Chapter 645

"I feel something's wrong." Seeing Pei Ye didn't touch the newly served soup, gazing at the brightly lit banquet hall. Li Xizhou didn't answer him.

For a while, Qiongju Garden fell silent; the newly served cold toad soup drew most chopsticks, Li Li Youlong kept her head low, unseen, and Li Can also didn't pick up his chopsticks.

After Li Huang finished speaking, no one responded—it seemed the topic had ended; those who should speak had spoken, those who shouldn't had spoken too, and no one else should intervene.

So Seeing Pei Ye wondered: where was Yu Yu Sicheng?

After Li Xizhou spoke, this marriage still broke past the Empress's control, yet she showed no sign of yielding—"Dragon Blood" was laid bare; the so-called consultation among the Five Surnames was merely to return the struggle to the court, to the military, to every inch of Tang soil—the Five Surnames had no intention of letting the Prince of Yan obtain true blood.

The Emperor revealed no stance on this matter—or perhaps his silence itself was a stance; he had arranged the Yong-Li marriage, confirming it must be fulfilled. Yet the Empress's position remained in the hands of the Five Surnames, and in selecting candidates, others could hardly interfere.

If the Emperor showed even slight bias, this matter would be far simpler—but whether he had any thoughts or not, he showed not the slightest sign.

Neither Li Li Yujin, Li Chen, nor Li Xizhou, nor the Prince of Yan's stance had shaken the Empress's resolve—this did surprise Seeing Pei Ye—but could it have also surprised Yong Ji and Yu Yu Sicheng?

Seeing Pei Ye didn't know the relationship between Yu Yu Sicheng and Yong Ji, but their collusion must have been deep; such a mirage affair couldn't be orchestrated without full disclosure of every detail. Could this marriage truly be only Yong Ji's own affair?

Whether in imagination or direct contact, Seeing Pei Ye always placed the words "Prince of Yan's Mansion" at a very high position.

He trusted his enemies.

If Yong Ji sought to marry true blood, he could never allow the Empress's stance to exceed expectations.

And if they already knew none of the three heirs' positions could force the Empress to yield, then they must have had a next move.

Yu Yu Sicheng had been the chief eunuch in the palace for twenty years; in many places, his control over the Great Ming Palace surpassed even the Empress's.

In this matter, what role did Yu Yu Sicheng play?

Seeing Pei Ye thought of that purple-gold great robe—he had only encountered it twice, spoken a handful of words—but that indifferent, ancient-fox-like face had left a deep impression; at night he often pondered: what kind of circumstance could make a man think, "You came to die? Then die."

—Unaware of death, don't get in the way.

"What's wrong?" Li Xizhou turned her head now.

"I'm thinking about Yu Yu Sicheng."

"... Oh." At the mention of that name, Li Xizhou understood his thought; she frowned slightly.

"You don't know either? I thought you had some tacit understanding with them," Seeing Pei Ye looked at her, "because you just... hmm."

"No," Li Xizhou whispered. "I was just being foolish."

"..." Seeing Pei Ye paused, staring at her—but the woman only turned her head toward the hall, silent.

The eighth dish had been served, but Li Li Yujin no longer looked; his chopsticks had long been set down.

His face was utterly still; after a long while, he turned to Yong Ji: "What's your plan? Didn't you have a backup?"

Yong Ji didn't answer; he poured himself a cup of wine.

Li Li Yujin turned to look behind him; Li Chen was leaning toward Li Canan's table, offering her a cup of wine. Li Li Yujin recalled their earlier back-and-forth remarks, and despite his heavy heart, he couldn't help a faint smile.

Chen Di never asks for much; he always sees things clearly, carefully guarding the boundaries he sets... it's good he grew up this way, Li Li Yujin thought.

"Li Yujin brother," Yong Ji said.

Li Li Yujin turned his face; Yong Ji drank the wine, his voice level: "All fine things are fragile."

He didn't look at Li Li Yujin; Li Li Yujin followed his gaze—it was Li Zhi's table. The Fourth Prince had broken a pear branch and inserted it into the jade vase before him, his expression calm as he gazed at the entrance of Qiongju Garden.

At this moment, Li Chen moved to Li Canan's side and quietly offered her the clear wine: "Nan-Xue Jie, I apologize—I'm sorry, please don't be angry."

Li Canan kept her head down, silent. Li Chen gripped the cup nervously, whispering: "Really, Nan-Xue Jie, I didn't mean to humiliate you... whoever marries into this match doesn't matter, but you truly aren't suited for the northern frontier... if you must marry into the Prince of Yan's Mansion, I'll do my best to keep you in Shenjing..."

He clearly had no experience apologizing, didn't know how to speak: "A-after we leave the palace, can I take you to see a play?"

"... Fine, I'm not mad at you."

"..." Li Chen froze, then laughed. "Th-then that's good..."

But the girl wasn't unharmed; she kept her head down, her gaze scattered, her body slumped.

Li Canan glanced at him, her eyes reddened; she wiped them with her sleeve, voice hoarse: "I know—you mean well. You'd never hurt me."

"Of course I—"

"I just think," Li Canan stared blankly, "that all of you look down on me."

"..."

Li Chen stiffened. Up front, Li Huang raised her cup, smiling warmly: "This has at least established a framework. Otherwise, keeping such a great matter bottled up without discussing it with you all would have left me uneasy. The finer details can be discussed later."

Many in the hall raised their cups in agreement; the moon had reached its brightest, eclipsing even the pearls' glow, bathing the garden in beautiful silver light.

"If the Prince of Yan's Mansion could overpower the Five Surnames, we wouldn't need to move this matter into the palace," Seeing Pei Ye set down his cup, murmuring. "Since it's been moved here... why hasn't Yu Yu Sicheng come?"

At that moment, he froze slightly—he met Li Zhi's gaze.

Those eyes, clear as fire, calm as still water, looked at Seeing Pei Ye once, then returned to the entrance.

Seeing Pei Ye followed his gaze and saw Meng'er walk in.

Her hair was matted like a beggar's, her clothes half-drenched and caked with mud. She walked stiffly, stumbling—as if long exhausted, moving only by willpower... as he realized this, Seeing Pei Ye fixed his gaze on her face; even with tangled hair covering it, the withered, hollow expression made his heart clench.

This spring night banquet, with its pearls, flowers, and soft fragrance—how could such a crippled, mad creature, as if rolled in winter mud, appear here?

The entire hall fell nearly silent. Then Seeing Pei Ye saw the servant girl's face—once lifeless—suddenly twist into an indescribable, sorrowful pain, from which burst a terrifying resolve and sharpness... his instincts snapped taut; Meng'er lifted her hand slightly toward the diagonal front.

The moonlight remained gentle, the hall still. Li Huang cast her gaze down, softly asking: "Which palace do you belong to?"

Li Xizhou saw nothing, but her acute perception told her something had happened; she instantly turned to Seeing Pei Ye—the boy's hand had already gripped his sword hilt.

He stared straight ahead: Li Chen was still bending low, speaking; Li Canan raised her hand, staring blankly at her neck.

Li Huang recognized her now, softly: "Ah, you're Meng'er—Li Youlong—"

Li Canan suddenly spasmed upright, knocking over her table; she vomited a large pool of emerald blood.

Dead silence.

The first to react was Li Xizhou; she whirled and shouted at the frozen maidservants: "Go to Zhu Zhu Jingdian and fetch Qu Xin!"

But it was hard to say if it would come in time; Li Canan stared helplessly at the eerie emerald pool beneath the moonlight, like a blot of oil on white silk.

Emerald threads spread simultaneously upward and downward along her neck, tracing every tiny vein, soon forming a grotesque web.

Li Chen's mouth hung open, his voice choked in his throat; his hands had begun trembling long ago, and only now did he snap awake, embracing the swaying, collapsing girl.

Qi couldn't be transmitted; he helplessly gripped Li Canan's neck, but the emerald web still stretched relentlessly from beneath his fingers.

"No... no..." Li Chen squeezed out muffled words, suddenly feeling he'd lost the ability to breathe.

In his arms, Li Canan stared blankly at him, the red marks still on her eyes: "Jiu-di... what's happening to me?"

A shadow like black jade flashed over; a Gui blue flame line seeped into her skin, then turned crimson; vermilion and emerald entwined beneath her flesh—but unlike Seeing Pei Ye's experience underwater, this emerald, though diminished by the flame, still crept slowly, steadily toward her head and heart.

At the banquet hall's entrance, the swaying Meng'er collapsed with a thud, head bowed like a corpse. On the other side, Li Li Youlong had risen, pale-faced, trying to rush forward, but Yong Ji gripped her wrist tightly.

That "thud" seemed to awaken most others; Li Chen suddenly raised wild, beast-like eyes, locking onto the collapsed servant, drawing his sword and lunging: "Give me the antidote! Or I'll kill you!"

But the next moment he seemed to realize—he turned, glaring coldly at Yong Ji and Li Li Youlong's table, voice like a roar or a tremor: "You... how dare you..."

"Give me the antidote!!" Gold fire burned in his pupils; Li Chen's sword shrieked through the entire hall, its piercing edge aimed straight at Li Li Youlong: "I'll kill her too!!!"

Yong Ji didn't move; he maintained polite composure, gazing levelly at him: "Prince Nine, calm yourself. We knew nothing."

Li Li Youlong stood rigid as a statue, as if about to be shattered by that sword; Yong Ji sat respectfully, never intending to fight a Dragon Son... with a sharp clang, the sword's light exploded in sparks and halted before Li Li Youlong.

Li Li Yujin had crossed his sword between them.

His expression and posture were like a statue—iron. He stared silently at Li Chen's bloodshot eyes, as if to speak, but finally said nothing, frozen into a cold, hard expression.

"... You disgusting beasts!" Li Chen, tears streaking his face, gritted his teeth: "I said—GET OUT!!"

He roared and charged; Li Li Yujin blocked with his sword, then kicked him back three zhang.

Tables overturned, jade vases and silver plates shattered; soup and food mixed into ugly filth. Li Chen lay helplessly amid broken porcelain; the banquet hall fell silent again. Moonlight fell evenly, yet here it seemed to split into separate worlds.

Li Li Yujin showed no expression; Li Li Youlong and Yong Ji lay within his shadow; Li Huang's entire face turned icy pale, her eunuchs and maids standing silent behind her; Li Li Bijun bit her lip, refusing to cry, while Empress Yuan quietly drew her into her arms.

Li Chen and Li Canan lay amid the wreckage; the girl stared blankly at it all, tears falling without knowing why—then she realized something, lowered her gaze, and grieved for her expensive dress, as emerald crept up from the edge of her vision.

Li Zhi watched it all calmly, like the moon's reflection descending to earth.

Seeing Pei Ye received the black cat's report and fell silent; he pressed his lips, glancing at the red dress beside him—the woman had grown still after that shout, now turned to him, gently resting her head on his shoulder.

"Do you know, Seeing Pei Ye," she closed her eyes wearily, "I avoid everyone precisely because I don't want to see this."

Seeing Pei Ye trembled slightly.

"It's fine," Seeing Pei Ye moved his dry lips, soothing: "Qu Xin's coming soon. I'm sorting through the clues... Meng'er is..."

"That's jiao blood," Li Xizhou said.

"... What?"

"The carrier of that poison, and the blood in Meng'er's body—they're both jiao blood," Li Xizhou's voice dropped low, weary against his shoulder. "Jiao are the apex of scaled beings; Chi fire probably can't expel it—or rather, before it burns out the poison, Li Canan will die first. Even Qu Xin can't help."

"Why is there jiao blood? I—"

He froze in place.

His mind had felt struck the moment he saw Meng'er—but only now, hearing "jiao blood" from her lips, did it suddenly open wide.

Yu Yu Sicheng.

Of course—Yu Yu Sicheng. His own jiao gold bones.

Seeing Pei Ye suddenly saw, in the kneeling Meng'er, the shadow of events from hours ago—she hadn't fabricated it, hadn't dreamed; she truly sensed the "secret passage," because she already carried Yu Yu Sicheng's implanted scaled blood.

Right after her leg was broken.

That jiao blood could be used four years later to murder a Dragon Daughter unexpectedly—but the real key was that Meng'er could carry the jiao blood and gain the Luoshen Palace's recognition.

And that qualification could then be usurped by Yu Yu Sicheng.

Seeing Pei Ye slowly understood—unprepared for Yu Yu Sicheng's decisiveness and speed; the enemy's scheme lay right before his eyes, yet far beyond his thoughts.

"Yes, Seeing Pei Ye," Li Xizhou said quietly, taking a deep breath. "Yu Yu Sicheng has entered the Luoshen Palace. It's not your fault."

"... This is serious, isn't it?"

"Yes. Very serious," Li Xizhou didn't hide it, whispering. "But it's fine—we can start over, find another way."

Yet even as she spoke, her eyes remained closed, her voice still heavy with exhaustion.