Chapter 129 - 128: So It Was All Because of Him! (1st Update)

Chapter 129: Chapter 128: So It Was All Because of Him! (1st Update)

This unexpected turn of events left Xu Jing a bit stunned. She blinked and looked inexplicably at Xiao He and Zhao Jingming across from her.

Xiao He and Zhao Jingming were also puzzled. After a moment of silence, Xiao He glanced at Xu Jing, smiled faintly, and said, "Don’t worry, Yanci isn’t someone who would disappear without a word. He probably just left for a while due to some matter."

It must be said that when Xiao He’s almond-shaped eyes were devoid of emotion, they appeared somewhat indifferent. However, when he wanted to show goodwill to someone, those eyes became an invincible weapon. Just by adding a touch of warmth, they gave off a jade-like grace and heartfelt sincerity.

Xu Jing looked at him for a while, then averted her gaze, picked up the teacup in front of her, and responded softly.

Xiao He was right. No sooner had Xu Jing taken a few sips of tea than Xiao Yi returned, and with him was a young lord dressed in a light purple round-collared robe embroidered with silver threads.

This young lord, with his black turban, appeared to be in his twenties. More striking than his refined and delicate features was the innate nobility in his gestures, making Xu Jing believe that even in ragged cloth, anyone with discerning eyes could see his distinguished origins.

At this moment, the young man was walking ahead with a cheerful demeanor, while Xiao Yi followed behind him with a helpless yet respectful expression.

There were few in this world who could make Xiao Yi show such respect in his own home.

While Xu Jing was secretly surprised and guessing who this person might be, Xiao He and Zhao Jingming suddenly stood up across from her, quickly headed out of the pavilion, and performed a standard bow of subjects, saying, "Your Severant greets Your Majesty!"

Your Majesty? This young lord was actually the current Holy Emperor of Great Chu!

Before Xu Jing could feel astonished at having suddenly met the ruler of the land, she quickly stood up, supported herself on the railing, and walked to the side of the pavilion to bow to the young lord, saying, "This commoner greets Your Majesty."

The young lord, who had been smiling cheerfully, immediately withdrew his fan with a "swoosh" and said, "What are all of you doing? Why are you all as rigid as Yanci? We’re not in the palace now. I... ahem, I’m here incognito. If you keep insisting on such formalities, it will be boring. Please rise. I’m just here to see the situation. I heard Yanci invited Xu Siniang today to discuss matters. I haven’t yet met this woman whom Yanci greatly respects."

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback and involuntarily raised her eyes slightly, glancing at Xiao Yi behind the Holy Emperor.

The Holy Emperor actually knew about her matters? Was it Xiao Yi who told him?

Wei Yu finished speaking and then looked at the only woman present, immediately revealing a mischievous expression, saying, "You are Xu Siniang? Although this is our first meeting, I’ve heard quite a lot about you."

Xu Jing hurriedly bowed again, saying, "With Your Majesty speaking this way, this commoner fears greatly."

Seeing Xu Jing’s awkward movements, Xiao Yi couldn’t help frowning slightly. Her foot was still injured, and since they were discussing court secrets, he had sent the other servants away early, leaving her to rely on the railing for support as she bowed.

Unperturbed, he took a step forward, bowed to Wei Yu, and said calmly, "Since Your Majesty said you’re here just to drink and chat with your servant, please take a seat. I will call for the finest wine."

Wei Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at Xiao Yi and then at Xu Jing, and suddenly seemed to understand something. He laughed, "You, Xiao Yanci, have a gentle side after all! It’s my fault for coming without notice. Let’s sit down and treat it as a regular friendly gathering. No need to focus too much on my status."

It was impossible not to care about his status. Eventually, Wei Yu sat at the head, with Xiao He and Zhao Jingming to his left and Xiao Yi and Xu Jing to his right.

Although the atmosphere wasn’t as relaxed as it was initially, it was evident that Xiao Yi and the others had a good relationship with the Holy Emperor. After personally pouring Wei Yu some wine, Xiao He looked at Wei Yu and said, "I was just mentioning to Chang Yu earlier that after hearing Xu Siniang’s story, Your Majesty wouldn’t be able to resist for long. Who would have thought you’d come that very night? Your Majesty is as spontaneous as ever."

Hearing them talk about her, Xu Jing, who wanted to stay low-key, couldn’t help but glance at Xiao He and the others.

Wei Yu’s gaze gently swept over Xu Jing, and he chuckled, "Why did Yanci hide Xu Siniang for so long? He didn’t even mention a word about what happened in Anping County. Only when Xu Siniang was dragged into our affairs did Yanci come clean and tell us everything.

Who wouldn’t be curious after hearing such a peculiar story? I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to come and see for myself."

He had said it; ever since Yanci returned from Anping County, he had been off. He didn’t realize Yanci had hidden such an enchanting woman in Anping County.

And that woman was his ex-wife! Tsk, if he hadn’t come to see for himself tonight, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for many more nights!

Xu Jing couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

The dignified Holy Emperor, was he really so gossip-minded?

Not wanting Xu Jing to feel uncomfortable, Xiao Yi changed the topic calmly, saying, "Xu Siniang came here today to learn who attacked her the day before yesterday. I was about to discuss it with her in detail."

Hearing him mention the matter at hand, the playful expressions on everyone’s faces vanished.

Xu Jing quietly straightened up, her brows slightly furrowing.

Her inner alarm bells were ringing.

The situation was becoming clearer; the group that day was evidently connected to the Holy Emperor.

This matter seemed far more serious and troublesome than she thought.

Tsk, if she’d known sooner, she would have found some way to flee Anping County overnight and avoid any involvement with this man!

Xiao Yi glanced at Xu Jing and said, "I will get straight to the point, Miss Xu. The people who attacked you back then were from the Prince Xing Faction. I originally went to Anping County to investigate the Zheng Shouyan case, because the person killed in the Capital by Zheng Shouyan was the then Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Pang Rui, who was also of the Prince Xing Faction. He assisted Prince Xing in establishing four large weapon stockpiles across Great Chu. If Prince Xing were to rebel in the future, these four weapon stockpiles would undoubtedly be a great advantage for him, so we must destroy them no matter what."

Xu Jing’s hands, clasped together, unconsciously tightened, and she took a deep breath secretly.

Well, competing for the throne, court conspiracies, she’s waded through the deepest waters of this world.

She should have realized that apart from the Zheng Shouyan case having connections to the Western Capital, where else could she have come into contact with such dangerous figures, becoming a thorn in their side?

She pursed her lips and couldn’t help saying, "But, even though I helped you solve the Zheng Shouyan case, I didn’t involve myself in the subsequent matters. Why did they target me?"

Looking at her, Xiao Yi said, "You don’t need to get involved; they just needed to find out that you are my ex-wife, and seemingly our relationship is... a bit odd. When things got desperate, they naturally thought of you.

Back then, Pang Rui recorded the locations of those four weapon stockpiles and the weapon procurement records in a small notebook that he kept on him at all times. Even when bathing or sleeping, he ensured the notebook was within his control. However, after Pang Rui died, the notebook previously on him disappeared, and the only person who knew its whereabouts was his killer.

The Prince Xing Faction lost a considerable amount of effort, manpower, material resources, and money on those four weapon stockpiles, so they were unwilling to abandon them easily. After capturing Zheng Shouyan, I tried to lure out as many Prince Xing Faction members as possible by pretending not to have found the notebook..."

Xu Jing suddenly understood, took a deep breath, and slightly gritted her teeth, saying, "Because Zheng Shouyan was with me before he was captured, those people thought the notebook might be with me? And because I had a nasty fallout with you, they thought it was reasonable for me to hide the notebook deliberately from you, so they targeted me. Isn’t that right?"

So, at the root of it all, she got dragged into such troublesome matters because of this man!