Chapter 678 Alone
"My Lord, save me..."

"shut up!"

Zhao Yuan's eyes turned cold, causing Qin Wei's shouting to stop abruptly.

"Boom!"

When they saw Liu Xunyi holding Qin Wei hostage, Qiu Han and a dozen Golden Sword Captains' faces changed at the same time. They drew their weapons, rushed into the room in a hurry, and surrounded Liu Xunyi.

"What?"

Zhao Yuan looked at Qiu Han and the others with unfriendly eyes and shouted, "Are you crazy? How dare you draw your sword against your own people! Have you forgotten the rules of Tianji Pavilion?"

"Master Hou..."

"All the Golden Sword Captains, get out of the room!" Zhao Yuan ignored Qiu Han's explanation and ordered the dozen Golden Sword Captains, "Early tomorrow morning, each of you will receive thirty heavy sticks. Take this as a warning!"

"Yes!"

Although the golden sword captains were unwilling, no one dared to disobey Zhao Yuan's orders, so they obeyed the order in unison, then hurriedly put away their swords and left the room in embarrassment.

After a while, only Zhao Yuan, Qiu Han, Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei were left in the room.

Zhao Yuan glanced at Qin Wei, whose life was hanging by a thread, and then turned his complicated gaze to Liu Xunyi, who was filled with grief and anger, and said softly: "Xunyi, put down the sword!"

"My lord, do you know what Qin Wei has done?" Liu Xunyi asked without turning his head, but the Wuji sword in his hand did not move at all.

"Liu Xunyi, do you want to disobey?" Qiu Han snorted, "This is Tianji Pavilion, not Xianwang Mansion..."

"Enough!" Liu Xunyi shouted, frightening Qiu Han who was caught off guard. "Since I returned to Tianji Pavilion, you have been treating me like a thief. Not only have you been hiding from me and hiding things from me, but you have also sent people to monitor me day and night. As long as my words and deeds are not to your liking, you will use innuendos such as 'Wanwang Mansion', 'Black Fan', 'Gangster Banditry' to attack me. I have never done anything to let down the court and Tianji Pavilion. I was lurking beside Luo Tianjin because I was ordered to do my job. What makes you doubt me? Why do you blame me for the failure of the amnesty and the death of my brothers?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi's question made Qiu Han speechless.

"A man of integrity has nothing to fear!" Zhao Yuan said solemnly, "Xun Yi, as long as you have a clear conscience, why bother about what others think?"

"What about now?" Liu Xunyi laughed at himself, his laughter full of pain and shame. "Now you treat me as an enemy as soon as I walk in without asking any questions. You don't even give me a chance to explain. You just assume that I'm wrong and I'm crazy?"

"No matter what Qin Wei did, you disobeyed the Marquis' order and left Tianji Pavilion without permission. You were wrong!" Qiu Han scolded, "You can't deny this!"

"May I ask, Master Qiu, what crime have I committed? Why am I deprived of my freedom? Even leaving the Tianji Pavilion is considered a crime? Why did you bother to lead everyone to search for me?" Liu Xunyi asked in return, "Even if he is a wanted criminal who committed murder and arson, it is not worth your concern, right? Could it be that my crime is worse than murder and arson?"

"Liu Xunyi, you are just quibbling..."

"okay!"

Zhao Yuan interrupted the argument between Liu Xunyi and Qiu Han impatiently and said in a deep voice: "We are all family, why are you arguing? If this matter is made public, won't the whole world laugh at us?"

After saying this, Zhao Yuan cast a solemn gaze towards Liu Xunyi, and recalled: "I remember that when I met you on the streets of Qianzhou, you would rather freeze to death or starve to death than leave Qin Wei alone to fend for himself. I still remember this vividly. Have you forgotten the brotherhood you have had since childhood? Forgot how you wandered and begged together in the past? Forgot the days when you shared half a pancake, drank half a bowl of dew each, repelled mosquitoes and scratched each other's itches in summer, and cuddled together to keep each other warm in winter?"

Zhao Yuan's words undoubtedly brought back memories buried deep in the hearts of Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei. Although those days were difficult and full of suffering, they also became a precious experience of their mutual trust and support.

Although they have not mentioned it for many years, or even thought about it, the childhood engraved deep in their memories is a time they will never forget in their entire lives.

When Zhao Yuan brought up the old matter today, Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei's eyes couldn't help but turn slightly red.

"My Lord, I went to Prince Rong's Mansion tonight." Liu Xunyi suppressed the sadness in her heart and choked up, "Do you know what the young prince told me? Do you know what Qin Wei did behind my back?"

"I know."

"what?"

Zhao Yuan's words immediately shocked Liu Xunyi. She looked at Zhao Yuan with astonishment and said in disbelief, "My Lord knows?"

"Yes." Zhao Yuan nodded vaguely, "I know everything Qin Wei said to Zhao Xin."

"Hiss!" Zhao Yuan's answer was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Liu Xunyi dazed and stunned, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground involuntarily.

"But...but the Marquis said that the West Palace used the 'marriage' to persuade the Mongolian army to retreat, which was very disadvantageous to the East Palace. The Prime Minister was very angry about this..." Liu Xunyi's mind was in a mess, and he kept muttering to himself, "But how could you..."

"How can a treaty under siege have the best of both worlds?" Zhao Yuanyi said righteously, "Although I know that the success of the negotiations between the West Palace will have many disadvantages for the East Palace, no matter how fierce the fight between the two palaces is, it is still the family affair of the Song Dynasty. Its danger and harm cannot be compared with the Mongolian invasion to the south. Therefore, for the sake of the overall situation, the safety of the Song Dynasty, and the lives of the people, I know that the East Palace is 'a dumb person eating coptis', but I have to bite my tongue and swallow it. Only in this way can the Song Dynasty have a glimmer of hope. The Prime Minister also knows this very well."

"But……"

"Although the two governments of the East and the West have always been at odds, they are both pillars of the Song Dynasty. Now that the country is in trouble, it is inevitable to make necessary concessions or even endure humiliation." Zhao Yuan waved his hand to interrupt Liu Xunyi's doubts and continued, "What's more, even if Qin Wei hadn't intervened, the emperor would not give up the marriage plan. It is also destined that Zhao Xin will marry into Mongolia, and no one can change it."

"So... Qin Wei's attempt to alienate Xin'er and me was actually... the Marquis' intention?"

However, facing Liu Xunyi's questioning, Zhao Yuan did not answer directly, but evasively asked: "Since Zhao Xin's marriage to a distant place is a foregone conclusion, why should she have regrets and reluctance? If she can't cut off her feelings for you, she will be in great pain and hardship in Mongolia. Isn't it too cruel to her? Now, let Zhao Xin be disappointed with you, break off all ties with you, and no longer have the slightest attachment to the Central Plains. Only by marrying far away in Mongolia can she be free and easy and do things happily. Isn't this a good thing for her?"

"That's right!" Qin Wei took the opportunity to agree, "Brother Liu, if you really like the princess, you should hope for her well, instead of taking her for yourself."

Liu Xunyi slowly raised her head, stared at Qin Wei with tearful eyes, and asked word by word: "You mean... without me, Xin'er will be happy if she marries to Mongolia?"

"Not necessarily." Zhao Yuan said frankly, "But at least 'a short pain is worse than a long one'. She may be depressed in the beginning, but as time goes by, I believe she will be able to adapt to the life on the grassland and be a Mongolian princess in a down-to-earth manner."

"Yes!" Qin Wei nodded repeatedly, "The princess is going to Mongolia to be a princess, not a slave. Why are you worried?"

"Hmph!" Qiu Han said coldly, "To put it bluntly, it's better for the princess to marry a Mongolian prince than to marry you. At least, the Mongolian prince is powerful and well-off, and the princess will be able to enjoy wealth and honor and be highly respected. On the contrary, if the princess marries you, unless you are content to be a prince consort for the rest of your life, hiding behind women and eating and drinking for free. Otherwise, the emperor and Prince Rong will definitely take away your official title and demote you to commoners. By then, the princess will probably have to eat bran and vegetables every day and worry about her livelihood every day."

"you……"

"Although Qiu Han's words are a bit cruel, they are also true." Zhao Yuan interrupted, "Many years ago, after Lord Rong knew about your relationship with Zhao Xin, he told me clearly that he would never marry Zhao Xin to a powerless and lowly servant. This Marquis has not told you about this because I don't want you to belittle yourself and give up on yourself. Since things have come to this point today, let's just untie all the knots in our hearts. Xunyi, this Marquis has kept you under house arrest in Tianji Pavilion since I returned to Lin'an. In name, it is to protect your safety, but in fact, I am worried that you will meet Zhao Xin in private and cause trouble again. Little do you know that although Zhao Xin is in Lin'an City today, she is already the prospective princess of Mongolia. If she meets with you in private, even..."

At this point, Zhao Yuan's tone could not help but stagnate, and he showed his entanglement. After pondering for a long time, he finally bit the bullet and told his thoughts: "Even if you act on impulse and do something shameful with her, not only will the Song Dynasty's royal family lose face, but it will also bring shame to the Mongolian royal family. The result is probably worse than the Song-Mongol war that was originally expected. Therefore, I have to put up with you for a while to avoid any accidents. Originally, I wanted to tell you the truth after the princess left Lin'an, but I didn't expect you to be so bold that you dared to disobey my order and go to Prince Rong's mansion to dig up the truth without authorization."

"This……"

The sudden change caught Liu Xunyi off guard and made him unable to cope. At this moment, he felt like a lonely person, isolated and even excluded in Tianji Pavilion.

"Xun Yi, can you understand my difficulties?"

Facing Zhao Yuan's questioning, Liu Xunyi was depressed, his heart was dead, his face was as pale as wax, and he said nothing.

"Human feelings are human feelings, but the rules of Tianji Pavilion cannot be broken." Qiu Han said coldly, "Liu Xunyi disobeyed the order of the Marquis and left Tianji Pavilion without permission. This matter is irrefutable and cannot be argued. According to the rules of Tianji Pavilion, disobeying the order of the Marquis shall be executed!"

"No!" Qin Wei's eyes changed, and he said hurriedly, "Brother Liu is under house arrest for a reason, and the Marquis just said it."

"That's right!" Zhao Yuan said thoughtfully, "This matter can't be blamed entirely on Xunyi."

"But the country has its own laws, and the family has its own rules. If we make an exception for him, what will happen to the dignity of Tianji Pavilion? How can the Marquis win the support of the people in the future?" Qiu Han was ruthless and insisted on his own opinion. "Everyone in Tianji Pavilion saw what happened tonight. All the lieutenants are standing in the courtyard at this moment. How can the Marquis be partial in public? Even if there is a reason, the death penalty can be avoided, but the punishment for life cannot be escaped. At least one hand and one foot of Liu Xunyi should be chopped off to serve as a warning to others!"

"My Lord, Brother Liu is a meritorious official of the Tianji Pavilion. If we punish him, we will be criticized and accused of hiding our bows after the birds are killed and discarding our bows after the rabbits are dead!"

"My Lord, you just ordered the punishment of the captains who broke the rules. How can you turn a blind eye to Liu Xunyi's mistakes now? How can the rules be different for different people? There is a saying that 'the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people', let alone Liu Xunyi? The law of nature is clear and in public. Human feelings must not be above the law!"

"This……"

Faced with the argument between Qin Wei and Qiu Han, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but feel hesitant and didn't know what to do for a moment.

"Who said Liu Xunyi was guilty? I ordered him to leave, how dare he disobey? If you want to chop off a hand or a foot, why not chop off Xiao Wang's?"

Just when Zhao Yuan was in a dilemma, a teasing voice suddenly came from outside the door. Then, Ding Chou, with a panicked face, hurriedly led Zhao Xie, who looked hurried, and the two walked quickly into the room, one in front and one behind.

……

(End of this chapter)