"My Lord, why don't we rest for a while?"
Lightning appeared in the sky along with the heavy rain, illuminating the two people clinging to the cliff.
Zhao Chongjiu and Pei Wenxuan were already soaked by the rain. Both of them were tied with hemp ropes and carried bags containing commonly used life-saving medicine, bandages, matches, and other items on their backs.
Pei Wenxuan arranged everything and ordered people to enter the mountain from the outside to the bottom of the cliff. Then he had people prepare hemp ropes and insisted on going down the cliff by himself.
It would take at least one night to go around the outside of the drill ground and smoothly reach the bottom of the cliff. If they climbed down the cliff directly without stopping, they could reach the bottom of the cliff in less than four hours. But because there was no such long rope, many knots were needed to tie people down. This way, if there was any mistake in the rope, or if the climber slipped and fell beyond the support of the rope, it would be extremely dangerous.
But Pei Wenxuan was worried about the others going down the cliff. He was afraid that they would not be careful enough, that they would not be alert enough, and that someone among them would be a traitor. At this critical moment of life and death, Pei Wenxuan was worried about leaving Li Rong to anyone.
So he was accompanied by Zhao Chongjiu and went down the cliff together.
They climbed all the way down from the top of the cliff. Although the bottom of the cliff could not be seen clearly, Pei Wenxuan felt an inexplicable sense of security when his hand landed on a stone and stepped on the cliff wall. He felt the night wind whistling past and listened to the sound of the falling stones.
He was walking on the path that Li Rong had walked. If Li Rong had reached the end of his life.
Then, he would also be walking on this path of no return.
Thus, he started to descend from nightfall. He controlled the speed of his descent very evenly. From beginning to end, he did not say a single word. It was as if his entire being had extracted all of his emotions. He was precisely calculating the next step, which rock he should step on, and when he should let go of his hand next.
Halfway up, his hand was already covered with wounds from the crushed stones, and the skin had long been broken.
But his expression did not change. Zhao Chongjiu looked at him. Although he could not see anything, he could not help but remind him, "My Lord, you can rest for a while."
"I'm fine," Pei Wenxuan repeated. "I'm fine. Continue. "
As he spoke, he moved his foot down and stepped on the next rock.
As soon as he stepped on the rock, it could not withstand his strength and suddenly scattered. His whole body slid down the cliff. The sharp rocks rubbed against his clothes and cut a burning wound on his skin. The rope slid down quickly. The people on the rope were so shocked that they quickly grabbed the rope. Zhao Chongjiu could not help but shout, "Sir!"
Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. As he fell quickly, he observed the entire cliff like a wolf. Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed a protrusion that he had observed earlier. After stabilizing his body, he gently raised his head. He was so calm that he didn't seem like a first-time rock climber. "I'm fine. Continue."
He would not die here.
No one knew if Li Rong was dead or alive, but he would not die here.
As Pei Wenxuan slid down the cliff, inside the cave, the light of lightning shone on Su Yongqing's face.
Li Rong looked at him. She did not say anything. Her expression did not change at all. It was as if she had already accepted, understood, and approved of this matter.
"Why?"
Li Rong opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "Chuan'er … shouldn't have killed me."
She had assisted Li Chuan for his entire life.
She was his older sister. After their parents left, they had the same blood flowing in their veins. They were the closest.
Even if he was worried that she had too much power, he should not have killed her directly.
"In the 25th year of De Xu, His Highness was wandering outside. He met an alchemist who was rumored to have great skills. His Highness inquired about him and went up the mountain to invite him several times. Finally, he invited the alchemist down the mountain and recommended him to His Majesty."
Su Yongqing's voice was very soft. Li Rong slowly opened his eyes.
"In the 28th year of De Xu, His Majesty began to feel unwell. He began to investigate the palace thoroughly. In the end, nothing was found. Not long after, the alchemist that His Highness offered him died from falling into a lake after drinking too much. "
"Was there a problem with that alchemist?"
"That alchemist," Su Yongqing pursed his lips. "was carefully selected by an aristocratic family. Shangguan Ya planned and deliberately led His Highness to meet him."
"So, Chuan'er thought that I wanted to kill him?"
Li Rong felt that it was a little funny. "Why didn't he ask me? Ask him … "
"If that alchemist was deliberately placed by His Highness, would His Highness admit it?"
Su Yongqing asked. Li Rong was speechless.
Su Yongqing was right.
Whether or not she really wanted to kill Li Chuan, Li Chuan could not get the truth out of her. If he could not get the truth out of her, why bother?
"What happened after that?"
Li Rong controlled his emotions. "Since he found out at that time, why didn't he investigate me directly? There was a problem with the person I sent over. If he wanted to investigate, he could have done it. "
"How did he do it?"
Su Yongqing asked directly. "At that time, you were the eldest princess who represented an aristocratic family. You were the regent eldest princess who held great power. If he wanted to do it with great fanfare, how confident was he?"
"So?"
"So he chose to poison you. You went to the palace every seven days to play chess with him. On the chess pieces, there was a fragrant beauty. Over time, it had already seeped into your bones and spleen. So, after the 28th year of De Xu, you were unwell. "
"From then on, you knew." Li Rong looked at Su Yongqing. "You knew that I was poisoned."
"Yes." Su Yongqing lowered his eyes. "I put the antidote in the sachet and asked everyone to wear it to delay the poison."
"Why didn't you save me?"
It seemed that this question could not be answered. There was a long silence.
"Speak."
Li Rong clenched his fists. "At this time, what else can't you say?"
"It was Shangguan Ya and I who decided together."
Su Yongqing's voice trembled. "In fact, we all knew that the aristocratic family was never the most important thing in your heart. Once we had a conflict with Li Chuan, you would immediately change sides. So we decided to wait and see. With the antidote in our hands, we could detoxify you at any time. Killing you was also a piece of cake. "
"What happened after that? Who decided to kill me in the end? "
"After that, Li Chuan became increasingly ill. On the morning of your death, Li Chuan vomited blood in the palace. He summoned Pei Wenxuan to the palace to write a posthumous edict. After Pei Wenxuan received the posthumous edict, Li Chuan asked him a question. "
"He asked Pei Wenxuan what would happen to Pei Wenxuan if you rebelled after his death."
"Pei Wenxuan told him that you were his sister and that you would never do such a thing."
When he said this, Li Rong stared fixedly at him. Tears finally rolled down from his eyes.
Su Yongqing paused. Li Rong only said, "Continue."
"So Li Chuan knew that Pei Wenxuan would never kill you. Because in his heart, you would never betray him. "
"After Pei Wenxuan left, Li Chuan fell into a coma. Before he fell into a coma, he gave a death order to poison you. When Shangguan Ya found out that he fell into a coma, he immediately locked down the palace and prevented anyone from entering or leaving. Then he informed me. This was the best opportunity. "
"What opportunity?" Li Rong could not help but laugh.
Su Yongqing also laughed. "The opportunity to gain control of the Princess Residence."
"So, Pei Wenxuan came to me because he received the posthumous edict and wanted to talk to me for the last time. At that time, you did not know about the lockdown of the palace. Just like before, you were worried that Pei Wenxuan would be used by Li Chuan. You gave him the antidote sachet because he was poisoned by Xiang Meiren. Later, you found out that Shangguan Ya sent a letter. When Li Chuan poisoned me, you could have detoxified the poison, but you chose to stand by and watch. "
"Yes."
Su Yongqing did not deny it. Li Rong nodded to express his understanding. "But I still don't understand why Li Chuan wanted to kill me at the last moment. He could have killed me earlier. Why did he wait until the last moment? "
"Because in His Majesty's heart, the entire palace and court were just a game of chess. His greatest responsibility in life was to maintain the balance of the chess game. "
"At that time, when the aristocratic families were prosperous, His Majesty was iron-blooded and killed more than half of the Shangguan Clan. Even his uncle was personally ordered to be killed. He also exterminated the entire Su Clan and intimidated the Bai Clan. In fact, at that time, the aristocratic families had secretly formed an alliance with the intention of rebelling. However, His Majesty suddenly announced that he would retire from the palace and cultivate immortality. Your Highness became the regent princess, so the aristocratic families were appeased and decided to endure. In fact, this was His Majesty's way of balancing the powers. "
"Later, His Majesty secretly supported Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan and Qin Lin supported the Han Clan, forming a confrontation with Your Highness. Then, Your Highness, if His Majesty died, would this balance still exist?"
"Why not?" Li Rong did not understand. "Pei Wenxuan is the leader of the Han Clan …"
"But what if you wanted to kill him?"
Su Yongqing interrupted Li Rong. Li Rong was a bit confused. Su Yongqing smiled bitterly. "Your Highness, 30 years ago, Pei Wenxuan said to His Majesty, 'You are His Majesty's elder sister and will never rebel.' Wasn't it clear? He has been your political enemy for so many years, but in the end, he never thought that you would betray him. "
"Pei Wenxuan won't kill you. Behind you, there is me and Shangguan Ya. If you want to kill him, it's too easy."
Li Rong stared blankly at Su Yongqing. "A chess piece against a chess piece. In Li Chuan's mind, the one who checks and balances you is not Pei Wenxuan, but himself. If he dies and you are still alive, this game will be unbalanced. "
"Leave behind Pei Wenxuan and Qin Lin to assist Li Ping and fight against the Crown Prince's aristocratic family. After a bloodbath, the game will be balanced. That way, the next monarch won't have to face the same situation as him when he ascends the throne and is restrained by any party. "
"If you are alive, as long as you kill Pei Wenxuan, the humble family will no longer have the power to resist. And you, as the eldest princess, have so much power, the new monarch will not tolerate you, and you will not tolerate a new monarch who will suppress you."
"So, Your Highness, in fact, with or without that alchemist, you and Li Chuan will die. It's just a matter of time. "
Li Rong was speechless.
Every word Su Yongqing said was actually correct.
Blinded by greed, she tolerated Li Chuan because Li Chuan was her younger brother. If Li Ping or Li Xin ascended the throne and disobeyed her like Li Chuan, she didn't know how long she could endure.
She was used to being in a high position and had nothing, so she could only hold on tightly to power.
Now that she thought about it, other people were unrecognizable, but she was the same.
The alchemist was the reason why Li Chuan didn't believe her. But if Li Chuan was the seventeen-year-old Li Chuan, he would have already come to her door and asked her what was going on.
But the forty-eight-year-old Li Chuan was already a monarch who didn't believe anyone and could abandon anyone.
Li Rong took a deep breath and lowered her head: "So, everything you are doing now, is it for revenge?"
"Your Highness," Su Yongqing smiled bitterly, "What happened in the last life, how can you talk about revenge in this life? Rong Qing just thinks that even if you are reborn, Li Chuan will repeat the same mistakes. "
"Li Chuan is too ambitious and too difficult to control. He can't tolerate the aristocratic families, and he can't tolerate the future Your Highness. Your Highness, you are not willing to be a woman raised in the backyard of the palace. If Li Chuan ascends the throne, sooner or later, you will have to face each other with swords. "
"Did we not treat Li Chuan well in the last life? He was deposed by Li Ming and became the Crown Prince. It was the aristocratic families who gathered the military power of hundreds of families to send him to the throne. But what happened later? "
"He was greedy for great achievements, and he wanted to go to the north and reform the system. He favored only Consort Qin in the harem, suppressed the aristocratic officials, killed his uncle and imprisoned his mother, imprisoned the Empress Dowager in the palace, and framed the Su Clan. In the end, for power, he didn't even let you go. "
"Such a monarch," Su Yongqing stared at Li Rong, "How can I just watch him ascend the throne?"
"So," Li Rong tried to put Su Yongqing's scolding to the back of her mind. She didn't want to hear or think about it. She controlled her emotions and just continued to ask, "From the beginning, when you came back, you already decided to depose him."
"Yes." Su Yongqing didn't hide it, "From the beginning, I planned to depose him. I originally thought that I didn't need to do anything, just like in the last life. When His Majesty deposed Li Chuan, I wouldn't let the aristocratic families accept Pei Wenxuan's persuasion and persuade Father to accept Li Cheng's ascension. Li Cheng is only eleven years old now, Xiao Su is cowardly and incompetent, and Consort Rou is greedy and short-sighted. After Li Cheng ascends the throne, we can use Li Cheng as a puppet. When he gives birth to an heir, we can kill him and support the young emperor. At that time, I will take power and welcome Your Highness back to the capital. "
"Then why did you get close to me and pretend to seek refuge with the Crown Prince?"
"Firstly, I wanted to get in touch with Your Highness. In this life, Your Highness has changed too much, so I needed to observe. Secondly, if necessary, I was willing to act as a spy and overthrow Li Chuan. "
"Since it was Li Chuan who ordered to kill me in the last life, and you wanted to be his enemy, why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you admit it when I asked if you were the murderer? "
Su Yongqing didn't speak. Li Rong forced a smile, "Could it be that you were afraid that I would be sad?"
"In Your Highness's life, Li Chuan is your only relative. Regardless of whether I said it or not, Your Highness wouldn't point your sword at him. Since that's the case, why say anything more? "
"If I succeed, Your Highness will hate me. If I fail, I won't damage Your Highness's sibling relationship. "
After Li Rong heard this, she wasn't surprised. She remained silent. She could vaguely hear the voices of people outside. Su Yongqing looked outside the cave and said calmly, "Does Your Highness have anything else to ask?"
Li Rong was silent. She hugged herself and looked at the flickering flames in front of her. After a long time, she said in a low voice, "Chuan 'er didn't believe me. He thought that I killed him and his child for power. But why didn't you and Ah Ya believe me? Why did you watch me die and then hold power in your hands?"
"Your Highness, do you really want to know the answer to this question?"
Su Yongqing leaned against the wall and looked at the flames. With a crackling sound, sparks rose.
They could vaguely hear someone calling out to them. The voice was very far away, as if it came from another world, crossing thousands of rivers and mountains.
When Li Rong heard Su Yongqing's reply, she couldn't help but hug herself a little tighter, "Say it."
"Because Li Xin," Su Yongqing said with difficulty, "is not Li Chuan's child."
Hearing this, Li Rong froze. She slowly raised her head in disbelief. Su Yongqing lowered his head, as if he also felt embarrassed.
"Shangguan Ya and my eldest brother were in love, but because of her family, she was forced to enter the palace and become the Crown Princess. My eldest brother decided not to marry because of her. At first, it was fine, but after Li Chuan and Qin Zhenzhen got together, he didn't touch anyone in the harem. Shangguan Ya quickly realized that Li Chuan wouldn't touch anyone in the harem. She entered the palace for the Shangguan family and became the Empress in order to protect the position of the Crown Prince. She can be a widow for the rest of her life, but she can't allow herself to be a widow for the rest of her life without a child. "
"So?" Li Rong felt her stomach churn.
"So Shangguan Ya found my eldest brother and had Li Xin in time."
Hearing this, Li Rong felt as if someone had pushed her head into the water. All of the disgust, disgust, and fear surged up.
Everything had a reason.
Why did Su Ronghua kill Qin Zhenzhen? Because Su Ronghua wanted to protect his child and Shangguan Ya.
Why did Li Chuan use castration to humiliate the Su Clan? Because he knew that Su Ronghua and Shangguan Ya had an affair.
Why would Su Rongqing ally with Shangguan Ya in the end? Why would he watch her die when Li Chuan was on the brink of death and she was on the side of the aristocratic family? He even loved her. It was because he wanted to protect his brother's last bloodline.
She died. Pei Wenxuan died. With Su Yongqing and Shangguan Ya's methods, the throne was almost within Li Xin's reach.
It was too disgusting.
It was too ugly.
These ugly people's hearts and interests were intertwined. In her previous life, it became a smelly spider web that tightly entangled everyone.
Father and son were not father and son, sister and brother were not sister and brother, husband and wife were not husband and wife, and friends were not friends.
Everything in his previous life was just a rotten swamp filled with disgusting pus. At first, he thought that it was just rotten leaves and branches, but when he pushed aside the rotten things on top of the swamp, he found that there were even more hideous human bones underneath. The flesh and blood had been boiled into a thick paste, and it was gurgling with a foul stench.
Li Rong felt that countless past events flashed before her eyes. Those past events drowned her. She couldn't breathe and was almost unable to move.
But she couldn't wallow in it.
She had to go. She had to leave. She couldn't stay with them and die in this puddle of mud.
She vaguely heard someone calling not far away. That person's voice was already hoarse and mixed with the rain.
But she still recognized it.
It was Pei Wenxuan.
In these two lives, he had never truly betrayed her. He had always protected her. When everyone betrayed her, Pei Wenxuan was the only one who believed in her.
She wanted to go. She wanted to escape. She wanted to go to his side.
With this thought, Li Rong could no longer restrain herself. She recklessly got up and staggered towards the door.
Seeing her appearance, Su Yongqing quickly got up and chased after her. "Your Highness …"
"Let go!"
Li Rong held the dagger in her hand and fiercely slashed it. She stared at him with watery eyes. "Don't touch me!"
After saying that, she crazily rushed out.
Her foot was injured. Every step was painful, but she still hurriedly ran in the direction of that person's voice.
"Pei Wenxuan!"
She loudly shouted Pei Wenxuan's name. "Pei Wenxuan!"
Pei Wenxuan suddenly turned around in the dense forest and rushed in the direction of the voice.
The two of them shouted for each other in the heavy rain, searching for each other's voices. In the end, Pei Wenxuan used his hands to tear away a section of brambles. Then he saw a girl who seemed to be greatly frightened and suddenly threw herself into his arms.
The moment she hugged him, Li Rong seemed to have found the shore of her life. Finally, without restraint, she cried bitterly.
"Take me away." Her whole body was trembling. She clenched her teeth and cried as she begged him. "Pei Wenxuan, take me away. Don't let me stay there. Take me away. "
Take her away.
Take her away from all those unbearable, hopeless, and disgusting things.
Pei Wenxuan had never seen Li Rong like this. She was almost completely broken down. Her whole body was shrouded in despair and fear. A gentle touch from Li Rong would break her.
He felt that her crying was like a sharp knife, back and forth cutting his heart. He had never been in such pain. It hurt so much that every fingertip seemed to be slightly twitching.
He reached out and protected Li Rong in his arms.
The brambles fell and pierced his body. He was completely unaware. He restrained his emotions and suppressed the tears in his eyes. He raised his hands and hugged this soft girl who seemed to be unable to withstand the slightest wind and rain. He lowered his head and gently kissed her hair.
"Don't cry." He coaxed her gently in a hoarse voice. "Rongrong, I found you. I'll take you home."
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