Chapter 63: The Gathering Storm 3

  In the palace of the empress dowager, there was a flurry of activity.

  Nangong Yan arrived first and saw that the Empress Dowager was leaning on the couch with a haggard face, so Nangong Yan hurried over to hold her hand.

  The empress dowager forced a weak smile and patted her hand to indicate that she was all right.

  Zhao Song was standing by, carefully attending to him. Nalan Yanran also stood by, her head bowed and eyes downcast, not saying a word.

  "Long live the king! Long live the king! May he live forever!" The eunuchs at the palace gate all knelt down in unison.

  Everyone in the house looked up, and saw Nan Gong Jin walking into the palace gate with a expressionless face. Beside him, Nalan Xianyu was also equally indifferent, but at the moment he stepped into the palace gate, his eyes added a few strands of chill.

  The Empress Dowager saw Nan Gongyu come and couldn't help but shed tears.

  Nangong Jin walked over, but unlike Nangong Yan, he didn't comfort her. He bowed his head respectfully instead.

  "I'm late, and Mother will be worried."

  Nalan Xixiao followed Nangong Jin's lead and bowed her head respectfully, but in the instant she lowered her head, she glanced at Zhao Song. Their eyes met, and Zhao Song couldn't help but tremble, his face turning pale.

  The empress dowager waved her hand, as if suddenly aging several years. "I'm fine..."

  "Nangong Jin coldly ordered. 'Come on, go and track down the assassin immediately, you must investigate who is behind this!'"

  "It's all right." The empress slowly stood up. "I have already found out."

  Everyone looked at her after hearing this, she paused for a moment and said in a low voice: "It's Nalan Xianyu."

  "What?! Hearing Nalan Xianyu's name, Nan Gongyan trembled. "No... it can't be, how could it be her?!"

  The Empress Dowager ignored Nan Gongyan and continued: "No matter what she did in the past, I don't care how he bewitched you. One of you insisted on marrying him, while another claimed he was an old friend. Now that you're back, I can finally put my mind at ease. However, this time, he has come to my doorstep, and I must bring up old matters again..."

  Nangong Jin nodded. "The Empress Dowager is right, but I'm afraid the Empress Dowager still has some misunderstandings. Nalan Xianyu was killed by assassins in Qilin Mountain a few days ago to save me."

  The Empress Dowager heard this and slightly paused. "Save you?"

  She looked at Zhao Song with some confusion. Zhao Song had clearly said that Nalan Xianyu was holding him hostage, so how did it suddenly become a rescue?

  Nangong Jin's smile was ambiguous. "I, the crown prince, was originally unharmed in Qilin Mountain, but suddenly assassins appeared, each move fatal. Xianuo died at their hands while saving me. Mother Empress, I don't know why you determined that Xianuo plotted against Luo Tian, but everyone knows that from start to finish, everything Xianuo did was not detrimental to me, Luo Tian, or Your Majesty."

  The Empress Dowager hastily explained, "It's because she did everything for the good of Luo Tian that people became suspicious. Moreover, at the time, there was intelligence that Nalan Xianyu had taken you hostage on Qilin Mountain with the intention of usurping power, and our family feared that you might have some mishap, so..."

  "There are small people slandering Xianuo, afraid that they are also members of the Left Party. In this turmoil, they suffered heavy losses and harbored hatred for Xianuo in their hearts. That's why they spoke nonsense in front of Mother Empress, wanting to use her hands to get rid of Xianuo." Nan Gong Jin said coldly. "I suppose that the person who said Nalan Xianuo wanted to assassinate you this time is the same as the one who said Nalan Xianuo held you hostage last time?"

  The empress's heart sank, and it was true that Zhao Song had suffered heavy casualties in this disaster. Moreover, he was obviously being used by Nalan Xianyu. If he harbored resentment, it was also possible.

  "I want Mother to meet someone."

  Murong Taihou raised her head, and outside the door, a guard led in a man in black. As soon as Zhao Song saw the man in black, his face turned pale, while Murong Taihou's expression changed from suspicion to surprise. This man in black was clearly the one who had come to the palace that day to report that Nalan Xianyu was holding Nan Gongyin hostage, and he was Zhao Song's person!

  Nangong Jin walked slowly to one side and sat down, "Speak."

  The man in black hurriedly knocked his head on the ground. "Your Majesty, spare my life, Empress Dowager, spare my life! That day, I followed Lord Zhao Song's orders and led people to Qilin Mountain. Lord Zhao said... don't leave a single living soul, have me kill Your Majesty and Nalan Xinnuo. Later, seeing that there were Qiang soldiers ambushing on Qilin Mountain, Lord Zhao brought the message saying those Qiang soldiers were his own men, wanting me to kill Nalan Xinnuo and force Your Majesty into their hands!"

  The air in the room was almost frozen, and the man in black continued: "Then, my subordinate killed Nalan Xianyu, and when he came back, Lord Zhao actually burned his bridges, killing all the people he had sent out that day. Later, with the secret help of Wang Shang, I barely escaped..."

  Murong Taihou looked at Zhao Song in disbelief, Zhao Song's face had already turned pale and he was almost frightened to death. He fell to the ground with a thud and shouted: "This is all nonsense! Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine, you must not believe this person. This person used to be a slave in my household and harbors resentment against me, that's why he's framing me like this. Imperial Concubine, you must believe me..."

  However, before he could finish speaking, the man pulled out a letter and handed it to the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty, I have a letter as proof, absolutely true, it was ordered by Lord Zhao for me to do..."

  Nangong Yan stepped forward, took the letter and handed it to the Empress Dowager. Her face turned pale as she trembled with rage, glaring at Zhao Song, tears streaming down her face. The Empress Dowager saw Zhao Song's handwriting on the letter, unmistakable and undeniable.

  Nangong Jin said coldly: "Bring in the man and throw Zhao Song into the large prison."

  At the door, the guards entered at the sound, Zhao Song panicked, he turned to the empress dowager and kowtowed repeatedly. "Your Majesty! Save me!! Your Majesty!!!"

  Murong Taihou was powerless, she had no reason to save Zhao Song at this moment, thinking that she would wait for him to enter the big prison and then think of a way to rescue him. However, Zhao Song knew that as soon as he walked out of this door, he would be doomed to die, and there was no room for delay.

  "Your Ladyship!! Save me, Your Ladyship!!!" Zhao Song almost screamed.

  The guards dragged Zhao Song out, walking towards the outside. Seeing that Empress Murong was unmoved, Zhao Song loudly shouted: "Your Majesty, if you abandon me without a care, don't blame me for not upholding loyalty and righteousness!!"

  Murong Taihou heard this and trembled heavily, everyone in the room was puzzled, didn't he keep his promise?

  "Your Majesty! I have something to say! Actually, the Empress Dowager..."

  "Wang Er!" Suddenly! Murong Empress Dowager thudded to the ground with a loud noise, and everyone was shocked.

  Nangong Jin hastily got up and went to support her, but Empress Muyong knelt on the ground and refused to get up. Her face was pale, tears streaming down, she grasped Nangong Jin's clothes. "Wang'er, Mother asks you, please spare Zhao Song!!! Please..."

  Nangong Yan hastily ran over to pull her hand. "Empress! Empress, why is this?! The evidence is conclusive, he's simply unforgivable! Why do you want to plead for him?!"

  Nangong Yan wiped away her tears, even if Nangong Jin didn't kill Zhao Song, she wouldn't be able to get past him.

  Murong Taifei seemed to be completely deaf to other people's words, she kept begging Nan Gongyu, Nan Gongyu's expression was slightly cold.

  The empress dowager became like this because of Zhao Song's half sentence. Under that sentence, there must be some unknown and unknowable secret, otherwise, his mother had always been a dignified and elegant woman, how could she beg for mercy for a slave like him without any regard?

  Nalan Xixiao's expression also turned serious, and it seemed that things were not as simple as they had thought. Not far away, Nalan Yanran's face was filled with anxiety and worry, but in her eyes, there was a strange and wonderful light.

  Nalan Xianyu felt Nalan Xiren's sharp gaze and trembled slightly, lowering her head.

  "Finish what you just said." Nangong Jin looked at Empress Dowager's unusual appearance and coldly ordered Zhao Song.

  Zhao Song closed his mouth and didn't say a word, his face completely devoid of the panic he had shown earlier, and even had an undisguised air of fearlessness. Nangong Jin walked over, quickly drawing out the long sword from the waist of the guard, and pressed the blade against Zhao Song's throat.

  "Wang Er! Don't!! You can't kill him! Can't kill!!" Murong Empress rushed up like a madwoman, grabbing the sword blade with one hand, and instantly the sword was stained red with fresh blood.

  Nangong Jin dropped his sword and furrowed his brow, "Pass on the order!"

  Nalan Xixi came out of the Empress Dowager's palace, and Huo Zhe and Quan Long He led a team of horses to walk in this direction. Huo Zhe rushed into the palace first to treat the Empress Dowager.

  He Xianlang looked inside and asked in a low voice: "Master, what's wrong?"

  Since she and Nan Gong Jin returned together, He Xian and others have called her Master.

  Zhao Song's attempt to hire an assassin to kill Qi Lin on Mount Qilin was exposed. Jin wanted to kill him, but the Empress Dowager intervened and stopped her.

  "What's going on?!" He Xian didn't understand. "The Empress Dowager is desperately blocking?!!"

  Nalan Xixi nodded, and suddenly, Nalan Xixi seemed to have thought of something. "You immediately send someone to investigate Zhao Song's true identity for me, it must be quick!"

  Quan Long left at the sound of his voice, and He Xian looked at Nalan Xixi's serious expression, also becoming tense.

  At this time, Nangong Yan walked out of the Empress Dowager's palace. Nalan Xianyu gave He Xian a signal with her eyes, and He Xian nodded and went out. Nangong Yan's face was pale, and she couldn't stop crying.

  She Na Lan Xi Nuo is really dead, absolutely dead.

  She didn't want to believe such a truth, yet she was reminded again and again that this person was indeed no longer there.

  She tottered forward, the palace maidens wanting to come up and support her, but she kept them at bay. She felt like a flower vase full of cracks, which would shatter into pieces with just a slight touch.

  She inadvertently passed by Nalan Xixi's side, her eyes couldn't see her, at this moment, her eyes were just blank.

  "Your Highness, please restrain your grief." The calm and familiar voice made Nangong Yan's footsteps come to an abrupt halt. She had just seemed to hear Xianuo's voice! She suddenly turned her head around, but what she saw was the future empress, Huangfu Xianuo.

  "If Nalan Gongzi were alive, he would definitely not want to see you grieve like this." Nalan Xianuo's voice was very faint, her face expressionless, seemingly comforting, yet awkwardly unconvincing.

  But Nangong Yan was very pleased, she quickly wiped away her tears. "You're right, if he were here, he would definitely not want to see me like this, he would definitely blame himself, I shouldn't be so selfish..."

  Watching her trying hard to hold back tears, Nalan Xinnuo suddenly felt a pang in his heart.

  Selfishness has never been you.