20demayo Chapter 112 A Ring Within a Ring, A Nest Within a Nest (Part 1)
Chapter 112 A Ring Within a Ring, A Nest Within a Nest (Part 1)
"No, Lan'er!!!"
Consort Li's desperate cries pierced through the palace walls and echoed throughout the palace.
The heartbreaking cries were like background music, ignored by everyone, and did nothing to move the two men facing each other.
The elderly emperor had piercing eyes and a solemn expression. Even when he saw the death of his most beloved daughter, his expression remained unchanged, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was really thinking at that moment.
Hua Di's gaze met that of the Second Prince, who had stabbed Princess Yongle with a knife.
His hand holding the knife trembled slightly with excitement; the thrill of killing brought a twisted smile to Lu Zigui's face. Hearing Consort Li's cries, he felt no remorse, but rather a pleasure in tormenting others.
The feeling of being able to manipulate other people's lives at will made him involuntarily lick his lips. Seeing that his "father" was finally taking him seriously, Lu Zigui raised his eyebrows defiantly:
"Father, you have half an incense stick's time left."
After saying that, he walked towards Consort Li with an evil smile on his lips.
The weeping concubine and her companions stopped crying and took a few steps back when they saw the blood-covered murderer walking towards them.
Lu Zigui suddenly grabbed forward and pulled Princess Huayang out of the crowd.
"No, no! I beg you, please let Zhi'er go!" Consort Li cried as she chased after Princess Huayang, trying to pull her back.
Before she could take two steps, she was stopped by Lu Zigui's guards and could not move forward any further. She could only watch helplessly as that beast dragged her by the hair to the center of the stage.
"Good second brother, please, please let me go, okay? Do you still remember how you loved to take me to fly kites when we were little?"
Princess Gaoyang's dignified face was filled with fear and despair. Ignoring the pain in her scalp, she trembled and tried to use her tenderness to move her brother to let her go.
But clearly, such pleas only backfired. Lu Zigui's grip on her hair didn't loosen at all; instead, he tightened his grip on her head, making sure Hua Di could see clearly.
“Good sister, you’ve come to the wrong person. You should beg your good father, the Emperor, to save you.”
Upon hearing this, Princess Gaoyang's eyes welled with tears as she tried to discern her father's expression. Unlike her sister, she was not naive. Emperor Hua doted on her and Yongle only because they allowed him to experience the joys of family life.
But this kind of pleasure is mostly a substitute; power is what matters most to her father.
Her life now rested in the hands of her father, the emperor. Even if the hope was slim, she craved only a sliver of pity from him.
"Father... Waaah... Father..."
Even the most difficult times were gradually moving forward, and Vatti's face remained unfathomably serious.
He neither responded to Princess Gaoyang's pitiful pleas nor reprimanded Lu Zigui. He was like an outsider coldly watching the play begin, reluctant to step into it himself; he chose to observe with indifference.
"An incense stick has burned out. So, to you, Father, my sisters, my fourth brother, and I are all nothing more than this. In that case, I can only take what I want with my own hands!" Before he finished speaking, Lu Zigui had already raised his butcher's knife.
"Gui'er, don't!" Empress Wang couldn't bear it and wanted to take a few steps forward, but Emperor Hua raised his hand and stopped her in place.
Just as the knife was about to stab Princess Huayang, a hole suddenly appeared in the stage behind Lu Zigui, and a figure jumped out of the hole and kicked him away.
*
When Fei Xi climbed up the iron chain stairs, Gu Mingfeng was wandering around the cramped space, seemingly searching for something.
"What's going on?" Fei Xi looked up. The space above the iron chain was not large, like the width of a corridor, less than 10 square meters.
The space was very dark, with only a few small openings shaped like auspicious clouds letting in a sliver of light, allowing one to barely make out the people around them. The voice that Fei Xi had heard earlier came from those openings.
After hearing what Empress Wang said, Fei Xi knew that her guess was indeed correct.
Yesterday, the two palace maids were either killed or captured, and Consort De and the Second Prince came to Kunning Palace to pay their respects, clearly wanting to find out what was going on.
Empress Wang and Emperor Hua must have been fully aware of Consort De and the Second Prince's plot to rebel.
Thinking back to when she entered the palace, Cui Chou "offended" Princess Yongle, and Empress Wang seemed overly emotional on several occasions. Everything was traceable, and Emperor Hua must have had a backup plan.
Why did Emperor Hua not directly stop the Second Prince's behavior, but instead condone his rebellious act?
Fei Xi couldn't quite understand it, so she tossed it aside. Looking at the person still exploring the space, she stepped forward and whispered:
"What are you doing? Are you trying to go up there?"
"My grandmother is in danger, I have to go save her!"
In the dim light, Gu Mingfeng's eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
Fei Xi was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief, "I'll help you look."
Aunt Qiuyue had disappeared and hadn't come up with them.
Fei Xi and the other person searched for the mechanism to go up while listening to the sounds coming from above.
Upon hearing Shi Wen's words, Fei Xi stopped and stepped forward to stop Gu Mingfeng, who was still searching for the mechanism to go up.
She finally understood why Empress Wang had asked Aunt Qiuyue to bring Gu Mingfeng to hide here.
Gu Mingfeng is the son of Prince Rui, who holds military power. If the second prince wants to seize the throne through rebellion, he must have leverage to control Prince Rui.
Fei Xi had also guessed Hua Di's plan: now was the time to absolutely not let Gu Mingfeng go out!
Why are you stopping me?
Calloused fingers covered his mouth. The owner of the hand did not speak. The two were very close, and Gu Mingfeng realized that there were only him and Fei Xi in this small space.
He couldn't see the woman's expression clearly, but in the dim light, he felt he could see the worry in her round eyes.
This discovery gave him a tingling sensation, like being electrocuted. It was a pleasant, numbing feeling that wasn't uncomfortable, but rather addictive, making him want to immerse himself in that sensation indefinitely.
But his worry for his maternal grandmother still prevailed, and despite his reluctance, he asked again in a low voice:
"You stopped me, did you discover something?"
"Your Highness will be alright. She must have wanted to tell you something, which is why she had Aunt Qiuyue bring us here."
Fei Xi whispered these words in Gu Mingfeng's ear, but he remained stiff and silent.
Fei Xi thought that Prince Gu seemed to understand her words, so she let him go.
Then, while listening intently to the sounds above, she curiously surveyed the small space.
Recalling the palace's layout, Fei Xi guessed that they were currently located below the painted platform of the Five Sacred Mountains Hall.
The dim light forced her to get closer to see some of the furnishings. The walls of this small, enclosed room had been specially treated and were smooth.
In the corner was a small stone bed, and Fei Xi saw that a straw mat made of cattails still remained on it, as if someone had slept there.
Fei Xi sat closer on the stone bed. Just as she was about to lift the straw mat, she suddenly heard the Second Prince shout "Old Man of Death!" which startled her so much that her hand trembled.
Then, the sound of a row of people falling to the ground came from above. With such high martial arts skills, it seems that the one who made the move really was the Old Man of Death!
She had heard her Uncle Yin mention this person before; the Deadly Old Man and Yu Baili, the former master of the Divine Sword Manor, were mortal enemies.
No one knows the real name of the Deadly Old Man. Since he entered the martial arts world, he has been challenging other martial arts schools and dueling with others.
Apart from Tianshan disappearing from the martial arts world due to internal strife, he attacked and defeated all the other three fortresses and five sects in the martial arts world.
The old man, known as the "Deadly Old Man," fought his way through the land without defeat, claiming to be the best martial artist in the world. However, when he reached Yu Baili of the Divine Sword Manor, the two fought for three days and three nights, and in the end, he was defeated by the manor lord's sword.
The old man was unconvinced, feeling that his talent had hindered the development of his martial arts. He made a deal with Yu Baili: he would take on a disciple with exceptional talent, and in the future, he would send that disciple to challenge Shenjian Manor again, at which point he would prove that his martial arts were the best in the world.
However, after the original master appeared out of nowhere, the old man of death did not find a disciple he recognized.
Later, the great hero retired, and the old man of death also disappeared from the martial arts world.
Why is the Second Prince able to hire this person to help him plot a rebellion?
Neither of them moved for a moment, holding their breath and listening to the sounds coming from above.
Both of them heard the sound of the knife piercing flesh, and Princess Yongle's blood even dripped down the small cut on Xiangyun's face as Gu Mingfeng looked up.
Neither of the two below expected that the Second Prince would be driven mad by his own background and directly kill Princess Yongle, who had revealed his true identity.
"I want to go up!"
His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Fei Xi understood that even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, Gu Mingfeng would go. She sighed and didn't say anything more to stop him.
In the dimly lit space, a hint of approval secretly crept onto his face, unseen by anyone.
After searching for a while, Fei Xi finally found a protruding stone on the opposite wall of the stone bed. After rotating the stone, a hole appeared on it.
*
"Feng'er!"
"You've been hiding down there all this time! Catch him!"
"roll!"
After Gu Mingfeng escorted Princess Huayang back to Consort Li, he got into a fight with Lu Zigui's guards.
Lu Zigui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, and ordered his personal guards to seize Gu Mingfeng.
His father had told him that a key to the success of this rebellion was capturing Gu Mingfeng. He could spare Gu Mingfeng for now, but if Gu Mingfeng fell into his hands, he would make sure that the man who dared to beat him wished he were dead!
When Empress Wang saw Gu Mingfeng run out, she was both happy and anxious.
Hua Di kept his eyes fixed on everything in front of him, occasionally glancing at Yao below, but neither of them said a word.
Just then, an old Taoist priest dressed in colorful robes stepped through the door.
"It seems I'm a bit late. His Majesty's place is quite lively."
The old man on the verge of death looked at the old Taoist priest, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Wei Jiucheng, what are you doing getting involved in this mess!"
"Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature. Where can this old Taoist go? But you, old man, why bother coming to this turbid place?"
"Hmph, I have promised someone, so how could I break my word?"
"Are you really going to get involved in this mess today?"
"That's what I'm asking you!"
The two locked eyes, and instantly a murderous aura emanated from them.
With a swift movement, the two attacked simultaneously, their palms clashing, the sound of their claps shaking the heavens and the earth.