1040: Chapter 648: Breaking the Move 1040: Chapter 648: Breaking the Move Di’an, Imperial Palace.
By the shores of Sky Peak Lake, birds chirped and flowers blood, while the misty rain after the downpour dispelled the heat of sumr.
Two elderly n, companions of a lifeti, walked along the shaded path by the lake embanknt.
The first rays of light filtered through the treetops filled with birdcalls, scattering onto them, catching the attention of one garbed in a golden Dragon Robe.
The elder raised his gaze, staring at a bluebird hopping on the treetop, and suddenly broke the silence:
“I’ve noticed that since the year before last, we’ve been eting more and more often.”
The imposing middle-aged man paused, his voice betraying no emotion:
“That is not a good thing.”
The elder turned his head, his aged, profound eyes carrying a trace of deeper aning:
“What?
Across Dayan, those who wish to et with are as many as the fish in the river; yet for the Pri Minister, this becos a bad thing?”
The middle-aged man t his gaze but remained silent.
Seeing this, the elder gently shook his head and resud walking forward:
“Indeed, the more often we et, the more it ans things are happening outside.”
Slling the earthy freshness left behind by the rain in the woods, the middle-aged man slowly followed, continuing the conversation:
“So for which particular matter has Your Majesty summoned here today?”
The elder lowered his eyes, not answering imdiately, but spoke with a quiet tone:
“I used to think the one orchestrating the Northern Frontier campaign was that young woman under your command or Zong Qingsheng, but I’ve recently realized my assumption might have been grievously mistaken.”
The middle-aged man fixed his gaze on the elder’s back and calmly countered:
“Wasn’t the victory in the Northern Frontier campaign due to Wu Yuan?”
The elder in the golden robe cast a sidelong glance, his sharp eyes scrutinizing his companion for a long pause before shaking his head and replying slowly:
“Wu Yuan is indeed capable, but I’ve not yet elevated her to such a station.”
At this, the elder retracted his gaze and said no more.
He waited, waiting for the man behind him to speak first.
After the two walked several dozen more paces together, the middle-aged man’s voice finally broke the silence, slowly traveling to his ears:
“Zhenxi Prefecture will soon be overturned by the Sects.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Before this, I knew the Sects would make a move elsewhere, but I wasn’t certain it would involve Zhu Chaoxian, nor in what manner.”
Zhu Chaoxian—the original na of the Marquis of Zhenxi, before he was granted his current surna.
Li Yaoxuan humd softly in curiosity as his boots brushed over the stone-paved path, dew from the barley field clinging to his ankles.
His tone carried a trace of mockery:
“So it seems my Pri Minister cannot ensure that I have full surveillance over my empire….”
As he spoke, Li Yaoxuan shook his head slightly, one hand clasped behind his back, and said leisurely:
“My opinion of Zhu Chaoxian has always been low.
He’s nothing more than a re martial artist.
The situation in Zhenxi Prefecture evolving to its current state is no more than what was to be expected.”
Xu Yinhè did not refute these words but instead asked:
“Does Your Majesty not have anything to say about the upheaval in Zhenxi Prefecture?”
“…..”
As they spoke, they had already walked out of the woods.
Their view instantly opened up to blue skies, deep lakes, white birds gathering, and an endless stretch of green grass swaying in the breeze—it was a scene of tranquility and harmony.
Gazing at this picturesque sight, Li Yaoxuan smiled faintly and walked forward, his increasingly slender figure basking in the sunlight:
“Pri Minister, you seem quite anxious.”
“….”
Xu Yinhè stood in the shadows cast by the trees, gazing at the other man’s back but did not step forward imdiately.
Li Yaoxuan paid no mind to the reaction of the man behind him, continuing to walk on at his own pace, softly posing seemingly unrelated questions:
“Pri Minister, what do you think secured our victory in the North, allowing us to overwhelm the Northern Barbarians and the Sects?”
Standing still, Xu Yinhè responded in a neutral tone:
“I ask Your Majesty to enlighten .”
Li Yaoxuan did not turn his head back, marching forward with a smile in his voice:
“Still playing dumb, are you….
Hmph.
The victories in the North were built on over a decade of ticulous planning by you and , fueled by nearly reckless investnt of resources.
The Sects have been laying their pieces in the Western Frontier for decades—what gives you the privilege to sit at the sa table with them?”
“….”
The distance between the two grew wider and wider.
Standing in place, Xu Yinhè spoke with a calm tone:
“It seems Your Majesty has forgotten how the two of us reached where we stand today.”
“I rember, of course.”
Li Yaoxuan’s words drifted back ethereally with a trace of reminiscence, his voice low and wistful: “As one approaches death, monts of the past beco increasingly vivid.
Lately, the mories of those precarious years have been haunting —every gamble, every near-death experience….
I couldn’t forget them even if I wanted to.”
Hearing this, a flicker of complexity flashed in Xu Yinhè’s quiet eyes.
He instinctively wanted to step forward, but ultimately chose to stay rooted.
After a brief silence, Li Yaoxuan’s voice ca floating back again:
“Pri Minister, you may return now.
I have obtained the information I sought.”
“May the one you place your trust in not let you down, and may he live to return to Di’an.”
“After all, Qingyan and Zhao Yuan will both soon return to the capital.”
“….”
Standing in the shadows of the trees, Xu Yinhè silently watched that familiar figure walking farther and farther along the embanknt they had traversed countless tis, until the other disappeared from view.
Then he slowly turned to leave.
But,
This ti, he did not bow.
…
…
…
Within Zhenxi Prefecture City, a sense of foreboding lood.
As he gazed at the shimring lights dotting the city walls, Xu Yuan felt a fleeting urge to imdiately flee along with Li Junwu and the others.
He had never been one fond of struggle.
If he could idle his way through life as a salted fish, he would never actively pursue ambition.
The path he had taken this far had always been propelled by external forces.
His father’s lofty ideals were sothing Xu Yuan respected, but… how to put it?
Rather than bringing peace to the kingdom, he preferred self-preservation.
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