In the center of the room, a fire burned brightly, blocking out the cold winter wind from the window. Warmth, mingled with the delicate scent of a woman's rouge, permeated the room.
The atmosphere was dull, and the surroundings were wrapped in warmth, giving off a strange sense of comfort.
The room's elegant decor evoked a sense of graceful elegance. At the table, Zhao Xi, dressed in a plain white dress, stared intently at Lin Jiangnian.
The thin dress was close to her body, revealing the faint curves of her body. Her face was beautiful, especially her eyes, which seemed to have a hint of shyness in spring, with a bit of resentment, a bit of uneasiness, and a bit of nervousness and uneasiness, as if a young girl in love was cautiously testing her heart when she saw her lover.
Lin Jiangnian took a glance and inexplicably felt his heartbeat slow down.
He shifted his gaze away imperceptibly: "Miss Zhao, what do you mean by this? This prince doesn't understand."
"Don't you want to touch it, Your Highness?"
The voice was soft, with a hint of teasing that made one feel numb all over.
At the same time, Zhao Xi on the side looked up at Lin Jiangnian, seemed to think and hesitate for a moment, then raised her hand and placed it on the white skirt, gently lifting the hem of the skirt slightly.
Hidden under the skirt, a pair of snow-white and slender calves were completely exposed to the air. They were as slender and straight as white jade, and the skin was as white as jade bamboo shoots.
Lin Jiangnian's gaze had just shifted away, but he was unconsciously attracted by the scene before him.
After looking carefully for twice, he finally reacted, raised his eyes, and met a pair of shy eyes.
Her beautiful eyes, full of autumn water, seemed angry, yet also somewhat complicated, and a few blushes appeared on her fair, delicate face. Zhao Xi bit her lower lip lightly, and her thin red lips seemed to be adorned with rouge, staring at him without blinking.
At this moment, Lin Jiangnian felt as if something was stirring his heart.
The aftereffects of today's practice are vaguely brewing.
"Miss Zhao... calm down!"
Perhaps because the room was too hot and the air too dry, Lin Jiangnian's voice was a little hoarse: "This prince... is a gentleman!"
"Then your highness, do you want to touch it?"
The voice became softer and softer, even with a hint of deliberate seduction.
Lin Jiangnian turned his head with difficulty, but the corner of his eyes inadvertently fell on the pair of exposed snow-white, slender legs.
In this warm and beautiful woman's boudoir, a gorgeous woman with excellent temperament and stunning appearance lifted her skirt, with seductive eyes, and a scene of wanting to refuse but also to accept. This scene will be unforgettable!
Lin Jiangnian took a deep breath and asked, "Can we try another way?"
"Um?"
"that is……"
Lin Jiangnian was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, "This prince doesn't need to kill Chen Zhao, can he still touch him to his heart's content?"
“…”
The room seemed to have suddenly fallen into dead silence.
The expression on Zhao Xi's face seemed to suddenly freeze. A hint of anger emerged from his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, Prince Lin, you want to get something for nothing?"
"Miss Zhao can understand it this way."
“…”
"Does your Highness think it possible?"
Lin Jiangnian sighed: "Miss Zhao won't agree?"
"nonsense!"
Zhao Xi gritted her teeth, furious, a deep sense of shame welling up in her heart. She was already in this state, and this Prince Lin was still thinking of... having sex with her for free?
Seeing Lin Jiangnian's eyes inadvertently falling on her body, she suddenly felt a strange feeling from below. Her snow-white legs exposed to the air were slightly covered with goosebumps. She subconsciously shrank back as if she was being toyed with by the guy in front of her.
Zhao Xi's breathing became tight, and she quickly let go of her hands. The hem of her skirt slid down, covering her snow-white calves.
As if it was not enough, she stood up, picked up a coat from the couch, draped it over her lower body, completely covering her pair of snow-white jade feet, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he raised his eyes and glared at Lin Jiangnian with anger.
Lin Jiangnian looked away with some regret, then glanced at Miss Zhao, who was glaring at him with a look of shame and anger on her face. He sighed deeply and said, "Can I ask you one more question?"
Zhao Xi didn't say anything, but stared at him with gritted teeth.
"Why is Miss Zhao so determined to kill Chen Zhao, even at the cost of..."
Lin Jiangnian looked at her and considered his words: "Unfair to yourself?"
"Chen Zhao relied on the emperor's favor to disrupt the government, confuse right and wrong, and plunge the Daning Dynasty into chaos. Countless innocent people have been harmed by him. Shouldn't he be killed?"
Lin Jiangnian nodded: "Indeed, he deserves to be killed."
From ancient times to the present, there have been few good people among the eunuchs who have caused trouble in the court.
All in all, he deserved to be killed.
"But this doesn't have much to do with Miss Zhao, right?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced at Zhao Xi, who was sitting on the couch, and shook his head gently. "Chen Zhao's crimes are extremely serious, and someone will deal with him. Why should Miss Zhao be so concerned?"
There were conflicts and disagreements between Prime Minister Zhao and Chen Zhao. It was understandable that Zhao Xi, as Prime Minister Zhao's daughter, wanted to help her father eliminate his rivals in the court.
But Zhao Xi's reaction didn't seem to be just that?
"Who can deal with him?"
Zhao Xi sneered, "Nearly half of the officials in the court have become his minions. The only one who can compete with him in the court is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly fell ill some time ago..."
"Although my father tried his best to support the affairs of the court, he was ultimately outnumbered and unable to reverse the trend... The Xu family is a lesson for us."
When mentioning the Xu family, one could clearly detect a slight tremor in Zhao Xi's voice.
"Xu family?"
Lin Jiangnian was not unfamiliar with this. He had heard about this when he arrived in Zhongzhou.
Xu Zheng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was executed along with his entire family for treason.
The fact that the house of a minister of six ministries was raided just because he was told to do so is enough to show that something unimaginable must have happened behind the scenes.
When Zhao Xi raised his eyes, a red rim appeared in his eyes. His tone was filled with sadness, as if he was suppressing a trace of anger. "Lord Xu was loyal to the court and devoted his life to it. But that eunuch slandered him for treason, and his entire family was imprisoned and executed..."
Zhao Xi's eyes reddened as he mentioned this. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "My Zhao family and the Xu family have been friends for many years. Lord Xu is an honest official and would never harbor any intention of rebellion... But that old eunuch ignored all of this. Just because Lord Xu repeatedly opposed him in the court, he framed him and put him in jail..."
"My father just got the news, but before he could find a way to rescue him, Lord Xu committed suicide in prison..."
When he said this, Zhao Xi's eyes were cold and there was a hint of sarcasm in his face.
What a good way of committing suicide out of fear of punishment!
After the man died, all the blame was placed on the Xu family, leaving them no chance to turn the tables. The entire Xu family was labeled the family of a criminal.
"Master Xu is dead, and the Xu family is finished. I secretly sent people to hide the few wives and concubines of the Xu family who had escaped the disaster, as well as their only bloodline daughter, in the city. I wanted to send them out of the capital after the storm died down, and preserve the Xu family's only bloodline..."
When Zhao Xi mentioned this, his eyes turned cold, and his frosty eyes were even colder than the ice in winter.
There was a creepy hatred all over her body.
"But that old eunuch killed them all... Just a few days ago, I secretly sent people to escort them out of the city, but they were ambushed and hunted down. All the members of the Xu family were brutally killed by Mi Tiansi's knife, and no one survived..."
Zhao Xi's pupils were filled with tears, and her voice was trembling with a hint of coldness. She gritted her teeth and said, "They killed everyone, even little girls of a few years old..."
"Tell me, should he die?!"
Zhao Xi suddenly raised his eyes and stared at Lin Jiangnian.
Lin Jiangnian quietly stared at the young lady of the Zhao family in front of him. She was very emotional at the moment, and her sad and desolate eyes, filled with hatred, made Lin Jiangnian inexplicably familiar.
He suddenly thought of the kite.
Isn’t Zhiyuan’s experience the same as that of the Xu family’s orphan described by Zhao Xi?
However, Zhiyuan and her daughter were rescued by Princess Lin, and it was only more than ten years later that they had the opportunity to take revenge.
But the orphan of the Xu family was obviously not so lucky.
Lin Jiangnian nodded silently: "He really deserves to die."
"But I can't do it."
Zhao Xi lowered her eyes, curled up on the couch, hugged her legs, and looked vacant. "That old eunuch has lived deep in the palace for years and is extremely vigilant. He knows the relationship between my Zhao family and the Xu family very well, so he's especially wary and won't give us any chance..."
Speaking of this, Zhao Xi's tone was very depressed.
Lin Jiangnian heard it but said nothing.
Sympathy is sympathy, but he will not make rash irrational decisions because of sympathy.
The chivalrous deeds of being a hero and helping others when seeing injustice are suitable for the female hero Shen.
Lin Jiangnian is not suitable!
The room suddenly became quiet.
Zhao Xi didn't say anything else, just curled up on the couch. Her sad expression and red eyes made her look more pitiful.
She was silent for a long time, then raised her head and looked at Lin Jiangnian, and slowly said, "I do want to use you to get rid of him, but on the other hand, he is also a hidden danger and a strong enemy for your Lin family. Getting rid of him will definitely be a good thing for your Lin family..."
"For us, this can be considered a win-win situation... right?"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head gently: "Not getting involved in government affairs is a good thing for the Lin family."
Zhao Xi was silent.
She understood what Lin Jiangnian meant.
Yes, the more chaotic the court of Daning is, the more beneficial it is for vassal kings like the Lin family. There is really no need for him to get involved.
Being prudent and protecting oneself, sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight, is what he, the son of a vassal king, should do most.
"but……"
Just when Zhao Xi's eyes dimmed completely and he thought there was no hope, he heard Lin Jiangnian's tone change.
"If you can give me the conditions I want, I might consider making an exception."
Hearing this, Zhao Xi froze in place. The next second, his eyes suddenly lit up: "W-what conditions?!"
“…”
In the room.
Silence.
Lin Jiangnian had already left, and Zhao Xi was still curled up on the couch, his eyes blank, thinking about something.
The originally dull eyes seemed to regain some color.
Re-energized.
I don’t know how long it took, but suddenly footsteps were heard behind the screen.
A cold figure appeared silently in the room, holding a sword in both hands, looking outside the door expressionlessly, and then fell on Zhao Xi.
There was a moment of silence.
"Are you really going to promise him?"
Zhao Xi slowly raised his eyes and looked at the elegant and graceful woman in front of him: "Why are you hiding from him?"
The cold and graceful figure's expression remained unchanged: "When did I start avoiding him?"
"You knew he was coming, so why didn't you come down to see him? Instead, you hid upstairs and eavesdropped, then showed up after he left... If that's not avoiding him, what is it?"
The eldest princess said expressionlessly: "I don't want to see him."
"Aren't you still hiding?"
As if thinking of something, Zhao Xi raised his eyes and looked into hers, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face.
"Why, how do you feel about listening to me seducing your fiancé upstairs?"
The eldest princess's expression remained calm and composed.
No words.
"I didn't expect that the eldest princess actually likes to eavesdrop on her fiancé's affairs..."
Zhao Xi clicked his tongue twice and then sighed.
"Unfortunately, I underestimated him. I thought I could make him fall at my feet with just a flick of my finger..."
The eldest princess still didn't react. She glanced at Zhao Xi lying on the soft couch. As the outer garment on her legs slipped off, her half-exposed snow-white legs were exposed to the air again, lazily intertwined, stunningly beautiful.
"Maybe you could try stripping off next time."
The voice was icy cold.
Zhao Xi was startled and looked at her in surprise: "Are you angry?"
"Why should I be angry?"
"I'm seducing your fiancé?"
Zhao Xi looked at her and said, "You asked me to take off all my clothes...Are you not afraid that I will really seduce him away?"
The eldest princess said expressionlessly: "If you like it, feel free to take it."
"Just for his handsome face, who wouldn't like him?"
Zhao Xi looked at her and asked, "Are you really not moved at all?"
The eldest princess remained silent.
"If I really seduce him away someday...don't regret it then, and don't cry and beg me."
The eldest princess responded with a cold look, "Just don't get yourself involved."
"Absolutely not."
Zhao Xi shook her head, a faint blush appeared on her delicate face, and she pursed her lips.
"If he can help me kill Chen Zhao, I don't mind letting him take advantage of me, as he wishes... But if he wants to sacrifice myself, then that's absolutely impossible!"
The eldest princess was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you really want to connect with the Lin family?"
Zhao Xi didn't deny it and nodded: "He wants to see my father, isn't it because he wants to use the Zhao family's influence to help the Lin family gain greater support in the court!"
The eldest princess stared at her: "Do you know what the consequences of this will be?"
"It's just what we need..."
Zhao Xi said, "Given the current situation in the court, is there any better option than this?"
The eldest princess was silent.
"The Xu family's plight is the greatest lesson. He was so ruthless that he even dared to slander and murder the Minister of War. What else would he not dare to do?"
Zhao Xi said in a slightly cold tone, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has fallen ill. Now the only one in the court who can rival him is my father..."
"I'm afraid the next target he'll have to deal with is my Zhao family!"
The eldest princess looked at her quietly. After a long silence, she said, "I can help you kill him."
The voice was calm, without a trace of emotion.
However, Zhao Xi shook his head: "You can't."
She raised her eyes and looked at the eldest princess: "You are the eldest princess of the current dynasty. You represent not only yourself, but also your father, the Crown Prince, and the entire royal family..."
"Because of this, even if you can kill him, it will inevitably cause panic among the ministers in the court, and then make the entire court officials fear your Li imperial power... Over the years, Chen Zhao has had absolute control over the court, and there is no way of knowing how many officials and aristocratic families support him..."
There are too many dependent forces behind Chen Zhao. The eldest princess represents the emperor, and even she cannot do whatever she wants. Once she acts rashly, the officials and families behind Chen Zhao will never sit idly by. At that time, the troubles in the court will probably become even more difficult.
"By then... you will no longer have a foothold in the capital. They will regard you as the greatest threat and will do everything they can to eliminate you... Even if you are the eldest princess, they will never allow an 'outlier' like you to exist..."
The princess stood there, her left hand gently stroking the scabbard in her hand, her eyes nonchalant: "I don't care."
“But I care.”
Zhao Xi looked at her, was silent for a moment, and said, "You are my only and best friend in Beijing... I don't want anything to happen to you."
The eldest princess seemed stunned for a moment, then glanced at her and said, "I won't be in any danger."
"That won't work either!"
Zhao Xi still refused: "Eradication of Chen Zhao is to avenge those innocent people who died in vain, and also to stabilize the court and allow the people of Daning to live a stable life... My father worked hard for this his entire life, and he doesn't want his hard work to be wasted."
The princess was silent for a long time before she said, "Can he do it?"
"He's the perfect fit."
"You are putting him to death."
The eldest princess's eyes narrowed slightly: "With his martial arts skills, entering the palace is a near-death experience."
No one knew Lin Jiangnian's strength better than her. Even if he entered the palace and killed Chen Zhao, it would be difficult for him to come out alive.
"It's not that serious."
Zhao Xi said, "After all, he is the Prince of Lin. His status is enough to make those in the palace wary... As long as Chen Zhao dies, the dust will be settled. As for how he will leave the palace..."
Zhao Xi paused for a moment, then suddenly added, "I know you won't just stand by and watch, right?"
The princess stared at her for a long time, a complex look flashing in her eyes: "Have you already calculated everything?"
“Not really.”
The princess was silent for a moment, then said, "If he agrees to you, you will owe him a huge favor."
"yes!"
Zhao Xi chuckled, then sighed softly, "So, am I planning to compensate him with myself?"
The eldest princess said nothing and just stared at her.
"Why? You can't bear to leave?"
A smile appeared on Zhao Xi's beautiful face.
The eldest princess stared at her for a long time, and finally said "Whatever you want" expressionlessly, then turned and walked out the door.
Zhao Xi was still lying on the fragrant and soft couch, looking lazy, her beautiful eyes staring blankly at the door, her pair of beautiful legs circling, faintly visible under the hem of her skirt.
The beauty lying on the bed is absolutely stunning.
She watched the eldest princess's departing figure until she disappeared.
"Thanks."
She murmured to herself, her soft voice echoing in the room.
…
In the evening.
It's getting dark.
Since the beginning of winter, it has been getting dark earlier and earlier.
Capital, outside the city.
On the endless official road, the cold wind was overwhelming, sweeping across the sky and the earth.
The merchants and travelers passing by, the travellers and knights all wrapped their clothes tightly, cursing that the weather was getting colder and they couldn't live like this.
Outside the official road, ten miles to the west, there is a small town. The town is inconspicuous, with only a few pedestrians passing by.
On the east side of the town, there is an inconspicuous old house.
As night fell, a figure appeared silently outside the house.
As the sky darkened, the thin red dress was particularly dazzling. Her long black hair, scattered in a thousand strands, danced in the wind, a look of peerless elegance and ethereal grace.
Her eyes are like water, her skin is white as snow, and her eyebrows are slender and soft. She has an elegance and otherness that even the finest ink and pine resin cannot produce. Her eyes are as clear as autumn water, and her elegance and otherness can only be expressed by the icy lakes and mists of thousands of mountains.
However, the fiery red long dress adds a unique temperament to this cool and elegant look.
She quietly pushed open the gate of the house and walked in slowly.
The courtyard was dark and silent.
It was not until I stepped into the courtyard that I suddenly heard the sound of whistling wind all around me.
Then, several figures landed beside him silently.
"Saint?!"
There was a hint of awe and surprise in his voice.
"Why are you here?!"
Liu Su glanced at them coldly, with her hands behind her back, her expression cold and arrogant, and her tone neither cold nor indifferent.
"I want to see the leader!"
“…”