Le Jianghu de Feng Qingcheng et Mo Xibei

Chapitre 104

"Of course, we have to go save my parents!" Leng Jie leaned against his broad chest, enjoying his warmth and listening to his pounding heartbeat. She replied gently.

Xuanyuan suddenly released Xiaojie, grabbed her shoulders, and asked anxiously:

"After you rescue them, will you still leave?"

Do you want me to leave? If you do, then I'll leave!

"No, I don't want you to leave." Xuanyuan hugged Xiaojie tightly again, repeatedly saying, "I won't let you go. You're not allowed to go anywhere."

Xiao Jie's heart skipped a beat, and she naturally hugged him back. She asked softly, "You'd better think this through. If you keep me here, you'll have to get rid of all the women in the palace. From now on, there will never be the phrase 'three thousand beauties in the harem' again."

"You know there were never three thousand beauties," Xuanyuan whispered into Xiaojie's ear. "I've already spoken with Shui Feifan. After he finishes dealing with this matter, I will overturn his father's case. Then he will take Shui Rong'er away. Yin'er is too stubborn; she'll always go down a dark path. I think since she chose the Emperor, she'll go with him. As for the Empress, I've already had Prime Minister Leng take her home. So you..."

The Empress has been brought home! Leng Jie's heart sank to the ground with a "thud!" Her body trembled involuntarily.

Xuanyuan noticed Xiaojie trembling and assumed she was worried about the Empress being her sworn sister and might make things difficult for her. He quickly comforted her:

"Don't worry, I've already told Prime Minister Leng that I will marry no one but you in this lifetime. Prime Minister Leng has not objected to our marriage."

Leng Jie didn't hear what Xuan Yuan said afterward at all. She was currently praying fervently to all the gods to protect her, hoping that her worst fears wouldn't come true! But it seemed impossible for the Leng family not to discover the fake empress. Now, the only way to prevent them from becoming enemies was for her to reveal her identity. But could he accept that? Leng Jie looked up at Xuan Yuan, remaining silent for a long time.

"Xiao Jie, are you really willing to marry me?" Xuan Yuan couldn't help but feel flustered under Leng Jie's gaze. He couldn't help but ask to confirm.

"Xuanyuan, can you tell me? Why did you poison the Empress?" Leng Jie suddenly asked. She immediately felt Xuanyuan's body tremble. Looking up at him, she saw his face was flushed, his gaze darting around, and he seemed completely at a loss. She continued, "..."

"Do you hate her because she's stupid or because she's the daughter of Prime Minister Leng? Prime Minister Leng made things difficult for you a lot in the beginning, didn't he?"

Xuanyuan's face turned so red it was almost as if he was about to cry blood. After a moment of silence, he swallowed hard and looked at Leng Jie, saying:

"Does Xiaojie really need to know?"

“Yes, I must know the reason. Although I know some things from my senior brother and Eunuch Fu, and I’ve also guessed some things myself, I want you to tell me yourself. Why did you want the Empress to die? I originally thought it was because you liked Shui Rong’er. But later I found out that you hated Shui Rong’er even more than you hated the Empress. Later I thought it was because of Lin Yin’er and Prime Minister Leng. But I still feel that these are not the real reasons. Am I right?” Leng Jie pressed on.

"Since you insist on knowing, then I'll tell you. You guessed right. In three years, I still have no impression of the Empress. Whether she's foolish or clever, it's all the same to me. The reason I made such an impulsive decision back then was simply because of what Prime Minister Leng said to me when he left."

"What did you say?" Leng Jie asked quickly.

“He said…” Xuanyuan stared at Leng Jie, stammering for a long time without being able to speak.

"Did he threaten you?" Leng Jie asked, seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak.

Xuanyuan stared at Leng Jie in astonishment. He and Prime Minister Leng were the only two people who knew about this. He hadn't expected Xiao Jie to know as well. He blurted out, "..."

"Did Leng Xiang tell you?"

She guessed right again!

"But since Prime Minister Leng has stepped down, what can he use to threaten you?" Leng Jie asked doubtfully.

So she didn't know. Xuanyuan wondered whether he should tell her the truth. If she knew, would she ignore him again? But if he didn't tell her the truth, wouldn't she still resent him? Finally, he gritted his teeth and said:

"When Prime Minister Leng left, he said that without the Empress, I would become a ruler who would bring about the downfall of the country, and the Jinghe Kingdom would be completely different. I was very indignant at the time because of that statement."

"So you wanted to see if you'd become a king who lost his country without an empress, right?" This answer left Leng Jie somewhat amused and exasperated. But it was indeed his style back then. She had personally witnessed him being driven to the brink of exile by those old ministers. Now she finally understood why, after hearing her fabricated story, he truly hadn't bothered the foolish empress again.

It seems that Prime Minister Leng knew all along that his daughter was the true Empress. That's why he warned Xuanyuan so harshly! However, he didn't expect that his attempt to protect his daughter would end up harming her. But that's how her arrival came about. Her master said her arrival was inevitable, meaning she would enter this body no matter what. That's why she didn't mind Xuanyuan's actions back then, right?

Seeing that Xiao Jie didn't show any particular expression, Xuanyuan's tense mood eased slightly. He nodded and replied:

"Looking back now, I realize I acted too impulsively. If the Empress had really been poisoned, then Prime Minister Leng would definitely be on the Crown Prince's side now! Or perhaps..."

What Xuanyuan didn't finish saying was exactly what Leng Jie was worried about. He thought the Prime Minister had taken the foolish Empress back, but what if the Prime Minister saw the fake daughter and thought he had done something to the Empress? A trace of worry flashed in Leng Jie's eyes, and she said seriously:

"Xuanyuan, let's get down to business. I just went out to find out what's going on in the capital. The former crown prince has already moved into the palace, and his enthronement ceremony is the day after tomorrow. Shui Feifan has been imprisoned by Old Man Shui, so your imperial guards are without a commander. Therefore, only if you go back personally can you mobilize the imperial guards to stop his ceremony. Another important matter is that the Prime Minister's residence is completely surrounded by the former crown prince's men. We must find a way to rescue everyone in the Leng residence before the situation gets too dire. Only then can we ensure their safety."

How did she know this information that even Longmen couldn't obtain? Xuanyuan blurted out involuntarily, "Where did you get this information? Did that Silver Fox tell you?"

“No, actually, another Silver Fox is also trapped in the Leng residence. You’ve met her before, she’s Duanmu Xingyue. She’s Leng Yangtian’s wife now. The other Silver Fox is her brother, your Marshal Duanmu Xingchen.” Xiao Jie replied truthfully, “As for my source of information, it’s too complicated to explain in a few words right now. I’ll tell you about it slowly when we have time later.”

"Duanmu Xingchen is Silver Fox? So that means you didn't just bump into each other by chance in the capital!" Xuanyuan asked sourly.

Upon hearing Xuanyuan's words, Leng Jie knew he had misunderstood again. What they needed at this moment was trust. Leng Jie quickly explained:

"It wasn't a coincidence last time; I specifically asked him to come back and follow the Xiping envoy. But don't get the wrong idea, the child in my belly has nothing to do with him. If you're concerned about who the father of the child is, I'll tell you everything once everything is resolved, okay?"

Hearing Xiaojie's promise, Xuanyuan's inner turmoil instantly dissipated. He couldn't help but pull Xiaojie into his arms again. He nodded in agreement.

"Alright, my Silver Fox Hero. But you're not allowed to go out alone without my knowledge anymore. Especially climbing out the window like just now, that's too dangerous."

Luckily, he didn't see her climb over the wall. Otherwise, he would have been terrified! Leng Jie thought sullenly. But to have some peace and quiet, she naturally nodded in agreement:

"Yes, I'll tell you everything from now on. But what do you think we should do next?"

Xuanyuan didn't answer immediately. He gently pulled Leng Jie to the bedside and helped her sit down before saying, "You've already found out the important information inside for me. Leave the rest to me. From now on, you'll stay here obediently and wait for me to come back for you."

Seeing Leng Jie open her mouth to refute, Xuan Yuan immediately interrupted her and continued:

"You must listen to me this time. I promise to rescue Leng Xiang and the others."

Leng Jie thought about it and realized she was right. Given her current situation, even getting into the capital would be difficult, let alone rescuing anyone. If a fight really broke out, she might actually hinder him. Having come to terms with it, Leng Jie no longer objected to Xuan Yuan's decision.

"So how do you plan to get into the city? The whole city is under martial law now; even birds can't fly out." That's the key point.

"If it's really that well-protected, where did your intelligence come from?" Xuanyuan countered.

"That information came from the cart that empties chamber pots every night in the capital. But that cart is only allowed to leave once a day, and once it leaves, it's not allowed to go back in," Leng Jie said bluntly.

"You even managed to gather this kind of information? Xiao Jie, how many things do you know that I don't know about?" Xuan Yuan stared intently into Leng Jie's clear eyes. Yes, her eyes were indeed as clear as water now. They were completely unrelated to the foxy, cunning eyes hidden behind the fox mask just now. But in fact, they were the same pair of eyes.

"That's not important! What's important is how to get into the city now?" Leng Jie easily diverted Xuan Yuan's attention back to the main topic.

"Don't worry, I have my own way of getting in. Just promise me you won't sneak out again. That way I can go in and rescue them without worry." Xuanyuan gently stroked Xiaojie's hair, speaking with complete confidence.

“Okay, I promise you. I’ll wait for you here to pick me up. I’ll give you another surprise then!” Leng Jie promised solemnly. After a pause, she asked, “Now tell me, how do you plan to get in?”

"Do you still remember that little lake inside the Dragon Gate?" Xuanyuan suddenly asked, holding Xiaojie's soft hand.

Of course she remembered; a sudden thought flashed through her mind—Ying had once said that the water there was diverted from the moat. Leng Jie asked in surprise:

"You want to go in underwater? Swimming from the moat to the inner lake is quite a distance! Besides, it's winter now. Are you sure you won't freeze to death in the water?"

Xuanyuan hugged Xiaojie tightly and said with a smile, "Have you forgotten that we just came out of the freezing cold? It's okay, I've walked that path with Ying several times before. Don't worry."

"Yes, I believe you can do it," Leng Jie replied earnestly.

Leng Jie had no idea how much spiritual support her simple words of encouragement would provide to Xuan Yuan in the events that followed!

Chapter 132: The Finale (Part 1)

Xuanyuan returned to Longmen at dusk of the following day. This meant there was only one night left until the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony the next day. As he quietly climbed ashore from the lake, he immediately noticed countless surprised gazes directed at him. A cold wind blew as he reached the shore, and Xuanyuan involuntarily shivered. He quickly circulated his internal energy to dispel the cold and dry himself off.

Unbeknownst to him, a large crowd had gathered on both sides of the lake, anxiously awaiting the arrival of divine soldiers. These were the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards and members of the Dragon Gate, now leaderless and isolated. Their initial orders were to await imperial decrees at Dragon Gate. But now, with the world on the verge of changing hands, they were powerless to do anything but stand by the lake in the cold wind. When they saw a soaking wet figure suddenly emerge from the icy water, they were naturally startled. But when they saw the man's face clearly, they were utterly dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning. The divine soldier hadn't descended from the sky, but had emerged from the water! Only this god looked rather disheveled! Then, suddenly, steam rose from his body, and in an instant, he regained his divine, radiant appearance.

Xuanyuan swept his imposing gaze across the scattered Imperial Guards along the lakeshore, noticing their astonished stares, as if they'd seen a ghost. He gathered his inner strength and roared:

"Order! All personnel assemble!"

Only then did some people realize they were dreaming. They had indeed seen the emperor himself, and were not in a daze. They immediately shouted with joy:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor..." The shouts rose and fell in waves, one after another. Of course, as they shouted, they quickly lined up in formation.

Xuanyuan was very satisfied with their disciplined training; it seemed they hadn't been idle at Dragon Gate these past two months. He raised his hand, suppressing the shouts. He passionately shouted:

"You all know about the former crown prince's rebellion! I won't go into details here. I have some incredibly good news to share with you all. The war with Xiping is over. Jinghe has achieved an absolute victory in the entire war! The next battle will depend on the performance of everyone present!"

"We swear to serve the Emperor to the death! We will defend the capital to welcome the triumphant army of hundreds of thousands!" they swore in unison.

Xuanyuan raised his hand once more to suppress the shouts. He commanded firmly:

"Imperial Guard officers of the rank of Deputy Commander-in-Chief and above, and those of the rank of Hall Master of the Dragon Gate, shall follow me into the main hall for discussion. All others shall remain where they are."

"Yes, sir!"

A unified reply followed. A group of officers trailed behind him as Xuanyuan leaped away from the lakeside.

"Qing'er greets Your Majesty! It's so good that Your Majesty is alright! Please have some tea!" As soon as Xuanyuan stepped into the council hall, Qing'er came forward with a cup of hot tea. She greeted him with delight as she carried his luggage.

Upon seeing Qing'er, Xuanyuan couldn't help but miss his Xiaojie again. He casually took the tea, glanced at Qing'er, and said:

"Qing'er, your young lady is back. She's outside the city now. Go back and prepare some of her favorite food."

"Really! Miss is really back. That's wonderful! I'll go prepare right away." As soon as Qing'er heard that her mistress had returned, she ran out happily.

Watching Qing'er's departing figure, Xuanyuan couldn't help but shake his head. Although he had only been separated from Xiaojie for a day, he already missed her terribly. To reunite with her as soon as possible, he composed himself and turned to the dozens of Imperial Guard commanders who had followed him in, asking:

"Time is of the essence. I believe you all know the general situation of the capital better than I do. I won't go into too much detail, but do you know the distribution of the Imperial Guards in the capital? And the troops brought by the Crown Prince? Where exactly are they located?"

"Your subject, Liang Xin, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

A tall imperial guard stepped forward. Xuanyuan recognized him; he was a man he had promoted from the palace guards before he left. Xuanyuan raised his hand and said:

"Now is not the time for formalities. Those who know the situation, please speak frankly."

Liang Xin immediately stood up, unfolded the defense map of the capital, pointed to the markings on it, and replied:

"Yes, according to the reports from the spies I sent out, there are about two thousand Imperial Guards at each of the city gates in the capital. There are about ten thousand Imperial Guards around the palace. In addition, there are three thousand Imperial Guards patrolling inside the city. The Crown Prince brought about ten thousand people to guard the palace. The remaining ten thousand or so people are guarding the residences of many ministers in the north of the city."

Xuanyuan nodded at Liang Xin with satisfaction, giving him an appreciative look. Pointing to the red mark on the map, he asked:

"Are our people staying in these places?"

"Your Majesty is wise! Indeed, those dots represent numbers. One dot represents one hundred people. There are currently ten thousand people here in Longmen, and twenty thousand more scattered outside. However, we have not yet received Your Majesty's order, so we can only remain inactive," Liang Xin continued, reporting sternly.

"You've done very well!" Xuanyuan nodded in satisfaction once again. Then, he solemnly proclaimed:

"Liang Xin, listen to the order!"

"Your subject Liang Xin is here!"

The majestic pronouncements of the Yellow Emperor:

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, ordering you to lead 10,000 Imperial Guards to retake the capital from the rebels by noon tomorrow and ensure the safety of the people in the city. Those Imperial Guards in secret will remain in place and await orders. You will decide on the battle plan yourselves. As for what happens inside the Imperial City, you do not need to concern yourselves with anything."

"Your subject obeys!" Although Liang Xin had doubts, he could only follow orders for the time being. He also believed that the Emperor must have another way to deal with the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony tomorrow.

"You must now work with the generals to formulate a battle plan. All preparations must be completed before midnight tonight," Xuanyuan decisively ordered. Without waiting for Liang Xin's reply, he rose and said to the men of Longmen, "Men of Longmen, follow me to the armory."

There weren't many Longmen brothers left in the capital, only about three hundred. Before Xuanyuan left, he had instructed them to rush to produce ammunition. In two months, they had made enough hand grenades to fill most of a warehouse. The Longmen men were unaware that their current ammunition reserves were enough to raze the entire capital to the ground. Xuanyuan ordered each of them to take twenty hand grenades and accompany him to rescue people.

For ten whole days, the entire capital has been shrouded in a gloomy and silent atmosphere. And the most somber place within it all is the Prime Minister's residence. Prime Minister Leng has been detained in the palace for half a month, and there has been no news of him since. Because of his orders forbidding his family from making any moves, Leng Yangtian and Duanmu Xingyue dare not act rashly. However, this has directly resulted in them being trapped in the residence for ten days by the subsequent emergence of enemies. They are now unable to make any moves even if they wanted to.

Madam Leng was deeply worried about her husband's safety and had been unable to sit still for a long time. However, each time, her son and daughter-in-law stopped her with words from the Prime Minister Leng. Tomorrow was the new emperor's enthronement ceremony, and although her husband had said he was making preparations, there was still no sign of it. This couldn't help but worry her.

"Yang Tian, Xing Yue, stop trying to stop me. Tonight is the last chance. Do you think your father will even be alive to come back after that prince becomes emperor tomorrow?" Madam Leng, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, reasoned with her son and daughter-in-law who were blocking her way.