The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 98
Chapter 098 Kill Two Birds with One Stone
The night quickly darkened.
Xiao Xiwei was worried about Old Lady Jun. She personally went to the Tranquil Garden to watch Old Lady Jun take the medicine and sleep before she came out of the Tranquil Garden. She had just taken a few steps when she saw the personal attendant beside her father waiting anxiously at the entrance of the Tranquil Garden. Seeing her come out, she hurriedly welcomed her.
“Second Miss, Master is waiting for you in the study.”
Xiao Xiwei couldn’t help but frown.
Didn’t father enter the palace? Could it be that the matter has not been resolved? That’s impossible, Xizhi. He promised himself.
Xiao Xiwei stepped into Xiao Yan’s study with a trace of anxiety and doubt.
In the study, Xiao Yan anxiously walked around.
“Father.” Xiao Xiwei walked into the room and was about to salute when Xiao Yan pulled him up.
“Something happened, Xiwei.” Xiao Yan, who had always been calm and cold, had a flash of panic and anxiety in his eyes.
Xiao Xi was slightly stunned for a moment, not knowing why, “Father, what’s wrong?”
“His Majesty the Swallow King was assassinated.” Xiao Yan said with a serious face.
He still planned to enter the palace overnight to face Sacred Chen Qing. He didn’t think that a eunuch would suddenly report that His Highness King Yan had been assassinated. Originally, he didn’t believe it until he followed the Emperor to Jing Ren Palace to see the ferocious wounds on Chu Xizhi’s body.
Xiao Xi’s heart sank. He subconsciously grabbed Xiao Yan’s hand and his sharp nails stabbed deeply into Xiao Yan’s palm. “No, impossible! Father, how is he? Where is he hurt? Does it matter? No … I want to enter the palace now.” Xiao Xiwei muttered a few words in a low voice before suddenly turning around and wanting to go out.
“Xiwei.” Xiao Yan shouted forcefully.
Xiao Xi paused slightly and turned to look at Xiao Yan blankly. His usually cold eyes were actually filled with tears of sorrow.
This kind of gaze made Xiao Yan’s heart soften. In a trance, it reminded him of how he had looked at Xiao Yan with this gaze before Qing Wan left …
“Xiwei, calm down first. The palace gate is already locked. Even if you want to enter the palace, you still have to wait until tomorrow.”
Xiao Xiwei’s chest suddenly ached, “Then, what should we do?”
He had clearly said that he would let her rest assured. He only had to wait at home in peace, but how could such a thing happen?
“Xiwei, you don’t have to panic. I was wondering if this assassination might be … His Highness King Yan’s plan.” Xiao Xiyan frowned slightly and lowered his voice.
“Father, what you mean is …”
“I’m just guessing” Xiao Yan took a deep breath. “I heard that King Yan was surrounded by twelve masked men on the way back to the palace. The four personal guards beside King Yan fought to the death. Afterwards, they alerted Commander Mu of the nine sects that patrolled the city. The black-clothed men retreated as soon as they lost. In the end, the black-clothed men seemed to disappear near the Duke’s Mansion of Zheng.” After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he paused. “The Emperor has already sent people to search the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion.”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, Xiao Xiwei gradually calmed down.
The Crown Prince had been grounded in the Crown Prince’s Mansion ever since Dong Shou returned. Even though Duke Lu of Zheng had pleaded for mercy several times, the Emperor had blocked it. Not only that, the Emperor had suppressed Duke Lu of Zheng several times while supporting Chu Xi to contend against Duke Lu of Zheng. Duke Zheng and Duke Lu had stood tall in the court for many years, so they naturally knew what the emperor was planning to do. One of them was to call himself sick and the other was to serve his mother at home. Obviously, they intended to keep the emperor from catching hold of him quietly. But now that this matter had occurred, regardless of whether the assassin was from the Zheng Kingdom or not, the Emperor would make Duke Zheng convict himself of this crime, and then use this to remove the thorn that Duke Zheng had stabbed into his heart for more than ten years. It was precisely because of this that the Emperor naturally would not have the time to pursue these unsubstantiated rumors.
“Your Highness King Yan’s actions really kill two birds with one stone!” Xiao Yan walked over to the couch and sat down. He looked at Xiao Xiwei’s faint voice, and something unclear appeared in his eyes.
When Jing Ren Palace saw Chu Xi Zhi covered in blood, he was both shocked and afraid. Sihao had never suspected that he had really been assassinated. It was because the knife wound on his chest was bone-piercing. If he entered one more point, he would probably die on the spot. No one would be so cruel to him. However, on the way back, he calmed down and thought for a long time before suddenly remembering that perhaps the assassination was only a trap set by Chu Xizhi in order for the Emperor to have a reason to uproot the Duke of Zheng. Once the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion fell, he would wait until one of the Crown Prince’s arms was cut off.
For the first time, Xiao Yan’s fear of Chu Xizhi rose from his heart.
His thoughts were too deep!
“Kill two birds with one stone?” Xiao Xiwei lowered his eyes and repeated the story. Suddenly, an indescribable fear surged out of his chest.
The marriage between her and Chu Xizhi was secretly agreed to by the Emperor. As long as her father showed his affection, the Emperor should at most reprimand her and bring this matter to light. Chu Xizhi shouldn’t have risked his life like this? Could it be that he really wanted to kill two birds with one stone and take this opportunity to eliminate the Duke of Zheng? However, he and she both knew that the Emperor wanted to eliminate Duke Zheng and Duke Lu sooner or later. Why did he have to act so urgently?
Xiao Xiwei felt inexplicably flustered because she couldn’t understand too much.
She always felt as if there was an invisible net around her, but she could not see who was holding the net.
Late at night.
Jing Ren Palace.
More than half of the candlesticks on the lampstand were burnt, and the dim yellow light flickered slightly, reflecting the pale and handsome faces of the people on the bed.
“Royal Father, is Mother Concubine gone?” Chu Xizhi leaned against the bed and looked up at the Emperor with a pale smile.
The Emperor stood in front of the bed with his back lit up. He looked at Chu Xizhi with a gloomy and unclear expression. After a long time, he said, “You’re so old, it’s time for your mother’s concubine to save some dim sum.”
Chu Xizhi tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Yes, I will remember it.”
“Does the wound still hurt?” The Emperor asked.
“Originally, in order to prevent Father Emperor from laughing at me, I wanted to say that it didn’t hurt, but …” Chu Xizhi took a deep breath. His two beautiful eyebrows were tightly knitted, and he said with a bitter face, “Father Emperor, you said that those fellows didn’t have any sense of propriety. They really hurt me to death.”
The Emperor looked at Chu Xizhi and finally sighed softly, “You deserve it. Who told you to make such a decision?”
“Didn’t I share my worries for Father Emperor?”
The Emperor snorted coldly, “Is it for me or your fianc é e!”
Chu Xizhi grinned, “Both of them.”
“Xi Zhi, is that girl from the Xiao Clan really that important to you?” The Emperor looked at Chu Xizhi, his deep pupils as deep as bottomless lake water.
“Yes. She is the woman my son has identified.” Chu Xizhi put away the cynical smile on his face, and his expression gradually became serious. “In this lifetime, I have decided on her.”
The Emperor stared at Chu Xizhi.
Their gazes intertwined in the air, and for a long time, neither of them spoke.
“Your Majesty, Duke Zheng wants to see you.” Eunuch Zhang, who was standing beside the Emperor, walked in and whispered.
The Emperor’s eyes moved as he looked at Chu Xizhi and finally said, “Take good care of your injuries.” After saying that, he turned around to leave.
“Royal Father, then Xiwei …”
The Emperor stopped and raised his eyes to look at Chu Xizhi. “You’ve believed in her for the rest of your life. What else can I say?”
Chu Xi smiled, “Father Emperor, in fact, this son still has a reluctant request.”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows, “What else do you need?”
Chu Xizhi raised his hand to cover his mouth and lightly coughed, “Father Emperor, can you declare Second Miss Xiao into the palace tomorrow? Look at how badly my son is injured, there must be someone to take care of him.”
The Emperor glanced at Chu Xi and finally said, “Whatever you want.” He led Eunuch Zhang out of Jing Ren Palace.
As soon as the Emperor left, a black figure quietly appeared in Jing Ren Palace.
“Your Highness.” Ye raised his eyes and walked to Chu Xizhi’s side. He stretched out his hand and lifted the blanket. He sniffed at Chu Xizhi’s body for a while, then covered Chu Xizhi with the blanket again and retreated a few steps before shaking his head at Chu Xizhi.
Chu Xizhi raised his eyebrows, “Don’t worry, he won’t attack me right now.” After saying that, he raised his eyes to look at Ye again, “How is the Zheng Kingdom Duke’s Mansion?”
“According to His Highness’ words, Duke Zheng has been captured, and the other women have been imprisoned, while Duke Zheng’s heir, Zheng Lin, has escaped from the capital.” Ye Zhui replied calmly.
Chu Xizhi curled his lips and said, “This is very good.”
As soon as Zheng Lin left the capital, he would immediately go to Northwest Horse City to bring news of Duke Zheng’s arrest to his eldest brother, Zheng Lu. At that time, Zheng Lin and Zheng Lu’s only choice would be to bring Northwest Horse City to the Northern Desert King. The Emperor would definitely not allow this to happen, so he would send people to secretly chase after Zheng Lin on one side and quickly recapture Northwest Horse City on the other. The only person closest to the northwest who had enough troops to take down the Zheng brothers was Zhongyong Hou Xiao Qi.
“Your Highness.” Ye suddenly raised his head to look at his master.
Chu Xizhi raised his eyebrows, and the corner of his lips curved, “What, do you have something else to do?”
Ye Bing’s cold and stiff face revealed a rare trace of embarrassment. He pursed the corners of his lips and said in the end, “Zi Yan sent me a message saying that Second Miss Xiao already knew about His Highness’s injury.”
Chu Xizhi frowned.
Xiwei, like him, was reborn with memories from his previous life. Although he didn’t want her to get involved in many things, her intelligence and calmness in this life shocked him. Perhaps, she had already sensed something.
He tilted his eyes slightly and looked at the white cloak hanging on the clothes rack. Suddenly, a few faint sighs appeared in his eyes.
“Tell Zi Yan that someone will take her into the palace tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Ye Ye answered, and then his figure swayed, causing the house to suddenly become empty.
Xiwei, most of the time, I would rather you be as innocent and ignorant as you were in your previous life, isolating all schemes and darkness from the outside world. However, reborn with memories, we are destined to shoulder the shackles of fate heavier than others. However, as long as you are by my side, no matter what is in front of me, I will do anything to break it and tear it apart.
Since he had already defied the heavens once, then he was not afraid to defy the heavens a second time!
For your sake, even if it was Blade Mountain Flame Sea, I didn’t hesitate to jump!
