Shang Rui sneered and said, "How can I help you? Since you are Yu Sheng's adopted son, you and Yu Zhaoyang should be siblings. Now you actually want to marry her. Such a perverted act, aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"
Zi Jin knelt on the ground, his back straight, and calmly replied: "Your Majesty, a bastard's attempt to seize the throne and kill his brother and his wife is truly an act that goes against moral principles. Your Majesty did it back then, so why can't I do the same now?"
"How dare you!" Shang Rui slammed the imperial edict in his hand onto the table and said angrily, "Yu Ranyu, do you think I can't kill you?"
Zi Jin withdrew his gaze from Shang Rui's face, lowered his eyes, still kneeling, but said no more.
The room suddenly became quiet.
Chu Zhong and Yao Chuang, who were guarding the door, naturally heard the noise, but since their masters had not summoned them, they did not dare to interrupt rashly.
Shang Rui sat down and took a big gulp of tea.
After a while, Zi Jin raised his head and said, "If I offer you the Gao Xin jade, Your Majesty, would you consider it?"
Shang Rui looked at him and said, "The jade is in my hand. Why do you need to do this?"
"It is estimated that the emperor has already obtained the list of names in Yuchan, but that was a cover-up by Yu Sheng back then. The real secret is not the list, but a treasure left by the previous dynasty."
Shang Rui put down the teacup and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Zi Jin continued, "This was obtained by Emperor Taizu before he came to power. He later ordered people to hide it in a jade cicada and pass it down to successive emperors for emergency use. Later, the late emperor showed pity to me and gave it to me. I know Your Majesty doesn't believe it, but Your Majesty must remember that two hundred years ago when Emperor Taizu founded the country, the country was originally in trouble and the people were poor, but suddenly it was rumored that he had received help from an immortal. The immortal claimed that Emperor Taizu followed the will of heaven and was blessed by heaven, and then the national treasury suddenly became abundant."
Shang Rui naturally knew about this. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was just a trick of Emperor Taizu.
"In fact, Emperor Taizu only took half of the treasure, and the remaining half is still there." Zi Jin said, "Now the power of David is gradually declining. There is famine in the south, tsunamis in the east, and the Wusun Kingdom in the west is eyeing the Central Plains. In addition, the power of the vassal kings has become a disaster. Has the emperor never thought about solving the problem once and for all?"
At this point, Zi Jin bowed again without waiting for Shang Rui's reply, and said slowly: "The court needs money both internally and externally. I am willing to relieve the emperor's worries."
Shang Rui said nothing after hearing this, and stared at Zi Jin quietly for a long time, as if he wanted to see the shadow of another person through Zi Jin.
Finally, Shang Rui retracted his gaze but smiled.
That smile was very complicated, containing too many emotions in his heart, and even a hint of self-mockery.
At this moment, there was suddenly a noise downstairs, and then the sound of footsteps hurriedly coming up the stairs was heard.
"Your Majesty." It was Tian Yuan's voice.
"Come in." Shang Rui said.
Zi Jin turned around when he saw this.
Tian Yuan pushed the door open and walked in, holding a piece of white silk in his hand, panting anxiously and saying, "Your Majesty, this is the blood letter sent by Princess Jingtan that the guards at the West Gate received, saying that Miss Min is in their hands."
Zi Jin was horrified and stood up from the ground: "What did you say?"
Four
At Yunjian Peak, after Zi Jin and his party left, Xia Yue went to the Buddhist temple and knelt on the cushion, quietly waiting for news.
With Zi Jin's help, King Liang sent his confidant to the city yesterday to inquire about Jing Tan's news.
However, the result was unexpected.
The spy just found Jingtan's whereabouts this morning and was secretly following her. Unexpectedly, he happened to meet a drunk who flirted with Jingtan on the road. Jingtan was vicious and pulled out the dagger from her body to stab the man. Seeing this, the man's companion wanted to capture her to vent his anger. In a hurry, the spy had to save Jingtan and took her out of the city.
A message just came back saying that Jingtan and I have arrived at the foot of the mountain, and asked King Liang whether he should bring her up the mountain.
King Liang was very surprised and felt that something was wrong, but then he heard from the person who came up the mountain to deliver the message that Jingtan was injured and needed timely medical treatment.
"This temple is located in the mountains and far away, and there is a lack of doctors and medicine. Where can I find a doctor? It is better to send her back to the city." King Liang hesitated, looked at Xia Yue again, and asked, "Girl, do you have any solution?" He knew that Xia Yue had been studying medical books all the way, so he asked this question deliberately.
After Zijin left, King Liang also came to the temple, firstly because he felt at ease here, and secondly to keep an eye on Xia Yue. He knew that this girl was the apple of his nephew's eye, and he was afraid that something might go wrong.
Although Prince Liang hated Prince Huai very much, he still felt sorry for Jing Tan, especially after he rejected her on behalf of Zi Jin last time and saw her leave silently, he felt even more indebted.
Xia Yue heard Zi Jin mention it yesterday and already knew who Jing Tan was. She didn't want to have anything to do with these things anymore, but when King Liang asked, she could only say, "If the injury is not serious, I can take a look."
King Liang nodded and sent someone to bring Jingtan up the mountain.
One of the important reasons why he and Zijin chose Yunjian Temple as their base was that it was sparsely populated and had a dangerous terrain. Only a few people were needed to protect the mountain like an iron barrel. Therefore, it was difficult for outsiders to enter the temple without permission.
Jingtan walked up by himself. There was a deep cut on his left arm, the skin and flesh were turned over, and blood was oozing out of the wound.
The method of stopping bleeding is simple. Xia Yue had seen it in Li Ji's book. It can be done with just acupuncture, without the need for medicine. A few days ago at Zhou's house, Xia Yue asked Zhou to buy her a few silver needles. Although they were not as fine as Li Ji's, they were enough for her to practice.
She had never tried it on a real person and was a little timid.
"Where is Brother Yu?" Jingtan asked.
Xia Yue didn't say anything, just shook her head and concentrated on inserting the needle into her arm.
After three injections, Xia Yue returned to the dormitory at the back, found trauma medicine in Zi Jin's luggage, came back and applied some to Jing Tan, and bandaged her.
"This is all I can do. If the situation gets worse, I'll have to ask them to send you back to the city," Xia Yue said.
Jingtan stared at Xiayue: "Are you Min Xiayue? And Yu Zhaoyang?"
"it's me."
"You are so beautiful, no wonder he likes you." Jingtan said.
Xia Yue didn't have the mind to figure out who this "he" was referring to, and considering the rumor that Zi Jin and she were engaged, she subconsciously thought it was referring to Zi Jin.
Jingtan lost a lot of blood and looked pale.
Xia Yue placed her in her room and said, "Just close your eyes and rest for a while here by yourself."
She was worried and absent-minded in everything she did, so she went back to the temple to meditate under the Buddha statue.
Not long after, Xia Yue suddenly felt a strange fragrance around her. Confused, she was about to get up to check it out, but she saw King Liang fall down, and then her eyes went dark and she lost consciousness.
I don’t know how long I slept, but Xia Yue was woken up by a bucket of cold water.
She gasped for breath, and felt a splitting headache. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she couldn't move at all. She opened her eyes and before she came to her senses, she felt a pair of cold hands clamping her chin tightly, and said with a smile: "The fun is about to begin."
Xia Yue raised her eyes and looked at the Jingtan Lake in front of her.
At this moment, Jingtan had a cold and charming look on her face. There was no trace of the delicate and pitiful look she had when she went up the mountain with injuries just now.
Xia Yue asked coldly, "What are you going to do to Zi Jin?"
"Him?" Jingtan smiled, "I'm not interested in him. What I want is Wei Shangrui's life."
Xia Yue had no idea of the relationship between them, so she frowned and said nothing.
"I thought you would be stunningly beautiful, but you are just this beautiful." Jingtan said, "But why did he fall for you? At the beginning, I ran to the palace and begged to marry him and become his concubine, but he sent me back and made me a laughing stock. Now he wants to kill our whole family. If he was so cold to the world, I would be fine, but he actually closed the gates and searched the city for you. He is really willing to do anything."
Xia Yue pulled her chin out of her hand: "What does this have to do with me?" When she moved, she found that the old injury on her hand that she had broken in the snow last time had relapsed, and she could hardly use any strength.
Jingtan replied: "Of course it is related. I want to kill him, but his identity and scheming will never allow me to get close to him. I'm afraid only King Liang and you are so stupid. Now that I have you, aren't you afraid that he will take the bait?"
Xia Yue tried to move the fingers of her left hand, but the pain made her forehead sweat. At the same time, she responded to Jing Tan: "You said he was cold-hearted by nature, why would he destroy himself for me?"
Jingtan smiled again: "Why don't you try it and know? What's more, if he doesn't agree, I can just take your life and I still have Yu Ranyu. He will definitely agree, and then the snipe and the clam will fight each other, wouldn't it be more exciting?"
Xia Yue gritted her teeth and said, "You're dreaming!"
Jingtan said with a smile: "Do you know that Wei Shangrui used you to make Ran Yu turn against my father and kill Xu Jingye. He was originally very happy in Yunzhong, but he would rather gamble himself in the capital to get you back. How could he dare not do anything that Wei Shangrui asked him to do?"
After hearing this, Xia Yue's face turned pale. It was impossible. Zi Jin told her in person that the man did not use her to threaten him.
Jingtan guessed what happened when he saw her expression and continued, "You really don't know? Then you must know that one of your maids was captured by Wei Shangrui."
Xia Yue understood that the other party was provoking her, so she turned her head away and stopped talking.
"Do you need me to kindly tell you how she is now?" Jingtan suddenly felt that he seemed to have found the pleasure of revenge on Shang Rui.
Xia Yue closed her eyes and didn't want to say another word to this woman.
Jingtan said to herself proudly, "She died. She died in the palace."
Xia Yue suddenly opened her eyes: "You are talking nonsense!"
"Didn't you say you didn't want to talk to me?" Jingtan pouted, her face looking cute and innocent, yet frightening.
Xia Yue bit her lower lip, feeling a little frightened, but she dared not disbelieve Jing Tan. This woman had just arrived in Beijing yesterday, so how could she know all these things so clearly
Jingtan sighed quietly: "If you don't care about me, then forget it. But the little maid is so pitiful, no one would want to know if she died."
"How did he die?" Xia Yue asked.
"How else could he die? Wei Shangrui killed him in a rage to vent his anger."
Xia Yue bit her lips tightly with her teeth, and her lower lip broke instantly, bleeding: "Don't think I will believe you."
Jingtan chuckled and said, "It doesn't matter. I told you out of kindness. I just think that the more you hate him, the happier I am. It must be very interesting to think about his look of wanting something but not being able to get it."
"I repeat, I have nothing to do with him."
"Of course, you are going to marry Wei Ranyu. He probably can't survive without you."
Xia Yue said calmly: "Don't use him."
"Why should I let him go? When my father was in danger, I knelt on the ground and begged him, but he told me that he couldn't do anything for you. Such a gentle man said such decisive words. I thought at that time that I wanted him to taste my pain in the future. If he saw you die in front of him, he would definitely regret not helping me."
At this time, a bearded man came in and said a few words to Jingtan.
The other person's accent was a bit strange, and Xia Yue couldn't remember where she had heard it before. She didn't think much about it, and took the opportunity to look around.
It was still light outside.
She felt that she should still be in Yunjian Temple, but the guards should have all been replaced. The bearded man seemed to be the leader.
The bearded man left, and when he turned around he inadvertently muttered something in Wusun dialect.
Wusun people
Xia Yue frowned. The Wusun Kingdom and the David Dynasty have always been enemies, and Jingtan is actually with them. Thinking about it carefully, Jingtan's actions may not be as simple as love turning into hate.
Jingtan turned around and met Xia Yue's eyes. He saw the doubt in her heart and smiled: "How can I deal with the two of them by myself? Of course, someone must help me."
Xia Yue said coldly: "If you help them kill Wei Shangrui, what will the Wusun people do to the people of the David Dynasty after they succeed?"
"It's just a matter of each taking what they need. I just want to save my father. As for the life and death of others, it has nothing to do with me."
"Where is King Liang? How are the other people in the temple?" Xia Yue asked.
"Of course, those who are an eyesore are dead, but don't worry, King Liang is still alive." After saying that, Jingtan pulled Xia Yue up from the ground, "Let's go, they are coming."
five
Xia Yue was dragged out of the gate of Yunjian Temple by someone.
The thick temple door was only opened a crack, just enough for Jingtan and Xiayue to walk out. Her old injured hand was grabbed roughly, and she could hardly stand due to the pain. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
It was quiet outside the temple.
Xia Yue looked up and saw a group of people standing in the distance, with the two men among them.
"Uncle Jiu—" Jingtan called out loudly, "Long time no see."
Shang Rui stood with his hands behind his back: "Jingtan, have you thought about the consequences?"
Zi Jin stared at Xia Yue, his lips moved but no sound came out.
Xia Yue shook her head and silently mouthed three words to him: "I'm fine."
This subtle movement did not escape the eyes of Jingtan and Shangrui. Jingtan chuckled, "Uncle Jiu, the consequence is nothing more than my blood being splattered on the spot. But, how do you feel when you see your sweetheart flirting with your nephew in front of you?"
Shang Rui glanced at Xia Yue, then turned to Jing Tan: "What do you want?"
Jingtan said: "You have already seen the person. Now let's talk about my conditions."
Xia Yue only heard her say this before being taken back to the same meditation room by the bearded man.
She sat on the ground, enduring the severe pain in her hand, and waited quietly.
After a while, the door was opened, and Shang Rui, who was tied up, appeared at the door. When he entered the room, he was pushed roughly and staggered.
"Bang." The door was locked again.
All the doors and windows in the room were closed and the light was very dark, so he squinted his eyes and took some time to see Xia Yue on the ground.
Xia Yue turned her head away, avoiding his gaze: "You shouldn't put yourself in danger."
Shang Rui sneered: "It's me who came, not Yu Ranyu. Are you disappointed?"
She replied: "How could I be disappointed? If you die and he lives, this result is really the best."
Shang Rui raised his eyebrows: "I'm giving my life in exchange for you, and you're cursing me like this?"
"Who told you to be so stupid?" Xia Yue said, "Look, she caught you and she didn't plan to let me go. Whether you come or not is just the difference between wanting me to die immediately and waiting a while before dying."
Shang Rui was actually amused by her words and sat down next to her against the wall.
"I finally found the reason why I fell in love with you."
She replied quietly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
When Shang Rui heard the word "Your Majesty", his expression froze slightly.
After a while, another person came and stuffed the two of them into a car, and then started on their way.
Xia Yue leaned against the carriage with her eyes closed. After the bumpy ride, her hands hurt so much that they felt like they were going to fall off. She was sweating profusely and her lips were starting to turn white.
Shang Rui saw this and asked angrily, "Did they hurt you?"
Xia Yue shook her head: "It's the old injury on my hand from last time. The bone is dislocated again." She took a deep breath and relaxed.
Shang Rui shouted out of the car twice: "Wei Jingtan!"
After a while, the car stopped and Jingtan slowly lifted the car curtain: "What's wrong? Uncle Jiu, you missed me so much, didn't we just meet?"
"Untie her and call a doctor. If she keeps it tied like this, her hand will be useless."
Jingtan laughed and said, "Uncle Jiu, do you really think that we are in the palace and everyone is at your disposal?"
"What else do you want from me?"