Could it be that Li Bingjun really took his wife and daughter on a trip?
This thought had just crossed Xiao Yixuan's mind when a sudden bolt of lightning seemed to flash through his head.
No!
Since Emperor Xiao Tianchi was still in Luozhou City, how could Li Bingjun possibly abandon the emperor and go on a trip with his family?
They had been deceived!
The guards in the posthouse were just a ruse, and so was the carriage that left Li's Mansion yesterday. Whether it was Xiao Tianchi or Li Bingjun, they had already left Luozhou. At this moment, they might even be on their way to the capital!
Realizing this, Xiao Yixuan immediately asked Meng Zhao to take him away. He then sent Meng Zhao to the heavily - guarded posthouse to find out the truth.
Meng Zhao was quite skilled in martial arts. After observing for a while, he found an opening and successfully climbed into the posthouse. As Xiao Yixuan had expected, there was no Emperor of Beisheng inside. There were only ten guards, but they had made it seem as if there were a hundred.
After hearing what Meng Zhao had seen and reported, Xiao Yixuan's face was beyond阴沉. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and Ye Ping'an didn't dare to say anything to provoke Xiao Yixuan at this moment.
After a long time, Xiao Yixuan, with red - eyed, finally spoke: "I'm one step too late again. Why am I always one step behind!"
"If we had driven the carriage faster, we might have been able to meet Li Bingjun."
Ye Ping'an pulled his wandering thoughts back and replied, "We set off from Yunzhou immediately after getting the news and didn't delay on the way. But when we arrived in Luozhou, we got such a result. I think there's only one possibility."
Xiao Yixuan looked at him, his eyes signaling him to continue.
"Your Highness, think about it. When we learned that Li Bingjun had appeared in Luozhou, there was no news of Mu... that traitor leaving the capital. From the time Li Bingjun appeared to his wedding, only five days had passed. Mu the traitor can't fly or disappear. How could he have rushed from the capital to Luozhou in such a short time without being noticed by others?"
Xiao Yixuan was stunned for a moment and immediately reacted, "You're right. In this case, Mu the traitor must have known that Li Bingjun was still alive and that he was going back to Luozhou for his wedding. So he left the capital and rushed to Luozhou long ago!"
Ye Ping'an nodded, "Exactly. Moreover, the perfect cooperation between Li's Mansion and the posthouse shows that covering up their whereabouts was a joint strategy of Li Bingjun and Mu the traitor. The two had been in contact for a long time. Between His Majesty and Mu the traitor, Li Bingjun obviously chose Mu the traitor."
Xiao Yixuan angrily swept the teacup on the table to the ground.
But what was the use of being angry now?
After they arrived in Luozhou, they had stayed here for three days to confirm Li Bingjun's whereabouts. By this time, even if Li Bingjun and Mu the traitor had traveled very slowly, they were already hundreds of miles away. Even if they rode their horses non - stop at full speed, they wouldn't be able to catch up.
Moreover, this was Luozhou!
The military governor of Luozhou was completely on Xiao Tianchi's side!
Xiao Yixuan clenched his fists tightly.
He was so unwilling. He really was.
"Minister Ye, is it true that Father and I are bound to lose this battle?" he asked with red eyes.
He wasn't very familiar with Li Bingjun, but a person whom even Father highly praised and tried every means to get must have his extraordinary qualities. However, such a person was destined to become their enemy. After thinking for a long time, he found that there was no capable person on their side who could compete with him. How could this not make him feel panicked?
"Yes, the immortal master!" Xiao Yixuan suddenly said, "We'll return to Yunzhou immediately. The immortal master must have a way to deal with Li Bingjun!"
He stood up and was about to rush out, but suddenly stopped.
No, he couldn't return to Yunzhou.
Father was already dissatisfied with him because he failed to destroy the Dragon - Slaying Army. This time, Father had placed high hopes on him. But he failed to bring Li Bingjun back to Yunzhou. Father would surely punish him!
What should he do?
"Your Highness?" Meng Zhao saw him standing still and called out.
Xiao Yixuan came back to his senses. He said expressionlessly, "All of you go out. Let me be alone for a while."
Meng Zhao and Ye Ping'an glanced at each other. Ye Ping'an asked, "Aren't we going back to Yunzhou?"
Xiao Yixuan roared angrily, "I said, get out!"
The two had no choice but to leave the room temporarily. Meng Zhao stood guard in front of Xiao Yixuan's door, holding his sword in his arms. He nodded to Ye Ping'an, "You're free to do as you like, Minister Ye."
Alone in the room, Xiao Yixuan sat on the chair, tightly clenching his fists and not moving at all, like a petrified statue.
After a long time, he finally loosened his fists. There were several clear bloodstains in his palm.
His eyes were fierce and full of ambition.
He had been thinking wrongly. There wasn't just one way to become an emperor.
He could also...
take a shortcut.
He called Meng Zhao, who was guarding outside, into the room. A smile appeared on Xiao Yixuan's face, "Go and tell Minister Ye that we'll return to Yunzhou tomorrow."
The next day, Xiao Yixuan dressed up as a tea merchant's son again and left Luozhou from the south city gate with Ye Ping'an.
It was already the sixth day since Jiang Mian and the others set off for the capital. The carriages of the emperor and King Li had also successfully arrived at the outskirts of the capital.
The outskirts of the capital referred to the capital city and the area within a radius of two hundred miles around it, also known as Jingzhou.
Once they entered the outskirts of the capital, it was like returning to half of the capital. This was a crucial area of the country, so it must be heavily guarded and was safer than other places.
Jiang Mian originally thought that no one would come to greet Xiao Tianchi until they returned to the capital. But when they arrived at the posthouse south of the capital, there was already a large group of people kneeling outside:
"We welcome Your Majesty back to the capital. We're late to greet you. Please forgive us, Your Majesty!"
The deep and loud voices made Jiang Mian's eardrums ring. She lifted the curtain and looked outside. There were both military generals and civil officials kneeling outside, as well as countless soldiers.
Xiao Tianchi wasn't surprised by this.
When he left the capital, he used the excuse of going to the imperial mausoleum to handle affairs. No one in the court knew that he left the capital to personally welcome Li Bingjun back to the capital. But the moment he appeared in Luozhou and at the wedding of Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing, the news had spread like wildfire and reached the ears of every minister in the capital.
At this moment, he was sitting in the carriage. Beside him was Li Zhao, who was elegant and steady like a pine tree. There was a half - played chessboard in front of them.
Xiao Tianchi held a chess piece in his hand and smiled outward, "You've come here in such a grand manner. Did you just come to welcome me?"
"Yu Chiqian, raise your head and look at the person opposite me. You must be quite familiar with him, right?"
The person called by Xiao Tianchi raised his head and happened to meet Li Zhao's eyes.
Tears welled up in his eyes instantly. He was extremely excited. Choking and trembling, he said, "Brother Li, after so many years, we finally meet again!"
The others also looked up, their faces showing expressions of daze and disbelief.
It was Li Bingjun. It really... was Li Bingjun!