Chapter 87
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D*mn it, d*mn it, d*mn it!
Why didn’t the original owner tell him earlier that Xu Chunmu’s surname was Shen! If he had known the truth earlier, he would have immediately persuaded Xu Chunmu to leave when Xu Chunmu rebelled, taking him far away, ensuring he never returned.
He thought Xu Chunmu was truly the grandson of Xu Yi, believing that the thirty thousand troops could protect him. He thought that, as the grandson of Xu’s family, he had no archenemy in the court.
Xu Chunmu was born noble, pure in nature, and not greedy for power.
Chu Xie had always been puzzled. How could such a person die when the new emperor ascended the throne?
It turned out that he was a hidden descendant of the Shen family, concealed by Xu Yi.
Now it was truly over.
Jiang Yanchi stripped himself of power, but he did not hand over the thirty thousand troops to Xu Chunmu.
Neither he nor his little brother, under the ruthless persecution of Su Mingan, had any ability to protect themselves.
It was simply…
The worst possible situation.
Revealing Xu Chunmu’s identity would lead to his execution due to his noble status.
Keeping his identity secret would result in his beheading for failing to clear the charges.
No, at the moment, clearing the charges was not the real issue.
Su Mingan could kill Xu Chunmu at any time. He didn’t need to wait for a formal conviction – that would take too long. As long as there was an interrogation record in the Ministry of Justice, he could assassinate Xu Chunmu discreetly, disguising it as an escape or suicide.
As long as he firmly denied any significant connection with Xu Chunmu, he could quietly sweep the matter under the rug.
The original text already indicated the suspicious circumstances of Xu Chunmu’s death. Su Mingan was always efficient in his actions, leaving no room for evidence.
How long did it take to plan a murder? An hour or two?
Chu Xie felt a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
Was it already too late?
Creak, creak.
The carriage moved again, heading toward the palace.
Jiang Yanchi.
Suddenly, those three words crossed Chu Xie’s mind.
Was it still possible to seek Jiang Yanchi’s help now? Was he awake, and would he believe him?
Chu Xie’s hands trembled slightly, and he tried his best to steady them. However, his eyes couldn’t hide the confusion. Even Qi Sui noticed his hesitation.
But other ideas were quickly discarded.
“Stop.”
Chu Xie leaped off the carriage, stumbling a few steps. Qi Sui reached out, but failed to catch any part of his clothing. For a moment, he was stunned. When he refocused, he saw Chu Xie’s figure floating away, turning into a narrow alley.
Qi Sui hurried to catch up, but upon entering the alley, there was no sign of Chu Xie.
Only faint bloodstains on the ground remained.
He suddenly had a very bad premonition. Immediately, he went back and untied the ropes at the front of the carriage, mounted his horse, and headed towards the palace.
As the year-end approached, the streets were bustling with people. However, the once bright sunlight quietly faded, eventually obscured by a blanket of dark clouds.
A blanket of pure white snowflakes fell on his fingertips.
Looking down at the bustling street, Duan Se revealed a smile warmer than the sunlight.
“Niang Niang.” The steward from the Chu residence behind her draped a heavy cloak over her. “It’s snowing, quite cold. Come inside.”
“What does Lord Chu want with me?” Duan Se took the hot tea from the steward, warming her hands as she asked, “Didn’t he say that I shouldn’t enter the capital anymore?”
“The Lord’s intention is that, until His Majesty firmly holds substantial power, it would be best for Niang Niang not to enter the capital,” the steward explained.
“Ah.” Duan Se sipped the tea, almost scalding her mouth, and smiled shyly. “Then when can we meet Lord Chu?”
“Milady, our Lord… is no longer Lord Chu. He has been dismissed from the position of Zhangyin by His Majesty.”
Clatter.
The cup in Duan Se’s hand fell to the ground.
“Why did he dismiss Lord Chu?”
“This matter is a long story. Since their marriage, their relationship seems to have been somewhat strained. Recently, our Lord’s actions have become increasingly difficult, and now it has come to…”
Following Chu Xie’s orders, the steward was coaxing and complaining, and just as he was about to get to the crucial point, the door was pushed open, and a cold wind blew in.
Pale hands clung to the door frame as Chu Xie stepped into the room, his boots stained with blood, strands of disheveled hair at his temples also soaked in blood, presenting a disheveled appearance.
“Lord!” The steward was shocked, immediately took off his own cloak, covering Chu Xie’s bloodstained body, gritting his teeth. “The people from the Prison really dare to do this.”
“Chu…”
Those ice-cold eyes lifted, and Duan Se had never seen Chu Xie’s eyes so resolute. For a moment, she stood frozen in place.
With a swish, a short dagger was unsheathed and pressed against Duan Se’s neck.
Duan Se couldn’t see the person behind her, only gazing at Chu Xie’s indifferent eyes. Still in a daze, she asked, “Lord Chu, what is this…”
He covered his mouth and coughed a few times before saying, “Take her away.”
“Lord Chu, you…”
The back of her neck was forcefully struck, and Duan Se immediately fainted. Chu Xie ordered his guards to drag Duan Se away and had her detained at the city gate.
Watching the bustling crowd below, Chu Xie coughed again, the taste of blood suppressing the sweetness in his throat. He tied Duan Se’s hands and stationed the remaining guards at the city gate. The hidden guards took positions behind the roof with knives at hand.
News spread quickly, and he soon saw the Su residence’s carriage at the end of the street. Chu Xie draped a dark cloak over himself, concealing the injuries that were hard to look at. He, resembling jade, still carried the demeanor of his former glorious days.
“Su Mingan.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but he knew the people below could hear clearly. “Where is Xu Chunmu.”
“You’re still alive, weren’t you already…”
In the carriage, Zhao Lingqu exclaimed in surprise, but was silenced by Su Mingan with a raised hand. He only lifted his head to see Chu Xie holding what appeared to be a woman in his hands.
The fine snow fell softly, remaining undisturbed on the woman’s black hair.
Su Mingan approached, ordering his guards to clear the surrounding crowd. Looking at Chu Xie’s pale face on the city wall, knowing he was at his last gasp, Su Mingan sneered, “Chu Xie, your time is over. Why struggle like this?”
“Let’s talk, you release Xu Chunmu. I’ll die,” Chu Xie said with red-tipped nose, frost forming on his eyelashes. “One life for another. How do you want me to die? I’m at your disposal.”
Su Mingan laughed but didn’t respond. “I don’t want any of you to die. It’s your own actions that led to this, not my choice.”
Chu Xie sighed deeply, “I just want a way out. Must you force me onto a path of death, Su Mingan? You have a ruthless heart.”
He smiled but remained silent.
“If you wanted me dead, why didn’t you kill me from the beginning?”
The blade in Chu Xie’s hand trembled slightly as he pointed it at the Grand Tutor below the city wall. “You saved me, raised me, and betrayed and killed me. Su Mingan, you are despicable—”
The sky darkened.
The snowfall intensified, quickly accumulating on the ground.
Chu Xie, with the memories of the original host, vividly recalled that Su Mingan had once saved him on a snowy night like this.
He told himself he had to take revenge and promised to help him.
But in the end, Su Mingan framed the original host with the death of Jiang Jingan, leading to his brutal execution.
“I didn’t save you,”
Su Mingan’s smile was as cold as the silent snow, “I just want you to die again.”
In this world, there seemed to be no one who hoped to stay alive.
It was too pitiful.
These miserable ten years passed by in the blink of an eye.
Because of the connection between Chu Xie and Xu Chunmu, even if he could start over, life remained utterly hopeless.
The original host asked him to save Xu Chunmu, but how could it be possible? Su Mingan had calculated everything step by step, with Jiang Yanchen in power and Chu Xie weakened.
Chu Xie had committed too many atrocities under Su Mingan’s manipulation.
Everyone who once feared Chu Xie in the capital would come to hate him once he lost power.
Without the support of Zhao Xuan and Qi Sui, and even Jiang Yanchen not helping him, it was impossible for him to survive, let alone protect Xu Chunmu, who held a colossal secret.
Su Mingan seemed to perceive the despair in Chu Xie’s eyes.
With a slow blink and a movement of his white beard, he spoke gently, as if comforting, “Dying as a member of the Xu family… is still better than ending up beaten and dispersed.”
Chu Xie’s pupils quivered.
“Chu Xie, your father killed so many Yue Clan people, and you killed many Great Wei people. If you say you’ve died, what do you think he’ll feel when he sees you?”
Lifting his foot over the thin layer of snow, making a slight sound like the friction of fine gravel, Su Mingan said, “The people you wanted to kill, Chen Lianzhou, Ningyuan Wang, and Xu Yi, are all dead. What more do you want…”
“Stop.”
Chu Xie’s gaze was askew. The guards swiftly descended, he firmly held onto Duan Se’s body, exposing her face to the people below the city gate.
Su Mingan’s footsteps abruptly halted.
“She…”
A cold wind stirred the fine snow, creating a white mist. Chu Xie, chilled to the core, coughed violently, and this time, the coughing shook his lungs. A few specks of blood splattered on the white snow beneath his feet.
The blood at the corner of his mouth was silently wiped away.
With a calm expression, he looked down at the city gate. “Take a good look, see who she is.”
Speaking, he exhaled some white vapor, obscuring those silent and dense eyes.
As the situation reversed, the smile at the corner of Su Mingan’s mouth gradually faded. Instead, Chu Xie, supporting himself against the deep brown city wall, cracked a cold and eerie smile with blood-red lips.
“Grand Tutor Su, General Zhao, take a good look.” Chu Xie’s eyes concealed the last trace of radiance as he pulled Duan Se closer by grabbing a strand of her hair.
Zhao Lingqu clearly did not recognize Duan Se.
However, Su Mingan retreated several steps without saying a word. Although he didn’t speak, his icy and stiff gaze hit Chu Xie straight in the chest.
“What is this?” Zhao Lingqu didn’t understand why Su Mingan suddenly fell silent.
“Oh, General Zhao doesn’t recognize her. This woman is the current Emperor’s birth mother.”
Chu Xie chuckled softly, watching the woman with a sinister and gloomy gaze.
“The last princess of the Yue Clan.”
The last surviving orphan of the Yue imperial family, who managed to survive because she gave birth to Jiang Yanchi.
“If I and Xu Chunmu are unforgivable, should she be allowed to live?”
Chu Xie could only gamble now.
Just on the carriage moments ago, he suddenly figured something out.
Su Mingan sought power in four dynasties, clearly hated Shen Qianan, and despised Great Wei.
Yet, he still chose to ally with Emperor Xuanhe, washing away his identity as a Yue Clan person and climbing step by step to the position of Grand Tutor in Shangjing City.
He even manipulated Emperor Changping as a puppet after causing the death of Emperor Xuanhe.
Now, with Emperor Changping dead, he was supporting Jiang Yanchi.
He must have something he wanted to accomplish.
Despite scheming through three dynasties, he had not succeeded.
He was a Yue Clan person, and the Yue Clan was destroyed, with only one young Duan Se surviving among the royal family. If only one princess remained, why did Su Mingan persist in seeking power for half his life?
Chu Xie turned his gaze to the young General Zhao behind him.
Zhao Lingqu.
He was the same age as Xu Chunmu, born in the 13th year of Yongan.
He was the surviving illegitimate child in the Yue royal court who couldn’t be killed.
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