Chapter 1580

Jian Rongxin slowly nodded, the faint hope remaining in her heart was completely shattered by Li Chen Zhou's words; she walked out silently, not even putting on her outer robe, thus wearing thin clothing she stepped into the wind and snow filling the sky.

Li Chen Zhou's gaze fell on the bowl of ginseng soup on the table; suddenly he raised his hand and brought down a palm, an invisible palm blade sliced the bowl, the bowl split in half, clanged as it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

In Cien Garden, Empress Dowager Jiang took the medicinal soup from Eunuch Dong's hand, drank a sip, and involuntarily furrowed her brows, saying, "This medicine is really bitter."

Eunuch Dong respectfully said, "Good medicine tastes bitter but benefits the illness; this prescription was personally given by Liu Changsheng for the Grand Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Jiang pinched her nose and finished the medicinal soup, then took a bowl of rock sugar bird's nest porridge to dilute the bitterness in her mouth, and softly said, "Have they, father and son, been settled properly?"

Eunuch Dong nodded and said, "They have been settled, but I still don't understand why my master wants to save these two people."

Empress Dowager Jiang said, "Do you also believe that they father and son participated in the plot to murder the Emperor?"

Eunuch Dong chuckled and said, "I am merely a palace servant; how dare I meddle in court affairs?"

Empress Dowager Jiang sighed; the bitter taste in her mouth lessened considerably, but the bitterness in her heart remained undiminished.

Eunuch Dong said, "My master seems to have something on his mind."

Empress Dowager Jiang nodded and said, "I still cannot put my mind at ease!" At her age, death is not so frightening, but if she were to die, the imperial household of Da Yong would surely fall into turmoil; indeed, in any dynasty, whenever power changes hands, some disturbance occurs. At least the current power transition in Da Yong remains relatively stable, with no large-scale bloodshed so far—but that is only because she is still alive. If she died, the Emperor would have no more scruples and would strike down anyone who might threaten the stability of his throne.

Eunuch Dong said, "Actually, the Empress Dowager should no longer meddle in these matters; the Emperor has already ascended the throne. He can do as he pleases—whether others live or die is entirely their own fate. You may be able to protect them for a time, but not for a lifetime."

Empress Dowager Jiang furrowed her brows, clearly displeased by Eunuch Dong's words, yet she also knew he was speaking the truth, so she did not rebuke him.

Eunuch Dong said, "I also know my words are not pleasant to hear. But have you considered that last time, because of the Bohai State affair, you spoke up for Prince Yan and the Grand Princess, which already displeased the Emperor? Now you are again speaking up and ruining the Emperor's affairs—are you not afraid of provoking him and inviting trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang flew into a rage. Although Eunuch Dong was her most favored eunuch, he had never dared to behave so rudely in her presence before; although he had some reason, his words clearly showed disrespect toward her. Empress Dowager Jiang hurled the half‑bowl of rock sugar bird's nest porridge she held straight at Eunuch Dong's face. The older one gets, the worse the temper. It's all because Eunuch Dong spoke too bluntly.

Being struck and having things thrown at him was not the first time for Eunuch Dong, who followed Empress Dowager Jiang; however, this time there was clearly an exception—his body moved suddenly, he swung his right arm. A gust of wind swept out, and the half‑bowl of rock sugar bird's nest porridge instantly changed direction, splashing onto Empress Dowager Jiang's body.

Before the empty bowl could hit the ground, Eunuch Dong had already firmly caught it.

Empress Dowager Jiang had never seen him display any martial skill before her; she stared wide‑eyed in shock, then reacted, shouting loudly, "Help……" but she could not make a sound no matter how hard she tried, because Eunuch Dong had covered her mouth.

Empress Dowager Jiang could not suppress her fear; she stretched out both hands desperately to grab Eunuch Dong's arm, tearing his sleeve but unable to move his arm even an inch.

Eunuch Dong stared at her coldly and said, "Old wretch! You are seeking your own death. The Emperor has kept you here to enjoy your twilight years, yet you do not know gratitude, gathering those old officials to plot against the Emperor—heh, do you really think Da Yong is still yours to command? Since you don't understand, the only option is to send you on your way early."

Although Empress Dowager Jiang's mouth was sealed, her nostrils remained exposed and she could still breathe; this was not Eunuch Dong's oversight. At this moment she felt a knife‑like pain in her abdomen, realizing that the medicinal soup she had just taken might be problematic.

Eunuch Dong said, "There is poison in the medicine; the prescription was given by Liu Changsheng for you. Liu Changsheng and his son were rescued by the Grand Princess at your request—it seems the one who truly hates you is the Grand Princess. I will report this to the Emperor so he can avenge you."

Empress Dowager Jiang's blows on Eunuch Dong's hands grew weaker and weaker, her frightened gaze gradually dimming; finally she released his hand, her body went limp as she knelt, then collapsed flat on the ground.

Eunuch Dong looked at Empress Dowager Jiang's corpse with contempt, straightened his clothes, walked slowly to the door, pulled it open, and then let out a terrified shout: "Grand Empress Dowager! What has happened to you? Come! Someone! Quickly! Someone!"

A solitary figure stepped out of the back gate of Jingguo Gong's mansion, trudging through the wind and snow that filled the sky. Jian Rongxin walked on, lost in spirit; the Jingguo Gong mansion and her natal home were originally on the same street, less than two li away, but the wind and snow made it seem impossibly distant. On such a snowy night, Li Chen Zhou's heartless words had shattered all her fantasies; she did not know what to do. She walked out of the room in a daze, walked out of the back gate of Jingguo Gong's mansion in a daze, with no one coming to stop her, let alone to detain her. In an instant, it seemed as if the world had abandoned her.

Jian Rongxin didn't even have time to put on her outer robe before she arrived at the bitterly cold night of swirling snow; she felt as if she were about to freeze, her heart sensing not a trace of warmth. Not far away, the tavern remained brightly lit, from time to time echoing with laughter and chatter—patrons were drinking and enjoying the snow.

Seeing the light, Jian Rongxin recalled her father's visage and smile; the outline of home gradually became clear in her heart. She drew a deep breath of the cold air and trudged forward through the wind and snow.

Inside the tavern, Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming sat opposite each other. Their reason for being here was neither to admire the snow nor to drink, but because this tavern is the closest to Jingguo Gong's mansion; Hu Xiaotian intended to take advantage of tonight's heavy snow as cover to sneak into Jingguo Gong's mansion. Jian Rongxin's appearance was unexpected; Hu Xiaotian originally thought he had misseen, but given his eyesight, the chance of such a mistake was negligible. What lay before him was utterly contrary to common sense: the young mistress of Jingguo Gong's mansion, the wife of Li Tianheng, the talented lady of Da Yong, Jian Rongxin, had actually slipped out of her home on this snowy night. From her attire it seemed she had left suddenly, possibly even having been driven out.

After Hu Xiaotian recognized Jian Rongxin, his first thought was, "A trap? How could that be? How could Jian Rongxin possibly leave Jingguo Gong's mansion alone, especially on such a snowy night?" Yet they could clearly see that no one followed behind Jian Rongxin.

Xia Zhangming paid no attention to the solitary woman who had just passed; Hu Xiaotian whispered, "Zhangming, I'm leaving first—tonight's plan is cancelled."

Xia Zhangming blinked in surprise; the plan was to sneak into Jingguo Gong's mansion at night, but Hu Xiaotian only said it was cancelled without explaining why he suddenly wanted to cancel it.

Hu Xiaotian stepped outside the tavern, gazing ahead at the already blurred figure of Jian Rongxin in the wind and snow; he couldn't help but frown, then turned to look toward Jingguo Gong's mansion—no one had come out, and this was truly puzzling.

Watching Jian Rongxin hug her arms, shivering as she walked through the wind and snow, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel pity; he led over his mount, swung up onto the horse, galloped up to her, and when he came alongside her, he stopped and called out loudly, "Miss, why are you wandering the streets alone at this late hour? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Jian Rongxin's gaze seemed to have frozen, as if she hadn't heard his words at all; she merely continued forward in silence.

Because Hu Xiaotian was in disguise, he naturally had no fear of his true identity being exposed; he dismounted, took off his black sable fur coat, and draped it over Jian Rongxin's shoulders.

Jian Rongxin did not refuse; she was about to collapse, utterly unable to reject Hu Xiaotian's kindness, feeling she could fall at any moment. If not for the thought of returning home to see her father, which sustained her, she would have already collapsed.

Li Chen Zhou had completely regained his composure; he picked up the cup of wine on the table and drained it in one gulp, then seized the long blade on the table—Hupo. This sword was given by the Blade Demon FengXingyun to his beloved disciple Wen Boyuan; after Wen Boyuan's death the sword came into Li Chen Zhou's hands, and Li Chen Zhou recognized Wen Boyuan's identity from the other half of the double‑fish jade pendant he wore, only then learning the secret of his own origins.

Li Chen Zhou strode out of the door; outside, a black‑clad figure stood motionless like a statue. When Li Chen Zhou approached him, the man finally clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "My lord! All preparations are complete!"

Li Chen Zhou nodded.

The black‑clad man added, "There was only a slight deviation along the way!"

Li Chen Zhou's lips twitched: "What deviation?"

"An extra passerby appeared!"

Li Chen Zhou's handsome face twitched once from pain, making his expression turn feral and twisted: "Who is it?"

"I don't know him; he must have shown up by chance to help!"

Li Chen Zhou said, "If you're seeking death, who else can you blame?"

Jian Rongxin finally saw the gate of her own home; her nose tingled with the urge to cry, but her tears had frozen. She knew there was a man beside her who had constantly accompanied and escorted her—the sable fur on her shoulders was his gift. She ought to have thanked him, but at that moment she could not utter a word; she lightly knocked on the ring, no one answered, and she pushed hard, the gate creaking open.

Lately the writing has been a bit oppressive; Zhangyu also wants to be simple and upbeat. Next volume, next volume—I won't play mind games anymore; straightforward and brutal is the way to go. Please follow Gongwei stonesquid. By the way, I twisted my shoulder today and am writing while injured—please cast more votes! (To be continued~^~)