Chapter 148
Zhou Xian Yang returned to the courtyard and sat on the rocking chair under the tree.
In his heart, he was a bit aggrieved, obviously risking the Emperor’s punishment and the Empress Dowager’s heartbreak, but also wanting to fulfill his promise to her. However, she did not believe.
What any other woman would have been grateful for and reckless in her pursuit, the Princess watched with calm and sanity.
No one in the world, he thought, was obliged to understand him fully, not even the princess, who was willing to put herself in harm’s way for him.
Knowing that he is planning dangerous things, she can support him unconditionally, believe him. But only in the word love, she is so calm, calm to ruthless.
He asked himself: I really don’t understand Wangfei. What exactly has Wangfei experienced? Am I qualified to ask for the full trust of Wangfei?
Rong Xiangmian stayed alone in the house for a while, feeling something was wrong, she walked out of the bedroom door, and saw Zhou Xianyang alone under a tree, resting leisurely with a rocking chair.
Not realizing that her conversation had been overheard, she walked over to him and crouched down next to him, “There’s a situation.”
“What?” Zhou Xianyang lazily didn’t even sit up, just tilted his head a bit. Rong Xiangxian thought that he was tired from running around for many days, so he didn’t care.
“I think the breakup of the Xilin Gate may be the work of King Qing.”
Zhou Xian Yang immediately got up from the recliner, Rong Xiang Mi pressed his hand: “Don’t be anxious, listen to me, this is just a guess.”
She told him about that night in detail.
“My father also thinks that the Xilin Gate break at that time is really too strange. How did those bandits happen to know that the defense of Xilin Gate was slack at that time? Moreover, King Qing has never been good at performing martial arts and fighting, yet he brought his royal armored soldiers out to quell the chaos. I always feel that this matter isn’t that simple, like a mantis catching a cicada with a yellow sparrow at its back.”
“Do you mean that King Qing already knew that Yu Xiangyi was in the capital and that the Nine Gates Patrol Battalion was keeping an eye on me, so he kept an eye on those bandits, and took advantage of King Li’s dealing with us to guide them to take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits?”
Xiangmian gently nodded his head, “This was originally just my conjecture, after all, King Li was reprimanded by His Majesty, while King Qing was successful in pacifying the chaos and added the Seven Jeweled Crown, he was already on par with King Li. Don’t you think he benefited the most from the whole thing?”
“It is true that he has always had the intention of using me to fight against King Li.”
“And the performance the next day made me even more certain.”
“What performance?”
“On the morning after the pacification, King Qing had breakfast with His Majesty and took the initiative to mention that Yu Xiangyi’s whereabouts were unknown and that it would be difficult to clear your suspicion after all. However, when His Majesty revealed that you had already written a letter requesting a pardon for Xiangyi, he reacted strangely, as if he was disappointed. I think he only got half of what he wanted, which was to kill two birds with one stone and reap the benefits.”
Hearing this, Zhou Xian Yang’s heart sank.
King Qing was now the son of the Imperial Consort and the first child born after the Emperor ascended to the throne, so he was deeply favored and it was normal for him to have an interest in the throne.
However, his target was not only King Li, he also wished to stomp him down together.
Looking at Zhou Xian Yang’s serious demeanor, Xiang Xiang consoled, “Your Highness knows what’s in your heart, it’s good to have a precaution.”
Zhou Xian Yang smiled to himself, “Just now when you said the first half of the story, I was wondering if the female corpse in the lake was put there by King Qing, in order to help us clear our suspicions and completely strike down King Li. Now it seems I was wrong.”
“Since it wasn’t King Qing, who could it be?”
Zhou Xian Yang was silent for a moment, “The Seventh Imperial Uncle.”
“Seventh Imperial Uncle?” Rong Xiangxian was a bit surprised, “Hasn’t he stayed out of court affairs since, and he has even less to do with the Yu family, so why would he help us?”
“You don’t know …… Xiangyi and my uncle are the same, the feet have six toes. That female corpse is the same.”
“This ……” Rong Xiangyan heard goosebumps all over her body, she hugged her arms, her eyes became more and more pitiful under the moonlight.
Zhou Xian Yang pulled over her, circled her in his arms, gently rubbing her hand: “Such hidden features on the sidelines will never know, unless it is the people of the descending cloud Xuan, the Qinglou buy and sell population, naturally, are to look at the hands to see the feet to see the mouth of the teeth. And the clothes on that corpse are exactly the same as Xiangyi’s on that day. This is all the descending cloud Xuan can only arrange things. Apart from the Seventh Imperial Uncle, who else could make Descending Cloud Cultivation do something for which it might draw fire?”
Rong Xiangxian thought about it and felt more and more wrong: “Was Yu Xiangyi really rescued? The one who died in the Phoenix Fairy Pond really wasn’t her? There are so few six-toed people in this world, how could a six-toed female corpse happen to appear?”
Zhou Xian Yang rubbed her long hair and kissed the corner of her forehead, “You don’t know Gray Eagle, that’s why you’re worried. But I’ve been in the military with him for so many years, and how many times I’ve entrusted my life to him to get where I am today. I trust him, you trust me.”
Seeing him so certain, Rong Xiangmian finally gave up on the idea.
“Then this six toed female corpse ……”
“It was probably prepared early on, just waiting to come in handy when needed.” Zhou Xian Yang felt chills in his teeth even as he said this.
Hearing this, Rong Xiangyang winced.
Although she had never met that woman and didn’t even know her name. But when she thought of her living, like an animal that was raised and ready to be slaughtered, finally being pushed into the lake with their plan to rescue Yu Xiangyi, she felt that this human life had died in vain.
“I feel so sorry for her.” Xiang Xiang hung down her tears, her heart saddened.
Zhou Xian Yang pressed himself against her back, and whispered comfortingly in her ear, “There are so few people with six toes in the world, and even fewer who are similar in stature to Xiang Yi. Being able to find such a person is not something that can be done in a few months. I believe that the Seventh Imperial Uncle knew years ago that Xiangyi was not dead, and had been preparing for this golden cicada trick for a long time, and regardless of whether or not we made a move, that woman was already destined to a certain death.”
“But why didn’t he make a move before?”
“Maybe he was afraid, he was rich and honorable all his life, doing this thing is too risky. Maybe he didn’t think about how to save it, after all, he was too close to Descending Cloud Xuan, so he delayed his action.”
Rong Xiangshi suddenly realized, “If we take action, he won’t have to wade through this mess, which is in line with Seventh Imperial Uncle’s usual way of dealing with the world.”
Zhou Xian Yang rubbed his brow, “So many people have their own thoughts, and they are making efforts on this matter, which has solidified Xiang Yi’s death.”
Rong Xiangyan remembers His Majesty’s eyes on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, outside the Yulong Mansion. “That night, His Majesty was not the least bit surprised to hear the news, as if everything was expected by him.”
“It seems that your original guess was correct, all of this was actually a set up by His Majesty specifically for me. The seventh imperial uncle came prepared because he had long known about this matter from his father, and he didn’t dare to act rashly for fear of being detected …… by his father, which makes sense.”
His guess is exactly what Rong Xiangmian pieced together based on the note he saw in his last life, and what he has seen and heard in recent days.
The more she heard, the more emboldened she became, “That night when His Majesty rebuked King Li, blaming him for not distinguishing between light and heavy, he was actually blaming him for spoiling things.”
“Hmph,” Zhou Xian Yang shook his head and laughed helplessly, “These few of us each have our own thoughts, thinking that we are the Yellow Bird, but it turns out that we are all just crickets fighting each other in a cage. Xiangmian, fortunately you advised me to take the initiative to confess this matter to the Emperor, otherwise no matter what we do, we are the biggest suspects. But …… how in the world did you know such hidden information?”
Rong Xiangmian pursed her lips, the last time he asked, she didn’t tell the truth, this time she still swallowed the truth: “I guessed. I followed the princess in the palace for so many years, I would occasionally see some of the emperor’s confidential information, which includes the Yu family and the Huazhou information, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I really might not have been able to connect this with Xiangyi.”
Xiangyi felt some guilt in her heart, but she didn’t dare to tell him about it, fearing that he would mind, minding what she had been through, even if it was from her previous life.
Zhou Xian Yang didn’t ask any further questions, but just hugged her tighter, “Thanks to you, I let Gray Eagle take Xiang Yi away. If I had the heart to see her again, I might have fallen into the Emperor’s trap.”
Rong Xiangxian turned back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, “Let’s go to the Buddha Hall to burn incense, and pray for Xiangyi, wishing her all the best in the future. Also pray for that girl who died in vain, wishing her a peaceful and joyful life in her next reincarnation.”
“Well, tomorrow I’ll send another person to West Mountain to pay tribute.”
After the two of them finished their prayers, they offered incense to Xiangmian’s mother before returning to their room.
When they entered the bedroom, Rong Xiangmian went to bed first and slept inside, purposely leaving a good-sized empty space for Zhou Xianyang.
I thought to myself that he probably hadn’t slept properly after being away for so long.
Who would have thought that he himself went to turn the mattress to cover the pillow, in the couch, lay down, a set of movements in the clouds.
Xiangmian heart a little lost, and did not think that he was for just now she and Linlang said that words in a temper.
She took the luminous beads, jumped off the bed and sat by his legs, smilingly pushed him, “You go sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep here.”
Zhou Xian Yang’s eyes were deep and looked at her, “No need, sleep.”
Xiangmian felt that something was wrong, after being separated for so many days, he was still so close during the day, but how could he be rusty at night?
She sat there alone and quietly, her hands wrapped the beads completely, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
There was no movement for a long time, and Zhou Xian Yang closed his eyes for a while, but finally he couldn’t help but turn over, “What’s wrong?”
Xiang Xiang said softly, “Nothing, I want to be closer to you.”
“Separated for a long time, I’m afraid I can’t hold myself, in case you have a child ……”
Sagami hmmm, maybe it is the military stayed for a long time, he can always be so sober and restrained, she does not have his self-consciousness.
She let go of her hand and the warm light cast on her face, giving her side face a look of compassion.
“Xian Yang, when can we live some ordinary or even boring days like an ordinary couple?”
“I don’t know,” Xian Yang couldn’t give a promise, “What? Wangfei …… can’t stand this kind of life?”
Xiang Yang pursed his lips, not counting the words, instead saying, “I hope that one day you can not be so tired, that you can sleep with your brow loosened, that you don’t have to keep a weapon under your pillow, and that you can meet with your own loved ones whenever you want.”
Each sentence spoke to Zhou Xian Yang’s heart. He sat up and moved closer to her, adding, “With your own wife, love whenever you want.”
Xiang Xiang looked at his dangerous and emotional eyes and unconsciously her face burned. She reached up to caress his eyes and moved closer to kiss him.
The reluctance of more than ten days of separation, the celebration of the aftermath of the robbery, and the confusion about the uncertainty of the coming day were all vented in a moment, as they had been during the day in the dressing tent.