Chapter 742: Making The Arrangements
Chapter 742: Making The Arrangements
Chapter 742: Making The Arrangements
The same night, Xi Ying wrote a few letters. The first letter was sent to Zhao Zhang Wei through his shadow guard.
The second was sent to Empress Dowager and the last letter was sent to …Yi Junjie.
Xi Ying was actually slightly reluctant to include Yi Junjie in the plan.
It was not because he didn't trust Yi Junjie's capabilities. Yi Junjie was a very capable man. It was just that since he was aware of his feelings for Rui, he preferred for him to stay away from Li Rui as much as possible.
But in the end, when Li Rui asked him when they were supposed to inform her elder Brother Yi, he could only write three letters.
Leave it!
His wife's heart was clean.
She was unaware of what the other man had inside his heart for her. She actually considered Yi Junjie as her elder Brother.
Seeing from this point of view when Xi Ying remembered that Yi Junjie had visited Xi Manor twice just to ask him if the time was near when they were supposed to act, he couldn't help but think that he would be too petty if he didn't inform Yi Junjie at all.
Keeping the stone in his heart, Xi Ying calmly wrote another letter to Yi Junjie.
He mentioned the possibility of acting soon perhaps in the fifteen days itself because it largely depended on when Zhao Zhuang Chen would act.
Xi Ying even copied Zhao Zhuang Chen's plan on three different papers and sent them to all three so that they would be able to understand it more clearly.
When Xi Ying called the shadow guard to send the letter to Empress Dowager, Li Rui couldn't help but ask
"Will the Empress accept that we wish to corner the first prince using his own trick?"
Li Rui remembered that Xi Ying had told her something about Empress Dowager's purpose of helping them because Zhao Wang Lei had killed the man she loved.
It was their own conclusion that perhaps Zhao Wang Lei killed the previous Emperor or it could be that there was some other scandal going on inside the walls of the Imperial Palace years ago.
But whatever it was, Empress Dowager was ready to help them and ready to go against her own son, but it didn't say that she will be ready to even destroy her grandson, Zhao Zhuang Chen.
Xi Ying did halt when he heard his wife's words but soon he was calm.
"Her Majesty has never liked Qin Wenya's tricks."
Xi Ying remembered that he had already talked it out with Empress Dowager, If she wanted to support them then she would have to go against everyone except the second prince whom he wanted to ascend the throne.
It was obvious that if Zhao Zhang Wei was to ascend the throne then Zhao Zhuang Chen couldn't stay alive. The Empress Dowager must be intelligent enough to know the greed of his elder grandson. If Zhao Zhang Wei really ascended the throne while Zhao Zhuang Chen was kept alive, then Xi Ying was sure that Xin would ever be in peace.
So he assured his wife.
"I did talk about this matter with Her Majesty. She had promised me that she wouldn't stop us. She had also said that she only want a true and righteous person to ascend the throne who would truly think of Xin and would not be ready to destroy it with his own hands just for his selfish motives."
These were the same words Empress Dowager had said to Xi Ying.
On hearing this, Li Rui's worries eased.
She nodded her head.
And the shadow guard finally left with the letter to the Imperial Palace.
Xi Ying sent two shadow guards even though both letters were to be taken to the Imperial Palace. It was because he had always sent different shadow guards to Empress Dowager and Zhao Zhang Wei.
Zhao Zhang Wei received the letter from the same shadow guard every time and the same was the case with Empress Dowager but the two shadow guards were different.
Their faces would be covered when they would go and given the letter.
It was because Xi Ying didn't want to expose his shadow guards so easily to others.
Even Zhao Wang Lei had never gotten to see any of his shadow guards. It was something that his father had taught him.
The wind of the Imperial Palace could never be trusted.
So he could never show all his cards to someone especially someone from the Imperial Palace unless it was urgent.
Even during the day of the attack, his shadow guards would stay hidden but he would not let anyone find out just how much manpower he has.
Xi Ying came out of his trance and looked at his wife. His eyes flashed with disapproval when he saw her yawning.
"I told you to go and sleep. All this, I could have done on my own."
Li Rui didn't say anything and silently heard his reprimanding.
Xi Ying couldn't help but look at her with narrowed eyes. She was the only person he could not deal with so easily.
It was so late at night, yet she was sitting with him in this study room and accompanying him in doing everything.
At the same time, he felt very touched.
He let himself illusion that she couldn't sleep without him and hence she was here.
The thought made him smile and he suddenly leaned down and picked her in his arms.
Li Rui was startled when she realized that he was walking towards the door.
Realizing his intentions, her eyes went wide and she said immediately.
"Ying what if someone saw us."
However, Xi Ying was calm contrary to her panic.
"Everyone would be sleeping."
Li Rui opened and closed her mouth to say something but what came out was a yawn. She was truly very sleepy.
Perhaps that was what didn't make her resist any longer.
He was right.
Everyone would be sleeping.
Thinking this, she simply leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Xi Ying felt happy when he noticed her actions.
He carefully walked towards their courtyard.
Though he came across a few servants on the way, who were perhaps making some arrangements for the next day or going around to do some left chores, he stayed calm.
Li Rui also seemed to be fallen asleep as she didn't wake up at all.
Sure enough, when Xi Ying laid her down on the bed, she moved slightly but after Xi Ying patted her back gently, she fell asleep again.
Xi Ying looked at his son who was deeply asleep but had thrown away his blanket.
He sighed as he covered his wife and son with the blanket and then blew off the lamp.
He finally walked to his side to sleep.
In the slightly dim light, he saw how his wife's hand went to their son's stomach consciously. He couldn't help but smile.
She was quite habitual of this.
He also laid down and held the same hand.
He also had this habit of holding her hand while sleeping.
Life seemed very beautiful even though the world was still filled with many unpleasant things.
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Zhao Zhang Wei was sleeping inside his chambers when a shadow guard suddenly jumped inside from the window.
He was actually not asleep.
He was not able to find sleep because the thoughts of someone would invade his mind and won't let him sleep.
Hence, when the shadow guard entered his chambers, he was immediately alert.
However, he relaxed when the shadow guard spoke
"Master had sent this letter for Your Highness."
Zhao Zhang Wei was familiar with the voice and hence he relaxed.
He took the letter and the shadow guard left after that.
After that, Zhao Zhang Wei walked to the nearby lamp and opened the letter to read it under the light of the lamp.
His face was serious as he read everything.
When he finished, he opened another page that was there with the letter and looked at familiar marked places.
A cold smile graced his lips and he couldn't help but feel impressed.
"Such a vicious plan…only Prime Minister Xi could come up with it."
However, this time Zhao Zhang Wei was impressed with the wrong person.
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The same happened in the chambers of Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was also not asleep.
The buddha beads rolled down in her fingers slowly as she whispered something.
The old Momo stood beside her mistress and looked at her with worry-filled eyes. Her mistress had been unable to rest properly these days.
It started after the execution of the previous Empress.
Her mistress had been very restless after that.
The Empress Dowager's eyes went blank for a moment when a shadow guard entered the chambers. The shadow guards that had been guarding her constantly came out from hiding.
However, before they could act, Empress Dowager raised her hand to stop them.
"Master has sent this letter for Her Majesty."
She recognized the shadow guards and looked at the old Momo.
The old Momo took the letter and gave it to her mistress.
The Empress Dowager read the letter. After a few moments when she folded the letter again, there was some kind of relief in her eyes.
All the restlessness seemed to have vanished.
She could see how her Xin was moving towards her destruction slowly and slowly and yet was unable to do anything.
Now when she finally got a letter from Xi Ying and a hint that they would need to act soon, she felt relieved.
Perhaps she would finally be able to complete the promise she had done to herself years ago.