Chapter 1247

Several palace Guards hearing this fellow's words simultaneously exclaimed, "Prince Yan, no way!" In their eyes they all considered Hu Dafu an extremely dangerous person; if he were allowed to be alone with Prince Yan, who knows what might happen.

Yan Dongsheng was wary of Hu Xiaotian, yet he did not want to show his timidity before everyone, and fell silent for a moment.

Hu Xiaotian raised both hands and said, "I have no weapons on me!" He then placed his hands behind his back and said, "If you worry I might harm Prince Yan, just tie me to the embracing pillar; Prince Yan's surroundings are full of attendants, and before I came, the Empress Dowager had instructed me a few words, telling me to speak privately with Prince Yan when necessary."

Yan Dongsheng said nothing, but secretly gave a glance to the Guard commander; immediately a Guard walked over, clasped his fists toward Hu Xiaotian and said, "Sorry!" and indeed bound Hu Xiaotian to the coiling dragon embracing pillar.

Hu Xiaotian also acted quite cooperatively, not struggling at all; these Guards obviously feared he might harm Prince Yan, not only binding him tightly with rope, but also locking his hands and feet with fine iron shackles.

Hu Xiaotian secretly laughed, thinking, if he truly wanted to kill Prince Yan, did he think these shackles and ropes could hold him?

Although it was Prince Yan who instructed them to do this, he still put on a show, saying, "No need, no need! How can you be rude to the envoy?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Prince Yan, there's no need to stop them; I myself asked them to do this."

After the palace Guards had bound Hu Xiaotian, Yan Dongsheng then waved his hand, signaling them all to withdraw; the spacious Muen Palace then held only Hu Xiaotian and Yan Dongsheng.

Yan Dongsheng, thinking the danger was gone, slowly stepped down from the throne and walked to a spot about a zhang away from Hu Xiaotian, smiling and said, "Empress Dowager, what news did you send via the envoy?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Empress Dowager said, 'An honest official finds it hard to settle family matters; the affairs of the Xue family naturally belong to the Xue family, and we will not trouble outsiders. If the Empress Dowager learns that an outsider dares to meddle in the Xue family's affairs, she will kill that person, even wipe out an entire state!' Empress Dowager Jiang never said such words; it was Hu Xiaotian fabricating them. Yet there was no witness present, and he held the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens token personally bestowed by Empress Dowager Jiang. Hearing this, Prince Yan of Bohai could not help but tremble with fear."

He forced a smile: "Your Excellency, I don't quite understand these words."

"Prince Yan is a wise man; it's not your fault, I should have expressed myself more clearly. Empress Dowager Jiang still has one son and one daughter, but her grandchildren number over fifty. If her son and daughter were gone, she would have no direct descendants, yet even if a few of those grandchildren died, she might not even recall their names."

Yan Dongsheng listened, his heart pounding with alarm; although Hu Xiaotian was threatening him, his words seemed reasonable to Yan Dongsheng. Empress Dowager Jiang's biological children total only three. The Da Yong Emperor Xue Shengkang has already died, leaving only Xue Shengjing and Xue Lingjun. Moreover, this plot is exactly what the new Da Yong ruler Xue Daohong intends to eliminate them both; as mother, Empress Dowager Jiang could hardly stand by and watch her children be killed.

Hu Xiaotian fixed his gaze on him and said, "Perhaps I haven't been clear enough; if something happens to the Empress Dowager's children in your state, she will certainly not let it rest. Prince Yan, do not think that handing over the culprit will defuse the crisis; the Empress Dowager's character is far more decisive than the emperor's, and the senior officials in court all hold her in great respect. No matter what the emperor promises you, once the matter blows up, if she insists on pursuing it, the emperor will not defy her."

After hearing these words, Yan Dongsheng broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning fearful; he forced a smile and said, "Envoy, you have misunderstood; regarding the matter of the Princess Royal, I will certainly investigate thoroughly."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Those involved are confused, while onlookers see clearly; the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Excessive power easily leads to loss of direction; Prince Yan, perhaps you still do not know the relationship between Zou Yong and the Luoying Palace."

Yan Dongsheng swallowed saliva; he indeed did not know the relationship between Zou Yong and the Luoying Palace.

Through his recent encounter with Zou Yong at the Jingwater Villa and Tang Jiu Cheng's appearance at the critical moment, Hu Xiaotian had already made a bold inference; although he lacked concrete evidence, merely disturbing Yan Dongsheng's mind was enough.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Zou Yong is the illegitimate son of Tang Jiu Cheng, the master of Luoying Palace."

Yan Dongsheng obviously did not know this; he exclaimed in disbelief, "How could that be?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "It seems Prince Yan truly does not understand the conspiracy behind this; I can conclude that the Princess Royal's disappearance is related to Zou Yong. If anything happens to the Princess Royal, how will Prince Yan explain himself to Empress Dowager Jiang? How will he answer to Da Yong?"

Yan Dongsheng said, "But… but… Zou Yong…" He still harbored doubts.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Prince Yan, do not be deceived by others' lies; perhaps someone promised to help you suppress the rebels of Mangjiao Island, but who knows they might not keep that promise to you, and instead use this chance to overthrow your regime."

Yan Dongsheng sucked in a breath of cold air; his mind had completely fallen into chaos. Indeed! How had he not realized that if everything truly was Zou Yong's doing, then he would be a wolf‑hearted schemer, and in the end he would merely be used by others.

Seeing Yan Dongsheng's wavering expression, Hu Xiaotian knew his words had taken effect, and softly said, "The Empress Dowager also asked me to tell Prince Yan one thing."

"What…?" Yan Dongsheng's voice visibly trembled.

"Each sweeps the snow before his own door; why bother about the frost on others' tiles?"

Yan Dongsheng pressed his lips tightly; this time he did not need Hu Xiaotian to explain. After a moment of silence he said, "I… I… how do I know you are not deliberately stirring trouble? The one truly harmful to me might be you……"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, channeling his inner strength; only the sound of snapping was heard, and the shackles and ropes binding his hands and feet were all broken.

Yan Dongsheng gaped, his mouth wide open, even forgetting to call for help.

Hu Xiaotian made no aggressive move, smiling and said, "If I truly intended harm to Prince Yan, do you think your men could stop me?"

Yan Dongsheng stared at the shackles and ropes scattered on the ground; he felt as if suddenly emptied, and only after a long while did he regain his composure.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Zou Yong's martial skill is not inferior to mine, and Luoying Palace's master Tang Jiu Cheng's ability far surpasses mine; to speak bluntly, they could take Prince Yan's life at any moment."

Yan Dongsheng trembled, "You… you are simply trying to provoke……"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I have no interest in Bohai's internal affairs; what has Zou Yong done? We understand each other without words."

Yan Dongsheng felt his face heat up; Zou Yong's actions had indeed brought shame upon the royal house.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Majesty should know what he is aiming for now?" Actually he himself was not clear on what Zou Yong currently wanted; he said this merely to pump information from Yan Dongsheng's mouth.

Yan Dongsheng said, "I will not let him have his way; I have another candidate for the premiership!"

Hu Xiaotian inwardly sighed, Bohai truly is as chaotic as a pot of porridge; even a pretty boy like Zou Yong aspires to be premier, presumably trying to achieve his goal through the Queen Dowager and Princess Royal Yan Dongqing. Hu Xiaotian said, "We in the Central Plains have an old saying: when a woman falls for a man, she loses herself and may even turn against her own kin. Prince Yan, the one who invited our Princess Royal on an outing is your sister; I dare guess she also has a certain involvement in this matter."

Yan Dongsheng flatly rejected, "Impossible; she would not do that."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Being a princess is surely less prestigious than becoming a queen; Prince Yan, with your benevolent heart, who knows whether others will treat you with the same kindness? In fact, the few words the Empress Dowager had me convey you should ponder well; family affairs must be settled internally, for family disgrace should not be aired outside. Though Bohai remains the domain of the Yan clan, if you rely on external force, who knows you might not be inviting a wolf into the house? As the saying goes, inviting a deity is easy, sending it away is hard. Even if you achieve your wish, can you guarantee no one will covet your realm?"

Yan Dongsheng bit his lower lip tightly; although he clearly knew Hu Xiaotian was deliberately provoking him and shaking his confidence, he could not deny that every word Hu Xiaotian said made sense.

After finishing his speech, Hu Xiaotian clasped his fists toward Yan Dongsheng and said, "I have said all I needed to say; Prince Yan, please consider it yourself. Farewell!"

Yan Dongsheng watched Hu Xiaotian's retreating back and suddenly said, "Wait!"

Hu Xiaotian slowly turned back, smiling and said, "Prince Yan, what other orders do you have?"

Yan Dongsheng said, "You…… truly are the Empress Dowager's secret envoy?"

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile, "If Prince Yan does not believe me, go straight to Empress Dowager Jiang for verification!"

After Hu Xiaotian left, Yan Dongsheng's mind was in turmoil; no one likes to be used by others. Although Hu Xiaotian did not mention the Ju Bao Zhai matter, Yan Dongsheng could also sense that this visit was not solely for the Princess Royal; it was likely also aimed at resolving the issue of Xue Shengjing.

"Each sweeps the snow before his own door; why bother about the frost on others' tiles." When Fulongshou informed Yan Dongsheng that Li Chen Zhou refused to appear, the Bohai ruler grasped the meaning more deeply and angrily said, "The Da Yong Golden Scale Guard is causing trouble, and Li Chen Zhou actually refuses to show up?"

Fulongshou sighed, "Your Majesty, this old servant dares to say something improper: Li Chen Zhou is a man of the Da Yong Emperor, while Hu Dafu holds the Da Yong Empress Dowager Jiang's Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens token; Li Chen Zhou obviously does not want to confront the Empress Dowager Jiang's people head‑on."

Yan Dongsheng angrily said, "He refuses to confront head‑on! Does that mean all troubles are to be dumped on my head?"

Fulongshou said, "The new Da Yong ruler has only recently taken the throne; from this we can see his position is still unsteady, and he wishes to use Your Majesty to eliminate the Yan Prince and the Princess Royal, who threaten him."

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