Ink Burns

Chapter 284 Several Knives
The fire at the Imperial Ancestral Temple was a matter of great importance to our ancestors.

Within the Forbidden City, flames soared into the sky, making it impossible to conceal. Within two hours, everyone inside and outside the palace knew.

The entire city of Beijing looked like silk licked by flames, the gold patterns on the background covered with ashes, revealing edicts with ink still wet.

The sky was dark and gloomy, the curtains hung low, and the red waves rolled, oblivious to the passage of time.

Couples who have just tasted love often find themselves eager and frequent in their honeymoon phase, once they've tasted the sweetness of it all.

The fears that Shan Yue would open high and then decline did not materialize.

Whether it's martial arts, the imperial examinations, or political maneuvering, Xue Xiao is always exceptionally gifted and adept at working hard in the shadows. In the generalized path, he finds his own way and takes a different path that leads to the same goal.

The same applies to matters of the heart.

Furthermore, encountering an opponent like Shan Yue, who was physically strong, persevering, and methodical, further aroused Xue Xiao's bloodthirstiness as a former Imperial Censor. He had no interest in half-hearted attempts and was determined to test the feasibility of the military strategy of "attacking the strong points and striking the weak points, focusing all efforts in one direction."

Beneath the red silk curtains, amidst the warm fragrance of gold and jade, Shan Yue tensed her toes, her slender, fair hands gripping Xue Xiao's bulging back muscles tightly, her beautiful, translucent nails digging almost into his flesh.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before Shan Yue's eyes, as if a slit had been cut in the night. A shooting star streaked across the sky with an extremely long, silvery-white tail. The light vanished in an instant, as if the splendor had just come to an end.

A faint, intermittent moan escaped from Shan Yue's throat.

Xue Xiao remained silent for a moment, then gently sucked away a tear from the corner of Jing Shanyue's eye with his lips, and then slowly slid it down his wife's smooth, slender shoulder.

Seeing the flower stamen tremble, Xue Xiao rolled over and lay on his side, his body pressing against Shan Yue's side as if drawn by a magnet. He exhaled a warm, intimate breath from his nose: "We outnumber the enemy, our battle formation is complete, our momentum is unstoppable. Let us join forces towards a single point. I will advance like a blade, and you will flow like a spring—"

Shan Yue looked up, feeling utterly weak, but in her heart, she forced herself to open her eyes: How come I never knew men could be so talkative? And why do they still need to do a tactical summary after they've done it?

"This point is the enemy's vital point; if it is breached, the entire army will be routed."

"Snapped--"

The applause was soft but clear.

With all her might, Shan Yue gently patted Xue Xiao's exposed arm.

Xue Xiao let out a series of pleasant chuckles, leaned down to kiss Shan Yue's cheek, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark shadow flash outside the window.

"I have something to do, you go to sleep first." Xue Xiao nimbly got out of bed, put on his outer robe, went out of the inner room into the flower room, and returned to the room a moment later.

Shan Yue had already put on a thin outer garment, and was barefoot on the wooden bed. Her hair was loose in front of her chest and behind her. By the dim light of the flickering candlelight, Xue Xiao's expression was strange. He seemed to be somewhat happy, but also a little worried.

"What's wrong?" Shan Yue asked.

Xue Xiao snapped out of his reverie, paused for a moment, and then said, "It was Wu Min's godson, Wu Xiaomao, who knocked on the door." He seemed to be carefully choosing his words: "The Imperial Ancestral Temple just suffered a fire, and the ancestral tablets and portraits of seven emperors and empresses were completely destroyed. Only the tablets of Emperor Taizu and Empress Zhaode were preserved. During the post-disaster cleanup, a eunuch in the Imperial Ancestral Temple discovered that Emperor Zhaode's portrait contained—"

Xue Xiao paused slightly: "The will to pass on the throne."

Divide a paragraph into three smaller paragraphs.

The imperial edict that could be spoken of would invariably contain the name of Emperor Yongping.

The bet was right!
As Xue Xiao finished speaking, Shan Yue slowly let out a long breath.

"You guessed it all along?" Xue Xiao keenly sensed.

Shan Yue calmly brushed her long hair behind her back: "I discovered this when I went to the palace. The portrait of Emperor Zhaode had uneven lighting. I also learned that the painter, Kan Yan, died after completing the painting, just like the coffin digger. There must be something fishy going on. I told Shui Guang and we'll investigate when the opportunity arises." Xue Xiao sat astride the side of the bed, restraining himself for a long time before finally frowning and remaining silent, puzzled: "Such a big matter, you never thought of telling me?"

Shan Yue blinked three times, paused for a moment, and said, "Back then, we weren't like this."

What?!
Xue Xiao's eyes conveyed a sense of doubt.

Shan Yue lowered her gaze, her eyes defiantly meeting the man's open, broad chest.

Xue Xiao laughed angrily: "Your answer—"

That makes a lot of sense!
If you haven't even taken your clothes off, how can you reveal your secrets?
After a moment of silence, Xue Xiao, who was easily persuaded, agreed with Shan Yue's answer and then changed the subject: "Sister, you can't find an opportunity on your own. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is a forbidden area. If you do anything out of line, your entire family will be executed."

"Of course, I made an appointment with Wu Min." Shan Yue assumed, "Eunuch Wu knows our relationship, so he'll naturally be lenient with Shui Guang."

"It's not Wu Min."

Xue Xiao shook his head: "It's an eunuch named Fang Mingguan who's by the Emperor's side."

"Fang Mingguan?" Shan Yue frowned. "You've heard of that name?"

Xue Xiao shook his head again: "Never."

The mountain moon did not understand.

“Wu Xiaomao said that this eunuch Fang was sent by Prince Yong to guard the Emperor before the New Year. He rarely appears in public, so few people in the palace or the court know about him. Last time, my sister Qiushui saved someone, and that was him.” Xue Xiao’s voice was very steady: “It seems that this eunuch Fang is very much favored by the Emperor.”

Leaving aside Wu Min, Shui Guang had her reasons for choosing another person.

As Shan Yue gradually overcame her distrust of her younger sister and developed a protective instinct akin to that of a fledgling bird, she naturally had no idea that Shui Guang had distanced herself from Wu Min simply because the girl disliked Wu Min's appearance.
Whoever is chosen can bring this play to life and be a great performer.

“Prince Yong?” Shan Yue hissed. In the two years she had been in the capital, neither Qing Feng nor Xue Xiao had ever mentioned this brother who shared the same father and mother as the current emperor. Now, upon hearing this, she felt that he was a figure with some hidden power: “In all these years, with the changing of power and the struggle for interests, this prince has never participated. He is clearly the eldest son of Emperor Zhaode, so how come he has disappeared from the storm like a shadow?”

Xue Xiao smiled and said, "You'll know the answer when Prince Yong returns to the capital next time. By the way, how is Empress Dowager Fang's figure?"

A figure like Maitreya, compassionate and kind.

Maitreya Buddha is naturally depicted as wealthy and dignified.

Abbreviation: Fat.

Empress Dowager Fang was somewhat plump, mainly in her face and waist, and the sagging flesh on her face actually added a touch of compassionate Buddhist air to her.

Shan Yue's eyes said it all.

Xue Xiao laughed again: "Prince Yong is even fatter than Empress Dowager Fang. Emperor Zhaode is particular about etiquette and prides himself on the integrity of a scholar. He looks down on his fat and big-eared eldest son the most. After expressing this many times, Prince Yong simply gave up and stopped studying literature and classics. Instead, he focused on accounting and business, which displeased Emperor Zhaode even more. He bluntly said that he was 'obsessed with profit and greedy for wealth, a real money-grubber'."

"What about the Prince of Yong now?" Shan Yue asked.

"Since the death of Emperor Zhaode, Prince Yong has been living a carefree life, his whereabouts unknown. He has declared that he will shed his princely robes, never compete with the people for profit, and conduct business in the world honestly. 'With the groom emperor in front and the merchant prince behind, the Great Wei is doomed.'"

Xue Xiao paused softly: "However, the Prince of Yong and the current emperor have been very close since childhood. It is not surprising that he found a strange person in the martial arts world and sent him a few guards. It's just that you and I don't know about it. After all, I once thought that I was the emperor's last sword, a good brother who was in cahoots with him. Now, I am not sure how many swords the emperor still has."

A book was banned three times, but I still managed to recover.