Chapter 755

Hu Xiaotian came along with Prince Yan; although Prince Yan Xue Shengjing brought him inside, he was unwilling to go together to visit Huo Shengnan, and it seemed that Prince Yan and Huo Shengnan were not on good terms. Upon arriving at the place where Huo Shengnan was temporarily under house arrest, after arranging everything for him, Xue Shengjing left.

Hu Xiaotian came to the door and deliberately pinched his voice to call out; having been in the palace for a long time, imitating the tone of a eunuch had become second nature to him.

Huo Shengnan never expected Hu Xiaotian to return to visit her, and she felt greatly curious.

Weichi Chong looked toward the doorway, only to see Hu Xiaotian poking his head through the crack, his face lit up with a bright, sunny smile.

When Weichi Chong learned this boy's identity, he really felt a bit muddled—his master Princess Anping had died only a few days ago, yet he laughed so brightly, as if nothing had happened; is this boy heartless, or is he naturally indifferent?

Hu Xiaotian entered the courtyard and, seeing besides Huo Shengnan there was also an old man, he was momentarily startled and immediately wiped the smile from his face.

Huo Shengnan went up to him and said softly, 'Sir Hu, why have you come?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I came to check if General Huo had any trouble, and also to ask them to recount the specific details of that night, hoping it might be of some help to General Huo.'

Huo Shengnan felt her heart warm at his words; although Hu Xiaotian seemed frivolous on the surface, getting to know him revealed he was quite righteous—after the incident at Qixing Palace, he did not kick her when she was down, and even after her imprisonment he still remembered to come visit her.

Weichi Chong said, 'You must be the marriage envoy from Dakang, Hu Xiaotian, Sir Hu, right?'

Hu Xiaotian had never met Weichi Chong; looking at the old man, he silently wondered about his identity, and Huo Shengnan whispered a reminder: 'This is my foster father, Grand Marshal Weichi of Dagong's armed forces.'

Hu Xiaotian hurried forward, clasped his fists and bowed deeply: 'Junior Hu Xiaotian pays his respects to Marshal Weichi!'

Weichi Chong smiled and said, 'No need for excessive ceremony—you are not a subject of Dagong, nor am I a general of Dakang; meeting here we need not stand on ceremony, we can treat it as fellow countrymen meeting.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Marshal, you have always been my idol; I have long admired your character.'

Weichi Chong chuckled lightly, 'Admired? I am just a mere warrior—what is there to admire?' Then he said to Huo Shengnan, 'Shengnan, you two talk; I have other business, I'll take my leave.'

Huo Shengnan understood; her foster father clearly did not want to chat more with this young fellow from Dakang, and over the years he had always been opposed to anything Dakang-related. She nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'See you off, Marshal!'

Weichi Chong smiled, nodded at Hu Xiaotian, and said, 'Young man, I've heard of some of your deeds; you indeed have some grit.' After speaking, he stepped away.

After Weichi Chong left, Huo Shengnan asked curiously, 'Sir Hu, you are not keeping vigil for the princess at Qixing Palace; what brings you here?'

Hu Xiaotian sighed, 'The memorial hall has been taken over by your Seventh Prince; there's not even room to squeeze in, I can't even find a place to weep.'

After being confined here, Huo Shengnan was unaware of what had happened at Qixing Palace. Hearing Hu Xiaotian say that, she was startled: 'What? The Seventh Prince himself went to Qixing Palace to keep vigil?'

'If not, how could he appear devoted and righteous?' Hu Xiaotian's words were full of mockery.

Huo Shengnan said, 'Sir Hu, you harbor a great grudge.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Huo probably doesn't know what has happened these past two days.' He then briefly recounted to her what had occurred after Huo Shengnan was taken away. Only then did Huo Shengnan realize that, after her departure, the affair at Qixing Palace had not been settled, and Princess Anping's fate turned out to be so tragic. In the end, not even a whole corpse remained—just thinking about it is pitiful. Huo Shengnan sighed gloomily, 'All of this stems from me; if I had not abandoned my post that night, perhaps none of this would have happened.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Huo, have you ever considered that the whole affair might be a conspiracy?'

Huo Shengnan looked at Hu Xiaotian and blinked, not understanding what he meant.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'In General Huo's heart, do you consider me a friend?'

Huo Shengnan gazed at Hu Xiaotian's sincere face and lightly nodded, saying, 'Since Sir Hu helped me deal with those Black Hu assassins last time, we have already been friends.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'In my heart I have long regarded you as a friend; I should have left Yongdu long ago, but the emperor entrusted Princess Anping to come and tell me, hoping to let her remains stay in Yongdu to complete the seven-day mourning before departure. Since the person is already dead, leaving after seven days or earlier makes no difference, especially for me; yet for Dagong, these seven days are to be spent making every effort to regain face.' Hu Xiaotian chuckled and added, 'Perhaps saying this will sound unpleasant to you.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'That is also a fact.' Anyone with clear eyes can see that Dagong's demand that Princess Anping's remains stay in Yongdu past the seven days is merely to put on a show, to make up for their earlier shortcomings, and also to give Dakang an explanation.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I have stayed in the palace for a relatively long time and have seen many things; originally I planned to leave after the princess's seven-day mourning, but after thinking it over, I still wanted to come see you face to face, because there are some things I must say to you in person to set my mind at ease.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'Since we are friends, just say what you have to say.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'The princess's assassination probably was not the work of the Black Hu; in my view, the person who plotted this killing is likely from within Dagong itself.'

Huo Shengnan furrowed her brows but did not refute; in fact, she had also suspected this herself.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'As an outsider, even if I wanted to uncover the true culprit I lack the ability; if I insisted stubbornly, I might end up dragging my own name into it—my death would be of little consequence, but I still must escort the princess's remains back to Kangdu for burial.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'Just say what you want to say; no need to beat around the bush.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Huo, do you really think that the Empress Dowager summoning you to Cien Garden that day was merely a coincidence?'

Huo Shengnan naturally understood what Hu Xiaotian was hinting at, yet a voice deep inside insisted, 'The Empress Dowager would not harm me; she treats me like her own granddaughter—how could she do me harm?' If she harbored ill will toward me, why would she have recommended me to Qixing Palace in the first place? The more she thought, the more confused she became; during this period, many events have occurred that simply defy explanation.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Huo, could you agree to one thing for me?'

Huo Shengnan quietly gazed at Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'There is no need to pursue the matter of Qixing Palace further.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'You need not worry about that; even if I wanted to investigate now, I lack the opportunity.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Regarding what happened that night, I will tell the truth; even if it cannot exonerate General Huo, at least it can prove that the incident has nothing to do with him.'

Huo Shengnan shook her head and said, 'Thank you for your kindness; if you truly wish to help me, then offer a stick of incense before the princess's spirit to express my apology.' She had already seen the situation clearly: Dagong needs to find someone to blame for Princess Anping's death; the Consort Shu and her son, in order to turn public opinion against their unfavorable position, also need to shift the blame away from themselves; and the emperor, due to his own need to maintain rule, uses this affair to strike at his foster father, thereby weakening his military power. Even if this incident does not result in a death sentence, escaping responsibility would likely be impossible.

Hu Xiaotian looked at Huo Shengnan's wan face, and boundless sympathy welled up in his heart; despite her superb martial skills, in this political struggle she can only accept her fate as a sacrificial pawn.

Hu Xiaotian left the Ministry of Justice, because Prince Yan had already departed earlier and had not left a carriage or horse to send him back; one suspects it was not an unintentional oversight but done deliberately to express his dissatisfaction with Hu Xiaotian's fraud against him. Hu Xiaotian lowered his head to look at that jade pixiu, ran his hand over it—smooth and fine—and felt really refreshed; today he finally had his revenge for Xue Shengjing's previous refusal to lend him the Black Ice Clam—like shooting an arrow in return.

From the Ministry of Justice to Qixing Palace there was still a considerable distance; Hu Xiaotian looked around, preparing to hire a carriage to go back, when fortunately a covered wagon came slowly toward him, driven by a sallow, thin man.

Hu Xiaotian waved at him and said, 'Sir, could you give me a ride?'

The man reined in his horses and stopped beside Hu Xiaotian, asking, 'Where to?'

'Qixing Palace!'

'Ten taels of silver!'

Hu Xiaotian was startled— the distance from here to Qixing Palace is only five li, yet the fare was outrageously high. Although he was not short of money, he did not want to be taken for a sucker. He said, 'You may go!' Thinking to himself, I'll just call another carriage, so as not to be cheated by him.

The man again said, 'I named the price; you can haggle.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Will you pull me for a single cash?'

The man laughed, 'I'll pull you even without payment—come aboard!'

Hu Xiaotian had originally been just trying to give the driver a hard time, but he never expected the man to readily agree; he felt strangely puzzled, seeing the driver's eyes were a bit odd, and then when the man smiled, he revealed a mouth of even, white teeth, and Hu Xiaotian's heart suddenly brightened. He said, 'Are you...?' Although he could not be certain the driver was Xi Yan in disguise, from the familiar smile on the driver's face he could still detect a hint of resemblance.

The driver's voice suddenly turned soft and sweet: 'You're really stingy—hurry up and get in!'

Although Hu Xiaotian knew Xi Yan's tricks were endless, upon actually meeting her his heart still warmed; he lifted the carriage curtain and climbed aboard.

Xi Yan then shifted back to the man's voice: 'Sir, where are you headed?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You know full well—Qixing Palace!'

Xi Yan said: "Sir, I heard there's a place called Exquisite Flavors House in Yongdu, and the food is quite good."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Then let's go give it a try!"

"All right!" Xi Yan cracked a loud whip, and the carriage headed toward Exquisite Flavors House.

When the monthly tickets reach a hundred, I'll release the fourth extra chapter. Brothers and sisters, you're being so supportive—even if Zhangyu is tired, he's happy to do it. The sincerity of the four extra chapters is overflowing; please keep voting for monthly tickets and showing your support! (To be continued~^~)