mtl008 Chapter 910 The Death of Huo Xiu
Chapter 910 The Death of Huo Xiu
Qiao Lian'er stopped arguing with Prince Jin; the real benefits she received were what mattered most.
She was determined to take that fiefdom.
After taking a few steps, someone grabbed my sleeve.
Looking back, it was Prince Jin.
Qiao Lian'er frowned: "Your Highness, in public, in the important palace, it's not appropriate to be pulling and tugging like this."
"Hmph, who's going to bother with you? Don't even think about coveting my fiefdom. Go before the Emperor now and ask him to cancel this bet. Otherwise, you're just a greedy, despicable, and shameless scoundrel."
As Prince Jin spoke, he pulled Qiao Lian'er toward the Golden Palace.
He might be stopped by the palace guards when he comes to court tomorrow. He should take advantage of this opportunity to see the emperor and persuade him to rescind his order.
Prince Guangping and Prince Heng couldn't stand it anymore, so they came over and forcefully pulled Prince Jin away.
“Eleventh brother, you’re a bit of a sore loser. Besides, the results aren’t out yet. Your anxiety suggests that you’ve been deliberately picking on Princess Zhenguo all along.” Prince Guangping frowned, looking down on her.
"What do you mean by being able to afford to lose? This is gambling with my land. If it were your land, would you be willing to do it? You'd probably be shouting even louder than I am. It's easy for you all to talk when you're not the ones suffering the consequences," Prince Jin cursed at the two men.
Prince Heng chuckled: "We wouldn't pick a fight with Princess Zhenguo for no reason. On the contrary, it's you, Eleventh Brother, who have repeatedly clashed with Princess Zhenguo. This time, with the attack from the Da Nu Kingdom, the situation in Jinglang Prefecture is not optimistic. Perhaps Princess Zhenguo is thinking of countermeasures, but you are disturbing people's peace. If we don't punish you, who will we punish?"
“Speaking of this bet, it’s not just Princess Zhenguo’s idea; the Emperor also supports it. I think Eleventh Brother shouldn’t cause trouble in front of the Emperor. Right now, you just can’t attend the morning court session. But if the Emperor gets angry and arrests or imprs you, you might not even be able to keep your three fiefdoms,” said Prince Guangping.
"You two are the ones who always side with outsiders!" Prince Jin was furious.
"What do you mean by outsiders or family? We are all the Emperor's subjects, serving the imperial family," Prince Heng said sternly.
"And you, Fourth Brother, you're helping Qiao Lian'er too." Unable to win the argument with the two, Prince Jin turned to the usually taciturn Prince Yan.
The Prince of Yan was not a talkative man, and he was not very good at arguing. If one could find some dignity in him, it would not be so frustrating.
But the Prince of Yan quickened his pace and completely ignored him.
Prince Jin could only watch helplessly.
Thinking about the fiefdom she was about to receive, Qiao Lian'er felt relaxed as she left the palace and rode away in a carriage.
This land doesn't need much management; you can just collect taxes directly. Sure enough, even with all her hard work, she barely managed to catch up with what the Celestial Dragons are born with.
Prince Jin slumped down at the palace gate, gazing at the sky.
"God, please protect me no matter what, and don't let Qiao Lian'er succeed."
Qiao Lian'er's fingers tapped slowly on the windowsill, her mind filled with thoughts of how the Prince of Yan had openly sided with her in court that day.
As she left the palace, she thanked the Prince of Yan.
The Prince of Yan simply said that he trusted the Emperor's decision.
Thinking about it this way, it makes perfect sense. Although the Prince of Yan was not one to smile easily, he was still respectful in front of the Emperor.
The Emperor gave her time to wait for a result; the Prince of Yan was merely following the Emperor's orders.
Qiao Lian'er didn't continue thinking about it.
In the study of the Prince of Yan's residence, a wisp of incense wafted, mingling with the rising steam from the tea.
The Prince of Yan took a sip of tea, his face thoughtful.
The situation in Jinglang Prefecture is becoming increasingly tense. Qiao Lian'er suffers repeated defeats, but the Emperor does not blame her. Moreover, it seems that the Emperor and Qiao Lian'er have reached some kind of tacit understanding.
So, was Qiao Lian'er's defeat a pretense or genuine?
If this is true, the Emperor is waiting for her to come up with a good plan instead of sending other generals to help repel the enemy. This shows that he trusts her too much.
Whether it's true or not, at this moment, Qiao Lian'er is distracted in Jinglang Prefecture, and she can't get there at any time like before, so she is still a constraint.
If she loses those abilities forever—
Just then, footsteps came from outside the door, interrupting the Prince of Yan's thoughts.
"Your Highness, Mr. Huo Xiu has arrived."
"Please come in quickly." The Prince of Yan ordered, "Serve tea."
A slender, thin man walked in and bowed.
“Mr. Huo Xiu, please don’t stand on ceremony, please have a seat.” The Prince of Yan smiled, a rare sight on his face: “It’s really not easy to meet Mr. Huo Xiu.”
Huo Xiu smiled and said, "The Prince of Yan is also very discreet, just like when we first met."
He picked up the tea, lowered his head to smell it, and took a small sip.
Sensing the implication in the other party's words, the Prince of Yan did not refute, but simply said, "In this world, everyone has things to worry about. Does Mr. Huo Xiu think I am a saint?"
Huo Xiu said, "Yes, how could the Prince of Yan be immune to worldly customs? Especially since you hold a high position and have been favored by the Emperor in the past, your thoughts are naturally different from those of ordinary people."
As if a hidden sore spot had been touched, the expression on the Prince of Yan's face froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.
“I am not only thinking of myself, but in fact, I am not primarily thinking of myself. This land belongs to the Chu family. It is not good for others to overstep their bounds. My brother is busy with state affairs, family affairs and world affairs. There are some aspects that he may not be able to attend to. As his younger brother, I naturally have to worry more about my brother.”
Huo Xiu, with an expression that conveyed a sense of understanding but could not be expressed, said calmly, "Your Majesty's righteousness is admirable. I just don't know what Your Majesty needs me to do after going through so much trouble to find me."
The Prince of Yan looked at Huo Xiu with a solemn expression.
"I hope that Mr. Huo Xiu will serve the Emperor alongside me, so that the Emperor can focus on governing the country without distractions."
"Your Highness's words are rather vague. I would like to know, specifically what do you want me to do?"
"Mr. Huo Xiu, would you be willing to share my burdens and the Emperor's burdens?" A dark glint appeared in the Prince of Yan's eyes.
“Of course I wish to. Although I am a sorcerer and do not care about fame, fortune and wealth, it is the responsibility of every subject to worry about the worries of the monarch,” Huo Xiu said patiently.
His expression turned wary. As a practitioner of the Five Elements, he could keenly sense that the atmosphere in the study was strangely dangerous at this moment.
He had already checked everything when he came in; there was no poison in the incense, and the tea that was served was also fine.
He possesses the ability to conceal himself, and if the King of Yan truly harbors any intentions, he cannot be captured.
Therefore, although he was alert, he was not afraid.
“It is good that Mr. Huo Xiu has this intention. I will take it as Mr. Huo Xiu’s agreement,” said the Prince of Yan.
Huo Xiu wanted to ask more, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, a pain that instantly pierced through his entire chest.