Chapter 1077 Retreating to Advance
"There is one more thing...I don't know if I should ask it?"

"Could it be that Miss Xunzhen still refuses to treat me as her own?" Facing Xunzhen's ambiguous words, Xie Xuan waved his hand and pretended to be displeased, "There are no outsiders here, why is Miss Xunzhen hesitating? Just say whatever you want to say."

"This is a family affair of the Xianwang Mansion. I am just curious. If Lord Xie has any unspeakable secrets, he can just avoid talking about it. I will never force anyone to do anything..."

Before Xunzhen could explain again and again, Xie Xuan had already revealed a hint of impatience. Seeing this, Xunzhen, who was hesitant, smiled awkwardly, leaned close to Xie Xuan's ear, and whispered: "I want to ask... Liu Xunyi has now recognized his ancestors and returned to his ancestral home. I wonder how the Xianwang Mansion plans to settle him? Are they going to let him be... the young master for life?"

"This……"

"Don't be impatient!" Before Xie Xuan, whose face changed slightly, could answer, Xunzhen had already gently pressed his shoulder with her hand and continued, "I might as well make my words clearer. When does Lord Xie plan to... hand over the power of the Xianwang Mansion to Liu Xunyi?"

Facing Xunzhen's evasive questioning, Xie Xuan frowned and remained silent.

"Forget it! If Palace Master Xie is not in a position to answer, I will just pretend that I have never asked..."

"What's the inconvenience?" Before Xunzhen finished speaking, Xie Xuan's expression changed and he answered word by word, "I was originally just taking over the position of the Palace Master temporarily, and I never thought of controlling the power of the Xianwang Palace. Therefore, as long as Xunyi nods, I can retreat to the second line anytime and anywhere."

At this point, Xie Xuan seemed to realize that his attitude was a bit too serious, so his eyes relaxed, he smiled, and said jokingly: "To be honest, the position of the Palace Master seems to be very glorious, but in fact, it is like a fish drinking water and knowing the cold and warmth. Since I usurped this position, it feels like being in a sea of ​​fire and swords. I feel like sitting on pins and needles all day long. In more than a year, I have hardly eaten a peaceful meal, let alone slept a sound night. I am now eager for Xunyi to cheer up and take over all the burdens on my shoulders, so that I can stand comfortably behind the 'Palace Master' like before, helping him solve his problems and give him advice."

"Thank you, Lord, for your understanding of justice. I admire you wholeheartedly. It is a blessing for Liu Xunyi to have met an uncle as loyal to his master as you in his previous life."

"The mansion master was very kind to me when he was alive. I, Xie, will do my best for his descendants..."

"Master of the Palace!"

Just when Xie Xuan and Xunzhen were "opening their hearts" to each other, a clear voice suddenly came from a distance, interrupting their conversation.

Immediately afterwards, Murong Bai and Deng Quan, who were in a hurry, came up one after another.

"Huh? So Miss Xunzhen is here too. My apologies! My apologies!"

"Meet the Seventh and Eighth Masters!"

After a few pleasantries, Deng Quan walked to Xie Xuan's side and wanted to whisper in his ear, but was unexpectedly pushed away by Xie Xuan's big hand.

"Miss Xunzhen is Xunyi's savior and also the benefactor of Prince Xian's Mansion. Therefore, you don't have to hide anything in front of her. You can speak freely if you have anything to say."

"This……"

As if they were surprised by Xie Xuan's "generosity", Deng Quan and Murong Bai looked at each other, both of them with hesitation on their faces.

"What happened?"

"Oh!" Before the confused Deng Quan could figure out the situation, Murong Bai, who seemed to be thinking about something, spoke first, "Master, we have sent people to send the doctors back home according to your instructions."

"Have you repeatedly warned them not to talk nonsense?"

"Don't worry, it's all done." Murong Bai smiled confidently, "The reward we gave is enough for them to eat and drink for a year. Now we only let them stay indoors for a month. It's like pie in the sky for them."

"That's great!" Xie Xuan nodded with satisfaction. "If there's nothing else, the three of us will go for another round of inspection to ensure that Danfeng Garden is completely safe."

"As ordered!"

Seeing Murong Bai and Deng Quan readily agreed, Xie Xuan was relieved, and bowed to Xunzhen again, saying goodbye: "Miss Xunzhen, you should go back and rest early too!"

"I will follow the arrangements of Lord Xie."

After bidding farewell to each other, Xie Xuan, who forced a smile, led Murong Bai and Deng Quan to leave in a hurry, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye. "Xunzhen, when you said goodbye to Xie Xuan just now... were you deliberately testing him?"

"What do you think?" Facing Abaolu's curiosity, Xunzhen did not answer but asked, "If it's not a test, are you really leaving? If we go back like this, how can you and I explain to the young king of Qin?"

"I know you are testing me on purpose, but... isn't it too risky?" Abaolu said awkwardly, "Have you ever thought that if Xie Xuan doesn't follow common sense and tries to keep us, wouldn't it be... counterproductive for you to resign on your own initiative?"

"If I dare to say goodbye to him, I know for sure that he will not let us go."

"Why?" Abaolu stared blankly at the mysterious Xunzhen and hesitated, "Is it just because we have the 'blood letter' he wrote to the young king of Qin in our hands?"

"No! If Xie Xuan is determined to draw a line between us, a 'blood letter' alone is far from enough." Xunzhen shook his head slowly, "The reason why I am sure he will not let us go is because he urgently needs us to stay and help him. Therefore, he can't bear to leave us."

"What do you mean?" Abaolu became more and more confused as he listened. "Qingfeng is dead, Ling Xiaoxiao is doomed. Xie Xuan is in his prime, why would he be reluctant to let us go?"

Xunzhen pointed at the extremely dark inner courtyard door and asked, "We have been guarding here since we came out of the inner courtyard. Have you found anything?"

"What discovery?"

"The people who just left the inner court can be roughly divided into three groups. The first group was led by Qin Ku, including us. The second group was Yun Zhuiyue, Teng Sanshi and Yun Jianping. They were close to Xiao Zhirou and should not be separated easily, but they 'abandoned Xiao Zhirou' and left first. Don't you find it strange?"

"This……"

"The third group is Pan Yuyin." Xunzhen did not give Abaolu a chance to think, and as usual, he showed his wisdom to the fullest. "As I expected, Miss Pan was left alone. It should be Xie Xuan and Xiao Zhirou who asked her about the details of Liu Xunyi's experience in the Tiger's Den and Dragon's Pond."

"That makes sense." Abaolu nodded, "But...what does this prove?"

"After Miss Pan left, only Xie Xuan and Xiao Zhirou were left in the inner court. Not only were they not related, but they also had a long-standing grudge against each other. Can you guess... why were they alone in the courtyard in the middle of the night?"

"What's the matter?" Abaolu pondered carefully, "As far as I know, their only connection is Luo Tianjin and Liu Xunyi. Now that Luo Tianjin is dead, it seems that only Liu Xunyi can 'tie' them together..."

"That's right!" Xunzhen cast an approving look at Abaolu and analyzed slowly, "The two of them stayed alone in the inner court to talk, and the topic must be related to Liu Xunyi. Recalling that when the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference' was about to end, Teng Sanshi had blatantly competed with Xie Xuan for the 'ownership' of Liu Xunyi, causing the situation to be deadlocked for a time. I guess... Xiao Zhirou and Xie Xuan's private conversation is probably related to this matter."

"Right!" Under Xunzhen's guidance, Abaolu's confused thoughts suddenly became clear. "Recalling Xie Xuan's melancholy look when he just walked out of the inner court, he must have had an unpleasant argument with Xiao Zhirou..."

"Behind Xiao Zhirou is not only the powerful Jueqing Valley, but also the covetous Longxiang Mountain and Xiangxi Teng Clan. Behind Xie Xuan is only the severely weakened Xianwang Mansion and the weak Sanyi Gang. Apart from that, he has no one to trust, and no one to use. Therefore, once the two sides confront each other and 'fight' for Liu Xunyi, the weak Xie Xuan will inevitably fall into a disadvantage." Xunzhen chuckled, "At this time, the only person he can ask for help, the only person he can trust, and the only person he can use... is us. First, we have been very kind to Liu Xunyi. Second, Liu Xunyi is still the deputy leader of Xilu Wuzong. It is reasonable for him to take our feelings into consideration and listen to our suggestions."

"You mean... Xie Xuan refused to let us go because he wanted to use us to keep Liu Xunyi?"

"The agreement between Xie Xuan and Shao Qin Wang is 'We help Liu Xunyi escape bad luck and return to the Xian Wang Mansion. Xie Xuan instigated him to join us in this great cause'. Therefore, rather than saying that Xie Xuan used us, it is better to say that we used each other and depended on each other." Xunzhen said meaningfully, "After all, the person Shao Qin Wang favored was Liu Xunyi, not Xie Xuan. But if Xie Xuan did not assist, with the temperament of Teng Sanshi and Xiao Zhirou... they would definitely not let Liu Xunyi cooperate with Shao Qin Wang. Therefore, if we want to successfully complete Shao Qin Wang's deployment, we must help Xie Xuan keep Liu Xunyi. Now, we and Xie Xuan are 'Jiao is inseparable from Meng, Meng is inseparable from Jiao'. No one can get something for nothing, and no one can sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. We must cooperate sincerely to achieve something."

“So that’s how it is!” Abaolu suddenly realized, and looked at Xunzhen with more admiration, “Even if Xie Xuan wanted to part ways with us, he wouldn’t dare to do so. Because once we leave, he is very likely to lose Liu Xunyi, and even lose all his previous efforts and be beaten back to his original form.”

"Now you should understand why I dare to be fearless in front of Xie Xuan?"

"I understand! I understand!" Abaolu nodded excitedly. "The eldest lady is very smart and has already figured out Xie Xuan's thoughts..."

At this point, Abaolu rolled his eyes and said in confusion: "It's just that... since you have already guessed Xie Xuan's thoughts, why bother to test him?"

"For some things, 'guessing' and 'speaking' are two completely different things." Xunzhen's eyes quietly flashed with a cunning look, "I deliberately used a tactic of 'retreating to advance', intending to 'knock the mountain and scare the tiger'. Little did they know that the more you avoid talking about some things, the more obscure they become. After the farce of the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan have both seen the attitude of the Central Plains heroes towards us. Therefore, their current state of mind should be in a dilemma, wavering. They dare not be close to us and be criticized by the world. They also dare not be strangers to us and become Ungrateful person. At this moment, Xie Xuan most hopes that we keep silent. In this way, he can pretend to be ignorant with a clear conscience. When he needs us, he can use us to his heart's content. When he doesn't need us, he can kick us away without any scruples. In this way, the initiative is always in his hands. But I don't want to give him the opportunity to play dumb and force him to make his position clear. Only in this way can we turn passivity into initiative. I don't know the attitudes of others in front of Liu Xunyi in the future, but at least... Xie Xuan will speak for us wholeheartedly. "

……

(End of this chapter)