Chapter 97: Coveting Beauty?

  Hong Taiji's twenty-fifth Mid-Autumn Festival was later considered an inauspicious day.

  That night, the fire in the Tianqiao burned for a whole night and was not extinguished until dawn the next day. The entire Tianqiao was burnt to ashes. In the ruins of the fire, dozens of charred bodies were dug out, plus those who died from smoke inhalation, and those who were injured and barely survived, with a total of over 200 casualties.

  Just a few hours ago, they were still alive and kicking.

  A great fire thus swallowed up countless lives.

  Among them, most were innocent people who got caught up in the wave of violence.

  The fire started from the third row of cellblock C, which was also where Xia Chuyu was being held.

  When Zhao Zun rushed to the Heavenly Prison with his men, the fire was already out of control. All the traces that had occurred were also destroyed in the big fire, and there was no way to investigate whether anyone had entered the Heavenly Prison.

  It wasn't until later, on a charred corpse that was beyond recognition as male or female, that a string of southern red beads was found. It was exactly the kind that the empress had specially ordered to be made for New Year's Eve, and each of the princes and princesses had one.

  Many people know that the string of southern red beads carved with "Zhong Kui" was given to Chu Qi by Zhao Zun.

  When the news of the disappearance was transmitted to the Qianqing Palace, the old emperor was greatly enraged by the loss of the crown prince in one day and being forced to abdicate by Prince Ning. Including the Imperial Guards and palace staff who participated in the coup d'etat of Prince Ning's palace, hundreds of officials were executed.

  In addition, Emperor Hongtai also severely punished Su Wang Zhao Kui, who was in charge of the imperial city's forbidden army, and ordered him to take charge of the Xiaolingwei after the funeral of the crown prince, and guard the tomb at the southern foot of Mount Zijin.

  Compared with Zhao Xi who was detained in the Imperial Clan Court, he got off lightly.

  In fact, everyone in the imperial court knew that Su Wang and Ning Wang were the closest, and this time's palace coup was impossible without the involvement of the sixth prince. However, the old emperor's thoughts were also clear to everyone. After all, he was his own son, how could he be executed? Being stripped of his title and exiled was already a punishment, at least he would never have a chance to ascend to the throne again.

  That was the most turbulent night in the history of the capital city since ancient times.

  After one day, the matter of the heavenly prison fire was settled. The old emperor once again granted a great amnesty to all under heaven, demonstrating his vast imperial benevolence and reverence for all living things. In order to hold mourning rites for the crown prince, both military and civilians in the capital were ordered to wear plain white clothes for seven days. Common people were not allowed to get married, and regardless of whether they were military or civilian, they were not permitted to seek pleasure or entertainment within thirteen days. Theatrical troupes, brothels, and tea houses were all ordered to suspend business.

  Big things are also heavenly affairs.

  Ordinary people, apart from having no choice but to comply, are also the breeders and spreaders of rumors.

  Some people say, why did the crown prince die and the heavenly fire occur? It's because King Jin fought so many victorious battles and made so many meritorious achievements, but the emperor wanted to exile him to that godforsaken North Ping Prefecture, which is why he suffered heaven's condemnation and punishment.

  Some people say that the death of the crown prince must have been a plot, and it's possible that Ning Wang was behind it. Ning Wang is not a peaceful person, he usurped the throne and forced the emperor to abdicate. Now he has been secretly beheaded by the old emperor, and many people still heard his mournful cries in the middle of the night.

  There are also people who say that on that night, the three major camps in the suburbs of Beijing were secretly mobilizing their troops and horses. Something big must have happened inside the palace. It's possible that the person who died wasn't the crown prince at all, but rather the current emperor, and they're just keeping it a secret...

  Overnight, rumors spread like wildfire.

  No matter how rumors spread or what the common people discussed, a major event related to the state's foundation was placed on the imperial court - the crown prince had passed away, and the country had no heir.

  For that supreme position, how much more carnage and bloodshed will be stirred up?

  From the second day of the Zhonghe Festival, all under heaven mourned for the Crown Prince.

  Outside the Fengtian Gate, princes, dukes, high-ranking officials and civil and military officials wore mourning clothes with their wives to mourn the crown prince. The scene was extremely grand and solemn.

  After the funeral, Emperor Hongtai issued a mourning edict nationwide and ordered all envoys to offer sacrifices to Crown Prince Zhao for his posthumous title and temple name, and to report to the ancestral temples and altars. From then on, the crown prince who had been waiting for his father's death to ascend to the throne but never got the chance became a symbol in historical records - known as "Yide Taizi".

  A life has passed away, a palace coup has come to an end, and a great fire has taken countless lives with it. However, in the historical records, there is no mention of Ning Wang Zhao Xi colluding with Su Wang Zhao Kai to force the emperor's abdication, nor is there any record of "Yi De Taizi" dying from apricot kernel poisoning or other poisoning.

  As for the cause of Taizi's death, historians only briefly summarized it in four words - "died of wind and cold". As for the big fire that killed more than 100 people in the heavenly prison, the record was even shorter, simply attributing it to the heavens - referred to as a "heavenly disaster".

  However, the historian's brush, although not recording historical events, seems to be quite interested in romantic affairs. Apart from these, another small anecdote about King Jin's palace is also recorded: "In the 24th year of Hongtai, on his way back to the capital, King Jin encountered a woman in Jincheng Prefecture who was newly pregnant and died in a great fire."

  The matter has been uncovered.

  Later generations will not know the great waves that day had stirred up, and no one will ever know the blood rain and wind that took place in the Qianqing Palace and the Tianlao that night. All they can understand is the history of Emperor Hongtai's merits, which will be passed down for thousands of years.

  ……

  ……

  Seven days later.

  The haze over Beijing has not dissipated.

  In the city, Chicken Goose Lane.

  Zheng Er Bao wore casual clothes and carefully followed Zhao Zhu's back, not even daring to breathe loudly.

  Since the great fire in Tianlao seven days ago, this master of the house has become even more taciturn. No, except for instructing him to do things, this master has not uttered a single unnecessary word. As for his emotions, there is no difference from before, and when mourning the crown prince, he just had a cold face without expression, and was no different from other princes and grandsons.

  Three days ago, he resumed his early morning routine, still getting up at the hour of the tiger, and went to wait outside the Fengmen Temple early in the morning, without revealing any abnormality. However, Zheng Erbao had served him for many years, how could he not know the difficulty in his heart?

  This old man insists on keeping his back straight even if he has to force himself.

  Today, as soon as the master of the house returned home, he took him away without saying a word. No, on the way, they also went to the East Palace to pick up that silly and foolish Diligent King Zhao Mianhuan who was following behind, and the three of them arrived together at the gate of this small courtyard in Chicken Goose Alley.

  On the low wall of the courtyard, a bunch of paper-made white flowers were held up by a bamboo pole, and at first glance, it was a family that had lost a loved one. Zheng Erbao didn't know why his master had come to this house, but after receiving orders, he still went forward and knocked on the door.

  "Is anyone home?"

  Soon, footsteps came from inside. The narrow door with many wormholes creaked open with a "creak". The woman who opened the door was wrapped in a plain-colored headscarf, about 40 years old, with a face full of wrinkles and a pair of eyes red like two swollen buns.

  She stared at the three men in front of her who were dressed up and asked after a moment's pause.

  "Which one of you officials is it that's looking for someone?"

  Zhao Zun slightly narrowed his eyes, glanced at the woman standing at the door, and gave Zheng Erbao a look. He pursed his lips and didn't make a sound. Zheng Erbao nodded and quickly handed over a bag of silver that he had prepared earlier, answering in a sharp voice according to his master's orders.

  "Auntie, this is our family... no, I owe your family's Ding Er one hundred taels of silver. Isn't he in trouble now? I feel that owing it isn't right either, so I specially brought it back to return to your family..."

  As soon as she heard Ding Er's name, the woman's eyes became even redder.

  "Is there such a thing? Before my child was born... it was never mentioned."

  "Some are, some aren't." Zheng Er Bao smiled and handed the silver bag over again.

  The woman reflexively stretched out her hand, and just as her fingertips touched the money bag, she quickly withdrew it as if scalded. Her eyes dropped down, "Sir must be mistaken, my family has always been quite poor, where would my son get 100 taels to lend to someone? This silver... I... can't accept it."

  Looking at the patches on her sleeves, and then looking at the desolate courtyard with almost no furniture, Zheng Erbao could guess that this family was very poor. But being poor yet having such dignity was something he hadn't expected. When he handed over the silver again, his tone became even more sincere.

  "Auntie, I'm not wrong. Hehe, how could I possibly forget something like owing money?"

  She looked at them suspiciously, her hands clenched in a stubborn gesture of refusal. "No, no, no, my son certainly didn't borrow any silver from you, you must be mistaken... My son worked for several months and only brought back the most silver, which was the consolation given by the imperial court..."

  "Auntie..." Zheng Er Bao called out in a loud voice, somewhat anxiously.

  The woman shook her head and turned around to close the door.

  "I don't want to, can't want..."

  "Auntie——" Zhao Yun, who had been silent all along, shouted to stop her, took out a string of charred southern red beads from his arms and shook them in front of her. In a low voice, he said, "This was found on your son's body. He sold it to me before he died, I paid one hundred taels for it, but at that time I didn't have the silver to give him, so I owed him. Now that he's gone, I can't deny the debt."

  After he said that, and looking at the burnt pearl again, the woman finally believed him. She trembled as she took a pair of rough hands full of silver coins, more than she had ever seen in her life, and two strings of tears rolled down.

  "You are really good people, my son's life is bitter, his father passed away half a year ago, he took over his father's prison guard job, just four months later, he encountered this disaster... it's really the heavens being blind..."

  It's clear that she, who had lost her husband and child, was deeply traumatized. She cried so hard that it woke up the big yellow dog that was sleeping in the yard, which then ran to the door and barked non-stop.

  The yellow dog barked fiercely, but it was laughed at by a fool who was twisting his fingers there.

  "Rhubarb!"

  He remembered when he was in Gaonian Village before, his family's Da Huang came.

  After shouting, he walked over and was about to grab the dog's head when Zhao Zhuo stopped him with one hand.

  "What's going on?"

  The fool felt wronged, "Big Yellow..."

  Zheng Er Bao was also frightened, "Your Highness, be careful he bites you."

  The silly fool stared at him blankly and said, "Big Yellow won't bite me."

  After finishing speaking, he wanted to touch the dog again. Unfortunately, the dog was not his family's Big Yellow. Seeing him approaching, it suddenly pounced over. Luckily, Zhao Zhuang blocked it, saving the fool from a painful scratch.

  "Waaaah..."

  The dog is still barking...

  The fool probably misses home, looking at that yellow dog, he actually drops tears.

  Seeing the woman crying, Zhao Zhu furrowed his brow and stopped talking. He gave Zheng Erbao a glance and dragged the fool out of the alley. Along the way, the fool still hung his head low, occasionally glancing at Zhao Zhu, not daring to make a sound.

  Waited until boarded the carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley, thinking that he would be sent back to the East Palace, and once returned to the East Palace, he wouldn't see Zhao Zun for a long time, so he mustered up the courage.

  "Uncle Nineteen, where have you hidden my wife?"

  Now the fool temporarily lives in the East Palace, still taken care of by Liu. Liu was supposed to be implicated for presenting the "fake tiger symbol" to Prince Ning earlier, but the old emperor spared her because she had taken care of the crown prince for over a decade and did not have malicious intentions during the palace coup. Under Liu's guidance, the fool has roughly understood some identities and knows that Zhao Zun is his nineteenth uncle, but these things are unimportant to him, he only cares about where his little daughter-in-law went.

  Listening to the fool's "prosecution", Zhao Zun's face turned black, "She's dead."

  "Ah!" The fool lifted his head and glared at him in anger.

  "You're lying, she won't die."

  Zhao Zun rubbed his temples with one hand, without looking at him, and said lightly, "Didn't they tell you? She died in the big fire."

  The fool pouted and muttered in a discontented tone.

  "They said it was your wife who died, not mine."

  He gave him a glance, Zhao Zhu obviously didn't want to "speak chicken and duck" with him anymore.

  Now that we've finally caught the fool, how can we just let him off scot-free?

  These days, he had seen Zhao Zun several times. Although everyone said that the 19th master was not to be trifled with, he was no longer as afraid of Zhao Zun as before. "Nineteenth uncle, can I stay at your place?"

  Zhao Zun raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "Why?"

  The fool lowered his head, half of his face flushed red, and said with some embarrassment, "There are too many young ladies in the palace who want to sleep with me. I don't like them, it's really annoying..."

  This is...

  Zhao Zhu's face suddenly turned gloomy, but Zheng Er Bao couldn't help but burst out laughing with a "pu" sound. But thinking about the current situation, it wasn't suitable for him to be laughing, so he forcefully pursed his lips shut again.

  "What are you laughing at?" The fool lifted the curtain, "If you like, I'll send them all to you. Let them keep you company in bed."

  This fool, having been a prince for just a few days, already thinks he can do whatever he wants. But to give those little girls in the courtyard to a eunuch, isn't that too cruel?

  Poor Er Bao's face turned pale, and he quickly closed his mouth as if nothing had happened.

  The fool who had lost face but didn't know the least bit about it was shifting back and forth in the carriage, while Zhao Zhu remained solemnly seated, completely ignoring him. He couldn't help but sigh and say slowly, "Why don't I just tell you the truth?"

  "What?" Zhao's eyebrows furrowed.

  He pouted, and the silly Xiang'er said with a sour tone, "I want to live with you, I want to guard you. I'm afraid that if you find my little wife again, you'll hide her from me once more."

  He glanced at the fool and saw his serious face, Zhao Zun couldn't help but rub his temples in a headache, and solemnly told him, "Mianhuan, your wife is already dead, you don't have a wife anymore. In a few days, your imperial grandfather will arrange a marriage for you."

  "I don't want to!"

  The fool was furious, staring at him with wide eyes, "Let those little girls serve you, I just want my little wife, and if you give her to me, even if you've lost her, I'll ask you for her."

  "I said your wife is dead."

  "Your wife just died! Mine hasn't."

  “……”

  It's precisely someone as wise and powerful as Zhao Zun who, when encountering a fool like this one who can't even articulate his thoughts, gets frustrated. Rubbing his temples again in a headache, he pursed his lips and stopped paying attention to the fool.

  "Uncle Nineteen..."

  The fool saw him seemingly really angry and his attitude softened again.

  "Did I say something wrong? Are you angry?"

  "No."

  "Then let's go find your wife back, one person for half of it, how about that?"

  He thought he had lowered his demands, and looked at him with great satisfaction, his eyes shining brightly. But Zhao Zun didn't know whether to cry or laugh, his originally gloomy mood was stirred up by this mess, and he couldn't even get angry, "A wife can't be divided, do you understand?"

  He puckered up his mouth and thought for a moment, then coaxed the fool, "How about Nineteen Uncle buying you a big yellow dog?"

  To trade a big yellow dog for someone's wife, it's really ruthless when you think about it.

  As expected, the fool gave him a very regretful expression. "Nineteenth Master, are you an idiot? Don't say I won't agree, even an idiot can't agree! A daughter-in-law can be exchanged for many things and can also give birth to sons. Can a big yellow dog give birth to sons?"

  “……”

  Zhao Zun was once again defeated by the foolish and absurd words of the fool, but he had a way to deal with him. Although the fool made trouble all the way, unwilling and uncooperative, Zhao Zun still sent him to the gate of the Eastern Palace, where the eunuch in charge came to take him over, and only then did he return to the Jin Wang Fu on his own.

  As soon as Chen Jing closed the door of the study, he hesitated and asked.

  "Your Highness, is the Crown Prince safe in the Eastern Palace? His identity, after all, is sensitive?"

  "It's safer in the East Palace." Zhao Zun responded lazily, his tone lacking energy. "It's precisely because of his sensitive identity that Mian Ze will take better care of him. Think about it, if something were to happen to him in the East Palace, how would you silence others? Besides, he's just a fool, could Your Majesty really entrust the empire to his hands? Mian Ze isn't foolish, he won't make a move against him."

  After listening to his analysis, Chen Jing roughly understood.

  "Your Highness is right."

  Hesitating for a moment, seeing that he had been stimulated by the fool's words, his speech became more fluent than before. Chen Jing's curiosity, which had been suppressed for seven days, finally burst out and asked.

  "Your Highness, on the day of the coup, why was the tiger tally in Ning Wang's hand a fake? The tiger tally was stolen by Chu Qi and later fell into the hands of the Liu family. When did you replace it, and how come I didn't know?"

  Zhao Zhu's face was expressionless, he thought for a moment, then sat down in front of the chessboard.

  "The true Tiger Tally has never been lost."

  Even someone like Chen Jing, who was usually calm and composed, was also stunned for a moment.

  "Haven't lost anything?"

  "Yes. At first, what Chu Qi took was a fake one."

  "Understood." It's hard to say, even though Chen Jing has been following him for all these years, he still can't quite grasp this man's thoughts. Would an ordinary person prepare a fake tiger tally to carry on their body? Truly, it's being cautious before the fire starts.

  Feeling a sense of relief, Chen Jing saw him start to fiddle with the chess pieces again and couldn't help but lightly clear his throat, "Your Highness, you've already gone three days without closing your eyes, why don't you go rest for a bit?"

  "Nothing's wrong, you can go now."

  "Your Highness......" Seeing him like this, Chen Jing's guilty conscience came again, kneeling on one knee and stiffening his neck to say, "It was all the subordinate's fault. That day, the Tianlao suddenly broke out in a big fire. If it weren't for the subordinate being deceived by the Jin Yiwei with a fake shot, he wouldn't have been late..."

  "None of your business!" Zhao Zun waved his hand, "You go down now, let me have some peace and quiet."

  Chen Jing wanted to speak up, but swallowed his words instead. In fact, having followed him for so many years, Chen Jing had never seen him like this before. Although on the surface it seemed no different, how could a person's body be good if he couldn't sleep well day after day?

  "Your Highness, I'll take some men out to look for her right away and definitely bring her back."

  "No need to look anymore!" Zhao Zhuo said calmly, his voice low and solemn.

  "Your Highness..." His response was completely beyond Chen Jing's expectations. He hesitated for a moment, then continued to persuade, "The food you sent through Mei Zi that day, according to Chu Yi Guan's cleverness, must have discovered the mystery behind it. Since she ate it, she must also know your kind intentions, Your Highness. Why not bring her back and explain things clearly to her? Wouldn't that be better?"

  Zhao Zun listened quietly, without expressing his opinion.

  The chess piece in his hand also never fell.

  After a long time, he finally spoke in a faint voice.

  "Wait outside."

  "It is..."

  Chen Jing looked at him sitting alone in the chair and let out a soft sigh.

  "My subordinate is at the door, call me if there's anything..."

  Chen Jing left, Zhao Zun sat in front of the chessboard, as still as a statue.

  The study was quiet to the extreme, even Zheng Erbao stopped in his tracks when he wanted to come over and add water, retreating silently. One person sank into silence for a while, Zhao Zun finally dropped the chess piece, still as usual, taking turns playing black and white. Only today's chess, he didn't play with his usual stability, every move seemed to have been considered for a long time... As if he suddenly lost enthusiasm for this game that he was most passionate about, between his eyebrows, except for fatigue, the whole person seemed to be trapped in endless desolation...

  ……

  ……

  "Hiss!"

  Xia Chuqi let out a painful hum and slowly opened her eyes.

  Where is this?

  In front of me was a lightly hanging bed curtain, soft and beautiful in texture. A faint scent floated between my nostrils, like the fragrance of magnolia, which came from the censer at the corner of the house. Outside, it seemed to have darkened, and there was a weak candlelight inside the room, with not too bright lighting.

  And she lay on a spacious and exquisite carved large bed.

  Her last memory was a sea of flames...

  In the engulfing flames that devoured lives, some people ran wildly in all directions, others cried out for help from their cells, and still, others wailed with heart-rending screams. But she alone remained motionless, leaning against the wall as if it were a warm oven. She was a lazy person, and strangely, at the moment when the fire broke out, she was too lazy to escape.

  Now thinking about it, she is also quite strange.

  Why is even giving birth becoming lazy?

  What happened later?

  Yes, thick smoke, fumigated her into a coma.

  Isn't she unlucky enough already, and now she's time-traveled again?

  This time she was reborn into which girl's body again and would meet what kind of handsome prince?

  She sneered and was about to get down to check on her research, but heard a rhythmic footsteps coming from outside the door. The intricately carved wooden door was soon pushed open, and just as her heart was in her throat, the person who appeared was someone she knew.

  "Finally willing to wake up?" The voice was soft and emotional, sounding like it could lure souls away, full of demonic energy, yet letting Xia Chui's pent-up anger find a place to vent.

  She sat back on the edge of the bed, glaring at him with uncontrollable anger.

  "What's wrong with you? Disturbing me from a good reincarnation, you won't die a good death."

  Dongfang Qingxuan was scolded by her until his face was full of bubbles, and he was stunned for a moment, but he didn't get angry. His good temper could be compared to that of the Bodhisattva in heaven. With a hint of a bright smile, he pulled over a chair and sat down in front of her, asking with a sly smile.

  "Who would have thought that Seventh Miss slept for seven days and still has so much energy?"

  Seven days?

  This number gave Xia Chuqi a fright.

  Looking at the charming Eastern beauty in front of her, she turned her thoughts over and over again, opening her mouth but forgetting to close it. "Can't be? I slept for seven days? Seven days... my mother's, thank you, I have to go back." After speaking, she jumped off the bed and went to find her shoes.

  A person can lie in bed for too long and when they just get out of bed, where is there any energy?

  Her body went soft and as soon as her foot touched the ground, she fell straight down.

  A flash of red swept over extremely quickly, her wrist lifted and she fell into a bosom full of faint fragrance, above her head was the gentle and beautiful voice of Dongfang Qingyun.

  "Seventh Miss, still so fond of throwing herself into people's arms."

  "Are you trying to scare me?" Xia Chuqi raised her head, looking at the exquisite and handsome face in front of her, and suddenly curved down her lips, smiling slyly. "Great Commander, there's something I haven't told you yet? Every time I look at this face as beautiful as a flower, I really want to..."

  Her voice grew softer and more ambiguous as she spoke, but stopped abruptly at this point...

  Eastern Blue Mystic smiled lightly, "What do you want to do?"

  He clenched his right fist, and Xia Chuyi took advantage of his inattention and suddenly slammed it down.

  "I really want to beat you up so badly that you'll never look handsome again. I hate you!"

  As she had imagined, the weak punch should have been easily dodged by Dongfang Qingyun, but unexpectedly, he didn't dodge or evade, and instead took her old fist straight to his handsome face.

  "Damn, that's ruthless—"

  At the beginning of summer, Qī's fist hurt, and he was stunned for a moment. Only then did he see him spit out a mouthful of blood, smiling at her with his eyes narrowed, "Miss Qi, flirting isn't like this. Can't you be gentler?"

  Xia Zhi Qi reluctantly thought to herself, she had never hit back at anyone before. She muttered under her breath "Are you out of your mind?" and hummed in discontent, straightening up her body, then looked around the room again.

  "What about Zhao Zhu? Aren't you two in cahoots? Where is he?"

  Dongfang Qingxuan helped her sit down on the edge of the bed, then turned around and pulled out a plain white handkerchief to gently wipe his seductive lips. He smiled slyly, "You really are heartless, just beating me up and not even asking if I'm hurt, yet you're already thinking about another man. It's truly heartbreaking."

  He gave him a cold glance, and Xia Chuqi crossed her arms with both hands.

  "Go on, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

  He tossed aside the handkerchief stained with blood, and Dongfang Qingyun slowly sat down. "I kindly saved you from the great fire, so you should at least say thank you before continuing to talk about other things."

  "Thank you?"

  Xia Zhi Qi gave a low laugh, her eyes slanted as she swept him with a disdainful glance from head to toe before speaking in a slow and deliberate tone, "Your heart was long ago gnawed by that big black dog. The fire in the prison cell that day was probably set by you. And I should thank you? I'd rather spit on you to death."

  The Eastern Blue Eyebrow raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Why didn't you say that the fire was set by Prince Jin's mansion?"

  Xia Qiuli curled up her mouth and snorted at him with disdain, teasingly laughing and saying, "Great Commander, next time you want to stir up trouble, please change your tactics. Go ahead, does Zhao Zhu think he can start a fire? Alright, let's make a bet, if the fire is indeed his doing, I'll be your daughter. Otherwise, you'll be my son, how about that?"

  What kind of bet is this?

  "How ridiculous!" With a critical gaze, Dongfang Qingxuan swept her with a mocking smile. "Seventh Miss, haven't you seen clearly what happened on the Zhonghe Festival? You still believe him?"

  "That's natural." Xia Chun suddenly narrowed her eyes, and her pupils were sometimes calm, sometimes with a hint of turmoil. After hesitating for a long time, she suppressed the emotions in her heart and continued to stir the Eastern Qingxuan with a half-dull tone, "The person who set the fire must have wanted me to die... He? Never thought I'd die."

  "It's hard to say." The faint amber light in Dongfang Qingyun's phoenix eyes shone even brighter under the firelight, "You'll be dead, and he can then be with that Jingyi Princess..."

  "I won't die, and he can have his way...” Xia Chuqi cut him off, handing him a sarcastic "you're brain-dead" expression. Her black eyes rolled around, then suddenly curved into a smile as she leaned in towards the man who didn't seem quite human, giggling and asking, "Great Commander, I really can't figure you out. If it was you who set the fire, why did you save me? And if it wasn't you, then who could it have been? Hehe, can you tell me what your plan is? You didn't kidnap me just because of my looks, did you?"

  "What beauty?" Dongfang Qingxuan seemed to be taken aback, curving his lips, "Seventh Miss, if you want to see beauty, I only need to look in the mirror. Under the heavens, I have never seen a woman more beautiful than myself."

  Xia Zhiqi shrugged, pretended to shiver, made a "vomiting" gesture, and then raised his head again. With an insincere smile, he asked, "That's not entirely true, is it? Your beautiful sister, Amour, isn't she as lovely as you?"

  When she asked about Amur, Dongfang Qingxuan's eyes flashed with a hint of hidden currents.

  He hesitated for a moment before smiling again, "Beauty is already beautiful, but can't compare to me, right?"

  "Wow, so confident!? Alright, you're beautiful, your whole family is beautiful. Miss, for the third time, I'm asking you, Eastern beauty, what's the point of bringing me out? I was reborn just fine, are you looking for a fight or something?"

  She never spoke in a straightforward tone, which made Dongfang Qingxuan smile slightly, and the ripples in his phoenix eyes became even more dazzling. "Seventh Miss, I've said it before, we will have a day of cooperation. Now that the time has come, are you willing to cooperate with me?"

  Cooperation?

  Opportunity?

  "Early summer seventh, impatiently sneered, 'Cooperating with a big pervert, unless I'm crazy.'"

  "Miss Qi, you have no choice." Dongfang Qingxuan chuckled and continued, "You want to clear the name of the Wei Kingdom, but the Crown Prince can't help you now, and even the King of Jin doesn't want to help you. You've lost your only identity that could get close to the palace. From now on, those tightly closed palace gates will be out of your reach. How do you plan to take revenge? Are you going to rely on making a few firecrackers to blast open the palace gates, or can you lead an uprising army and overthrow the Great Yan dynasty? Miss Qi, stop dreaming."

  "... Xia Chui's eyes rolled again, "Who told you that I must avenge?"

  "If not for revenge, why get close to the prince? If not for revenge, why have that parrot? If not for revenge, why refuse to go to Beiping Prefecture with Prince Jin? If not for revenge, why are you so determined to find Cui Liangyu?"

  Every time he asked a question, Xia Chuyi's heart skipped a beat.

  It seems that Jin Yiwei... is indeed famous for a reason.

  So it seems that Dongfang Qingyun has been aware of her every move these past few days?

  The feeling of being completely monitored was unpleasant, she swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her big eyes spinning around, and her gaze pierced towards Dongfang Qingxuan like a hook. "You're right to some extent. However, from your tone, Commander-in-Chief, it seems that you want to cooperate with me because the enemy's enemy is a friend? Doesn't that mean you also have a grudge against Dayan?"

  The Eastern Blue Mystic smiled lightly, without revealing even a hint of sharpness, "You don't need to know this."

  With a lazy sigh, Xia Qi's lips curled up into a smile. "Tell me, what deep-seated grudge do you have that I can laugh about? Besides..." She paused for a moment, her sparkling eyes curiously gazing at him as she raised an eyebrow. "If you don't tell me, how can we cooperate?"

  "How about cooperating...?" Dongfang Qingxuan drew out his gentle and charming voice, smiling brightly. "You'll know. I promise you, as long as you're willing to cooperate with me, not only will I help the Xia family clear their name, but I'll also let you enjoy endless wealth and glory..."

  "Stop, stop, stop..." Xia Chuqi tilted her head and made a "stop" gesture with her hands. "Great Commander, do I look like someone who is greedy for wealth and status?"

  "It's just like that!" Dongfang Qingxuan nodded firmly.

  "Alright, you're right." Xia Chuqi let out a snort of laughter and sighed helplessly, looking at him with a cunning glint in her eye. "Then you have to tell me the details of our cooperation, what do you want me to do?"

  Dongfang Qingxuan hooked up the tender and delicate lips like a flower, word by word, "Restore identity."

  What he said was light, but it fell into Xia Chuqi's ears, and it was no different from a thunderstorm covering the top.

  She was startled for a moment, and her mind turned over many times before she hesitantly asked, "What did you say?"

  With a flick of his elegant sleeve, Dongfang Qingxuan slowly stood up and took two steps forward. The smile on his face became even more captivating. "I want you to be the Seventh Miss of the Wei State's Imperial Manor once again."

  At the beginning of summer, she raised her head and stared at him without blinking. "Great Commander, are you still thinking of saying that next, let me marry Zhao Mianze, wait for him to become emperor, and I can still be the empress who sets an example for the world? And before that, it's best to get pregnant with your child, help you usurp the throne, or directly let your child become the emperor of Jiangshan and rewrite history... My god, this is too melodramatic, right?"

  She rattled on and on, but Dongfang Qingxuan couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

  "Miss Qi's suggestion is good, I like it very much."

  "You're so beautiful!"

  At the beginning of summer, Xia Qi's roar finally ended, and he glanced at him again, just in time to meet his soulful smile. His skin was so white that it seemed like flawless white jade, with a high nose, tender lips, and a pair of narrow phoenix eyes, every move was a charming and seductive charm.

  My goodness, this is really too much!

  If her heart hadn't been tempered to be very hard, she would have already been driven mad by this glance.

  She coughed heavily and leaned back slightly, maintaining a "healthy" distance, glaring at him uncomfortably.

  "Hey, watch your behavior, we have something to discuss, don't try to charm me with your looks every now and then? Miss, I'm not buying that!"

  She let out a soft "hmm", and the Eastern Blue Mystic Phoenix's eyes narrowed slightly, her thin lips curling up into a faint arc of a smile. The smile was like a spring breeze that seeped into one's heart, making it feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Seventh Miss, think carefully about my proposal. You can return to being Seventh Miss, and openly and justly clear your father's name. And I... will definitely help you."

  Xia Chuqi looked at Dongfang Qingyun's enchanting smile and said, "Heaven won't drop you a pie, so tell me your conditions."

  "The conditions will be demanded of you in due time, don't worry."

  "There's nothing valuable on me... except for myself."

  He slightly suppressed the smile on his face, and Dongfang Qing's eyes dimmed for a moment. "Seventh Miss, I've told you before... your value is not something you can measure yourself..."

  Value?

  He once again spoke of her value.

  What's so valuable about her? Looking at Dongfang Qingxuan, who was still dazed and confused in front of him, Xia Chuqi felt a little puzzled for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Great General, I just woke up and my brain is still not fully awake, nor do I want to agree to any conditions you propose. Let me eat well, drink well, have fun, rest well, and then decide whether or not to cooperate with you, okay? You know that a person's value depends on their attitude. Since you need me so much, if I don't put on a show in front of you, wouldn't that make me seem cheap?"

  "Miss Qi speaks reasonably, I like it very much."

  Eastern Qing Xuan smiled slightly, his gaze falling on her slender body. "I'll give you time to consider." After a pause, he took out a waist card from his bosom and handed it to her, his enchanting eyes narrowing slightly. "This is for you."

  Looking at the black waist card, Xia Chuqi took it over and weighed it in her palm, feeling heavy and substantial. As she flipped it over to look at the words on the waist card, she glanced sideways at Dongfang Qingyu's profound eyes.

  "What is this thing?"

  "With this waist card, you are a secret agent of the Brocade Guard."

  Xia Chuqi took a deep breath and flipped over the front of his waist token, "Mysterious Spy?"

  Digression

  A classmate asked, I'll answer. The texts in the client's special price zone are all paid with ingots and do not need to be used with Xiang coins. Thank you.

  Acknowledgments:

  Dear Wang Xianghui, upgraded to Yuan (Embracing)

  Dear Lixinzhizhu has been promoted to become a Jinshi (take a bite).