Chapter 278: Grand Finale: Part One

Grand Finale: Part One

Nowadays, Yin Fengzhan rarely went out after returning to the palace at night. So seeing him return and leave again, although Nie Jinxuan didn't ask much, she couldn't help but look at Yin Fengzhan's departing back and frown slightly.

Seeing this, Shui Yun on the side also walked up, looked up, and said slowly,

"Princess, it's this late, why did the Emperor go out again?"

Shui Yun was also somewhat puzzled. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan took one last look, then withdrew her gaze,

"Who knows, there must be something!"

Nie Jinxuan knew clearly that Yin Fengzhan didn't tell her, probably because he didn't want her to know. And now Nie Jinxuan had also thought it through. Except for some principled issues, there was no need to be serious about other things. Yin Fengzhan was her good man, and he gave her reliance, so why should she be stingy and ask?! Anyway, in the end, he would still tell her, although by then everything would only be left with the result!

This was an inexplicable reliance, and also something Nie Jinxuan had never thought of before. But truly encountering it, the feeling was actually not bad!

Nie Jinxuan didn't care much, and Shui Yun naturally couldn't ask much. She reached out to take a cup of clear tea to pour for Nie Jinxuan, and at the same time, a rare smile appeared on her face,

"By the way, Princess, speaking of which, the Emperor must have told you about today's events! You don't know, that scene at the time... it was truly refreshing!"

Shui Yun was naturally indifferent and rarely gossiped, but today's events still made her unable to help but talk about it. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan looked up at her,

"What's wrong? Is there something?"

Although Yin Fengzhan had told her about the state banquet just now, he only said that Xiao Lanshu had been executed by lingchi, and didn't say anything else. So at this moment, seeing Shui Yun say this, she must know some details, so she couldn't help but ask.

And upon hearing Nie Jinxuan's inquiry, Shui Yun knew that her master hadn't told Nie Jinxuan much detail, so she pursed her lips and smiled, and said in a low voice,

"Princess, we had already returned, so we didn't know what happened before. But later, this servant heard Brother Feng say that the scene at that time was truly terrifying..."

Subsequently, Shui Yun told everything she had heard from Lian Feng one by one.

Shui Yun was not a good storyteller, but even if it wasn't vivid, it still made Nie Jinxuan feel the tension and shock at the time, especially when she heard that Xiao Lanshu was executed by lingchi on the spot, and the heart-rending screams made everyone pale. Even Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but purse her lips, and then sighed,

"They say that pitiful people must have hateful aspects! If she hadn't been so cruel back then, how would she suffer such torture now?!"

Regarding Xiao Lanshu being cut into a thousand pieces, although Nie Jinxuan felt it was a bit bloody, she didn't feel it was excessive at all! One must know that the pain of Sun and Bai Meilan back then was no less than hers. Now that she was paying with her life, she deserved to die!

Nie Jinxuan was not a vicious person, but she was absolutely not a compassionate saint. So in her heart, an eye for an eye is a principle of heaven and earth!

"That's right, Princess! She deserved it! Relying on being a princess, she acted recklessly. Now that she has this end, it's not a grievance at all! You must know, if she could kill so wantonly in our Dongling, then one can imagine how many wronged souls died in her hands in Xidi!"

Shui Yun said loudly, then pursed her lips,

"But leaving that woman aside, the Master is top-notch to you, Princess! Before, Brother Feng also said that at the time, hearing the Xidi State Preceptor say something about voluntarily returning the two cities of Rong and Jin, Brother Feng thought, would the Master really let her go! You must know that many court officials were eager to move at the time. After all, this bloodless matter is always better than a big fight! But in the end, the Master didn't even think about it and refused directly!"

The more Shui Yun spoke, the happier she became. On her originally indifferent face, a rare charming radiance appeared. But having said this, Shui Yun was stunned for a moment, and then changed the subject,

"But speaking of which, speaking of which, there is one thing, this servant feels is somewhat strange! The Xidi State Preceptor said he wanted to give the Master a big gift, but later the Master didn't pay attention to him at all, and just brought a person up..."

Shui Yun was not an ordinary woman, so she heard the suspense in it at once. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan also nodded,

"Hmm, that makes sense! It's just that I don't know who that person is! Right, didn't you ask Lian Feng?"

"I asked, but Brother Feng won't say! He said the Master ordered it, not to say!"

"Even you can't?"

"Can't!"

Having said this, Shui Yun couldn't help but purse her lips,

"Princess, you don't know Brother Feng, his mouth is very tight. If he says something can't be said, then he definitely won't tell anyone!"

Shui Yun and Lian Feng and the others had all been trained as dead soldiers since they were young. Eating and living together, although their friendship was deep, they knew the rules of being a dead soldier! So whenever there was something, if the Master ordered it not to be said, then even if they were dead soldiers, they wouldn't say another word!

And at this moment, although Shui Yun complained about Lian Feng like this, similarly, if Shui Yun had been at the state banquet today, Shui Yun would not have said anything more either!

Therefore, hearing Shui Yun say this, Nie Jinxuan just smiled slightly, then put the teacup in her hand aside, and took the book she had read halfway,

"Who it is, so what? We will know eventually!"

"The Princess is right!"

The Yongle Palace was quiet and peaceful.

And Yin Fengzhan, who had left the Yongle Palace, did not go to the Imperial Study, but went directly to the Heavenly Prison.

At this time, the sky was already dark, so Yin Fengzhan only took Lian Feng and Yun Hui and went directly to the Heavenly Prison. Then, upon arriving at the entrance of the Heavenly Prison, he saw Huo Rong waiting at the entrance.

And at this moment, seeing Yin Fengzhan arrive, Huo Rong immediately stepped forward to salute, but then only saw Yin Fengzhan wave his hand,

"Where is the person?"

"Inside!"

"Guard outside, Lian Feng, follow me in!"

Having said this, Yin Fengzhan walked into the Heavenly Prison first, and not long after, came to the cell at the very end!

Clearly, this was a carefully arranged cell. The cell was not large, but it was in the corner at the very end, and even several surrounding cells had been cleared out in advance!

The torches flickered, dispelling the darkness, but they could not dispel the unique smell of decay and mold in the Heavenly Prison. Even with the firelight, it already made people feel unspeakably gloomy.

And at this moment, Yin Fengzhan didn't feel it at all. Dressed in brocade, he stood outside the cell, then looked up at the person in the cell... Only then did he discover that the person was actually the man Yin Fengzhan had ordered Lian Feng to bring up at the state banquet today!

Of course, at this very moment, the man still had his hands tied behind his back, and a bag covered his head, making it impossible to see his face!

Seeing this, Yin Fengzhan pursed his thin lips slightly, then shifted his gaze and glanced at Lian Feng beside him. Lian Feng immediately understood, and then said to the guard beside him,

"Open it!"

"Yes!"

The guard responded, took out the key to open the cell door. At this time, Lian Feng on the side moved the chair prepared in advance, and Yin Fengzhan sat down by lifting his robe.

Yin Fengzhan didn't say much. And at this moment, when Yin Fengzhan sat down, Lian Feng directly called two guards and said in a low voice,

"Take the bag off his head!"

"Yes!"

One of the guards responded, then the two of them pulled the tied man up, and the other reached out and took the bag covering his head directly... And at this moment, looking at the dim firelight, it turned out that the man was actually Nie Wenhao, who was on the run!

It turned out that the reason Yin Fengzhan had gone to such lengths to hold the state banquet was to lure Nie Wenhao out! Because Nie Wenhao was meticulous and often did things himself! And now that he was in this situation, and even secretly instigated Xidi to station troops on the border, there must be a plot!

This was Nie Wenhao's last chance to turn the tables, so he naturally wouldn't miss it. And at this time, Dongling holding a state banquet would clearly make him suspicious. Therefore, Yin Fengzhan had calculated that Nie Wenhao would definitely follow the Xidi envoys to Dongling quietly. So as soon as Ba*Hejie and the others arrived in Dongling territory, Yin Fengzhan had already sent people to watch them!

It's just that Nie Wenhao was always careful, and with Ba*Hejie there, Yin Fengzhan had not alerted the enemy. Then he waited until Ba*Hejie attended the state banquet, and immediately had people capture Nie Wenhao!

Of course, capturing Nie Wenhao was not an easy task. One must know that Nie Wenhao's coming to Dongling this time was a risky move, so he naturally guarded strictly. It's just that the current Yin Fengzhan was no longer as isolated and helpless as he was at Tailian Mountain back then. So even though the guards Nie Wenhao had raised over the years had decent strength, they were definitely no match for Lian Feng and the others. After a bloody battle, they successfully captured Nie Wenhao!

And at this moment, Nie Wenhao's hair was scattered, his clothes were messy, but even so, a pair of wrinkled eyes still revealed a sharp light that could not be underestimated! So seeing him like this, Yin Fengzhan, sitting in his seat, couldn't help but move his brows, and then said in a deep voice first,

"We meet again!"

Yin Fengzhan would not say some roundabout polite words. A simple sentence instantly attracted Nie Wenhao's attention. And looking at Yin Fengzhan, who was more steady and cold than before, Nie Wenhao sneered coldly,

"Prince Chen... no, it should be His Majesty, the Emperor of Dongling. Your Majesty truly has a good plan, this old man admits defeat, I admire you, I admire you!"

Gritting his teeth, Nie Wenhao said every word. The hatred and sarcasm in his words were so obvious. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan didn't say anything, but then his eyes narrowed,

"I also have to admire you, for putting on such a good show!"

"Hmph! Yes, it was a good show, it's a pity she is still alive!"

Nie Wenhao said loudly. As the voice fell, he turned to look at Yin Fengzhan. Instantly, sure enough, a monstrous anger flashed across Yin Fengzhan's face!

Clearly, the 'she' Nie Wenhao referred to was Nie Jinxuan. And all of this was a trap set by Nie Wenhao!

Because, in Nie Wenhao's plan, if Dongling and Xidi did not provoke a war, then he would have no way to attack Dongling. So for Nie Wenhao, it was impossible for him to watch the two countries form a marriage alliance! However, he couldn't persuade Xiao Lanshu, so he could only start from Yin Fengzhan or Nie Jinxuan!

And Nie Wenhao was powerful because he could see through people's hearts! Therefore, he knew very clearly that he had secretly sent people into the palace to poison Nie Jinxuan today. Actually, it didn't matter if Nie Jinxuan died or not, but it was about reminding Yin Fengzhan that this woman Xiao Lanshu was a vicious woman and would be detrimental to Nie Jinxuan!

Because Nie Wenhao knew very well Yin Fengzhan's feelings for Nie Jinxuan. So once Yin Fengzhan knew about this, then no matter if Nie Jinxuan had an accident or not, and no matter if this matter was really done by Xiao Lanshu, only one thing was enough, and that was that Xiao Lanshu was a threat to Nie Jinxuan! And with just this one point, Xiao Lanshu would definitely die!

Therefore, today at the state banquet, no matter how much Ba*Hejie talked, he still couldn't save Xiao Lanshu's life, because Yin Fengzhan had already made up his mind to completely wipe out Xiao Lanshu!

And in this way, let alone a marriage alliance between Dongling and Xidi, even a big fight would not be strange, and only then could Nie Wenhao find an opportunity!

It's just that Nie Wenhao calculated everything but didn't expect that he had only calculated his own abacus well, but didn't know that the moment he stepped into Dongling, he had already become a turtle in Yin Fengzhan's jar!

Moreover, speaking of this matter, even if Yin Fengzhan hadn't taken the opportunity to capture him, Nie Wenhao still wouldn't have been able to escape! One must know that the Xidi State Preceptor Ba*Hejie was not a pushover either. Back then, Nie Wenhao took advantage of Ba*Hejie's illness and closed-door rest to instigate the Xidi sovereign Xiao Zhe to station troops on the border and provoke Dongling's anger. This matter already made Ba*Hejie extremely dissatisfied with him, and Ba*Hejie also knew Nie Wenhao's background, so how could he let him have a good time?!

Therefore, at the beginning of coming to Dongling, Ba*Hejie had privately discussed with the Xidi sovereign Xiao Zhe that if necessary, he could take the opportunity to send Dongling a favor, which was to tie Nie Wenhao up and send him to Yin Fengzhan, in exchange for some benefits.

After all, for the new Xidi sovereign Xiao Zhe, although Nie Wenhao's help in his ascension was indispensable, he was not a Xidi person after all, and Nie Wenhao himself was a defector. But Ba*Hejie was different. Ba*Hejie's hard work for Xidi for so many years was not fake. So comparing the two, no matter how much of a savage Xiao Zhe was, he knew how to choose!

Therefore, today at the state banquet, Ba*Hejie said he wanted to send Yin Fengzhan a big gift. Unfortunately, Ba*Hejie was ultimately one step late, and everything had already been held in Yin Fengzhan's hands!

Thinking about it, Nie Wenhao originally thought he was the mantis that caught the cicada, but didn't know that he was just a mantis that only saw the cicada!

Author's note: This article is officially entering the countdown to the finale! ===== CHAPTER 279 =====