Chapter 72 Walk away
Chapter 72 Walk away
"I just split the crossbow arrow. I didn't mean to shoot him. If I wanted to shoot him, I would have shot him in the chest or throat. Besides, I didn't know the crossbow arrow was poisonous."
In the room, Xiao Xia was defending himself. At the end, he spread his hands and said, "The head of the family also saw it with his own eyes. It was just a coincidence!"
Xiao Cong sighed, "The Jiangning Xiao family and I signed a life and death agreement in advance. No one will hold you responsible, Xiao Qilang, I just want to hear the truth."
"You're really not going to hold anyone accountable?" Xiao Xia asked with a blink.
Xiao Cong nodded, "Promise!"
Xiao Xia's eyes lit up, and he asked hurriedly, "Will you return the 2,000 guan prize money?"
Xiao Cong's head suddenly dropped heavily, he had no way to deal with this guy.
Xiao Cong said helplessly: "You should give it to me! After all, we gave bonuses when someone died in the past. This is the rule!"
Xiao Cong frowned suddenly, "But who told you there was a 2,000-guan bonus?"
"That's what they say. In the past, they gave 500 guan for each victory. This year, they've increased it to 2,000 guan for each victory."
Xiao Cong shook his head, "There are three rounds with a total prize of 2,000 strings of cash, each person will still receive 500 strings of cash, and then the winner with the best performance will be awarded 500 strings of cash!"
Xiao Xia was a little nervous, but also a little expectant.
"Is it true that I...can't get the best winner?"
Xiao Cong smiled slightly, "Not necessarily. At least Xiao Lin highly praised you and praised you as the best winner. If you are willing to tell me the truth, I will also recommend you as the best winner. There are six votes in total, and the one with the most votes will win the best winner award."
Xiao Xia nodded, "So my truth is worth five hundred strings of cash!"
"Go ahead! I will let Xiao Hu abstain, and you can get three votes." Xiao Cong further tempted.
Xiao Xia hesitated for a moment and said, "Does the Patriarch know that Chen Pan has tried to assassinate me three times?"
Xiao Cong's expression changed, "Why?"
"Chen Pan is Wu San's uncle and Liu Erhu's master. He couldn't afford to offend the head of the family, so he focused all his hatred on me."
Xiao Cong frowned, he didn't even know that Chen Pan was Wu San's uncle.
"When did they assassinate you?"
"The first time was on the fourth day after we arrived in Jiangning. It was in front of the mansion gate. The Fourth Master witnessed it with his own eyes. The head of the family can ask him."
"He didn't tell me. Okay! I'll ask him later, what about the second time?"
Xiao Xia continued, "The second and third times were both during the flag capture. The second time he shot me with a poisonous crossbow arrow, but I deflected the arrow and it hit Yu Chuan who was about to attack me from behind."
"So that's how it is. You used Chen Pan to kill Yu Chuan?"
Xiao Xia did not deny it and said frankly: "The head of the family should ask me why I want to kill Yu Chuan?"
"We'll talk later. When was the third time I tried to assassinate you?"
"Also on the Flag Capture Hill, Chen Pan gathered two archers and two first-level warriors to besiege me, including Xiao Mannu. I defeated them all. Unfortunately, Chen Pan was hit by my flying knife and ran away."
Xiao Cong nodded, "In this case, I will have this handle, and Xiao Hong will not dare to hold you responsible."
After a pause, Xiao Cong asked again: "Why did you kill Yu Chuan?"
"Yu Hai and Yu Chuan were Yu Wenshu's eleventh and twelfth guardians. Their real names were Xiang Hai and Xiang Chuan. They were ordered to sneak into the Xiao family in Jiangdu to kill me. On the Yangtze River boat, they knocked me unconscious, put me in a sack and threw me into the Yangtze River. If I hadn't desperately used a flying knife to cut the sack open, I would have died at the bottom of the river."
"What?"
Xiao Cong was so shocked that he was stunned and couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Xiao Xia said calmly: "I don't mean to blame the Patriarch at all. Some things are really hard to guard against. In addition, I want to tell the Patriarch one more thing."
"Xiao Qilang, I'm really sorry!" Xiao Cong's face was full of guilt.
Xiao Xia shook his head. "This is not the head of the family's responsibility. It is indeed hard to guard against. In addition, Xiao Lin told me that the emperor will visit Jiangdu at the end of the year and will meet with the descendants of the Qi and Liang Xiao family. Whoever has the Qi and Liang genealogy table will be received by the emperor!"
Xiao Cong hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, I know. The princess told me, and Xiao Hong also knows. That's why the competition among the three Xiaos was so intense, and even a little unscrupulous."
Xiao Xia laughed, "What I mean is, if the head of the family wants to get this genealogy table, I can fight Xiao Xin tomorrow!" Xiao Cong took a few steps with his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. He looked at the sky and sighed, "I might as well tell you the truth. The real reason why I promised Xiao Hong to give up the victory of the three Xiaos' competition is that I don't want to see the emperor. It doesn't matter if the two of them see the emperor, but I will be in big trouble."
Xiao Xia's mind moved, "Because of King Jin?"
Xiao Cong nodded with bitterness in his heart. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Xia and said, "So you should go back to Jiangdu first! Leave tonight and don't even tell Xiao Zhurong. I will tell him."
Xiao Xia hesitated for a moment and said, "Can I leave Jiangdu?"
Xiao Cong smiled bitterly and said, "No one can stop you, but I hope you can give me some face and stay until the end of the year. You will be completely free next year."
Xiao Xia nodded, "I won't make things difficult for the Patriarch!"
After Xiao Xia left, Xiao Cong immediately wrote an urgent letter and called his trusted subordinates over.
He handed the letter to his men and instructed them, "Rush to the capital immediately and hand this letter to the princess personally!"
Yuwen Shu still refused to let Xiao Xia go. It was too dangerous, so he had to ask the princess to stop it.
"I humbly obey my orders!"
The subordinate collected the letter and left in a hurry.
Xiao Cong walked out of the room and said to the housekeeper: "Arrange a carriage immediately, I want to visit the head of the Jiangning Xiao family!"
Xiao Hong stood in front of the hall with his hands behind his back, ignoring the pool in the courtyard and said coldly: "Do you still have the nerve to come see me?"
Xiao Hong looked back at Xiao Cong in the hall and snorted disdainfully, "Are you afraid that I will break the rules and refuse to hand over the family tree?"
Xiao Cong said calmly: "It was you who asked Xiao Hu to arrange for Xiao Xia to play. It was your own choice, you can't blame others!"
Xiao Hong gritted his teeth and said, "I don't care about the process, I only care about the result. You promised me!"
Xiao Cong shook his head. "The Jiangdu Xiao family has tried their best. I have not violated my promise. The Jiangdu Xiao family will not win this time. The rest of the problems are yours and the Jinling Xiao family's problems. It has nothing to do with me!"
"But Xiao Xia is a descendant of your Jiangdu Xiao family!"
Xiao Hong suddenly became furious. He shouted hysterically: "He ruined us and my chance to see the emperor. I must kill him!"
Xiao Cong said calmly, "I came here to tell you that Xiao Xia is not a member of the Jiangdu Xiao family. If you don't stay calm and make a big mistake, both the Jiangdu Xiao family and the Jiangning Xiao family will be wiped out!
Xiao Hong took a breath and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Cong shook his head and said, "Let's talk about this when you calm down. There's no point in talking about this now!"
Xiao Cong turned and left. Xiao Hong hurriedly chased after him, "Brother, please stay!"
Xiao Cong stopped and looked at him calmly.
Xiao Hong clasped his fists and said, "I apologize to my brother for my disrespect just now!"
Xiao Cong pondered for a moment and said, "In February of this year, a major case occurred outside Jiangdu City. Eunuch Lu and his four guards were assassinated. You should know about this!"
Xiao Hong said in a deep voice: "I heard about it!"
"Eunuch Lu came to take Xiao Xia to Beijing. Xiao Xia was also on the boat at the time. He was the only survivor!"
Xiao Hong suddenly widened his eyes, "Could he be..."
Xiao Cong said calmly: "So calm down your anger! Xiao Xia's life and death is much more important than your meeting with the emperor."
Xiao Cong turned and left, and Xiao Hong hurriedly said, "I'll take my brother out!"
He followed Xiao Cong hurriedly to the gate, but neither of them noticed that behind a small door in the lower left corner of the lobby, there was a slender girl blinking a pair of big eyes that looked a little murderous.
………….
Xiao Xia had already arrived at the dock. After bargaining with a boatman, he hired a 500-dan passenger ship for eight strings of cash and headed for Jiangdu.
The boatman untied the rope and said with a smile, "Sir, please get on board. We'll be leaving soon!"
Xiao Xia jumped onto the boat, and at this moment, a familiar and obscene voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Blessed be the Heavenly Lord, I heard that you earned a bonus of 1,000 strings of cash?"
(End of this chapter)