Chapter 263: I Will Accept the Mission

Chapter 263: I Will Accept the Mission

Jin'er hurried along, fearing that Zhe Jing, being a martial artist, would move too swiftly for her to catch up.

After chasing for a while, she found the courtyard empty, with no sign of Zhe Jing, and felt a pang of disappointment.

Could Little Brother Zhe Jing have already left?

Just as she showed signs of dejection, a figure suddenly emerged from behind a locust tree nearby.

"What's wrong? Why so unhappy?"

The young man smiled warmly, like an older brother next door.

Jin'er was startled by his sudden appearance but then exclaimed in delight, "Little Brother Zhe Jing, you haven't left yet?"

"I was waiting for you," Zhe Jing said with a smile.

"Waiting for me? Why were you waiting for me?" Jin'er asked instinctively, wondering if he had something else to say.

The young man gazed at Jin'er for a moment without speaking. He had indeed been waiting for her, unsure if he had anything to say.

But upon hearing Jin'er's question, he hesitated for a moment, then fumbled through his clothes, eventually pulling out a jade pendant and offering it to her. "This is for you."

Jin'er took it in a daze, noticing that the jade pendant was small and unremarkable, not particularly fine in quality. She had seen many exquisite jades in Su Manor, but this one did not bother her; instead, she felt a fondness for it.

This was the first piece of jewelry she had received from anyone other than her mistress!

"Little Brother Zhe Jing, did you buy this? It's not right for me to accept it," Jin'er hesitated, though not because of any taboo regarding relationships between men and women, but simply because it wasn't like food.

Seeing no disdain in Jin'er's eyes, Zhe Jing breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and then smiled. "There's nothing wrong with accepting it. Take it. After all, we're friends now, aren't we?"

Hearing this, Jin'er decided to accept it. She wanted to give Zhe Jing something in return but had nothing on her, so she said, "Alright, then I'll get you something later! By the way, I was going to make pineapple pastries for you today."

"Next time, then, I'll get to taste Lady Jin'er's cooking." Zhe Jing smiled and bid her farewell.

This time, Jin'er watched the young man leave until he was out of sight before looking down at the jade pendant.

She muttered to herself, thinking that although Little Brother Zhe Jing was handsome, he didn't know how to pick jewelry. She had never seen him wear anything fancy, so she would choose something for him later.

After all, they were friends now.

Early spring.

The weather was still chilly.

Deep within the palace, the young emperor leaned against his dragon throne, his gaze half-lidded and inscrutable, his robes partially open, lost in thought.

At his feet knelt a palace maid, her head bowed low to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Spare my life, Your Majesty! Spare my life..."

Bai Li Hongxuan's thick, raven-like eyelashes remained lowered, seemingly unwilling to speak. His expressionless face resembled a statue of a god, detached and emotionless.

The pleading palace maid was a beauty, but her cries could not evoke any pity from the emperor.

Footsteps gradually approached outside the palace.

One set was steady, while several others were frantic.

Upon hearing the sounds, Bai Li Hongxuan lifted his gaze and saw Xie Yuan enter with others. He then asked indifferently, "Have you caught them all?"

"A total of six people were involved. I have completed the interrogation. The mastermind is Zhao Yin, the Deputy Minister of War."

Xie Yuan stopped there, knowing that Bai Li Hongxuan understood the implications.

The Ministry of War was no longer the ministry of the court—it had become the domain of Prince Rong.

The kneeling palace maid turned in disbelief, seeing that everyone involved had indeed been captured, her eyes filled with despair.

She had merely followed orders to seduce the emperor, who had no concubines in the palace. At first, when the emperor saw her, his expression was gentle, even smiling at her.

But the moment she timidly called him "Your Majesty" and reached out to touch his robe, he dragged her off the bed and threw her to the ground, looking at her as if she were dead.

As the beauty struggled to understand, the young emperor pronounced her fate: "Drag her away and execute her along with the others. Send their bodies to the Zhao residence and hang them for three days."

The beauty and the others trembled in terror, staring at the handsome emperor.

"Spare our lives, Your Majesty!"

Their cries echoed, but soon they were dragged away, and silence fell once more.

Eunuch Fu stepped forward to take responsibility. "Your Majesty, it was my oversight."

He never expected these people to reach into the emperor's bedchambers.

Bai Li Hongxuan shook his head. Even if Eunuch Fu had made a mistake, he would not punish him.

Eunuch Fu had entered the palace for the sake of his mother.

It was Emperor Taizong who separated him from his mother, forcing her into the palace and then neglecting her, allowing that vile woman to kill her.

But without Eunuch Fu, his mother might have been killed by the palace's demons long ago, and there would be no Bai Li Hongxuan in this world.

After his mother passed away, Eunuch Fu continued to serve by Emperor Taizong's side, plotting...

Although he was just a eunuch by his side, Bai Li Hongxuan had long regarded him as an elder.

"Never mind. It was I who dismissed everyone, allowing those scoundrels to take advantage."

After saying this, Bai Li Hongxuan changed the subject.

"Prince Rong's ambitions are not small."

Xie Yuan’s gaze had been fixed on the ground, unfocused in deep thought. Upon hearing this, he lifted his eyes: "The bandits in Wen City this time also have Prince Rong's involvement behind the scenes."

Bai Li Hongxuan had already known about this from Xie Yuan’s report, but hearing it again now, his eyes still turned cold: "He may have ambitions, but let’s see if he has the capability to take My throne!"

Eunuch Fu sensed the emperor's anger and immediately bowed lower: "Your Majesty, Prince Rong naturally doesn’t have that ability, but he now holds military power, and the generals at the border have become his lackeys. Dealing with him will not be easy."

Bai Li Hongxuan naturally understood this, yet he looked at Xie Yuan.

"Xie Yuan, what do you think?"

When others were present, he would not call Xie Yuan by his name, but when only they were alone, he still addressed him as before.

Xie Yuan’s gaze was heavy: "The longer Prince Rong delays, the more stable Your Majesty’s position becomes among the people. Therefore, he has only two choices: either act against Your Majesty as soon as possible, or tighten his grip on military power, relying on his troops."

After saying this, a flicker of determination flashed in his eyes: "I am willing to accept the mission and bring Prince Rong’s head to Your Majesty."

In their youth, Xie Yuan had served as a companion reader to the Crown Prince.

From then on, he knew that the young Crown Prince shared his aspirations for a peaceful world and a prosperous Great Shen. Their goals aligned, making them true comrades.

He knew the path ahead was fraught with thorns, but he had long resolved to clear the way for him, forging a bloody path!