Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 119 Breaking out of the cocoon
The wheel tracks rolled over the bluestone slabs, and the thunder tore through the inky night sky.

When Gu Jie was carried into the carriage by Pingle's attendants, the strong drunkenness and impulse were still boiling in his blood for a long time.

"The Gu family has been loyal for generations. Are you really willing to raise an evil child for Li Yan?"

"As long as you help me, I will not treat you unfairly. When the task is completed, I will make Li Yan kneel before me and apologize to you..."

"Why would Princess help me?"

"I saw clearly the mark you left on Xue Liu's lower back... Heh... Now she is a thorn in our flesh. What do you think?"

Crack!

Purple lightning streaked across the sky.

Raindrops hit the roof of the car, and sporadic raindrops seeped in through the gaps in the curtains.

Ping Le's words echoed repeatedly in Gu Jie's head like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me who wanted to brand me... It was Princess Pingle who forced me to do it, it was them who forced me to do it..." He muttered to himself, his hands trembling on his knees and his teeth tapping against each other, making a tiny knocking sound.

At this moment, he seemed to be standing at the watershed of fate.

Left or right, his next decision may overturn his fate and even push his family into an unknown abyss...

As cowardly as he is, he struggles, hesitates, gets angry, is restless, and is afraid...
-
The sound of rain outside is continuous.

In the Tan Qiu Courtyard, the candlestick reflected Xue Sui's profile.

In the dim light, one could only see her fingertips touching the mortise and tenon joints of the gilded box.

The mechanism popped open, revealing a layer of green velvet covering the inside of the box. Under the velvet was a sandalwood box - that was the "Lu Ban Lock" that Li Zhao had given her in Youhuangju.

Xiao Zhao watched her stare for a long time and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you throw away the poisonous things, girl?"

Xue Sui said: "The indigo sand refined by Xizi has the same origin as this poison. After the indigo sand was buried in the earth dragon for three months, it merged with the jade pendant and the toxicity slowly dissipated."

His fingers slowly touched the gilded box, and a secret compartment appeared.

She took out the finely ground powder and poured it on the rice paper used for calligraphy and painting. Under the light, it seemed to emit a crystal-like glow.

Xiao Zhao was startled for a moment, but before she could say anything, the window frame suddenly shook. It was not known whether it was the wind or a wild cat that hit the flower stand under the eaves, making a crisp sound.

The candle flame suddenly flickered, and then a sharp scream was heard, breaking the silence of the rainy night.

"There are assassins!"

"Someone come quickly, there is an assassin in Cuiwei Pavilion."

Cuiwei Pavilion is just on the east side of Tanqiu Courtyard.

Xue Sui walked over quickly, opened the window and took a look.

Fine raindrops fell with a crackling sound. A figure passed over the eaves, as light as a ghost, and ran towards the distant roof at an extremely fast speed. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared in the intersection of rain curtains and black tiles...

Several palace guards chased after him.

Could that person be Li Zhao?
Her pupils shrank slightly and she closed the window with her backhand.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she pushed the window open again...

A dark shadow flashed under the eaves and climbed in through the window as agile as a civet cat.

The bamboo tube used to feed Lingyu fell to the ground with a clang under the window.

Lingyu was startled by the sudden noise and made a dissatisfied sound with a "gu".

"Girl, be careful!" Xiao Zhao reacted extremely quickly. Without waiting to see who was coming, she had already pulled out the long sword hanging on the hook on the wall, and pointed the sword directly at the intruder.

"Xiao Zhao." Xue Sui looked calm. He gently brushed away the sword blade and looked at Li Zhao who was smiling calmly.

"You go and guard outside."

Xiao Zhao responded, sheathed his sword, glanced at Li Zhao worriedly, and slowly retreated.

The rain had already soaked Li Zhaoxuan's black tights, and his hair was wet and stuck to his heroic face.

But he looked relaxed, and casually wiped the water stains on his forehead, then picked up Xue Sui's handkerchief to wipe the water stains clean before sitting down casually.

Twisted green smoke rose from the incense burner.

The gilded box on the wooden table instantly attracted his attention.

He had seen something similar in the emperor's bedroom in the Purple Palace.

Li Zhao did not ask any more questions, but just leisurely poured a cup of tea, with a smile in his eyes: "It turns out that Madam has preserved the token of love so carefully, and has kept a Lu Ban lock until now." Xue Sui said: "I remember people who have offended me very well."

Revenge is inevitable.

Li Zhao raised the corners of his lips slightly, with a playful look on his face, and looked around the room, "Now it's getting harder and harder to get into your Tanqiu Courtyard. It seems that Prince Duan cares a lot about you..."

Xue Sui did not comment.

"Your Highness, you have come to risk your life in the middle of the night. Are you here to chat with me?"

Li Zhao raised his eyebrows and picked up the piece of rice paper with the name written on it on her desk with a smile.

"I'd like to see the scene of Prince Duan hiding his mistress in his golden house."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Of course, Xue Sui also noticed that Li Huan had placed spies in Tan Qiuyuan.

Therefore, people felt that Li Zhao's actions were bold and reckless, which was really worrying.

Xue Sui said: "The situation in Shangjing is tense. If we are not careful, we will be doomed. You and I need to be careful."

Li Zhao laughed wantonly, "Are you worried about me?"

Xue Sui: "I'm afraid Your Highness will ruin my plans."

Li Zhao: "I am innocent and did not want to fight. You dragged me into this."

Xue Sui looked into his deep eyes and snorted softly: "There are no innocent people in this battle, only knives that have not had time to get bloodstained..."

Li Zhao smiled: "You see things clearly."

Xue Sui snorted lightly and said nothing.

Li Zhao half-closed his eyes and looked at the powder on the rice paper, with a playful smile on his lips: "Ping An is really capable, but it's a pity that Li Huan still found out about the fake jade..."

It was indeed a fox.

Li Huan was, and so was Li Zhao.

Xue Sui looked calm and said slowly, "Gains and losses, success and failure, are common. There's no need to panic before the game is over."

Li Zhao pulled at his wet cuffs and chuckled, "I told you that day that instead of beating around the bush, why not just do it straight away - let Pingle secretly collude with the Xizi people? Are you planning a rebellion?"

Xue Sui frowned slightly: "The emperor will not believe that Pingle is colluding with the enemy."

Li Zhao laughed softly, his eyes and brows as cold as a pond.

"As long as there is even a little bit of truth in a lie, it can kill people. If there is even a drop of poison mixed in with the little bit of truth, there will be no recovery."

Xue Sui looked at him, a complicated look flashing in his eyes: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is really cruel to his own sister and brother."

The corners of Li Zhao's mouth rose slightly, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"The blood of the Heavenly Family is the sword and the shield, but not the brothers."

Amid the sound of rain, his voice was as light as a sigh.

It seems indifferent and helpless.

Xue Sui didn't know how many intrigues and struggles in the palace he had to go through before he lost his hope for family affection and became as hard-hearted as stone.

Li Zhao was like this, and so was she.

Xue Qingzhi, Xue Yueying and others, aren’t they also her relatives and blood...

"Yes. Power is a magic mirror. If you stand there for too long, you won't even be able to recognize the evil spirit in the mirror... The supreme power will not stop greed from growing. It will only give birth to more evil spirits and expand desire."

"Isn't it because Ping'an saw through this that he wanted to sacrifice the Xue family?" Li Zhao chuckled, picked up the wolf hair brush she had placed on the table, and leisurely drew on the paper.

A gentle, dignified and beautiful lady vividly covers the names on the rice paper...

"Three days later, a Xizi caravan will arrive in Shangjing..."

Before he could finish his words, a sharp bird cry suddenly came from the night sky.

It suddenly crossed the sky, like a sharp blade cutting through the night sky, so sad and terrifying.

Li Zhao looked up at her with a curved eye.

"Li Huan is here."