The Foolish Agent

Chapter 109

Eunuch Fu gave him an innocent look. How could he possibly know what was going on? He clearly had Lin Yin'er tied up at Qingfeng Residence!

Jiang Feifan lowered his head in shame. Because he loved Shui Rong'er so much, he couldn't help but tell her everything. He thought that once Shui Rong'er knew he was the man she had always loved, she would agree to go with him. But instead, he was imprisoned by the old man Shui. Not only did he almost ruin the Emperor's important affairs, but he also nearly lost his own life.

Leng Jie coldly watched this farce unfold. She knew it was too late to stop the two women. Any move they made would confirm the Emperor's hidden illness. She was waiting—waiting for someone to appear who could truly understand the essence of the matter. Even if she revealed herself as Empress, pregnant with Xuanyuan's child, no one would believe her, and besides, she didn't want to reveal her identity herself.

"This hypocrite is not only incompetent, but also shameless. He actually gave his own concubine to a subject!" Shui Rong'er roared hoarsely, pointing at Xuan Yuan Yunli.

"Rong'er, you mustn't be disrespectful to the Emperor!" Jiang Feifan tried to stop Shui Rong'er, but unexpectedly, she kicked him hard in the groin. Then, her anger naturally turned to Jiang Feifan.

“Jiang Feifan, you are not only ungrateful but also shameless. Our Shui family raised you, but you have joined forces with outsiders to deal with the Shui family.”

"Hmph! If it weren't for your father framing us and causing the execution of our entire Jiang family, why would I, Jiang Feifan, need your Shui family to support me? Besides, didn't your Shui family raise me just to make me willingly become your pawn? What right do you have to call others shameless?" Jiang Feifan, whose dignity had been trampled on at will by the woman he loved, finally erupted.

Shui Rong'er was stunned by his roar and involuntarily fell silent.

"What a useless woman! She's so easily frightened!" Lin Yin'er, holding her son, glared fiercely at Shui Rong'er, cursing her inwardly. A glint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes as she raised an eyebrow. Holding her son, she slowly approached Xuan Yuan, looking at him with innocent eyes and saying:

"Second Senior Brother! Do you know how much I love you? From the moment Master brought me back from outside the palace and I first saw you, I told myself that I would marry no one but you in this life. Later, when Master passed away, you clearly promised in front of her that you would marry me and take me out of the palace. But did you keep your promise? You didn't. You must be blaming me for being so heartless as to expose your shortcomings now, right?"

Breaking the promise he made to his dying mother had always been a painful wound in Xuan Yuan's heart, and now Lin Yin'er had brought it up again. Xuan Yuan's heart was stirred once more. It seemed he truly had wronged her. A trace of guilt involuntarily appeared on Xuan Yuan's usually indifferent face.

Lin Yin'er was secretly delighted. From Xuan Yuan's changing expression, she clearly saw that her second senior brother wasn't entirely heartless towards her. She continued:

"But do you know how much I've suffered for loving you? The Crown Prince said that if I did as he said, you would definitely marry me. So I drugged your wine, but when you woke up the next morning, your first reaction was to vomit violently. After that, you avoided me every day. The Crown Prince also said that if I got pregnant, you would definitely marry me. So he got me pregnant with Yi'er. But I didn't even have time to tell you about it before you left the palace and abandoned me."

Seeing the change in Xuanyuan's expression, Leng Jie finally couldn't hold back any longer. She couldn't tolerate her man showing remorse towards another woman, especially the wicked Lin Yin'er before her. Leng Jie stepped forward, standing between Xuanyuan and Lin Yin'er, her eyes narrowed as she glanced at her with a mocking look, coldly sneering:

"Lin Yin'er, are you trying to tell everyone that because you love the Emperor, you can conspire with others to frame him time and time again, and then pin the child you had with another man on him for six years? And now you're righteously accusing the Emperor of not favoring you?"

Just as she was about to achieve her goal, an unexpected obstacle suddenly appeared. And the newcomer was none other than the woman Lin Yin'er hated. She glared fiercely at Leng Jie with a sinister, bloodthirsty gaze. Leng Jie returned her gaze with disdain, and before she could offer any excuses, continued coldly:

"I've seen many shameless people, like that Consort Shui just now. She cheated on the Emperor with him, yet dared to blame him in front of everyone. And then there's the Third Prince's mother, Empress Dowager Shui. She bore a son for the Crown Prince, yet she tried to pin the blame on the late Emperor. Of course, we can't forget the Crown Prince who just went to meet his maker. He not only slept with his father's beloved concubine, but also seduced his younger brother's childhood sweetheart." As she spoke, Leng Jie's disdainful gaze swept over Shui Rong'er and Empress Dowager Shui.

Empress Dowager Shui's face flushed red, her expression one of embarrassment and anger. She barked fiercely at Leng Jie, her voice trembling with fear:

"You're being insolent! This is utterly outrageous..."

However, before she could finish speaking, she was frozen in place by a silver needle flicked out by Leng Jie. Leng Jie glared at the Empress Dowager Shui, then shifted her gaze back to Lin Yin'er. Suddenly, her gaze became incredibly sharp, and her voice was chillingly cold:

"But none of them are as shameless as you! We can understand Consort Shui and Empress Dowager Shui's extramarital affairs as a matter of loneliness. After all, they had no feelings for the late Emperor and the current Emperor. There are countless women who have spent their entire lives in the harem without ever being favored by the Emperor. While their extramarital affairs are morally wrong, they are somewhat understandable. As for the Crown Prince's behavior, let's just call him a pervert. Because all of this started because of him. He not only angered the late Emperor to death, but he also ruined himself. In short, he brought it upon himself and has already received his retribution. But where is your shamelessness? Do you even know?"

At this point, Leng Jie paused. She glanced at the ministers who were listening intently and asked them:

"Your shamelessness lies in the fact that after betraying a man who once truly loved you with both your body and soul, you still shamelessly come to him and tell him you love him. What's even more laughable is that you actually attribute your shameless behavior entirely to this person who was completely innocent from beginning to end." Leng Jie glanced back at Xuan Yuan with deep affection, then turned to the ministers and said with absolute certainty:

"Tell me, where has His Majesty gone wrong? Did he ever intend to compete with the Crown Prince for the throne? No! After learning that the Crown Prince had seduced his childhood sweetheart, he chose to leave alone to save face for them. Was he wrong? No! Yet the Crown Prince persisted, even at the cost of the lives and property of the people, inviting a wolf into the house. His aim was to use others to harm his only brother, the Emperor. What else could someone be but a psychopath, capable of causing pain to loved ones and joy to enemies?" With that, Leng Jie turned her gaze to the Empress Dowager Shui, looking at her with disdain.

"Empress Dowager Shui seemed to have some doubts about what I said? Perhaps everyone shares the same doubt about the fact that the late Emperor's third prince was also the son of the abnormal crown prince?"

She was quite pleased with the curious glances from everyone and the flustered, averted look from the Empress Dowager. Leng Jie turned to the ministers and, this time, spoke as casually as if telling a story:

"Everyone knows the legendary story of the late Emperor and Empress, right? Then you should also know that the late Emperor once swore to the late Empress that she would bear him a child for the rest of his life! And you should also have heard of the Dragon Blood Curse that the Xuanyuan clan has always inherited! That is to say, any blood oath sworn by an emperor of the Xuanyuan clan who inherited the dragon blood becomes an unalterable curse. Lord Su, as the Minister of Rites, you should know about this matter, right?"

"This old minister has indeed heard of it." Lord Su, who had always been concerned with royal bloodlines, was taken aback by Leng Jie's words. Finally, seeing that Leng Jie had asked him, he answered without hesitation.

A hint of a smile flashed across Leng Jie's eyes, but her tone remained cold as she asked:

"In that case, do you still believe that the Third Prince was born to the late Emperor and Empress Dowager Shui? Do you still believe that he is qualified to inherit the throne? Most importantly, everyone seems to have forgotten that the Emperor succeeded to the throne according to the late Emperor's will. And how could the late Emperor not know about his beloved son's health condition? Do you ministers really think that the late Emperor would not have thought about the continuation of the royal bloodline?"

Everyone was stunned by Leng Jie's words, for her few sentences had summarized the entire affair, its cause and effect. Most importantly, the Emperor was the victim from beginning to end. Everyone's thoughts involuntarily followed her lead. She was right! Who stipulated that a concubine of the Emperor must be favored by him? Once the Emperor learned that his beloved had conspired with another man to frame him, how could he possibly accept that woman again? Therefore, Lin Yin'er and Consort Shui naturally became objects of everyone's contempt and scorn.

Prime Minister Leng and his wife exchanged a smile; they were proud to have such a woman in their lives!

Leng Yangtian, Xingyue, Qing'er, and the Dragon Gate disciples who came with Leng Jie all looked at Leng Jie with admiration.

Eunuch Fu was happy for the Emperor, because he could see Leng Jie's heart from her protective expression towards him.

Xuanyuan gazed at Leng Jie with deep affection. He had always known of her extraordinary abilities. This wasn't the first time she had protected him in front of everyone. But he knew this time was different; this time, he saw a deep jealousy in her eyes. Especially when Lin Yin'er stood before him, her indignation clearly revealed her feelings. Therefore, he thoroughly enjoyed this feeling—the feeling of being cared for by his lover. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled Leng Jie into his arms, ignoring the astonished gazes of the crowd, he pressed his sensual lips to hers. Completely unprepared, Leng Jie stared at Xuanyuan in astonishment, her eyes asking, "Are you trying to show them that you're normal?"

"What do their thoughts have to do with me?" Xuanyuan replied with an innocent look. At the same time, his nimble tongue had already gently pried open Xiaojie's pearly teeth, slipping into that pool of nectar, vigorously sucking out the sweet nectar. Although Leng Jie had somewhat been forced to accept the kiss, she did not feel any aversion. On the contrary, she deepened the kiss with all her heart. With their feelings intertwined, the two of them, entwined in tender affection, completely lost in their own world.

At first, everyone was astonished by the Emperor's performance, then amazed by their kissing skills. Those inexperienced in the ways of the world blushed, yet couldn't help but stare intently. Those who had just doubted the Emperor's incompetence were now speechless in the face of the facts. They now had to worry about their own and their families' fate.

However, no one noticed that a vicious and sinister light had suddenly appeared in Lin Yin'er's eyes. She suddenly struck out with her palm towards Leng Jie's back. By the time Xuan Yuan noticed, it was too late to stop her. He could only hold Leng Jie and spin her around, presenting his own back to Lin Yin'er.

"Your Majesty!" came the exclamations of the crowd, followed by a sharp "swoosh!" as the sound of a sharp instrument piercing flesh came from Xuanyuan's back. Then, Lin Yin'er pulled a five-inch-long, blood-stained dagger from Xuanyuan's back. "Splat!" A spurt of blood shot out.

All of this happened in an instant; no one had time to react. It was already over. By the time Leng Jie realized something was wrong, Xuan Yuan had already collapsed weakly onto her shoulder.

"Xuanyuan! How are you?" Leng Jie hugged Xuanyuan, reached out and pressed the major acupoints around his wound to stop the gushing blood, and asked anxiously.

"I'm fine..." Xuanyuan wanted to say that he was alright, but before he could finish speaking, he had already fainted.

"Xuanyuan! Xuanyuan..."

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

Leng Jie called out twice, but Xuan Yuan didn't respond. She quickly took his pulse to check his injuries. After checking his pulse, Leng Jie couldn't help but feel a chill. Although the knife wound was severe, it hadn't damaged any vital organs. It shouldn't have caused such serious symptoms. She abruptly turned to Lin Yin'er, who was already restrained by Duanmu Xingyue, and roared:

What did you do to him?

"Hahaha, I knew he would take this blow for you, but he doesn't know that my target isn't you, it's him. Haha, with his martial arts skills, it's impossible for me to implant this Soul-Stealing Vessel into his body. Haha, he's mine, I've suffered so much for him, and today I've finally waited for it. Haha..." Lin Yin'er laughed wildly.

Xingyue pressed the sword against her neck and asked sharply:

"Speak! What exactly did you do to the Emperor? What is the Soul-Stealing Vessel?"

"Hahaha, you want to kill me? Then kill me! That way I can die with my second senior brother. That's the Soul-Losing Vessel I prepared especially for him. I've been feeding it my blood every day for three years to wait for this day. Three years, I've been waiting for this day. As long as it enters my second senior brother's body, he will be mine. Life and death cannot separate us!" Lin Yin'er shouted madly.

Lin Yin'er's words sent a chill down Leng Jie's spine, as her understanding of Gu poison was practically zero. No, she couldn't lose her composure. If Gu poison existed, there must be a way to break it. Suppressing her fear, Leng Jie handed Xuan Yuan to the anxious Eunuch Fu, stood up, and said to Xing Yue:

"Xingyue! Take that madman back to Qingfeng Residence first." Then he instructed Jiang Feifan:

"Lord Jiang, you must immediately go and announce to the people surrounding the capital that the former crown prince who rebelled has been killed and the riot has been quelled! Tell them that in order to compensate them for the losses they suffered while being confined at home for ten days, the emperor will distribute one tael of silver to each of them from the national treasury. Tell them to go home immediately and wait for the government to send someone to deliver the money to them."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the ministers. Some immediately argued that she had no right to use the national treasury assets. Leng Jie waved her hand to interrupt their discussion, then turned to Yang Tian and said:

"Brother, I'm leaving the distribution of the silver to you. Remember to distribute it per person. One tael per person, regardless of wealth."

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"

"Yes, brother, I understand," Jiang Feifan and Leng Yangtian replied simultaneously. Leng Jie then turned to Leng Xiang and said:

"Father! I'm leaving the rest to you."

"Who are you? What gives you the right to dictate the affairs of the state? Even if you are the Emperor's concubine, you can only manage the Emperor's harem. What right do you, a woman, have to arbitrarily use the national treasury's funds on behalf of the Emperor? Without the Emperor's orders, you can forget about getting a single coin from my Ministry of Revenue!" The two old men of the Shui family finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up, pointing at Leng Jieyi and speaking righteously. It was as if they were the ones most loyal to the Emperor.

Leng Jie gave him a cold glare, and was about to take out the gold medal when a loud laugh suddenly came from the doorway:

"Hahaha! It seems I've returned just in time! It's so lively here!"

Immediately following the sound, a person arrived, and an old Taoist priest with white beard and white hair gracefully landed beside Leng Jie.

"Your Highness?" A courtier recognized the newcomer and called out.

"Hehe, this old Taoist is called Wuxuzi! I'm no longer the Great Prince." The old Taoist chuckled at the person who called him. He then turned and gave Leng Jie a slight bow.

"Wu Xuzi greets Your Majesty the Empress! May Your Majesty be well!"

The words "Empress" were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly shaking everyone except for the Leng family. Of course, the most surprised were Qing'er and Eunuch Fu. Qing'er was so startled that she staggered, while Eunuch Fu almost dropped the Emperor he was holding.

Leng Jie ignored the astonishment of the crowd, as this was something she had expected. However, contrary to her expectations, Xuan Yuan's expression was absent. She unconsciously shifted her gaze to Xuan Yuan, who was leaning against Eunuch Fu. She softly complained:

"Uncle Wang, you're too late."

"I'd love to be here early! But it's packed with people outside, even I, an old Taoist priest, wouldn't be able to get in!" the old Taoist priest explained. Following Leng Jie's gaze, he noticed something amiss with his nephew, who looked exactly like his sister-in-law.

Chapter 137

Suddenly, the sound of a large troop of footsteps echoed outside the ancestral hall. The sudden noise not only drowned out Lady Leng's exclamation but also caused the expressions of the ministers and the Crown Prince's guards to change drastically. In the blink of an eye, the entire ancestral hall, inside and out, was filled with fully armed imperial guards. The ministers trembled involuntarily, while the Crown Prince's guards were disarmed against their will.

Xuanyuan was momentarily stunned as the Imperial Guards suddenly rushed in. However, he immediately looked coldly at Leng Jie.

He didn't let Shui Feifan rush in, because that would have turned into a large-scale infighting, something he didn't want to see. However, he also didn't want anyone outside the Dragon Gate to know about the secret passage. That would undoubtedly be a hidden danger to the palace in the future. So he only brought a small number of Dragon Gate disciples into the palace. He thought that with evidence of the Crown Prince's crimes and his own appearance as the true emperor, the officials would naturally no longer acknowledge the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne. But he had calculated everything, but overlooked one thing. The Crown Prince would actually use his private affairs as a weapon to attack him. Most infuriatingly, the officials actually believed him. Fortunately, Xiao Jie arrived in time; otherwise, he dared not imagine what the situation would have become. Xuanyuan couldn't help but turn back and look deeply at Xiao Jie, asking with his eyes:

"You're the one who let them into the palace!"

Leng Jie shrugged at him, nodded, and blinked to indicate she had guessed correctly. She knew Xuan Yuan's concerns; a secret passage shouldn't be known to so many people. But the situation was urgent, and she had no other choice. In the end, they would fill in the secret passage afterward and dig another one in a different place.

Shui Feifan, dressed in military uniform, led Leng Yangtian and the other disciples from the Dragon Gate who had come with Leng Jie earlier, rushing in. He knelt before Xuanyuan and said:

"Long live the Emperor! We are late in coming to your rescue, please forgive us!"

"My beloved ministers! You have come at just the right time!" Xuanyuan raised his hand slightly to the kneeling minister and said with approval.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jiang Feifan and his entourage rose to express their gratitude. Leng Yangtian and his wife, along with Qing'er, immediately ran to Leng Jie's side and asked anxiously:

"Miss Xiaojie, are you alright? I didn't even tell you why you couldn't use your internal energy earlier?"

"How could anything be wrong with me?" Leng Jie smiled brightly at them. "We'll talk about that later."

Indeed, now is not the time to discuss such matters. Qing'er and the others automatically shut up and retreated behind Leng Jie. But Madam Leng didn't care about any of that. After failing to find the desired result on Leng Jie's stomach, she moved her fingers to Leng Jie's wrist pulse. A moment later, a joyful smile unconsciously bloomed on her beautiful face.

"Do you gentlemen still wish to continue this farce?" Xuanyuan asked the group of court officials with a stern expression.

"Your Majesty, spare our lives!" The opportunistic courtiers began to beg for mercy.

The Shui family members knew they were doomed this time, and they glared hatefully at Shui Feifan, regretting not having eliminated him completely. Only Lord Su seemed unwilling to give up, saying:

"This old minister will die without regret as long as he hears Your Majesty's oath that you have no hidden illness!"

"I can attest that His Majesty does indeed have a hidden ailment!"

"I can also attest to this."

Before Lord Su could finish speaking, two women's voices suddenly came from the gate. Then, the two women, who were originally at odds, entered hand in hand. Lin Yin'er, carrying her son in one arm and holding Shui Rong'er's hand in the other, walked proudly towards Xuan Yuan.

Why are they here? Xuanyuan frowned slightly, his gaze unconsciously sweeping towards Eunuch Fu and Shui Feifan. Hadn't he handed them over to them to handle?

Eunuch Fu gave him an innocent look. How could he possibly know what was going on? He clearly had Lin Yin'er tied up at Qingfeng Residence!

Shui Feifan lowered his head in shame. Because he loved Shui Rong'er so much, he couldn't help but tell her everything. He thought that once Shui Rong'er knew he was the man she had always loved, she would agree to go with him. But the result of telling her was that he was immediately imprisoned by the old man. Not only did he almost ruin the Emperor's important affairs, but he also nearly lost his own life.

Leng Jie coldly watched this farce unfold. She knew it was too late to stop the two women. Any move they made now would confirm the Emperor's hidden illness. She was waiting—waiting for someone who could truly unravel the essence of the matter. Even if she revealed herself as Empress, pregnant with Xuanyuan's child, no one would believe her, and besides, she didn't want to reveal her identity herself.

"This hypocrite is not only incompetent, but also shameless. He actually gave his own concubine to a subject!" Shui Rong'er roared hoarsely, pointing at Xuan Yuan Yunli.

"Rong'er, you mustn't be disrespectful to the Emperor!" Shui Feifan tried to stop Shui Rong'er, but unexpectedly, she kicked him hard in the groin. Then, her anger naturally turned to Shui Feifan.

“Shui Feifan, you are not only ungrateful but also shameless. Our Shui family raised you, but you have joined forces with outsiders to deal with the Shui family.”

"Hmph! If it weren't for your father framing our entire Jiang family and having them executed, why would my Feifan need your Shui family to support him? Besides, didn't your Shui family raise me just to make me willingly become your pawn? What right do you have to call others shameless?" Jiang Feifan, whose dignity had been trampled on at will by the woman he loved, finally erupted.

Shui Rong'er was stunned by his roar and involuntarily fell silent.