After Princess Nanzhao and others were detained, the palace suddenly became much quieter. Apart from the servants, there were only three masters left in the huge mansion: Prince Nanzhao Song Huai and Song Meiying, and two guests: Xie Nanjia and Zhao Jingyu.
King Nanzhao was determined to punish those people severely, and he issued a gag order, forbidding anyone to leak the news, in order to prevent relatives from hearing the news and coming to plead for them. Even the place where several people were detained was kept strictly confidential. No one knew where they were held except King Nanzhao and his confidants.
Song Huai was deeply shocked. He locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink and refusing to be disturbed.
King Nanzhao felt sorry for his son and asked Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia to counsel him. Song Huai probably felt ashamed to see them, so the two went several times but were turned away each time.
Three days later, King Nanzhao made an important decision to let Song Huai replace King Song Zhan as the crown prince and become the next heir to the throne. The chief historian of the royal palace and local officials checked the case, and after the local officials signed it, they applied to the court for the title.
It was impossible to keep such a big thing as changing the crown prince secret. Once the news came out, it immediately caused a sensation in the entire Nanzhao City.
The people who did not know the truth were in a panic and speculated whether something was going to change in Nanzhao.
Rumors were spreading in the city. In order to appease the people, King Nanzhao announced to the public that Song Zhan was stripped of his title due to misconduct and lack of moral integrity. This matter had nothing to do with the government and people's livelihood. The people were asked not to panic, and not to believe the rumors.
In order to convince the people, King Nanzhao took great pains to persuade Song Huai to go out with him on an inspection tour and ride around the city of Nanzhao on horseback.
Song Huai has always been known as the most handsome man in Nanzhao. He has good character and outstanding talents. He is well-known in Nanzhao City and is deeply loved by the people. Therefore, when he appeared in the people's sight riding a white horse, wearing brocade clothes and a jade crown, and looking handsome, everyone forgot the panic brought to them by the change of the crown prince, and knelt on both sides of the street to pay homage to him.
The woman who was bewitched by his beauty even chased him for several blocks.
Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia were mixed in the crowd, watching the overwhelming scene in front of them, and couldn't help but sigh: "The people are easy to please, they only care about their own lives, as long as it doesn't endanger their lives, changing the emperor doesn't matter to them."
"So you have to remember, if you want to be loved by the people, you have to be a good emperor. The saying that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it is not just talk." Xie Nanjia took the opportunity to give him some advance education.
Zhao Jingyu's focus shifted again: "Tell me, if it was me riding on the horse, would there be more young ladies following behind me?"
Xie Nanjia: “…”
This person used to be serious only three times, but now he is serious only once.
She looked across the crowd at Song Huai sitting on his horse. Perhaps infected by the enthusiasm of the people, Song Huai finally showed a long-lost smile on his face. He waved to the people, dressed in fine clothes and riding a fast horse, full of vigor and vitality. The previous feeling of despair was gone.
As Xie Nanjia watched, she suddenly had an indescribable feeling in her heart.
"I've waited for this moment for too long!" Zhao Jingyu said quietly beside him.
"What do you mean?" Xie Nanjia frowned and looked at him.
Zhao Jingyu curled his lips and gave her an intriguing smile: "I think this should be Song Huai's thoughts at the moment"
Xie Nanjia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.
That's how she felt just now.
It turned out that Zhao Jingyu had the same feeling as her.
Despite this, she shook her head firmly: "Impossible, Song Huai is not that kind of person."
How could Song Huai be that kind of person? He is obviously a simple, pitiful man who was betrayed by almost all his relatives. How could he be so scheming
If he really had such deep scheming, he wouldn't be ambushed every other day.
"This may be our illusion. He has been suppressed for so long, and suddenly became a prince. It is inevitable that he has some emotions that are different from usual." She once again excused Song Huai.
Zhao Jingyu smiled noncommittally: "He is your friend, you can think whatever you want, as long as you are happy."
"Isn't he your friend?" Xie Nanjia asked back.
"People like me are destined to have no friends." Zhao Jingyu said.
Xie Nanjia: "…What about Cheng Zhiye and Zhou Yuncheng, aren't they also?"
"The relationship between them and me is like the relationship between your father, my father and my biological father. Do you think they are friends?" Zhao Jingyu said.
"..." Xie Nanjia was stunned for a moment, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, "I don't know, I thought I saw through the relationship between them before, but later I found that it was not what I thought. What kind of relationship between them is, maybe only they themselves understand."
But no matter what, she regarded Song Huai as a friend from the bottom of her heart, so she didn't want her enthusiasm to go to waste.
Maybe she and Zhao Jingyu were both too suspicious and too sensitive. She comforted herself in this way.
After being interrupted by Zhao Jingyu, the excitement in front of her became boring, so she stopped following the team and pulled Zhao Jingyu back to the Nanzhao Palace.
Wei Jun and Huangfu followed secretly until the two men entered the palace, then they quietly left and returned to the inn.
"Do you feel that Miss Xiu'er's attitude towards the Second Young Master has changed a lot now?" On the way, Huangfu chatted with Wei Jun from time to time.
"What change?" Wei Jun asked.
"It's that kind of intimate, natural, and tacit feeling. Didn't you notice?" Huangfu said.
"No." Wei Jun replied expressionlessly.
"I have nothing to say to a wooden man like you." Huangfu rolled his eyes, feeling that discussing the relationship between men and women with him was a sheer waste of time.
The two returned to the inn while talking and met Xie Nanfeng at the door.
"Aren't you following Zhao Jingyu? Why did you come back so soon?" Xie Nanfeng asked.
"The Second Young Master and Miss Xiu'er returned to the palace, so we came back." Huangfu explained.
"Oh, I was planning to go find them!" Xie Nanfeng said.
"Is there anything urgent?" Huangfu asked.
"That person finally confessed. I want to tell Zhao Jingyu." Xie Nanfeng said, "How about you two take a little more trouble and see if Zhao Jingyu is convenient to come over."
"I'll go!" said Wei Jun, who had been silent all this time.
"Okay, be careful not to let Miss Xiu'er know." Xie Nanfeng specifically reminded.
Wei Jun nodded, turned around and strode away.
After Xie Nanjia returned to the palace, he felt a little uneasy. He sent Zhao Jingyu away and lay on the couch in a depressed mood, thinking about his problems.
In fact, she had had a similar feeling in the meeting hall that day, but there were too many people and it was very noisy, so she couldn't concentrate on thinking. After the series of reversals that followed, she just let it go in a daze.
Thinking about it now, she had already sensed something was wrong that day, and vaguely wondered if she, Zhao Jingyu, and Song Huai were being used by someone. If what Zhao Jingyu had just said was true, then only she and Zhao Jingyu were being used, not Song Huai.
Because Song Huai is the one who uses them!
Thinking of this, she sat up suddenly, and her heart seemed to be crawling with ants, scratching and feeling uncomfortable.
The smarter people are, the more they hate being cheated. It makes them feel that their IQ is insulted. Xie Nanjia not only feels insulted, but also angry, disappointed, and heartbroken. She feels that her sincerity has been wasted.
If all this is true, Song Huai's methods are really brilliant.
Princess Nanzhao said that everyone in the palace has a mask, and there is no doubt that Song Huai is the one who has become one with the mask.
He is like a dormant beast, calm, patient, good at disguise, able to endure loneliness and humiliation, quietly lurking in the darkness, waiting for the right time, the right place, and until the opponent reveals a flaw, he will seize the opportunity and kill with one move.
He not only used her and Zhao Jingyu, but also Prince Nanzhao, Madam Ning, and even Princess Nanzhao, Song Zhan, Song Ze, Song Meiwei, Song Meiying, and Madam Wu. Each of them could be considered his chess pieces, and every move they made was a fatal danger to him. However, he successfully used these dangers to reach his desired destination—the position of Crown Prince.
This kind of person is so terrible!
The more Xie Nanjia thought about it, the more frightened she became. She broke out in a cold sweat even in the hottest weather. Although she was not completely sure whether her reasoning was correct, she still thought that she should communicate with Zhao Jingyu as soon as possible.
Zhao Jingyu spoke ambiguously. Could it be that he already knew Song Huai's true identity, but did not tell her because he was concerned about her feelings
She felt that it must be the case, otherwise he would not have said something like "As long as you are happy".
She was not happy at all! Compared to the sadness of being deceived by Song Huai, she hated being deceived by him even more, even if it was with good intentions!
He swore that he would never hide anything from her, no matter big or small. If he dared to break his promise, she would make him pay!
She put on her shoes, tidied her clothes, and couldn't wait to go to Zhao Jingyu's residence.
However, she did not see Zhao Jingyu. The servant in charge of cleaning said that the Second Young Master Zhao went out not long after he came back. As for where he went, the Second Young Master Zhao did not say. He only told Miss Xiu'er that if she came to look for him, she should go back and wait for him obediently.
Xie Nanjia had a hunch that Zhao Jingyu must have been hiding a lot of things from her, but since she couldn't see him now, there was nothing she could do but to "obediently" go back and wait.
She walked back slowly. Fengming Hall was full of colorful flowers and shady trees. The bamboo building with a plaque reading "Gentle Breeze" was hidden among the swaying bamboo shadows, quiet and peaceful.
Xie Nanjia felt sad when he recalled the scene of having a hearty conversation with Song Huai and Zhao Jingyu in the bamboo building.
It is true that beautiful things cannot last forever, such as spring flowers, beauties, and the feelings between people.
She walked to the bamboo building, wanting to go in and sit down, but she raised her foot and then slowly retracted it.
Forget it, I decided not to go. The lively conversations and the good humours we once had, I’d just leave them there.
She sighed softly and turned away.
At the same time, Song Huai, who was still accepting people's worship on the street, received some disturbing news.
"I just saw the personal guard Wei Jun of the second young master Zhao." A guard rode up to him and whispered to him.
"Wei Jun?" Song Huai hesitated a little and couldn't remember who it was.
"He's the one who has been following Young Master Zhao in the West Mountain Paddock. You once said that he looks difficult to deal with." The guard reminded in a low voice.
"It's him?" Song Huai was startled. "Why would he come to Nanzhao?"
When Zhao Jingyu came to Nanzhao, he did not bring any guards with him. Xie Nanfeng came here to protect Xiu'er on the orders of General Wu'an. He had no relationship with Zhao Jingyu and did not seem to be very close to him.
Now, Zhao Jingyu’s personal guards suddenly came to Nanzhao without letting the Nanzhao Palace know. What do they want to do
Song Huai thought about it and felt that the matter was not simple. He ordered the guards, "Go and check where Wei Jun stayed. Find out when he came, how many people came with him, any unusual behavior after he came, who he met, and where he went. Find out everything."
"Yes!" The guard took the order and left.
Song Huai calmed himself down and turned to look at King Nanzhao who was sitting in the chariot.
The chariot was obscured by the canopy and ceremonial guards, and the figure of King Nanzhao could not be seen clearly. The people in front of him shouted "Long live the prince", so he turned around and waved to the people with a smile.
My father once said that if you want to plan big things, you must be patient and cautious, keep everything in your heart and not express it in your emotions, and remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you.
He has been doing this for more than ten years and will continue to do so.
A little later, Zhao Jingyu came back and went to see Xie Nanjia first.
"There is something that Nanfeng originally didn't let me tell you, but I promised you that I would never hide anything from you, no matter big or small, so I am going to tell you about it now, and you should be mentally prepared." Zhao Jingyu said seriously.
Before he came back, Xie Nanjia had already prepared a plan for how to interrogate him, but after hearing what he said, she was suddenly confused.
"Why is Nanfeng involved in this? Are you afraid that I will blame you, so you drag him in as a shield?"
"How could that be?" Zhao Jingyu said, "I really am not lying to you this time. I just found out that Nanfeng came here with a mission."
"What mission?" Xie Nanjia's heart skipped a beat. "Is it a mission assigned to him by your father? Does your father still have any humanity? He is still a child. What can he do?"
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
Good man, you are so brave that you dare to call the emperor inhumane. Fortunately, you are mine, otherwise you would have lost your head. Do you know that
"Let's talk about this issue later. Let me tell you what's happening now first." He said helplessly. He had no way to deal with this woman who dared to insult his own father.
"Go ahead!"
Xie Nanjia thought that what he was going to say must be related to Song Huai. Although she was still very sad, after half a day of buffering, she was barely able to accept it. Unexpectedly, she was still surprised when Zhao Jingyu opened his mouth.
"The person who assassinated Song Huai in Jingyun Temple that day was actually arranged by Song Huai himself." Zhao Jingyu said.
"No way, how did you know?" Xie Nanjia almost jumped up from her chair.
"We actually captured five people alive that day," Zhao Jingyu said. "Nanfeng secretly told Song Huai to treat one of the survivors as dead, and then took him back to the inn overnight. Now, that person has confessed."
(End of this chapter)