As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Wanxing blurted out, "No!"
Xiao Yixuan and Ye Huan both looked at her. Realizing her overreaction, Ye Wanxing composed herself and said,
"The master of that Lady Jiang from Huichuntang has been highly valued by King Mu and has returned to the capital with him. If they have long defected to King Mu, wouldn't we be putting this little eunuch and His Highness, the Prince of Xuan, in danger?"
After hearing this, Ye Huan nodded gravely. "Xing'er is right. This matter is of great importance. We'd better not let more people know about it."
Xiao Yixuan recalled the so - called uncle of Ye Wanmian he had met in Huichuntang, a man who always wore a green robe.
The man seemed very gentle and amiable when facing the patients. However, Xiao Yixuan inexplicably felt a sense of danger from him.
At this moment, he really didn't dare to take the risk.
Moreover, the identity of that "cousin" beside Ye Wanmian was also very suspicious. Regardless of whether that person was Xiao Jingcheng or not, from Ye Wanmian's initial attitude, he knew that she wouldn't side with him.
Yet, he still felt unwilling.
Two years ago, Xiao Jingcheng had hurt her so badly. She clearly hated Xiao Jingcheng so much. Why did she still choose to help him?
Even more, she repeatedly refused his kindness!
Once everything was over, he would surely find her and get an explanation!
Suddenly, a doctor's excited cry came from inside the room. "He's awake! He's awake, Your Highness! He's awake!"
Xiao Yixuan snapped back to reality and immediately strode in. The imperial servant lying on the bed had indeed regained consciousness, but his face was extremely pale and his breathing was very weak.
"Your... Your Highness, the... the Prince of Xuan..."
The imperial servant moved his lips and struggled to get up to salute Xiao Yixuan. Xiao Yixuan bent down and pressed on his shoulder, saying, "Under the current circumstances, there's no need for such formalities. Just lie down and talk."
Noticing that Xiao Yixuan had something to talk to the imperial servant, Meng Zhao half - dragged and half - pulled the doctors who had been rescuing the patient out of the room.
Xiao Yixuan sat down beside the bed. The imperial servant couldn't stop shedding tears and intermittently told Xiao Yixuan and the Ye siblings what had happened in the capital:
"Your... Your Highness, there has been a change in the capital. King Mu... has rebelled..."
Three days ago, on an ordinary late night, King Mu led his troops into the palace, catching everyone off guard. With the defection of some of the imperial guards, this rebellion was almost a one - sided victory.
Xiao Tianye happened to be staying in the palace of the imperial concubine that night. After the incident, he found that he had lost control of the palace. He made a prompt decision and left with the imperial concubine through a secret passage he had prepared in advance. However, King Mu seemed to have been well - prepared too. He sent people to chase and kill them all the way, forcing Xiao Tianye to flee from the capital.
"I was entrusted by His Majesty and the imperial concubine to come south to report the news to Your Highness. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and successfully met Your Highness!"
The imperial servant tightly grasped Xiao Yixuan's hand and, using his last bit of strength, pulled Xiao Yixuan closer and said,
"Your Highness, run quickly! Don't stay in Dongli Town any longer. His Majesty and the imperial concubine are waiting for you in Yunzhou!"
After saying these words, the imperial servant's body fell heavily and he closed his eyes, motionless.
Xiao Yixuan reached out to check his breath and found that he had finally succumbed and died.
Seeing Xiao Yixuan sitting there with his head down, motionless, Ye Huan advised, "Your Highness, what this little eunuch said is right. We really can't stay in Dongli Town any longer. We should leave quickly and join His Majesty and the imperial concubine in Yunzhou!"
When Xiao Yixuan looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot and he gritted his teeth. "But are we just going to hand over the Jiangshan of the Xiao family to a sickly man who could die at any time?"
"Father, how could he, how could he lose to King Mu?!"
This incident had a huge impact on Xiao Yixuan.
He dared not and was unwilling to believe that his most respected father had been forced out of the capital like a stray dog by King Mu's men and had asked him to meet in Yunzhou.
He was just one step away, just one step away from completely eliminating Xiao Jingcheng and entering the Eastern Palace to become the legitimate heir to the throne!
How could this happen!
Ye Wanxing also advised, "Cousin Xuan, don't be anxious. The Jiangshan of the Great Sheng naturally cannot fall into the hands of such a treacherous official. You must believe that His Majesty will surely come up with a way to attack back to the capital and regain the throne!"
Ye Huan said, "Yes, His Majesty is so brave. He will surely be able to regain the throne!"
Under the persuasion of the siblings, Xiao Yixuan calmed down. He stood up and called out, "Meng Zhao!"
Meng Zhao entered the room and bowed. "Your subordinate is here. Please give your orders, Your Highness."
"Pass on my order. Everyone should pack up their luggage immediately and leave Dongli Town tonight!" Xiao Yixuan gritted his teeth and said.
"Now?!" Meng Zhao was greatly surprised. "But it's raining heavily outside."
Leaving Dongli Town now suited Ye Wanxing's intention. She said, "Guard Meng, it's precisely because it's raining heavily outside. Everyone is staying at home to avoid the rain. His Highness, the Prince of Xuan, can leave without being noticed."
Ye Huan also said, "That's right. The heavy rain can cover the hoof - prints of the carriages. It's beneficial to Your Highness."
After weighing the pros and cons, Meng Zhao immediately said, "Your subordinate will give the order. We'll set off in an hour."
The Ye siblings had already planned to leave the next day and had packed their luggage. They just needed to go back to their rooms to get them. Xiao Yixuan had lost five thousand taels of silver notes. Coupled with this blow, he simply abandoned all the things in the room and went downstairs with the Ye siblings.
The soldiers he had brought were also very efficient. After receiving the news, they quickly assembled outside Liuxiang Tower.
Throwing a silver ingot to the shopkeeper of Liuxiang Tower and asking him to bury the brave courtier who had come to report the news, Xiao Yixuan and the Ye siblings got into their respective carriages.
Meng Zhao mounted his horse in the rain. Suddenly, he remembered something. He rode his horse to Xiao Yixuan's carriage and said,
"Your Highness, His Highness, the Prince of Ning, has gone west to arrest the thieves and hasn't returned yet. Do we need to leave a letter for him?"
Xiao Yixuan's cold voice came from inside the carriage. "No need. Set off."
Meng Zhao waved his hand and the team set off.
The sound of the horses' hooves was covered by the thunder and rain in the sky. The troops that had been stationed in Dongli Town for several months gradually disappeared into the night. Neither Meng Zhao nor the soldiers of the Pei family army noticed that in the heavy rain, several dogs, hiding behind the walls and eaves, quietly followed them.
...
Ye Wanmian had a series of nightmares in the first half of the night. But in the second half, she felt as if her body was immersed in a ball of fire. The warmth from all directions dispelled the coldness in her body, and the scene in her dream changed.
She dreamed that she was wearing a fox fur coat and holding a yellow puppy as small as a palm in her arms. She rushed excitedly into a large mansion.
In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Jiang Zhiqing and Li Zhao, both dressed in gorgeous clothes, were snuggled together. Their intertwined hands held a writing brush. It was not clear what they were writing, but there was a big smile on Jiang Zhiqing's face.
"Father! Mother!" Ye Wanmian shouted loudly. She held up the yellow puppy in her hand and was so happy that she almost jumped up. "Look! I picked up a little puppy outside!"
The two people in the pavilion in the middle of the lake looked up. She put the puppy in her arms on the ground. The puppy whined and turned to run outside the pavilion. Unexpectedly, it bumped into a man wearing a robe embroidered with four - clawed snakes.
The man bent down, pinched the puppy's nape with his fingers, and picked it up. His deep, glass - like eyes looked at her with disgust:
"Li Mujin, you always pick up strange things."
Ye Wanmian shivered all over and suddenly opened her eyes, waking up from the dream.
What came into view was the man's chest. Looking up, Xiao Jingcheng's unmasked face came into sight, exactly the same as the person in the dream. And she herself was being held in his arms at this moment...
"Ah!"
Ye Wanmian let out a scream and kicked the person on the bed off!