Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 111 Iron-Blooded Allies
The next day it was still drizzling.

The mountain mist is filled with the fragrance of pine and cypress, and the raindrops on the eaves fall into the grooves of the bluestone with a "tick-tick" sound, making the "Smoke Returning to the Willows" look quiet and serene.

Xue Sui leaned lazily on the couch, eating iced grapes.

Jinshu came in quietly, knelt on one side, and spoke in a very low voice.

"Prince Wei left the villa before dawn. Prince Duan personally escorted him to the Chuihua Gate. He looked very bad. The two of them whispered for a long time, and no one knew what they were talking about. Then, Prince Wei returned to the capital with a few personal guards..."

Xue Sui listened without saying much.

The biological mother of the King of Wei, Consort Xian, is the niece of the current Queen Mother.

Therefore, compared with other princes, the Prince of Wei was more favored by the Queen Mother. Among the five princes of the current emperor, except for the youngest Prince Chun Li Qian, the Prince of Wei never interfered in the complicated affairs of the court.

The idle and wealthy prince, this is him.

For a prince like him, even if something like the "Siz Jade" incident happened, he would probably just be reprimanded and not be hurt at all...

But the emperor's mind is always suspicious...

Whether Li Yan can escape unscathed depends on how much face the Empress Dowager has in front of the Emperor, as well as what the Emperor thinks of the Third Prince and his attitude towards the events in the Villa.

She doesn't worry about that.

He picked up a grape from the jade plate and put it into his mouth leisurely.

"How is Xue Si?"

Jinshu raised her eyes, "The fourth girl's pregnancy is unstable. She cried and cursed in the Jade Steps Pavilion all night, insisting that the girl had set her up. She laughed and cried at times, and looked like she was crazy. The princess was helpless with her..."

Xue Sui looked at the water droplets condensed on the edge of the green jade plate and smiled slightly.

"Something happened, so I just acted crazy and stupid."

"The doctor said that the fourth lady's qi and blood are deficient, and her mind is damaged. She must rest and recuperate in order to save the fetus in her belly... Prince Duan is still investigating Yujue's matter, and he hasn't done anything to her... But the princess has kept her in Yujie Pavilion, and sent someone to ask Jingyuan Marquis' Mansion to inform them and ask them to pick her up so that she can return to the capital for medical treatment..."

"Where is Miss Gu San?"

"That girl was kindhearted. Even though she had doubts about the baby in the fourth girl's belly, she stayed by the stove where the medicine was boiled. She watched the maid boil the medicine, and then personally handed it to the fourth girl, watching her drink it. Then she stayed by the bedside. I guess she didn't sleep all night..."

Xue Sui nodded slightly and sighed.

"In this case, I took advantage of her."

There were several famous scholars living in Qixia Pavilion, including Zhao Hong. These scholars valued their reputation and integrity the most. Not only would they not bow to the imperial power easily, they might even criticize it verbally and in writing.

Once they see her in Qixia Pavilion with their own eyes, they will testify for her.

That way, she could clear herself of all blame.

"Aunt Jinshu, go and give Miss Gu San my box of calming and depressing spices. Tell her to take good care of herself and not to be too sad."

As he was speaking, a clear cough was heard outside the window.

Xue Sui glanced at Jinshu, who looked uneasy, and raised his chin.

"Go ahead and do it."

"Yes."

Jinshu stood up and left.

The door closes.

The room fell silent.

The corner of Li Zhao's robe swept across the puddles outside the threshold, and he jumped in holding onto the window sill.

"Mrs. Ping An's plan is so ingenious. Her thunderous tactics and stirring up troubles are truly admirable."

Through a bamboo curtain, he spoke with a smile and a hint of teasing in his tone.

Xue Sui did not move. "Your Highness, didn't you also take advantage of the situation and put the secret letter from Xizi into the firewood room of Mrs. Zhang in Tinghe Garden?"

Seeing Li Zhao lifting the curtain and walking towards her, she smiled again.

"In the end, the prince won this game."

Li Zhao nodded without commenting, "I am Madam Ping'an's chess piece. If Madam Ping'an wins, I win."

Xue Sui lowered his eyes, not looking at his expression, and took the jade plate directly, slowly peeling the grape skins.

"But Xue Liu doesn't understand why His Highness would use a secret letter from Siz to make the situation more complicated?"

"Win in chaos and divert disaster to the east."

The candlelight cast Li Zhao's shadow on the window screen, like a dormant beast, and his voice was also playful and amusing, "You used me to set up a trap, confuse people, and check and balance Prince Duan, isn't it the same?"

Xue Sui did not stand up, but just sat up slightly, allowing his tall figure to cover him, and said calmly: "You and I are cooperating. To say that you are using me is too harsh."

"Heh!" Li Zhao leaned over and flicked away the loose hair on her temples with his fingers.

"You said this, does it mean love?"

Xue Sui: ...

He always likes to mention this, leaving people with endless reverie.

There was a long silence.

Xue Sui's eyes moved, and he suddenly asked him: "How did the prince know that Xue Si went to the Prince of Wei's residence?"

She was not aware of this, and the two of them had not discussed it beforehand.

Last night, Li Zhao suddenly spoke, which startled her.

What if this backfires? Wouldn't that make Li Huan even more suspicious of the two of them secretly colluding?
Li Zhao said calmly, "There is a painting of 'Green Plums Reflecting the Snow' hanging in the study of the King of Wei."

He raised his eyebrows, a hint of sarcasm flashed in his eyes, "There is a sentence on the painting: 'The bright moon shines alone on the small window, and my tears fill my silk scarf to express my inner feelings'. It's hard for me to pretend to be blind to such blatant lovesickness."

Xue Sui was slightly startled.

This poem is indeed somewhat related to Xue Yueying's maiden name.

Li Zhao said, "That day, the Prince of Wei held a banquet and invited a group of scholars to visit the garden and recite poems. I happened to be there. But when I was looking at the paintings, I didn't know there was such a hidden story."

Xue Sui bowed slightly: "Your Highness has a good memory and good eyesight. Xue Liu admires you."

Li Zhao stared at her closely, smiling, "Mrs. Ping An is indeed very thoughtful and her intelligence is very accurate. It really opened my eyes."

"Safety is not as good as your highness's thorough planning."

The politeness was boring. Xue Sui curled his lips and reached out to take the grapes, saying, "I didn't want to embarrass the pregnant woman, but Xue Si provoked me again and again, so I had to counter her moves and see who was the mastermind behind the game..."

Li Zhao suddenly smiled and grabbed her wrist fiercely.

The temperature of his fingertips was colder than iced grapes. He pulled on the jade plate a few times, refusing to let go at all.

Seeing her pupils shrink suddenly, Li Zhao chuckled, suddenly sat down beside her, pulled her closer, looked down, and their noses almost touched: "What a coincidence, I also want to see, who played the game of chess in the old Ling Marsh back then?"

Xue Sui stared at him, his fingertips gently pressing against his heart.

"His Royal Highness—"

Thinking of what he said in front of Li Heng that they were "innocent", she couldn't help but smile. She used a little force to pry Li Zhao's hand away and continued to eat the chilled grapes.

"So what you wanted to investigate was the Old Mausoleum Swamp."

"Just curious, no need to be so wary."

Li Zhao raised his lips slightly, and continued to smile: "You used the jade pendant to test and implicate the Xizi people, wasn't it just to overthrow Pingle? Xue Si is from the Pingle Women's Society... She secretly kept the Xizi token and intended to frame the King of Wei, both of which are serious crimes, but even if Your Majesty killed the King of Wei and Xue Si in anger, he would not vent his anger on Pingle..."

He suddenly approached, his breath brushing the side of Xue Sui's neck.

"Why don't we change the chips?"

Xue Sui looked at him without saying anything.

Li Zhao curled his lips and said, "Why not let Pingle secretly communicate with the Xizi people and plot a rebellion? What do you think?"

Xue Sui did not answer.

The thing that an emperor can least tolerate is treason.

Even the greatest grace from heaven will be lost because of this.

"What are you going to do, Your Highness?"

Li Zhao looked into Xue Sui's eyes and did not answer her. Instead, he stretched out his wrist and touched her back, stroking it gently a few times as if to confirm something.

"When Chen Henian examined you, he said you had an old injury to the third joint of your spine?"

Xue Sui's body trembled slightly.

Li Zhao's eyes swept across her clenched fingers hidden under her wide sleeves, and he slowly smiled.

"This was the person who was pushed down and hit by the rockery at Puji Temple?"

Xue Sui narrowed his eyes slightly and examined him.

The mist from the Biluochun tea on the table rose up, blurring the gloom in her eyes.

"Your Highness checked me very carefully."

Before she finished speaking, she threw away Li Zhao's hand, held it in her palm and took a bite.

"Then, Your Highness, will this knife eventually stab Pingle or me?"

Li Zhao hissed softly, "As long as the love silk Gu lasts, you and I will be iron-blooded allies. How can I bear to kill you?"

He gently rubbed the bitten hand and laughed softly, with a hint of pampering in his tone.

"If you want revenge, biting is not enough."

Xue Sui's eyes flashed almost imperceptibly.

Ten years ago, in the Puji Temple where it was snowing heavily, there was a young boy who smiled like this and covered himself with his fox cloak.

Xue Sui asked: "Did Your Highness go to Puji Temple on Laba Day in the second year of Chongzhao?"

Li Zhao did not answer. He slowly wrapped her hand in his palm and said in a very gentle tone, "I just want to tell you, don't ruin your body next time to resist serving the emperor. Everything outside of your body is just a passing cloud, and you should not take your fate lightly. Only by living well can you plunge a knife into the heart of your enemy."

Xue Sui looked at him coldly.

Originally, she didn't care whether she slept with him or not...

Isn't it just to keep the promise with him?

She suffered a great deal this time, but this bastard came here to make fun of her.

"His Royal Highness—"

Xue Sui sneered, but before he could finish his mocking words, his palm was suddenly opened and something was stuffed into it...

It is cool and smooth, like a lustrous and simple porcelain.

She asked, "What is this?"

Li Zhao released his hand. "The scar medicine made by the imperial palace is very effective in removing scars."

Xue Sui stroked the cold porcelain surface with his fingertips and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Your Highness cares about this?"

Li Zhao looked at her and said, "I don't care."

"Then what does my scar have to do with Your Highness?"

"I want to manage it."

The chilled grapes in the green jade plate were all covered with frost.

Xue Sui smiled slightly, picked up a grape, slowly raised his chin, opened his mouth, and then forcefully stuffed the grape into Li Zhao's mouth.

One.

One more.

Until Li Zhao's evil smile changed color and sweet and sour juice came out of his mouth.

She withdrew her hand, straightened her back slightly, and ordered him to leave with a cold look.

"Your Highness, please go back!"

Li Zhao wiped his mouth with her handkerchief and picked up a grape from the plate, as if he wanted to take revenge... Then, the two looked at each other for a long while, and he finally threw the grape filled with anger back into the jade plate.

"Let's see who will be the final chess player in this game."

Li Zhao turned and left.

The wind blew the bamboo curtain, startling the copper bell under the eaves.