Chapter 987 The dove takes over the magpie's nest
Recently, as Qingfeng, Xuanming, Yin Baimei, Zhongli Mu, Tang Yuan and other well-known leaders and family heads in the martial arts world have arrived in Luoyang City one after another with their people, the Prince Xian's Mansion, which had been deserted for more than a year, has become lively again.

Many people secretly sighed that this year's "Anti-Traitor Conference" was quite similar to the "Dragon Boat Festival Feast" hosted by Luo Tianjin two years ago.

However, the Dragon Boat Festival is still the Dragon Boat Festival, the Xianwang Mansion is still the Xianwang Mansion, and the martial arts heroes are still the martial arts heroes. The only difference is that the "host" of this martial arts event has changed from Luo Tianjin in the past to Qingfeng today.

Looking at the Xianwang Mansion where everything has changed and feeling the familiar figures and laughter, some of the Xianwang Mansion disciples who were increasingly suppressed by Ling Xiaoxiao because of their past relationship with Liu Xunyi suddenly felt as if they were in a different world and had mixed feelings.

He had nothing to do all day and could only watch unfamiliar faces parading around in the name of "Prince Xian's Mansion", while he himself gathered in groups of three or five in remote corners to drown his sorrows in alcohol, feeling indescribably depressed.

Since Luo Tianjin was murdered and Liu Xunyi defected, these "old ministers" of the Xianwang Mansion... especially the disciples of the lower three sects, have been increasingly ignored. Even though Xie Xuan tried his best to mediate, he still couldn't prevent them from being harassed, excluded, or even exiled by Ling Xiaoxiao and her confidants.

Among them, Xu Heng, Ling Qing, Liao Chuan and Liao Hai were in the most embarrassing situation.

Because they are not only the elders of the Xianwang Mansion, but also the masters of the three lower sects. Their status in the mansion is far beyond that of ordinary disciples.

Ling Xiaoxiao's confidants regarded them as thorns in their eyes, but they could not bully them as they did other disciples, let alone expel them from the mansion. Therefore, they racked their brains to target Xu Heng and his group, deliberately picking on them every now and then, intending to force them to make big mistakes and be kicked out by Ling Xiaoxiao, or to leave on their own initiative because they could not bear the humiliation.

In this way, Ling Xiaoxiao could naturally place her own confidants in the three lower sects with the most disciples and the greatest power in the Xianwang Mansion, and thus firmly control them in her hands.

Xie Xuan knew very well that Ling Xiaoxiao was thinking of "not using people if they are suspicious", so he often reminded his three disciples that they must be patient when possible and give in when possible, and never give others an advantage.

As a result, Xu Heng and his companions who survived in the cracks had to resist the exclusion of the "newcomers" and tolerate the complaints of the "oldcomers". They could neither rise up to resist nor walk away, so they could only swallow their anger and compromise.

In fact, Xie Xuan had already seen through Ling Xiaoxiao's sinister intentions. She had never really believed in the "old ministers" left by Luo Tianjin from the beginning to the end, and had been trying every means to get rid of the old and bring in the new, turning the Xianwang Mansion into her own paradise bit by bit.

When Luo Tianjin was in trouble, Ling Xiaoxiao strongly recommended Xie Xuan to succeed the lord of the Xianwang Mansion. This was not out of sincerity, but a calculation to seek profit and avoid harm.

Firstly, Ling Xiaoxiao is a woman with mediocre martial arts skills. If she takes over the position of the Palace Master, the Xianwang Palace will surely become a laughing stock of the world.

Secondly, when Luo Tianjin was alive, Ling Xiaoxiao rarely asked about the affairs of the mansion. Therefore, she knew nothing about the big and small things in the Xianwang Mansion, the business, and the personnel arrangements. On the other hand, Xie Xuan has been Luo Tianjin's right-hand man for many years and is familiar with all the affairs of the mansion. With him in charge of the overall situation, people's hearts will not be scattered and the situation will not be chaotic.

Therefore, Ling Xiaoxiao held Xie Xuan high in her hands to deal with doubts and troubles from both inside and outside the palace. At the same time, she secretly interfered in the affairs of the palace. From business transactions, profit and loss accounts to disciple recruitment, merit and demerit rewards and punishments, she had to ask about everything and interfere in everything, gradually holding the financial and personnel power of the Xianwang Palace tightly in her hands.

As the mistress of the Xianwang Mansion, the widow of Luo Tianjin, and the daughter of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, with such a noble identity, coupled with Qingfeng's behind-the-scenes guidance and Wudang's full support, all of Ling Xiaoxiao's plans in the Xianwang Mansion were successful and smooth.

To this day, Ling Xiaoxiao has almost completely sidelined Xie Xuan, the "Lord of the Mansion".

A few months ago, she would discuss things with Xie Xuan calmly, and even if she was dissatisfied occasionally, she would keep it in her heart. But now, Ling Xiaoxiao has been giving orders to Xie Xuan without any hesitation, and if Xie Xuan doesn't listen, she will immediately arrange for someone else to do it.

In Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes, if Xie Xuan was loyal, she could keep him as her puppet. If Xie Xuan had other intentions, she could immediately take away everything from him, including his life.

This time, if Xie Xuan had not successfully captured Liu Xunyi and made great contributions to the Central Plains martial arts world, he would probably have been banished to the "cold palace" by Qingfeng and his daughter, waiting to die with hatred.

Even so, it is still not Xie Xuan's turn to make the decisions in Prince Xian's Mansion today.

After all, the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world came in person. Not to mention Xie Xuan stepping aside, even Ling Xiaoxiao had to hand over the power.

Today, the Xianwang Mansion has become another Wudang Mountain. Wudang disciples come in and out, and Qingfeng makes all the decisions. Even the small things such as night watch, arranging guest rooms, and preparing banquets can be seen everywhere with the presence of Wudang disciples.

The disciples of the Xianwang Mansion who had lost their "backbone", especially the "idle people" who were not valued by Ling Xiaoxiao, had completely become vassals of the Wudang disciples. They were ordered around by them and buried in the hardest, most tiring and dirtiest chores.

Interestingly, Yan Bugui arranged Xu Heng, Ling Qing, Liao Chuan and Liao Hai to clean the toilet every night on the grounds that "the house is full of guests and there is a shortage of manpower".

When they ran to complain to Xie Xuan, the answer they got was "Follow the Fourth Master's arrangements in everything. As disciples of the Xianwang Mansion, you must not think too highly of yourself, and you must not be picky."

Helpless, Xu Heng and the other three could only toil in the stinking toilet every night until dawn.

Before we knew it, this miserable "darkness" had lasted for more than half a month.

It was April 15th, late at night, and everyone was asleep.

When Xu Heng, Ling Qing, Liao Chuan and Liao Hai cleaned a toilet in the side yard, the four of them rushed into the yard carrying toilets and brushes, breathing in deep gulps of fresh air.

"Damn it! They made us four clean more than a dozen toilets in one night. It's obvious that they are deliberately making things difficult for us..."

"What's the use of complaining?" Xu Heng interrupted Liao Hai who was chattering away. "You only dare to talk nonsense in front of us. Do you have the guts to go and argue with the Fourth Master?"

"The Fourth Master is no longer the Fourth Master of the past." Ling Qing sat on the ground and sighed, "I don't know since when, the atmosphere in the mansion has become more and more depressing. We used to be carefree and lived a carefree life. Now we are in fear every day. We dare not eat or speak carelessly, for fear that someone will find fault with us and report us to Madam and the Fourth Master, and we will be in trouble again."

"Madam and the Fourth Master recruited a group of strangers from somewhere. They all have shifty eyes and look like bad people." Liao Chuan said angrily, "This afternoon, four disciples from the Jing Sect and two disciples from Wudang had a dispute in the East Courtyard. The Fourth Master did not ask any questions and directly punished our people. This is simply unreasonable."

"Is this the Xianwang Mansion or Mount Wudang?" Liao Hai teased, "The Fourth Master is actually turning his elbow outward?" "I feel... Madam and Second Master are getting more and more at odds." Ling Qing said with a hint of meaning, "Right now, the mansion seems to be divided into two factions, loyal to Madam or... loyal to Second Master."

"I feel the same way!" Xu Heng nodded repeatedly, "The Fourth Master is Madam's confidant, and those newly recruited disciples are also Madam's loyal supporters. The Seventh Master, the Eighth Master and us have been excluded many times, probably because they are too close to the Second Master."

"The Second Master is now the 'Master of the House', why are they not getting along?" Liao Chuan pondered over it, with a worried look on his face, "The Second Master has always been respectful to Madam, and Madam has no complaints about the Second Master, so why are they..."

Xu Heng replied without hesitation: "I don't know what conflicts the Second Master and Madam have. I only know that if they continue to fight like this, the Xianwang Mansion will fall apart sooner or later!"

"You say..." Ling Qing's mind suddenly changed, and he asked cautiously, "Is there any hidden reason behind the death of the mansion master? Will the Madam and the Second Master become estranged because of this..."

"Shh!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Xu Heng and the other two suddenly changed.

"Stop talking nonsense! If the Madam and the Fourth Master knew that we were gossiping again, they would definitely kick us out of the house."

"Black fan..." Liao Chuan suddenly realized he had said something wrong, so he hastily corrected himself, "I mean Liu Xunyi... Right now, he is locked up in a dungeon. I wonder what will happen to him during the 'Anti-Traitors Conference' on May 5th?"

"Why bother with him?" Xu Heng complained angrily, "The Xianwang Mansion has fallen to this point today because of him. If he hadn't killed the Mansion Master, how could the Xianwang Mansion allow those outsiders to point fingers at it?"

"The last time I went to the dungeon to clean up, I heard that Leader Qingfeng ordered that he be fed a Wudang secret slow-acting poison every day and then whipped ten times. Salt water was poured on him every two hours to keep him awake and in excruciating pain. This way, he would not die for a while, but his mind and body would be forever weak and unable to recover." Liao Hai sighed, "Liu Xunyi is tortured in the dark and damp dungeon every day, which is unbearable for ordinary people. He is truly unable to live or die."

"This……"

When Liao Hai told Liu Xunyi about her miserable situation, everyone else fell silent. Even Xu Heng, who had just complained about Liu Xunyi, had an indescribable sadness in his eyes.

Ling Qing looked melancholy, muttering to himself: "He endures this torture every day, I wonder... can he hold on until the fifth day of May..."

"On the fifth day of the fifth month, Liu Xunyi will definitely die." Liao Chuan's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "Right now, they just want Liu Xunyi to hang on to his last breath. As long as he survives, no matter what kind of torture he goes through or what kind of injuries he suffers... no one will care."

"Although Madam and Second Master both said that Liu Xunyi was the murderer of the Mansion Master, I still can't believe it..."

"Woo..."

Just as Xu Heng and the other three were sighing one after another, a very faint sound suddenly came from the darkness, as if... someone was sobbing softly.

"who?"

Xu Heng and the other three were horrified and subconsciously raised the toilets and wooden brushes in their hands, looking towards the source of the sound with caution.

"If you don't show up, don't blame us for being rude!"

"Don't be nervous...it's me."

Along with a nervous response, there was a rustling sound of footsteps from the corner. Then, a thin and weak figure staggered in front of Xu Heng and the other three.

"Little...Miss?"

After realizing that the person coming was Luo Ningyu, Xu Heng and the other three hurriedly threw away the "weapons" in their hands, staring at each other, at a loss for a long time.

"Although you all refuse to tell me what exactly happened, I can sense that...something big is going to happen in Prince Xian's Mansion." Luo Ningyu's pitiful appearance was heartbreaking.

"Miss, you misunderstood! We just..."

"I heard everything you said." Luo Ningyu interrupted Ling Qing's explanation with concern, "May 5th, the anti-traitor meeting, Liu Xunyi was locked in the dungeon, and was tortured every day..."

"Miss, we are the ones who speak without restraint and talk nonsense..."

"If you still consider me a lady... agree to one of my requests." Luo Ningyu said absentmindedly, "Otherwise... I will ask mother or Uncle Xie."

"Absolutely not!" Xu Heng and the other three changed their expressions, and were all terrified. "Miss...what do you want?"

"Take me to see Liu Xunyi!"

……

(End of this chapter)