The two princes of the Southern Neighboring Kingdom were released from the dungeon and escorted to the Chengan Palace.
As soon as they entered the palace, they saw Helian Qi sitting on the highest seat, looking solemn and cold - faced. No matter how they looked at him, he seemed a shrewd man. They wondered how they had ever thought of him as a good - for - nothing.
At this thought, Shun felt a pang of annoyance. However, he still respectfully bowed to Helian Qi, for their lives were now in his hands.
Helian Qi cast a cold glance at them and snorted.
As an emperor, he had too many helplessnesses. If he were just an ordinary man, he would have unhesitatingly fought against those who had hurt his woman. But he was the emperor, the sky of the Dongsheng Kingdom. Every move of his represented the Dongsheng Kingdom. So at this moment, he had to have many concerns.
At this thought, he sighed, with a tinge of guilt towards Dongfang Yi and a bit of hatred towards the men in front of him.
"The eldest prince probably hasn't forgotten what he said in the dungeon," he said slowly.
Yesterday, when they were locked in the dungeon, Shun had promised him that he would work hard and serve the Dongsheng Kingdom whole - heartedly for ten years and would never have any evil thoughts.
Under normal circumstances, this would surely be a humiliating treaty for a country, because the military strength of Dongsheng and the Southern Neighboring Kingdom was about the same, and their exchanges were equal. But if such an overbearing clause was set, the Southern Neighboring Kingdom would be a vassal state of Dongsheng for ten years.
Hearing this, Shun's expression froze for a moment. He bit his lip hard, looking pained.
He had been forced to say such things in the dungeon. Only later did he realize what a big mistake he had made.
Their father had sent them here to bring down Dongsheng, but they had ended up in a worse situation. Their father would surely not forgive him.
But these were not the real problems. After all, their father doted on him and would not blame him too much. The real problem was how to deal with his own sense of injustice.
But at this moment, to save his life, he could only nod firmly. Watching the guards bring them the written agreement and cinnabar, he hesitated and pressed his red fingerprint on the paper with a trembling hand.
Meanwhile, Ye never took his eyes off the man on the stage. He didn't care about the terms of the agreement at all. He had lost, but he believed he could make a comeback.
The hatred in his heart grew deeper, and there was even a hint of killing intent in his eyes. But this killing intent was finally hidden deep in his eyes as he watched what was happening in front of him.
After everything was done, Helian Qi continued, "You are requested to leave the Dongsheng Kingdom tomorrow. Before you leave, I will send people to watch you closely. I hope you will explain this matter to your king in detail when you return. I'm sure he is a reasonable man."
Hearing this, Shun and the others bowed respectfully again, then turned around and left the Chengan Palace.
Helian Qi sat there, watching their backs disappear completely from his sight. The killing intent in his eyes grew stronger.
All he had planned was just a temporary measure. After everything was in order, it would be the time for him to strike. He would never let those who had hurt his woman live in peace.
On the other side, the two princes of the Southern Neighboring Kingdom who had left the palace were walking on the avenue in front of the palace. Shun suddenly stopped, raised his hand and punched the city wall. A pit was immediately punched out of the wall.
"How could this happen?!" he growled in a low voice.
Since there were people watching him all the time, he dared not speak loudly.
Then he turned his face and looked at the man beside him with a complicated look in his eyes. He asked hesitantly, "You hesitated when you saved me, didn't you?"
He remembered that Ye had saved him at the last moment. If Ye had been one second later, his arm might have been cut off. He couldn't understand why. They had been close since childhood, but Ye couldn't make a quick decision at that moment.
At this thought, a chill rose in his heart, and his eyes became more and more hurt.
Ye watched the expression on the man in front of him, feeling a bit nervous. To be honest, he had hesitated at that time. He was still a bit scared that he had managed to stop the loss in time.
"If you think so, Brother, I don't know what to do," he said.
Since he didn't know how to answer, he could only say such an ambiguous sentence. Then he continued walking forward.
Shun frowned and scratched his head, then followed him.
He was too lazy to think about it any more. Anyway, he had been saved in the end, which proved that his brother still cared about him.
The two of them returned to their residence in silence.
They would leave this place tomorrow. They had come here full of pride, but now they were going back like stray dogs.
At this thought, Shun sighed, but there was nothing he could do.
On the other side, in the Lanfang Garden.
After a day, Yaoji had probably understood the whole story and knew that the emperor had spared her two elder brothers.
At this thought, she felt relieved, knowing that her own life would also be safe.
But now the most important thing was to deal with the stolen goods. She hadn't forgotten the night - pearl that had caused the storm. It was now buried in her back yard. To be on the safe side, she had to deal with it as soon as possible.
At this thought, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she immediately came up with a brilliant idea.
There had been a maid who had gone to her death, Zhizhi. She had been threatened by Yaoji and had done this thing for her.
Thanks to her help, Yaoji had been able to move the night - pearl out quietly.
"Since you're dead, do something good for me again..." she murmured, with a sly smile on her face, which looked a bit eerie on her beautiful face.
The night was getting deeper. It seemed to be a cloudy day, so the moon didn't come out.
Yaoji looked at the sky and thought it was really a good opportunity. In such a night, it was easier to do some things without being discovered.
At this thought, she changed into a black dress. Taking advantage of the time when the maids were sleeping, she ran to the back yard and dug out the night - pearl.
As soon as the night - pearl came out, it emitted a strong light. She immediately covered it with a black cloth she had prepared in advance. After looking around and finding no one, she carefully left the Lanfang Garden.
Then she rushed straight to the direction where Zhizhi had jumped into the well.
Her plan was to throw the night - pearl into the well. The well was deep and dark. No one had gone down the well to investigate carefully, and Zhizhi's body had not been taken out. So who would know that the night - pearl had been put there later?
When she arrived at the well, she carried out her plan as originally planned. She used a bamboo pole beside the well to move the night - pearl to a hidden but discoverable place.