jdhmnovel Chapter 379 The Young Singer's Journey 48
Chapter 379 The Young Singer's Journey 48
Xiao Yu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
The situations of Iwamori and Ryuuya are different.
Long Xie had been the original owner's companion eunuch since childhood, and the two shared an extraordinary bond. In order to help the original owner's great cause, Long Xie even managed to turn his own master, Eunuch Jin Xuan, the head of the Five Great Eunuchs, against him.
Although Jin Xuan also had her own ulterior motives, Long Xie's efforts behind the scenes should not be overlooked.
Yan Sen, on the other hand, came from Bai Xiaotang. Four years ago, Ji Ruofeng suddenly disappeared without a trace, and Bai Xiaotang under his command gradually declined, so he switched to the Red King's command.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Xiao Yu never trusted Yan Sen.
However, considering that he could profit from Iwamori within the Hundred Knowledge Hall, and given Iwamori's exceptional skills in tracking and intelligence gathering, he had not yet acted rashly.
After all, even if you can't use the right person, you can still use their talent.
Even enemies can be used for one's own purposes if planned well.
Saving is a virtue.
"Your Highness, what should we do next?" Long Xie asked respectfully.
Xiao Yu uttered a single word softly, his voice steady and powerful: "Wait."
"What are you waiting for, Your Highness?"
"Wait for His Majesty's return to the capital, wait for—a message to reach Tianqi City."
Xiao Yu slowly leaned back, his eyes like a deep pool, calm on the surface but turbulent inside, as if capable of devouring everything in the world.
……
Xiao Yu stayed in the mansion for several more days, without going out or attending court.
Anyway, he's been sick for months and hasn't attended court, so a few more days won't make a difference.
Not long after Xiao Yu returned, the White King also returned to Tianqi City.
Originally, the White King wanted to take advantage of Emperor Mingde's absence to win over more martial arts forces and increase his capital in the struggle for the throne.
Unexpectedly, in the end, they gained nothing and wasted several months of their time.
Even Wushuang City, which had already made prior arrangements, changed its attitude drastically, citing the absence of City Lord Song Yan as the reason that Wushuang City was not suitable to receive guests at the moment.
Even with his calm and composed nature, Bai Wang couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration and defeat.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and the Ninth Prince, Xiao Jingxia, called out loudly, "Brother!"
Xiao Chong took a deep breath. Although his eyes were covered by a thick white cloth and he couldn't see anything, he still turned his head to look in Xiao Jingxia's direction and uttered a single word: "Speak."
Xiao Jingxia sat down in the empty seat opposite Xiao Chong and said with great interest, "Brother, have you heard? Brother, have you heard? A few days ago, a fire suddenly broke out at the imperial mausoleum. Although the mausoleum itself was not damaged, three old eunuchs were burned to death. Tell me, how could a fire start out of nowhere when there are three thousand imperial guards guarding the mausoleum?"
Upon hearing this, the White King pursed his lips slightly.
He already knew about this matter, and even knew more about it than Xiao Jingxia did.
For example, he already knew that the three old eunuchs who died were Zhuoxin, Zhuoluo, and Zhuosen, three of the former Five Great Eunuchs.
"The five chief eunuchs in the past were all masters of the palace, among whom Zhuoxin, Zhuoluo, and Zhuosen were unfathomably skilled in martial arts. Yet they were all burned to death by an ordinary fire."
Xiao Jingxia couldn't help but gasp: "Your Majesty means that someone secretly infiltrated the imperial mausoleum, killed the three of them, and then set it on fire to cover their tracks?"
"Hmm." The White King nodded, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
A fire at the imperial tomb is no small matter, and he feared that it would eventually implicate him.
The news that the Red King had secretly entered the imperial mausoleum to pay homage to the King of Langya was quite suspicious, so he sent people to investigate it in detail. Unexpectedly, the investigation eventually led to Jin Yan.
Jin Yan is Zhuo Xin's disciple.
He didn't know why Zhuoxin would reveal this information to him, since the two had never interacted before and had no relationship whatsoever.
However, Emperor Mingde was about to depart for the Western Regions, and he was in a hurry to go to the martial arts world, so he could only quickly take some measures to suppress his doubts for the time being.
Thinking that after returning to Beijing this time, he would try to contact Zhuoxin and the other two.
But to everyone's surprise, they died, and in fact, they died in the imperial mausoleum.
Once His Majesty returns to the capital, he will surely order a thorough investigation into this matter. If the three of them, Zhuoxin, were implicated and had any connection with him, wouldn't that be too unfair?
Seeing his pale face, Xiao Jingxia couldn't help but feel worried herself: "Brother, who do you think did this? Will it have a negative impact on us?"
Xiao Chong gently shook his head without answering.
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned somber.
Xiao Jingxia lowered his head abruptly, his voice filled with self-blame and frustration: "It's all my fault for being incompetent. Not only did I fail to contact any martial arts forces for my brother, but I also failed to help with even the trivial matters in the capital, causing you so much trouble."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chong felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
In the royal family, fratricide was commonplace, but Xiao Chong was fortunate to have his younger brother's unwavering support!
He reached out and patted his younger brother's shoulder, comforting him, "Brother, I know your heart. When I ascend the throne, I will definitely bestow upon you the title of King Pingtian, so that the whole world will sing your name, and you will be equal to the heavens and stand shoulder to shoulder with me."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxia suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with fervent light, and nodded firmly: "Jingxia will do his utmost to live up to my brother's high expectations."
Xiao Chong's worries vanished instantly, and he patted Xiao Jingxia on the shoulder.
……
Inside the Red Prince's Mansion.
Looking at the secret letter from Xiao Jingxia in his hand, Xiao Yu felt a strange urge to laugh.
Xiao Jingxia, nicknamed "Poisonous Scorpion Old Nine," was so ruthless and sinister that few people wanted to get close to him.
Only Xiao Chong showed him great care and even personally taught him the art of breathing techniques and the skill of drawing his sword in anger.
Furthermore, since the two were brothers born of the same mother, almost everyone assumed that he was on Xiao Chong's side.
Xiao Jingxia never concealed his stance, doing his utmost to win over various forces for Xiao Chong, hoping to help him ascend the throne.
Xiao Chong treated him with even greater kindness as a result, and even promised that when he ascended the throne, he would appoint Xiao Jingxia as the King of Pingtian and share the world with him.
However, Xiao Chong was unaware that Xiao Jingxia was only superficially supporting him, but had secretly already pledged allegiance to the original owner of the body.
Normally, major and minor events that occur in the White Prince's Mansion would be reported to the Red Prince's Mansion in detail within half a day.
Ironically, the original owner never took the initiative to win over Xiao Jingxia, nor did he give him any substantial benefits, not even a promise.
At the very beginning, the original owner even thought that Xiao Jingxia was a spy sent by Xiao Chong, trying to gain his trust with some insignificant gossip so that he could deliver a fatal blow at a crucial moment.
However, as time went by, the original owner gradually discovered that Xiao Jingxia was actually serious.
Not only did he secretly infiltrate Xiao Chong's side, risking great danger to transmit various intelligence to the Red King's Mansion, but he also pretended to be stupid when doing things for Xiao Chong.