Chapter 67: The Storm Rises 7

  At noon, the crowd on the street finally thinned out a bit, and the surrounding wine houses became lively.

  A horse-drawn carriage moved slowly, and the decorations on the carriage frame were also those of a wealthy family. The carriage stopped in front of a wine building, but the gate was tightly closed, as if it had been out of business for a long time.

  The signboard on the upper floor is already covered with dust, and it can be vaguely seen that there are a few words - "Boming Building".

  The horse carriage stopped, a man hastily jumped down from the carriage, then bowed and lifted the curtain. A hand stretched out from inside the carriage and rested on the back of his hand. A man in his fifties slowly emerged.

  Zhao Song raised his head and took a glance at the cold and deserted wine house in front of him, with a bitter smile in his heart. The man beside him stepped forward and pushed open the slightly ajar door, following Zhao Song as he walked inside.

  The second floor of the elegant building, Nalan Xiong was playing chess with Huo Zhe. Huo Zhe's expression was solemn and serious, as if he were on a battlefield. In contrast, Nalan Xiong had a lazy look on his face, making moves without any hesitation, not even needing to think.

  At this time, Quan Long lifted the bead curtain and said softly: "He's here."

  Nalan Xixi slightly raised an eyebrow. Early in the morning, Zhao Song sent a eunuch to the palace to say he wanted to see her and even let her choose the location. This time, however, Nalan Xixi couldn't guess why he wanted to see her.

  But in a moment, Zhao Song went upstairs and walked to the door. Quan Long lifted the bead curtain to gesture him to enter. He raised his eyes and saw that Nalan Xianyu was sitting there playing chess, without any intention of getting up to greet him.

  He smiled slightly and walked in. "I've kept the princess waiting for a long time."

  At this time, Huo Zhi suddenly stood up, his face filled with indignation. Zhao Song was taken aback, thinking he would do something to him, and raised his guard. However, Huo Zhi lamented: "Can't defend against it, can't defend against it!!"

  Zhao Song finally understood that Huo Zhi had lost the game. He walked forward and looked at the chessboard, and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

  What a strange way of walking, at first glance it seems completely lawless, not following common sense to play chess, but walking to the end, you will find that this entire chessboard has long been her trap in hand, one ring after another, step by step, there is no way to defend!

  Huo Zicai didn't notice Zhao Song had arrived until he saw him studying the chessboard. He hastily retreated to one side. "So Master Zhao has arrived, I'm afraid I failed to greet you from afar and was rude."

  Zhao Song waved his hand. "Lord Huo has misunderstood."

  Huo smiled and nodded at him, then retreated with Quan Long.

  "Please sit down, Lord Zhao." Nalan Xianyu gestured for him to take a seat.

  Zhao Song nodded in gratitude and sat down, but his eyes remained fixed on the chessboard. Suddenly, he raised his head sharply and looked at Nalan Xianyu with a puzzled expression. There was a huge flaw in this chessboard, a fatal one. No matter how she arranged her pieces outside or tried to mislead others, an observer could spot that flaw at a glance.

  Win one and lose all.

  "What does Lord Zhao want with me?" Nalan Xianuo didn't plan on discussing chess with him.

  Zhao Song paused for a moment, then smiled lightly. This was indeed Nalan Xinnuo's style; she wouldn't give anyone face when it wasn't necessary. "I came today to tell the princess something."

  "What's up?"

  "Nalan Yanran proposed to join forces with me, introducing several groups of people to make trouble at the enthronement ceremony, showing signs of rebellion. After the assassination attempt on the Empress Dowager a few days ago, she found me again and asked me to replace all the eunuchs who would be used in the enthronement ceremony with her own people." Zhao Song also got straight to the point.

  Nalan Xixi thought to herself, this Zhao Song has always been a sycophant with a flattering face, every word out of his mouth is fawning, how come today he looks so serious and proper, and even changed the way he addresses himself, could it be that he's plotting something?

  Moreover, last time it was Nalan Yanran who came forward to discuss this matter, but today he shifted the blame onto Nalan Yanran again.

  But one thing is certain, someone must have already been planning and arranging this matter.

  "Why must you tell me?" Nalan Xixi's smile was ambiguous.

  Zhao Song smiled lightly and picked up a black piece held by Nalan Xinnuo from the chessboard, placing it on his own side of the table. "Because only you can save them."

  "Them?"

  "The people of the Nangong family."

  Nalan Xixi began to wonder, what did Zhao Song mean? Was he trying to pretend to be a loyal minister when death was imminent? He shouldn't be doing something so stupid. "You're telling me, not afraid that I'll kill you?"

  "I'm afraid." Zhao Song said without hesitation. "It's precisely because I fear death that I have no control over my own body, if I didn't fear death, how could you use me to eliminate the Left Party? If I didn't fear death, how could Na Lan Yan Ran threaten me? If I didn't fear death, why would I betray Empress Dowager?"

  Nalan Xixiao didn't expect Zhao Song to say such words, these words can only be said by someone who truly opens their heart, if it were any other day, Zhao Song wouldn't have been able to say such things.

  As he spoke, Zhao Song smiled bitterly. "But when it's really a matter of life and death, you're not afraid of anything anymore. When you're really going to die, you can finally do something according to your own heart."

  To act according to one's own heart? What thing? To be a loyal minister? It's already too late.

  Seeing the sarcasm in Nalan Xianyu's eyes, Zhao Song smiled slightly. "I know you don't believe me, but I didn't come to see you today to make you believe anything. Whether others think I'm a villain or a traitor, I don't care. If I can do one thing I've always wanted to do but was too afraid to do before I die, then Zhao Song's life is fulfilling."

  "I believe you." Nalan Xixi said calmly.

  Zhao Song was taken aback, he raised his head and looked at Nalan Xianyu in confusion.

  "No one is born a bad person, no one is born to be humble, and no one is born willing to be a scoundrel despised by all." Nalan Xixi's smile was ambiguous. "Who wouldn't want to be like him, Nan Gongyin, an unparalleled prodigy of the heavens? Who wouldn't want the entire world to prostrate itself at their feet? But the price of being supreme is not one that everyone can afford to pay."

  Zhao Song was surprised by Nalan Xinnuo's words, he didn't think that Nalan Xinnuo would believe him.

  Nalan Xixiao smiled faintly. "Without the courage to be a good person, without the guts to be a loyal minister, unable to pay the ultimate price, yet not wanting to be trampled underfoot, like ants in the cracks, from one to many, building their own kingdom, seeking a little bit of security."

  Zhao Song stared at Nalan Xinnuo in shock, and before he knew it, his cheeks were already wet with tears. Every word and every sentence of Nalan Xinnuo's struck the weakest and most unknown dark corners of his heart.

  Such a corner cannot be known to people, and no one will know. People only believe what they see, and what they see is Zhao Song, a small man, a traitor, a timid eunuch like a mouse.

  This was his inner voice, but it came out of Nalan Xinnuo's mouth, which shocked him.

  "The ants' nest was flooded, and they would all rush to repair it without hesitation. You're not wrong, everyone is afraid of death, and those who choose to live are never shameful. You're just defending yourself, protecting yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that." Nalan Xixi looked at him, her eyes no longer holding their usual indifference and coldness, but instead a softness that made people feel uneasy.

  Zhao Song couldn't help but let out a stream of old tears. The most precious thing in this world is to be understood, it's when everyone thinks you're wrong, at the end of your life, ready to leave with despair, there's someone who stands up and says, I understand, you're not wrong.

  "Princess..." Zhao Song's tears wouldn't stop, wanting to say a word of thanks to her, but choked.

  Saying thank you now is too late. The situation is no longer under his control, he can't stop anything, let alone make up for it.

  "I won't kill you, not because I couldn't." Nalan Xianyu gazed at the chessboard, a bitter smile on his face. "At first, I wanted to keep you as a target, the remnants of the Left Party would inevitably seek revenge and find their way to your head. Secondly, it's because I know that in your heart, you are still loyal to the Empress Dowager, you won't do anything treasonous or rebellious, so I'm not worried."

  Zhao Song was stunned. He now somewhat understood why Nan Gong Jin would like this woman, who seemed unremarkable in every way, yet somehow managed to shock and command respect from everyone.

  She dares to trust her enemy.

  Not foolish, nor naive, but confident. It's a kind of innate pride and confidence, she believes she can handle anything, she believes in every move she makes, and even if she makes a wrong move, she believes she can still protect herself completely.

  Everyone in this world is like a chess piece on her board, everything is under her control.

  Only

  Suddenly, Zhao Song had an epiphany! There was only one place on the chessboard that could be a fatal weakness, and there was only one piece that was indispensable. Once lost, it would mean defeat for the entire board!

  She deliberately left such a loophole, and then used all her strength to lay down various array traps, making it impossible for anyone to make a move. However, once there was a slight mistake, once that trick fell into the trap, she would inevitably lose.

  For her, this child is Nangong Jin, right?

  "Actually, I came today to talk about something else." Zhao Song wiped away his tears.

  Nalan Xixi smiled slightly. "Please go on."

  "It's about Empress Dowager and the Emperor, it was because of this matter that Her Majesty risked her life to save him that day."

  Nalan Xixi's expression gradually became solemn, and she realized that this must be a secret that could stir up a storm of blood and rain.

  "At that time, the Sacred Golden Kingdom was still the strongest among the thirteen kingdoms, and the second-strongest kingdom at that time was the Empress Dowager's home country, Chu Yuan Kingdom. At that time, the Empress Dowager was sent to the Sacred Golden Kingdom palace to be raised... I then became the Empress Dowager's personal eunuch."

  This is a shocking secret that has been sealed for a long time. When Zhao Song spoke, his expression seemed to return to that era, when he followed the Empress Dowager Murong, who was still a beautiful and clever young girl, the proud and arrogant Princess Murong.

  Decades of scenery, gratitude and resentment, love and hatred, were all said in just half an hour.

  Nalan Xixi's face turned pale, with a hint of panic in her eyes.

  Zhao Song got up and knelt down on the ground, he slowly kowtowed to Nalan Xianyu, Nalan Xianyu's eyelashes trembled slightly, but her face was expressionless, without any movement.

  "Please, Princess, you must keep this a secret. The Empress Dowager only has the Emperor left now. If it's not necessary, please, Princess...". Zhao Song choked again at this point. "I entrust Her Majesty to you."