Chapter 1790

Ren Tianqing's expression was calm as an ancient well, he smiled and said: "That gift was originally meant for Your Highness; since I have already sent it out, how could I take it back?"

Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan were both baffled; as seasoned officials long immersed in court affairs, they now understood that tonight they were not the guests of honor at the banquet, but merely there to accompany.

After three rounds of drinks, Qiqi said: "I have summoned you, my beloved officials, for another purpose—to discuss state affairs. As you can see, the situation before us is that the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's rebel forces have risen suddenly, their power growing steadily, already threatening Dakang's safety. According to your opinions, how should we respond?"

Hong Beimo and Ren Tianqing exchanged a glance; they rarely spoke on political matters.

Zhou Ruiyuan said: "Before the flood arrives, we must first build dikes; as long as the dikes are sturdy enough, even if the turbid waves surge heaven-high, they can still keep the floodwaters at bay."

Grand Tutor Wen Chenghuan said: "Sir Zhou, your insight is excellent— to repel external threats we must first pacify the interior; this old minister also agrees. We must first stabilize the nation's interior, swiftly eradicate domestic rebels, only then can we possess greater united strength."

Zhou Ruiyuan obviously did not mean that; Wen Chenghuan naturally understood as well, but he twisted Zhou Ruiyuan's words to suit the situation, giving them a mistaken interpretation.

Zhou Ruiyuan was about to retort when he heard Qiqi ask: "Just who are the 'domestic rebels' that Grand Tutor Wen spoke of?"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Naturally, it is the King of Zhenhai, who holds his army and exalts himself..."

Zhou Ruiyuan burst into loud laughter, cutting off Wen Chenghuan's remarks; the two have long held differing political views and deep-seated grudges, needing no pretense in any setting.

Wen Chenghuan slammed his wine cup down heavily, clearly displeased with Zhou Ruiyuan's conduct.

Qiqi laughed: "Speak your minds freely, but please do not harm harmony. Master Hong, what do you think?"

Hong Beimo said humbly: "In court affairs, how could I, your humble servant, compare to the two of you, sirs? But if Your Highness insists that I speak, I will force myself to say this: the matter of the King of Zhenhai is already a fact; if we were to use troops against him, I fear Dakang's interior would only become more chaotic—not helping the situation at all, but rather plunging the nation back into turmoil. In truth, there is no need for me to say this; Your Highness has already seen the situation clearly, otherwise you would not have sent him to Xichuan."

Zhou Ruiyuan said: "Master Hong has clear vision!" Praising Hong Beimo, he implicitly pointed out that Wen Chenghuan, this old muddlehead, only adds chaos.

Wen Chenghuan said: "Hu Xiaotian is a man of boundless ambition; although the Princess showers him with favor, he has betrayed the court's trust, and I have also heard that it was he who secretly manipulated the resolution of the plague in Da Yong."

Upon hearing Wen Chenghuan steer the conversation toward the plague in Da Yong, Ren Tianqing, chief of Xuantian Guan, could not help but frown, already sensing that something might happen next.

Zhou Ruiyuan said: "This has not been verified, has it?"

Wen Chenghuan said: "Others may not know, but you, Sir Zhou, surely do? Your precious daughter Qin Yutong practices medicine at the Shen Nong Society in Yongdu, saving lives; without her, the plague would likely have already spread throughout Da Yong, and perhaps Yongdu now stands on the brink of collapse without a fight."

Zhou Ruiyuan shouted in anger: "Slanderous nonsense!"

Wen Chenghuan turned his gaze to Ren Tianqing and said: "Sir Ren is here; if I am not mistaken, your beloved daughter is your foremost disciple, and you know her movements best."

Ren Tianqing's face showed displeasure; this fire had ultimately burned him as well. Earlier he had been questioned by the Yongyang Princess, and now it was merely old matters being raised again. He sighed, bowed to Qiqi, and said: "I have failed in my instruction; please, Your Highness, punish me."

Since Ren Tianqing had made such a statement, his father Zhou Ruiyuan, naturally could not remain silent; he also bowed and apologized: "This matter concerns no one else; it is entirely due to my failure in educating my daughter. Please, Your Highness, punish me!"

Qiqi laughed: "Qin Yutong is Sir Ren's disciple and also Chancellor Zhou's daughter; back when she was in Kangdu, we got along very well. She has grown up; any action she takes is her own responsibility, not your instigation. Why should I punish you? To bring pain to kin and joy to enemies? Come! Let's not discuss this today, lest we spoil the drink!" Her gaze fell coldly upon Wen Chenghuan's face; Wen Chenghuan silently sighed—this fire had not scorched Zhou Ruiyuan but had instead burned himself; it seemed best not to bring it up again.

Hong Beimo echoed: "Your Highness speaks perfectly; let's drink."

Hu Xiaotian sneaked into the Jade Pool through the secret passage, swam underwater from the bottom, and arrived on time at the underwater dragon head. He did not follow Qiqi's instructions; Qin Yutong came with him, having lain in wait near the dragon head in advance, ready to seize an opportunity to follow Hu Xiaotian into Long Ling Shengjing.

Quan De'an also arrived at the Xu hour, dressed in black waterproof attire, his movements extremely agile, showing no sign of age. After meeting Hu Xiaotian, the two entered the dragon-ear secret passage, arriving before a sealed iron door; they simultaneously took out their keys, inserted them into the lock, and triggered the mechanism.

After successfully entering Long Ling Shengjing, Quan De'an removed his hood, revealing a head of white hair; Hu Xiaotian also took off his hood, smiling at Quan De'an and saying: "Thank you!" He listened carefully around and heard no movement; Qin Yutong would enter after the passage opened, so he needed to devise a way to send Quan De'an away first.

Seeing the two large leather pouches hanging from Quan De'an's waist, which surely contained the skull, Hu Xiaotian said: "Eunuch Quan, if you trust me, let me handle the rest."

Quan De'an gave a heh-heh cold laugh, said nothing, and strode off, clearly not trusting Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian had no choice but to follow him inside; if necessary, it seemed the only way was to knock this old eunuch unconscious, otherwise Qin Yutong could not appear, nor could she smoothly obtain from Quan De'an's hands the skull that Ren Tianqing had once snatched.

Walking side by side, Quan De'an whispered: "What is your purpose in coming to see the Princess this time?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "To renew old bonds, to mend the broken mirror!"

Quan De'an spat, then suddenly grabbed Hu Xiaotian's collar and shoved him against the stone wall, his eyes glaring like a tiger's as he said: "Do you still intend to deceive Qiqi? To harm her with sweet words?"

Hu Xiaotian's smile unchanged: "Eunuch Quan, are you an old fool? You've known me for years—when have I ever harbored ill will toward Qiqi? If I wished to harm you, not even her, even you yourself could not have lived to this day."

Quan De'an released him, turned and continued forward, his voice low: "Just how have you deceived her so that she would agree to all these things?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "She is so clever that she naturally knows who treats her well and who ill; aligning herself with that lot is nothing short of making a deal with a tiger for its skin—once she loses her usefulness, her fate is easy to imagine."

As they talked, they arrived beneath the carved dragon dome; Hu Xiaotian unfastened his wrist chain, inserted the Seven-Star Chain into it, and opened the hidden passage above.

Neither of them was visiting this place for the first time; one after the other they crawled in, and as they passed the relief, Hu Xiaotian noticed it had been completely flattened—apparently Qiqi did not want anyone to know about that past episode, so she had destroyed it.

Qin Yutong must have entered the passage as well; Hu Xiaotian deliberately said: "Eunuch Quan, you must have seen this relief, right?"

Quan De'an ignored him and continued walking forward.

Hu Xiaotian stopped and said: "Just how great a favor do you owe Ling Jiazi, that you are so devoted to her?"

Upon hearing that name, Quan De'an halted his steps; he did not turn around, his stooped back seeming frozen in place—Hu Xiaotian realized that what he knew was far more than he had expected.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Some things will eventually come to light; if you have seen this mural, you ought to know Qiqi's origin—she is fundamentally different from us."

Quan De'an abruptly turned, his eyes flashing with sharp light, his gaze like two swords eager to pierce Hu Xiaotian's chest.

Hu Xiaotian's expression remained calm and composed, stemming not only from his strong mindset but also from his formidable strength; although Quan De'an's martial arts are high, he should now be no match for Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian said: "You ought to know that Hong Beimo and his ilk are using Qiqi, yet you cannot stop them; you wish to protect her, but with your ability you likely cannot achieve that."

Quan De'an's voice low: "As long as I draw breath, no one in this world can harm her."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Perhaps you once felt the same toward Ling Jiazi, but you had the will without the power, and could not prevent her death at all."

Quan De'an was provoked by Hu Xiaotian's remark; he stepped forward, his right leg forged of steel striking the hard rock, actually leaving a deep footprint in the stone.

Although his presence was imposing, Hu Xiaotian remained unmoved, his gaze calm and steady: "Eunuch Quan, I see you too are entangled in the situation; although you know some things, you could never know the whole story." He reached out and patted the destroyed mural, sighing: "The secrets within the imperial mausoleum—you surely know them as well; the day Hong Beimo completes the work inside the tomb is the day Qiqi meets her doom."

Quan De'an coldly replied: "What do you know? Spouting nonsense here!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Seven-Star Chain we used to open the passage was obtained by me at the Cloud Temple on Mount Piaomiao; at the time it was kept in Ling Jiazi's painting, which was personally painted by Long Xuan'en. Initially I suspected Qiqi was his flesh and blood, but later I realized Long Xuan'en could not have fathered such a daughter."

Quan De'an angrily shouted: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "How much do you really know about Ling Jiazi? Do you not realize that Hong Beimo, Ren Tianqing, and their ilk care nothing for power—they seek the entire world? When the skin is gone, the hair will have nothing to cling to! Once Hong Beimo finishes whatever he is crafting inside the imperial mausoleum, everyone in this world will plunge into an abyss of eternal damnation."

Quan De'an sneered: "You are nothing but alarmist!"

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