Chapter 1326

Long Xuan'en listened to Mu Rongzhan's report and flew into a rage: "Mu Rongzhan, you are in charge of security in Huangcheng, yet you let assassins slip in—how can you justify my trust?"

Mu Rongzhan knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duties, but lately the palace guards have been rotated frequently, and some things are beyond my control..."

"Silence!" Long Xuan'en bellowed, glaring at Mu Rongzhan: "Are you blaming me?"

"I dare not!"

Long Xuan'en trembled with anger: "Do you all think I'm senile, huh?"

"I have never thought that."

Long Xuan'en said: "Go investigate this immediately, find out clearly how many assassins are lurking in my palace, who plotted this attempt to kill Qiqi. I give you one day; if you haven't got results by then, bring your own head to see me."

Mu Rongzhan thanked him and left, arriving at the palace gate where he happened to meet Hong Beimo.

Mu Rongzhan nodded at Hong Beimo, who smiled faintly and said: "Has the Emperor rested?"

Mu Rongzhan shook his head: "The Emperor is in a bad mood, Mr. Hong, be careful."

Hong Beimo sighed: "Anyone would be upset." After they parted, Hong Beimo entered the palace to see the Emperor.

Seeing Hong Beimo, Long Xuan'en gave him no pleasant look, coldly staring: "Hong Beimo, why are you here instead of at the Reservoir of Excellence Palace?"

Hong Beimo said: "Your Majesty, I couldn't help much there, so I came to see you and keep you company."

Long Xuan'en gave him no pleasant look at all: "I don't need anyone to keep me company!"

Hong Beimo respectfully said: "You must still be worried about the Princess, Your Majesty? Actually, you can rest easy—with Mister Meng of Xuantian Guan attending her, she will surely be safe."

Long Xuan'en said: "Just now Mu Rongzhan said the assassin had been caught?"

Hong Beimo nodded: "Indeed we have caught one person, though whether they are the culprit remains to be interrogated."

Long Xuan'en gave a hollow cold laugh: "Interrogation? Are you saying someone behind her is pulling the strings?"

Hong Beimo said: "Your Majesty, the person is in Quan De'an's hands; as for the details, I, your servant, do not know."

Long Xuan'en coughed, slowly rose from the Dragon Throne, straightened his spine, and an aura long absent of sovereign dominance over all under heaven appeared on him; his eyes looked down on Hong Beimo, and the gloomy gaze gave Hong Beimo a sense of invisible pressure. Even though the old emperor before him was nearing his end, his tiger-like vigor remained, warranting caution against his desperate counterstrike.

Hong Beimo bowed, lowering his head, his eyes fixed on Long Xuan'en's feet—a sign of respect, and also of avoidance.

Long Xuan'en said: "Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi were almost simultaneously attacked; it probably isn't a coincidence, right?"

Hong Beimo's tone was neither humble nor arrogant: "I also think it shouldn't be a coincidence."

Long Xuan'en said: "According to you, who is suspicious?"

Hong Beimo said: "On the surface, my suspicion is the greatest!"

Long Xuan'en did not expect him to be so frank, and said in a low voice: "How so?"

"Today I invited the Princess and Lord Hu to the Prince Consort's residence to inspect the completed work—a matter unknown to outsiders. Lord Hu was attacked on his way there, and the Princess was assaulted in the palace before she even set out; to anyone looking, I appear the most suspicious."

Long Xuan'en said: "Then how would you prove your innocence?"

Hong Beimo said: "Your Majesty, do you know who the assassin captured just now is?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Mu Rongzhan said she is a disciple of the Wuxian Sect's sect leader, Xi Yan."

Hong Beimo said: "Your Majesty, do you know she actually has another identity?"

Long Xuan'en furrowed his brows.

Hong Beimo said: "Her real name is Li Wuyou."

"Li Wuyou?" Long Xuan'en seemed to have some impression upon hearing that name.

Hong Beimo said: "As for that name, it was actually granted by the former Emperor."

Upon hearing him finish, Long Xuan'en's heart suddenly jolted awake: "You mean… she, she is actually the daughter of that traitor Li Tianheng?"

"The Emperor is wise!"

Long Xuan'en heavily sat back onto the Dragon Throne, clenched his fists, and Hong Beimo's words plunged him into deep thought. Li Tianheng's daughter being a disciple of the Wuxian Sect's leader, and her infiltrating the palace to assassinate Qiqi—what exactly is the background? Earlier, as he left the Reservoir of Excellence Palace, he had specifically summoned Hu Xiaotian for questioning, and Hu Xiaotian's accusations clearly pointed at Hong Beimo. Yet now Hong Beimo drops this shocking revelation—what is he trying to hint at?

Hong Beimo said: "Your Majesty, you should still remember that Hu Buwei and Li Tianheng were once allied by marriage, right?"

Long Xuan'en nodded: "I recall, Hu Buwei's son was betrothed to Li Tianheng's daughter; was the one Hu Xiaotian was engaged to at that time this Li Wuyou?"

Hong Beimo said: "Exactly!"

The matter is far more dramatic than Long Xuan'en imagined; although Hong Beimo hasn't spelled it out, he is gradually leading himself to a conclusion: that Hu Xiaotian and Li Wuyou conspired to harm Qiqi, Li Wuyou's motive to eliminate Qiqi could be explained as love turning to hatred to remove a rival, but what about Hu Xiaotian? Why would he strike at Qiqi? What would he gain? If everything truly is as Hong Beimo says, then Hu Xiaotian's assault on the way to the Prince Consort's residence was a self‑staged self‑inflicted wound, his aim merely to avoid suspicion, so others wouldn't link him to Qiqi's poisoning.

Long Xuan'en remained silent for a long time, saying nothing; what Hu Xiaotian said is unlikely to be the truth, and what Hong Beimo said may not be true either. The person who truly wants Qiqi dead is probably him; if Qiqi dies, Long Tingzhen's path to becoming heir will face no obstacle, and Hong Beimo's desire to prop him up can be fulfilled. A hard-to-describe sorrow wells up in Long Xuan'en's heart; he begins to realize that everyone around him has their own schemes, each pays lip service while opposing him in secret—could his fate be to be abandoned by all?

Hong Beimo proactively came to see Long Xuan'en and spoke of these matters; his intention was not only to target Hu Xiaotian and shift blame, but mainly to probe Long Xuan'en's reaction. From Long Xuan'en's various conduct, it is clear he has grown deeply suspicious of him, and their long‑standing cooperation is on the verge of collapse, which alarms Hong Beimo—not only Long Xuan'en, but tonight, as Mu Rongzhan and Meng Zixi acted against Xi Yan, he has been coldly observing. As an onlooker sees clearly, he can tell the two are determined to kill Xi Yan on the spot; if Hu Xiaotian hadn't intervened, Xi Yan would likely already be dead.

If Xi Yan were to die, the matter of Qiqi's poisoning would inevitably be blamed on her; what are Meng Zixi and Mu Rongzhan covering up? Hong Beimo feels an unprecedented sense of urgency.

Following Xi Yan's instructions, Hu Xiaotian fetched the Black Ice Clam, returned to the Reservoir of Excellence Palace and came to Qiqi's side, had someone lift her up and take out the Black Ice Clam—this clam is about an inch long, its shape not much different from an ordinary frog, but it has a tail, its body entirely transparent, with a fine black line running from the center of the forehead to the tail.

Hu Xiaotian placed the clam on Qiqi's left shoulder; soon a surprising scene unfolded before them: the clam's body began to show red specks seeping in, like smoke or mist, and after a short while the entire clam turned blood‑red. Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced, knowing this red was the bee venom drawn from Qiqi's body. He had only heard that the Black Ice Clam was a holy detoxifier; seeing it now, it truly is miraculous. Remembering Xi Yan's sincere feelings toward him, he felt moved inwardly. Although Quan De'an promised to give Xi Yan a way out, actually carrying it out might not be easy. Things must be done step by step: first clear the bee venom from Qiqi's body, wait until she turns from danger to safety, then rescue Xi Yan.

The Black Ice Clam turned completely red; Hu Xiaotian, following Xi Yan's instructions, soaked it in a previously prepared basin of water. Soon the clear water in the basin became dyed red, and the clam returned to its original transparency. Hu Xiaotian then placed the clam again on Qiqi's skin, repeating the process three times; the redness on Qiqi's shoulder faded completely, though slight swelling remained.

After washing the Black Ice Clam clean, Hu Xiaotian put it away; this belonged to Xi Yan, and he must return it to its rightful owner.

At that moment Qiqi slowly opened her eyes, her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, she blinked and looked at Hu Xiaotian, saying: "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Tian!"

Hu Xiaotian turned around, seeing she had awakened; from her speech he judged her mind should be clear, and he felt greatly relieved, speaking gently: "Seeing you all right puts my mind at ease; rest well, and when you wake up tomorrow everything will be fine."

Qiqi gave a gentle smile, extended her hand and firmly took Hu Xiaotian's big hand, whispering: "I want you to stay and keep me company."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and lightly patted the back of her hand: "Be good, I have some matters to attend to; I'll come right back to keep you company once I'm done, okay?"

Qiqi nodded: "Go quickly, return quickly."

Hu Xiaotian brought the Black Ice Clam to the place where Xi Yan was imprisoned; Quan De'an sat outside in the sun, hearing Hu Xiaotian's footsteps, he opened his eyes and asked: "How is the Princess?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "She should be fine; the bee venom inside her has been completely cleared."

Quan De'an exhaled in relief: "That's best!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "May I go in?"

Quan De'an gave Hu Xiaotian a meaningful look and said: "If I were you, I wouldn't go in."

Hu Xiaotian thought Quan De'an was going back on his word, and coldly replied: "What did you just say, Eunuch Quan?"

Quan De'an said: "When I just agreed with Sir, I didn't know her identity was so complicated."

Hu Xiaotian suddenly heard noisy footsteps behind him; he turned around, only to see Mu Rongzhan leading more than ten guards entering the Storage Excellence Palace. Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; this person's arrival bodes ill. Quan De'an slowly rose to his feet, coughed twice, and said: "Guard Commander Mu Rongzhan, why have you come with such a show of force to the Storage Excellence Palace?"

Mu Rongzhan clasped his fists and said: "Eunuch Quan, Sir Hu, I have come by imperial order to take away the assassin who plotted to harm the princess."

Second update delivered! (To be continued~^~)