The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 133

Chapter 133 A Plan to Attack the Heart
Cui Zhihe knelt on the ground, his calm face twitching slightly as beads of sweat poured down his forehead.

Returning from outside the city was already an incense stick. However, Swallow King Chu Xizhi, who was sitting on a red sandalwood chair, did not say a word. He only carelessly fiddled with the tea cup and did not even look at him.

“Your Highness …”

“Lord Cui, do you know the crime of provoking the disaster victims to cause trouble and embezzling the grain from the dynasty for disaster relief?” Chu Xizhi glanced sideways at Cui Zhihe and closed the lid of the cup in his hand with a crisp sound.

Cui Zhihe shook, “Your Highness …”

“Look at Lord Cui’s expression. Could it be that there is something hidden in it?” Chu Xizhi curled his lips as he looked at Cui Zhihe with an unclear expression in his slender eyes.

Cui Zhihe was stunned.

Hidden information? Could he tell Chu Xizhi that this fact was secretly instigated by the Emperor? This was a secret decree, and since it was a secret decree, no one else knew about it.

Thinking of this, Cui Zhihe felt as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on his head, causing his entire body to go cold.

At this point in time, no matter how he tried to defend himself, it was useless.

It seemed that he could only …

“Looks like Lord Cui is not going to tell this king the truth.” Chu Xizhi smiled, and his index finger, which was placed on the table, inadvertently tapped on the table.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

The muffled sound was like a heavy knock on the chest.

“Your Highness.” Cui Zhihe took a deep breath and raised his eyes to look at Chu Xi, who was trying his best to remain calm as he said to him, “About this matter, Xiaguan will naturally apologize to the Emperor.”

“Apologize? In this king’s opinion, there’s no need.” Chu Xizhi stood up and glanced at Cui Zhihe contemptuously.

Cui Zhihe’s heart skipped a beat. “What does Your Highness mean by that?”

Chu Xizhi curled his lips and said, “Isn’t this king’s meaning obvious enough? You are privately withholding the relief food money and provoking the disaster victims to cause trouble behind the scenes. You clearly intend to rebel! This is a great crime against the nine races! Not only Lord Cui, but also the Cui Clan’s family members probably won’t be able to escape the word’death ‘.”

“Your Highness really wants to kill them all like this!” Cui Zhihe stared at Chu Xizhi with wide eyes.

‘”Could it be that Lord Cui thinks that he can escape unscathed if he does something so unscathed? Even if this matter is brought before Father Emperor, I’m afraid Father Emperor won’t be able to protect you!” Chu Xizhi sneered.

Cui Zhihe gritted his teeth.

Chu Xizhi really wanted to force him into a corner! Not only him, but also his wife and children! Since that’s the case, then don’t blame him!

“Someone!” Chu Xizhi suddenly raised his voice.

“Your Highness.” Outside the door, four or five government soldiers walked in and saluted Chu Xizhi in unison.

“Prefecture Governor Su Yang, Cui Zhihe, privately deducts food for disaster relief and instigates trouble for the victims. There is no law in sight! Send this king’s order to immediately seize the Cui Prefecture and send Cui Zhihe and his family to prison. They will be executed at noon tomorrow!”

The room was completely silent.

No one moved.

“Hahaha … Your Highness, do you think this is Prince Yan’s Mansion?” Cui Zhihe smiled as he picked up the corner of his robe and stood up calmly.

Chu Xizhi’s eyes sank, “Cui Zhihe, do you want to rebel?”

“Rebellion? Your Highness, don’t accuse me of anything. I’m too timid to withstand your fright.” Cui Zhihe stroked his beard and smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

At this moment, a soldier wearing a manor armor walked in and whispered to Cui Zhihe’s ear.

“Good! Good! Good!” Cui Zhihe stroked his beard and said goodbye three times. He raised his hand and waved back the manor soldier. Only then did he leisurely meet Chu Xizhi’s gaze. “It was said that His Highness King Yan had no other plans, but he didn’t expect that he would fall on me today. What a pity!”

Unfortunately, the panic he had imagined did not appear.

Inexplicably, Cui Zhihe was a little angry, “Your Highness King Yan, don’t you want to know what’s happening outside?”

Chu Xizhi curled his lips, turned around and sat back on the chair. He raised his hand to pour himself a cup of tea and took a sip. Seeing Cui Zhihe’s furious expression, he couldn’t help but smile and raise the teacup in Cui Zhihe’s hand, “Why doesn’t Lord Cui continue?”

“Does His Highness Prince King Yan still want to act at this time?” Cui Zhihe, who was forcefully suppressing the anger in his chest, sneered coldly.

He did not believe that Chu Xizhi would not know his situation at this time.

“Actually, this king would like to ask, does Lord Cui know what kind of situation he is in?” Chu Xizhi raised his eyebrows and asked.

His eyes were filled with playfulness, as if he were a mouse teased under his claws.

A burst of anger burst forth from the humiliation.

“Looks like His Highness King Yan still doesn’t know his own situation!” Cui Zhihe sneered a few times, and then his expression changed. “You guys! Why don’t you invite His Highness King Yan to prison? Presumably, our Highness King Yan still doesn’t know what it’s like to be in prison!” Cui Zhihe opened his eyes and stared at Chu Xizhi as he gritted his teeth.

Nobody moved in the room.

Sitting on the red sandalwood chair, Chu Xizhi did not even raise his eyebrows.

Cui Zhihe’s expression changed. He suddenly turned to look at the trusted aides in the room. “Are you deaf? Hurry up and attack! Qian San!”

Qian San raised his head and looked at Cui Zhihe, then lowered his head.

“You … you …” Seeing that none of his trusted aides had made a move, Cui Zhihe couldn’t help but take two steps back, and his expression changed drastically.

After finishing his last sip of tea, Chu Xizhi played with the teacup in his hand. Only then did his leisurely voice slowly ring out. “Now, it seems that Lord Cui doesn’t know his situation.”

“What’s going on! What’s going on! Qian San!” Cui Zhihe stepped forward and grabbed Qian San’s arm, staring fixedly at him.

“Sir, we … our people are already under control.” Qian San lowered his head and whispered.

Even his wife and children were captured by the Swallow King.

“What!” Cui Zhihe was shocked, as if he had been heavily smashed from above his head. His footsteps staggered for a while, and he finally collapsed powerlessly onto the chair behind him.

It can’t be? How is that possible?

“Is Lord Cui surprised by this result?” Chu Xizhi looked sideways at Cui Zhi and smiled, “Actually, from the moment this king stepped into Su Yang City, all of your actions were within this king’s expectations. The reason this king waited until this time to attack was to delay the time for my people to enter the city in disguise.”

“I want Face Saint! I want Face Saint!” Cui Zhihe gritted his teeth and looked at Chu Xizhi with all his might.

“Face Saint? Do you think he will save you?” A cold smile crept up on his lips. Chu Xizhi waved his hand and retreated. He stood up and walked to Cui Zhihe step by step. “As an emperor, he instructed officials to privately withhold food money and impose the crime of ineffective disaster relief on his son. Do you think he would admit to such a secret matter?”

Hearing Chu Xizhi’s words, Cui Zhihe’s pupils were suddenly filled with terror. He looked at Chu Xizhi as if he had seen a ghost.

He knew, he actually knew everything …

“I know that you don’t want a Face Saint because you want a life for yourself.” Seeing Cui Zhihe’s expression, Chu Xizhi smiled and returned to his chair. Since the matter had already been revealed, even if Chu Xizhi did not kill him, the person from the Revered Virtue Palace would not let him off. He was only trying to protect the lives of the younger and younger members of the clan by fighting for Face Saint. “Actually, have you ever thought that this king might be able to fulfill your wish?”

It was as if he had fallen into a marsh and was powerless to struggle. He could only watch helplessly as someone suddenly threw a rope at him when he was submerged in darkness and despair. Although he knew that this rope might be an illusion, he couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to grab it.

Nobody wants to die.

“What does Your Highness want me to do?” Cui Zhihe stood up reluctantly and forcefully pursed the corners of his dry mouth.

Since Chu Xizhi had already taken control of Su Yang, there was naturally no need to spare his life. However, he was here to watch him jump over the wall. It was just that he might have some other place to use him.

“Lord Cui is indeed a smart person.” Chu Xizhi pursed his lips and smiled, “In the future, Lord Cui will still be in charge of everything in Su Yang City.”

Cui Zhihe looked at Chu Xi hesitantly, “Forgive Xiaoguan for being stupid …”

After what happened today, he no longer dared to underestimate His Highness King Yan in front of him. In terms of scheming and methods, this King Yan was probably the most outstanding among the princes, and perhaps even King Shenwang was inferior to him.

“Lord Cui doesn’t need to do anything. It’s fine as usual.” Chu Xizhi’s lips curled into a smile.

Cui Zhihe bit his lip and didn’t say anything.

Seeing that Cui Zhihe did not answer, Chu Xizhi stretched out his hand and turned the jade ring on his finger. “I heard that Young Noble was born prematurely, and the doctor said that he would not be able to live. But who would have thought that things would change? Who would have thought that Young Noble, who had been said that he would not be able to live, would be so adorable?”

“Your Highness …” Hearing Chu Xizhi mention his son, Cui Zhihe’s legs softened. He knelt down with a’pu ‘sound, “Your Highness, this child is innocent!”

“What an innocent child! What an innocent child! Lord Cui, have you ever thought that this prince is not that son!” Chu Xizhi raised his eyes and looked outside the room, a cold smile flashing across his lips.

He seemed to have bestowed him a glorious pet for half his life, but he also placed him on the hot oil pot. What was even more ridiculous was that all of this was a scam from beginning to end, all of it was just to clear the way for Chu Yanzhi to ascend to the throne. Even when he died, he did not forget to charge him with conspiracy to rebel, so that Chu Yanzhi could righteously get rid of him.

“Lord Cui only has two choices.” Chu Xizhi looked down at Cui Zhihe, not a trace of a smile on his face. His deep pupils were frighteningly cold at this moment, “Either you and more than a hundred people from the Cui Clan were pushed outside the city gate to behead him, or, according to this king’s words.”

Cui Zhihe raised his eyes and looked at Chu Xi with trembling eyes. Finally, he bent down and said, “Xiaguan is willing to listen to His Highness.”

“I hope Lord Cui really said those words.” Chu Xizhi looked at Cui Zhihe and sneered. Then, he flicked his long sleeve and strode out.

Outside the house, the sun was still burning hot, and even the occasional wind carried a sultry heat.

Summer is coming.

I wonder if the weather in the capital is good?

“Your Highness.” A voice suddenly sounded.

Chu Xizhi turned around and saw the person’s expression change. “Why are you here? Didn’t I ask you to protect the princess in the palace?”

Ye looked up at Chu Xizhi and said word by word, “Your Highness, the princess is pregnant.”