Chapter 510: Eradicating Dissidents

Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Eradicating Dissidents

Xiuxiu had been secretly observing Shen Ningning’s expression.

Had it been an ordinary person facing such a problem, they would surely have been flustered by now.

However, Princess Funing, sitting before him, remained perfectly calm.

Her small face was fair and beautiful. At only fifteen, the contours of her eyes and brows already held the promise of a peerless beauty.

She sat there quietly, the clear, dark pupils of her lustrous eyes rippling with unspoken thoughts.

Shen Ningning remained silent, clearly deep in thought, yet Xiuxiu felt a baseless sense of anxiety.

Legend had it that Princess Funing was incredibly resourceful and often came up with ideas no one else could.

Xiuxiu feared that things would not go so smoothly.

"Princess?" He couldn’t help but say with a smile, his tone a gentle reminder.

Shen Ningning snapped back to the present. "Forgive me, Mr. Xiu Mu. I was just marveling at your Jade Ring. To think it truly possesses such a wondrous effect. Changliu Country certainly has many treasures."

When she said this, Tuo Ye, who was listening nearby, frowned and shot Xiuxiu a subtle glance.

Shen Ningning averted her gaze. "I cannot rush into agreeing to this matter. I must first ask for Xiao Wei’s opinion."

"That is only natural. Please inform the Tenth Princess of the details. If she were to learn her true identity, she would surely be willing to return and meet her biological father."

With that, Xiuxiu stood up and bowed with his hands clasped. "Then I must trouble you, Princess."

Shen Ningning rose and departed.

The moment she left, Tuo Ye could no longer hold back.

"Didn’t you say that Jade Ring was a fake? Why could Qi Xiuwei’s blood merge with it?!"

’And he, who had grown up by the Great Sun King’s side, had been respectfully called the Third Prince since childhood.’

’Why was his blood rejected by the Jade Ring?’

’Just what had gone wrong?’

Xiuxiu looked at him. "Third Prince, do not be impulsive. I will explain this matter to you properly later. Right now, the most important thing is to get Princess Funing to help us."

After speaking, Xiuxiu summoned several Hidden Guards and went off to discuss matters.

He knew Tuo Ye was impulsive and liable to ruin things, so he deliberately asked him to stay away from their conversation.

This only deepened the suspicion in Tuo Ye’s heart.

’The Great Sun King had arranged for him to follow Xiuxiu to Cangyun Country with a single purpose: to destroy it.’

’But now, Xiuxiu was excluding him from their strategic discussions.’

’How dare he!’

Tuo Ye suppressed his explosive temper and left the inn.

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a voice call out, "Hey, you, the guard."

Tuo Ye frowned and looked over, completely astonished.

Shen Ningning hadn’t left. She was waving at him from the window of her carriage.

Tuo Ye glanced left and right, confirming that she was calling to him.

"What are you looking at? Get over here. I’m talking to you," Shen Ningning said with a click of her tongue. She furrowed her lovely dark brows, making her pretty face all the more vivid.

Tuo Ye walked over, his tone brusque. "What instructions does the Princess have for me?"

Shen Ningning tossed out a bag.

Tuo Ye quickly caught it. Looking closely, he saw it was a bag of pastries wrapped in oil paper.

He could even smell the fragrance of sesame.

Shen Ningning smiled. "To be honest, I don’t like the people of Changliu Country, but I don’t find you so disagreeable as a guard. It’s probably because you don’t look like most people from Changliu. You have Lion Eyes."

"These are sesame cakes I just bought. This is for you. Give them a try. You’ve been in Cangyun Country for so long, but you haven’t tried our specialty snacks, have you? Mr. Xiu Mu is so busy, he’s finally let you out for a walk. Don’t let the time go to waste."

As she spoke, she casually pointed to a high platform nearby.

"The scenery is quite nice all the way from here to the south of the city. There are taverns with dancing barmaids and flower gardens. See that high platform? If you climb it, you can get a panoramic view of the Capital City."

After she finished speaking, Shen Ningning had the carriage drive away.

Tuo Ye was left standing there alone, holding the oil-paper bag, frowning in confusion.

’What’s wrong with this Princess Funing? Why is she being so considerate to him?’

However, there was one thing she said that Tuo Ye deeply agreed with.

’He had known since he was a child that he looked different from the people of Changliu Country.’

’Everyone said it was because he resembled his mother. She had died young, and he had never even met her. All he knew was that she was a woman from Cangyun Country.’

Tuo Ye thought for a moment, holding the pastries.

’He had nowhere to go right now anyway, and there was nothing to do back at the inn.’

’Might as well actually go for a walk.’

’And take a good look at the country where his mother had lived.’

Following the route Shen Ningning had described, Tuo Ye headed south. He saw barmaids selling wine and heard the shouts of shop assistants in front of various stores.

The lively clamor rose and fell all along the street.

He bought some sugar cakes and, on a whim, also bought himself a Ruyi Knot.

After all, the old woman selling the Ruyi Knots had said, "These are very blessed. They can make your wishes come true."

But after buying it, he grew somewhat quiet.

’He didn’t even know what he should wish for; his mind was a tangled mess.’

Carrying a pile of things, Tuo Ye finally stood at the foot of the tallest viewing tower in the Capital City.

He had planned to go up to admire the beautiful scenery, rest his feet, and eat some pastries before moving on.

Unexpectedly, and rather unfortunately, the viewing tower was closed to the public today.

Soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the stairs, explaining that it was closed for maintenance. Anyone who wanted to go up would have to come back another day.

Tuo Ye didn’t feel disappointed, just irritated that nothing seemed to be going his way.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of a furtive figure peeking around before slipping into a nearby alley.

Tuo Ye narrowed his eyes. ’That person... he’d seen him before!’

Previously, when passing Xiuxiu’s room at night, he had heard voices inside. He’d immediately pushed the door open and seen this very person standing before Xiuxiu, looking as if he were awaiting orders.

At the time, Xiuxiu had said he was one of their spies planted in Cangyun Country.

However, after Tuo Ye burst in, Xiuxiu had stopped talking and simply waved the man away.

Tuo Ye had found it strange even then.

’Now he’d run into him again. He had to see what this person was really up to!’

So, Tuo Ye dropped his things and swiftly followed.

The man weaved left and right through the alley before finally entering an inconspicuous residence.

Tuo Ye lay flat on the roof, carefully moved a tile aside, and saw the man speaking to another, unfamiliar man.

"Is it confirmed? Did Mr. Qi really confess in prison? So Qi Xiuwei really isn’t his daughter?"

"It’s absolutely true. The matter has already been secretly reported to the Emperor. I heard from someone close to Princess Funing that Qi Xiuwei isn’t from Cangyun Country, but is the Tenth Princess of Changliu Country!"

"Just as I thought! I always felt there was something more to her. That old Mr. Xiu Mu who recently came from Changling not only told me privately to pay close attention to her, but also to look out for her in secret." The person speaking was the very man who had met secretly with Xiuxiu that night.

Tuo Ye’s brows furrowed.

The man continued, "This time, Mr. Xiu Mu said their real objective is actually to eliminate a rival. The target is that person..."

He lowered his voice, and Tuo Ye could no longer hear. Just as he was about to move closer, the tile under him made a sharp crack.

"Who’s there!" the man shouted in alarm.

The two men in the room scrambled out into the courtyard. When they looked up, the roof was empty.