"Come here," Feng Xie commanded domineeringly. Liu Liu rolled her eyes. Did this man have to push his luck?
Of course, she didn't argue. She slowly walked to him. As soon as she got close, Feng Xie reached out and pulled her onto his lap, speaking softly.
"I want to ask for your opinion?"
"Is it about this case?"
Liu Liu asked in surprise. She hadn't expected the Emperor to discuss such matters with her. This completely broke the iron rule of the harem not interfering with state affairs. She couldn't help but curl her lips into a teasing smile. "Your Majesty, don't forget the iron rule: the harem is forbidden from interfering in politics."
"Then the Empress also remembers what I said in the hall that day: the Empress is equivalent to the Emperor. This is the first time in Tian Feng," he said with a completely unrestrained tone, his gaze disregarding the entire world. Liu Liu was both amused and exasperated. This was just giving himself a legitimate excuse to have her help him.
"Your Majesty is truly eloquent. Speak, what questions do you have?" Liu Liu reached up and smoothed her temples, smiling faintly. Their conversations were now natural and harmonious.
Feng Xie reached out and pinched Liu Liu's delicate cheek. This woman was always brilliant, like a fine wine that became more delicious with every taste. His eyes were filled with adoration.
"I want to ask Liu'er, who do you think is the most likely mastermind behind this?"
Actually, he had long suspected there was a mastermind lurking in the shadows, manipulating events, but he couldn't figure out who it was. This villain's mind was no less sharp than any of theirs, perhaps even more cunning and astute. But why would they do something so rebellious? Feng Xie's dark eyes flashed with fire, distant and elusive.
This question indeed stumped Liu Liu, as she had no idea who the Emperor's enemies were. She often saw people trying to kill him. However, why would such a cunning and insidious opponent reveal the Lou family's affairs? If they were truly powerful, they would have figured out that once their evidence was delivered, she would inevitably arouse suspicion. Thus, there was only one possibility.
"This person is provoking Your Majesty. Not only do they have a grudge against you, but it's a deep-seated one, so much so that they're willing to pay any price to challenge you. So, who hates Your Majesty this much? This doesn't seem like an ordinary opponent, nor is it anyone from the former court. If it were someone from the former court, they would simply kill the Emperor directly and wouldn't care about anything else!"
As soon as Liu Liu finished speaking, Feng Xie's eyes became as deep as an ancient abyss, and his face suddenly became covered with frost, radiating a chilling aura. "Could it be him?"
"Who is it?"
Liu Liu looked strangely at the Emperor's furrowed brow and reached out to smooth away his worries. Who was it that made him so distressed? That anger mixed with heartache, along with an unspeakable sadness.
Feng Xie thought about it. He had always been afraid to face this matter – fratricide. In fact, he had sensed it early on, but he had always refused to believe it was him. However, more and more signs were pointing to him. Did he truly hate him that much? Hate him enough to usurp his throne and kill him?
"It's Prince Xiang, Feng Luo."
His voice was filled with immense pain, his eyes deep and sorrowful, then turning cold. Was the former Emperor's estimation correct? Feng Luo had a rebellious streak, which was why the former Emperor wanted to kill him. He remembered kneeling for a day and a night with Feng Lie to seek their father's forgiveness, and only then did their father retract his order and spare their mother and him, enfeoffing him as Prince Xiang and sending him to his territory. For years, he had secretly monitored him. The reports he received all indicated that Prince Xiang was living a life of debauchery. He would rather he lived like that; the royal family could afford such a lavish prince. But who would have thought that all these years he had been biding his time? The prince in the fiefdom must be a fake. Feng Xie's eyes darkened as he thought of this. Feng Luo, are you back to fight me?
"Prince Xiang?" Liu Liu was stunned for a moment. She didn't know much about Prince Xiang, only that he was the result of the late Emperor's drunkenness and had been banished to his fiefdom by him.
"Yes. If he truly hates me, he must hate me deeply. In fact, I suspected it long ago, but because I didn't want fratricide to occur, I kept choosing to believe him. But today, I have no reason to refuse anymore. Perhaps he has been hiding in the capital for a long time, and the person in the fiefdom is just a puppet." Feng Xie's voice was cold and arrogant, returning to its usual ice-cold demeanor. Only Liu Liu knew that he was actually feeling terrible inside. Even a naturally domineering and cold person had a compassionate heart.
It was a pity that Prince Xiang didn't understand his intentions. Fratricide was such a cruel thing. As Liu Liu thought of this, the image of Yu Lou's deep eyes surfaced in her mind. For some reason, even though he was only five years old, he had that fierce hatred in his eyes. Whose eyes were they like? She sighed.
"Your Majesty, don't think too much about it. Maybe it's not Prince Xiang." As Liu Liu finished speaking, Xiao Wanzi respectfully entered. He looked up and saw the Empress sitting in the Emperor's arms, quickly lowering his head and reporting cautiously, "Your Majesty, Prince Yan has returned to the capital and is waiting outside the study for an audience."
"Ah, the Prince is back?" Feng Xie and Liu Liu spoke at the same time. They exchanged glances. Prince Yan had returned so quickly. Why wasn't he accompanying the princess and Xin Hun properly in Yuehua Kingdom? However, Feng Xie breathed a sigh of relief. With his imperial brother's return, he had another arm, increasing their chances of victory. A tough battle lay ahead.
"Summon Prince Yan," Feng Xie commanded in a deep voice, waving his hand. Xiao Wanzi quickly scurried away. The Emperor and Empress were on very good terms now. He didn't want to be caught in the crossfire, or he would suffer greatly. In the study, Feng Xie gently released Liu Liu. Liu Liu sat beside him on the dragon couch, waiting for Prince Yan, Feng Lie. Feng Lie had rushed back so hastily, and both of them intuitively felt that something had happened.
Feng Lie quickly entered the study and paid his respects to the Emperor and Empress, standing to the side. He hadn't expected Liu Liu to be in the study. She was becoming increasingly radiant and beautiful, and his heart ached faintly. The joyful memories of his youth had become indelible imprints in his heart.
"Feng Lie, why have you returned to the capital so quickly?" Feng Xie asked with concern. He saw his imperial brother was covered in dust, indicating he had rushed to the palace without even going to his own residence. Could there be a major event?
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I received news in Yuehua Kingdom that Prince Xiang is not in his fiefdom at all. He left his fiefdom eight years ago, and the prince in the fiefdom is actually a fake. As soon as I received this news, I didn't dare to delay and rushed back to the capital without stopping."
As Feng Lie finished speaking, Feng Xie's face turned grim and ugly, his lips pursed, and a trace of cold air emanated from him. While he had held a sliver of hope before, now there was nothing more to be said. Many things were indeed caused by Feng Luo. He never expected that he had been lurking in the capital all along. What terrifying cunning! He truly didn't know how many more things were happening behind the scenes that they were unaware of. Feng Xie's jade-like face flickered.
Liu Liu sat to the side, her brow furrowed in thought. She spoke softly.
"We should go and see Grand Tutor Lou. Now, to find Feng Luo's whereabouts, I believe his appearance has definitely changed from before. Because the capital is neither very big nor very small, but there are always slight accidents. If he appeared in his true form, someone would have seen him, but there has been no movement at all. This indicates that he has not appeared in his true face. Those hiding in the darkness are the most terrifying."
Feng Xie and Feng Lie greatly agreed with the Empress's words. They both knew that the Empress's intellect surpassed ordinary people. This analysis was like dripping water piercing stone, and the truth was evident. Feng Xie raised his dragon robe, a fierce wind rising, and spoke coldly.
"Let's go. I believe Liu Ting has already imprisoned all the members of the Lou family. Now, we will immediately go to the Ministry of Justice's prison to interrogate him. Where is Prince Xiang now?"