Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 397 Trapped Beast
In the elegant room on the second floor of the Misty Rain Pavilion, the nightlights stayed on all night.

Xue Sui sat by the window, clutching the wolf bone talisman in her hand, quietly waiting until the first light of dawn and the first pale white of day, but still there was no news from the palace…

"Girl, have something to eat." Xiao Zhao brought in a bowl of hot porridge and couldn't help but pout in dissatisfaction when she saw the dark circles under her eyes.

"No matter how anxious you are, you have to take care of your health. If you keep pushing yourself like this, even the strongest body can't take it."

"I slept for half the night and didn't get up until dawn."

Xue Sui smiled, took the bowl of porridge, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. The creamy chestnuts mixed with the sweet rice porridge were very comforting.

"This porridge... is made with new rice, ground chestnut flour, and osmanthus honey, and it's cooked to be exceptionally thick..."

"You have a good palate, young lady," Xiao Zhao laughed. "It was bought from that old shop at the street corner. Ruyi got up early and queued for ages..."

Ruyi proudly raised her chin, "They said the chestnuts this autumn are especially sweet and tender, and I knew the girl would like them."

"Yes. I like it." Xue Sui smiled and said nothing more.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, my empty, cold stomach finally felt a little warmer.

She put down her bowl, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Go find Jinshu and ask her to find out what's going on in the palace."

Xiao Zhao responded, quickly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, hurriedly wiped the table, and then went out.

They didn't return until noon.

"Miss, there's quite a commotion in the palace..."

Xiao Zhao spoke with great enthusiasm, her voice low but filled with barely suppressed excitement. When Ruyi heard that Xiao Wenyuan had been beaten to death, Li Yan had been imprisoned, and Li Huan had been stripped of his power, she also suppressed a smile, her eyes shining, and exclaimed how satisfying it was.

Everything seemed to have settled down, but Xue Sui's unease rose higher and higher like the tide.

She took a sip of her iced tea, stood up, and said, "Get ready, change into something simpler, and we're going to Hung Fook Casino."

Xiao Zhao and Ruyi exchanged a glance.

"Yes, young lady."
-
As soon as the three of them, master and servant, arrived at the side gate of the gambling den, they saw Yao Guang come out from inside.

He walked hurriedly, his face devoid of its usual frivolous smile, his expression quite solemn.

Xue Sui's heart sank.

"Seventh Senior Brother, has something happened?"

“Little Thirteen…” Yao Guang wiped his face, handed the horse reins to his attendant, walked closer to her, then lowered his head to touch his nose, looking somewhat hesitant.

"News has come from the Western Frontier, and I was just about to go find my senior brother..."

Xue Sui frowned slightly.

"Speak directly."

Yao Guang's eyes flickered.

He didn't want to say it, but looking into Xue Suiqing's cold and piercing eyes, he had no choice but to speak.

"His Highness the Crown Prince's surprise attack on Eagle's Sorrow Gorge has succeeded. He burned Xiao Yan's million-shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain in a single fire, clean and efficient... That scoundrel Xiao Yan has truly been dealt a fatal blow this time..."

Isn't this a good thing?

Xue Sui's tense shoulder line relaxed for a moment.

Then Yao Guang said, "But this fire... has also driven Xiao Yan to a dead end... This bastard has gone mad, coercing the troops stationed in Dingzhou, Suizhou, and Qingzhou along the way, and inciting refugees to inflate his numbers, claiming to be a 300,000-strong allied army, heading straight for Yongding City..."

Three hundred thousand allied troops?
Without food supplies and with winter fast approaching, Xiao Yan will inevitably have to break through Yongding at any cost before the heavy snow closes the mountains, and invade the wealthy heartland of Daliang to find food...

Otherwise, that cobbled-together rabble would freeze, starve, and collapse on its own without the court having to fight it.

A cornered beast's struggle is bound to be extremely brutal. "There's something even worse," Yao Guang said, her voice lowering as she glanced at her face.

"Qi Mingyang's main force is entangled with the rebel army in the Weichuan River Valley and cannot break free for the time being. Ma Kun, that scoundrel, is leading more than 100,000 elite troops from the capital region camp, and is stuck at Shuangtuo Ridge, less than a hundred miles from Yongding, refusing to advance, saying that he will wait for His Majesty's decree before he will send troops out..."

Passive resistance and slackness.

This is to wear down Li Zhao and the Yongding garrison to death under the walls of the isolated city.
Yao Guang sighed and said, "You've heard the news from the palace, haven't you? His Majesty has just woken up, and his health is still not fully recovered... After what happened last night, it's still uncertain whether he trusts or doubts the Crown Prince..."

Xue Sui's fingertips were icy cold.

Yongding City cannot wait for the emperor to recover...

She suddenly turned around and looked back at Xiao Zhao.

"I won't go back to the villa. I'll go to the palace immediately to see my mother. It's also time to check on the Empress's pulse..."

"Thirteenth Prince!" Yao Guang instinctively tried to stop her. "The palace has just experienced turmoil. Entering the palace at this time might not be appropriate... Don't be fooled by Li Huan's reduced power; even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. He has cultivated his power for many years, and his foundation is still solid. What if..."

“There’s no room for ‘what ifs’.” Xue Sui’s eyes were firm. “The Crown Prince is fighting desperately in the Western Frontier. I can’t let his rear be unstable and be stabbed in the back by his own people.”

Looking at the stubbornness in her eyes, Yao Guang sighed helplessly, her peach blossom eyes crinkling slightly with a smile, "Go if you want to. Your senior brothers and sisters will always be behind you. Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, we'll go at your word."

Xue Sui's tense lips finally relaxed slightly, and he nodded gently at him, his eyes even carrying a hint of a smile.

"Seventh Senior Brother is righteous. Don't worry, I will definitely put in a good word for you with Senior Sister Yuheng."

Yao Guang: ...
-
Inside the Jiaofang Palace.

The golden chrysanthemums that were blooming so vibrantly just a few days ago have withered and fallen by more than half after a night of cold dew.

The bright golden color has faded, and the leaves hang listlessly on the branches...

Empress Xie brushed her fingertips across the petals of the withered chrysanthemum, stared blankly for a moment, and then let out a soft sigh.

"Such beautiful flowers, withered and ruined in a single storm..."

The personal maid, Yunmei, carrying a brocade cloak, stepped forward gently to drape it over her shoulders. Upon hearing the sound, she paused, not daring to reply.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Empress Xie looked at her, her gaze lingering on her slightly flushed cheeks, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"You've been in the Jiaofang Palace for so long, and you're still so timid. Are you afraid I'll eat you up?"

"This servant is clumsy with words and is afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting Your Highness." Yunmei hurriedly lowered her head.

Empress Xie sighed softly.

Yunmei is a girl with regular features and a beautiful face. She has been by my side for several years and is considered a clever and honest person. However, she can't hide her nervousness when something happens.

She had always wanted to arrange for this beauty to serve Li Zhao in the Eastern Palace. However, despite several explicit and implicit suggestions, Li Zhao refused. The girl was honest and straightforward, pretending nothing was amiss, and continued to serve him obediently as before…

She used to think it was a pity, but now, looking at Yunmei's appearance, she realized that she lacked courage and resourcefulness, no wonder the Crown Prince didn't like her...

Unlike Xue Liu, who was daring and enterprising, had her own ideas about everything, and had her son completely under her thumb...

Just as I was thinking of this, I suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from outside the hall.

Empress Xie looked up and saw the head maid bowing and reporting.

"Your Majesty, Miss Xue requests an audience."

It's like whatever you wish for comes true...

Empress Xie paused for a moment, her hand unconsciously moving towards her lower abdomen, her gaze turning towards the palace gate, her face revealing little emotion: "Please come in."

(End of this chapter)