Chapter 312 My Feelings
Ning Yunxi's gaze in the morning light was gentle and sincere.
"Of course I take it seriously."
"My elder brothers and big brothers have grown up with me. We have a deep friendship. How can I bear to abandon them?"
When mentioning their old friendship, Xu Mingqian's lips curled up in a cold tone, and his face showed anger.
"I also want to ask you, Princess. King Dijin has no relationship with you. We are your family and your friends. How could you bear to abandon us?"
Ning Yunxi's almond-shaped eyes were innocent and sparkling.
"Brother, you are full of suspicion of me, and you are naturally puzzled; but if you think about it, I have always been here and never left you, won't you be able to figure it out?"
After she said that, Xu Mingqian's thoughts immediately became clear.
"Indeed."
On second thought, he felt something was wrong.
"But you clearly don't seem to be pretending to surrender to King Dijin."
Ning Yunxi began to guide intentionally or unintentionally.
"Brother, why do you think Mu Liao died?"
Xu Mingqian's eyes still showed a hint of caution.
"I heard from the Emperor that Lord Ning was the one who plotted to kill him."
Ning Yunxi continued to guide.
"Brother, how could you be so careless as to leave your scent bag behind at the Mu Mansion?"
Xu Mingqian was troubled and felt awkward.
"Then it was someone under King Di Jin's command who intentionally framed us?"
Ning Yunxi raised an objection that was reasonable and logical.
"Prince Di Jin arranged Mu Liao to try to lurk beside the Emperor, which shows that he is highly valued. How could Prince Di Jin allow his subjects to use his life to frame my elder brother?"
Xu Mingqian looked embarrassed and made incredulous inferences.
"So, Lord Mu is loyal to the Emperor?"
Ning Yunxi looked sad and helpless, as if she had suffered a lot of injustice.
"Brother, you would rather trust the people of the Supervisory Office and your loyalty to the Emperor than trust me. What's the logic behind this?"
After being enlightened, Xu Mingqian suddenly understood.
"Your words... make sense."
"What was the reason for Lord Mu's accident?"
Ning Yunxi made it up casually.
"I did it myself."
"My elder brother learned that Mu Liao was plotting something bad, and was afraid that the emperor would trust him, so he secretly told me to root him out. To prevent Prince Di Jin from investigating and becoming suspicious of my intentions, my elder brother handed me the sachet. He said that if the emperor saw it, he would hide and protect Mu Liao, and think that Mu Liao had died at the hands of his enemy."
It sounded well-founded and without any doubt, so Xu Mingqian nodded in belief.
"I see."
Since he was one of them, he asked frankly.
"Excuse me, Princess, why did Lord Ning leave without saying goodbye?"
Ning Yunxi handled the situation appropriately and told the truth.
"My elder brother is planning to seize Feng Zhengtai and is temporarily secluded in Gushan. I have asked my colleagues from Yin Sitai to protect him. This matter is confidential. I hope my elder brother will not spread it. If he fails and fails to come up with a plan, I am afraid that my elder brother will end up in trouble."
Xu Mingqian solemnly agreed.
"Well, I will keep it a secret."
"Since you are lying dormant, you should just be careful on your own. Why did you suddenly reveal it to me?"
Ning Yunxi's eyes were filled with pity, tenderness and bitterness, and two tears were about to fall.
"In the ancient country of Qianshang, Emperor Hui doted on Concubine Yi, which led to the loss of trust among his subjects and the end of the country. When the new Emperor Xuan Zhou ascended the throne, the old subjects of Qianshang were convinced and the people had no objections. It was precisely because of Emperor Hui's foolish behavior that the people were disappointed."
"Big brother's plan is similar to yours. I am just a little girl, even if I get close, it is difficult for me to assassinate King Di Jin. It is better to seduce him with love and find another way to help the emperor and win the hearts of the people."
Xu Mingqian was slightly moved and filled with awe.
"My Lord, you are so righteous. I admire you."
Ning Yunxi's eyes slowly fell.
"Helpless, I don't understand love affairs..."
Xu Mingqian was stunned.
"Why do you say that, Princess? Have you forgotten that you were once the Princess of Chen?"
Ning Yunxi clutched her handkerchief, expressing her shyness.
"The King of Chen has never been close to me, and to this day, I remain pure and spotless."
"My elder brother always says that he respects Mr. Xu as his elder brother. He only knows how to let me be his elder brother, but he doesn't know what I mean."
Xu Mingqian looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Ning Yunxi's every move and gesture showed her tenderness. Unconsciously, she changed her address to make her feelings clear.
"When I was young, I had feelings for you. I was bullied and was saved by Lord Xu. At that time, I already felt grateful for you."
"Just now, I seemed to be slandering you in front of Fourth Sister, but in fact, I was trying to persuade Fourth Sister to give up, because..."
"On the night of my second brother's wedding, Prince Dijin brought me back to the palace in public. I don't need to say much about his intention, Lord Xu knows it. At that time, I was quick-witted and used the excuse that I had left the table for no reason and that my second brother was inevitably worried, and I successfully returned to Ning Mansion."
"Since then, Prince Dijin has made several advances, but I have declined them all. Having said that, Lord Xu, do you understand my intentions?"
Xu Mingqian's eyes widened in surprise, yet his expression was poetic and picturesque.
"Princess Princess, I..."
Ning Yunxi's face trembled slightly, her eyes full of innocence as she met his gaze.
"Your Majesty, my elder brother's plan must be carried out. I am afraid that there may be some mistakes. Lord Xu, are you willing to teach me?"
She quietly took out a silver needle from her sleeve with her right hand.
"Even if... just for the sake of the government..."
When Xu Mingqian heard this, all the warmth on his face disappeared.
"I'm sorry, but I can't obey your order."
The silver needle paused, and Ning Yunxi was slightly startled.
"Why?"
"Has Lord Xu never had any feelings for me?"
Xu Mingqian responded coldly.
"Yes."
Ning Yunxi silently retracted the silver needle and tried it with peace of mind.
"Then why did you spend a whole year to support my Yi Ren Qing Cheng?"
Xu Mingqian had a determined look on his face and was serious.
"To be honest, I came here for your sister, not for you."
Ning Yunxi secretly found it unbelievable after seeing some of the true meaning.
"Am I inferior to the fourth sister in Lord Xu's heart?"
Xu Mingqian frowned, suppressed his emotions, and maintained his last bit of patience.
"It's hard to compare the two. Xi'er, you should understand that over the years, I have loved you like my own sister."
"In fact, at my age, it's not too much to be your father. How can you be so careless with me?"
Ning Yunxi curled her lips.
"Fourth sister, she's one year younger than me."
Xu Mingqian's expression became even more solemn.
"That's different!"
Ning Yunxi pretended to be angry and continued to test him.
"What's the difference? In Lord Xu's opinion, my fourth sister is prettier than me?"
Xu Mingqian responded coldly.
"To be honest, it is true."
Ning Yunxi showed some reluctance and expressed deep resentment.
"But you and I have been together for more than 20 years, and she is just a newcomer. Why do you have such feelings for her?"
"Fourth sister is a person who attracts many people and has no glory at all. She is not worthy of your true love. You are just trying to play with her, but you are not sincere. Is that right or not?"
Xu Mingqian slammed the table, his face suddenly filled with anger.
"Ning Yunxi!"
"She is your sister, how can you tolerate her being disrespectful to me?!"
Ning Yunxi pretended to be heartbroken and begged for mercy.
"You're being mean to me because of her?"
Xu Mingqian remained indifferent, and every word he spoke was full of indignation for Ning Jiewei.
"The doctor's disaster at Huichun Hall, you were trapped on the Tongshitai, she was extremely anxious, even though I tried to stop her in every way, she still wanted to protect you with her life. As a result, you insulted her like this! I was blind before, I didn't realize that you were such an ungrateful person!"
Unexpectedly, he was actually sincere towards his fourth sister. Ning Yunxi was so surprised that she could hardly suppress it.
"That was designed by my elder brother to gain the trust of King Di Jin. I am not in any danger, so why should she meddle in my affairs?"
Xu Mingqian stood up and turned his back, so he didn't notice the strange look on her face.
"I don't want to talk to you any more. I'll pay for the tea and snacks, and I'll take Miss Ning back to the mansion. Please do as you please."