Chapter 546.1: before the meeting
The man in black laughed. “Not a bad idea, getting Su Xi-er to bring Du Rin along on the search for the Western Region King, and forcing Prince Hao to intervene. But how are you so confident that you’ll get rid of both the Western Region King and Prince Hao at the same time?”
“Don’t I have your help for that?” Situ Li asked as he looked up at the clouds in the sky. “You’ve remained hidden in the Compassionate Peace Palace for a long time under the guise of assisting the Empress Dowager, and she has protected you all this while. You wish for the downfall of the Pei family, and for Pei Qianhao to die a horrid death, or do you actually also wish to take Su Xi-er as your woman?”
“Ha, this is the first time someone’s read my mind.”
Situ Li coldly said, “Su Xi-er is really lucky. If the Western Region King dies, she’ll be the only one with royal blood who’s still alive. If you obtain her, won’t you become the next Western Region King?”
“It’s too early to tell. I don’t care what happens to Du Ling, but I want Pei Qianhao dead.” The man in black then turned and left as quickly as he came.
Situ Li remained placid, but a glimmer in his eye betrayed the fact that he was in high spirits. I’ve waited a long time to finally take back what’s mine. Empress Mother’s death won’t be in vain, and it’s time for the Pei Family to fall from grace.
~~~
Meanwhile, Du Rin was trapped in a horse carriage surrounded by Beimin’s soldiers and left wondering where it was headed. Why is Su Xi-er so confident that she’ll be able to locate the Western Region King? If Du Ling sees the both of them together, then… he’ll probably kill me on the spot.
Why did such a good plan turn into a mess like now? I still wasn’t able to accurately predict that Su Xi-er would react so viciously. Where’s that damned Situ Li?
The agreement between them was for him to help her execute her revenge, while she would help him take control of Beimin.
Where is he now that I’m being trapped here? Did he already know this would happen? Did I get duped?
She frowned at the thought. I’ll wait one more day; otherwise, I’ll have to escape on my own.
Du Rin couldn’t understand why Su Xi-er was interfering with her revenge, and her hatred towards the latter transformed into a killing intent. Why… Why?!
A man in navy blue robes stood at the foot of a mountain in the suburbs, fifteen miles out from the capital. His imposing aura was accentuated by his sharp facial features, the most prominent of which were a set of eyes that were as deep as the ocean. At this moment, however, his expression was grave.
“King, someone is trying to prevent you from entering Beimin.” His personal guard bowed and spoke in a serious tone.
Du Ling remained silent as his eyes narrowed. “This King knows who it is. I’ll take care of it.”
“Your Majesty, this subordinate will look around to see if there are any nearby villages where we might be able to rent a horse carriage.”
Du Ling looked towards the distance as he answered, “Just buy two horses.” He then went on his way forward, with the personal guard following closely behind.
After walking for four hours, they finally found a village. For those from the Western Region, who had exceptional physical endurance, walking for four hours was nothing.
The villagers could tell immediately from their clothes that they weren’t locals, and were likely nobles by the look of their clothes. As a result, the village chief was quickly informed of their arrival.
The village chief rushed out to welcome the guests, and was awestruck by the one in blue robes. What a dignified aura. He must be from a noble family!
“This commoner pays his respects to these two gentlemen. May I ask the reason for your visit?” The village chief smiled as he asked respectfully.
The personal guard went up to him to reveal a gold ingot. “My master needs two horses. Does your village happen to have any?”