Chapter 88
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Just like Xu Yi washed away the identity of Xu Chunmu and hid him in the Northern Territory, Su Mingan erased the identity of this Yue imperial prince and concealed him in the Western Territory.
This Zhao Lingqu, he is Duan Se’s younger brother and Jiang Yanchi’s uncle.
Therefore, Jiang Yanchi would definitely not help himself.
Even if he knew the truth, he would undoubtedly stand on Zhao Lingqu’s side because Zhao Lingqu was his relative.
It was precisely because of Zhao Lingqu’s existence that Su Mingan worked tirelessly for decades, rooted himself in Great Wei, and served the descendants of his enemies, seeking the supreme glory and power.
From the moment Jiang Yanchi was born, he had decided to support this child as the emperor.
Using his own hands, he cleared away the remnants of the old crown prince party, accumulating a debt of sin but ultimately changing his fate, smoothing the way for this child he had barely managed to preserve in the cold palace to become the Crown Prince.
However, after Emperor Xuanhe’s death, Emperor Changping had no real power. Ningyuan Wang in the Northern Territory and Xu Yi held separate military powers. Even though he manipulated this inept emperor, he was fundamentally incapable of achieving his goal.
He wanted a child with Yue blood to become the emperor, and this emperor needed to wield significant power.
Only then could he use this emperor to mobilize the troops in the northwest of Great Wei and realize his ambitious plans.
Chu Xie finally completely understood what Su Mingan truly wanted.
He didn’t desire the Yue blood perpetually flowing in the veins of the Great Wei imperial family.
Instead, he sought the restoration of the Yue Kingdom.
If he had unlocked all the plot points a bit earlier, known about these things sooner, he would not have ended up in such a desperate situation.
Even before Jiang Jingan’s death, he had anticipated the next plot being an assassination in the mountains and forests.
But why, in subsequent opportunities, did he never muster the courage to carry out the assassination?
Xu Chunmu’s identity, Su Mingan’s goals – these were such crucial pieces of information!
He missed out on that crucial intelligence, and later, with no clear sight, he could only desperately believe that killing Zhao Lingqu would ensure Xu Chunmu’s survival.
In the end, his bottom line kept retreating. He even prayed that the person would be able to send Xu Chunmu out of the capital.
Yet, originally, the critical point was not the red-tasseled spear or Zhao Lingqu.
It was Su Mingan.
He was forced to such a defeated state because he couldn’t assassinate Jiang Yanchi and couldn’t unlock all the plots.
It was his own fault.
Chu Xie couldn’t clearly express his current feelings. It seemed like regret, yet not quite.
Thinking about these things now was useless.
He needed to save Xu Chunmu’s life so that the original owner could protect Little Yin.
And now, Duan Se was his last trump card.
This person, who, when he was in power, avoided the eyes of everyone in the capital and saved this universally disliked Yue princess, had become the only lifesaving straw on this dead-end road.
Chu Xie now thoroughly understood why Su Mingan had to subject the original owner to such torment. Su Mingan was a person who enjoyed killing but not torture. In the original text, it must be the impulsive and easily angered Zhao Lingqu who wanted to tear Chu Xie to pieces, as the original owner had poisoned his elder sister, Duan Se.
So.
There is still room for a last-ditch effort in this matter.
Chu Xie pressed the blade against Duan Se’s throat, drawing out a conspicuous droplet of blood.
“How about it?”
Chu Xie smiled, making people feel uneasy. “Where is Xu Chunmu?”
“Chu Xie, you dare touch my sister…”
“General Zhao!” Su Mingan immediately stopped him. “She’s just a Yue person. Be cautious with your words.”
“Su Mingan!” Zhao Lingqu suddenly drew his waist blade and pointed at the other party. “Save her, save her quickly!”
Chu Xie, at this moment, saw the resemblance between Zhao Lingqu and Jiang Yanchi.
Even their impulsive temperaments were strikingly similar.
So, they were relatives.
Su Mingan was meticulous in his actions, just like the original owner. He would not reveal Zhao Lingqu’s identity until the final moment.
But the uncle-nephew relationship between Zhao Lingqu and Jiang Yanchi would sooner or later be exposed. Not to mention the three hundred thousand of military power; both his and Xu Chunmu’s lives might be in danger.
The only glimmer of hope lay in his own efforts.
Jiang Yanchi wouldn’t help him.
“I promise to let Xu Chunmu out of the city. You put down the blade and hand her over to me.”
“Ha….haha.” Chu Xie laughed out loud, gradually becoming arrogant. “Let me see him alive first.”
Chu Xie placed the knife horizontally and lightly created a strand of blood from that delicate neck.
Su Mingan squinted his eyes. “She is the current emperor’s birth mother. If anything happens to her, the emperor will be very sad.”
Chu Xie seemed to understand the meaning behind the Grand Tutor’s words. With an unchanged expression and a gentle tone, he said, “You don’t think that, considering Jiang Yanchi, I won’t harm Duan Se, do you?”
“Isn’t that the case?” Su Mingan couldn’t tell if Chu Xie was pretending or not for a moment. “When Xu Yi rebelled, didn’t you pass on the information to the city?”
His smile only stiffened for a moment, then he sighed, “So it was you who informed Xu Changling, letting Xu Yi receive the news and head to Puyang County. You were so eager to kill me back then. Stop the nonsense. Don’t waste time. I want to see Xu Chunmu now.”
After saying that, he ordered someone to tie a coarse rope around Duan Se’s wrist and hung her on the city tower.
Zhao Lingqu’s heart was instantly clenched. “Chu Xie, you scum!”
“Scum?” Chu Xie played with the small blade in his hand, comparing it to a small finger of Duan Se. “Do you want me to show you what scum is?”
“You dare, you dare!” Zhao Lingqu immediately reached for the weapon behind him, but Chu Xie swiftly moved the knife to the grass rope on Duan Se’s hand. If he cut it, she would immediately fall from the high city wall.
Zhao Lingqu dared not move.
During the standoff, Xu Chunmu was finally brought forward. He looked like he had just been beaten in the prison. He was still unconscious, but his chest rose and fell slightly, indicating that he was still alive.
“Release Xu Chunmu and have my people escort him out. No one is allowed to follow for two hours.” Chu Xie said, “After two hours, I will release Duan Se.”
“No.” Su Mingan immediately rejected this unequal exchange. “Fifteen minutes. If you go back on your word, I will catch up and kill Xu Chunmu.”
“Then forget it, let’s die together.”
Chu Xie showed a look of indifference, truly beginning to cut the rope.
“She’s just a weak woman. Hanging in the cold wind for two hours, she will freeze to death!” Zhao Lingqu roared.
“I don’t care if she lives or dies.”
His eyes were dull, looking like he had run out of patience, “If you don’t want her to die, release Xu Chunmu quickly.”
Snowflakes scattered like goose feathers.
The cold wind blew fiercely, causing Chu Xie’s black robe to flutter. His expression was calm, resembling the most heartless ghost in the world.
Su Mingan understood Chu Xie.
He was a beast that once sank its teeth into prey, it wouldn’t let go.
“Let him out of the city.”
Now Chu Xie was a cornered beast, and there was nothing he wouldn’t risk.
The one who didn’t dare to gamble was himself.
He could only give in.
***
Inside the palace.
When Jiang Yanchi woke up, Qi Sui had been waiting for an hour outside. Along with him were the Minister of Justice and the city gate guard.
“Where is the empress…” He immediately asked upon regaining consciousness.
The leader of the Imperial Guards saw him first. After inquiring about the emperor’s condition from the imperial physician, his expression was unusually solemn. “Your Majesty, hurry to the west gate.”
“Something happened.”
There was no time to meet the Minister of Justice and the magistrate of Yingtian Mansion.
They only saw palace maids rushing in and out, and the emperor, after recovering his consciousness, immediately put on his outer garment and a large cloak, then hurriedly got on a carriage and rushed out of the palace.
The leader of the Imperial Guards said that Chu Xie had hung Duan Niang Niang at the city gate.
How could this be possible?
Jiang Yanchi’s head buzzed, feeling that many things were in chaos. He hadn’t even sorted out one aspect when new situations kept coming, making it impossible for him to cope.
Chu Xie.
What are you trying to do this time?
The snow outside was heavy, and the wind was cold.
Jiang Yanchi felt a dull pain in his chest, covering the wound with his hand and enduring the throbbing pain as he urged the carriage to move faster.
***
Time passed by every minute.
Duan Se had been hanging in the biting wind for nearly two hours. Her hands had turned white, with a touch of bluish-gray. Zhao Lingqu endured the suffering below, but looking at Chu Xie’s expressionless face, he was afraid that an angry outburst would provoke the other party into irreversible actions.
After all, Xu Chunmu has already left the city.
If Chu Xie really wanted to die together with Duan Se, he was afraid he wouldn’t have time to save her.
The accumulated snow on Duan Se and Chu Xie’s heads remained unmelted.
But Chu Xie’s complexion seemed even paler than Duan Se’s.
“The time is up,” Zhao Lingqu stomped his feet, gritting his teeth. “It’s up!”
“Still half a moment left,” Chu Xie looked at the sundial below the city tower. For some reason, his voice had become much softer, as if he were a bit exhausted. “Don’t be anxious, General.”
“You stop it!”
Chu Xie leaned against the city wall, brushing off the snow on the rope. He spoke slowly, “I’ve said it before, don’t rush me.”
“I said two hours, and it’s two hours. Not a moment earlier.”
“She will freeze to death!”
“Hmm.”
Chu Xie merely gave a half-smile, devoid of any warmth.
There was some commotion from a distance around the street corner, causing Chu Xie’s expression to loosen. Seeing the person hastily approaching in a carriage, supported by others, Chu Xie’s eyelashes trembled imperceptibly.
It was Jiang Yanchi.
As he rubbed the rope with his fingertips, it seemed like sparks were being ignited, making people uneasy.
Is Jiang Yanchi still severely injured?
Chu Xie knew that now was not the time to worry about this.
He feared that the Imperial Guards in the shadows had already deployed… Fortunately, at least some time had been bought.
The so-called last-ditch counterattack, achieving such a turnaround, was already the limit.
His trusted guards would escort Xu Chunmu to a safe place. This time, he hadn’t even informed Zhao Xuan—hopefully, he wouldn’t be found again.
“Ah, Ah Xie…”
Jiang Yanchi’s face was pale and blue. Obviously, he had heard about what happened at the city gate on the way. He walked to the city gate, and his trembling hand reached up, “What are you doing… She’s my mother, she…”
Turning back to ask Zhao Lingqu, “How long has it been like this?”
Su Mingan replied, “All in all, it’s been two hours.”
Two hours, in such a cold weather, hanging like this on the icy city wall.
The last trace of color faded from his face, and he was about to speak, but seeing the extreme disdain in Chu Xie’s icy eyes, he hesitated.
Yes, disdain.
Jiang Yanchi looked more deeply and felt that the thin disdain was like a towering wall.
A few days ago, he had imprisoned Xu Chunmu, threatening to torture him severely.
In the dead of night, Chu Xie pressed a knife against his heart, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to stab. A cold tear fell on the back of his hand.
It seemed like a scar had been seared into his heart.
When he was severely injured to save him, and he anxiously called the imperial physician despite risking suspicion of assassination, it was him.
And now, ruthlessly torturing his mother by hanging her in the cold wind, venting his anger fiercely, was also him.
Jiang Yanchi truly, didn’t understand Chu Xie at all.
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