“That martial arts master was very powerful. At that time, I chased him out together with the emperor’s secret guards and Dongchang Director Zheng. When we pursued him outside the palace, he began to gradually gain distance. He seemed to be extremely familiar with the palace and the capital, and vanished after taking a few corners,” Huo Fenglie explained.

Qin Yu and He Lan couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this.

“Since there are people behind the rebels, and among these people are such masters who can freely enter and leave the palace, doesn’t that mean the emperor is in danger?” He Lan said, touching his chin.

“No, he was able to kidnap Jiang Wang because we all thought it was an assassination attempt and everyone went to protect the emperor, giving that person an opportunity.”

“Could it be that only his qinggong is so advanced?” He Lan said consideringly. If there really was a master capable of breaking into the palace alone, wouldn’t he have done it many years ago? But for He Lan, such a person existing in the ranks of the rebels was very troubling.

He Lan asked a few more questions, but seeing that Qin Yu wasn’t speaking, he thought he was still unwell. He couldn’t help but reach out to support him, but Qin Yu avoided him with a warning look.

“I still have questions to ask Zhanyuan. Alone,” Qin Yu said directly.

These words instantly changed He Lan’s expression. The two of them had been doing the most intimate things not long ago. He had thought Qin Yu was hard-spoken but soft-hearted, yet after he sobered up, he had the attitude of wanting to be a thousand miles away from the other party.

What was it that he could only tell Huo Fenglie, but not him?

Qin Yu turned a blind eye to He Lan’s ugly expression. It was as if he wouldn’t speak if He Lan didn’t leave.

In the end, He Lan was so angry that he turned around and left.

It wasn’t until there was no sense of He Lan in the room that Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

“They didn’t take Jiang Wang. That master is not one of theirs,” Qin Yu said directly.

Huo Fenglie said: “What is the purpose of telling me?”

Qin Yu: “I just wanted you to know not to look in the wrong direction. This matter had nothing to do with them, and they’re also trying to find out who it was. It isn’t them, so it must be someone with a personal vendetta against Jiang Wang.”

Huo Fenglie said slowly: “If they had a personal vendetta, it must have nothing to do with the matter everyone is investigating.”

Qin Yu nodded.

Huo Fenglie looked at him and said: “Are you doing things for them now? Who are they?”

Qin Yu frowned, but didn’t deny it.

“You still can’t say?” Huo Fenlgie’s voice was somewhat cold.

Qin Yu was silent for a moment: “You’ve actually guessed some of them even without me telling you, right?”

Huo Fenglie said: “King Jing?”

“Indeed. King Jing.”

“But there is someone behind him.”

“Foster Father didn’t tell me, but there is indeed someone who intends to help King Jing. King Jing has always believed that the throne originally belonged to him, that Prime Minister Liu and your elder brother supported the emperor back then and took away what was supposed to be his. This is the reason for his rebellion.” Qin Yu said, “Therefore, he also resents the Huo family.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed: “This is impossible. My brother and Qing-ge received an imperial edict back then. There is absolutely no way they could have passed on a false one.”

Qin Yu said with a frown: “Actually, there were indeed rumors about it in the palace back then, but they were suppressed by Prime Minister Liu’s thunderous methods.”

Huo Fenglie was stunned.

Qin Yu said: “My adoptive father and I don’t care about such things. People who want to rebel will always find an excuse. As for King Jing’s character, he would be a fatuous tyrant if he were in power.”

Huo Fenglie was unfamiliar with King Jing: “Do they have any plans for the Longevity Festival?”

“This isn’t something I can get involved in, but I believe in my foster father.”

“Assuming everything you said before is true, why won’t you tell me or the emperor everything your foster father knows?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Qin Yu knew what Huo Fenlgie meant. He suspected that Zheng Wei had other intentions.

“The emperor is suspicious and might not believe it, and we still have very important things to investigate. As for you, my adoptive father said there is no benefit in telling you. When the truth of the matter is revealed, my adoptive father and I will let the emperor do whatever he wants to us. We can also escape, but you can’t. If you knew, how would you hide it from the emperor or deal with it later if you were held accountable?” Qin Yu asked coolly.

Huo Fenglie said: “I am currently concealing your affairs from the emperor.”

Qin Yu was taken aback, and stopped talking.

Matters were complicated, and nobody’s words could be completely believed. Even the “it’s for your own good” angle was biased. Huo Fenglie didn’t want to put Qin Yu in an awkward position, and could only desist in his questioning.

After everything was said and done, Qin Yu turned to leave.

Huo Fenglie suddenly said: “Yundu over there…..”

Qin Yu froze: “As long as he honestly follows his uncle, there won’t be any problems.”

“He won’t necessarily be honest. He cares about you.” It was rare for Huo Fenglie to speak on his brother’s behalf, but he had noticed something when the two of them came in.

Qin Yu’s expression didn’t change: “That is because he’s hopelessly entangled. Let’s not speak of it. You and Brother Liu stay safe.”

Having said this, Qin Yu turned and flew off.

But as soon as he landed under the wall outside, he was ambushed.

A familiar aura covered him, and he placed a hand over his lips. “Not enough? I don’t have any more time.”

He Lan was unbearably angry. He grasped Qin Yu and said: “Let me ask you!”

Qin Yu regarded He Lan with a frown.

He Lan said with trepidation: “Do you…..like Zhanyuan? I know he’s your savior, so it’s normal for you to like him, but I…..”

Qin Yu simply went blank at the question, then grew angry at He Lan’s foolishness: “You idiot, I only think of him as a brother. How could I like him? Why are you so crazy! And the person who saved me back then was obviously…..”

He Lan didn’t hear the rest, only that Qin Yu said he thought of Huo Fenglie as a brother. He didn’t feel that Qin Yu was just placating him, and was so overjoyed that he immediately said with an overheated brain: “What about me? Who am I to you?”

Qin Yu choked. Seeing He Lan moving closer and closer, he really couldn’t resist the heat radiating invisibly from He Lan’s body. It was extremely hot. He had to grit his teeth to keep his wits about him and push him away.

“I think you’re an idiot!”

Qin Yu flew away right after saying this. It was too late for He Lan to pursue him, so he could only kick the corner in anger.

“Qin Zichuan, I’ll deal with you sooner or later!”

On the other side, Huo Fenglie returned to the bedroom with a lot on his mind. As soon as he opened the bed curtains, he saw that the person inside was awake.

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie called softly.

Liu Zhenqing shifted to the inside without even opening his eyes, and lifted the blanket. Huo Fenglie smiled faintly and got inside.

“Did you meet with them? What did they say?”

“Regarding Liu Qiao, He Lan suspects on behalf of the Jinyiwei that he belongs to the forces in the capital, while Qin Yu, on behalf of the Dongchang, suspects that someone was seeking personal revenge.”

It was slightly cold in autumn. Liu Zhenqing didn’t like the cold, and shrunk into the arms of Huo Fenglie, who was like a god of fire. He also stuffed his feet inside Huo Fenglie’s pants to keep them warm.

“Is Qin Yu in contact with the people in the capital?” Liu Zhenqing responded.

Huo Fenglie repeated to him what the two of them had discussed.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly became energized upon hearing this. He propped his body up and said: “What? King Jing thinks the throne belongs to him?”

Huo Fenglie was afraid Liu Zhenqing would grow cold, so he quickly took him back into his arms and covered him with the blanket.

“I heard from Qin Yu that there were rumors in the palace, and you suppressed them,” Huo Fenglie said.

Liu Zhenqing recalled for a moment, then smiled speechlessly: “That did happen.”

Huo Fenglie gave him an inquisitive look.

Liu Zhenqing said: “Do you still remember the two major cases that made the three of us, your brother, Sister-in-law, and I famous all over the country?”

Huo Fenglie nodded: “En, the beauty espionage case and the witchcraft curse case.”

The beauty espionage case was the one that made them famous, and the witchcraft curse case was the one that shocked the Imperial court.

The witchcraft curse case referred to the time when the former emperor was bewitched and wrongfully accused Crown Prince Jingyang, who was imprisoned and died of illness in custody. As a result, Yuan Jue lost his protection and was instigated by the Three Kings to be sent to the kingdom of Xiheng as a hostage. At that time, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan had already pledged their allegiance to the crown prince. Having been left with Yuan Jue in their care by the crown prince on his deathbed, they naturally intended to discover the truth and rescue Yuan Jue.

With the help of Yao Hua and Jian Shuang, they finally uncovered the truth and proved the crown prince’s innocence to the confused old emperor. At that time, everyone knew that the so-called truth must be that the Three Kings had instigated the matter. It was only that the old emperor was terminally ill and no longer had any scruples. He could only remorsefully pen an Imperial Edict to pass on the throne.

The only people present at that time were Liu Zhenqing, Huo Feihan, and Yao Hua.

The Three Kings were watching with eager eyes back then. If they were informed of the existence of the Imperial edict, there would inevitably have been an instant rebellion. Thus, the old emperor had to hang onto his last breath to give Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan power, and sow discord so that the Three Kings would think the throne belonged to them and fight amongst themselves first. This would allow Liu Zhenqing an opportunity to devise a plan to rescue Yuan Jue.

“There was only one Imperial edict from beginning to end, and that was to pass the throne to Yuan Jue.”

“Why were there rumors in the palace?”

“Because the confused old emperor did have some thoughts about passing the throne to the infant King Jing. After all, Yuan Jue was already in the kingdom of Xiheng at that time, and whether or not he could be rescued was still in question. Although Huo-dage and I had sworn to rescue him, whether he would be the next emperor was not something we had a say in.

Huo Fenglie hadn’t expected that such a thing had happened. He only recalled that the situation back then was dire, and people from the Three Kings came to the Huo family’s door every two or three days to intimidate and pressure them.

Liu Zhenqing said with a sneer: “The old emperor probably came to his senses on his deathbed and realized that leaving it to King Jing was the real danger, with the Three Kings eyeing him. He gave me the gold seal and gave military power to Huo Feihan. Whether it be a relative or a powerful minister, he feared that this infant child would be raised to be a complete puppet. It was better to put his faith in the grandson who had performed well since childhood. It was also a test to see if we were determined to assist the new emperor, so he hung onto life for a while until we rescued Yuan Jue.”

“If you had failed to save him, then the throne…..”

“It wouldn’t have been King Jing. He was at most an imperial grandson. Yuan Jue was designated as the crown grandson when he was a child. If he was unable to return, it would have been easier for one of the Three Kings to win the support of the ministers and the people than for King Jing to succeed the throne.” Liu Zhenqing said: “So King Jing is really too self-righteous. He was probably suppressed too hard by Yuan Jue and went crazy. That, or somebody brainwashed him.”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing paused and thought of meeting the Empress Dowager and the Taifei at the Imperial Academy that day.

Weren’t they the people closest to King Jing? Could they be suspects?

Huo Fenglie saw the odd look on his face and knew what he was thinking, so he couldn’t help but change the subject.

Liu Zhenqing grew interested when he heard it: “It seems the two of them like each other, but Qin Yu likely wants to wait for this matter to be over before they talk.”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

“As for what Qin Yu said……” Liu Zhenqing smiled. “It did contain an important message.”

“What message?”

“It at least proves that the Jinyiwei have nothing to do with the forces in the capital, and that they’re completely on Yuan Jue’s side. If something happens, the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang will be on hand,” Liu Zhenqing analyzed.

The next day, in order to ensure the smooth process of the Longevity Festival, the incident with Prime Minister Jiang was classified the result of an incidental vendetta. The investigation into this was enough, and all previous investigations into Jiang Wang’s crimes were shelved.

After all, when a foreign country came to visit, it would never be practical to say that the country’s second-in-command and the emperor’s own father-in-law intended to rebel at this juncture, and that the empress was implicated because of it. Great Zhou couldn’t afford to lose face in such a way.

They would rather let outsiders believe that Jiang Wang’s death was accidental, and that the empress was grieving too much to receive the envoys.

The work of the prime minister in the court was distributed to other ministers in an orderly manner. The affairs of the harem were also handed over to several concubines to discuss and handle together, and everything ran on track just as it should, without the slightest upheaval.

It could be seen that Yuan Jue had long been prepared to handle any changes, including dealing with Jiang Wang and the empress.

Such calm and unhurried handling of all matters also made people inside and outside of the court realize one truth – the heavenly might was difficult to fathom! And the emperor’s thoughts were even more unfathomable.

Very soon, envoys arrived in the capital one after another. Only the envoys from the kingdom of Xiheng had constant problems along the way and came three days later than expected, which was only one day away from the Longevity Festival. They simply weren’t taking the emperor of Great Zhou seriously. Such behavior naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of Great Zhou, but they couldn’t have a falling-out on the surface just yet. After all, the strengths of the two countries were still matched after years of skirmishes.

And in the past few days, Liu Zhenqing had finally received a complete overview of Zheng Wei.

After sitting in the courtyard to read it, Liu Zhenqing was a little puzzled. He really couldn’t see anything there.

Suddenly, Huo Fenglie climbed in over the wall.

Liu Zhenqing looked skyward in surprise, wondering why he’d come so early today.

Before Liu Zhenqing could react, Huo Fenglie had picked him up into his arms. The embrace was so strong that Liu Zhenqing was entirely stunned.

Immediately afterward, Huo Fenglie placed Liu Zhenqing on the table, eyes firmly locked on him. Liu Zhenqing saw that the other’s mood was a little off, and his eyes were slightly red. He asked uncertainly: “What’s wrong?”

Huo Fenglie was in a trance for a moment. Then he forced a smile and said: “Qing-ge, I missed you. I was too busy and couldn’t come yesterday.”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly. Before he could ask further questions, Huo Fenglie pulled Liu Zhenqing into a passionate kiss, his hands unconsciously stroking his back.

There must be something wrong for Huo Fenglie to be so proactive, ah. But Liu Zhenqing would never interrupt a puppy when it approached him. He would just ask afterward.

But this only happened after darkness fell.

Liu Zhenqing’s head was muddled as Huo Fenglie cleaned him up and put him to bed. Huo Fenglie became well-behaved and began looking for ointment to apply to Liu Zhenqing’s legs.

“Hiss…..” 

“Does it hurt?” Huo Fenglie asked nervously.

“It doesn’t hurt. If I can’t bear this little pain, what will happen when we do the official thing in the future?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile. “What happened to you today?”

Huo Fenglie fell silent.

Liu Zhenqing had the patience to wait. Today’s Er-gou was indeed abnormal. In fact, he rarely used this method because he feared he would be unable to control himself.

But today, not only did he use it fiercely, but with emotion as well.He’d always had a special preference for his back, which had probably left quite a few marks. The skin on his back was still burning painfully, and he didn’t know the reason for all of this.

“Qing-ge, I’m just a little anxious. How about…..you have Liu Qiao take you out of the capital first before the Longevity Festival…..”

Before Huo Fenglie could finish his words, Liu Zhenqing had already turned around to look at him. His eyes were intense, as if they could see into a person’s heart.

Huo Fenglie didn’t dare look into them, and could only pretend to clean up: “Qing-ge, since we already know King Jing is the one causing trouble, we’ll keep an eye on him. He’ll definitely be defeated in the future. King Jing is hostile to the Huo family, and there’s no need for you to stay in the capital. I’ll be worried.”

But as soon as Huo Fenglie was done speaking, Liu Zhenqing pinched his ear: “Outrageous. You want to get rid of someone after eating him?”

In a flash, Huo Fenglie stared at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes, saying: “What is it you think I came back for? Yuan Jue’s empire?”

Huo Fenglie opened his mouth, and ended up saying obediently: “You came back for me.”

“You’re pretty sensible.” Liu Zhenqing pinched Huo Fenglie’s nose this time and said, “Don’t even think about making me go.”

“Qing-ge……”

“Don’t speak.”

Huo Fenglie contemplated, then finally said: “Then, Qing-ge, please don’t participate in the Longevity Festival. Just stay in the house. I’m afraid there will be trouble.”

According to Liu Zhenqing’s status, it was impossible for him to participate. But because he was Huo Fenglie’s fiance, although the emperor hadn’t yet granted them a marriage, their two families had already made a lot of progress and it would be no problem for Huo Fenglie to bring him along. Because of this, Liu Zhenqing would have participated by default from the beginning.

Although Liu Zhenqing was suspicious of Huo Fenglie’s resolve, he didn’t say he would participate. If possible, he didn’t want to go to the palace.

So he nodded.

Huo Fenglie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His mood improved tremendously, and he helped massage Liu Zhenqing’s slender waist.

“It’s best if you just don’t leave the house during the Longevity Festival. I’ll come see you every day.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Liu Zhenqing said perfunctorily. Sure enough, he felt Huo Fenglie touch his back again. It was odd.

However, the two soon shifted topics to discuss Zheng Wei.

“Other than the fact that he’s an orphan, there’s no useful information. He entered the palace a long time ago. Nothing in particular happened that year, but something happened the year before.”

“The beauty espionage case that made you famous?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

At that time, the old emperor had a new beauty who was very charming. She received the old emperor’s exclusive favor, and was so arrogant that she would even refuse to show face to the empress. 

Once, the beauty and the emperor were dining together. During the fun, the beauty snatched the soup from the emperor’s hand, drank it with a smile, and was poisoned. The emperor was frightened and angry. He sent people to investigate and also to treat the beauty, but the beauty ultimately died in the emperor’s arms. She left behind infatuated words, saying that she was happy to have saved the emperor from disaster. The emperor was immediately filled with grief and fury.

At the end of the investigation, the empress was found guilty, and the emperor immediately ordered her execution. This was naturally not something that could happen easily. After all, she was the mother of the country, as well as the mother of Prince Jingyang. But the emperor was already full of wrath and wouldn’t even see the prince.

They already had a relationship with Prince Jingyang at that time, and had not yet entered the court, so the prince asked them to investigate.

In the end, Liu Zhenqing had discovered the truth. He entered the Imperial court for the first time and stood in the hall, and before the civil and military officials of the court, he joined forces with Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo to explain the real situation. This shocked the government and the public.

It turned out that the so-called beauty was a traitor who had faked her death to escape, but it was a pity that she was silenced. Thus, they found her real body in the moat, and when they fished it out, it was still holding onto the clothes of a former minister at that time.

The cause of death was changed from poisoning to a knife wound, which naturally exonerated the empress. The minister also hanged himself before being caught, but anyone with a discerning eye knew it had to be a trap set to deal with the crown prince. The only possibility was that the Three Kings were behind it. The Three Kings also speculated about each other, and the initial struggle between them began.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie discussed it for some time, but couldn’t figure it out. Judging from the information before and after Zheng Wei entered the palace, he shouldn’t have had any special motive.

Since they couldn’t make sense of it, they stopped dwelling on it. They woke up, Huo Fenglie left, and the Longevity Festival Banquet also started in the palace.

Liu Zhenqing called for Liu Qiao and told him to ask around if anything had happened to Huo Fenglie.

As it turned out, Liu Qiao wasn’t needed at this moment. Jin Li, the most gossipy and caring person around Huo Fenglie, came to give Liu Zhenqing his answer.

Due to the reception of the Xiheng entourage the day before, Huo Fenglie had gone in person to get them under control. But when he saw the other side’s envoy, they didn’t say a few words before conflict broke out on the spot. If officials on both sides hadn’t stopped them, they may have begun to fight.

This surprised Liu Zhenqing. Although the feud between Great Zhou and Xiheng had lasted several lifetimes, Huo Fenglie was not someone who acted regardless of the occasion, ah.

“I heard that the Xiheng envoy was replaced at the last moment. There was no discussion about it with Great Zhou, and the person who came is a huge bigshot,” Jin Li said mysteriously.

“Who is it, ah?”

“It’s the Prince of Xiheng, Li Jinshu, known as the Son of God!”

Liu Zhenqing’s hand shook while he was in the middle of drinking tea, and the teacup fell. Although Liu Qiao was also shocked by the name, he still caught the teacup with quick reflexes and prevented the hot tea from splashing his master.

But at this time, Liu Zhenqing paid it no mind and instead touched his back in a daze.

In an instant, as if some protective ability had been aroused, the wave of memories in his mind was suppressed by the sweetness of the night before. All of the marks on his back had been made by Huo Fenglie, and each one of them had made him tremble all over.

Liu Zhenqing was in a daze for a moment. When he saw Liu Qiao watching him anxiously, he smiled and said: “No wonder Er-gou was agitated. Er-gou only suffered defeat at his hands. He is indeed an unconventional person. The Prince of Xiheng who covers the sky with one hand has come to Great Zhou as an envoy – is he not afraid we won’t let him return?”

Jin Li tittered said: “How can that be, ah? If something goes wrong, Xiheng and our Great Zhou won’t risk fighting. We have our future uncle here, so it’s better not to fight. I just want General Huo and you, my family’s young master, to live a good life and get married as soon as possible.”

The servant and young master were laughing happily when suddenly, the housekeeper rushed over and shouted: “Young Master, there is an Imperial edict from the palace. You’ve been ordered to enter the palace at once for the banquet!”

The expressions on Liu Zhenqing’s and Liu Qiao’s faces instantly changed.

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Chapter 133 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 135