Qi Yuze returned to the Nanping King’s manor in the capital and entered the study. He was slightly surprised to see the Nanping King there. "Father, you are here."
The Nanping King turned to look at Qi Yuze and suddenly demanded, "Qi Yuze, do you know your mistake?"
Qi Yuze lifted his robe and knelt on the ground. "Yuze knows his mistake!"
Hearing this, the Nanping King earnestly said, "Since you know you were wrong, why do you insist on doing this? Don't tell me you did it for the two princes?"
"It is indeed not," Qi Yuze admitted.
"Qi Yuze, why is it then?" the Nanping King asked with anger etched on his face.
"Father..."
"Is it for Empress Xingjiu?" the Nanping King suddenly asked.
Qi Yuze trembled all over. "Father, you..."
"Yuze, don't hide it from your father. Don't you even trust your father anymore?"
Qi Yuze shook his head. "Yuze is just afraid of implicating Father."
"Since you know, why do you insist on doing this?" the Nanping King asked.
Hearing this, Qi Yuze said, "Father, His Majesty harbors murderous intent towards the Nanping King’s manor."
Upon hearing this, the Nanping King sighed. "This king knows. If the sovereign wants a minister to die, the minister must die!"
"Father, the step this child has taken is to save the Nanping King’s manor."
"Save? Relying on whom? Empress Xingjiu?" the Nanping King asked, word by word.
Qi Yuze shook his head, then slowly raised his head, his eyes glinting with a deep light. "Relying on myself."
The Nanping King fell silent. After a long while, he said, "If His Majesty discovers this, Yuze, the Nanping King’s manor will disappear even faster."
"His Majesty already harbors murderous intent. What difference does it make whether it's sooner or later?"
The Nanping King was stunned. Yes, Yuze was not wrong. His Majesty harbored murderous intent, so what difference did it make whether it was sooner or later?
Perhaps it was better to let Yuze take a chance, and perhaps he could secure a future for the Nanping King’s manor.
Thinking this, the Nanping King stepped forward and patted Qi Yuze’s shoulder. "Yuze, Father wants to remind you that His Majesty is meticulous and cautious. Be careful!"
"Father, this child understands. I will not give His Majesty any handle to grasp."
Xingjiu Kingdom
Xue Xingyue’s brow unfurrowed significantly as she looked at the letter from Qi Kingdom in her hand.
Beside her, Ta Xue saw the Empress, who had finally shown a smile after many days, and asked, "Your Majesty, what has made you so overjoyed?"
"The Emperor of Qi has agreed to cede Mingxia Pass to our Xingjiu Kingdom. Is this not a good thing?"
Ta Xue was taken aback. "The Emperor of Qi really agreed?"
To be honest, she had not been very confident that the Emperor of Qi would cede Mingxia Pass, a crucial border city in Qi, for the two princes. Mingxia Pass not only facilitated trade with Xingjiu Kingdom but also connected to trade with Yu Kingdom and Ye Kingdom.
It was somewhat unbelievable that the Emperor of Qi had agreed so readily. "Your Majesty, be careful, there might be a trick!"
"With the two princes in my possession, why should I fear any tricks from the Emperor of Qi?" Xue Xingyue said.
"Your Majesty should still be cautious," Wu Hen suddenly spoke.
Xue Xingyue nodded. "You are right."
Ta Xue opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing more.
At the post station, the Second Prince Qi Yuming and the Third Prince Qi Yuheng were quite shocked to hear this news. They had never expected the Empress of Xingjiu Kingdom to make such an exorbitant demand as Mingxia Pass right from the start.
Qi Yuming felt much more at ease. "This shows that Father cares about us."
Qi Yuheng thought the opposite of Qi Yuming. Exchanging them for such a high price was not a good thing. At least in the future, their father would always remember that they were exchanged for a city.
Back in the room, Ah Da saw his master's worry and asked, "Does Your Highness worry that after returning, His Majesty might distance himself from you?"
Qi Yuheng nodded. "Precisely!"
Ah Da replied, "But there is no other way. With so many Imperial Guards outside, we cannot escape even if we had wings."
"Even if there is no way, we must find one," Qi Yuheng suddenly looked up and said to Ah Da.
The next day
Xue Xingyue received news from the post station that the Third Prince Qi Yuheng had been poisoned and was in a coma.
After the morning court, Xue Xingyue kept Meng Jiangming behind. "Your Majesty, this matter is likely deliberate on the part of the Third Prince."
Xue Xingyue nodded. "The Duke Meng and I both know that this was done deliberately by the Third Prince, but others do not."
"Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?" Meng Jiangming asked.
"First, send an imperial physician to investigate the situation. You go to the post station and replace everyone with your trusted subordinates. This situation must not happen again," Xue Xingyue said.
Meng Jiangming nodded. "This subject will attend to it immediately."
Xue Xingyue narrowed her eyes. It seemed the Third Prince was much more cunning than the Second Prince, knowing how to use stratagems to retaliate against her.
Then she would make him understand the price of angering Xue Xingyue.
Meng Jiangming, along with his trusted subordinates, replaced all the people in the post station, from the postmaster to the cooks.
"Duke, what is the meaning of this?" Ah Da stepped forward to inquire.
Meng Jiangming said lightly, "The Third Prince has been poisoned, and His Majesty takes this matter very seriously. It is likely that the people at the post station were negligent, allowing someone to take advantage. Now that I have replaced these people, it is also to give the Third Prince an explanation."
Ah Da’s expression remained unchanged. "In that case, many thanks to the Duke for your thoughtfulness!"
"It is only right. After all, the two princes of Qi Kingdom are in Xingjiu Kingdom, and this Duke must properly fulfill the duties of a host."
Ah Da let out a dry cough before returning to Qi Yuheng's room, his expression immediately turning grim. Ah Ling walked forward and asked, "What happened? Why do you look so upset?"
Ah Da asked in a low voice, "Has Your Highness woken up?"
Ah Ling replied softly, "He just fell asleep. But did something happen outside?"
"Meng Jiangming has replaced all the people in the post station."
Ah Ling was stunned. "Why is that?"
Ah Da replied, "Perhaps it is to prevent such incidents from happening again, and also a warning to His Highness."