Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Perhaps it was Xiujin’s unhesitant flight or his overtly defensive gaze towards Du Ru'an, as if seeing a wild beast, that abruptly turned Du Ru'an’s eyes cold.

He even ignored the chilling snakes climbing over his body, and said to Xiujin in a deep voice, "Xiujin, come here."

Xiujin shook his head frantically, "Brother Du, those snakes will bite me, I'm scared." Tears streamed down his face, reddening the rims of his eyes, and his beautiful face was drenched, looking pitifully touching.

Du Ru'an, who was usually the most compassionate towards him, couldn’t bear to see him shed a tear.

But now, he felt only a heart-piercing cold: "Xiujin, these snakes won't come near you, can't you see? Come here."

Xiujin still shook his head, hunching his shoulders: "But what if, what if when I come over, they bite me?"

Biting his lip, he persisted in refusing, "Brother Du, I'm afraid, I'm really afraid."

Du Ru'an bowed his head, covering his face, and let out a hoarse chuckle.

The laugh was raspy, mixing with the hissing of the snakes, eerily echoing in the pitch-black cavern, "So it is, I’ve been the fool all along."

As if he was now utterly indifferent to the many fatal threats on him, the pain seemed trivial, his eyes flashing red, his expression as cold as ice, "All the foolish things I've done in my life, I’ve done for you, Xiujin. You truly are formidable."

Xiujin shook his head, "Brother Du, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Du Ru'an flung off the snakes at his feet and strode towards Xiujin, who shrieked and fled backward, his cries piercingly loud.

But there was no longer any compassion in Du Ru'an’s eyes, instead, he quickly cornered him, leaving him no escape, "The crown prince will die without knowing, won’t he? Good, at least I understand a bit more in death."

He lifted his hand to Xiujin’s neck, his voice low as if whispering sweet nothings, "Xiujin, you know how much I adore you, don’t you? If I am to die today, you shall accompany me, let us be a pair of doomed lovers."

Xiujin struggled desperately, tilting his head back to gasp for air, unable to break free from Du Ru'an's vice-like grip. It was unknown where he, usually a delicate scholar, had found such strength.

And as Xiujin’s face turned red with the strain of suffocation, the snakes coiled faster around them, unquestioningly wrapping tightly around Du Ru'an’s neck, constricting hard, with many snakes biting at Du Ru'an’s hand that was choking Xiujin.

So close, yet without the slightest intent to harm Xiujin.

Or perhaps, they were consciously protecting their master.

Because Xiujin was on the brink of death, they were intent on killing Du Ru'an immediately to save Xiujin from his clutches.

The snakes in the cave varied in thickness.

The one coiled around Du Ru'an's neck was patterned in tawny yellow, as thick as an adult man's forearm, wrapping round after round until it covered Du Ru'an's chin and the lower half of his face, constricting his mouth and nose with its body.

The faint sound of bones cracking was masked by Xiujin’s frantic struggles.

Du Ru'an's eyes were wide open in death, falling to the ground, eyes unseeing.

Xiujin finally managed to free himself from Du Ru'an's grasp, slumping to the ground and coughing violently, breaking down and begging Xue Fuguang for mercy.

Zhou Minshan, following at Xue Fuguang’s side, felt a chill creep up his spine at this bizarre scene, "What on earth is this?"

Xue Fuguang's lips curled slightly, observing Du Ru'an's death without closure, his voice flat and undisturbed, "Who knows?"

Holding the knife at his waist, Mu Jianshu abruptly recalled the moment in Dingzhou when Xue Hongwen moved against Xiujin, and Xue Fuguang's loud protest and unhesitating intervention.

This Xiujin, he cannot be killed, can he?

Or is it that someone can indeed kill him, like, for instance, himself.

Mu Jianshu was no fool, in fact, quite astute.

He might not have Xue Fuguang’s abilities, but with so much information before him, he quickly deduced a great deal.

Was Xue Fuguang keeping him close, deliberately winning him over, because he could kill Xiujin?

He glanced sideways at Xue Fuguang, half his face bathed in the candle’s orange glow, a delicate side profile with a slight curve of the lips, seeming in a very good mood.

His dark, lustrous eyes sparkled brilliantly.

Mu Jianshu gripped the hilt of his knife, his gaze lowering to the tranquil Xiujin in the cave, suddenly proposing, "Master, shall I go and take care of him as well?"

Xue Fuguang glanced at him, a laugh escaping him as he detected a certain repressed heaviness in his eyes, "No need, you don’t have to kill him."

He lifted his hand openly, in the view of many inside the room, grasping Mu Jianshu's chin and pulling him close to press a kiss upon his mask.

Mu Jianshu momentarily felt the illusion that his heart had stopped beating.

His peripheral vision slid over Xue Fuguang's features - brows, eyes, lips, and nose - all etched so clearly in his heart that they could never be blurred, let alone erased.

Zhou Minshan was shocked.

But then he quickly remembered Xue Fuguang's temperament and promptly lowered his head, pretending to have seen nothing.

After Xue Fuguang released Mu Jianshu, he chuckled, "Then, shall I go down and kill him?"

Xue Fuguang’s eyes lifted slightly, his mood apparently very good, "You can't kill him. Bring him up. General Qin wants him, doesn't he? Sever his limbs' tendons and send him over."

Zhou Minshan nodded.

He was also feeling nervous deep down, unsure of what exactly Xiujin was. It was clearly best not to let him act and attempt to kill him.

As for severing the tendons in his limbs, such a task would be cleanly resolved with just two slices from him.

Xiujin was captured and brought up before he could escape, his mouth covered and his limbs’ tendons severed, then bound and carried away.

Whether Qin Jingxing would be furious or still willing to keep Xiujin was no longer a concern for Xue Fuguang.

As he left the Eastern Palace, Mu Jianshu followed behind, tightening his cloak and also lifting the hood to cover his head.

Xue Fuguang, slender and not the least bit bulky, looked exceptionally noble, like a flower carefully cultivated by humans, like a camellia, or perhaps a beautiful yet poisonous oleander.

Two rows of imperial guards followed alongside, occupied with the task of carrying lanterns.

Having walked a short distance along the palace walls, Xue Fuguang suddenly looked up, extending a hand from under his cloak, murmuring softly, "Is it snowing?"

Mu Jianshu glanced up, took a lantern from behind and brought it beside Xue Fuguang, whispering, "Yes."

Those fluttering snowflakes, in the orange glow of the candlelight, looked as beautiful as golden flecks scattering down.

Xue Fuguang caught two snowflakes and observed them, saying, "When it snows, the New Year is near."

He had spent several New Years in Ge Yun, where the hardest times for him were when it snowed. Ge Yun rarely saw snow, and at its coldest, it would only sprinkle some snow granules, chilling to the bone.

But the intense humidity and cold there were inescapable, seeping into one's very marrow.

Such pain was relentless, not even the solace of sleep could stave it off.

In his daze, he realized it had been quite a while since he had properly celebrated the New Year.

Xue Fuguang whispered, "Let's go, return to the mansion."

Mu Jianshu replied softly, "Mhm."

……

Too much had happened in the course of this single night.

By the next morning, for the entire imperial city, it could be said that a monumental change had occurred.

Not only had the former Emperor died, but the Sixth Prince had been deposed.

Their emperor had changed from the Ming to the Xue family overnight.

Many were stunned into confusion.

But even more people swiftly accepted this new reality.

Even the imperial party remained tranquil without stirring, and those who had little to no allegiance to the emperor were even less inclined to object.

Besides, it wasn't their place to have opinions.

Xue Fuguang was a ruthless man; his actions were always decisive and final.

The imperial guards, in a grand display, had raided several households in a matter of days, tearing down the plaques of noble families, leading to their decline and desolation.

Many commoners on the streets peeked out, sighed at the sight, and then continued on with their lives.

After all, who became emperor had little to do with them.

They were only concerned with whether they could keep warm this winter, have enough to eat, and whether the crops would grow well come spring.

The Empress, brought out from the cold palace, collapsed to the ground with weakened knees upon hearing what had happened.

Pale as death, she listened to the eunuch say, "His Majesty decrees that the former Empress, having shared a profound love with the late Emperor, is to be bestowed the honor of accompanying him in the imperial tomb."

The queen looked up at the young eunuch: "You are asking me to accompany the emperor in death!?"

The young eunuch corrected her: "The former emperor has passed. The current sovereign bears the name Xue."

The queen sneered: "The Xue family, that bastard Xue Fuguang, he is worthy!? Summon Xue Fuguang to see me!"

Before she could finish, several imperial guards who followed the eunuch stepped forward, barking coldly: "How dare you utter the emperor's personal name so disrespectfully. Take her away!"

The queen was then forcibly removed, her mouth covered.

She had been confident that her scheming would succeed, only to end up no different than the favored consort of the Sixth Prince.

It was all Xue Fuguang’s machinations!

……

Xue Fuguang had couriers whip their horses to rush the news of his success to the Xue father and son, while he ascended the throne with utmost haste.

He changed the dynasty name to Yong.

This news also rapidly reached the ears of the people in the Ying Dynasty.

The emperor of Ying, now over fifty, held absolute power and was an unquestionable figure.

Sadly, he was getting on in years and feeling the limitations of his age, hence he began to delegate the handling of Ying’s major affairs to his legitimate son.

Faced with the major changes in Jing, there was not only shock but also some confusion.

They had just learned of this news, having previously not had the slightest inkling or trace of it.

At most, they knew that the Jing crown prince was a man of great cunning, who needed to be swiftly dealt with.

Who could have predicted that he would ascend the throne and become the emperor of Jing?

Oh, it can no longer be called Jing; it has to be changed to Yong.

The emperor summoned the deputy chief of the secret scouts, questioning him coldly about the recent intelligence from Jing.

After the chief reported everything, it appeared there were no issues.

The only thing entirely omitted was any movement related to Xue Fuguang.

The Ying Dynasty seemed like a deaf and blind man whose senses were veiled, only realizing the gravity of the situation when disaster was upon them.

What made the Ying emperor's expression even uglier was the command: "Summon the envoy urgently, order Mu Jian Shu to roll back to Ying immediately, and report everything that has transpired in Jing! I shall put him to the test!"

Author's note: Good night!

Thank you to the little angels who cast their King's votes or watered me with nutrient solution from 2021-12-21 23:56:21 to 2021-12-22 23:59:15~

Thanks to the little angel for watering with nutrient solution: Chi Miaomiao 2 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!