Chapter 628: Hidden Thorn in the Mud
There is a saying that goes, "There is no wall that is impenetrable."

This morning, a farce that occurred in Prince Xian's mansion spread like wildfire and became a hot topic in Luoyang within half a day.

Among them, the news about Liu Xunyi remaining calm in front of the frying pan and escaping danger was talked about by people and became a topic of conversation among the people of Luoyang after dinner.

At dusk, Zhao Yuan and his companions, who had already packed their bags and were preparing to flee Luoyang City, breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Liu Xunyi was out of danger.

As long as Liu Xunyi is not dead, Zhao Yuan and others will not be in danger of their lives, so they can stay in Luoyang City and wait and see what happens.

Danfeng Garden, Pavilion in the Center of the Lake.

Zhao Yuanyao looked at the ripples on the lake with a deep gaze and an inexplicable expression, as if he was grateful for surviving a calamity, but also as if he was melancholy due to the twists and turns.

Qiu Han, who looked weak, and Qin Wei, who looked depressed, stood aside, gazing at the lake with Zhao Yuan, also wondering what they were thinking about.
"What do you think of what happened this morning?"

Suddenly, Zhao Yuan's voice rang out from the pavilion, breaking the slightly oppressive silence.

Hearing this, Qin Wei and Qiu Han looked at each other, both with a bitter look on their faces.

"There are no outsiders here, you can talk as you please!"

At Zhao Yuan's urging, Qin Wei gritted his teeth and replied, "Although the incident happened suddenly, Brother Liu reacted promptly and was able to adapt to the situation. Fortunately, we escaped the disaster without any danger."

"That's right!" Qiu Han agreed, "Today's events have proven that Liu Xunyi is both intelligent and courageous. If it were me, I would have been thrown into the oil pan by Luo Tianjin and fried to pieces."

Zhao Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked, "You mean... I should give him credit for his contribution?"

"This……"

Hearing Zhao Yuan's strange tone, Qin Wei and Qiu Han were startled and swallowed the words that were about to come out of their mouths.

In fact, in the minds of Qin Wei and Qiu Han, Liu Xunyi had done a great deed by turning danger into safety. But judging from Zhao Yuan's attitude at this time, he didn't seem to think so.

"Liu Xunyi deserves praise for remaining calm in the face of danger, but I cannot understand why, when Luo Tianjin handed Xunzhen's life and death over to him, Liu Xunyi did not take the opportunity to get rid of the evildoer, but instead showed mercy and let her go."

"This……"

"Liu Xunyi is well aware of the conspiracy of Luo Tianjin and Shao Qin Wang, and is even more aware of the huge harm that the two of them joining forces will cause to the court." Zhao Yuan added, "Xunzhen, as the spy planted by Shao Qin Wang next to Luo Tianjin, must be a key figure. If Liu Xunyi kills Xunzhen, Shao Qin Wang will definitely have a rift with Luo Tianjin. Even if he cannot stop them from rebellion, he can delay it for some time. In this way, it will be beneficial to the court without any harm. This truth... Could it be that Liu Xunyi does not know it?"

"Brother Liu...maybe he has his own concerns." Qin Wei tried to smooth things over. "Maybe Luo Tianjin didn't really mean it when he handed Xunzhen's life and death over to him, but was testing him. If Brother Liu attacks Xunzhen, not only will he fail to kill him, but Luo Tianjin will also start to suspect him again. In this case, wouldn't it be a loss?"

"Really?" Zhao Yuan frowned and thought, "But why do I feel that Liu Xunyi deliberately let Xunzhen go this time, knowing that it was impossible to do so?"

"My Lord, you worry too much..."

"Are you worrying too much? Why don't you ask Liu Xunyi in person?"

Before Qin Wei could persuade him, Qiu Han's voice suddenly rang out, and at the same time, his eyes looked towards the distance on the lake.

Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei were slightly stunned, and subconsciously looked sideways into the distance, only to see a small boat slowly approaching on the water. The person standing on the bow was none other than Liu Xunyi, whom they had been thinking about.

"It's really like 'Speak of the devil, he will appear'!"

Liu Xunyi's sudden appearance undoubtedly caused a great shock to Zhao Yuan and the other two.

After all, he had just been suspected by Luo Tianjin of being a spy in the imperial court and was nearly thrown into the oil pan. But now, in the blink of an eye, he ran to Danfeng Garden to meet them openly as if nothing had happened.

How could such a strange thing not arouse Zhao Yuan's suspicion?
Therefore, when Zhao Yuan watched Liu Xunyi getting closer, a hint of suspicion flashed involuntarily in the depths of his eyes.

After a while, Liu Xunyi climbed onto the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The boatman tactfully turned the boat around and rowed towards the distance without stopping.

At this time, Liu Xunyi was holding the Wuji sword in his left hand and an exquisite gift box made of bamboo in his right hand.

"Greetings to the Marquis!"

In order to avoid any suspicion, Liu Xunyi only bowed slightly to Zhao Yuan but did not kneel down.

"Xunyi, I am very pleased to see that you are safe and sound." Zhao Yuan's expression changed and a kind smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks to the Marquis, I was able to escape unharmed and finally save my life."

Zhao Yuan glanced at the gift box in Liu Xunyi's hand and asked casually, "Why are you here?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi hurriedly brought the gift box forward and replied, "Luo Tianjin sent me to deliver a gift to the Marquis."

"Oh?" Zhao Yuan's eyes lit up, and he asked with a half-smile, "Why did Luo Tianjin give me a gift for no reason? Do you know what he is up to?" "Luo Tianjin repeatedly told me that the gift box must be opened by the Marquis himself, so I don't know his intentions..."

While he was talking, Zhao Yuan had already opened the gift box. At the same time, Qin Wei and Qiu Han took two steps forward at the same time, looking into the gift box with curiosity.

But to everyone's surprise, there were no rare treasures in such an exquisite gift box, only an ordinary pear that was even slightly wilted due to being stored for too long.

"What...what does this mean?"

Everyone was stunned when they saw the pears. Qin Wei couldn't help but look through the gift box from inside to outside, from top to bottom, to make sure there was nothing else in the box.

"What does Luo Tianjin mean?" Qin Wei looked at Liu Xunyi in confusion. "Sending a pear for no reason, is it because the weather is dry, so he gave the pear to the Marquis to boil water to drink?"

However, facing Qin Wei's confusion, Liu Xunyi's eyes were full of confusion and he didn't say a word for a long time.

On the other hand, Zhao Yuan held the pear in his hands and looked at it again and again, his eyes wandering and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Haha, it seems that Luo Tianjin has completely believed in you."

Suddenly, Zhao Yuan threw the pear on the table and said with a fake smile: "Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent you to deliver such an important gift."

"My Lord, this may be a compromise between Luo Tianjin and the court." Liu Xunyi said awkwardly, "He may not really believe me, but he just doesn't want to break off relations with the court."

Zhao Yuan stared at Liu Xunyi silently for a long time before he asked, "In your opinion, what should I do?"

"I think... this is an opportunity to end this peacefully. It will give both sides a way out, and it will also save everyone's face and avoid embarrassment..."

"Bastard!"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, Zhao Yuan suddenly became furious without any warning. He smashed the pear on the table into pieces and juice. Liu Xunyi and the other two were immediately frightened and their faces changed.

"Liu Xunyi, do you know that just based on what you just said, I can sentence you to death for 'treason'!" Zhao Yuan pointed at Liu Xunyi's nose angrily, no longer caring about the dignity of Tianji Hou, and scolded him, "End peacefully? Avoid embarrassment? Do you know what you are talking about? Do you think Luo Tianjin committed a minor crime of stealing? He was plotting a rebellion! What do the four words 'plotting a rebellion' mean? Do you understand? Right now, the Song Dynasty is in chaos. Worried about foreign invasions, the court needs the full support of the Central Plains martial arts community. As the leader of the martial arts community, Luo Tianjin is not an ordinary ruffian, so the emperor can show him some grace, or even privileges. Even if he kills people, arson, and steals money, the court can also let him go and forgive him. But now we are not talking about killing and arson, but conspiracy to rebel! Luo Tianjin wants to rebel against the Song Dynasty, and you are so shameless to talk about a "peaceful ending"? Liu Xunyi, I think you are getting more and more confused!"

Liu Xunyi was extremely terrified and apologized immediately: "My Lord, please calm down. I was the one who made a mistake..."

"No! You didn't say anything wrong. You spoke your true feelings." Zhao Yuan said angrily, "Are you hoping that the court will stop? Looking forward to a change of dynasty? In this way, you can be crowned king and prime minister, and enjoy wealth and glory?"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi's body froze, and he said in shame and anger: "I dare to swear to heaven that I have no such rebellious heart..."

"and many more!"

Confused, Qin Wei stared at Zhao Yuan and Liu Xunyi in astonishment, and said in astonishment: "My Lord, Brother Liu, Luo Tianjin only sent a pear, why did you get so angry? Does this pear have any special meaning?"

"Brother Qin may not know that pear... implies 'parting'." Liu Xunyi explained, "and the gift box used to hold it is made of bamboo, and 'bamboo' is pronounced the same as 'chu', which implies 'expel'. The two combined into one is... expulsion."

"Drive us away?" Qin Wei was shocked and asked in astonishment, "After all this talk, Luo Tianjin meant to drive us away?"

"That's right." Liu Xunyi nodded, "This shows that Luo Tianjin has completely lost his patience in the stalemate with the Marquis."

"Of course he wants us to leave, so that we won't be hindered by his rebellion." Qiu Han said coldly, "But the more this is the case, the more we can't leave."

"I am thinking about the safety of the Marquis!" Liu Xunyi said anxiously, "The Marquis once taught us that we should think twice before doing anything, especially to prepare for the worst. Now, the worst plan is undoubtedly Luo Tianjin is playing hard to get, he already knows that I am the inner support of the court. In this case, it will be extremely difficult for us to deal with him again..."

Seeing Liu Xunyi's firm words, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but sigh and said bitterly: "Think twice before you act, but you also have to know the truth that 'Opportunities are rare and never come back'."

"I understand!" Liu Xunyi advised earnestly, "But now may not be the right time, it is most likely a crisis. I have too many doubts in my mind about what happened today, and Luo Tianjin suddenly showed leniency to me, which really confused me."

Qiu Han frowned and hesitated, "What are you worried about?"

"I can't explain it clearly, but I always have a feeling that Luo Tianjin let me go, not because he trusts me, but because he is planning a bigger trap, waiting for us to fall into it." Liu Xunyi said in embarrassment, "Luo Tianjin has always been cautious in doing things, and he always doubts people. Although there is no conclusive evidence to prove that I am an insider of the court, there is also no ironclad evidence to prove that I am not an insider. According to Luo Tianjin's character, even if he doesn't kill me, he should imprison me, and he will never pretend that nothing happened. Therefore, I suspect that Luo Tianjin has other intentions. My suggestion is... temporarily abandon all arrangements for Luo Tianjin, and make a decision after weighing the pros and cons after a long-term plan..."

"No!"

Zhao Yuan's expression changed, and he said sternly: "Xun Yi, I believe that you are loyal to the court, and I also believe that your concerns are for my sake, and you have no ill intentions. But I have been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of the emperor. This matter is not only related to the status of the East Palace in the court, but also to the life and death of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, I must not lose it, and I must not retreat. Otherwise, not only will your heads be in danger, but even the prime minister and the emperor will be ridiculed and lose face. Therefore, either recruit them or suppress the rebellion. There is absolutely no third way!"

"But……"

"No need to say more! I have made up my mind. Since today was just a false alarm, it means that God is blessing us and helping the Song Dynasty to overcome difficulties. Therefore, everything should be done according to the plan, and no one should shake the morale of the army. Those who disobey the order will be executed!" Zhao Yuan's face sank, and he ordered without question, "You don't have to worry about nothing, and don't worry about trivial things. Just do your job and do your best. Any mistakes will be borne by me alone!"

……

(End of this chapter)