mtl008 Chapter 198 Fighting against each other
Chapter 198 Fighting against each other
Zhao Tingduan smiled and admitted frankly: "Indeed, in order to see Princess Yi, I had to resort to some tricks."
His eyes moved around meaningfully, which made Su Rao feel a little unhappy. If possible, she would like to tear off this hypocritical smile immediately and expose his true face.
Su Rao suppressed her discomfort and replied in a tit-for-tat tone: "Your Highness, you are too kind. I don't have a deep connection with you, so how can I say I 'miss you'?
Now that things have come to this, I might as well be frank. If Your Highness wishes to gain my support, you should allow the Queen Mother to return to Shoukang Palace.
The Queen Mother is of noble status. She is not only my Bixia's mother, but also your Highness's grandmother. If anything goes wrong, the sword of public opinion will be pointed at your Highness. Have you ever considered this?"
The Queen Mother frowned even more when she heard this. She was actually reluctant to leave, and even more reluctant to let Su Rao face these dangers alone. There was no need for them to say too much. With just a glance, they understood each other.
In this cage of power, even a moment of freedom is better than shared imprisonment.
However, Su Rao...
Su Rao gently held the Queen Mother's hand, conveying firm strength in her silent comfort.
The Queen Mother sighed softly, her reason finally overcame her emotion, and she nodded slightly, indicating her tacit consent.
Seeing that the old lady was relieved, Su Rao felt relieved. She then turned her gaze to Zhao Tingduan, with an unquestionable light in her eyes.
"Your Highness, do you think what I said makes sense?"
Her words were direct and sharp.
Zhao Tingduan held his chin with his hand, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Princess Yi is right, but the world is unpredictable, and the strong are respected. Rumors are nothing to me, how can they really overwhelm me? What's more, I stayed with the Queen Mother completely out of respect for my elders, and I have no ill intentions at all."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Tingduan regained his benevolent appearance, and his tone carried a hint of authority that could not be refuted: "You two, please enjoy this rare time together."
After saying that, he slowly turned around, his sleeves fluttering, and walked towards the door with firm steps. The mottled door gently closed behind him, and the chain made a series of subtle but clear jingling sounds with the movement, which seemed to also tell the owner's complex and unspeakable emotions.
The empress dowager sat on a sandalwood chair carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes. Her face was hidden in the interweaving of light and shadow, shrouded in only a haze. The anger in her eyes almost broke through the restraints of her majesty.
"This man is crazy! I think he has really been blinded by power!"
There was a mixture of indignation and disappointment in his words, which seemed to be unbelievable, and also seemed to be complete despair towards that person.
Su Rao stood aside, her thin lips tightly pursed and her dark brows slightly furrowed. What was surging in her heart was not only astonishment at Zhao Tingduan's behavior, but also unspeakable worry.
She had never imagined that the usually gentle and polite Zhao Tingduan would become so arrogant after gaining power, as if the whole world was just a plaything in his hands!
Her heart was like a turbulent sea, filled with deep hatred for the true face beneath the hypocritical face. She wished she could personally remove the hypocritical veil and expose its ugly nature to the sun!
At the same time, she had to suppress her emotions and soothe the agitated Queen Mother with gentle words, but her mind was already wandering, wondering where Prince Yi was now and whether he had already embarked on his journey home.
---
Zhao Tingduan stepped out of the palace, his robe blown up by the cold wind. He hurried back to the study room filled with the scent of ink and power, and immediately ordered someone to summon his confidants.
As the candlelight flickered, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, piercing through the night and looking straight at the unknown horizon in the distance.
He calculated the placement of each chess piece in his mind: "Let the word spread that the orphan of the Zhao family is under my control."
After he finished speaking, his eyes flashed with calculation and confidence, as if the whole world was in his control.
He wondered secretly, using the treasure as bait, could Yan Wugui, who was mysterious and reclusive, continue to hold himself back?
Once the key to open the door to the destiny of the empire fell into his hands, the throne would be within his grasp. This urgent desire almost swallowed him up in invisible anxiety!
---
On the edge of the capital, in a desolate town, in a remote corner, a figure in tattered clothes stood alone. It was Yan Wugui.
In the night breeze, a few voices of conversation came with the wind, seeming to carry unusual messages.
"Have you heard? The orphan of the Zhao family has appeared again!"
"Zhao family? Could it be the Zhao family that was so powerful back then? How could there be orphans left in the world after such a disaster?"
"It is true. I heard that the prince found it himself. What a great achievement!"
"Then how does the prince plan to deal with this orphan?"
"Besides eradicating the problem, what other solutions are there?"
The speaker's gestures were cold and direct, as if everything was under his control.
Yan Wugui had a disheveled beard and a haggard face, but there was a barely perceptible fluctuation in his eyes.
The orphan of the Zhao family fell into the hands of the prince. Considering the current emperor's deep hatred for the Zhao family, the orphan's fate is probably to disappear quietly.
The spread of this news obviously hides a deeper conspiracy - the prince uses the orphan as bait, and his real intention is to force him to show up! Because the key to the lifeblood of the empire is in his hand, and Zhao Tingduan has been coveting it for a long time!
Yan Wugui's eyes were as sharp as knives, but he could not hide the feeling of powerlessness in his heart.
He knew that the road ahead was full of dangers, but he still had to move forward, just because the Zhao bloodline could not be abandoned. Even if the journey was extremely dangerous, loyalty, filial piety, faith and righteousness were the bottom line for a warrior and could not be violated!
Looking up in the direction of the capital, he was determined to find out what was going on.
……
As the night deepened, Yan Wugui rode his horse as fast as lightning, crossing the wilderness and heading straight for the foreseen trap.
As he approached the city gate, he suddenly became alert. There seemed to be unknown masters lurking around, and an oppressive atmosphere was quietly spreading.
Was this for him? His hand had quietly grasped the hilt of the sword, his whole body tensed, ready to deal with any possible attack...
At this moment, a figure blocked his way. He was young and respectful. "General Yan, please stay."
This long-lost title made Yan Wugui feel a little confused. Who was this person and how could he know his identity?
He pulled the reins of his horse but did not dismount. His eyes were alert. “Who are you?”
The other party continued, his voice calm but mysterious: "General Yan, my master wants to meet you. My name is Mo Yi, and my master is Prince Yi."
"Prince Yi!"
Yan Wugui's expression changed slightly.
Despite being away from Kyoto for many years, Prince Yi's reputation is still well-known. He is the best among the six princes, a young hero, both wise and brave, but he suddenly entered Buddhism and did not leave the mundane world.
Not long ago, there was no news at all and his life or death remained a mystery.
More importantly, Prince Yi is Su Rao's husband, the prince's arch-enemy, and the only one who can compete with the prince.