Wen Chu lowered his gaze, staring at the wine goblet Zuo Xilou had pushed toward him.
Extending a slender, jade-like hand, he picked up the wine vessel and slowly raised it, before splashing the entire cup of wine straight into Zuo Xilou’s face.
Such a filthy and despicable wretch would never honor his word; once his objective was achieved, he would turn his back and deny anyone.
Wen Chu had already seen right through Zuo Xilou.
Having been splashed in the face with wine, Zuo Xilou instantly flew into a rage, jumping to his feet with the intent to force himself upon Wen Chu.
Mu Qing hurriedly stepped forward to pull him back, advising Zuo Xilou, “After all, he is the sovereign; do not push things too far.”
Still in the heat of his anger, Zuo Xilou violently shook off Mu Qing’s hand. “A puppet emperor, why on earth are you so terrified of him?!”
With that, he reached out with veins bulging on the back of his hand and lunged toward Wen Chu. “Xie Huaiqiang has already let me play with him; what on earth are you still hesitating about?”
A tremor seized Wen Chu’s heart, leaving his body feeling weak and drained.
In the shadows, Xie Huaiqiang watched coldly as Zuo Xilou’s hand lunged toward Wen Chu.
It was plain to see that Zuo Xilou was filled with malice, aiming directly for Wen Chu’s neckline.
Wen Chu was already too weak to dodge.
Yet the sudden turn of events unfolded in a single split second. Following a miserable scream, when they looked at Zuo Xilou again, he had already collapsed in a pool of blood, his chest slashed open with his internal organs spilling out.
A wave of nausea surged up to Wen Chu’s throat. He withdrew his gaze and looked toward Yuwen Jie.
“Your subject is late in rescuing Your Majesty, causing Your Majesty distress.”
Beside them, Mu Qing pointed at Yuwen Jie and cried out in shock, “You have a lot of nerve! To dare assassinate even the envoys of the Longshu Kingdom, when I return to my country, I shall certainly.” Ah.
Wen Chu quietly watched as Yuwen Jie killed Mu Qing as well, making no move whatsoever to intervene.
If such men were sent back alive, they would only remain a scourge.
Fully aware of the grave consequences of slaying two envoys back-to-back, Yuwen Jie lifted the hem of his robe and knelt before Wen Chu. “Your subject is willing to bear all the consequences.”
Such a consequence was something no ordinary person could shoulder; at best, someone could take the blame, but it could not be Yuwen Jie.
“You should return first,” Wen Chu instructed. “They insulted me and deserved to die; you bear no blame.”
At a time like this, he needed to sort through his chaotic thoughts and devise a solution. Without another word, Yuwen Jie stood up and departed.
The Lake Pavilion was permeated with an unpleasantly heavy scent of blood. Wen Chu got up and left.
He vowed never to set foot in the Lake Pavilion again for the rest of his life.
Just as Wen Chu stepped out of the Lake Pavilion, he caught sight of a figure walking directly toward him.
Xie Huaiqiang halted right in front of Wen Chu.
Wen Chu lifted his eyes to scrutinize the tall man before him, beneath his handsome human skin lay the heart of a venomous scorpion.
“You never left,” Wen Chu asked. “You watched everything from the shadows?”
Xie Huaiqiang readily admitted, “I did.”
Wen Chu pressed his lips together and asked again, “The Marquis of Ding’an getting word that I was being bullied in the Lake Pavilion, was that also intentionally leaked by you?”
Xie Huaiqiang replied, “It was.”
A tight frown creased Wen Chu’s brow. “You also anticipated that the Marquis of Ding’an would kill the Longshu envoys. What on earth is your purpose in doing all this?”
“My purpose?” Xie Huaiqiang sneered. “You still don’t understand!”
Wen Chu fell silent.
Xie Huaiqiang continued, “Both envoys of the Longshu Kingdom have died in the imperial capital. Believing our Great Zhou to be arrogant and devoid of respect, the Emperor of Shu will inevitably dispatch troops to wage war against Great Zhou rather than pursue peace talks. And right now, the most suitable person to lead the troops into battle is none other than Yuwen Jie.”
Indignation flared between Wen Chu’s brows. “To draw the Marquis of Ding’an away from my side, you did not hesitate to plunge the common people of Great Zhou into the flames of war.” Pointing angrily toward the direction of the Longshu Kingdom, Wen Chu’s emotions surged with bitterness: “The Longshu Kingdom is a formidable military superpower; for Great Zhou to contend with them is like throwing eggs against a rock, leaving the populace to suffer in utter misery.”
“A bunch of lowly ants, sacrificing themselves for the country is their honor,” Xie Huaiqiang said dismissively. With a tone of deliberate reminder, he told Wen Chu, “Do not forget that the culprit who precipitated all these grave consequences is none other than Your Majesty yourself. If Your Majesty had simply complied with Zuo Xilou just now, returning to your bedchambers to indulge him in certain matters, would any of what followed have ever happened? Furthermore, it would have given this Prince no opportunity to insert myself into the situation.”
At this, Xie Huaiqiang’s gaze gathered disdain. “A worn-out shoe, why put on such a lofty facade of purity? What harm is there in letting someone else wear you one more time?”