Chapter 1338

The officials dispersed, the dust settled, and Qiqi waved at Quan De'an, saying, "Tomorrow at noon, have that demoness executed by lingchi outside the Wu Gate; spread this news far and wide."

Quan De'an whispered, "Yes!" He knew Qiqi's move was to force Hu Xiaotian to reveal himself.

After Quan De'an left, Hong Beimo stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness! I have a gift to present."

Qiqi nodded, and Hong Beimo presented the found Heirloom Jade Seal before her.

Qiqi glanced at the Heirloom Jade Seal and said indifferently, "It's merely a symbol."

Hong Beimo asked, "Your Highness, when do you plan to ascend the throne?"

Qiqi shook her head and said, "For now there's no need to consider this; titles don't matter. As long as I sit in this chair, what difference does it make what others call me?" Though young, she was quite open-minded about empty fame.

Hong Beimo sensed her thoughts and whispered, "Your Highness, are you still worried about Hu Xiaotian?"

Qiqi did not deny it, sighing softly, "He abducted the Emperor; if they manage to escape the palace smoothly, it will surely become a great trouble."

Hong Beimo couldn't help laughing upon hearing this, saying, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry; Long Xuan'en should already be dead."

Qiqi furrowed her brows slightly, not knowing why Hong Beimo was so certain.

Hong Beimo said, "I have done all I can to prolong his life, but his time has come; no one can reverse fate. I examined him yesterday and concluded his life will not exceed three days."

Really?

Hong Beimo nodded and said, "The real hidden danger is Hu Xiaotian; this time we must not let him leave Kangdu, for letting a tiger return to the mountains will surely become a major threat."

Qiqi said, "You should know the palace's internal structure extremely well; are there other underground places where they could hide?"

Hong Beimo replied, "Following your orders, I have already sent people to open the Yaochi water gates; by tomorrow morning we can drain the pool, and all hidden places in the palace will have nowhere to hide."

Qiqi suddenly recalled the scene when she and Hu Xiaotian first sneaked into Yaochi to enter Long Ling Shengjing. Before her eyes seemed to flicker Hu Xiaotian's warm smile, which then suddenly hardened, and he shouted harshly in her ear, "Qiqi, why do you treat me this way?"

Qiqi's heart clenched violently, and her hands instinctively gripped tight.

This subtle movement did not escape Hong Beimo's notice; he respectfully said, "Your Highness, Hu Xiaotian has ambushed many followers at Fengyi Shan Zhuang; I have sent people to wipe them out in one sweep, and all his men have been captured. Please mete out judgment, Your Majesty."

Qiqi whispered, "Have you found out what they intended to do?"

Hong Beimo said, "They used Fengyi Shan Zhuang as cover, digging tunnels beneath the mountain, apparently intending to breach the imperial mausoleum."

Qiqi said, "The Emperor cannot die yet; we must let them know he is still alive. However, he is gravely ill and bedridden."

Hong Beimo respectfully replied, "This is not difficult; I will handle it."

Qiqi also said, "Hu Xiaotian's followers should be temporarily jailed; if we haven't found Hu Xiaotian after a day, these people will still be of some use to us."

Yes!

Not long after Hong Beimo left, Mu Rongzhan led the guards, pressing a few eunuchs as they entered; the leader was none other than Hu Xiaotian's sworn brother Shi Xuedong, while a group of eunuchs all knelt on the ground. Shi Xuedong had already heard rumors beforehand. He had originally planned to take advantage of the chaos to flee the palace, but he never expected to be seized by the guards midway and brought back. Looking up, he saw the lofty Qiqi. Shi Xuedong couldn't help but silently lament, fearing this time misfortune outweighs fortune.

Qiqi coldly stared at Shi Xuedong and said, "Shi Xuedong, did Hu Xiaotian come to see you?"

Shi Xuedong replied, "Yes, he came to see me that day. You happened to be present, Your Highness!"

"Impudent!" Qiqi's brows rose in anger as she glared at Shi Xuedong, saying, "You are his sworn brother; how could you not know his affairs?"

Shi Xuedong chuckled and said, "Princess, you are mistaken; you and he are fiancés, your relationship is much closer than mine. He doesn't tell you where he goes, so how would he tell me?"

Qiqi seethed inwardly; at this point, Shi Xuedong still dared to flatter her face to face, making her fury rise, and she shouted sharply, "Slap him!"

Next to Mu Rongzhan, a guard immediately surged forward, raising a palm-leaf‑sized hand and delivering a series of sharp slaps to Shi Xuedong's face, leaving his cheeks swollen and him begging for mercy.

Qiqi gritted her teeth and said, "Take him out to the Wu Gate and tie him up; tomorrow at noon, if Hu Xiaotian still does not appear, execute them together."

The security of the Dakang palace was so tight that describing it as a guard every ten steps and a sentry every five steps would not be an exaggeration. Hu Xiaotian came to Yaochi via another exit of the secret passage. Upon arriving, he found the water level in Yaochi had dropped by more than half compared to before; it wouldn't take long for the openings hidden beneath the water surface to be exposed to daylight, presumably someone had drained it. Looking further, the long dragon whose dragon head was submerged in the stream beneath Piaomiao Mountain had its antennae fully exposed, and soon the hidden hole on the dragon's ear would be revealed as well.

Many guards patrolled the Yaochi shore; Hu Xiaotian dared not linger, seizing an opportunity to slip out under cover of night, killing a lone guard along the way, taking his uniform, and fortunately his position was not far from the Cangshuge.

Hu Xiaotian tiptoed east and west, eventually reaching the east side of the Cangshuge, climbing along a large tree to the treetop; looking down, he saw many guards also patrolling outside the Cangshuge.

Hu Xiaotian seized the moment, leapt from the tree and glided soundlessly through the night sky, landing inside the Cangshuge. He held his breath, sensing the surroundings; Li Yuncong's room should be empty. He had originally intended to head toward the Sutra Pavilion, but suddenly heard footsteps approaching nearby. He panicked, hid in the darkness, and held his breath. The footsteps came from above, yet two people were walking down the stairs overhead.

One of them said, "Sir Hong, without the Emperor's personal handwritten decree, no one may enter this seven‑story library; we have no choice." The speaker was Li Yuncong.

Hong Beimo let out a grim chuckle and said, "Eunuch Li, you are conscientious and meticulous; having someone like you in the palace is indeed a blessing for Dakang."

Li Yuncong replied, "It's my duty; otherwise the Emperor would not have entrusted the Cangshuge to me with confidence."

Hong Beimo paused directly above Hu Xiaotian's head and whispered, "Eunuch Li, you are truly loyal to the Emperor."

Li Yuncong said, "I cannot compare to you, Sir Hong."

Hong Beimo chuckled again, his gaze sweeping over the Cangshuge, and said softly, "Eunuch Li, you must have heard about today's events in the palace."

Li Yuncong answered, "We never step out beyond our own gates; we never inquire about outside affairs."

Hong Beimo knew Li Yuncong was wily and crafty, yet he still had some reservations about this old eunuch, not only because of his martial skill, and he said, "Today Long Tingzhen has colluded with Hu Xiaotian to rebel and treason, Long Tingzhen attempts to assassinate the ruler, while Hu Xiaotian has teamed up with the demoness of the Wuxian Sect to poison the Yongyang Princess."

Hu Xiaotian heard every word clearly from below and silently cursed Hong Beimo, you old turtle, lying to make others believe that I teamed up with Long Tingzhen to frame my fiancée, abandoning my own wife while propping up Long Tingzhen—do you think I'm addle‑brained?

Li Yuncong sucked in a breath of cold air and said, "How could this be? How is the Emperor now?"

Hong Beimo sighed and said, "Fortunately we discovered their plot in time, rescued the princess, captured Long Tingzhen, and also seized the demoness of the Wuxian Sect; only Hu Xiaotian escaped, and he even abducted the Emperor."

Li Yuncong said, "Why would Hu Xiaotian do this? He came back not to marry the princess, so why commit such folly?" Not only Li Yuncong thought so; most people under heaven would think the same, and what Hong Beimo said is truly beyond belief.

Hong Beimo said, "Eunuch Li probably doesn't know that Hu Xiaotian harbors grand ambitions; a mere prince consort cannot satisfy him—he wants the whole Jiangnan of Dakang. Moreover, the true identity of that Wuxian Sect demoness is the daughter of the traitor Li Tianheng; she and Hu Xiaotian were once betrothed, and although they ostensibly dissolved the engagement, they have actually kept in contact all along."

Some of what Hong Beimo said Li Yuncong knew, some he did not, but Li Yuncong could be certain that Hu Xiaotian had been set up this time without a doubt.

Li Yuncong let out a long sigh and said, "May Heaven bless our Emperor; I hope he can turn misfortune into fortune."

Hong Beimo said, "I came here also out of concern for you, my old friend."

Li Yuncong replied, "Thank you for your concern, Sir Hong; we have nothing of worth, nor anything for others to covet."

Hong Beimo said, "Hu Xiaotian is utterly wicked; given the circumstances, he would do anything."

Li Yuncong chuckled, "So you originally suspected he was hiding here?"

Hong Beimo said, "We have searched nearly the entire palace, yet we still cannot find him or the Emperor's whereabouts."

Li Yuncong said, "If that is the case, we will still open the seven‑story library and trouble you, Sir Hong, to inspect it personally, to prove our innocence."

Both harbored hidden intentions, yet neither imagined that Hu Xiaotian was actually hiding right beneath the stairs they stood on.

Hong Beimo indeed nodded and said, "Since Eunuch Li has shown such sincerity, I have no choice but to offend."

Hu Xiaotian heard it clearly under the stairs, cursing silently, "Investigate! Investigate your mother! I'm right beneath you."

Li Yuncong certainly knew there was no one inside the seven-story library pavilion, so he dared let Hong Beimo go ahead and investigate; Hong Beimo was obviously suspecting that he was hiding Hu Xiaotian, so he might as well prove his innocence. The result, of course, was nothing found; one could say it wasn't completely fruitless, at least Hong Beimo managed to enter the most secret part of the Cangshuge. (To be continued~^~)