Too high to reach

Chapter 340 Fighting with one's life
A long row of wine jars was placed along the side of the house...

On the table, there were also jars being opened, and the aroma of the wine immediately created a lively atmosphere.

Just then, Xu Ke arrived.

Originally, he discussed with Mo Wen that they should still have the backup sent by a servant, as before.

Mo Wen nodded without saying anything.

But this time, his parents forced him to come. They even looked at him strangely…

So he hurried out the door, lingered on the way for a long time, and was really hesitant to go inside.

When we arrived, there was no one to greet us at the door!

I awkwardly went inside, only to find that the gatekeeper and the cleaner had set up a small table inside the door, opened a jar of wine, and were having a lively meal.

Seeing him arrive, she quickly stood up: "Young master! Please come in quickly, we've been waiting for you for ages, the masters just went to the dining room."

He forced himself to go inside, and once inside the dining room, he saw three tables, people crammed together, making a lot of noise, with absolutely no regard for etiquette.

The person he feared most was Prince Qi, but he saw him at a glance... the prince was personally pouring wine for his father-in-law.

The moment Wang saw him, she jumped up. "My dear son-in-law?! You've come?"

When she got excited, her voice became uncontrollable, and everyone heard it and looked over.

Xu Ke, dressed in bright red, quickly bowed, "Mother-in-law... Your Highness, Father-in-law, Uncle..." He was getting dizzy from all the bowing...

Li Jing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Everyone greeted him, and at the prince's table, someone with good manners immediately stood up and offered him their seat.

He wanted to be polite, but he really didn't want to sit there.

But the man pulled and pressed him down, and he sat directly opposite Li Jing.

"How is Wenwen?" Wang asked, following behind. This was what she cared about most.

Xu Ke said gently, "She really wanted to come, but her mother was worried."

Wang said hurriedly, "She can't go out yet. Tell her not to worry about anything else. Just take care of herself."

"Yes. She personally found a gift for Auntie, please don't be offended."

Madam Zhuang also smiled and said, "We're family, no need to be so polite. We don't visit her often because we're afraid of bothering her. Go back and tell her: if she wants to eat home-cooked meals, have the cook go and serve her for a while. Don't be shy when it matters."

"Yes."

The servants brought bowls and chopsticks again, and Xu Ke wanted to leave, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Fortunately, after he exchanged a few pleasantries, no one paid any attention to him anymore.

At this moment, Mo Rushan was in high spirits and naturally became the main chatter.

They talked about their own affairs and gossiped about the officials who had been dismissed.

Everyone listened with great interest.

Li Jing remained silent, eating, drinking, and pouring wine for his father-in-law...

Xu Ke sat next to Zhang Debao; the two disheartened men listened to everyone's conversation and drank their own wine.

In this state of mind, the effects of alcohol are most likely to take hold. Before long, I felt a burning sensation in my chest and became dizzy.

After Mo Wen's miscarriage, he ignored Princess Yu An.

Yu'an, after returning from the East and being injured, remained quiet for a long time.

Now that she has been granted a divorce and her injuries have healed, she has started frequently looking for him again, even threatening her family.

He's become so neurotic that he's easily flustered by even the slightest remark from his grandparents or parents.

Even going out requires looking left and right.

Moreover, Mo Wen was so frightened that she almost got into trouble... and afterwards, she never mentioned it again.

Did she find out too?

All sorts of torment kept him on the verge of collapse.

He downed a few more drinks and silently watched Li Jing.

On ordinary days, when I met this Prince Qi, he was not as warm and refined as the Crown Prince, nor as noble and arrogant as the other princes.

But another kind of cold, aloofness inspires awe and makes people afraid to get close.

At this moment, however, he listened quietly to others, like a good drinking companion. Especially his father-in-law, who would always try to get the Prince of Qi to support him whenever he said something. And he, surprisingly, showed a rare gentleness, saying little but offering considerable support.

Because my father-in-law was dancing with joy.

Xu Ke felt like he was about to explode. Suddenly, he got up and went over to Li Jing, whispering, "Your Highness, Xu Ke has a few words he would like to say to you."

Li Jing didn't even look at him. She clinked glasses with her father-in-law, drank the wine, and then said gently to Mo Ruhai, "Please continue drinking. I'll be right back."

Mo Yi watched the two people leave. Xu Ke wanted to talk to the prince.

When they arrived at the front living room, only the two of them were there, and Li Jing sat down.

Xu Ke knelt down, lifting his robe: "Your Highness, in my youth I acted recklessly, disregarding my family and upbringing. I did things I now regret, bringing shame upon my family and even harming my wife. As a result, I am now... lost and helpless. I sincerely repent and beg Your Highness to save me..."

He kowtowed with a loud thud.

Li Jing scoffed: "Truly repenting... you've run out of options, haven't you?"

"Yes. There's no other way out... Your Highness, Xu Ke would rather die than let her grandfather and father know about this..."

Li Jing gave another cold laugh and remained silent.

"Mo Wen's last miscarriage was caused by Princess Yu'an. A few days ago... after Mo Wen became pregnant again, she had some nausea. Her mother-in-law often sent her food. That day, Yu'an, in the name of the Mo family, sent over a skinned cat-beast, which terrified Mo Wen so much that she almost miscarried again..."

Li Jing frowned.

“Yu’an has divorced me and her injuries have almost healed. Xu Kecai, she has her eye on me. She keeps sending me letters, and I even saw her carriage parked outside… Your Highness, Xu Kecai truly has nowhere else to go.”

"Don't you want to kill Mo Wen and then become a prince consort?"

Xu Ke was shocked... "Xu Ke would never dare to think like that!"

Li Jing smiled gently, "You'd better not think that way."

Xu Ke couldn't stop trembling all over. His knees, which were kneeling on the ground, were hurting terribly because he didn't know what they were pressing on, but he dared not move.

"So what are your plans?" Li Jing asked.

"I... I want to find an opportunity to lure the princess out and die with her. But... the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince will definitely not let this go unpunished for murdering a royal princess. So, I want to beg Your Highness to protect the Xu family..." Xu Ke, under the influence of alcohol, suddenly found courage.

Li Jing was somewhat surprised...

"Why would I do this? As you say... although it might not warrant the extermination of nine generations of the family, the Xu family is certainly finished. Such a serious crime cannot be solved by Mo Wen alone."

"Xu Ke has been with Princess Yu'an for nearly three years. There are some things that Xu Ke knows, and he can write them down and give them to the prince, which may be useful to you. Xu Ke, based on the occasional words the princess utters, guesses that the Empress and the Crown Prince may be related to the deaths of your mother and brother."

Li Jing slammed the cup down on the table.

"What are the specific details?"

“The princess is quite tight-lipped. At the time, Xu Ke had no intention of inquiring about such matters. However, she did mention that they and you have an insurmountable blood feud. There was also a time when we were chatting, I mentioned you… saying that you are the legitimate daughter of the first wife, of noble status, and have distinguished military achievements, no less than the Crown Prince… As a result, Princess Yu’an flew into a rage. She also said that even the Empress did not know about what she and the Crown Prince did.”

Li Jing thought of Zhou Li... This probably refers to this matter.

Looking down, Xu Ke was still kneeling.

"You get up first!"

"Yes." Xu Ke stood up.

"sit down."

Xu Ke sat down.

“Xu Ke, you come from the Xu family, and you are handsome and capable. So, I just can’t understand how you ended up associating with Yu An. In this respect, your character is no match for Dongfang.”

"Your Highness is right. Looking back now, it was indeed foolish, but at the time, I felt quite proud of the princess's infatuation..."

Li Jing shook his head: "In principle, a person like you is not worthy of my trust. However, your grandfather, father, brothers, and uncles have done many practical things for the court over the years. They should not be humiliated for such a thing. Therefore, I will consider you a prodigal son who has returned home and trust you for the time being."

Xu Ke blushed again, but felt somewhat relieved. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"As for Yu'an, there's no rush to kill her. That's not a good method. Besides, she has a blood feud with me, so death would be easy for her. After all, who doesn't die? I have a suggestion, would you like to hear it?"

Xu Ke stood up. "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

"You should get out of here first. There's something going on outside that you can handle for me. I'll use some connections to get you out of here immediately. As long as you're not around, she won't be constantly provoking her. She and the Crown Prince don't dare to touch the Xu family right now. I'll also send people to protect Mo Wen."

This departure could take a year or two to return. And when he comes back... things will be different.

"Thank you, Your Highness! I will follow Your Highness's arrangements," Xu Ke replied immediately.

"Don't rush to agree. This matter is not only difficult, but also fraught with danger. You will suffer, get injured, and even die. Moreover, you will die a horrible death... You could say you're risking your life. But if you're lucky and capable enough, it will be a great achievement, enough to make up for the foolish things you did when you were young."

As long as you don't deceive me, and don't desert... no matter how well or badly you do, I can guarantee that this shameful affair will never be exposed to the world..."