Chapter 1211

Ma Qingyun said: "Prince, this is no trivial matter; Yan Dongsheng has always been fully aware of the affairs of the Gather Treasure Studio, yet this time he launched action without any warning—he must have been plotting for a long time. I fear he will soon trace it to Yanxi Hall."

"Even if they find Yanxi Hall, so what? Who can prove it's related to this prince?"

Ma Qingyun said in a low voice: "This matter is directly aimed at the Prince; could it be the work of an external enemy?"

Xue Shengjing narrowed his small eyes, a crafty light flickering: "External threats are easy to eliminate, but internal traitors are hard to guard against!"

"Prince, are you saying there's a traitor inside the prince's mansion?"

Xue Shengjing said: "It's hard to say, but few people dare to make Yan Dongsheng turn against me." He had already narrowed his suspicions to one person—his own nephew, the current Da Yong emperor, Xue Daohong. "An innocent man who carries a jade is guilty of its crime." The throne of Da Yong has already changed hands; when his elder brother, Emperor Xue Shengjing, was on the throne, he treated him with extreme tolerance, knowing he had little interest in power and influence, so he let him collect rare treasures and manage his wealth. Moreover, Xue Shengjing had more than once declared to his elder brother that he was merely a custodian of wealth, ready to donate all his possessions whenever Dakang needed them. But now his nephew Xue Daohong has taken over; although Xue Shengjing had once supported Xue Daohong's ascent, everything this imperial uncle has done since Xue Daohong's accession could be called dutiful and responsible. Yet imperial family affairs are ever-changing; a person's thoughts can undergo a complete upheaval before and after taking the throne.

Ma Qingyun, who was always good at gauging Xue Shengjing's thoughts, had already sensed the subtlety from Xue Shengjing's tone; he asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, do you think this Bohai State affair might have been instigated by the court?" Although he didn't spell it out, his meaning was clear: the court naturally refers to the Da Yong court, and the only person inside the court who dares to target Xue Shengjing is the current emperor, Xue Daohong.

Xue Shengjing said: "This is rather tricky. He's probably lurking in the dark, waiting for me to make a move; once I act, he'll follow the clue to find me—not only will Yanxi Hall be affected, but I fear the fire will directly blaze toward my properties in Da Yong."

Ma Qingyun said: "Your Highness, are you just going to watch helplessly as your properties in Bohai State are destroyed by them?"

Xue Shengjing narrowed his small eyes and said: "For now, the best plan is to let an external force intervene."

Ma Qingyun exclaimed: "External intervention? Who is suitable to intervene? And who has the ability to resolve this crisis?"

Xue Shengjing said: "I actually already have a suitable candidate in mind."

Xia Zhangming finally returned from Kangdu. This time he also brought Yan Xuanning from Kangdu along; Hu Xiaotian was also extremely attentive to the precious son of the Island Lord of Python Flood Island. Although he had come up with the idea, the key executor of this matter was still Qiqi; even though he hadn't witnessed it himself, he could still imagine the immense pressure Qiqi was under.

Hu Xiaotian sat alone in the study. He wanted to write a letter to Qiqi, raising and lowering his pen several times; according to his original intention, he wanted to write a few words of longing to comfort that little girl who was far away in Kangdu, fighting alone—but once he actually picked up the pen, a thousand thoughts surged in his heart. He began to ponder: what exactly were his feelings toward Qiqi? If he were to write a love letter, how much of it would be sincere? After leaving Kangdu, he felt a sense of boundless freedom, like a bird soaring high in the sky. Yet Qiqi's situation in Kangdu had not improved at all; on the contrary, because of him, she suffered the old emperor's suspicion and neglect. The pressure she bore can be imagined.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, setting his pen back on the holder again; perhaps he was just needlessly worrying—his relationship with Qiqi had been one of mutual use from start to finish. The little girl, though young, was ambitious; her goal was to ascend the throne of Dakang, and she used him and Long Xuan'en to oppose each other. After leaving Kangdu, he had gradually slipped out of her control. Hu Xiaotian believed Qiqi's inner state was not pleasant; although they were nominally engaged, they felt no romantic affection between them, and their cooperation had to be based on mutual benefit. Lately, it seemed he had been taking advantage of Qiqi's favors; although she complied with all his requests, Hu Xiaotian thought this was not a good thing.

Wanting Qiqi to willingly devote herself to him, unless he could make her fall deeply in love with him, Hu Xiaotian had tried this before; at first he felt justified, but as time passed, he felt his indebtedness to her growing, and he began to feel uneasy. In his view, if Qiqi remained the cold-blooded, ruthless little princess she once was, that would be fine; but because she had sent him the Divine Troop Formation Diagram, his debt to her only increased, making him feel extremely resentful—having too much of a conscience is not necessarily good either.

As Hu Xiaotian was feeling vexed and distracted, he heard the door gently stir; with his hearing, he normally would have caught outside footsteps, but this time he didn't, because he was too lost in thought.

"Come in!"

Weisa walked in holding a bowl of freshly brewed ginseng soup, smiling: "Master, here's the ginseng soup I just simmered; please drink it quickly."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and cried: "I don't need to drink this; with my constitution I don't need any tonic—drinking more would just make nosebleeds appear."

Weisa said: "I've brewed it for a long time—try it!"

Hu Xiaotian, out of sympathy for her effort, could only pinch his nose and gulp two mouthfuls of the ginseng soup, then smacked his lips and said: "Strange, why does drinking it make my whole body feel hot?"

Weisa blinked: "No way! This snow ginseng doesn't cause internal heat—I asked Sister Yutong."

Hu Xiaotian handed it to her: "Don't believe me? Try it yourself."

Weisa, feeling a bit embarrassed, wrinkled her nose and still took a sip: "There's no strange taste at all!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "You couldn't have slipped a love potion in there, could you?"

Weisa spat: "Master, you're talking nonsense again."

Hu Xiaotian gazed at this charming, lovely maid, his index finger twitching with desire, and said with a smirk: "You wear this outfit all day going in and out of the kitchen—it's not very convenient; I've made you a set of clothes, take a look." This fellow pulled out a blank sheet from the side, quickly sketched with charcoal a sexy maid in a maid outfit in full manga style. Though the eyebrows and eyes really did resemble Weisa a bit.

Weisa's eyes flashed, full of admiration: "Master, you drew this really well."

Hu Xiaotian said, not without pride: "So-so; mainly I picked a beautiful model."

Weisa blushed: "Master, are you sure this outfit can be worn outside?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why bother wearing it out? Just put it on at home for me to admire." This fellow also felt he was being a bit wicked. His gaze roamed up and down Weisa's body—she was an exotic beauty, her figure developed to be explosively sexy; not wearing a bikini with such a body would be a waste. He vowed to design a bikini for Weisa someday, so she could wear it to accompany him to the beach for swimming and sunbathing—just thinking about it makes him feel bubbly with delight.

Weisa fully understood his intentions from his gaze; her pretty face flushed deeper, her long black lashes drooped, her hands clasped together, and she said nervously: "Master, what are you looking at?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I wasn't looking at anything; I just felt you've seemed to change lately."

"Where has it changed?"

Hu Xiaotian stretched out both hands and made a gesture in front of his chest.

Weisa covered her pretty face and spat: "Master, you're bad; I'll ignore you from now on."

Hu Xiaotian's lust flared; he reached out and grabbed Weisa's wrist, gave a gentle pull, and she let out a soft "Eh!" as she moaned, her delicate body leaning into his embrace, lightly biting her cherry lips, her beautiful eyes tightly shut, too shy to look at him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "This ginseng soup really packs a punch; it truly makes one hot..." He hadn't finished speaking when he heard footsteps outside—Liang Da Zhuang! No need to ask; it was definitely him, this brat always picks such moments to show up. Sure enough, outside came Liang Da Zhuang's announcement: "Young Master, may I come in?"

Hu Xiaotian cursed Liang Da Zhuang's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in his heart, then lightly patted Weisa's jade buttocks to signal her to open the door; Weisa rose and walked over to open it.

Seeing Weisa come out with a flushed pretty face, Liang Da Zhuang already understood; he pretended not to have seen her, sidestepping to brush past her. Weisa's mood was like a thief caught red‑handed, and she dared not even glance at Liang Da Zhuang.

Liang Da Zhuang entered, bowed respectfully to Hu Xiaotian: "Da Zhuang ought not to have rudely disturbed the Young Master."

Hu Xiaotian, also helpless with him, said: "Speak up if you have something to say, let it out if you have gas—don't waste my time beating around the bush."

Liang Da Zhuang chuckled: "If it weren't for something important, I wouldn't dare disturb the Young Master—Prince Yan of Da Yong has sent someone over, saying there's an urgent matter to see the Young Master."

Hu Xiaotian felt no affection for this sworn brother; Xue Shengjing is purely profit‑driven, always the type who only takes advantages and never suffers losses. Him sending people to find him—nine times out of ten it's nothing good.

Liang Da Zhuang leaned in, mysterious, and asked: "To see or not to see?"

Hu Xiaotian snapped: "Nonsense, of course we'll see him."

Ma Qingyun and Hu Xiaotian were no strangers to each other, though their past interactions had never been deep; Ma Qingyun's identity had always been Xue Shengjing's mentor, and Hu Xiaotian's impression of him was merely as Xue Shengjing's right‑hand man.

Ma Qingyun had been waiting in the pavilion; seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, he hurriedly rose and said: "Ma Qingyun of the Prince Yan's mansion pays his respects, Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Master Ma, what wind blew you here? Where's my elder brother? Why didn't he come?"

Ma Qingyun said: "The Prince is busy with state affairs in Yongdu and can't free himself right now."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "When did my elder brother change his ways? He's never been interested in state affairs before."

Ma Qingyun said: "The Prince would like to stay out of it, but the emperor has just ascended the throne, his foundation is not yet secure, and as an imperial uncle, the Prince simply cannot stand idly by." (To be continued~^~)