"Du Caiyue?" The man raised his star-shaped eyebrows, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of being shocked.
He quickly raised his eyebrows to look at Hailin, and saw her bright and dazzling eyes, as clear as pearls, which did not seem to be lying at all. He was slightly stunned, and then asked.
"How did you solve the Zhenlong Chess Game?"
"Well?"
Hai Ling was surprised. This conversation had come back to the Zhenlong Chess Game. Did he intend to use the Zhenlong Chess Game to lure out the person he wanted to see, but she unintentionally broke the spell?
“Actually, that chess game isn’t unsolvable, is it? There are countless talented people in the world, so why can’t I solve it?” Hai Ling retorted, then, seeing that it was getting late, she lowered the carriage curtain: “It’s late, and now that you know what you want to know, shall we go?”
Upon hearing her words, Agu said in a deep voice, "Get out of the way, or don't blame us for being impolite."
The person blocking the carriage didn't make things difficult for them and stepped aside.
The carriage sped past like the wind, the sound of the horses' hooves rhythmic and powerful.
At the end of the long street, three figures stood motionless. The man in the lead remained silent, while his two subordinates behind him couldn't help but ask, "General, could it be that she really has nothing to do with Madam Jing?"
"Perhaps," the man's voice trembled slightly, his eyes growing ever more profound. This girl was nothing like his second mother. Everyone knew that his second mother was a famous beauty in Beilu, so how could she have given birth to such a fat daughter?
“But that Zhenlong Chess is the old general’s lifeline. Now that she has it, if the old general finds out, wouldn’t it be the death of him?”
"It's okay, I'll check again."
He was determined to bring back his second wife and younger sister, so that his father would have no regrets. He had fought on the battlefield all his life, making countless contributions to the country. He was hardworking and selfless, with no desires or wants. His only obsession was his deep love for his second wife. However, during a military expedition, his second wife and younger sister were driven out of the general's mansion by his mother and disappeared without a trace. At that time, his younger sister was not even a hundred days old. When his father returned home and received the news, he never forgave his mother. From then on, he never set foot in the general's mansion again and lived in the military camp for the rest of his life. His mother, on the other hand, spent her days in tears, filled with regret and remorse, which made her look like an old woman even though she was not yet fifty years old.
His purpose in coming to Da Zhou was to find their whereabouts, because according to his investigation, the last place they went to was Da Zhou sixteen years ago.
This Zhenlong chess set belonged to his second aunt back then. He set up the Zhenlong chess game, thinking that his second aunt would definitely appear after receiving the news. However, he did not expect that it was not them who appeared. He also lost his father's beloved Zhenlong chess set because of this.
However, he would not give up so easily; he was determined to find out exactly what the Crown Princess's background was.
"Go," he commanded, leading his two men into the night.
The general's carriage sped back to the palace. Hailing led Yanzhi back to Qinfang Courtyard to rest. To avoid worrying her mother, she specifically instructed Yanzhi not to let her mother know that they had been assassinated that night.
Rouge nodded, but was interested in something else.
"Miss, who was that person who blocked the carriage tonight? He's quite handsome."
Rouge's face was flushed, and Hailing chuckled, "Could it be that you've taken a fancy to him?"
She didn't deny that the man tonight was indeed quite handsome, comparable to Feng Zixiao. Moreover, his restrained aura indicated that he was no ordinary person and was likely a general. Therefore, she didn't want to get involved with these people. But he actually inquired about her mother. Could it be that her mother was hiding something from her?
Hai Ling thought suspiciously, but Rouge behind her couldn't help but protest, "Miss, why are you making fun of me? I'm just a maid."
"Rouge, I've told you before, you're not a maid, you're my sister."
Hailing held Yanzhi's hand, and the two walked affectionately together towards the back. Agu and the others followed them all the way back to Qinfang Courtyard.
Agu has finally understood what the Crown Princess did tonight in Lanxin Pavilion. No wonder she asked him what the Crown Prince liked and disliked earlier. She clearly knew that the Crown Prince hated being pestered, yet she pretended to be like that, obviously wanting the Crown Prince to dislike her so that he wouldn't marry her.
Agu didn't know whether he should remind His Highness the Crown Prince that the Crown Princess was actually intelligent, kind, and gentle.
However, he reported it to the Crown Prince, who might not believe the words of a servant like him. So this was a matter for the masters, and he was better off not causing trouble.
Inside Qinfang Courtyard, Hailing washed up and rested as soon as she returned.
...
Inside the magnificent palace, the bright lights illuminated the entire palace as if it were daytime.
On the central, carved dragon and phoenix-adorned vermilion bed, a golden hook lifted the gauze curtains, revealing the person clinging to life on the bed—none other than the current emperor.
He was so thin he was skin and bones, his eyebrows were sparse, and he had lost a lot of hair. He was now just a withered tree, barely clinging to life with ginseng and lingzhi. But it was his last breath that was hard to swallow. The thought of not eliminating the Jiang family made it even harder for him to breathe his last.
Several figures quickly entered the palace. The one in the lead looked anxious and rushed to his bedside, kneeling down as soon as he entered.
"Father, I have brought people to see you. Please rest assured."
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's voice, Feng Chang, lying on the bed, abruptly opened his eyes. His cloudy, gray pupils still shone with a sharp light. He glanced at Feng Zixiao, then at the people behind him.
As soon as the emperor looked over, all of them knelt down respectfully and calmly, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Feng Chang moved his hands but did not speak, because he could no longer speak.
Crown Prince Feng Zixiao gave the order on his behalf: "You may all rise."
After he finished speaking, he instructed Shen Ruoxuan: "Come quickly and examine Father. You must save his life."
Shen Ruoxuan accepted the order, stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully took the emperor's pulse.
The others watched his expression. At first, his face was full of gentle warmth, but gradually his expression turned somewhat ugly. Then he looked at Crown Prince Feng Zixiao and shook his head. This action indicated that Emperor Feng Chang was beyond saving and that he was nearing the end of his life.
Crown Prince Feng Zixiao had never believed that his father was really dead, but now that Shen Ruoxuan had examined his pulse, he was speechless. His handsome and noble features were contorted with pain, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing his son's sorrow, Feng Chang knew that his own time was coming to an end, so he reached out and held his son's hand tightly.
"Xiao'er, don't be sad. You must take care of yourself. The heavy responsibility of the Great Zhou Dynasty rests on your shoulders."
Feng Chang struggled to finish a sentence, then began to gasp for breath before fainting.
Feng Zixiao was shocked and cried out in panic, "Father, Father!"
"Your Highness, don't worry. His Majesty is fine for now. Rong Ruoxuan will give His Majesty an acupuncture treatment."
When Shen Ruoxuan spoke, Feng Zixiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to let Shen Ruoxuan administer acupuncture to her father.