Xia Jingshi remained silent. Seeing his silence, Feng Suige's brow gradually knotted. "What's wrong? You don't want to?"
"I... am tired of these struggles," Xia Jingshi finally spoke. "I just want to live an ordinary life."
"Are you planning to let Xiyang follow you into the deep mountains to be a rural farmwife?" Feng Suige couldn't help but feel annoyed, pointing toward the direction of the flower hall. "Have you thought about whether that person will let you go?"
"Him?" Xia Jingshi smiled faintly. "As long as I'm no longer a threat to him, what reason would he have to keep pursuing me? At worst, we'll leave Jinxiu and go somewhere else."
"Naive," Feng Suige snorted coldly. "If I were him, after all these events, with old grudges and new humiliations, I would not rest until I had torn you to pieces..."
Xia Jingshi merely smiled slightly, not arguing.
At this moment, a guard rushed in. "Prince, the Holy Emperor has awakened."
Before Feng Suige could speak, Xia Jingshi stood up and said, "It's not convenient for you to appear. I'll go alone."
Feng Suige paused mid-step and chuckled lowly. "You think by not letting him see me, I can stay out of this?"
Xia Jingshi seemed not to hear and quickened his pace as he walked out.
The Holy Emperor woke groggily to find himself bound in an unfamiliar small hall. He immediately began to struggle. The several strong men guarding him quickly moved forward, easily subduing him. After the scuffle, the Emperor's clothes were disheveled, his hair slightly loosened, appearing quite disheveled. Seeing Xia Jingshi enter, the Emperor ceased struggling and glared at him fiercely.
Xia Jingshi stood at the door for a while before slowly settling into a chair in the corner of the room. "We were at peace. Why did you have to create so many incidents?"
The Emperor spat at him. "Stop pretending. I know very well what you've been plotting all these years. If you hadn't miscalculated about Feng Suige, your head would have already fallen, and you wouldn't be here spouting these hypocritical words!"
"I've never intended to contend with you. This time, I was truly forced," Xia Jingshi frowned. "Whether you believe it or not, as long as nothing else happens, I'll set you free once I leave Jinxiu's borders."
The Emperor stared at him for a while, then snorted lightly and turned his head away.
As he emerged, Xia Jingshi nearly collided with Feng Suige, who was leaning against the doorframe.
Seeing him exit, Feng Suige curled his lips. "I still don't understand why you've been content to remain subordinate all these years. If I were you, I absolutely wouldn't let the tiger return to the mountain."
Xia Jingshi smiled and turned his head to look at the gradually closing door, saying softly, "You're not me, so you'll never understand."
Feng Suige exchanged a glance with him and chuckled lowly. "Perhaps you haven't realized—this time, you have no choice but to take his place!"
"Your Majesty, be careful!!"
A shrill cry came from behind the brocade curtains. The Empress Dowager, wrapped in her quilt, sat up abruptly, awakened from her nightmare. Panting, she pushed away the palace maids crowding around her. "The Emperor... where is the Emperor? I dreamed he was assassinated..."
A lead maid came forward, dispersing the other bewildered palace maids, and comforted her softly, "Please be at ease, Empress Dowager. It was merely a nightmare. His Majesty is blessed with great fortune and protected by the gods. Surely nothing will happen to him. Perhaps this servant should light some calming incense..."
"No," the Empress Dowager composed herself and moved to rise. "I still feel uneasy. What if something has happened? Send someone to check on the Emperor—quickly, go!"
The maid had no choice but to summon two eunuchs and order them to inquire at the Emperor's sleeping palace. The Empress Dowager sat for merely a moment before repeatedly urging the maid to wait for news in the front hall.
Before even an incense stick could burn down, the maid returned hurriedly with one of the eunuchs. As soon as they entered the front hall, the eunuch knelt and reported, "Your Highness, the Holy Emperor is not in his sleeping palace at the moment. The guards there said His Majesty received a secret memorial and issued an edict to summon the executioner. It seems he went to the Imperial Prison, perhaps to conduct a night trial. We've already dispatched people to check the prison and will report back shortly..."
"The Imperial Prison... so late, why is he still conducting trials?" The Empress Dowager paced anxiously for a few steps, then turned and ordered, "Continue to wait out front. If there's no news after a quarter-hour, send someone to inquire again."
The eunuch responded obediently and backed out.
Seeing the Empress Dowager staring blankly at the lamp flame, the maid couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, the night air is cool. You should rest in the inner chamber. As soon as someone returns, this servant will immediately report to you. We won't miss any news."
But the Empress Dowager merely shook her head, refusing to leave the front hall even a step.
"Report—"
Not long after, a guard from the outer hall tumbled in. "Your Highness, terrible news!"
The Empress Dowager jumped in shock. The maid standing beside her quickly rushed forward to support her, turning back to lightly scold, "Speak properly—don't startle the Empress Dowager!"
"Yes, yes," the guard knelt crookedly, hastily kowtowing and reporting incoherently, "News just arrived—the Imperial Prison doors have been locked from the inside. All the brothers on duty and the night jailers are trapped inside. Without the key, the door can't be opened quickly..."
"Who asked you about that!" the Empress Dowager shouted sternly. "I want to know where the Emperor is!!"
"The Emperor, yes, the Emperor," the guard, startled, blurted out in one breath, "The Emperor has been abducted by the King of Zhennan and Princess Xingping!!"
At these words, a chorus of shocked exclamations arose from the maids and eunuchs in the hall.
The Empress Dowager stood dumbfounded for a moment, her face ashen, then muttered, "Quickly, bring my command token. Order all city gates to be sealed, urgently summon the Yulin Guards to enter the city and protect the Emperor..."
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