Chapter 554

The eunuch looked at the cloth doll Xiao Yin handed over, and the hairpin stuck in the doll's chest, and froze on the spot.

He simply couldn't understand Xiao Yin's maneuver; Xiao Yin stared at him without moving, his eyes icy as he slowly said, "Don't push your luck!"

"Although I'm being roasted over a fire, I at most will bear a bad reputation, but you are different."

"Not only will you die here, rot your whole life in this palace, but more importantly, the companions you raised outside, those adopted sons and grandsons, won't be so lucky."

"The enterprises you set up in Baiyi Alley, Quzhou, are not bad!"

As Xiao Yin's words fell, the eunuch's face turned deathly pale, and he stared at Xiao Yin in disbelief.

He concealed his few belongings, especially the piece cut from his crotch; having previously relied on his position as the palace's chief ceremonial eunuch, he removed that piece and placed it in Baiyi Alley, Quzhou. 7k

Having lived so many years, he had always been troubled by his bodily incompleteness; now that his lifeline was being eyed, how could he not be anxious?

Before, he had gambled with Emperor Longqing's life, thinking he had finally taken the position of the player holding the pieces, but in the end he was merely a pawn on the board.

"Prince! Servant…… obeying orders!"

The eunuch drew a breath but still stared fixedly at Xiao Yin and said, "Prince, I really don't understand what you mean; this… this cloth doll… what exactly does it signify?"

Xiao Yin's eyes turned slightly cold as he leaned close to the eunuch and whispered a sentence; the eunuch immediately frightened, kept stepping back, staring at Xiao Yin in disbelief.

This person is truly ruthless!

The night grew deeper, and the inside and outside of the palace were almost two different worlds.

Inside the palace they fought to the death, while outside it was deathly silent.

Outside the Tai Zi Fu, the elite units of the Five City Military Command sealed it off tightly, not even a bird could get in.

In the Zheng Ting of the Tai Zi Fu, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme; Xiao Ting's face was grim, and he coldly regarded the several aides before him.

"What's the situation outside?" Xiao Ting asked, his voice trembling slightly from anger.

Tonight, the father emperor keeping Xiao Yin in the palace will surely take action; we only heard a report that the palace was already awash in blood, yet there was no news at all as to whether Xiao Yin was dead or alive.

Earlier, his internal contacts set up in the palace could not be reached at all; outside, the Five City Military Command surrounded them, and whether they pleaded politely or flashed the Regent Prince's title, the other side refused to cooperate.

At this moment, the Crown Prince could not contact the Li and Lin families either; even if he could, they were scholar-official households, and in this chaotic moment it truly fit the saying: a scholar meeting soldiers can't make his reasoning clear.

"Your Highness, those people outside are immovable; they won't budge an inch!"

"I sent a carrier pigeon to General Zhao, but who would have thought that surnamed Zhao wouldn't reply at all? Back then, Your Highness especially favored him, and his rapid promotion wasn't due to your rewards?"

Those aides all voiced their grievances, but Xiao Ting's face grew dark.

Actually, when Gu Jiu Ling saved Zhao Lang's wife's life back then, he knew Zhao Lang would never be grateful in this lifetime.

Jinzhi is Zhao Lang's life!

Xiao Ting rubbed his brow and whispered, "What exactly is going on in the palace? Has that scoundrel Xiao Yin been brought to justice?"

Several aides hurried to console him: "Xiao Yin is merely hollow fame; after the battle at Qi Sha Gu seven years ago he became a wreck—what waves could he still raise?"

Moreover, he entered the palace alone; how could his death warriors compare to the palace's Feathered Forest Guard and Imperial Secret Guard? Hearing the shouts of slaughter shaking the palace, this time that villain Xiao Yin is likely already dead and beheaded.

Xiao Ting drew a breath: "We can't be blindly optimistic—have you made contact with Lord Li Hechen and Lord Lin Jingyuan?"

As soon as Xiao Ting asked that, the aides below all froze for a moment.

It's also strange that those Five City Military Command people said they were here to protect the Crown Prince, which is why they're surrounding the outside.

No matter how protective they claim to be, they can't cut off outside contact; saying it's protection feels more like house arrest.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

While the Crown Prince and others sat anxiously in the Zheng Ting, not knowing what to do, a long-drawn voice of a palace eunuch suddenly came from outside the Tai Zi Fu.

Xiao Ting recognized the voice as the eunuch's, and he instantly rejoiced, hastily rising from his chair.

Although it was deep night, the eunuch was a trusted aide of his father the emperor; he came to deliver the edict to indicate that the emperor was at ease.

That Xiao Yin must have been subdued by the father emperor; as for whether he's dead or alive, we'll ask the eunuch shortly.

As long as Xiao Yin dies, the world will be his.

That Bai Xiaosheng is merely a pawn in Xiao Yin's hand; without Xiao Yin as the board, Bai Xiaosheng is just a joke.

Xiao Ting straightened his sleeves and, with his aides, hurried out of the Zheng Ting of the Tai Zi Fu.

Just as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw the Five City Military Command guards escorting the eunuch inside, while all the surrounding torches lit up, illuminating the front courtyard as bright as day.

The eunuch looked somewhat pallid, but his demeanor was still normal; he maintained an aloof, unapproachable air.

But the eunuch, who usually wore a pleasant, smiling expression, now had an unusually cold and stern look; seeing this, Xiao Ting's heart gave a jolt and sank.

The eunuch lifted his drooping eyelids, coldly regarded Xiao Ting before him, and produced the imperial edict.

He unfolded the edict, raised his voice, and declared: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Someone has reported that the Tai Zi Fu secretly harbors witchcraft to curse the sovereign; the Emperor is furious, ordering a thorough investigation! Come! Search!"

The eunuch's few simple sentences sent a chill through Xiao Ting's body.

He couldn't help stepping forward, glaring fixedly at the eunuch and shouting loudly: "How could this possibly be the father emperor's edict? It's sheer nonsense! My Tai Zi Fu has always been upright; where would there be witchcraft? This is clearly a false accusation! I demand to enter the palace and see the sovereign!"

The eunuch handed the edict to the Crown Prince before him and coldly smiled: "You dare to rashly reject the Emperor's decree? Do you still have the Emperor in your eyes?"

"Could it be that Your Highness can't wait any longer? With great responsibility at stake, we must still search the Tai Zi Fu to see whether it truly hides witchcraft."

Xiao Ting snatched the edict from the eunuch's hand, lowered his head to look, and indeed the seal was his father's imperial jade seal.

His heart fluttered with anxiety; if the father emperor were to kill Xiao Yin and Bai Xiaosheng, he would be the only son capable of presenting himself.

The father emperor could not possibly be framing him; there must be some misunderstanding during this period.

Before he could defend himself, the eunuch waved his hand, and the people behind him suddenly rushed toward Xiao Ting's Tai Zi Fu.

Xiao Ting instantly shouted angrily: "What audacity! Eunuch, what do you mean? Get out, all of you! You…"