Chapter 108: A Sweet and Loving Appearance
After Gu Mengyao caught Gao Wenji, the matter was considered concluded.
Gu Mengyao, after a moment’s thought, decided not to bother with the remaining enemy soldiers. She directly took Gao Wenji back to report, aiming to complete the mission as soon as possible. It would be difficult to deal with if they were pursued for causing a small stir in Minghua Kingdom these past few days. Therefore, it was better to return quickly.
“A’yu, what about Xiao Huaxian? Do we still need to…”
“No need. Xiao Huaxian is already dead.”
“???”
When talking about Xiao Huaxian, Gu Mengyao thought that this person was a subordinate of the mysterious person. She considered whether to bring him back to interrogate him rigorously, hoping to get some information about the mysterious person. To this, Gu Yu directly shook his head. The words that came from his mouth next made Gu Mengyao gasp in surprise. When did Xiao Huaxian die? These past few days, Spike Team had also been closely monitoring Xiao Huaxian. If anything happened to him, they would have received news… So, how did Gu Yu know?
“Big Sister, Xiao Huaxian is dead!”
“What happened? Did he know the plan failed and commit suicide?”
“No, he was attacked by an assassin.”
Just as Gu Mengyao was feeling confused, other soldiers from Spike Team also arrived. The person responsible for monitoring Xiao Huaxian quickly spoke, reporting the news of Xiao Huaxian’s death. This made Gu Mengyao look at Gu Yu with even greater surprise. Even some soldiers looked at Gu Yu with shock, their hearts stirred like towering waves and surging billows, completely unaware of how Gu Yu could predict events! Could it be a family heirloom? This was too miraculous! Even more amazing than the village’s divine medium who danced for gods!
“Cough cough, you don’t have to look at me like that. It’s all Xi Yang’s credit… These past few days, it wasn’t just you investigating for information; my subordinates have also been working hard to search! As a result, he discovered Xiao Huaxian’s ambiguous relationship with the Emperor. Coupled with the recent incident of the Empress’s miscarriage, it made me suspect something was amiss, so I asked Xi Yang to investigate as well.”
“A’yu, is Xiao Huaxian’s death related to the Empress?”
“Mmm… that’s right. However, I won’t go into detail about those behind-the-scenes matters of the inner court… Anyway, he’s dead now, so there’s no need to think about anything else. Let’s leave Hua City as soon as possible! Otherwise, Pan Hao, who has been acting like he’s on chicken blood recently, will probably come over.”
As he welcomed everyone’s surprised gaze, mixed with looks like they were watching a charlatan, Gu Yu, upon noticing them, no longer kept it hidden and revealed it straightforwardly! It wasn’t that he possessed divine abilities and could predict the future, but rather it was the credit of the assassin Xi Yang. The members of Spike Team already knew that Gu Yu had a formidable subordinate who could appear and disappear without a trace. Therefore, upon hearing Gu Yu’s explanation, they nodded in understanding. So that was it, just a different direction of investigation. Combined with Gu Yu’s sharp mind, he had guessed that Xiao Huaxian was dead.
After resolving the doubt of Gu Yu’s “prophecy,” everyone quickly packed up. They swiftly prepared their luggage, wanting to seize the opportunity of the current chaotic situation to break through the city gates and leave Hua City. Gu Yu also took the opportunity to secretly take out Batoa’s head from his space and handed it to a soldier, asking him to keep it safe! With Spike Team around, Batoa’s head could not be kept in his space, otherwise, it would be exposed. As for whether carrying it would cause any odor, Gu Yu had already considered this. When handing over Batoa’s head, he also gave the soldier a pack of medicinal powder that could prevent the corpse from decaying for a long time.
“A’yu, you haven’t finished what you were saying! Tell me secretly now… is Xiao Huaxian’s death really related to the Empress?”
“Mengyao, I’ve noticed you’ve suddenly become quite gossipy!”
“After all, I knew Xiao Huaxian. I even thought of avenging you before, but I didn’t expect him to die.”
“Avenge me?”
“Yes, didn’t you say before that Xiao Huaxian wanted to drug you? He must have had ill intentions towards you. If it had succeeded, I can’t bear to think about it!”
“…”
While the other soldiers were preparing, Gu Mengyao pulled Gu Yu aside and said something that made Gu Yu feel like crying and laughing at the same time. What was his little wife thinking about all day! What did she mean by ill intentions? At that time, Xiao Huaxian just wanted him to make a fool of himself, he didn’t have any other intentions. Even if he did, Gu Yu directly ignored it. As for Gu Mengyao’s question about the cause of Xiao Huaxian’s death, Gu Yu did not hide it and explained everything, resolving Gu Mengyao’s doubts. He didn’t tell her earlier because too many things were involved, and it would have been too troublesome to explain everything one by one. Gu Yu was too lazy to say it! But now that his wife asked, even if it was troublesome, he had to say it!
The process of Xiao Huaxian’s death, according to the information obtained and Gu Yu’s speculation, appeared before him like words in a book… Although Xiao Huaxian was a man, his purpose in coming to Minghua Kingdom was very clear. He was willing to become a famous courtesan in Hua City. As for why he was not discovered, Gu Yu believed that Xiao Huaxian should have possessed hypnotism or had prepared hallucinogenic drugs, hence why he was not exposed. With ample preparation, Xiao Huaxian’s reputation grew stronger and stronger, attracting the attention of some high officials and nobles, and finally drawing the Emperor here…
Thinking of this, Gu Yu actually had a question. Since he had already attracted the Emperor, why didn’t Xiao Huaxian directly hold the Emperor hostage? Why did he have to do all sorts of unnecessary things, resulting in nothing in the end? His purpose was just to help Wuhuo Kingdom and Changlin Kingdom seize power, right? However, Xiao Huaxian did not make his move. After hearing Xi Yang’s report, Gu Yu finally had an epiphany and understood the reason.
Xiao Huaxian had fallen in love with the Emperor of Minghua Kingdom. That’s why he didn’t make a move in Hongluan Pavilion, and even reprimanded his subordinates, telling them not to harm the Emperor in the slightest. Even not accepting guests these past few days was to be able to enter the Imperial Palace and approach the Emperor… It was just that the Empress of Minghua Kingdom was also a formidable character. The Empress knew everything about Xiao Huaxian and the Emperor. She was willing to risk losing her child to prevent Xiao Huaxian from entering the palace. Of course, perhaps she wasn’t actually pregnant, but in the end, the Empress won. Originally, Xiao Huaxian was also among the group trying to sneak into the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately, he was killed in advance by an assassin sent by the Empress.
“So, there are so many twists and turns in this matter! Even storytellers couldn’t tell such an amazing story!”
“Anyway, that’s how it is. But if these incidents hadn’t happened, the outcome wouldn’t be what it is now, which is quite fortunate.”
Although Gu Yu knew that the Empress was going to kill Xiao Huaxian, he had no obligation to inform him. Especially since he was from the opposing camp. It was already good that he didn’t get involved. After Gu Yu finished speaking, Gu Mengyao was completely astonished, never expecting that Xiao Huaxian would die so suddenly for such a reason. Truly, life is unpredictable!
“Alright, the soldiers are almost ready, and we should leave here.”
“Yes, we can finally go back.”
Hearing that they were about to depart, Gu Mengyao immediately nodded, casting everything about Minghua Kingdom aside. She only thought of quickly returning to the Linfeng Kingdom army. After handing over Gao Wenji to Gongsun Jie, they could leave the military camp and head back to the capital! This war had lasted for too long, and it was time to end it.
…
When Xiao Huaxian was stabbed by the assassin’s dagger, he did not let the other party leave easily. After activating the hidden weapons in the room, he also took the assassin’s life. And he died even earlier than him. Looking coldly at the dead assassin, the corner of Xiao Huaxian’s mouth suddenly turned upwards. He thought that the hidden weapons originally intended for Gu Yu had actually served their purpose at this moment, making good use of them. However, when he thought of the person he had entrusted his heart to, who was currently coaxing that venomous woman in the Imperial Palace, Xiao Huaxian clenched his fists, thinking that he should not have delayed the important affairs of his superior for the sake of his own feelings. It was truly too much.
Thinking that he had failed the superior he respected the most, Xiao Huaxian couldn’t help but cough. Feeling his body weaken due to excessive blood loss, he struggled to get up. He tore his outer garment and wrapped it around the wound to stop the bleeding. Xiao Huaxian staggered to the window. After releasing the pigeon from the cage, he shakily picked up the brush on the table. There was no time to grind the ink, so he used his own fresh blood as ink and quickly wrote a line of text on the paper.
[Person from Linfeng has arrived, the plan may fail. Subordinate is incompetent, I am sorry, sir.]
Afterward, as he placed the paper into the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon’s leg, Xiao Huaxian pushed open the window and released the pigeon in his hand. Watching the pigeon fly into the sky, Xiao Huaxian couldn’t help but smile slightly before finally succumbing to his weakness and falling to the ground, slowly losing his breath.
…
“Sir, a message has arrived from Minghua Kingdom!”
“Bring it here for me to see.”
In the room, when the Witch Priest saw the letter written with blood, he froze for a moment. Then, thinking of Xiao Huaxian’s death, he couldn’t help but shake his head, regretting it. If Xiao Huaxian had returned alive, he could still have been useful later. However, if he was dead, he was dead. There were still many people who could replace him. Could the person from Linfeng Kingdom be from the Gu family again!
“How is Linfeng Kingdom doing?”
“According to the scout’s report, Gongsun Jie has captured the main generals of Wuhuo Kingdom and Changlin Kingdom and is now preparing to march back to the court.”
“Hmph, that’s a bargain for him. However, what I want to know is not this… but how are Gu Mengyao and Gu Yu of Linfeng Kingdom doing recently?”
“This…”
Upon hearing that Wuhuo Kingdom and Changlin Kingdom had indeed been defeated, the Witch Priest did not get angry. Instead, he continued to lie quietly on the bed, listening to his subordinate. However, he was not interested in Gongsun Jie, but rather in the deputy general Gu Mengyao and her husband. After all, these two had disrupted his plans many times. However, when his subordinate showed a distressed expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, the Witch Priest’s face immediately darkened. It was clear that his patience was wearing thin.
“Gu Mengyao and Gu Yu, when the army was preparing to return to the capital, they left ahead of time, citing urgent matters… However, they seemed to be traveling and enjoying themselves sweetly along the way, which didn’t look like urgent matters.”
“…”