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Inside the palace, the Eighth Princess exhausted herself crying and fell asleep.

Jian Shuang coughed twice, and a figure descended. Although he was dressed as a eunuch, he had a beard. He had some trouble walking, and carried a cane with him.

“Master, King Jing has been very calm, and there have been no changes. Is Master overly concerned? After all, King Jing has always listened to Master,” the lame old man said.

“Are you questioning me?” Jian Shuang asked.

The old man immediately lowered his head.

Jian Shuang rubbed her forehead, but the force left no red mark on her snow-white skin.

“I know he’s not satisfied, but now is not the right time. Acting rashly will only lead to failure. Keep an eye on him, and don’t let him mess around.”

Jian Shuang looked through the window into the night, feeling uneasy. She was more annoyed than anyone by the failure of her work, but an impatient hunter was not a good hunter. There was no other way but to wait.”

After leaving the princess’s bedroom, Jiang Shuang did not return to her own rooms, but went to the Empress Dowager’s palace. 

Everyone in the Empress Dowager’s palace was accustomed to this. The two highnesses often rested together, and were as close as sisters. Even though they had shared the same husband in the East Palace, there had never been any discord between them, and the harem was relatively peaceful nowadays due to the example these two elders set.

“Jiejie.”

Yao Hua was about to retire to bed when she saw Jian Shuang arrive, and waved her in with a smile. Jian Shuang tidied up and lay down with her.

“How is the princess?”

“It was just a little daughter’s tantrum. It’s a shame General Huo won’t marry into the royal family,” Jian Shuang said.

Yao Hua said: “Marrying into the royal family isn’t necessarily a good thing. The highest level of power brings the greatest danger.”

Jian Shuang slowly leaned against Yao Hua’s shoulder, and Yao Hua tucked the blanket around her gently.

“Let’s ask a palace attendant for another blanket. The days are cold, not as good as summer. I move around a lot while sleeping, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“I don’t need one, Jiejie. It’s the warmest here.” Her tone was seemingly coquettish.

Yao Hua allowed her to draw close. “The emperor is one year older, and so are we.”

“Jiejie isn’t old. She has eternal youth,” Jian Shuang said with a smile.

Yao Hua softly stroked Jian Shuang’s silky black hair: “It’s Shuang’er who has eternal youth. Shuang’er is beautiful and talented. If she hadn’t married into the East Palace back then, if she had found the right husband, her illness may have been cured long ago. Whether it be having children or expressing her talents, it would have been better than being trapped in this palace.”

Jian Shuang reached out and pressed a gentle finger to Yao Hua’s lips: “Jiejie isn’t allowed to say that. Being with Jiejie is my greatest joy. Since the moment Jiejie saved me at the Imperial Academy in our childhood, I vowed to follow her for the rest of my life.”

Signs of her being the pinnacle of beauty had shown in her teenage years, a beauty so offensive that she was ostracized by the female students in the Imperial Academy. Yao Hua happened across the scene of being bullied and rescued her. Then, afterward, she took the initiative to be her friend.

“I saved you? But then we were both bullied. It was Liu Zhenqing and the others…..”

“They just liked to show off, unlike Jiejie, who reached out to me resolutely even though she knew it would cause trouble for her. So as long as Jiejie is happy, I’m willing to do anything.”

Jian Shuang gazed at Yao Hua devoutly, and the other looked down at her: “Then do you know what happiness I really want?”

Jian Shuang’s eyes flashed: “What is it?”

“For the common people to work in peace and contentment, for the emperor to be diligent and love the people, and for the world and Great Zhou to be at peace.”

Jian Shuang said: “Is this really Jiejie’s happiness? Is this not Crown Prince Jingyang’s ambition, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan’s hope, and the emperor’s goal? Where does it bring happiness to Jiejie? They placed righteousness before family and Jiejie. Has Jiejie really forgotten the happiness she desired? But I haven’t forgotten, ah. Jiejie’s happiness is very simple – for the person you loved to reciprocate, and for the person you loved to respect and love you.”

Yao Hua nearly lost control of her expression.

Jian Shuang’s eyes gradually became as still as ice: “It is obviously a simple thing, ah. Jiejie is the least greedy person in the world, but some people didn’t know how to cherish her. I will never forget the sacrifices Jiejie made for them…..”

“I didn’t sacrifice anything,” Yao Hua said.

Jian Shuang reached out and touched her face, saying: “Yes, ah, how could I be willing to let Jiejie make any sacrifices? Jiejie is so good.”

Yao Hua frowned slightly. She opened her mouth, but didn’t say anything in the end.

“It’s late.”

Jian Shuang was taken aback: “What?”

Yao Hua gave a faint smile and said: “I said it’s late. You’re not in good health, so let’s not talk about this and go to bed early instead. We must attend the performances tomorrow.”

“All right.” Jian Shuang smiled sweetly.

. . . . . .

In the morning, Liu Zhenqing was lifted up by Huo Fenglie while he was half-asleep: “Qing-ge, wake up.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to wake up. He had talked with Huo Fenglie too long the previous night and hadn’t slept well at all. So he struggled to lay down, but not long afterward, he was suffocated by Huo Fenglie’s kiss and woke up at once. When he opened his eyes, he saw the unnatural look on the other’s face.

“You sneak-attacked me,” Liu Zhenqing accused.

Huo Fenglie said sheepishly: “Qing-ge, it’s time to go on patrol with me.”

They had clearly agreed to this before falling asleep. Huo Fenglie needed to patrol and investigate, but was worried about leaving Liu Zhenqing alone, so he said he would take him along. Liu Zhenqing had agreed, and said that he should kiss him if he wouldn’t wake up.

Huo Fenglie had done as he was told, but got told off by Qing-ge.

Liu Zhenqing was very displeased to be woken up, but looking at Er-gou’s appearance, he wasn’t willing to coax the other and could only coax himself: “Come here and kiss me some more.”

Huo Fenglie obediently leaned down and kissed him, not getting back up until Liu Zhenqing felt better.

Soon, an extremely irregular scene appeared in the palace. Huo Fenglie, the country’s general and the main defense supervisor for this Longevity Festival, led a young master around everywhere to patrol and do inspections. Even as people reported to him professionally, their curious gazes would immediately lock onto Liu Zhenqing.

But Liu Zhenqing turned a blind eye to this, watching the hardworking Huo Fenglie with interest.

He couldn’t help lamenting that this child had truly grown up. This serious look was so handsome on him.

The more Liu Zhenqing watched, the more he liked it. Each time Huo Fenglie handed over work and moved to the next point, he would look back at him uncertainly, only to be greeted by Liu Zhenqing’s bright smile.

Huo Fenglie finally couldn’t bear it anymore. At the corner of the city wall, he grabbed that person and said: “Qing-ge, don’t keep staring at me.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curved: “Why not? Am I interfering with the general’s official duties?”

Huo Fenglie felt that he was being bullied by Qing-ge again. If he didn’t take him along, he wouldn’t feel at ease, but if he did take him along, it made a mess of his heart. He was truly helpless.

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s expression, Liu Zhenqing smiled even harder. He took advantage of their privacy to throw his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck and kiss him.

Huo Fenglie kept his balance under the impact. He embraced Lui Zhenqing and pressed him right up against the city wall, venting the accumulated palpitations of his heart before gradually subsiding.

“Huh – ah!”

A sound interrupted the two of them, and Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing looked up at the city wall. He Lan put his foot on the wall and leaned forward to look at them with a rather unhappy expression on his face: “Please pay attention, okay? There are people coming and going here.”

“Nobody walks over the city walls,” Huo Fenglie said directly.

He Lan’s lips curled and he slapped a hand to his forehead. Then he looked into the distance and said: “Have you seen Lao Qin?”

“I haven’t.”

“Where had he gone now?” He Lan muttered to himself.

“Isn’t the Dongchang responsible for receiving the envoys?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“Yeah, I originally saw him near the palace where the Xiheng envoys are staying, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye,” He Lan said. “Never mind, I’ll go look for him again.”

Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing watched him depart, then exchanged glances.

“It looks like there’s an extremely high probability,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“The Dongchang is helping them stir things up.” Huo Fenglie frowned.

“To catch a thief, you must find the stolen goods, and if there’s pus in a wound, it must be drained first,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Under Yuan Jue’s governance, someone was secretly making wounds on Great Zhou’s back and draining its strength. Although Yuan Jue had gradually become aware of it, his hands and feet were tied and he was unable to take action. After all, there were not many clean veterans in the court. It wasn’t until Huo Fenglie’s return and the attempted assassination at the Spring Plowing Festival that Yuan Jue was able to officially make a move.

When they went south before, they had basically cleaned up Great Zhou’s festering wounds, and now only the last bit was left. If the enemy didn’t take action, it would be very troublesome if these old problems lingered on.

On the second day, the envoys began to present gifts and performances one after another. Currently, thanks to the efforts of Yuan Jue and Huo Fenglie, the national power of the Great Zhou Dynasty had surpassed that of the late emperor’s reign, so the envoys were extremely earnest and respectful in their contributions.

Even the Kingdom of Xiheng had prepared a lot, which made the officials of Great Zhou extremely proud.

The square where the performances took place was very lively, but if one looked at the preparations backstage, it was extremely chaotic, with three layers of guards inside and outside. No matter how much chaos there was, it would never fall into the eyes of the noblemen.

Then Xiheng’s performance began, a kind of acrobatic sacred flame act. Exquisite fireballs were tied to chains in an orderly manner by the actors, who danced to celebrate the Longevity Festival.

Li Jinshu and King Jing both watched the performance tranquilly, while Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing held hands and sat quietly in their seats.

There was a sudden explosion, which was seemingly a performance error. The actors were blown away, and the flames in the square were like a chaotic rainstorm, flying in all directions.

They were sitting closest to the emperor, and were thus some distance away from the square, so the farthest-flung fireballs just barely reached their feet.

But for other spectators, it was a disaster. They instantaneously fled in all directions, and the scene fell into confusion as people began to trample others and the guards rushed around to maintain order. But no so-called assassins appeared.

The Jinyiwei and others immediately attended to the emperor and escorted everyone in batches to a safe place in a temporary shelter. This was an unexpected but routine action originally done in the event of rain or other weather events, so there was no need to make a different plan.

The royal family all went to the back, the envoys to the left, and the ministers to the right in order to prevent would-be enemies from hiding in a crowd.

Liu Zhenqing told Huo Fenglie to go about his work while he followed the ministers. Even if something happened, it definitely wouldn’t be the ministers who were targeted. This was the safest group, so Huo Fenglie was able to temporarily separate from Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zheqing looked to the sides as he walked. Something wasn’t right. They had thought too simply, assuming that assassins would appear, and despite all of their precautions, what happened was still unexpected.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing laid eyes on Li Jinshu. The surrounding envoys were evacuating in a hurry, but he was leisurely holding a wine flask, his eyes fixed solely on the back hall where the royal family had evacuated.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes shifted. King Jing had gone with Yuan Jue, but there must be secret guards around. What could King Jing do by himself?

Just as Liu Zhenqing was thinking, his expression abruptly changed when he looked at the rear. The royal family was sheltering there. Aside from the frightened concubines and some palace servants who had already been at the rear, the other four people were very calm. Yao Hua supported Jian Shuang, who was coughing unceasingly due to the smell of explosives, her reddened eyes on King Jing.

And King Jing was standing not far from Yuan Jue with a strange arc to the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, the palace servants who were guarding the rear suddenly began to move. They were all older servants, their countenances solemn and tragic as they rushed quickly toward Yuan Jue.

“Stop!” Juan Yue immediately realized that something was wrong and shouted.

But those palace attendants still charged toward Yuan Jue. In an instant, several secret guards jumped down. They were about to drive those people away, but upon getting closer, continuous explosions could be heard as human bodies exploded in front of them. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in a tragic scene.

All of the secret guards within range were caught up in the explosions, and in the end, only two lightly injured guards rushed to stand in front of Yuan Jue.

The palace was instantly filled with the wails and howls like ghosts and wolves. The concubines fled one after another, with some people protecting the Empress Dowager and the Taifei.

“Don’t worry about us, go and save the emperor,” Yao Hua said quickly. She hadn’t expected the Kingdom of Xiheng to have provided such a method to King Jing.

“Don’t worry, Jiejie. The emperor will be safe.” Jian Shuang pulled Yao Hua to withdraw, but her face was so dark that it seemed about to drip blood. She turned her head to give King Jing a fierce look. It would be best if he succeeded, but in the blink of an eye, she discovered unfamiliar palace attendants approaching in their direction with the intention to kill them as well.

In an instant, Jian Shuang’s eyes blew wide and her expression twisted like that of a Raksasha. Although there were martial arts experts at her side and she had no need to worry about being harmed, she was still furious.

Just when a person was about to pounce on the Empress Dowager, someone fired a hidden weapon through the air and provided them a chance to escape.

There was no retreat on the emperor’s side.

“Imperial Brother, think of something quickly!”

Yuan Jue frowned slightly at King Jing, who had yet to escape. Then he turned around and twisted a decoration on a pillar. With a click, a door emerged in the bookshelf behind them.

This was one of the palace’s secret passages.

“Withdraw,” the emperor commanded at once.

The remaining two secret guards and King Jing immediately withdrew into the secret passage along with the emperor.

But when the door to the secret passage closed and candles were lit in the hidden room, dozens of people swarmed from the other exit and surrounded the four of them.

Although the emperor’s secret guards were highly skilled in martial arts, they were unable to defeat so many masters. All they could do was shield Yuan Jue as they were forced into a corner.

And at this time, Yuan Jue’s eyes settled on King Jing, who was surrounded by assassins yet unharmed.

“You arranged all of this?” Yuan Jue raised his eyebrows.

“Emperor Brother, why are you still so calm? Are you really not afraid at all?” King Jing said with amusement. Even with Huo Fenglie present, it will be difficult to break through the trap I arranged. There are still human explosives everywhere outside waiting to deal with them.”

“Who taught you this method? Who told you about the secret passage?” Yuan Jue asked.

King Jing smiled coldly. He didn’t intend to delay and wait for something to go wrong. With a wave of his hand, the group of assassins in the back charged toward the emperor.

But at this critical moment when there was almost no suspense, half of the assassins in back removed their masks and attacked the other half.

King Jing’s expression changed drastically. He didn’t understand. Why was this suddenly happening?

Yuan Jue also frowned slightly, but the people without masks looked familiar. They seemed to be from the Dongchang.

However, the situation was evenly matched. King Jing had also practiced martial arts since childhood and didn’t consider himself inferior to the emperor, so he intended to act on his own.

The moment he saw two assassins draw away the secret guards protecting the emperor, he raised his sword and stabbed at Yuan Jue.

But Yuan Jue raised his arm, and an arrow shot through the air from his sleeve. King Jing could only dodge with great speed. The arrow pierced into his shoulder instead, and the force was so strong that he was knocked away.

King Jing was furious. He was unaware that Yuan Jue had the habit of carrying this sort of weapon with him. Even those close to Yuan Jue hadn’t known about it.

“Come, kill the emperor and I will make you a noble!”

But as soon as he spoke, he heard the secret passage that had just closed open once more.

This sound made the expressions of Yuan Jue and King Jing change.

There were two entrances to the secret passage. One in the rear, which had been opened by Yuan Jue, and the other in the distant side hall, where King Jing had arranged for the assassins to enter.

In fact, King Jing had only known of the entrance in the side hall. As for the back hall, he knew there was a hidden switch, but didn’t know its location. Only Yuan Jue should know this secret he was unable to ferret out with his relationship connections.

As for Yuan Jue, there were only two people who knew of it. At the thought of the other candidate, his expression shifted minutely.

Very soon, hurried footsteps sounded. Huo Fenglie had arrived with his guards.

Yuan Jue’s expression changed several times, and the hand he held behind his back slowly retracted. There was a brick behind it. In fact, it wasn’t that there was no way out. There was another passage he had secretly dug out, in order to prevent others who knew of this secret room from using it to harm him. He was too careful and suspicious to come in here without a way out.

He had just wanted to find out as much as possible about what was going on.

King Jing tried to run off the moment he saw Huo Fenglie. The situation was behind salvation, and panic swept over him. He had clearly sent people to hold Huo Fenglie back. How had he known what was going on over here?

But just as King Jing was about to rush into the tunnel, he was blocked by a person descending in front of him.

King Jing’s expression changed drastically: “You!”

Another person fell behind him – Qin Yu. He knocked King Jing unconscious and let him fall to the ground.

Huo Fenglie rushed over and gave him a look.

But Qin Yu just grabbed King Jing and dragged him to Yuan Jue, kneeling to give his report.

“When my adoptive father discovered the situation, he snuck his men inside. Unexpectedly, King Jing had a rebellious heart. This servant’s rescue came too late.”

Yuan Jue looked at Qin Yu and said: “It doesn’t matter. Your people were of great help.” Then he glanced toward Huo Fenglie and said: “Of course, my general who guards the country deserves the greatest merit!”

Huo Fenglie cupped his hands and escorted Yuan Jue out. The secret passage in the back hall was still open, and when Yuan Jue came out, he saw Liu Zhenqing standing next to the corner where the switch was.

Yuan Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly as Liu Zhenqing rushed toward Huo Fenglie with a look of pleasant surprise, asking: “Is everything all right?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head and looked at Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue said with a smile: “Many thanks for discovering the secret switch and saving this emperor.”

Qin Yu, who was following along, heard this and glanced toward Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing smiled simply and honestly, saying: “Your Majesty, I was scared to death. I got separated from the group and when I came over here, I saw Your Majesty and King Jing turn the switch and enter the secret passage. I heard the sound of slashing blades when I got closer, which frightened and worried me, so I went to get Fenglie’s help.”

Yuan Jue said: “So you saw me turn the mechanism?”

“Yes, I saw Your Majesty move this thing, but I didn’t expect that it would work for me.” Liu Zhenqing revealed the red marks on his hands. “I tried for a long time before I succeeded.”

Yuan Jue looked at Liu Zhenqing’s palm. His eyes darkened, and he looked away. “Young Master Liu has worked hard. This emperor will reward you. How is the situation outside?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Rest assured, Your Majesty. It was basically under control outside when I came in. Commander He is on the scene.”

Just as he was speaking, the Empress Dowager and the Taifei rushed over, escorted by Zheng Wei.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Yao Hua asked hurriedly.

“This emperor is fine. Are the Empress Dowager and Taifei unharmed?” Yuan Jue asked with concern.

“We met Dongchang Director Zheng on the way and he saved us,” Yao Hua said. “King Jing…..”

Yaohua glanced at King Jing as he was taken away. Yuan Jue said coldly: “My younger brother intended to rebel.”

Yao Hua and Jian Shuang’s expressions changed.

“Take him to the clan manor first and keep him well under guard. I intended to interrogate him thoroughly about these matters!” He gave everyone present a cool glance and continued: “Clean up this situation first. Don’t let the foreign envoys see us in disarray.”

Because of the various measures taken, order was quickly restored in the palace.

Although Liu Zhenqing informed Huo Fenglie that such explosives had only ever appeared in the Kingdom of Xiheng, there was no proof. Even the captured assassins were only from Great Zhou’s jianghu, and there were no clues to connect them to Xiheng’s envoys.

When they came to apologize for the mistake in the performance, they feigned ignorance about the human explosives. Even Yuan Jue could only pretend to be amicable and reassure them.

It could not be said externally that King Jing had rebelled. They could only say there was an incident with the performance, resulting in many people being injured. The ministers were arranged to leave the palace, and the envoys were also sent back to rest.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t leave. He was considered a person of merit, and the emperor said that he should be rewarded based on those merits, so he kept him behind.

Liu Zhenqing remained in the rooms arranged for Huo Fenglie, waiting for him to return.

But it was Li Jinshu who came instead.

Liu Zhenqing regarded this uninvited fellow and said: “Is the prince looking for Fenglie to reminisce about the past again? He’s very busy today, and I fear he doesn’t have time. And didn’t the emperor order that the envoys shouldn’t go out?”

“Hehe, I’m not a prisoner. Your emperor is certainly not qualified to lock us away. I came here to find you.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at him, inwardly vigilant: “The prince came to find me?”

“Didn’t you invite me to your wedding banquet before? I think I should be able to attend, so I came here specifically to give you my response. Remember to send me an invitation,” Li Jinshu said with a grin.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged: “Really?”

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “Of course. I initially thought tomorrow wouldn’t be a good day, but it seems I was wrong. Today was the bad day.”

“It was rather terrible. The next time Xiheng prepares to perform, they should carry out inspections first. Fortunately, our emperor is magnanimous and didn’t pursue any further investigation.”

“Hahaha, yes, inspections should be carried out. But no matter what accident happened, didn’t General Huo handle it very well? In such a chaotic situation, he was still able to remain calm and composed, as if he had anticipated it. Truly amazing.”

“Fenglie is naturally the most capable.”

The two of them went back and forth, Li Jinshu testing everywhere and Liu Zhenqing achieving great results with little effort. When Huo Fenglie heard the news and came over, Li Jinshu excused himself and left. He didn’t say anything to Huo Fenglie, as if he truly had come over just to speak with Liu Zhenqing.

“What did he say?”

“It was likely about the information that inadvertently leaked and gave you direction. He came here specifically to accept his failure.” Liu Zhenqing said with a frown: “What did you come back for?”

Liu Zhenqing looked upward and saw a person’s head emerge from the roof. Liu Qiao had taken advantage of the chaos to sneak inside. As early as when the passage in the back hall had opened, Liu Qiao was already personally guarding Liu Zhenqing.

“There are some times where it’s inconvenient for him to show up, so it’s better for me to do it,” Huo Fenglie said. He touched Liu Zhenqings’ cheek. “Go in and rest until I come back.”

“En.”

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Chapter 137 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 139