"But what does this have to do with the fact that the mansion has been closed for the past few days?" Xiao Jin asked blankly, still confused.
Xiao Cheng realized what was happening, his hands trembled, and his legs went weak.
Xiao Xun offered him a helping hand: "Brother, I have just arrived and it is New Year's Day. To order the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion to close for three days is presumptuous of me."
Xiao Cheng could tell that Xiao Xun was still unwilling to reveal his identity, so he went along with it and bowed with his hands clasped in thanks, his voice trembling slightly, "Brother thanks you, younger brother." He then turned to Gongsun Zhao, "Thank you to the court, for believing in the innocence of the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion, and for believing in my innocence."
Seeing that Xiao Jin was still in a daze, Xiao Cheng slapped him hard on the back of the neck: "If the mansion hadn't been closed these days, the assassin could have easily disguised himself as someone else, or even carried out the assassination at any time. In that case, it would have implicated everyone in my mansion, and neither you nor I would have escaped the consequences! Why don't you quickly thank your uncle? And the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud!"
Before Gongsun Zhao could stop the Prince of Huaiyang from bowing, he hurriedly stopped the Crown Prince from bowing as well, repeatedly saying, "It's thanks to the Crown Prince's timely discovery of the suspicious points of the rioters that day that Young Master Xiao and we were more cautious. But the person instigating the rioters will probably not be so easy to find out."
"In any case, the Prime Minister's office must be in complete chaos right now. The Minister of the Imperial Household personally interrogated him, and the Prime Minister was also implicated and imprisoned. This news must be the result the instigator wanted."
“That, that assassin…” Xiao Jin frowned.
Lin Yu said, "Finding the assassin among dozens of dancers isn't difficult. My younger sister told me before she left that the dancer had broken a string on her instrument, and there was blood on the string. We just need to check her fingers for any injuries. However—"
Xiao Xun continued, "However, I'm afraid we won't get anything out of her. She's only trying to incite public resentment, and to arouse hatred among the court officials, as well as myself, towards the Prince of Huaiyang and the Kingdom of Huaiyang."
Gongsun Zhao added, "There are two possible outcomes to this imprisonment. First, the person may commit suicide on the way, having likely already concealed the poison on their person. Second, the person may not be in a hurry to commit suicide, but rather preserve their life in order to expose the evil deeds of the Prince of Huaiyang or the Crown Prince to the Grand Master of the Palace."
“Evil deeds?” Xiao Jin gasped. “Uncle, you should know that although my father and I are incompetent, we are arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, lacking in moral conduct and fond of sensual pleasures…”
Xiao Xun glanced at him and interrupted, "I know."
Xiao Jin hurriedly cried out, "But—but, but I would never do anything evil—"
Xiao Xun raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "It's nothing, it's not important."
Gongsun Zhao sighed, "The assassin, knowing she was facing certain death, hid among the dancers to buy time and drag the dancers and singers of the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion into the mess, exposing the mansion's shameful side. Knowing she was doomed sooner or later, she must have some leverage over her, or her family's lives were in the hands of the mastermind. How could she possibly confess?"
Xiao Cheng was still shaken: "Now that the news has spread, we can only wait and see who makes any moves, whether inside or outside the court."
"Indeed brilliant." Lin Yu's eyes were cold and stern as she curled her lips and said, "It's no surprise that the assassin would infiltrate the Prime Minister's carriage and carry out the assassination at today's banquet, Young Master Xiao. Perhaps it was all a trap. No wonder Young Master Xiao appeared behind my sister, and the Imperial Guards under the Minister of Ceremonies arrived so quickly. It turns out that everyone present was a pawn. If my sister hadn't been involved, I would truly applaud Young Master Xiao."
Gongsun Zhao was taken aback. Seeing the smile on Xiao Xun's face gradually fade, he quickly explained, "Alas, no one could have predicted that the assassin would target Master Lin's sister. Fortunately, Young Master Xiao guessed the assassin's motive and was ninety percent certain that whatever tricks that person used, they couldn't take anyone's life. Master Lin himself just realized this. To say that everyone here has been used as pawns is unfair. Young Master Xiao has only known Master Lin and his sister for three to five days..."
"What were the motives of the rioters? Would they really kill people? Who would be attacked? Was the weapon used for the attack poisoned? Before the incident, these were all just guesses of Young Master Xiao and the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud."
Lin Yu interrupted him, "Of course, what Young Master Xiao, the Grand Master of the Palace, the Minister of the Imperial Household and others care about is that 90% certainty."
He gritted his teeth, his voice growing colder: "But I have no choice but to care about the remaining ten percent."
As Xiao Xun watched his departing figure, her hand clenched into a fist hidden in her sleeve, her nails digging into her flesh, and a sharp pain shot through her.
...
"To take care of your health, you should choose a quiet and secluded place."
Last summer, in the seventh month, Xiao Xun brought Lin Yuan to Shanglin Garden.
Lin Yuan gazed at the countless narrow stone steps hidden in the dense shade before her, and sighed deeply, "Yes, a person who has lost a child, dragging their sick and frail body, climbs this mountain. Even if they were already fine, they should rest and recuperate properly once they reach the top."
Xiao Xun chuckled: "I'll carry you on my back?"
As he spoke, he actually squatted down in front of her.
Lin Yuan was startled. Already panting, her heart pounded even harder: "No, no, how could I dare?"
“Otherwise, calling me ‘husband’ would make me feel better.” He turned around and raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, then, then I dare not do it again." Lin Yuan stammered, taking a step back.
"Then let's rest for a while before continuing." He chuckled, flicked his robe, and stood up. "I doubt you'd dare."
As the houses on the mountain gradually came into view, Lin Yuan noticed that he was in a good mood and cautiously said, "Your Majesty, didn't you say that Eunuch Wang was also ill? Why don't we send him here to recuperate as well?"
Xiao Xun frowned, and after a long while, said, "His illness doesn't need to be treated here."
He then looked up at her and asked, "Do you think that, to me, you are the same as him?"
Lin Yuan chuckled: "He is a palace attendant in the Emperor's court, and has been taking care of His Majesty for more than ten years. In comparison, I am practically someone who has just met His Majesty. In terms of friendship, of course, we can't compare."
"You just met?" Xiao Xun raised his hand and lightly tapped her forehead.
Lin Yuan cried out and reached out to protect her.
Xiao Xun pulled her hand away.
But involuntarily, she held it in her hand and didn't let go.
Lin Yuan's face flushed, and she felt that his palms were hot and slightly damp.
Xiao Xun had already turned his head away, tossing out, "Don't you think the road is difficult to walk on? I'll pull you up."
They reached the secluded pavilion at the top of the mountain, where there was no way forward. The palace servants inside and outside the room came out to bow. Lin Yuan hurriedly withdrew her hand, and he reluctantly let go, letting out a laugh: "We just met, is this enough?"
The place we arrived at was called "Lanyue Pavilion".
It is indeed a quiet and secluded place.
The rolling mountains and the vast expanse of misty waters are all on full display.
Outside the house is a sizable courtyard, paved with snow-white gravel, with plum trees planted in a staggered pattern.
Behind the house, the bamboo grove is lush and verdant, with thousands of tall bamboo stalks that block out the sky, but not the sun.
Walking along the bamboo path, the sunlight falls on you, filtered by the bamboo leaves to dispel the summer heat, making it very comfortable for those who are sensitive to the cold.
"I'll come to pick you up when the plum blossoms here are about to bloom." As Xiao Xun left, he pointed to the gnarled plum branches outside the house, looked back at Lin Yuan, and said with a wistful smile, "Otherwise, my desk will always be missing a pleasant fragrance."
Lin Yuan turned her head to watch his departing figure, pondering the fragrance of the flowers he had mentioned.
From the very beginning, he disliked the strong fragrance of plum blossoms and forbade them to be placed on his desk, so there have never been any flowers on his desk.
Outside the windows of the Zichen Pavilion in the Jiaofang Palace are corridors and passageways. Further away, the steps lead down to the central courtyard, but there are no flowering trees or shrubs.
Xiao Xun descended the steps and walked halfway around the foot of the mountain. He came to a desolate palace where white-haired palace maids were trimming waist-high weeds. This was Zhaotai Palace.
Empress Qu Qingru is now confined to this place.
Xiao Xun stopped and murmured to himself, looking at the almost invisible courtyard on the mountaintop, "I'm sorry, this is the safest place I can think of."
When the Xiongnu invaded, the border garrison troops, having been exhausted for years, were demoralized. In addition, the military commander Qu Qingchuan of Shuofang Commandery suffered a setback in his campaign and was unable to defeat them.
The Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief petitioned to send troops stationed in the Three Auxiliary Regions to the northern deserts to meet the Xiongnu. The Emperor granted the request. The army departed from the capital region that very day.
Qu Yang, however, claimed to be ill during those days, kept his mansion gates tightly closed, and his attitude remained unclear.
Soon, Qu Qingchuan will raise an army in Shuofang and Shangjun under the pretext of being the orphan of the late Crown Prince.
"I will definitely defeat Qu Yang and Qu Qingchuan. Chang'an City and Weiyang Palace cannot fall, cannot fall into the hands of traitors."
Xiao Xun's gaze was sharp as he looked towards the northern sky. Slowly, his hand clenched into a fist, his fingertips tightening, and his palm felt a dull ache.
"But I don't dare to gamble. Even if I'm 90% sure, I still won't let you gamble with me if there's even a 10% chance."
I have seen the snow in Chang'an, black snow. The sky over Weiyang Palace, a black sky.
The snow stopped, it got light, and they were all gone.
—I can't live without you anymore.
"Oh dear, little brother, you're injured!"
After remaining silent for a long time, Princess Huaiyang exclaimed in shock as she looked at the bloodstains seeping from Xiao Xun's sleeve.
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Author's Note: Red envelopes will be given away for comments! Trying to write longer chapters, please don't let them get too long before they're finished [shy]
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