Chapter Ninety-Three
"His Highness would never agree," Fu Yixiao stated firmly. "If he wanted to rebel, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until now? Besides, once an uprising begins, not only will the nation descend into chaos and its people suffer, but neighboring countries with ill intentions will surely seize the opportunity to act." As she spoke, she poked Feng Suige with her finger. "Take Su Sha, for example. Can you guarantee that the Lord of the Nation won’t launch an attack on Brocade?"
"What if I said I could?" Feng Suige raised an eyebrow. "Xia Jingshi had his reasons for not rebelling before, but this time is different. Since the Holy Emperor has already begun scheming against him, if he doesn’t rebel, he’ll only meet his end." Yixiao glared at him. "You can only vouch for Su Sha alone. Tell me, why must His Highness rebel now?"
Feng Suige spoke slowly, "Have you ever heard this story? Once, Xia Jingshi was the most outstanding and the most favored candidate for the throne. But one day, after he was summoned to the palace by decree, he announced his withdrawal from the succession shortly after returning. When the news spread, the entire realm speculated whether the Empress at the time had used some means to force his retreat. I, too, sent secret agents to investigate, but found nothing."
"Secret agents again," Yixiao scoffed. "Finding nothing means it didn’t happen. So it’s just a rumor." "Wrong," Feng Suige shook his head. "No matter how many baseless rumors circulate among the common folk, there are always traces to follow. But for an incident of such magnitude, nothing could be uncovered—this only makes me more certain of its truth."
Pausing for a moment, Feng Suige suddenly asked, "What do you think a person would do after wronging someone else?" Without hesitation, Yixiao blurted out, "Of course, they should apologize!" Xueying nodded. "And they should try to make amends."
"That’s how normal people behave," Feng Suige smiled. "But some, after wronging others, don’t think of apologizing or making amends. Instead, they fear retaliation and spend their days plotting how to eliminate the other party to secure their own peace."
Xueying’s eyes widened in realization. "You mean, if the rumor is true, the Holy Emperor would fear that the King Who Pacifies the South might reclaim the throne, hence his schemes against him?" Feng Suige nodded. "Xia Jingshi’s prestige in the military has always been immense. Now that he’s married to Xiyang, and Yixiao has married me, if he were to covet the throne, Su Sha would, in a sense, become his strongest backing. If I were the Holy Emperor, I’d be wary of him too."
Yixiao slammed her fist on the low table. "His Highness has never harbored the slightest thought of rebellion! Why won’t the Holy Emperor let him live in peace? Besides, they’re brothers!" "Brothers turning against each other is commonplace in royal families. Even my position as the legitimate heir was secured through the blood of countless others," Feng Suige replied with a wry smile. "Even if Xia Jingshi has no intention of rebelling, if the Holy Emperor believes he does, then he does. Don’t you know? In this world, there’s a crime called 'unfounded suspicion.'""Then what should we do now?" Yixiao stood up irritably. "Let's just change course and return to Lucheng together. I didn't bring Greedy Wolf, but the Silver Bow I used before should still be at the Captain's residence. Hmm, I'll also send someone to deliver messages to His Highness's former subordinates..." Feng Suige scoffed, "Why don't you just raise a big banner with the words 'I'm rebelling' written on it?"
Xueying stifled a laugh. Yixiao shot her a glare. "What are you laughing at—anyway, don't even think about running away with the ball. If anyone's going, it won't be you." Feng Suige pondered for a moment before speaking gravely, "The situation is unclear right now. We can't act so rashly. Among Xia Jingshi's former subordinates, there might very well be spies for the Holy Emperor. In my opinion, we should first stabilize things with the Holy Emperor and observe how events unfold."
"If we wait until things change, it'll be too late!" Yixiao stamped her foot in frustration. "This was your idea in the first place, and now you're backing out when it's time to act?" Feng Suige sighed helplessly. "We're still discussing it, aren't you curious why the Holy Emperor is so determined to lure you there?" Yixiao was immediately distracted by this and sat back down beside Xueying, asking earnestly, "Why?"
Feng Suige closed his eyes slightly, tapping his fingers on the table a few times before analyzing in a low voice, "The Holy Emperor insists on drawing you back solely because of your current special status. If I were the Holy Emperor, I could fabricate evidence of you secretly meeting with Xia Jingshi to provoke resentment from Su Sha. That way, with Xia Jingshi losing Su Sha's support, dealing with him would become much easier for me."
"Alternatively, I could frame you, claiming that while you ostensibly came to visit Xia Jingshi, you were actually conspiring with him to use Su Sha's military forces to rebel." Feng Suige paused, then smiled faintly. "If I'm not mistaken, the military generals of Brocade still grit their teeth at the mention of Su Sha, right? What could be more detestable than colluding with Su Sha to overthrow one's own royal authority..."
Hearing this, Yixiao couldn't help but jump up. "Stop it! It's just a throne—aren't you exhausted scheming like this all day?" Xueying quickly grabbed Yixiao's arm. "Don't lose your temper. He's trying to help us." Yixiao, in her agitation, began to stammer. "I hate it when people's minds are full of twists and turns... Even though he's just imagining what the Holy Emperor might do, hearing it from his mouth is unbearable. Don't you think so? The way he says those things... it's really annoying." Feng Suige suddenly burst into laughter. "So, in your heart, Fu Yixiao, I'm actually a good person?" Yixiao glared at him furiously for a moment before her face turned red against her will, and she looked away.
Xueying's gaze flickered between the two of them before she quietly withdrew her hand from Yixiao's sleeve. "The way you two express affection is truly special. Someone more fragile wouldn't be able to handle it."
Embroidered Holy City, within the palace gardens.
Placing a white piece on the chessboard, Xiyang cautiously glanced at the Holy Emperor and asked seemingly casually, "Your Majesty mentioned that Fu Yixiao will be arriving soon. If we wait until she's here to tell my husband, wouldn't it be too late?" The Holy Emperor's expression darkened at her words, and he snapped, "Have you spoken to Xia Jingshi?""No," Xiyang instinctively denied, "Xiyang didn't say anything. It's just that I thought of what the Emperor said about it not being the right time..." The Holy Emperor clenched the black jade piece in his hand, the friction between the stones producing a crisp cracking sound. "If it were to leak out prematurely, there might be unexpected changes—I particularly dislike being outmaneuvered in any matter. So, I truly hope you haven't spoken of it to anyone."
Feng Xiyang lowered her head to avoid his piercing gaze and said softly, "Your Majesty, it's your turn." The Holy Emperor gave a noncommittal hum, picked up a black piece, and placed it in a corner of the board. "I win," he declared, and without waiting for Xiyang's reaction, he stood up and walked out.
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