diymy Chapter 220 Were the Nujiang Gang members killed by Empress Liyang?
Chapter 220 Were the Nujiang Gang members killed by Empress Liyang?
The Northern Frontier, the Prince Zhenbei's Mansion.
As dusk settled, the last vestiges of crimson on the horizon were swallowed by leaden clouds.
The howling north wind swept through the courtyard, swirling up a few withered leaves from under the eaves. The leaves twirled in the air a few times before falling helplessly to the ground.
Inside Zhenyue Hall, candlelight shone brightly.
Xu Longxiang sat upright behind the long table, his dark python robe gleaming dimly in the candlelight.
He placed one hand on the military report on the table, and held a teacup in the other, but did not bring it to his lips for a long time.
The tea has gone cold.
His gaze fell on the deepening twilight outside the window, but his eyes were unfocused.
It's been five days.
Five days have passed since I returned from the capital.
During these five days, he appeared calm and composed, handling military affairs, meeting with officials, and discussing matters with his staff as usual.
But only he knew that whenever the night was deep and quiet, that figure would involuntarily appear in his mind—
Her moon-white casual clothes, her aloof and ethereal demeanor, and her deep purple phoenix eyes that seemed to see through everything.
Zhao Qingxue.
Empress Liyang.
His white moonlight.
"Your Highness."
A voice came from outside the door, interrupting Xu Longxiang's thoughts.
He withdrew his gaze, finally bringing the teacup to his lips and taking a sip of the already cold tea.
A bitter taste spread from the tip of his tongue, but he seemed completely unaware of it.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a gray outfit strode into Zhenyue Hall.
His face was sharp and rugged, and his brows bore the marks of a long and weathered life. He was Han Ying, the head of the intelligence unit under Xu Longxiang.
Han Ying walked three steps to the long table, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a low, urgent voice:
"Your Highness, the news about the Nujiang ferry crossing... has been confirmed."
Xu Longxiang's fingers paused slightly.
The teacup rested at his lips, his gaze fixed on Han Ying's face, calm and undisturbed.
"explain."
Han Ying raised her head, her face showing a complex expression that was difficult to conceal:
"The Nujiang Gang... is completely gone."
Xu Longxiang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
All gone?
He put down his teacup, his voice remaining calm:
"What do you mean?"
Han Ying took a deep breath and quickly reported:
"My men secretly investigated, and at the Nujiang ferry crossing... the entire group has been replaced. Everyone in the Nujiang Gang, from the leader Hu Zhenshan to the ordinary members, has either disappeared or died—"
He paused, his voice lowering even further:
"It's said they were all sunk into the river to feed the fish."
A brief silence fell over Zhenyue Hall.
The candlelight flickered in the copper basin, casting a dim, intermittent glow on Xu Longxiang's profile.
He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"Who did it?"
Han Ying raised her head, a strange light flashing in her eyes:
"They are... Empress Li Yang's people."
Xu Longxiang's pupils contracted slightly.
Empress Liyang?
His brows furrowed even more.
Why would Empress Liyang target the Nujiang Gang?
When her delegation passed through the Nujiang ferry crossing, the Nujiang Gang people naturally received them warmly and treated them as honored guests.
Even if there were any conflicts, given the Empress's magnanimity, she wouldn't go so far as to slaughter the entire gang.
not to mention--
The Nujiang Gang is his people.
Although this connection was buried very deep, and even the Nujiang Gang itself might not know who their real backer was, it was still their hidden mole.
If Empress Li Yang knew this, how could she still maintain an ally-like relationship with him?
If you didn't know, why did you take such a ruthless action?
Countless questions churned in his mind, but Xu Longxiang's voice remained steady:
"Have you found out the specifics?"
Han Ying nodded, her expression becoming even more peculiar:
"It's all cleared up. According to our informants near the ferry, Empress Li Yang's convoy arrived at the ferry that evening. That night, for some reason, the Empress went for a walk alone and encountered Hu Biao, the young leader of the Nujiang Gang, by the river—"
He paused, a hint of something unspoken in his voice:
"That scoundrel Hu Biao... saw the Empress's unparalleled beauty and harbored evil thoughts."
Xu Longxiang's fingers tightened suddenly.
The teacup made a slight "click" sound in his hand, and several fine cracks appeared on the porcelain.
Han Ying was startled by the voice and quickly lowered her head to continue reporting:
"It is said that Hu Biao, accompanied by a dozen or so followers, surrounded the Empress, making lewd remarks and harboring malicious intentions. The result—"
He swallowed hard.
"The swordsman Li Chunfeng, who was by the Empress's side, arrived just in time. With a single sword strike, Hu Biao died on the spot. Subsequently, the Li Yang Imperial Guards were dispatched and wiped out the entire Nujiang Gang..."
After Han Ying finished speaking, she lowered her head, not daring to look at Xu Longxiang's face.
Inside Zhenyue Hall, there was a deathly silence.
The only sounds were the occasional crackling of the burning charcoal in the copper basin and the howling north wind outside the window.
Xu Longxiang sat behind the long table, motionless.
His hand was still holding the teacup.
His face was hidden in the shadows of the candlelight, making his expression impossible to discern.
Only those eyes gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the darkness.
for a long time.
Xu Longxiang spoke slowly.
The voice was calm, almost eerily calm.
"A bunch of useless trash."
His lips parted slightly as he uttered those four words.
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an intense, suppressed anger.
That anger was like magma surging deep underground, suppressed beneath the frozen earth's crust, ready to erupt at any moment.
Han Ying lowered her head, not daring to breathe.
He knew that the crown prince was angry.
It wasn't because the Nujiang Gang was wiped out, nor because that long-established network of informants was destroyed overnight.
Rather, it's because—
That scoundrel Hu Biao actually dared to have impure thoughts about his white moonlight.
They dared to surround her, speaking frivolously and with ill intentions.
How dare they—
Xu Longxiang closed his eyes.
An image uncontrollably surfaced in my mind—
As dusk settled along the riverbank, Zhao Qingxue strolled alone, her moon-white robes fluttering gently in the evening breeze.
She stood by the river, gazing at the surging Nu River, her silhouette serene and ethereal.
Then, a group of uncouth gang members surrounded them.
The leader, with a face full of scars and eyes gleaming with lewd light, reached out to grab her arm.
"Snapped!"
The teacup finally succumbed to the immense force and shattered into several pieces in his palm.
Sharp shards of porcelain pierced his palm, and blood seeped through his fingers, dripping onto the long table and onto the secret report that read "The Nujiang Gang's Demise," spreading out in shocking crimson patches.
But he seemed not to feel any pain.
He simply opened his eyes and watched the bright red blood beads on his palm slowly seep from the wound, gather, and drip down.
Han Ying knelt on the ground, her body trembling slightly.
He knew how complicated the prince's feelings were at that moment.
Empress Li Yang was someone the Crown Prince had kept hidden in his heart for many years.
She was no longer just a woman, nor an emperor.
That was the Crown Prince's unrequited love.
It was the softest, most untouchable corner of his heart.
And that scoundrel Hu Biao actually dared to—
Damn it.
Xu Longxiang spoke, his voice hoarse as if sand were grinding against each other.
He repeated it again:
"They all deserve to die."
Han Ying lowered her head, not daring to reply.
Silence fell once again inside Zhenyue Hall.
The only sound was the dripping of blood, one drop after another.
After an unknown amount of time, a steady footstep came from outside the door.
"Your Highness."
A middle-aged man's voice broke the silence.
Xu Longxiang looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a thin face, dressed in a blue scholar's robe, stride into Zhenyue Hall.
It was Fan Li.
Fan Li walked to the long table and frowned slightly when he saw the shocking bloodstains on Xu Longxiang's palm.
But he didn't ask any further questions, only bowed respectfully, his voice steady:
"Your Highness, I heard there's been trouble at the Nujiang ferry crossing?"
Xu Longxiang didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
Fan Li's gaze swept over the blood-stained secret report on the long table, then looked at Han Ying kneeling on the ground, and he understood a few things in his heart.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"Your Highness, there's no need to be angry. The Nujiang Gang is nothing; it's just a small gang, and once it's gone, it's gone."
His voice was steady and powerful, carrying the composure unique to scholars:
"I will immediately arrange for a new person to take over the Nujiang ferry crossing. This time, I will personally oversee the process; the chosen person will be absolutely reliable, absolutely—"
He paused, then spoke solemnly:
"His character is up to standard."
After listening, Xu Longxiang remained silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly nodded.
"Okay," he said, his voice regaining its usual calm. "Go and do it."
Fan Li bowed:
"Yes. Your Highness, rest assured, I will take care of it."
He turned and walked towards the door.
He took two steps, then stopped and looked back at Xu Longxiang.
"Your Highness," his voice held a hint of concern, "your hand... let the physician take a look."
Xu Longxiang looked down at his blood-soaked hand.
The porcelain shards were still embedded in his palm; the wound was deep, and blood was still flowing.
But he seemed not to feel it.
He simply said:
"It's alright. You can go."
Fan Li opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
He sighed, turned and walked out of Zhenyue Hall.
The footsteps faded into the night.
Han Ying tactfully withdrew.
Only Xu Longxiang remained inside Zhenyue Hall.
He sat behind the long table, motionless.
The blood in my palm had congealed, forming a dark red scab at the wound.
He was completely unaware.
She simply stood up slowly and walked to the window.
He pushed open the window, and the north wind howled in, carrying a biting chill, blowing the stray hairs at his temples and his dark python robe.
He gazed out the window at the deep night, at the night sky obscured by dark clouds.
That figure reappeared in my mind.
She wore a moon-white casual dress, possessed a cool and ethereal aura, and had deep purple phoenix eyes.
She stood outside the east gate of the imperial city and said goodbye to him.
The look in her eyes when she looked at him was complex and indescribable.
There was scrutiny, evaluation, and an emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on.
He thought it was the Empress's consideration for her allies.
But thinking about it now—
Did she already realize something at that time?
Did she order the purge of the Nujiang Gang because of Hu Biao's offense, or because—
She already knows about the relationship between the Nujiang Gang and him?
If it's the latter...
Xu Longxiang's brows furrowed again.
He remembered the look she gave him before she left.
That gaze was so complex, so complex that he still cannot fathom it.
"Zhao Qingxue..."
He murmured the name softly, his voice hoarse and deep.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes, that peerless face, that ethereal and aloof aura—
It lingered in his mind.
She was his ideal woman.
She was someone he had kept deep in his heart ever since he first met her several years ago.
He had fantasized countless times about meeting her again.
He had imagined what kind of light would flash in her eyes when she saw him.
I've imagined the day when they stand side by side, overlooking the land.
But when that day finally came—
The look in her eyes when she looked at him was so complicated.
There was scrutiny, assessment, vigilance, and a hint of detachment that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
It wasn't as amazing as he had imagined, nor as admirable as he had hoped.
Only through examination.
Like a cold knife, it cut a thin gash in his heart.
He was not reconciled.
I'm really not willing to accept this.
But what could he do?
She is the Empress of Liyang, an existence of equal rank to him.
He cannot force, covet, or do anything out of line.
We can only wait.
Waiting for his great undertaking to succeed.
Wait until he reaches that position.
By then—
Xu Longxiang's fingers slowly tightened on the window frame.
The stinging pain in his palm brought him back to his senses from his chaotic thoughts.
He looked down at his blood-soaked hand.
Then, he slowly clenched his fist.
The scab broke open, and fresh blood gushed out again.
But he still didn't let go.
Gazing at the deep night outside the window, he spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice low and firm:
"wait for me."
"Once I'm in that position, I'll come find you."
The night wind howled, fluttering his clothes.
A few mournful cries of a lone goose drifted from afar, only to be swallowed by the wind.
He stood there like a silent statue.
Until the east began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Until the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone on his pale face.
He finally moved.
He slowly turned around and walked back behind the long table.
sit down.
He picked up the blood-stained secret report from the table, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it into the copper basin.
The flames engulfed the paper, making a hissing sound.
The firelight flickered, casting shimmering reflections on his face.
He gazed at the leaping flames, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
Zhao Qingxue.
These three words were etched into his heart like a brand.
It can never be erased.
And the matter of the Nujiang ferry crossing—
He took a deep breath.
Let's put it aside for now.
Once Fan Li has arranged for the people to take over the ferry crossing again, everything will return to normal.
As for Empress Liyang...
He will continue to form alliances, continue to cooperate, and continue to wait.
He was waiting for the opportunity he had been longing for.
Outside the window, the morning light is gradually increasing.
A new day has begun.