Chapter 1674

Hu Xiaotian's favor to Xue Daoming was immense; since ascending the throne, Xue Daoming had continually been under coercion, but now he can finally walk out of the palace gates openly and do the things he wanted to do but never dared to.

One must admit, Xue Daoming is still quite courageous; he not only dares to leave the palace, but personally visits the homes of infected officials one by one to console them, bringing the imperial physicians to personally diagnose and treat them. Moreover, he goes deep among the people, personally comforting the common folk; as the ruler of a nation, he can be so sympathetic to the people's suffering that, in the eyes of many, his actions are truly commendable.

At first, Li Chen Zhou viewed Xue Daoming's actions as pandering for popularity and courting death, but the developments did not unfold as Li Chen Zhou had expected; the situation in Yongdu is improving, and the epidemic is rapidly being brought under control. Li Chen Zhou began to feel that this matter is not simple, even suspecting that this is not a plague but a panic manufactured by the Black Hu people.

What troubles Li Chen Zhou most is that, in a short time, Xue Daoming has actually gained unprecedented support; his benevolent and righteous deeds have already won over the people's hearts—not only the common folk, but many officials in the court have quietly changed their stance and secretly sided with the new ruler in their hearts.

In fact, most officials in the court dare only to be angry at Li Chen Zhou but not speak out, harboring a sense of indebtedness to the Da Yong imperial family. This time, Xue Daoming stepped forward, saving many people; since people's hearts are flesh and blood, this has left many officials feeling ashamed, especially those he saved, who now feel grateful to Xue Daoming and are even willing to sacrifice their lives for him.

Princess Xue Lingjun sat alone drinking under the lamp; in the past two days Yongdu had seen rats and bats swarm in attack, then a plague break out, and yet someone came out to dispel rumors. Feeling overwhelmed, she followed Li Chen Zhou's advice and did not leave her residence—not even daring to go to the palace—despite repeated reports of the Emperor venturing out to visit. She waited for Li Chen Zhou's news.

However, Li Chen Zhou never came over. Xue Lingjun guessed that he must have been having a rough time these two days; his brilliance had been completely eclipsed by the new ruler, Xue Daoming. Regarding this plague, Li Chen Zhou had adopted strict containment measures, while Xue Daoming took an unexpected approach—he daringly entered the epidemic zone and personally went to the front lines to comfort the people.

The wine cup in Xue Lingjun's hand was about to reach her lips when the candle ahead flickered and went out.

Xue Lingjun immediately grew tense, panicking as she cried, 'Someone!'

A familiar voice said, 'Shouting until your throat breaks won't help; they've all fainted.'

Fire flared, the candle was relit, and by its light Xue Lingjun saw the uninvited guest in the room.

Hu Xiaotian stared silently at the flame, seemingly completely ignoring her presence.

Xue Lingjun bit her cherry lips; she had long sensed that this day would come, but when it arrived she still could not help feeling afraid.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Princess, how have you been lately?' He addressed her as 'princess,' but his tone lacked any warmth.

Xue Lingjun let out a soft sigh and said, 'Not well. Very bad! These days everyone has been constantly worrying about your news, not knowing whether you have returned or are still in Yongdu. Don't you still understand their feelings for you?' She looked annoyed yet charming, still alluring, but to Hu Xiaotian it seemed like flirtatious coquetry, filling him with disgust.

Hu Xiaotian said softly, 'Liu Changsheng is someone I respect, Liu Yucheng is my friend, and I had thought we were still friends.'

A look of shame appeared on Xue Lingjun's pretty face: 'I know I've let you down, but I too had no choice, forced by circumstances.'

Hu Xiaotian sat opposite her, gazing calmly without hatred or killing intent, yet that tranquil, water-like stare made Xue Lingjun feel as if he were seeing into her heart; she dared not meet his eyes, lowering her gaze and whispering, 'Why do you look at me like that? It's not as if we've never met before.'

Hu Xiaotian gently pushed a letter toward her.

Xue Lingjun asked, 'What? Is it for me?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Please help me deliver this letter to Li Chen Zhou.'

Xue Lingjun pursed her cherry lips in a jealous expression: 'You actually wrote him a letter?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head. 'The one who wrote the letter is Jian Rongxin.'

Hearing this, Xue Lingjun startled, inferring from Hu Xiaotian's words that Jian Rongxin must be with him; although she had already guessed, she still asked, 'Are you together with her?'

Hu Xiaotian pointed to the letter: 'Inside is the document severing Jian Rongxin's marriage to Li Chen Zhou; from now on they have no further ties.'

Xue Lingjun keenly noticed that when Hu Xiaotian referred to Jian Rongxin he used her courtesy name, which, given his cleverness, must be deliberate—he seemed to be hinting at something. She picked up the letter and said, 'Better to tear down ten temples than destroy a family bond; is what you're doing not lacking in righteousness?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'By the way, tell Li Chen Zhou that Jian Rongxin is my woman; whoever dares to harm even a strand of her hair will be my enemy.' Though spoken with a smile, his words were firm and full of authority.

Xue Lingjun felt as if pricked by a needle, wondering whether Hu Xiaotian intended to strike at Li Chen Zhou this way, or if his target was not just Li Chen Zhou alone. She coldly asked, 'Why don't you go find him yourself and deliver the letter in person?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I fear that if I lose control of my emotions I might accidentally kill him.'

Xue Lingjun noticed that after just a few days apart, Hu Xiaotian seemed to have undergone a complete transformation—he was now more overbearing and decisive, more confident. Even though they stood on opposing sides, she could not hide her admiration for him; her beautiful eyes shone brightly, fiery and alluring, as she cooed, 'Many things in this world are easy to say but hard to do.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded. 'Quite right, just as you used me to try to kill Jian Rongxin—I had once wanted to do so, but when I actually saw her I still could not bring myself to strike.'

Xue Lingjun sighed, 'It's because she's beautiful—you're just too lustful. I knew from the start that choosing you was a mistake.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Because she's kind—do you know? When I met her, she was wearing thin clothes, alone and solitary as she walked out of the Jingguo Duke's mansion.'

Xue Lingjun coldly replied, 'I have no interest in her affairs.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Many things happened that night; you experienced them from start to finish, so you should naturally understand.'

Xue Lingjun said, 'You and my second imperial brother have worked together on many matters; the affair with Liu Changsheng and his son was also his idea to send you to find me.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You're so clever, you understand everything, but I don't understand why Empress Dowager Jiang lived her life in such failure, to the point that her own children hate her.'

Xue Lingjun remained silent; the pain involved was known to no one, and she would never tell anyone about it.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'When Xue Shengjing fled, he peeled off a piece of skin from Empress Dowager Jiang's back—you probably didn't know about that, did you?'

Xue Lingjun looked at Hu Xiaotian half-believing, half-doubting.

From her bewildered gaze one could infer she knew nothing of this. Hu Xiaotian said, 'Xue Shengjing has too many secrets; I have no intention of meddling in Da Yong's affairs, but out of our past friendship I will warn you: even if you pooled all your strength, you might still not be a match for Xue Shengjing.'

Xue Lingjun chuckled, thinking Hu Xiaotian was just alarmist. She leaned forward, her captivating eyes fixed on his, and said, 'The victor becomes king, the loser becomes bandit; no matter how formidable my second imperial brother may be, he cannot hide the fact that he is a failure.'

Hu Xiaotian rose and said, 'I'm leaving. Please help me deliver this letter to Li Chen Zhou, and as long as Xue Shengjing is not eliminated, Da Yong will never know peace.'

Xue Lingjun bit her lip and finally asked, 'What exactly is your relationship with Jian Rongxin?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Grand Secretary Jian simply betrothed his daughter to me before his death—that's all there is to it.'

Xue Lingjun exclaimed in disbelief, 'How is that possible? How can one woman be betrothed to two families?'

Li Chen Zhou finished reading the letter Xue Lingjun had given him, reading every word without omission, then calmly set it down.

Xue Lingjun had expected him to fly into a rage, but Li Chen Zhou instead showed an unexpected calm, whispering, 'What does the letter say?'

Li Chen Zhou said, 'If I were you, I wouldn't ask!' He held the letter over the candle and slowly lit it, then drawled, 'What else did Hu Xiaotian say?'

'He said that all of us combined might not be a match for my second imperial brother.'

Li Chen Zhou asked, 'Anything else?'

Xue Lingjun shook her head, unable to bear further provoking Li Chen Zhou; if the relationship between Jian Rongxin and Hu Xiaotian were truly as he said, Li Chen Zhou could not endure such humiliation.

Li Chen Zhou said, 'This plague was likely orchestrated single-handedly by Xue Shengjing.'

'But how could Xue Daoming have resolved this crisis?'

Li Chen Zhou coldly said, 'Only he who tied the bell can untie it.'

Xue Lingjun exclaimed in astonishment, 'You mean my second imperial brother lent a hand to help Xue Daoming?'

Li Chen Zhou slowly nodded, 'He is deeply scheming, using this affair to boost the Emperor's prestige and help him win over the people.'

Xue Lingjun asked, 'But why would he do that?'

Li Chen Zhou said, 'It's a case of one's gain being another's loss; he isn't truly helping the Emperor, but rather creating obstacles for me. Strengthening the Emperor weakens us, and he wants the Emperor to be able to stand against me, to have us both lose in a mutual struggle—only then can he reap the benefits like a fisherman.'

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