Chapter 675

Hu Xiaotian leaned forward and, using voice transmission, said: "I know what you're planning."

Xi Yan gazed at Hu Xiaotian, her eyes rippling, and said: "Tell me."

"Your purpose in impersonating Princess Anping is nothing more than to take advantage of this marriage alliance to kill Da Yong's Seventh Prince, Xue Daoming, even if it means killing him on the wedding night, so you can push all the blame onto Long Xi Yue; with your abilities, escaping afterward would be no problem. When the Da Yong emperor loses his beloved son, he will be grief‑stricken; since a grievance has a head and a debt has an owner, he will naturally regard Dakang as an enemy, and there is an eighty to ninety percent chance he will launch a southern invasion to destroy Dakang."

Xi Yan said: "You're clever."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "No matter how clever a woman is, she only focuses on small things. You're thinking of stirring up war between Da Yong and Dakang to profit from it, but have you considered that Xichuan and Dakang are one entity, their relationship is like lips and teeth—if Dakang falls, Xichuan will hardly survive. Do you think Xue Shengjing's ambition would stop at Dakang alone?"

Xi Yan said: "When the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman profits."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Too bad the fisherman won't be the Li clan of Xichuan—given Da Yong's current strength, it doesn't even regard Dakang, so how could it possibly notice the Li clan of Xichuan? Dakang is now struggling to cope; it can't do anything about the Li clan of Xichuan. But if Dakang were destroyed, do you think Da Yong would let the Li clan continue to roam free? I've long heard that Xue Shengjing harbors the ambition to unify the Central Plains, so his attack on Dakang is merely a matter of time."

Xi Yan blinked her eyes; although she was ice‑snow smart, in national affairs her mind was far less clear than Hu Xiaotian's.

Hu Xiaotian said: "If the world falls into chaos, everyone has their own troubles, and they can't even finish their own affairs, so they certainly won't have the energy to consider other countries' matters. But if there is a standout, Da Yong might well consider first unifying the Central Plains, then going to war with the Black Hu. I believe this Black Hu envoy's visit to Yongdu is precisely for that."

Xi Yan said: "All your talk is just to make me give up the idea."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although I don't know what benefits the Li clan of Xichuan gave you, I know that what you're doing now is not helping them but harming them. Dakang has become a piece of meat in everyone's eyes; everyone wants to take a bite. The Li clan has just established itself, its foothold is unsteady, and it's busy consolidating internal rule, so it naturally lacks the energy to annex Dakang's territory. What you're doing is tantamount to rushing to feed this piece of meat to Da Yong's mouth. Once Da Yong swallows it, that tiger will grow strong and become invincible, and the next unlucky one will be the Li clan of Xichuan."

Xi Yan picked up the wine jug and voluntarily filled Hu Xiaotian's cup, saying: "According to your opinion, what should we do?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "According to my idea, the one who should be killed most is the Black Hu Fourth Prince, Wanyan Chixiong! Kill him, and we can completely destroy the alliance between the Black Hu and Da Yong. Once the Black Hu troops invade south, Da Yong will no longer have the energy to consider southern campaigns."

Xi Yan sneered: "You are indeed a loyal subject of Dakang; all your talk is just for Dakang's consideration."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Lips gone, teeth cold. Never forget this saying: if Dakang falls, the Li clan falls too; the longer Dakang survives, the more time the Li clan gains to develop. You must understand—Da Yong is the real tiger."

Xi Yan sighed: "You are truly sinister and crafty; if Da Yong knew you had such thoughts, it would surely have you torn to pieces."

Hu Xiaotian said: "My death wouldn't be a loss; I just don't want to die in agony. We are friends, not enemies. You should think carefully—if you insist on your own view, you'll harm not only Dakang but also Xichuan."

Xi Yan said: "I recall you almost became a son‑in‑law of the Li clan of Xichuan."

Hu Xiaotian sighed: "Better not mention this."

Xi Yan laughed: "Why not mention it? Back then you were clearly in Xichuan, obediently staying there as the Li clan's son‑in‑law; if the Li clan later achieved imperial rule, you would naturally become the prince consort. Yet you insisted on venturing to Kangdu, and ended up a eunuch."

Hu Xiaotian snorted: "The Li father and son are no good; they clearly harbored rebellious intentions long ago, yet before rising they gave not a hint to our Hu family. Our Hu family's present plight is entirely thanks to them!"

A fleeting strange light passed through Xi Yan's beautiful eyes, and she whispered: "Actually, you're not doing badly now—at least your family members are all safe and sound."

Hu Xiaotian raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp: "Just get by."

Xi Yan said: "Why don't I help you escape Kangdu? You could take your parents and family to Xichuan and continue as the Li clan's son‑in‑law."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I've already been screwed by the Li clan once; I won't be screwed a second time. Even if a Li daughter were a fairy descending to earth, I wouldn't want her—let alone the fact that she's an extraordinarily ugly cripple."

Xi Yan snorted: "You're a eunuch—do you even have the right to marry?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly: "It's true I'm a eunuch, but someone still comes knocking, insisting on dragging me to bow to heaven and earth."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan's willow brows shot up, she gritted her teeth and snapped: "Get lost!"

Hu Xiaotian grabbed a chicken leg from the table, left cheerfully, saying: "Thank you for the hospitality, Princess. Xiaotian takes his leave!"

Returning to his lodgings, he saw Tang Qingxuan alone sitting before his door, chin in hand, actually dozing off. Hu Xiaotian walked over, gently tapped her shoulder to wake her, and said: "I tell you, why aren't you sleeping in your nice room, sitting here at my door doing what?"

Tang Qingxuan rubbed her eyes and said: "You're back!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, pushed the door open and entered the room; Tang Qingxuan followed him inside.

Hu Xiaotian said: "At this late hour, it's not proper for a single man and woman to be alone together in a room."

Tang Qingxuan said: "What are you afraid of? What else could I do to you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Anything up?"

Tang Qingxuan said: "Tomorrow I might need to go out."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Finally figured it out—are you heading back to Dakang?"

Tang Qingxuan said: "No, I'm going out with my elder brother to handle some matters."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What matters?"

"Private affairs!"

Hu Xiaotian also had no interest in pressing for details—he had a pile of his own affairs to sort out—so he nodded and said: "Be careful when you go out; after all, this isn't Yongdu, and you need to rein in your bad temper."

Tang Qingxuan unexpectedly nodded obediently and whispered: "I went to see the Princess today."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What did she say?"

Tang Qingxuan sighed helplessly: "She is truly pitiful; if it weren't for her courage to sacrifice herself, we would all be doomed this time."

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed, thinking Tang Qingxuan was almost certainly deceived by Xi Yan—ten Tang Qingxuans wouldn't be a match for Xi Yan's wit. He said: "There's no need to bring this up again; just pretend it never happened."

Tang Qingxuan nodded, as if she wanted to say something, but held back and finally dismissed the thought, whispering: "I'll go first; you should rest early too."

Hu Xiaotian saw her out the door, watched her back, and suddenly felt that this girl had undergone a significant change lately—completely different from the willful, spoiled girl he first met. It seems only after experiencing setbacks can one grow quickly.

The next morning, Hu Xiaotian rose early, having promised to go to the Prince Yan's manor that day to treat Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's illness. After washing up and finishing his breakfast, he left the Qichen Palace gates and saw the Prince Yan manor's luxurious carriage already waiting there. The manor's steward, Tie Zheng, came up to Hu Xiaotian, clasped his fists in salute, and said: "Good morning, Sir Hu; I am here on the Prince's orders to await you."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Steward Tie, you're early—has the Prince risen yet?"

Tie Zheng said: "The Prince rose early and is now in the manor awaiting your esteemed arrival, Sir Hu."

Prince Yan Xue Shengjing rose before dawn; his hidden ailment had troubled him for many days. These days, following Hu Xiaotian's method, he not only saw no improvement but felt it worsening. Over the past two days his spirits have become listless, and he often feels dry‑mouthed and thirsty. Xue Shengjing also wondered whether Hu Xiaotian might be playing a trick on him, but the thought that just entered his mind was quickly dismissed—after all, Hu Xiaotian shouldn't have the gall to do that. "Play a trick on this prince? Unless you brat don't want your life!" He also recalled how Hu Xiaotian had persistently begged to become sworn brothers with him; since the oath, he's felt embarrassed to go out, what with his stature—being a Dakang prince—having sworn brotherhood with a little Dakang eunuch; who knows how many people will laugh at this.

While Prince Yan Xue Shengjing anxiously waited, Hu Xiaotian finally arrived, slightly delayed. The Prince rose to greet him with a beaming smile: "Brother, you've finally come."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Elder brother, don't blame me—I was delayed a bit while preparing things, but today I'll definitely be in time to treat your illness."

Xue Shengjing said: "Everything needed for the surgery has been readied; brother, do you want to go have a look?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and followed Xue Shengjing to the specially prepared operating room. As the saying goes, money makes things easy; following his instructions, Xue Shengjing had specially set up a room here for surgery. The room was dust‑free, the air filled with a wine aroma, all instruments had been boiled in water for disinfection, and even the floor had been scrubbed repeatedly with strong liquor.

Hu Xiaotian observed the room and its lighting; lacking a shadowless lamp, they lit it with candles and used copper mirrors around to reflect light, basically eliminating dead angles on the operating table. Hu Xiaotian had been in this era for a not‑short time, but the surgical environment this time should be the best yet.

Xue Shengjing said: "Brother, are you still satisfied?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Satisfied." He looked at Xue Shengjing and said: "Elder brother, go bathe and change; I'll make a few preparations here, and we'll start in half an hour."

Xue Shengjing had finally awaited the moment for his treatment; he felt a mix of joy and nervousness, after all, cutting into one's vital parts is no trivial matter—if something went wrong, the happiness of his lower body and the rest of his life would be ruined.

Monday, please cast a recommendation vote—those recommendation tickets in your hands are idle anyway, so vote for the Medical Union! (To be continued~^~)