Chapter 788

In just a few days, first Princess Anping of Dakang was assassinated and died, then it was the turn of the Black Hu Fourth Prince; what kind of conspiracy and intrigue lies behind this series of assassinations? This cast a heavy shadow of doubt over the hearts of many in Yongdu.

Some households rejoiced, others mourned; the death of Wanyan Chixiong plunged the Black Hu people into grief, while many Da Yong people felt low-spirited due to possible reprisals, yet it delighted many Dakang people. Xiang Jimin was one of them; when he told this news to Hu Xiaotian, he could barely conceal his inner joy.

Although Hu Xiaotian had returned safely to the Qichen Palace, his heart remained anxious and uneasy even now; although he had taken full precautions last night, he still did not know whether Dong Tianjiang and Zong Tang had escaped safely. Even if both had escaped, Zong Tang would be fine, but would Dong Tianjiang, out of anger, expose himself? This possibility is slim, after all Dong Tianjiang is no fool; if he exposed himself, it would amount to admitting that it was them who sneaked into the Red Mountain Club last night.

After Xiang Jimin reported the news of Wanyan Chixiong's death to Hu Xiaotian, he found that Hu Xiaotian had no reaction whatsoever to this great good news, and he couldn't help but feel strange: 'Sir Hu, have you heard already?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'What are you talking about?' His mind was in a daze; he hadn't heard a word of what Xiang Jimin had just said.

Xiang Jimin was both laughing and crying; he lowered his voice and said, 'Wanyan Chixiong is dead.'

And what then?

Xiang Jimin found Hu Xiaotian's cold response somewhat boring: 'His death means that the Black Hu and Da Yong cannot successfully ally this time.'

Hu Xiaotian's lips curled into a wry smile: 'The princess is dead, so the marriage alliance between Da Yong and Dakang has failed, but this may not necessarily affect the relations between the two countries; the same goes for the Black Hu and Da Yong. Sir, you have been an official for many years—do you still not understand that the interests between states are based on the big picture? They will not change because of personal matters.'

Hearing this, Xiang Jimin secretly felt a bit ashamed; indeed, having been an official for many years, he was not as perceptive as Hu Xiaotian on these matters.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you think this way, others will too; if everyone believes we are the beneficiaries of this matter, then someone might suspect us.'

Xiang Jimin sucked in a breath of cold air and said, 'Not bad, not bad! Sir Hu is right.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'In two days it will be the princess's seventh day; the Zajia now wants nothing else but to leave safely and without incident.' At that moment his eyes suddenly lit up, for he saw Dong Tianjiang walking into his courtyard.

Seeing Dong Tianjiang appear safe and sound before him, Hu Xiaotian felt relieved, yet also somewhat apprehensive, for he had entrapped Dong Tianjiang the previous night. When they were trapped in the Hongyan Lou, Dong Tianjiang had wanted to confront him, but forced by circumstances, he had to suppress his anger; today he most likely came to question him.

Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, Dong Tianjiang's tiger eyes flashed with a cold light, and his fists clenched involuntarily. Even Xiang Jimin sensed that Dong Tianjiang came with ill intent, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Hu Xiaotian smiled calmly and said, 'Sir Xiang, please go out first; I have some words to say with General Dong.'

Xiang Jimin hurriedly left the courtyard. Dong Tianjiang stepped toward Hu Xiaotian, glaring at him, gnashing his teeth, and said, 'Hu Xiaotian, you've done a fine thing!'

Hu Xiaotian softly sighed and said, 'General Dong, if you don't want this matter to become public knowledge, we had better go inside to talk.'

Dong Tianjiang nodded resentfully and said, 'I don't see what else you could have to say.'

The two entered the room, and before Dong Tianjiang could speak, Hu Xiaotian clasped his fists and bowed deeply, saying, 'General Dong, last night's incident was purely accidental; I never expected to be set up, and I am also a victim. If you feel I have wronged you, feel free to kill or cut me as you wish.' Having said that, he drew a dagger from his waist, turned it around, and offered the handle to Dong Tianjiang.

Hu Xiaotian's gesture left Dong Tianjiang stunned; he bit his lip, snatched the dagger, and said in a low voice, 'Don't think that doing this will make me let you off.'

Hu Xiaotian raised his head, closed his eyes, and said, 'I, Hu Xiaotian, know I have made a grave mistake; General Dong, go ahead and act—I will have no complaint.'

Dong Tianjiang gritted his teeth, raised the dagger, and thrust it hard into the side table; with a 'duo!' sound, the dagger pierced the tabletop and sank to the hilt. Sitting in the chair, his anger not yet spent, he said, 'Even if I killed you now, it would be of no use; do you not know that the Black Hu people now believe I am connected to the Red Mountain Club incident?'

Hu Xiaotian opened his eyes; in fact he had already anticipated that Dong Tianjiang was merely momentarily angry and had no intention of killing him, otherwise he would not have dared to hand over the dagger. He smiled and said, 'They can say whatever they like, but they have no evidence, no proof that the general is involved in this matter; as long as the general does not admit it, others can do nothing.'

Dong Tianjiang tapped his fingers twice on the table, sighed, and said, 'Do you think I'm stupid? I certainly won't admit to this.'

Hearing his tone ease, Hu Xiaotian sat beside him, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Dong Tianjiang, lowering his voice: 'Did you and Zong Tang both escape?'

Dong Tianjiang nodded and said, 'He's fine; I inquired and found he's already working at the ironworks. Hu Xiaotian, why did Wanyan Chixiong mention my name and Huo Shengnan's, yet not say a word about the two of you?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I'm not sure either; perhaps someone wanted to frame the two generals deliberately, or maybe in his eyes I and Zong Tang were not worth much.'

Dong Tianjiang lifted his teacup, took a sip, and asked, 'Where is Huo Shengnan now?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, 'After escaping last night, everyone went their separate ways; I don't know where she went, but I heard that this morning the Emperor issued a warrant for her arrest, so she should be fine.'

Dong Tianjiang said, 'She may be in trouble; the bow and arrow used to shoot Wanyan Chixiong last night belonged to the Grand Marshal Weichi Chong, and it has always been kept in the White Tiger Hall of the Marshal's residence.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Does anyone know that you took her away from the Dali Temple?'

Dong Tianjiang said, 'Of course people would know; I simply insist that, while escorting her away, she excused herself to go to the restroom and escaped while I was off guard; as for what happened afterward, I know nothing.'

By now Hu Xiaotian had completely put his mind at ease; Dong Tianjiang is no fool, he certainly knows how to deal with this matter, and by now he would never dare to reveal the truth no matter what; merely clearing his own name is already no easy feat.

Dong Tianjiang leaned closer to Hu Xiaotian and asked, 'Have you mentioned last night's incident to anyone else?'

Hu Xiaotian countered, 'Do you think I would?'

Dong Tianjiang asked, 'Exactly who provided you with that information?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Dong, talking about this now is pointless; all we need to do is pretend last night's incident never happened.'

Dong Tianjiang said, 'We can, but Huo Shengnan is hard to guarantee.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Hasn't she already escaped?'

Dong Tianjiang said, 'If she manages to escape the pursuit, that's fine; but if she falls into the hands of the court, she might very well implicate us all.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'General Dong, you need not worry; General Huo is unlikely to betray his friends.'

Dong Tianjiang sighed with worry and said, 'I hope she is not.'

Hu Xiaotian lowered his voice and said, 'Actually, even if she were truly captured, her word alone would prove nothing; General Dong could simply deny it and accuse her of deliberately dragging you down as a scapegoat.' Hu Xiaotian was not trying to frame Huo Shengnan; given the current situation, Huo Shengnan is already deep in trouble, and adding a bit more trouble would not matter much.

Dong Tianjiang nodded and said, 'I will petition the Emperor to take personal charge of capturing Huo Shengnan; I must not let her fall into others' hands.'

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; he realized that Dong Tianjiang harbored murderous intent toward Huo Shengnan, and only by eliminating her could the hidden danger be fully removed. Yet Dong Tianjiang's words made Hu Xiaotian alert: since he could harbor such thoughts toward Huo Shengnan, he could not rule out bearing ill will toward himself and Zong Tang, so he must remain vigilant and remind Zong Tang as soon as possible.

That afternoon, the commander of the Da Yong Jinyun Guard, Shi Kuan, came to the Qichen Palace. Hu Xiaotian had thought he came to investigate last night's Red Mountain Club incident, but he did not expect that Shi Kuan's visit was to inform him of the investigation into Princess Anping's assassination. According to Shi Kuan, the investigation is now complete: the assassination of Princess Anping was masterminded by Huo Shengnan, who exploited her duty guarding the Qichen Palace to collude with foreign forces and kill the princess, all because she had long harbored a secret love for the Seventh Prince, Xue Daoming; out of jealousy turned to hatred, she did not hesitate to kill the princess to thwart her marriage to the Seventh Prince.

Upon hearing this investigation conclusion, Hu Xiaotian felt it was utterly absurd. This female general, who once had earned great military merit for Da Yong, had now unfortunately become a pawn sacrificed by Da Yong. Da Yong decided to discard this pawn in order to give an explanation to both Dakang and the Black Hu; the explanation sounds plausible on the surface, but it cannot withstand scrutiny.

Hu Xiaotian felt indignation for Huo Shengnan, yet also a slight consolation, for Da Yong had placed all the blame on her, meaning that in the short term the matter could be considered settled and would not affect others; although Da Yong's decisive approach might make Weichi Chong feel bitter, it is nonetheless a way to keep the impact confined to a minimal scope.

Huo Shengnan's fate is actually the result of multiple factors; the Da Yong Emperor Xue Shengkang not only had to give Dakang and the Black Hu a reasonable explanation, but also wanted to use this occasion to warn Weichi Chong—serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; even one who has achieved unparalleled merit like Weichi Chong cannot escape the sovereign's suspicion. (To be continued~^~)