Empress Xi quickly turned to Madam Zhang and asked, "What exactly is going on?"
Madam Zhang shook her head. "This matter was discussed privately between the Fourth Prince and His Majesty. Even those at the imperial court had no inkling."
Empress Xi gripped the armrest beside her. "Then what are you waiting for? Go and find out more!"
Madam Zhang nodded and hurried away.
The sleeping quarters fell silent after Madam Zhang's departure.
In the blink of an eye, Empress Xi and Xie Jingzhou, who had been all smiles moments ago, could no longer muster a smile.
Xie Jingzhou's face looked even more grim in the candlelight.
As the Emperor aged, he grew more suspicious. Even if he truly believed that his fourth brother was not a hostage from Xirong, it would take time. How could he have allowed the imperial physicians to leave so quickly?
Or did his fourth brother say something to the Emperor?
But what exactly did his fourth brother say to the Emperor that would make him nod so readily?
Xie Jingzhou's mind was filled with question marks, none of which he could resolve.
Similarly, what Xie Jingzhou couldn't comprehend, Empress Xi also couldn't.
The mother and son sat in silence, but no matter how much they couldn't figure it out, or how much they didn't want to admit it, they couldn't change the fact that the Emperor had decreed for the imperial physicians to travel to Tonglin.
The Emperor's oral order was swift and sudden, catching everyone off guard.
Most importantly, no one knew what Xie Jinglan had said to the Emperor. By the time everyone heard the news, Zhang Shuzhong was already packing his bags at his residence to depart.
The hour of Zi, midnight, was approaching, and the night was deep.
The Ji family, with their lights long extinguished, was immersed in the darkness of the night.
Ji Zizhao, who had been asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. As if sensing something, she abruptly sat up and saw Xie Jinglan leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, standing quietly.
In the darkness, his white robe was immaculately clean and extremely conspicuous.
Seeing Ji Zizhao awake, Xie Jinglan straightened his body and walked towards her silently in the darkness. As he approached her, he reached out with his long arm and embraced her.
In the room, there was only the sound of each other's breathing.
This was a Xie Jinglan whom Ji Zizhao had never seen before. Gone was the usual calm and languid demeanor, replaced by a suffocating silence that felt foreign to her.
In such a close embrace, Ji Zizhao could even feel the steady, powerful beat of his heart against her.
"Why are you here?"
"Did I scare you?"
They spoke in unison, then fell into a moment of silence again.
Xie Jinglan buried his head in Ji Zizhao's neck and chuckled softly. After a long while, he straightened up, regaining his usual composed demeanor. "I missed you, so I came."
"Did something happen?" Ji Zizhao asked, looking at Xie Jinglan. Having known him for so long, she knew that although he often appeared and disappeared without a trace, he was not a man who lacked decorum. His visit at this late hour could not possibly be for no reason.
Xie Jinglan met Ji Zizhao's serious gaze and sighed almost inaudibly. This girl, when she was smart, was truly a handful. Sudan Novel Network
"Just now in Longxian Palace, my Fifth Brother suggested that His Majesty continue to send imperial physicians to Tonglin," Xie Jinglan mused. Since it couldn't be kept hidden, it was better to be upfront and honest, rather than let her worry.
Ji Zizhao did not seem surprised by his words.
The Fifth Prince, wasn't he just someone who liked to hide a dagger behind a smile and put on airs?
However, what Xie Jinglan said next did indeed catch Ji Zizhao off guard.
"It was Fu Guangze who stepped forward to stop it."
Xie Jinglan had followed Xie Jingzhou's lead with the intention of catching him off guard, but he hadn't expected that the person who stepped in to stop it was not from the Fifth Prince's faction, but the current Prime Minister Fu.
Ji Zizhao had heard of Prime Minister Fu. There were two Prime Ministers currently, but Fu Guangze was relatively more low-key, almost to the point of being overlooked.
"You mean... Fu Guangze is one of the Fifth Prince's men?" Ji Zizhao truly marveled at Xie Jingzhou's capabilities, to be able to win over the current Prime Minister and keep it so well hidden.
Xie Jinglan shook his head. "I had Tang Di investigate. Fu Guangze's distant niece is married to the Eighth Prince's cousin. However, this cousin did not interact closely with the Eighth Prince, so no one knew."
The Eighth Prince...
This was too unexpected!
"So, it was actually the Eighth Prince who was secretly supporting the Fifth Prince."
Xie Jinglan smiled, it was indeed effortless to talk to someone intelligent.
Ji Zizhao had never expected the Eighth Prince to join forces with the Fifth Prince. But on second thought, it made sense. The Eighth Prince, with his schemes and cunning, probably felt that he couldn't achieve much alone and had therefore secretly allied with the Fifth Prince.
Xie Jinglan reached out and stroked her hair, finding its softness irresistible. "You must be careful in the imperial city during this period."
Ji Zizhao blinked. "What do you mean?"
Xie Jinglan was still smiling, but this time, his smile was tinged with a hint of bitterness. "I personally suggested to Father that I accompany Zhang Shuzhong to Tonglin to assist the old General Zhong in pacifying the war. Father agreed to open the city gates at midnight tonight for our departure."
Almost simultaneously, Ji Zizhao froze.
Her head began to buzz, and she could no longer hear anything else.
After an unknown amount of time, Ji Zizhao finally said with a wry smile, "The Emperor must have removed me from the list of those going to Tonglin, right?"
Xie Jinglan nodded, knowing he couldn't keep it from her.
The bitter smile on Ji Zizhao's lips deepened, and as she smiled, she began to feel a hint of coldness.
The Emperor still harbored suspicions about Xie Jinglan's identity, and Xie Jinglan, anticipating this, had made such a proposal.
Since the Emperor was suspicious, he would actively jump into the fire pit at Tonglin and assure the Emperor that he would help the old General Zhong achieve victory there. If all went well, the Emperor would naturally dismiss his suspicions about Xie Jinglan afterward.
But the crucial problem was!
Xirong had long suspected that Xie Jinglan was still alive and had sent people to test him multiple times. If Xie Jinglan truly helped Yulin, how would Xirong stand by idly?
Given the selfishness and ruthlessness of the Xirong Emperor, would he permit his own brother to help outsiders!
The most likely scenario was that Xirong would do everything in its power to expose Xie Jinglan's identity in front of Yulin.
When that day truly came, Yulin would not tolerate a Xirong hostage who had deceived his king, and Xirong would not forgive a prince who had colluded with the enemy!
What awaited Xie Jinglan then?
A dead end!
In essence, Xie Jinglan was sacrificing his life to save the Seventh Prince's life!
"Are you cold?" Xie Jinglan noticed Ji Zizhao trembling violently and quickly grabbed the quilt from the bed, wrapping her in it.
Ji Zizhao looked up at him, but instead said, "If you leave, never come back."