Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 871 - 847: Double Dilemma
Xie Xun was wondering whether Han Ziqi would deceive him. Han Ziqi said that he only saw Fang Chuning at the palace banquet. Later, when he had settled the concubines and returned to Chaoyang Palace, he did not see Fang Chuning. However, he did see the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry in combat. At that time, he tried desperately to stop the slaughter between the Forbidden Army and the cavalry, but he simply couldn’t; they were all killing in a frenzy. The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry was fewer in number and couldn’t withstand the assault of the Forbidden Army. Xie Xun thought that if Han Ziqi wasn’t lying, he wouldn’t have seen Fang Chuning when he returned.
He didn’t know the specifics of the situation back then; he only knew that many people were caught in the great fire at Chaoyang Palace. When Fang Chuning was sending his second brother away, he was already severely wounded and might have also gotten caught in Chaoyang Palace. But Xie Xun couldn’t help thinking, what if Fang Chuning was hidden by Han Ziqi? Did he have any motive to hide Fang Chuning? But if he did hide the severely injured Fang Chuning, what good would it do?
This would be a great bargaining chip. If he had hidden Fang Chuning, he should be taking it out to negotiate terms now. If no terms are being negotiated, then there naturally wouldn’t be a bargaining chip. Xie Xun had never held a good opinion of Han Ziqi, always feeling that he was deceitful and cunning. But no matter how deceitful and cunning Han Ziqi was, he wouldn’t fake something like this. Xie Xun would even prefer that Han Ziqi had a bargaining chip, that Fang Chuning was still alive. He had just hinted to Han Ziqi that if Fang Chuning were alive, he would meet Han Ziqi’s demands appropriately. However, even though Han Ziqi seemed hopeful, he was powerless, and Xie Xun knew that he, too, wasn’t sure whether Fang Chuning was alive or dead.
Aside from cursing him a waste, what could he say?
Xie Xun had Zhang Boxi assign people to keep an eye on Han Ziqi’s every move, just in case. Though it was unlikely, he still wanted to give it a try.
After Fang Chuning’s funeral, everyone in the Fang Family shut their doors and didn’t go out, and the Grand Marshal didn’t attend the morning court. Fengyu had someone send many things to Fang Lingjun, which was telling everyone that as long as Fang Lingjun had this layer of relationship with the Empress, no one would dare ignore the Fang Family. Even if the Grand Marshal retired and no longer commanded the Jiangnan garrison, the Fang Family’s status would remain unshakable.
Returning to the posthouse, Han Ziqi was sleepless at night, unable to stop himself from pondering Xie Xun’s words. Xie Xun’s words had clearly given him a hint that if Fang Chuning were alive, negotiating terms could be appropriately relaxed. His majesty’s mind was like the sea, and he couldn’t stop pondering the second layer of meaning in Xie Xun’s words.
"You must already have a clear idea in your mind about the rumors concerning Fang Chuning and my second brother. I won’t say much to you about it. Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin have also spoken to me about your conduct along the way, and I’m sure you felt something about it. As for the initial terms for peace talks with Sannan, I can accept them, and they are quite advantageous for your Han Family. You can enjoy supreme glory and highest authority in Sannan, and local government officials will respect you. There is no problem for you in taking back that power, with the only condition being...that Fang Chuning is alive. My second brother is becoming thinner day by day, and I constantly worry, wishing that Fang Chuning could come back to life, so my second brother could have peace of mind. Even if... she was rescued and whereabouts unknown, at least there would be some hope. The incident at Chaoyang Palace, taking place in the inner palace of your royal family, how can you know nothing about it, Han Ziqi? You have truly disappointed me. If you can reassure Prince Yan, I would grant you anything you desire."
He pondered Xie Xun’s words almost word by word.
It turns out that Xie Xun had long known about the affair between Fang Chuning and Xie Jue. He was well aware of the truth behind the rumors, but what he cared about was Xie Jue’s safety.
He didn’t want Xie Jue to be submerged in grief, unable to ever come out of it.
Was Xie Xun hinting that he could lie to Xie Jue?
But once a lie is told, it’s difficult to take back. Where could he find a Fang Chuning to give back to Xie Jue? He truly didn’t know if Fang Chuning was alive or dead.
Xie Xun was worried about his brother but did not dare to act independently, only hinting for him to do so.
Even if he gave Xie Jue false information that Fang Chuning was rescued, there might still be a sliver of hope, so Xie Jue wouldn’t be so despondent.
Even if Fang Chuning couldn’t be found, there would always be hope.
Even if the truth came out in the future, Xie Xun could clear himself of any involvement. He did not openly instruct Han Ziqi to deceive Xie Jue, so any deceit towards Xie Jue was solely Han Ziqi’s own idea and had nothing to do with Xie Xun.
To give Xie Jue a glimmer of hope, Xie Xun used every trick in the book. Han Ziqi envied the bond between the Xie brothers and felt himself a victim of unwarranted disaster.
So devious!
So venomous!
He was trapped in a dilemma, whether to deceive Xie Jue or pretend not to understand Xie Xun’s hint.
