Chapter 707: Unexpected Disaster (Part )

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Zhao Yuan, who was burning with rage, swung the whip with all his might, whipping Liu Xunyi again and again like a storm, and in a blink of an eye, he was covered with bruises and bleeding profusely.

Liu Xunyi lay on the ground with his head in his hands, allowing Zhao Yuan to whip him like mad, but he gritted his teeth and persisted without saying a word.

"My Lord, stop fighting!"

Qin Wei rushed forward anxiously, trying to snatch the whip from Zhao Yuan's hand.

"Go away!"

"Snapped!"

However, in the face of Qin Wei's pleading, Zhao Yuan did not hesitate at all. He swung the whip back and left a shocking blood mark on Qin Wei's neck.

"You bastard, I made you stubborn and unrepentant! I made you forget your principles for the sake of beauty! I made you pretend to obey but actually disobey! I made you selfish and self-centered! Tonight, I must beat you to death!"

Zhao Yuan cursed and slapped Liu Xunyi, who was full of grievances. Until now, Liu Xunyi still didn't know why Zhao Yuan was so angry, and didn't understand what he meant by "stubborn" and "forgetting one's loyalty for the sake of beauty".
However, Zhao Yuan was so angry that he would not listen to any explanation. Even if Liu Xunyi had a thousand mouths, he would not have the chance to speak. He could only endure it silently. Only when Zhao Yuan's anger subsided would he have the chance to ask him the reason.

"I was worried about you, so I ran to the Prime Minister's residence overnight to find a way to get out of this situation for you. Little did I know that the Prime Minister had already been trapped in a dilemma because of you. It would be fine if I didn't go, but if I go... I don't know where to put my face? The Prime Minister questioned me repeatedly, and I wished I could find a crack in the ground to crawl into!"

The beating lasted for a whole stick of incense. When Zhao Yuan threw away the whip in his hand, panting, Liu Xunyi was already in tattered clothes, with whip marks all over his skin and blood, which was unbearable to look at.

"Brother Liu, how are you?"

Qin Wei covered the whip marks on his neck and whispered with concern cautiously and anxiously.

"Cough cough..."

After a long silence, the motionless Liu Xunyi let out a series of low roars. Under the completely different gazes of Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei, Liu Xunyi's arms covered with whip marks trembled as he supported the ground, and he slowly supported his miserable body.

A simple movement, but it affected countless wounds. Severe pain attacked every inch of his body, causing Liu Xunyi's breathing to tremble and sweat to pour down.

After struggling for a while, Liu Xunyi finally sat up. He half leaned against the wall, looking at Zhao Yuan with bitter eyes, the corners of his bleeding mouth slightly raised, forcing a bitter smile, and said intermittently: "My Lord, what happened? Why are you so angry?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan's eyes changed slightly, a hint of shame and anger flashed across his brows, and he said coldly: "At this point, do you still want to use the same trick in front of me?"

"I don't understand what you mean, sir... But from your tone, it seems that this matter has a lot to do with me... I am a stupid subordinate, so I dare ask you to explain it clearly."

"You really won't cry until you see the coffin!" Zhao Yuan said angrily, "Ten days ago, I risked the world's disapproval to facilitate your meeting with Zhao Xin. For this, everyone from the emperor to the people of Song Dynasty took huge risks. The prime minister and the officials of the East Palace even gambled their lives to guarantee you. Is that right?"

"Yes..." Liu Xunyi nodded slowly, "I will always remember your kindness..."

"Favor? Is it repaying kindness with enmity?"

"Where did this come from?" Liu Xunyi was full of surprise.

"What did you say to Zhao Xin that night?" Zhao Yuan asked aggressively, "Did you really want to say goodbye to her when you met her?"

"I..." Liu Xunyi hesitated, thinking over and over again in his heart, and argued, "What I said to the princess that night, the Marquis, the little prince, Lord Qian, and Lord Jia should have heard it clearly. After all, we were only separated by a screen..."

"Don't try to be clever in front of me!" Zhao Yuan interrupted, "You two have known each other for many years, so you have a tacit understanding. If you want to pass on some secret, there must be a way that is unknown to others. I don't want to find out how you two secretly communicated. I just want to know whether you, Liu Xunyi, are a human or a ghost? Are you loyal or treacherous?"

"I am loyal to you, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that..."

"Heaven and earth can bear witness to this!" Zhao Yuan laughed in anger and nodded repeatedly, "If that's the case, then tell me clearly, were you meeting Zhao Xin to say goodbye? Or to elope?"

"hiss!"

Just these words made Liu Xunyi's heart tighten, and Qin Wei, who didn't know the truth, was secretly surprised.

"I……"

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Liu Xunyi's mind. He guessed that the secret of him and Zhao Xin using water as ink to express their feelings to each other on the table might have been discovered, and even spread to the emperor's ears, which would cause an uproar. "I..." Liu Xunyi hesitated because he was not sure what Zhao Yuan was thinking, and he didn't know how to start.

"You don't want to say it, so you admit it?" Zhao Yuan sneered, "The Prime Minister is right, a great falsehood looks like truth, a great treachery looks like loyalty! You, Liu Xunyi, may seem loyal, but in fact you are full of scales. It is precisely because we trust you too much that you play with us like monkeys."

"No!" Liu Xunyi hastily defended herself, "I... I did want to take Xin'er away, but it didn't work out. Xin'er took the overall situation into consideration and was willing to sacrifice herself for the Song Dynasty. It was me who was confused for a moment and almost made a big mistake..."

"What?" Qin Wei said in disbelief. "Brother Liu, the Prime Minister and the Marquis trust you so much that they risked persuading the Emperor to let you meet the princess and say goodbye. How could you do such a thing? If you do this... wouldn't it be making the Prime Minister and the Marquis unkind and unjust, and putting the entire Song Dynasty in dire straits?"

Seeing Liu Xunyi admit it himself, Zhao Yuan clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth, and said in a harsh voice: "Liu Xunyi, are you finally willing to tell the truth?"

"The princess is very understanding and made me give up the idea of ​​running away with her. I was forced to face reality and submit to the arrangement of fate." Liu Xunyi said sadly, "Now, I have nothing to do with the princess anymore..."

"If that were true, why would the emperor order you to be arrested? Why would the prime minister be so furious?" Zhao Yuan said disdainfully, "You never lied in the past, why have you become so cunning after lurking beside Luo Tianjin for two years? Which of your words now are true and which are false?"

"I swear to heaven that every word I just said is true..."

"That's enough!" Zhao Yuan waved his hands impatiently, "The emperor and the prime minister already know about your scandal. It was said by Zhao Xin herself. You can't deny it!"

"What?" Liu Xunyi was shocked and asked in astonishment, "What scandal? What denial? What did the princess...say?"

"Originally, Zhao Xin had agreed to marry Mongolia without any conditions. But after meeting you, she suddenly changed her mind and made an impolite request to the emperor. If the emperor does not agree, she will kill herself." Zhao Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "Zhao Xin's move is clearly a threat to the emperor. It is so hateful and abominable!"

"Request?" Liu Xunyi was secretly surprised and asked, "What request?"

"Zhao Xin specifically asked you, Liu Xunyi, to go to Helin to escort her to her wedding!" Zhao Yuan said word for word, "If you don't allow her to do so, she will kill herself!"

"what?"

Zhao Yuan's words were like a thunderbolt, leaving Liu Xunyi dumbfounded and speechless.

"Why did she ask you to escort her? Even a fool can guess the clues. She clearly wants to find an opportunity to elope with you on the way." Zhao Yuan said loudly, spitting everywhere. "The emperor was furious and called the prime minister a fool, a traitor, and a waste who can only cause trouble! Before the meeting, the marriage was a foregone conclusion and everything went smoothly. But after the meeting, something unexpected happened. The emperor allowed you to meet to ensure that there would be no mistakes, not to breed variables. Now, allowing you to meet has become a stupid act of "adding legs to the snake". The emperor will punish you for all your crimes. He put all the blame on the prime minister, saying, "If it weren't for the prime minister's eloquence and repeated advice, how could I have made such a stupid mistake?" As for me... I used my life to guarantee you, and then I persuaded the prime minister to help you achieve your wish. In the final analysis, I am the initiator of this stupid thing. Now, because of your cunning and meanness, I, the prime minister, the East Palace, and even the emperor and the entire court will be ruined. Liu Xunyi, is your conscience eaten by a dog? We are so kind to you, but you harbor evil intentions. You are worse than an animal!"

"This……"

It was not until this moment that Liu Xunyi finally understood the whole story. In fact, Zhao Xin had not discussed this request with Liu Xunyi beforehand. He knew nothing about it, and his shock and astonishment were no less than those of Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei.

"The Emperor is the supreme ruler, how can he be played around by you like this?"

"Xin'er actually asked me to accompany the bride...but why?" Liu Xunyi repeatedly tried to figure out Zhao Xin's thoughts. After he carefully considered it, he suddenly had an idea and realized, "I understand! Xin'er asked me to accompany the bride not to elope with me, but to help me escape from danger..."

"What do you mean?" Qin Wei asked suspiciously.

"Xin'er knows that I'm being hunted by the Central Plains martial arts community. She also knows that Lin'an City is now surrounded by enemies, and there are enemies everywhere who want to kill me. In addition, my relationship with her has caused dissatisfaction in the court. She is worried that if she leaves, I will be hostile to both the court and the martial arts community and become the target of public criticism. Therefore..."

Having said this, Liu Xunyi, who understood Zhao Xin's good intentions, couldn't help but feel moved, and his voice choked with sobs.

"Humph! Do you think I will still believe you?" Zhao Yuan said angrily, "Not only I won't, but the Prime Minister and the Emperor won't believe you either."

"My Lord, please let me see the princess again and convince her..."

"Impossible!" Faced with Liu Xunyi's desperate pleas, Zhao Yuan ruthlessly interrupted, "We've already been in a mess after meeting once, wouldn't it be even more out of control if we meet again? To tell you the truth, the emperor hates being threatened the most, so he will never agree to Zhao Xin's request, let alone compromise with your evil tricks. As for how to persuade Zhao Xin, the court will think of other ways, so you don't need to worry about it!"

"But……"

"Instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself first. This time, even the Prime Minister was implicated by you and could not save himself, so you don't have to hope that someone can save you." Zhao Yuan looked at Liu Xunyi, who was speechless, with complicated eyes, and said faintly, "The Prime Minister told me that the Emperor regards this matter as a great shame and humiliation, and has secretly decided to execute you by slow slicing, but the time is not yet determined. Maybe in these two days, so as to cut off Zhao Xin's thoughts. Or after Zhao Xin leaves... In short, your end is coming. As for my end... maybe it is not far away. Alas!"

In the end, Zhao Yuan let out a bitter sigh in the face of Qin Wei's shocked gaze, and then without hesitation, he staggered out of the cell.

……

(End of this chapter)