Blood sedge

Chapter 1204 The Clown
Everyone was shocked and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw Su Tang, with a serious expression, slowly stand up and walk to Liu Xunyi with neither arrogance nor servility.

"Su Tang, you've gone too far!" Xie Xuan's face darkened, and he rebuked sharply, "As the White Fan Master, don't you even know the rules? When did it become your place to interfere in the affairs of the Prefectural Master?"

“Second Master summoned us here today, wasn’t it to discuss this matter?” Su Tang mustered his courage and argued with Xie Xuan. “If it is to discuss, then why am I not allowed to speak? Is it because the young master is too fragile to even hear a few words of truth? If so, then just consider what I just said as nonsense, and I will leave immediately.”

"you……"

"Su Zhishan's provocation was brilliant! Now, who would dare to stop you from speaking?" Accompanied by a silvery laugh, Xun Zhen, dressed in a white dress, slowly entered the council hall, accompanied by Abaolu, Xiao Yang, and a few others. "Luckily, we arrived in time; we almost missed a good show."

Bright eyes and white teeth, graceful and charming. Her hair is styled like clouds and the moon, like a lotus emerging from the water, and her smiling cheeks are like a gentle spring breeze.

Xunzhen's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention, and also gave the somber and gloomy council hall a chance to breathe.

Especially for Liu Xunyi, who was at the center of the vortex, the moment she saw Xunzhen, all the turmoil in her heart was instantly thrown to the winds.

“Miss Xunzhen, I thought you weren’t interested in the affairs of the Prince Xian’s residence.”

"Since it was Lord Xie who invited me, how could I dare to be negligent? It's just that I was still dreaming and slept a little longer, which is why I arrived a little late. I hope Lord Xie will forgive me!"

Listening to Xunzhen and Xie Xuan's pleasantries, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but recall the scene of the two embracing each other affectionately last night, especially the way she slept peacefully in her arms this morning. Every time she thought of it, Liu Xunyi's heart would flutter and the corners of her mouth would unconsciously turn up slightly.

Xie Xuan waved for Xunzhen to take a seat, then explained to the absent-minded Liu Xunyi beside him, "Xunyi, Miss Xunzhen is your friend, who has saved you from danger many times. She is also an benefactor of our Prince Xian's Mansion. Her contribution to turning the tide of the anti-traitor conference was immense. In addition, you are now serving as the deputy sect leader of the Xilu Martial Sect, and you have a very close relationship with the Young Prince Qin. Therefore, Miss Xunzhen is one of our own. Moreover, she is intelligent and kind-hearted. I specially invited her here to discuss the matter of the seal-holding ceremony to ensure everything goes smoothly. I believe you won't mind."

However, from the moment Xunzhen appeared, Liu Xunyi's gaze remained fixed on her, without shifting even slightly. So much so that Xie Xuan spoke for so long, yet he didn't hear a single word, nor did he offer any response.

"Xunyi?" Seeing this, Xie Xuan thought that Liu Xunyi was dissatisfied with Xunzhen's appearance, so he added again, "Don't misunderstand, Miss Xunzhen's arrival here today is by no means on behalf of the Young Prince Qin to interfere in the family affairs of the Prince Xian's Mansion."

"Cough cough!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi staring intently at her without reacting, Xunzhen felt both embarrassed and amused. She quickly avoided his gaze and then casually coughed twice to remind Liu Xunyi to be mindful of his manners.

Sure enough, Xie Xuan's thousand words were no match for Xun Zhen's cough. Hearing her voice, Liu Xunyi's wandering thoughts were instantly pulled back to reality.

"Ah... Master Xie is absolutely right. Xunzhen is one of us, so of course I don't mind." When Liu Xunyi said the words "one of us," he deliberately raised his eyebrows at Xunzhen, which made Xunzhen panic and almost lose his composure.

"Since both Second Master and Young Master say that Miss Xunzhen is one of us, then I, Su, will not stand on ceremony and will dare to ask, what do you mean by my clever use of provocation?" Su Tang was quite indignant about Xunzhen's teasing just now and coldly questioned, "Does Miss Xunzhen think that I, Su, am making trouble out of nothing?"

"I……"

"Su Zhishan!" Before Xunzhen could speak, Liu Xunyi interrupted, shielding her from Su Tang's attack. "Miss Xunzhen was just joking; you don't need to take it to heart. But what you just said doesn't sound like a joke. Forgive my ignorance, but I really don't understand what Su Zhishan meant by 'truly dare to sit'? And what does 'sit securely' mean?"

"Young Master, please don't misunderstand!" Su Tang sensed the unfriendly tone in Liu Xunyi's voice, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly waved his hand to explain, "I am loyal to the Prince Xian's Mansion. Those two sentences just now were not to question you, Young Master, but... to express my concern for you."

"Oh?" Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Young Master is a descendant of the former Lord of the Manor, and it is only natural for a son to inherit his father's position. You are absolutely qualified to be the Lord of the Manor of the Virtuous Prince. At the Anti-Traitor Conference, Young Master personally killed the old traitor Qingfeng, which was truly earth-shattering. Young Master's literary talent and martial arts skills are far beyond what ordinary people can match, even I am far behind. Therefore, I, Su, have only sincere admiration for Young Master, and absolutely no ill will towards him." Su Tang first praised Liu Xunyi with great enthusiasm, then changed the subject, his face showing worry, "Young Master is indeed highly skilled in martial arts and possesses both virtue and talent, but the position of Lord of the Manor of the Virtuous Prince is a combination of power and danger. In good times, one will be incomparably glorious, but in adversity, countless dangers await." They attacked like a raging flood, infiltrating every nook and cranny, leaving no room for defense. Even the powerful Northern Prince, protected by seven heroes, three fan-wielding masters, and eight disciples, still treads a precarious path in the martial world. Moreover, the Prince's Mansion is currently in disarray, its talent dwindling… I believe the young master is still young, possessing talent but lacking experience. To rashly take over such a behemoth as the Prince's Mansion, especially at such a turbulent time, would be unwise! If he were to neglect one aspect for another, unable to manage everything effectively, and caught in the eye of the storm, surrounded by wolves and tigers, it would truly be… a hundred disadvantages with no advantage.”

"Su Tang, you're spouting nonsense!" Xie Xuan roared.

"Second Master, a hidden dragon should not be used!" Su Tang exclaimed excitedly. "The young master is still young. If he does not know how to conceal his talents and bide his time, but instead keeps showing off his abilities, I'm afraid it won't be long before..."

Su Tang did not continue speaking, but his meaning was self-evident.

"Second Master! Young Master!" Seeing that the time was right, Luo Qi, who had been waiting for the right moment, quickly stood up and bowed to Xie Xuan and Liu Xunyi, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Su Zhishan may have spoken rashly, but his loyalty is as clear as day, and his concerns are not without reason. I hope Second Master and Young Master will understand my sincere feelings and earnest concern!"

Looking at the solemn and dignified Su Tang and the righteous and outspoken Luo Qi, the others present couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

Elders of the Prince Xian's Mansion, such as Xu Heng, Ling Qing, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai, were completely bewildered. They couldn't understand what Su Tang and Luo Qi were up to. The two, who were usually so astute, were now acting out of character, openly obstructing Liu Xunyi's succession to the position of Mansion Master. They must have lost their minds.

Although Su Tang and Luo Qi's back-and-forth seemed like a desperate attempt to offer advice, and sounded like honest but unpleasant words, Xu Heng and the others always felt that something was off, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. They could only stare at each other in bewilderment.

Even if they wanted to smooth things over, they didn't know how to begin. Xunzhen's deep gaze repeatedly scrutinized Su Tang and Luo Qi, thinking to himself, "Su and Luo aren't close to Liu Xunyi, so these words coming from their mouths... seem somewhat insincere. But is all of this a feigned retreat by Su Tang and Luo Qi, deliberately trying to appear virtuous and loyal in front of their new master? Or... are they being manipulated, willingly playing the role of clowns?"

With this thought in mind, Xunzhen subconsciously turned her gaze to Xie Xuan, whose face was ashen, and a fleeting, eerie glint flashed in her eyes.

"Does becoming the Lord of the Northern Prince mean Xunyi can't keep a low profile? That's ridiculous!" Having cleared his mind, Xie Xuan suddenly stood up, angrily pointing at the two men, and demanded, "You dare talk about disintegration and a decline in talent? That's utter nonsense! Leaving aside the Shaolin and Kunlun sects, just consider the Valley of Heartbreak, Dragon Elephant Mountain, the Teng Clan of Xiangxi, the Qin Clan of Hexi, and the Martial Sect of Xilu. They are all now closely allied with the Prince's Mansion, their relationship stronger than ever before. How can they be considered disintegrating? Furthermore, while the Northern Prince did indeed have seven heroes assisting him, hasn't Xunyi also had his share of experts? Wu Shuang, Su He, Qin Ku, Tang Afu… each one is a renowned expert on the Dragon Elephant Ranking, and all have deep friendships with Xunyi. Can't they support each other?"

“They are indeed the young master’s friends, and they are indeed top-notch experts, but most of these people have their own sects and are not from the Prince Xian’s Mansion…” Luo Qi retorted timidly.

"And what about you?" Xie Xuanhu glared at him and asked in a deep voice, "Aren't you people from the Prince Xian's mansion? Why can't you share Xunyi's burdens? Why can't you wholeheartedly assist him?"

"Of course we are willing to assist the young master, but..." Luo Qi looked embarrassed and stammered, "We were once deceived by villains and participated in the...framing of the young master. I'm afraid the young master has already distanced himself from us and would not trust us."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen were both startled at the same time. They looked at each other in unison, their brows furrowed with a look of sudden realization, mixed with a hint of disdain.

After going through all this trouble and spouting so many high-sounding principles, it all boils down to human scheming and the desire for power.

What do you mean by "dare to sit"? What do you mean by "safe or unstable"? What do you mean by "retreating to advance"? What do you mean by "a hidden dragon should not be used"? What do you mean by "being appointed in a time of crisis"? What do you mean by "all harms and no benefits"? What do you mean by "a sincere heart"? What do you mean by "deep affection"...?

Despite their seemingly convincing arguments and impressive thesis, they are ultimately nothing more than a step-by-step, layered preparation.

Ultimately, their real intention in staging this farce was to "separate power" and "take control."

The so-called "keeping a low profile" was nothing more than the hope that after Liu Xunyi took over, he would only have the title of the head of the manor, but not the real power, so that he could focus on honing his skills and hand over the power of the Xianwang Mansion to someone else.

The so-called disintegration was nothing more than the hope that the Prince Xian's Mansion could use Liu Xunyi's connections to gain the strong support of sects such as the Valley of Heartbreak, Dragon Elephant Mountain, and the Xiangxi Teng Clan, so as to regain its former glory as soon as possible.

The so-called talent shortage is nothing more than the hope that Liu Xunyi can recruit young masters from other sects to serve the Prince Xian's Mansion.

The so-called "treacherous people are being deceived" is nothing more than hoping that Liu Xunyi can demonstrate his tolerance and trust, support the Su and Luo lineage to go further, and truly bring them into the core of the power of the Prince Xian's Mansion.

Su Tang's actions may seem abrupt, but they actually conceal a cunning plan to achieve four goals at once.

In his mind, Liu Xunyi's takeover of the Prince Xian's mansion was legitimate and inevitable. Knowing it was impossible yet still doing it seemed foolish, but in reality, it was a calculated move. Seemingly offending people, it was actually a pledge of allegiance.

However, their loyalty was not directed towards Liu Xunyi.

It may seem risky, but in reality, it's a steady and pragmatic approach.

Presumably, the two men had already anticipated that they had no chance of becoming Liu Xunyi's confidants, and that once they relinquished power, they might not even be able to keep their positions as fans. Therefore, they were willing to risk offending Liu Xunyi by pledging their loyalty to Xie Xuan, and were even willing to use moral blackmail and emotional manipulation to force Liu Xunyi to agree to their conditions, thus building a moat around their own defenses.

This isn't about giving up entirely; it's about burning your bridges and going all in.

Once this is accomplished, as long as Xie Xuan doesn't fall from power, the two of them can rest easy.

As for what Liu Xunyi thought, it was no longer important to the two of them.

He wanted to leverage Liu Xunyi's identity and connections to strengthen himself, but he didn't want Liu Xunyi to truly control the power of life and death in the Prince Xian's mansion.

They wanted to keep him firmly tied to the Prince Xian's ship, but they didn't want him to take the helm himself.

The balance is indeed difficult to strike; a slight misstep can lead to utter ruin and irreversible destruction.

Now, Liu Xunyi has figured out all of Su Tang and Luo Qi's intentions, but the only thing that makes him doubtful is...

Was all of this done by Su Tang and Luo Qi on their own initiative, acting first and asking questions later, forcing Xie Xuan into this situation?

Or did Xie Xuan already know all along, or even... was this whole scheme orchestrated by him?
……