Chapter 608 - 608: For Her Own Good
Deng Yuchuan’s corpse was dragged down and the blood on the ground was quickly cleaned up.
As for the charred corpse that made the old emperor feel like a fishbone was stuck in his throat, it was also pulled away by the Imperial Guards to be destroyed completely, leaving no trace.
Although the farce was over, no one was in the mood to continue drinking.
The birthday banquet had to end hastily.
When Xiao Juan arrived, Yu Niaoniao was already gone.
Before he could be disappointed, he saw a small pearl by the foot of the table.
He picked up the pearls and looked at them. They must be the beads on the woman’s head. For some reason, one of the small beads fell.
Although the pearls were small, from the color and shape, they should be tributes from the South Sea.
As long as it was a tribute, there would definitely be a record in the Internal Affairs Department.
Xiao Juan gripped the pearl tightly and rushed to the Imperial Attendant Province.
In order not to be discovered, he disguised himself as the Imperial Guards and carefully avoided the gazes of others. He quietly sneaked into the Internal Affairs Province.
As he had expected, he quickly found records on the South Sea pearls in the register.
These pearls were all rewarded to the concubines in the harem. The empress took the lion’s share, and the empress rewarded the crown prince with the portion of pearls she had obtained.
Xiao Juan paused for a moment at the word Crown Prince, already having an idea.
He replaced the register, turned, pulled open the window, and jumped out.
As soon as he landed, he saw an acquaintance standing under the porch.
Wei Liao crossed his arms and leaned against the pillar, looking boneless and lazy.
He looked at Xiao Juan with a faint smile and asked.
“Shouldn’t Duke Lang be on his way to Liaodong County at this time?” Xiao Juan frowned slightly and asked, “When did you arrive?”
Wei Liao teased, “I just arrived and happened to see Duke Lang sneak into the
Internal Affairs Division. Why? Is Duke Lang planning to become a thief?”
Xiao Juan did not know what the other party’s attitude was, so he did not answer and only looked at him warily.
Wei Liao stood up slightly. “What are you looking for here, Duke Lang?”
Xiao Juan was silent for a moment before telling the truth.
“Niaoniao is gone. I’m looking for her.”
Hearing Niaoniao’s name, the smile on Wei Liao’s face faded. “She’s not here.
Duke Lang is in the wrong place.”
Xiao Juan keenly found the key point in his words and quickly asked.
“Do you know where Niaoniao is?”
Wei Liao laughed at himself. “How can I know where she is?” Then, he sized Xiao Juan up and said in a gloating tone.
“If the emperor sees Duke Lang like this, guess what his reaction will be?” Xiao Juan was silent.
Of course he knew. If the emperor found out that he had quietly returned to the Imperial Capital, he would definitely fly into a rage and take this opportunity to punish him severely.
At that time, not to mention his status, even his life would be lost.
Wei Liao pretended to be thinking seriously. “How about this? If you promise to give Niaoniao to me, I won’t leak the secret that you returned to the capital on your own. How about that?”
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, the No Return Saber in Xiao Juan’s hand was unsheathed.
The sharp blade cut through the wind and arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye!
A sharp killing intent attacked like an avalanche.
Wei Liao retreated in fear.
He touched his head, which had almost been struck by the No Return Saber. A strand of cut hair slowly fell.
Wei Liao exclaimed with an exaggerated expression of lingering fears, “No way? I was just joking. Do you have to be so ruthless?”
Xiao Juan held the No Return Saber in his hand and looked at him coldly. “Was it really just a joke?”
Wei Liao put down his hand and sighed. “Do you have to be so straightforward? No wonder so many people in the court hate you. With your bad temper, who can like you?”
Xiao Juan said, “As long as Niaoniao likes it.”
Wei Liao choked hard.
He gritted his teeth and said hatefully, “She was blind!”
There were so many good men in the world. Why did she have to like this stubborn bastard in front of him?
Xiao Juan was still thinking about Niaoniao’s safety and was not in the mood to waste time with him.
He sheathed his saber. “Let me ask you one last time. You really don’t know where Niaoniao went?”
At the mention of serious matters, Wei Liao’s expression became a little more serious.
“It’s useless even if we know where she is. It’s impossible for you to snatch her back alone.”
“Taking a step back, even if you could snatch it back, you could not protect her. If you really want what’s best for her, let go. Don’t let her take any more risks with you.”
Towards the end, he sounded more serious than ever.
It was obvious that he meant it.
However, Xiao Juan did not seem to understand what he meant. He said expressionlessly, “Is she at the Crown Prince’s place?”
Wei Liao frowned. “Since you’ve already guessed it, you should know I’m right.”
“Thank you very much.”
Xiao Juan said this and turned to leave.
Seeing that he did not know what was good for him, Wei Liao was furious. “Don’t think I’m scaring you. With your current situation, you can’t even protect yourself, let alone protect Niaoniao. Now, only the Crown Prince can protect her in the entire Dayan Dynasty. I’m doing this for her own good!” Xiao Juan stopped in his tracks.
He said without looking back, “The emperor killed Niaoniao’s stepfather. Shen Zhuo is the son of the person who killed her father. Do you really think she’ll be willing to live with Shen Zhuo?”
Wei Liao couldn’t answer.
Xiao Juan said, “Besides, how do you know I won’t be able to protect her?” With that, he strode away.
Wei Liao stood rooted to the ground and watched him quickly leave. He held back for a long time before saying something.
“Fool!
It was unknown if he was scolding Xiao Juan or himself.
Yu Niaoniao was sent back to the courtyard.
She sat motionless in her chair and stared blankly at the corner.
Her usually bright and pure eyes were gray at this moment.
It was as if her entire world had lost its color.
Huan’er specially asked the kitchen to make many delicious dishes and place them in front of Yu Niaoniao, but it was useless. Yu Niaoniao did not even look at them.
After that, Huan’er thought of many ideas, but she still could not make Yu Niaoniao say a word.
When Shen Zhuo returned, Huan’er quickly went up to him as if she had seen her savior.
“Your Highness, Miss Yu hasn’t spoken or eaten since she returned. I don’t know what to do.”
Shen Zhuo waved his hand. “You can leave first.”
“Yes.”
Huan’er obediently retreated.
Only Yu Niaoniao and Shen Zhuo were left in the dim room.
Shen Zhuo walked to the table and fiddled with the wick of the candle, making it brighter. Even the room was much brighter.
He looked at Yu Niaoniao’s pale face and reached out to touch her hand.
But she dodged.
Shen Zhuo looked helpless. “I’ve already done what I promised you.. Why are you still angry with me?”