Chapter 1576

Hu Xiaotian didn't think this deal was worthwhile; setting aside his own connections, Jian Rongxin's position in Da Yong was absolutely not comparable to that of Liu Changsheng and his father. She was not only a talented woman of Da Yong, but also the precious daughter of Grand Secretary Jian Xihe of the Da Yong Hanlin Academy, and moreover the wife of Li Chen Zhou. If Jian Rongxin were killed, the uproar in Da Yong would be easy to imagine. To save Liu Changsheng and his father, sacrificing an innocent woman's life, Hu Xiaotian couldn't get past it in his conscience. Although those who achieve great things are not bound by trivialities, they also need to be decisive in killing, but this matter, after all, was forced upon me by Xue Lingjun. I originally came to ask for help, but I never expected to be threatened by Xue Lingjun into killing someone. Hu Xiaotian felt displeased, very displeased.

He had two choices before him: one was to obediently work for Xue Lingjun, kill Jian Rongxin, in exchange for the safe release of Liu Changsheng and his father; two was to give up seeking help from Xue Lingjun and think of another way. But he didn't have many connections in the officialdom of Da Yong; the two people he knew best were Xue Shengjing and Xue Lingjun, siblings, both extremely clever and would not do things for others unconditionally. His relationship with them was like using a double-edged sword; one must always be on guard against improper use that could harm oneself.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the inn already late at night; Xia Zhangming had rented a separate courtyard at the Yongfu Inn to avoid drawing too much attention, and upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian hadn't eaten yet, he immediately had people prepare food and wine and send it over.

The two brothers sat on the heated kang, the wine was already heated, and Hu Xiaotian lifted his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Xia Zhangming could already tell from his expression that today's affairs had not gone smoothly, and he whispered, "She didn't agree?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "He agreed, but she put forward a condition, asking me to help her kill someone!"

Xia Zhangming asked, "What person?"

Hu Xiaotian whispered and related what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhangming couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air; Xue Lingjun's cold-blooded ruthlessness had already surpassed his imagination, and he whispered, "Did my lord agree to her?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "I can only tentatively agree."

Xia Zhangming said, "Even if my lord accomplishes this for her, how can we know she will keep her promise? Even if she keeps her promise and saves the Liu family father and son, how can we guarantee she won't leak this matter and point the spear at my lord?"

Hu Xiaotian slowly lowered his cup and said, "Xue Lingjun is the kind of person who will do anything; she wants to use us, but we currently don't have any better options. Saving people doesn't need to be rushed, and since she wants to use the lives of the Liu family father and son to achieve her goal, she will inevitably provide us with various conveniences. We can just as well turn the tables and use this opportunity to ascertain the true situation within Da Yong." Although they had only been in Da Yong for a short two days, Hu Xiaotian had already seen that internal contradictions in Da Yong were numerous; the assassination attempt on Xue Daohong was merely the beginning of a new round of power struggle, which would not end in the short term, and Xue Daohong and Li Chen Zhou will use this incident to continually expand its influence, taking the opportunity to eliminate potential threats.

The temperature dropped sharply, but inside the Yonggui Palace of Da Yong it remained warm as spring; Xue Daohong and Li Chen Zhou sat facing each other, and Xue Daohong's facial expression still bore sorrow, as he had not yet freed himself from the pain of losing his beloved consort.

Li Chen Zhou whispered his advice: "Your Majesty, the dead cannot be resurrected. You must not grieve excessively; you must surely take care of your dragon body."

Xue Daohong sighed and said, "I have not treated this group of the Golden Scale Guards poorly; I never expected that among them there would still be someone who wishes me ill."

Li Chen Zhou said, "Therefore, Your Majesty cannot be overly optimistic; human hearts are unfathomable. Although Your Majesty has ascended the throne, many people are still not resigned. One scheme fails, another arises; Your Majesty still needs to make decisions early, and only by stabilizing the interior can you intimidate those imperial clan relatives, rest easy, and prevent the previous tragedy from recurring."

Xue Daohong said, "If it weren't for the old man's interference last time, I could have wiped them all out," and the failed plot of Bohai State still weighed on his mind.

Li Chen Zhou said, "Although Prince Yan was forced to hand over the Treasure Pavilion, according to my latest intelligence, besides the Treasure Pavilion he also possesses the Yanxi Hall; the former emperor's deep trust in him led to his reckless and frenzied amassing of wealth."

Xue Daohong gritted his teeth and said, "I will not spare him..." He paused a moment and then said, "The person I worry about most is still Daoming."

Li Chen Zhou shook his head and said, "Although his back has the support of the Virtuous Consort and various forces, in the end he cannot achieve great things; Your Majesty's greatest obstacle at present is actually..." He did not finish his words, either out of caution or leaving it for Xue Daohong to ponder himself.

Xue Daohong understood who the name Li Chen Zhou had concealed was: the Grand Empress Dowager is his greatest obstacle since his ascension; although she gave him considerable help in his ascension, subsequently, in the process of implementing his policies, Empress Dowager Jiang often interfered, and the old forces represented by her have already posed considerable resistance to his exercise of power, including using the Bohai State's Treasure Pavilion affair to launch a plot to eliminate Prince Yan Xue Shengjing and Princess Royal Xue Lingjun.

Of course, these two are indeed the Grand Empress Dowager's own flesh and blood; she naturally cannot bear to watch them become sacrifices in the change of regime. Xue Daohong can understand Empress Dowager Jiang's thinking, but as time passes he has become increasingly impatient, and his former gratitude toward the Grand Empress Dowager has gradually turned into hatred.

Li Chen Zhou secretly observed Xue Daohong's complexion, and when he caught sight of the venomous hatred flashing in Xue Daohong's eyes, he immediately understood Xue Daohong's intentions.

Xue Daohong gritted his teeth and said, "This time I will definitely not give her face again."

Empress Dowager Jiang fell ill very suddenly; almost all the imperial physicians were summoned, yet no one could say why. Finally it was proposed that the Liu family father and son from the Shen Nong Society be summoned. Upon hearing this news, Xue Daohong already understood that the Grand Empress Dowager was not truly ill but merely using this as a pretext to rescue the Liu family father and son. Although he knew the subtlety, he could not openly refuse and could only allow the Liu family father and son to go.

Although the Liu family father and son went to Cien Garden, this does not mean they have escaped danger; it is merely a transfer from Li Chen Zhou's control to the Empress Dowager's hands, and more precisely they are in the hands of Princess Royal Xue Lingjun, who can at any time place them in mortal danger if she wishes.

Hu Xiaotian had not expected Xue Lingjun's actions to be so swift; Xue Shengjing's advice was indeed sound, and Xue Lingjun can influence the Grand Empress Dowager—if it weren't for her intervention, the Grand Empress Dowager would not have coincidentally fallen ill with this disease. Hu Xiaotian's mood, however, did not relax in the slightest; on the contrary, he felt increasingly urgent, as Xue Lingjun was, through this method, informing him that the power of life and death over the Liu family father and son was already in her grasp.

The condition has not yet fully recovered; this is even shorter, but Zhangyu is after all making progress—tomorrow I will strive to write more! (To be continued~^~)