Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 24
byChapter 24 Deep Palace Plot
Is Concubine Zheng pregnant at this time?!
Back at the camp, Zuo Yunci went to treat the wounds first, while Wen Boyan went straight to the Chinese military tent.As soon as he opened the curtain, he saw on the table in front of Xiao Jue the Wang family iron plate found from the assassin and a list of suspicious persons that had just been sorted out.
Wen Boyan stood aside and whispered: “General, we have secretly checked according to the list and have identified three people. Two of them are Li Zhi’s old confidants, and the other is Zhao Sheng. He was once recommended by Wang Yu’s guest to join the army.”
Xiao Jue tapped the iron plate with his fingertips: “Where is Zhao Sheng now?”
“He has been controlled and is being held in solitary confinement. His expression changed drastically after seeing the iron sign, but he still refused to speak.”
“There is no need to let him speak.” Xiao Jue raised his eyes with a cold light in his eyes, “Send him, this iron plate, and the captured Northern Dynasty ordnance secretly to Guzang and hand them over to Xie Pushe.”
Wen Boyan hesitated and said: “General, if I send him back at this time, I’m afraid that I might scare someone away.”
“They have no time to deal with it.” Xiao Jue stood up and frowned, “The assassination failed, all the dead men were dead, and the Wang family’s hidden stake in the north has been exposed. What Wang Yu should be thinking about at this moment is how to stop the loss.”
He walked to the tent and looked at the dark night sky in the south: “Besides, Your Majesty needs this evidence.”
It suddenly dawned on Wen Boyan that the assassination of a general and collusion with the enemy was enough to crush any aristocratic family.
“What about other hidden dangers in the army?”
“Continue to investigate secretly, but there is no need to go into force.” Xiao Jue walked back to the case and ran his finger across the map of the northern border. “After this battle, the Northern Dynasty will not dare to act rashly in the short term, and the Wang family will also restrain themselves. We must take this opportunity to breathe, consolidate the defense line, and recuperate.”
He paused and said, “The compensation for the fallen soldiers and the treatment of the wounded must be done properly. The medicinal materials seized in Yaquan Town will be given priority to the wounded soldiers.”
“Yes.” Wen Boyan accepted the order, but did not retreat immediately.He glanced at Xiao Jue’s pale face and hesitated to speak.
Xiao Jue noticed his gaze and asked softly: “Is there anything else?”
Wen Boyan lowered his eyes and whispered: “The military doctor said that Zuo Yunci’s injury should be rested, but he insisted on taking the scout team out.”
Xiao Jue thought for a while before speaking: “Let him come over to see me.”
A moment later, Zuo Yunci stepped into the camp. His shoulders were wrapped in white cloth, his face was slightly pale due to blood loss, but there was still a smile on his lips.
“General.”
Xiao Jue looked at him and said slowly: “I’ll give you a new job. You will form a special reconnaissance team, specializing in infiltration and intelligence collection. You will personally select the personnel, and you will be solely responsible for the training.”
Zuo Yunci suddenly raised his eyes and stared into Xiao Jue’s eyes, clasping his fists with both hands, “The last general takes orders.”
“But there is a condition.” Xiao Jue’s tone turned cold. “Within three months, you must stay in the camp and concentrate on training. You are not allowed to lead the team out in person. Your injuries must be fully recovered.”
Zuo Yunci was startled and subconsciously looked at Wen Boyan. Wen Boyan turned sideways to avoid his sight, only staring at the ground with his lowered eyes.
“Yes.” Zuo Yunci clasped his fists and lowered his voice half a minute.
“Go.” Xiao Jue waved his hand.
After Zuo Yunci retreated, the tent fell into a brief silence. Wen Boyan still lowered his eyes and unconsciously rubbed the rope on the sword hilt with his fingertips.
Xiao Jue glanced at him and said in a calm voice: “You can go too.”
Wen Boyan’s Adam’s apple moved slightly and he responded in a low voice: “Yes.”
Xiao Jue said no more and turned to look at the thick night outside the tent. He remembered Xie Heng’s heavy entrustment in the study the night before leaving.
“I believe you.”
Thousands of miles away, within the palace walls, the night was also shrouded in glazed tiles.
Concubine Zheng was leaning on the concubine’s couch, her fingertips painted with bright red kodan, and she was slowly fiddling with her jade bracelet.
Wang Yuchui stood in the hall with his head down, a thin layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“Cousin, what did you do?” Concubine Zheng suddenly raised her hand and threw the teacup on the ground. The sound of broken porcelain was harsh. “Forget about assassinating the general, why not join forces with the Northern Dynasty? Do you think the Wang family has not made enough enemies?”
The broken pieces of porcelain were shattered into pieces at his feet. He didn’t dare to move, so he could only comfort him softly: “Mom, please calm down. Xiao Jue made too many moves in the north and pulled out so many nails from us.”
“So you just handed him the knife?” Concubine Zheng sneered, “That iron plate and those dead soldiers are now in Xiao Jue’s hands, right?”
Wang Yu’s face turned pale, “I have ordered people to clear all the hidden connections in the northern border.”
“It’s too late.” Concubine Zheng stood up, her red skirt billowing on the ground, “Xiao Jue is not a fool, and Xie Heng is neither. Since they have set up this trap, they are waiting for you to jump in.”
She walked up to Wang Yu and spoke in a very low voice: “His Majesty today is no longer the prince who needed to rely on the Wang family. The Northern Expedition is his obsession, and Xiao Jue is the sharp knife in his hand. If you touch Xiao Jue now, you are touching His Majesty’s inverse scale.”
Wang Yu trembled all over, lowered his head and dared not speak.
Concubine Zheng closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were full of cold determination: “From today on, all Wang family’s actions against Xie Heng and others will stop. The hidden stakes in the north will be removed if they can be removed, but all the hidden stakes that cannot be removed will be cut off.”
“But my dear, if we stop here…”
Concubine Zheng caressed her flat belly, and a strange smile appeared on her lips, “Compared to the chips that are about to be obtained, those losses are not worth mentioning.”
Wang Yu looked up in shock.
Concubine Zheng leaned over and whispered in his ear: “I am pregnant, almost two months ago. Your Majesty has no child yet, and this child will be the future prince.”
Wang Yu’s pupils shrank suddenly, and ecstasy surged into his heart, but he was immediately suppressed by greater fear: “How could I not know this?”
“I’m keeping it a secret for the time being.” Concubine Zheng straightened up, “The first three months are the most critical. So what the Wang family has to do now is to calm down the situation and be a pure minister who is loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and repent of his past mistakes. Do you understand?”
Wang Yu took a deep breath, knelt down and kowtowed heavily: “I understand.”
After he exited the bedroom, Concubine Zheng slowly sat back on the couch, her fingertips caressing her lower abdomen, a complicated look flashed in her eyes.
This child comes at the right time. As soon as the prince is born, the Wang family will be able to follow the dragon. It will not be too late to slowly deal with Xie Heng and the others.
The calculations deep in the curtains of the harem and the memorials above the front hall have always been two sides of the same coin.
The focus of the court discussion the next day was originally on the prevention and control of spring floods in the Jianghuai River and the rectification of water transportation.Shangshu Duzhi was reporting on the money and grain allocation plan, and his voice echoed in the empty hall.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace. A travel-worn messenger knelt down outside the palace door, holding up the military report box with both hands, and said in a hoarse but clear voice: “Urgent report from the North!”
The civil and military officials in the court suddenly fell silent, and the emperor raised his hand: “Send it up.”
The chamberlain quickly took the military report and sent it to the emperor. The emperor took apart the gun paint and unfolded the military report for a closer look.His face was calm at first, but as his eyes moved downward, his brows gradually furrowed, and finally he slapped the general’s report on the imperial case.
“What a Langya Wang family, what a person with connections to foreign countries.”
The voice was not high, but every word was suffocating. All the officials held their breath, and officials from Wang Yu’s line turned pale.
The emperor raised his eyes and glanced across the palace like a blade, “General Xiao led his troops to a surprise attack on Yaquan Town in the Northern Dynasty. They won a great victory and captured countless grains, grass and weapons. However, they were ambushed on the way back to victory. The thirty-seven assassins were all dead. During the fight, General Xiao’s left shoulder was injured, and the bones are clearly visible.”
Before he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the court.
Xie Heng’s hand holding Yu Hu’s hand tightened suddenly.
The emperor continued: “The tokens found on the assassin were found to be iron plates used by the Langya Wang family to raise dead soldiers. A traitor in the army also confessed that he was instructed by Wang Yu to leak the military aircraft and lure the Northern Dynasty and the dead soldiers to set up an ambush in order to kill General Xiao.”
“Your Majesty!” Wang Yu rushed out of the queue and shouted on the ground, “I have been wronged. This must be framed by someone to alienate the monarch and his ministers. General Xiao is reorganizing military affairs in the north. He will inevitably offend Xiao Xiao. How can he…”
“Shut up.” The emperor interrupted sharply, grabbed the iron plate from the imperial case, and threw it in front of Wang Yu.”The iron plate is here, and all the witnesses and material evidence are available. How dare you make excuses?”
The iron plate clanked to the ground, rolled a few times, and stopped in front of Wang Yu. The Wang family emblem on it was clear and dazzling.
Wang Yu was trembling all over, his mouth was open, but no sound came out.
The entire hall was deathly silent. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the iron plate, and they secretly glanced at the purple figure at the front of the queue.
Xie Heng stood there, motionless.
The face that had always been cold and self-possessed had no expression at this moment. Only the fingers holding the jade tablet had a bluish-white tinge on their joints.
Under the gaze of the civil and military officials of the court, a very slight cracking sound sounded briefly in the hall.
The ivory jade wat in Xie Heng’s hand actually cracked with a fine line.The crack spread quickly and broke into two pieces with a “snap” sound. The upper half fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Broken jade flew into the air, and a piece of it crossed his palm, leaving a thin line of blood.
The whole court was astonished.
Xie Heng lowered his eyes and looked at the broken jade tablet on the ground and the blood beads seeping out of his palm.After a long time, he slowly bent down and picked up the half of the jade tablet with his uninjured right hand. His movements were still calm, as if he was just picking up a fallen leaf.
He raised his head and faced the throne, bowed and saluted, his voice was calm and calm, even colder than before: “I have violated the rules in front of the palace, please punish me.”
But beneath that calmness, everyone could hear a hint of tremor.
The emperor looked at the blood seeping out of his palms and the half of the jade tablet he was holding tightly. Complex emotions flashed through his eyes. In the end, he just waved his hand: “It is understandable that Xie Qing is worried about state affairs. Come and call the imperial doctor.”
The chamberlain hurriedly stepped forward, but Xie Heng raised his hand to stop him, took out the plain handkerchief from his sleeve, and held the wound on his own.The blood quickly spread on the snow-white veil, like red plums on the snow, dazzling and shocking.
He stood up straight again, glanced at Wang Yu who was trembling on the ground, then slowly turned to the emperor, and said word by word: “Your Majesty, General Xiao fought for the country, was seriously injured, and his life and death were uncertain. However, someone in the court actually colluded with the enemy and set up an ambush to assassinate him. This is not a personal grudge, but a serious crime of treason. I ask your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Wang family, rectify the country’s laws, and calm the morale of the army.”
The voice was clear and resounded throughout the hall, and every word was like a knife tempered with ice, piercing the hearts of Wang Yu and all the members of the Wang family.
The emperor was silent for a moment and said slowly: “According to the report. Wang Yuge removed all his official positions and titles and was taken to the imperial prison to be interrogated by the three divisions. Anyone in the Wang family who is involved in this matter will be severely punished.”
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty,” Xie Heng bowed, his back as straight as a pine tree.
When the retreating bell rang, it was already dark.Officials filed out, no one dared to talk, and the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.
Xie Heng walked at the front, his purple court uniform glowing with a cold sheen in the morning light.He held the half of the jade wat in his right hand, and the palm of his left hand was wrapped with a plain handkerchief. The blood had stopped, but the red marks on the handkerchief were still dazzling.
Xu Shuhuai quickly followed and walked side by side with him. Looking sideways, he saw that Xie Heng’s face was as pale as paper, his lips pursed into a cold straight line, and deep in his eyes, there was some kind of dark flame that was almost broken.
“Xie Heng.” Xu Shuhuai called him in a low voice, omitting the honorific for the first time.
Xie Heng didn’t stop, looked straight ahead, and said in a low voice that only two people could hear: “He is injured.”
Four words, as light as a whisper, but as heavy as a stone.
Xu Shuhuai was shocked. Seeing the almost imperceptible tremor on his cold face, he remained silent and only reached out to gently support the crook of his elbow.
“He will be fine.” Xu Shuhuai whispered, “I have sent the best military doctors and medicinal materials to the northern border and sent them there overnight.”
Xie Heng did not respond, but just clenched the half of the jade tablet in his hand.The broken edge touched the palm of my hand. The pain was clear, but it was far less than the suffocation in my chest.
[The author has something to say]
Merry Christmas [red heart]
(Sing a song) Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way~
Oh what fun it is ride, in a one horse open sleigh～
In the unpredictable future, we all need to be safe, have our dreams come true, and welcome a better version of ourselves [Spread Flowers]
I love your lights [touch head]