Chapter 167.2: Ghost! (1/2)

After the shadow guard left, another person came down from the roof. He seemed about forty years old. He was wearing a gray-blue garment and looked very ordinary, like someone who would easily disappear into a crowd. “Your Majesty suspects that Second Majesty was the one who did this?”

“Regardless of whether he’s responsible, we can’t let the Saint Envoy target Yi er,” said Xi Qiulin with a long sigh. No matter what, outsiders were outsiders and his son was his son. Regardless of how great the internal strife between them, he had emergency measures in place for when it was time for him, this father, to step out to protect them.

“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. This is a Saint Envoy that can read hearts. I’m afraid there’s no way to deceive him with ordinary schemes.”

“Old Fu, do you have any good ideas?” Xi Qiulin rubbed the sides of his eyes to alleviate his headache.

The person dressed in livid, who had been addressed as Old Fu, took a few moments to think. “Let’s call Second Majesty first and hear what he has to say. However, I dare to say that he’s definitely involved in this matter. Lately, he has been walking too closely with that Elder Yu from the Alliance Head Residence.”

Old Fu’s words made intensified Xi Qiulin’s headache. “That idiot. I already warned him not to walk too close to those Jianghu people, yet he just insists on not listening. Now it’s just great, the issue has gotten so large that it’s ripping through the basket.”

“Second Majesty can’t be blamed. That Elder Yu is notorious for being a wily old fox that’s full of craft and cunning. Second Majesty is young, so it’s hard for him not to be poisoned. However, Your Majesty, are you really going to help Second Majesty get rid of the Crown Prince?”

Xi Qiulin was silent for a long while before he said, “The Crown Prince is compassionate and lenient, he’s not suitable for being a monarch. Though Yi er is full of youthful vigor and easily errs, he’s the most suited to becoming a monarch out of all the princes.”

“Could it be simply because he’s ruthless enough?” Old Fu asked with a strange tone.

The two had been close friends for several decades, so Xi Qiulin naturally understood his worry. He laughed helplessly. “Old Fu, could it be that you’ve forgotten how I came to be? Sovereign kings who are compassionate will never be good monarchs. This was the first sentence my Imperial Father had said to me back then.”

Old Fu also fell silent as he looked at Xi Qiulin. “He was probably talking about himself, wasn’t he? Back then, if it had been Princess Consort Baili’s (aka wangfei, the main consort of a ‘prince’) bloodline that inherited the throne, perhaps he might still be living well right now rather than be in his current situation of hovering between life and death.”

When Princess Consort Baili was brought up, Xi Qiulin closed his eyes and said in a heavy voice, “Enough. Just let these things fade into the past. Baili Yu hasn’t displayed any intentions of seizing the throne, so we should just avoid provoking him. For now, hurry and find that annoying Li Xueyi and send him back to quell the Saint Envoy’s anger. Otherwise…”

His tone was filled with worry. Upon hearing it, Old Fu lowered his eyes and asked in a quiet voice, “It couldn’t be that Your Majesty hasn’t suspected Li Xueyi before?”

“Suspect him of what? He’s just a rascal that causes trouble for no reason. If it weren’t for the warning Baili Yu sent, I would’ve already sent people to tear apart that rotten Alliance Head Residence of his!” When Li Xueyi was brought up, Xi Qiulin’s anger rushed out all at once. He barely had a handful of days to relax ever since this person showed up. If it wasn’t that he was alarmed by some news about him that he couldn’t sleep today, it would be that he was frightened by some other news about him so much that he didn’t dare to sleep tomorrow. In short, he felt like that Li Xueyi was an evil comet! He would definitely seize any chance to get rid of him!

From the looks of it, Xi Qiulin was so preoccupied with those thoughts that he didn’t notice the most suspicious thing about Li Xueyi.

It was such an obvious incongruency, yet he didn’t notice it. As expected, he had gotten old!

Old Fu thought this in his heart but didn’t say it out loud. He planned to have a proper talk with Xi Qiulin about this after this matter was settled. The current circumstances were already out of their control.

The darkness surged up violently around her. Tang Doudou kept waiting, but Xi Qiuyi never appeared.

Could it be that he had choked to death on water?

Or did he fall into the latrine and drown?

Tang Doudou made random malicious guesses. It wasn’t that she was looking forward to Xi Qiuyi arriving, but that waiting like this was torture.

It was pitch-black all around, but she kept feeling like someone was watching her.

Her back was covered with cold sweat and all her hair was standing on end.

“Who? Who’s there?” Finally, she couldn’t endure it anymore and cried out at the darkness.

The only reply she got was the echoes of the room, causing her to feel even more terrified.

From the looks of it, this interrogation room was custom designed to deal psychological torment on people.

It didn’t matter if it was effective on past criminals, it was very effective on her. She seemed to feel a cold wind blowing over the back of her neck. She instantly froze and didn’t dare to move.