Chapter 381 Return to Zhexi Mountain
The moonlight caresses the Zhexi Mountain gently, and it is covered with a silver glow.
According to Ning Yunxi's order, Xie Mao and Teng Yuru led the people in Yinsi Taichung to take turns to look after Ning Fengzhe, and they changed shifts every few days. Tonight, it happened to be Xie Mao's turn.
Unable to sleep late at night, Xie Mao took a walk at the foot of the mountain and chatted with Zhao Cangli, the Minister of Yinsi.
Zhao Cangli looked up at the moon, his eyes filled with longing.
"Master Xie seems to be worried. Could it be that he is also missing his wife at home?"
Xie Mao smiled gently and asked instead of answering.
"So, Lord Zhao is also a fellow traveler?"
Zhao Canglim withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes in shame.
"How dare I compare myself to Lord Xie and his wife, who treat each other equally? I am just an ordinary person with humble thoughts."
At this point, Xie Mao noticed a carriage galloping towards them in the distance.
"Ok?"
Zhao Cangli followed his gaze and turned to look.
"Thank you, sir, why are you so suspicious?"
With the help of moonlight, Xie Mao identified the person coming.
"That is the carriage used by Yuexi Mansion and the princess."
Zhao Cangli was slightly startled, and hurriedly straightened his clothes and stood in awe.
"The princess is here? I will gather all the gentlemen to welcome the princess."
Xie Mao stretched out his hand to stop him.
"Everyone is doing their job. Please don't disturb us. The two of us can go out to greet them."
Zhao Cangli responded solemnly.
"Yes."
After saying that, the two of them walked over.
Xie Mao was in a high position, so he did not need to perform formalities.
Zhao Canglim was of a lower rank, so he knelt down according to etiquette.
"I am Zhao Canglim, respectfully wishing Princess Yuexi good health."
Hearing his voice, Ning Yunxi ordered the coachman to stop the carriage and then responded.
"Master Zhao, please stand up quickly."
The princess is the same as the marquis, belonging to the second rank; the prime minister is the same as the earl, belonging to the second rank. The princess should have performed the ceremony when meeting the prime minister, but because Ning Yunxi was conferred the title by the country, she could be exempted from the ceremony and just greet Xie Mao.
Guan Ningjing dismounted right after him, and after the ceremony, she stood guard beside the princess.
Xie Mao responded kindly and asked proactively.
"My lord, you are here in the middle of the night. What do you want me to do?"
Ning Yunxi went straight to the point.
"My Lords, have you seen Lord Feng, the Minister of the Secret Affairs?"
Xie Mao and Zhao Canglim looked at each other, both with confused expressions.
"I haven't seen it."
Ning Yunxi felt strange.
"Really? I was delayed a bit. Normally, she should have arrived earlier."
Xie Mao made a reasonable guess.
"Lord Feng is very resourceful. Could it be that he has concealed his true intentions and has already gone up the mountain?"
Ning Yunxi nodded in agreement.
"Probably."
She observed the mountain, searching for clues, and suddenly she was shocked.
"She really went up the mountain!"
Xie Mao continued to guess.
"I guess the intention is to rescue Lord Ning?"
Ning Yunxi was a little anxious and gestured for him to come in.
"Yes, that's right. My two lords, please get in the carriage and we will chase them."
The three of them came to Zhexi Residence together. Feng Yihe heard the noise and walked out gracefully holding a lantern.
"I wish you the best of luck to Princess Yuexi and Mr. Xie."
"The princess has finally arrived."
"The mountains are full of people from Yinsitai, and the princess came here in person in the middle of the night. This shows that Lord Ning is indeed living here."
Ning Yunxi didn't understand for a moment.
"What do you mean by that? Whether my elder brother has settled down or not depends on whether he is there or not. Why should we judge him by our actions?"
After asking, she figured out what he said and was suddenly shocked.
"You mean, big brother isn't here?!"
Xie Mao and Zhao Canglim were also shocked.
"what?!"
Looking at their complicated expressions, even though they were being bullied, Feng Yihe chuckled.
"Haha, it seems that everyone is kept in the dark?"
"I have carefully checked this residence, and there is no sign of anyone having lived there recently. Lord Ning will at most come here for a while and then leave quietly. I don't want to tie your hands at all."
Ning Yunxi was completely stunned.
"How could it be? He...he is still lying to me?"
She couldn't believe it and asked the two adults beside her.
"You never came in to check?"
Xie Mao lowered his eyes, feeling embarrassed.
"Your brother said that he was concentrating on thinking of strategies and didn't want to be disturbed. In addition, the prince allowed us to stay on duty outside. We haven't seen him in these days..."
Zhao Cangli was very worried and immediately pleaded for mercy.
"Please do not blame Lord Xie, this is all because of me, who was not as smart as others, stupid and ignorant, and failed to report and advise in time."
Ning Yunxi shook her head slightly, feeling frustrated and lost.
"Don't blame the gentlemen, blame me for thinking too much."
While they were talking, Feng Yihe was secretly pleased with himself and smiled triumphantly.
The emperor's brother is unwilling to follow Ning Yunxi's arrangements. I think he has been staying near Shengjing, plotting strategies while secretly keeping track of the overall situation for his father.
I told you, my royal brother and I are siblings, how could he possibly be attracted to Ning Yunxi?
If I were to speculate on this, my royal brother had no ill intention in suggesting using Zhuang Wei to tie me down. He was just afraid that I would act impulsively and ruin his plan.
Oh, if I tell the truth, will it make it difficult for my royal brother to gain the trust of Ning Yunxi and no longer be able to stay by Prince Dijin's side?
Thinking of this, Feng Yihe hurried back to make up for it.
"Where does Lord Ning lean towards? How can the princess make a conclusion based on one lie? In my opinion, there are still doubts about this matter."
"Perhaps, Lord Ning lived in the mountains, looking from a high place, and when he saw me coming, he quickly erased all traces, just to gain my trust. After thinking about it for a while, he must have made a plan, and he used this incident to stabilize me, so that he could successfully implement the plan."
"My Lord, your opinion is profound. Is there any truth in what I said?"
After saying this, she herself felt a little dazed.
My brother, are you really doing this to keep me calm?
Observing her expression carefully, Ning Yunxi realized something was wrong, then calmed down a little and began to make amends.
"Master Feng, please do not worry too much. As the facts show, my elder brother is loyal to you. There is no doubt about it. How could he abandon the emperor?"
Hearing the attempt to make amends, and even a hint of sarcasm, Feng Yihe's face darkened completely.
"What do you mean? In your opinion, does Lord Ning really want to abandon me?"
Xie Mao and Zhao Canglim looked at each other, both confused and not knowing what was going on.
Ning Yunxi smiled leisurely.
"Lord Feng doesn't understand what people say? I mean, he can't abandon the emperor."
Feng Yihe did not reveal her feelings, and only appeared to be indifferent on the surface.
"Instead of testing each other, why don't we ask him directly? Maybe he has already returned to Shengjing."
Although she said she didn't want to, she still couldn't help but try it out.
"Princess, why don't you guess where he will go first?"
Ning Yunxi was on guard and did not answer.
"That's a boring question."
"If he goes to you first, does he mean to be loyal to the emperor? Or, if he comes to me first, does he mean to be loyal to King Dijin?"
Feng Yihe acted harmless.
"Just a guess, why would I do that?"
A sharp glance flashed across Ning Yunxi's almond-shaped eyes.
"Lord Feng, is the guess you made about my brother's whereabouts or my thoughts?"
Seeing that she was cautious, Feng Yihe gave up.
"If the princess refuses to answer, then forget it. Please do as you please, I will take my leave first."
After she finished speaking, she waved her sleeves to signal several of her subordinates behind her, who then mounted their horses and hurried back to Shengjing.
Ning Yunxi immediately gave the order.
"Prime Minister Batai, you are not allowed to leave Shengjing without permission. Now that we have alerted the enemy, please set off immediately and return to the capital as fast as possible. If you make any mistakes, just say that you are carrying out the order of Yu. When King Dijin hears it, he will cooperate."
"Also, please, Lord Zhao, tell all the other lords to return to the capital immediately and not to come back."
Xie Mao and Zhao Cangli responded at the same time.
"Yes."