"Empress, please have some tea!"
Meng Fei personally brought the tea to Chu Xiayi.
Chu Xiayi shook her head lightly and stared at Meng Fei cautiously," No, I rarely drink tea, and I'm on medication these days, so it's not good to drink tea. Thank you for your kindness."”
Concubine Meng smiled nonchalantly." I forgot that Your Highness is from the Phoenix Palace in Dunhuang. You have drunk all kinds of tea there. How can you be interested in such coarse tea? However, this tea was very special. It was picked from Junshan in Hangzhou.”
"Hangzhou Junshan?"
"That's right! It was said that when the spring tea had just blossomed, he would find his unmarried daughter to gather a few pieces of high-grade sharp flags in the morning and hide them in his chest. He would only use them to entertain the distinguished guests. Ordinary people could not even drink them!”
Chu Xia Yi's brows slightly twisted as she took the teacup and sniffed it carefully. It was indeed fragrant and fragrant. It was indeed a high-quality tea.
"You didn't call me here just to treat me to tea, right?”
Concubine Meng was stunned for a moment before she laughed." Why would Your Majesty say that? After everyone in the harem knew that the Emperor had appointed a concubine, they all wanted to see the empress and ask for her blessings, but they were unable to find the opportunity. ChenQie happened to see Feng's face in Xiliang City, so she had the courage to wait in front of You Feng Lai Yi. How could ChenQie have other motives?”
Chu Xia Yi stared at her," Since you don't have any other motives, why did you wait in front of You Feng Lai Yi?"”
Concubine Meng giggled." Your Highness is indeed smart. No wonder the Emperor loves you so much. For you, he did not hesitate to mobilize the army and move the Water Seeking Pavilion from Xiliang to the palace."”
Chu Xia Yi was a little surprised," Moving the Water Seeking Pavilion into the palace? Didn't you reconstruct it according to the sketch?"
Concubine Meng shook her head." Your Highness is from the Phoenix Palace, so you should know that the Water-Seeking Pavilion was built according to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. There are many formations and mechanisms hidden inside. How can you find a random craftsman to draw them out? Naturally, it was the Emperor who ordered them to move every brick, tile, grass, and wood from the Water Seeking Pavilion intact!”
"Why did the Emperor do this?"
"Of course it's to please the Empress! Does the Empress not know that the Emperor is madly in love with you? Therefore, he only thought about how to make the Empress stay and make the Empress willingly stay by his side, never to leave.”
Chu Xia Yi's face turned red and she didn't know how to respond. This man…really liked her that much, right? Otherwise, why would he do such a foolish thing as moving a mountain and moving every brick, tile, grass, and tree of the Water Seeking Pavilion here intact?
What an extremely stupid man!
He didn't know that as long as he restrained his temper, fought less wars, and killed less people, she would be very happy. Why did he have to go through so much trouble to please her?
"Everyone says that our Emperor is cruel and likes to kill, but in my opinion, among all the men in the world, there is probably no one as devoted and loyal as our Emperor." He actually moved the entire city here for a woman. He didn't even let go of the traps and secret passages inside. He was really infatuated. It really made people envious!”
"You won't even let go of the traps and secret passages?”
"That's right! ChenQie heard that the emperor even found someone to study the array that was set up inside. It seems that he would only be satisfied if he made You Feng Lai Yi exactly the same as the Water Seeking Pavilion!”
Formation? He even got someone to look at the array?
What was he trying to do? If he had really moved the Water Inquiry Pavilion here to please her, it would have been fine. But he had actually checked and studied the mechanisms, secret passages, and array formations inside? This was not to please her at all. Instead, it was as if he was studying how to break through the Water Seeking Pavilion!
Wait, break into the Water Seeking Pavilion? The Vermilion Bird Holy Maiden had built the Water-Seeking Pavilion based on the Phoenix Palace. Wouldn't breaking through the Water-Seeking Pavilion be equivalent to breaking through the Phoenix Palace?
Thinking of breaking into the Phoenix Palace, Chu Xia Yi felt a chill down her spine.
However, she felt that it was impossible! Dugu Han was extremely intelligent and meticulous. If he really wanted to attack the Phoenix Palace in Dunhuang, he could have secretly asked people to study the layout of the Water Seeking Pavilion. Why would he need to move the entire Water Seeking Pavilion over? Wouldn't this be covering one's ears and stealing a bell, afraid that the world wouldn't know?
What…what was he planning? What was he thinking?
At this moment, Meng Fei stood up and held Chu Xiayi's hand,""Niangniang, shall we go to You Feng Lai Yi to take a look? Since You Feng Lai Yi was the Pavilion of Inquiring Water, and the Pavilion of Inquiring Water was the Palace of the Phoenix, wasn't seeing You Feng Lai Yi the same as seeing the Palace of the Phoenix? ChenQie has always been very curious about the Feng Palace and wants to take a look. Niangniang, can you?”
Chu Xia Yi's face turned pale, but she couldn't find a reason to refuse. She could only follow Meng Fei back to You Feng Lai Yi.
You Feng Lai Yi was almost done!! Or rather, it was more appropriate to say that it was restored. This was because every grass, tree, house, and house inside was exactly the same as the Water-Seeking Pavilion. Even the mechanisms, secret passages, and array formations were exactly the same. It almost made people wonder if they had returned to the Water-Seeking Pavilion.
Concubine Meng pointed at a garden with strange trees and rocks and asked,""Empress, this should be a formation, right? What kind of formation was this? I heard that you will get lost after walking in. Is that true?”
Chu Xia Yi nodded with a pale face," This is called the Eight Wondrous Formations. It is a simplified version of Zhuge Liang's Eight Formations.”
"What about here?" Meng Fei pointed at a cluster of buildings that didn't look like houses and said,""What is this?"
"It's called the Eight Trigrams Tower. If someone barged into the Eight Trigrams Tower, the Eight Trigrams Tower would automatically activate the mechanism, trapping the person inside and preventing him from moving.”
Concubine Meng revealed a look of reverence." You're so amazing. How do you know everything?"”
Chu Xia Yi revealed a bitter smile.
Of course she knew! This was because this Water Inquiry Pavilion was a miniature version of the Phoenix Palace. Although the buildings were different in form, size, and decoration, it was generally a replica of the Phoenix Palace. And she grew up in the Phoenix Palace, so how could she not know?
Suddenly, a series of footsteps came from behind them, followed by someone saying!!
"Your Majesty, this official has already seen through the formation and knows how to break it.”
At this moment, a voice that Chu Xiayi was extremely familiar with sounded. It was Dugu Han.
"Really?" Dugu Han asked in surprise. Quick, tell me how to crack it!”
"If you enter from the Kan position, you will retreat three times and enter two times. If you enter from the Xun position, it will be five times from the left and three times from the right. As long as they split their forces from these three directions, the formation would be broken. Once the formation was broken, the other formations and mechanisms would not be surprising.”
"Is that so? Kan, Xun, and Kun? No wonder I tried so many times but failed. I had to enter from these three directions. Oh right, you said that this array is the main array?”
"That's right, as long as we break this formation, everything else can be easily solved.”
Dugu Han pondered for a moment." Alright. The sooner this matter is done, the better. The fewer people who know about it, the better. I'm worried that if Xia 'er finds out, she will…"
"What will happen if I know? If I knew, I'd do anything to stop you, wouldn't I?”
Dugu Han was stunned. He turned around and saw Chu Xiayi's pale and beautiful face, which was also filled with disbelief, appear in front of him.
"Xia 'er, you…why are you here?”
"Why am I here? I want to ask you, why are you here?”
"I…I ordered people to move this back from Western Liang City. Naturally, I had to come and take a look.”
"Then why did you ask someone to move this Water Inquiry Pavilion from Western Liang City?”
"This is for you! I was worried that you would miss home and not be used to living in the palace, so I specially asked them to move the Water Seeking Pavilion here. Have you seen it? Do you like it?"
"For me? Since it was for me, why did you ask people to move all the mechanisms and arrays inside? Why do you need people to study it?"
Dugu Han smiled and waved his hand to signal for the others to leave. Then, he hugged Chu Xiayi's waist and walked to the window. "You know that I grew up on a horse and have been fighting on a horse all my life, so how can I not be tempted to try such exquisite mechanisms and formations?”
"Since it's just a test, then we can just try it at the Water Pavilion. Why move here? Since it was just a test, why did he ask the ministers to study it in detail and even say that he wanted to send troops? You…Where are you going? Is it the Phoenix Palace?"
Dugu Han's face sank. He didn't nod or shake his head. He just pursed his lips and didn't say a word.
Chu Xia Yi knew that she had guessed correctly," You…you really want to send troops to the Feng Palace?”
He looked out the window at Lake Mingse, which was as clear as a mirror. He still did not say anything, and there was no emotion on his masked face.
This silence made Chu Xia Yi even sadder than talking.
Her body swayed and she almost fell to the ground." Why? Why did you send troops to the Phoenix Palace? I've already given you what you want. Why do you still want to send troops to the Feng Palace?”
Dugu Han turned his head and looked at her." I want the Jade Kylin and the Nine Phoenix Ring!”
"You already have the Nine Phoenix Ring, don't you?”
"That's not enough, I want the entire Nine Phoenix Ring.”
"You want the Nine Phoenix Ring? What do you want the Nine Phoenix Ring for? Could it be that you also want to unify the world and become the overlord of the world?”
Dugu Han threw his head back and laughed." The overlord of the world? Why not? It's not impossible for me, Dugu Han, to conquer the east and the north, to dominate the north and the south of the Yangtze River, to unify the world and dominate the Central Plains, isn't it?”
Chu Xia Yi was furious," You…you are really as cold-blooded, ruthless, and murderous as the legends say. A general's achievements are already worth tens of thousands of bones. If you wait until you become a hegemon, who knows how the world will be plunged into misery. Do you really want to dominate the world that much?”
Dugu Han raised his head proudly." That's my business. I'm only asking you, are you willing to help me get the other eight pieces of the Nine Phoenix Ring and the four Jade Kylin?”
"Impossible, I can't help you with anything!”
Dugu Han's eyes flashed. He turned around and walked out." Is that so? Then I can only rely on my own strength to seize it.”
Chu Xia Yi floated forward to stop him." Where are you going?”
Dugu Han smiled coldly." You heard it just now. The time to send troops is ripe. If we don't do it now, when will we do it?”
Chu Xia Yi's body swayed and she almost lost her footing." You really want to attack the Phoenix Palace?”
He reached out to hold her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace. He lowered his head and kissed her pale little mouth." For your sake, I won't do anything to the Feng Palace for the time being, but it's hard to say for the others.”
Dugu Han let go of her and walked out. At the same time, he shouted,""Tell Ye Lui Qi, Zhong Renjie, and Di Yuanhao to come see me immediately!”
"Yes!"
Hearing that he had summoned the three heroes, Chu Xiayi's legs went soft and she knelt on the ground.
Did he really want to send troops? Did he really want to send troops to obtain the Nine Phoenix Ring?
She thought…. she thought that as long as she gave him the Nine Phoenix Ring, she could help the Phoenix Palace avert a disaster. Who would have thought that this man didn't only want the Nine Phoenix Ring, but the entire world!
What should he do? What should he do? She couldn't watch him lead the army to attack the Feng Palace because that was her home, the place where she grew up. Her brothers and sisters were there. How could she watch the Feng Palace fall into danger?
But he was her husband! Even if he was overbearing and domineering, even if he was warlike and bloodthirsty, even if she did not have any feelings for him and did not love him, he was still her husband. How could she watch him lead an army to attack her family?
No! She could not let this happen! If she didn't know, then so be it. But since she already knew, then she had to think of a way to stop this matter.
But how could he stop it?
She was alone, without any soldiers or generals. How could she stop the fierce army and him who was bent on doing things his own way? Not only did she have nothing now, even her only bargaining chip, the Nine Phoenix Ring, was taken away by him…..
Wait, Nine Phoenix Ring? That's right, why didn't she think of the Nine Phoenix Ring?
As the saying goes, the one who tied the bell needs to untie the bell. Since the crux of everything was on the Nine Phoenix Ring, then why not simply start from the Nine Phoenix Ring?
After making up her mind, Chu Xia Yi slowly walked out of the You Feng Lai Yi and headed towards the direction of the Hall of Peaceful Harmony. She was completely unaware that behind a low wall, Meng Fei was smiling as she watched her leave.
In the evening, Chu Xia Yi flashed out of Taihe Palace and nimbly jumped onto the roof. After a few leaps, she left the Imperial City and headed northeast.
On the way, she passed by a small town. She bought a few horses and took turns to ride them. She planned to travel through the night and discuss with Chu Yunzhang first to see if he had any ideas on this matter.
Chu Xia Yi walked in a hurry, changing horses one after another. Before daybreak, she was already close to the border of the Xia and Yue countries.
At this moment, a group of people suddenly appeared on the road ahead.
Chu Xia Yi did not mind and continued to move forward.
However, the closer she got to the border, the more people lined up by the roadside.
When she arrived at Dazheng Pass, she was surprised to find that only one of the two gates was open. A few soldiers were strictly checking the people who were about to enter and exit the pass.
The soldier asked the person who was about to exit seclusion,"Where are we going?"
An old man in his fifties pointed at two loads of vegetables on his shoulders and replied,""I'm going to sell vegetables."
"Can't you sell vegetables here? Do you have to go to the opposite side?"
The so-called opposite side referred to the State of Yue.
"The price on the other side is good. I've always been selling there. After selling out, I'll come back here to sleep and rest.”
The soldier waved his hand." Not today. No one is allowed to go to the other side today.”
The old man was stunned." Why? It was fine yesterday, so why not today?”
"Yesterday is yesterday, today is today, what are you nagging for!”
A man in his thirties whispered to the old man,"I heard that an assassin sneaked into the palace last night and kidnapped the Empress. The Emperor was furious and ordered all the doors to be closed. He said that only people could enter and not leave. He also ordered a strict search to find the assassin and find the Empress. Old man, I think you should just admit it today. Just sell yourself here. If you're mistaken for a spy or an assassin, you'll have to bear the consequences!”
When Chu Xiayi heard this, she immediately understood that Dugu Han must have discovered that she had taken the Nine Phoenix Ring. That was why he had sent people to seal off the pass, intending to wait for the rabbit by the stump and catch the turtle in the jar.
Humph! She wouldn't admit defeat. Since Dazheng Pass wasn't allowed to leave, why couldn't she leave through the other city gates?
Chu Xia Yi turned her horse around and headed in another direction, but the result was the same as Dazheng Pass. The city gates were sealed, and only entry was allowed.
She went to a few places in succession and found that as long as it was a pass to the outside world, only entry was allowed and no exit was allowed. Therefore, let alone a person, even a bird would find it difficult to cross the line.
What should he do?
She had to leave, and she had to pass the news to her sixth brother, Chu Yunzhang, before he sent out his troops. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Just as she was thinking about it, a man suddenly reached out and pulled Chu Xiayi's reins, bringing her and her horse behind a big tree at the side.
Chu Xia Yi was shocked and almost cried out. When she saw that person's gentle and smiling handsome face, she was so surprised that she could not even speak. "You…Yongrong, why are you here?”
It turned out that the man who had intercepted Chu Xiayi was the King of Yue, Ouyang Yongrong, who was also Chu Dieyi's husband and Ouyang Che's younger brother.
Ouyang Yongrong shook her head, indicating for Chu Xia Yi to keep quiet and follow him.
The two of them quietly avoided the crowd and came to a room in an inn.
"Yongrong, why are you here? Did something happen to Die 'er?"
Ouyang Yongrong smiled." Die 'er is fine. Why would anything happen to her? She's been jumping around all day, catching crickets, fighting cocks, and playing with cuji. She almost tore down my imperial garden!”
Hearing that Chu Dieyi was safe and sound, Chu Xiayi's anxious heart finally relaxed." If that's the case, why did you come here? Aren't you afraid of being discovered by Dugu Han?”
"I'm here for him. Why would I be afraid of being discovered by him?”
"For him? What…what did you hear?"
"I heard that he moved the Water Inquiry Pavilion to Red Phoenix City, so I came especially to verify it. Xia 'er, is that true?"
Chu Xia Yi nodded sadly," That's right, he did move every brick, tile, grass, and tree of the Water Seeking Pavilion to the Red Phoenix City.”
"Then…what about the traps and formations that the Vermillion Bird Maiden set up?”
Chu Xia Yi smiled lightly, but there was a bit of bitterness in her smile," Of course he moved it, and he even found someone to break those mechanisms and arrays.”
Ouyang Yongrong frowned when she heard this." You broke the mechanism and array? What did he want to do? Could it be that he really wanted to attack the Phoenix Palace?”
Chu Xia Yi lowered her head and said nothing, but her face was frighteningly pale and her body was on the verge of collapse.
Seeing this, Ouyang Yongrong hurriedly supported her." Are you alright? You look terrible. Do you want to call a doctor to take a look?”
She shook her head and bit her lip tightly. After a long time, she said,"If I had known that he was so greedy and ambitious, I would never have agreed to marry him.”
"What did you agree to?"
Chu Xia Yi raised her head and looked out of the window." I promised him that as long as he let go of the people of Xi Liang City, I would marry him. He had let off the citizens of Western Liang City, but he was not willing to let off the others. He was not willing to let go of the Phoenix Palace. He even wanted to seize the other eight pieces of the Nine Phoenix Ring and the Jade Kylin so that he could obtain the mysterious power within them. Then, he would lead his army north and fulfill his wish of unifying the world.”
She turned to look at Ouyang Yongrong." Yongrong, did I do something wrong?”
Ouyang Yongrong furrowed her brows." No, if I were in that situation, I would have agreed even if Dugu Han wanted me to climb a mountain of knives or plunge into a pot of oil. Besides…you love him, don't you?”
Chu Xia Yi was stunned." Love?"
"With your personality, if you didn't fall in love with him, you would never agree to him, right?”
Love? She fell in love with Dugu Han?
She shook her head, trying to forget this thought that she had never had before." I don't know. I really don't know.”
Ouyang Yongrong looked at Chu Xiayi's confused expression and couldn't help but sigh.
Not only was this woman astonishingly beautiful, but her intelligence and courage were far beyond that of ordinary men. It was just that when such a woman encountered feelings, she seemed so hesitant and weak.
It seemed that the word love could really make people pledge their lives and never regret it.
After a long time, Chu Xia Yi said," I don't know if I love him or not, but I really thought that as long as I gave him the Nine Phoenix Ring and let him have his way, I would be able to resolve this dispute and reduce unnecessary battles and sacrifices. I didn't expect that what he wanted wasn't just me and the Nine Phoenix Ring, but the entire world! I…If I had known that he was such a person, I would have rather died in battle with Western Liang than agree to his request!”
"But are you willing to let those innocent people sacrifice themselves for you? If you were such a person, why would your elder sister send you to guard Western Liang? It would be better to hand Western Liang over to Dugu Han.”
" I..." Chu Xia Yi was speechless. Indeed, she could not bear it. She had never been the kind of person who did not care about the lives of others for her own good. This was not in line with what she had learned and her personality. Otherwise, why would she have to suffer to accept him?
"Don't talk about this. Tell me, why are you here? Does Dugu Han know you're here?"
"No, he doesn't know I'm here. I left the palace overnight.”
"Leaving the palace at night?"
"Yes! I took the Nine Phoenix Ring and left Red Phoenix City overnight. I'm afraid that not only Red Phoenix City, but even the entire Xia Country is looking for me everywhere!”
Ouyang Yongrong was a little surprised.
"You took the Nine Phoenix Ring? Didn't you say that the Nine Phoenix Ring was given to Dugu Han? Since she had given it to him, how could she take it back from him?”
Chu Xia Yi smiled faintly," Since I was able to snatch back the Jade Kylin from Tantai Mingji, I naturally have a way to retrieve the Nine Phoenix Ring. Moreover, this Nine Phoenix Ring was originally mine. Whether I give it or not, whether I take it or not, it all depends on me, not him!”
"But will Dugu Han let you go?”
"I know that he won't let me off but I will send the Nine Phoenix Ring away before he finds me.”
"Send him away? Who are you giving it to? How was he going to send her away? Now that the outside world was in a state of panic, it was probably not that easy.”
"That depends on whether you're willing to help me or not.”
Ouyang Yongrong widened her eyes." Me?”
"Yes, I originally wanted to send the Nine Phoenix Ring to Yunzhang in the South Liao, but from the looks of it, I'm afraid I can't even leave the city gate, let alone the Nine Phoenix Ring on me. That's why I want to ask you to help me pass the Nine Phoenix Ring to Yun Zhang, alright?”
"Are you assured?"
"If I can't even trust you, then who else can I trust?”
Ouyang Yongrong smiled." Is that so? You trust me that much?"
"A man who can make Die 'er lose her life is definitely worthy of my trust.”As she spoke, Chu Xia Yi took out the Nine Phoenix Ring and handed it to Ouyang Yong Rong.
At the mention of Chu Dieyi, Ouyang Yongrong's eyes lit up." It seems that if I don't help you, Die 'er won't let me go!"”
He took the Nine Phoenix Ring and placed it in his bosom," Is there anything else you need my help with?”
"Tell Yunzhang about the Water Inquiry Pavilion. Yunzhang will know what to do.”
"What about you? What about you? If Dugu Han knew that you had handed the Nine Phoenix Ring to me, I'm afraid he wouldn't let it go.”
"I…"
Chu Xia Yi couldn't help but hesitate. She didn't know what to do. At first, she only wanted to take the Nine Phoenix Ring away from Dugu Han, so she didn't think too much about it. Now that she really handed the matter to Ouyang Yongrong, she didn't know what to do.
Ouyang Yongrong saw her hesitation and held her hand.""How about this! Come back with me to Yue Country to keep Die 'er company. I believe that when that girl sees you, she will be so happy that she will fly to the sky and chatter non-stop.”
"But…"
"No buts! I've fought with Dugu Han a few times, so how can I not understand his character and temper? Come with me! The only way to protect you now is to leave with me. Besides, if Die 'er finds out that I left you here alone, she won't let me off either. So don't say anything else and leave with me.”
As she spoke, Ouyang Yongrong held Chu Xiayi's hand and walked out.
Just as they opened the door, a tall and thin man was already waiting at the door.
That's right! Dugu Han!
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