Chapter 1222: Chapter 747: The Pursuit—Discovering Fu Xingyi’s Treachery (Part 1)

Although Xie Ruotong was full of doubt.

But seeing An Ning so completely losing her composure, she didn’t need to hesitate at all.

She immediately said, "I’ll take people over there at once, Your Highness, please be at ease."

Then, without pausing for even a moment, she left in haste.

After Xie Ruotong left, Song Yanqing hurriedly urged An Ning to sit down and rest while they waited.

He too had been frightened by how terrified she looked.

"I have to return to the palace immediately," An Ning said bluntly. "Otherwise it will only fuel suspicion."

Song Yanqing understood her less and less.

He looked at An Ning, and only after a long while did he tentatively say, "Are you guarding yourself against His Majesty?"

An Ning bit her lip.

Song Yanqing really was clever.

He saw through everything in a single glance.

Yes, she was guarding herself against Fu Xingyi.

Just now, she had seen Lin Zichan being held at knifepoint on the bed.

If that Palace Attendant hadn’t called her back just then, she might have lifted the mosquito net directly. She didn’t know if, once she did, the assassins would kill her along with him; she only knew that if she really went in, Lin Zichan would die for sure.

If she left, Lin Zichan might still have a sliver of a chance.

So she pretended she hadn’t seen anything, even deliberately questioned the old man for a while. She had known all along that the old man was full of nonsense, yet she acted as if she believed him.

It was all to make people think she truly believed Lin Zichan had already left.

She even felt that the reason Lin Zichan had been ambushed was precisely to prevent the two of them from meeting.

As long as she made it clear she wouldn’t come looking for Lin Zichan again, maybe Lin Zichan could get out alive.

She didn’t believe Fu Xingyi could really bring himself to kill Lin Zichan.

Yes.

She had begun to suspect Fu Xingyi.

She didn’t want to suspect him.

Because she had always felt that Fu Xingyi would be the one who treated her best in this world, that he would never do anything to hurt her.

But... if not him, then who else could it be?!

The only person who knew she was coming to see Lin Zichan was him.

Only he could intercept her halfway.

An Ning didn’t dare think deeper.

And she didn’t want to believe Fu Xingyi would really go this far.

Right now she couldn’t sort out her thoughts at all; all she wanted was to rescue Lin Zichan and ensure his safety.

"If it’s inconvenient for Your Highness, then this humble official won’t ask further," Song Yanqing hurried to add when the Empress didn’t answer for a long time.

He could tell the Empress was guarding against the Emperor, simply because apart from the Emperor, no one else could pose any threat to her.

And he kept feeling that His Majesty really was different from before...

"Song Yanqing, among the entire court, the only people I trust are you and Xie Ruotong," An Ning suddenly said.

In that moment she even felt a stroke of luck that she still had these two at her side.

They had power, status, and ability; most importantly, between her and the Emperor, these two would stand by her without hesitation.

Now she didn’t even dare trust Xiao Wu, or Yuan Wenkang, or even Hezhen.

They might not stand on her side.

Only these two would.

"If Your Highness has something to say, please speak plainly," Song Yanqing said respectfully.

"I’ll tell you some of the truth. Aside from Ruotong, you must not tell anyone else," An Ning instructed.

"Rest assured, Your Highness," Song Yanqing promised.

An Ning drew in a deep breath and told Song Yanqing the entire truth.

Song Yanqing listened, utterly dumbstruck.

He stared blankly at An Ning, unable to react for a long time.

Could such bizarre things really exist in this world?!

But the difference between the Empress and Ye Qichi, and the complete change in the Emperor now, left him with no choice but to believe it.

"So you’re saying that Lin Zichan is the true current..."

"An Ning nodded." She didn’t let Song Yanqing say the last word.

Song Yanqing drew in a sharp breath.

Thinking back to how harshly he had lectured Lin Zichan today...

He felt that even ten heads wouldn’t be enough for him to lose.

Of course, that wasn’t the point.

The point was, "But no one will believe it. I believe it only because I’ve decided to trust the Empress, but the other civil and military officials absolutely won’t. In everyone’s mind, the Emperor is—right now—the reigning Son of Heaven; only he has the mandate to command the realm!"

"That’s why I don’t want to clash head‑on with him," An Ning said through gritted teeth.

Every time she thought that all of this might really be Fu Xingyi’s doing...

An Ning’s eyes turned slightly red.

Setting their feelings aside.

She had no confidence that, under Fu Xingyi’s kind of power, she could possibly win against him.

"After you rescue Lin Zichan, make sure he’s safe," An Ning ordered.

"This humble official will defend him with my life."

"If he isn’t seriously injured, or after he’s recovered, send him out of Xun City," An Ning said, her voice a little low, as if she were hesitating.

Song Yanqing was a bit surprised. "Your Highness means to have Lin Zichan leave?"

An Ning nodded.

The person she used to be was far too naive.

She thought it was just her choice, that no one would stand in her way.

Fu Xingyi wouldn’t.

Lin Zichan wouldn’t.

Only now did she realize that wasn’t true.

Her obsession would instead get Lin Zichan killed.

An Ning’s gaze tightened. "Just tell him that this is my answer."

Song Yanqing didn’t understand.

"He’ll understand," An Ning said.

Her eyes were rimmed with red.

Song Yanqing’s throat bobbed.

He could naturally see, at a glance, how much the Empress was holding back.

And he could understand that sending Lin Zichan away was the only way she could protect him.

If it really was the Emperor who wanted Lin Zichan dead, no one could shield him.

"Yes," Song Yanqing accepted the order.

An Ning didn’t linger either; she turned and walked straight out of the General Mansion.

...

Lin Residence.

After An Ning left with a group of Palace Attendants.

Lin Zichan was dragged out of the room at knifepoint.

That one glance just now...

Had An Ning seen him?!

Fortunately.

She turned and left.

Otherwise even he couldn’t be sure whether the assassins at his side would kill her too.

But thinking it through carefully, they probably wouldn’t.

This man had been sent by Fu Xingyi.

Fu Xingyi would never kill An Ning.

But if An Ning discovered that he was still here, there was no telling whether they would end his life on the spot.

Lin Zichan watched the ten Inner Palace Experts in front of him with his whole body on guard.

They had all been trained by his own hand once; now they had become the tools to kill him.

"Take him out of the city!" the leader ordered.

The Emperor’s order was to escort Lin Zichan out of Xun City overnight and, under no circumstances, allow Lin Zichan to meet the Empress; if the Empress saw Lin Zichan, they were permitted to kill him on the spot.

Fortunately.

The Empress hadn’t discovered him.

Otherwise Lin Zichan would already be a corpse by now.

Upon receiving the order, the subordinates hurriedly brought up a carriage.

The leader shoved Lin Zichan onto the carriage at knifepoint.

The others mounted their horses.

The group departed at speed.

In the black of night.

The carriage sped toward the city gate.

Before they reached it, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly rang out from behind.

The carriage came to a halt.

Lin Zichan’s eyes narrowed.

He faintly sensed something was off.

His fingers twitched slightly as he silently took stock of the surroundings, thinking about how to escape.

Yet he was surrounded by experts, and he himself had already been injured in the earlier fight; to get out of this alive...

Lin Zichan’s gaze flashed.

When the carriage curtain was lifted from outside—

In that instant when the Inner Palace Expert holding him let his guard down, Lin Zichan sprang up, burst straight through the carriage roof, used Qinggong to fly up onto the nearby rooftop, and raced along the tiles.

The Inner Palace Experts reacted and immediately gave chase without letting up.

They had never expected Lin Zichan’s vigilance to be this high.

When the leader received the order to kill Lin Zichan, Lin Zichan had already escaped.

He gestured with one hand.

The other Inner Palace Experts split into several groups and launched a frenzied pursuit to kill Lin Zichan!