Upon hearing Xiao An's words, Zhou Quan felt a chill in his heart. The Emperor was ruthless and capable of anything.
From the Emperor's words, he understood several meanings.
Bestowing Liu Rumei in marriage to Chen Xiaobei, the daughter of a marquis marrying a commoner from the wilderness, was equivalent to humiliating Liu Xiangnan. Of course, Xiao An did not mention whether Liu Xiangnan was alive or dead, or if he could escape from the imperial prison; all remained an unknown.
More importantly, Chen Xiaobei's two wives would likely face a calamity. But as a subordinate, he could not voice such concerns; he could only obey.
A day passed in the blink of an eye. As darkness fell, La Erduo grew impatient. Staying at the altar for a whole day was already uncomfortable, and it grew colder after dark. He longed to return to his warm room for a drink and a good night's sleep.
La Erduo still had some sense of propriety and first asked Chen Xiaobei for his intentions before acting.
Chen Xiaobei was also conflicted upon hearing this. However, he thought to himself that since he had decided to perform the ritual, he must see it through. He couldn't just show up during the day and leave at night; that would make the ritual seem rather superficial.
With this thought, he sent someone to tell La Erduo to persist through the night, and they could finish the job tomorrow.
Not only that, but he also ordered messengers to spread the word to all the altars that they must hold their positions tonight.
Everything else was secondary; his only concern was Cui Hongyu and Huang Ying. So, during dinner, Chen Xiaobei quietly left the altar to check on his two wives.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, both Huang Ying and Cui Hongyu were overjoyed.
Huang Ying held Chen Xiaobei's hand, "Brother Xiaobei, don't worry. With me protecting Sister Cui Hongyu, there will be no problem."
Chen Xiaobei nodded, "Add a brazier later. You've worked hard. Just endure this one night, and you can finish tomorrow!"
Indeed, Yang Zhi hadn't scattered the medicine yesterday. Given the potency of the medicine, it could last at most three days.
Tomorrow would be the third day, and it was unlikely that any schools of fish would gather.
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Cui Hongyu smiled calmly, "Brother Xiaobei, please rest assured. Forget one day, we can endure two or three days."
After offering a few more words of comfort, Chen Xiaobei returned to his post. After all, the altar was still in operation, and he couldn't be away for too long.
Even so, every move Chen Xiaobei made was reported to Bai Han.
Leaving the altar to visit Cui Hongyu and Huang Ying made Bai Han hesitate slightly. Should he report this to the Emperor?
But just then, Xiao An summoned him, "A day has passed. Has Chen Xiaobei made any moves?"
Bai Han hesitated for a moment before finally reporting truthfully, "He went to the White Tiger Altar when it got dark."
"It's said that the two women guarding the altar are his two wives."
Upon hearing this, Xiao An frowned, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth.
"This matter is quite simple. I didn't expect Chen Xiaobei's two wives to be in Wannian City."
Hearing this, Bai Han suddenly felt he had said too much.
However, to his slight surprise, Xiao An waved him away and dismissed him.
After Bai Han had retreated, Xiao An turned to a young eunuch standing beside him and said, "Xiao Dezi, do you know what needs to be done next?"
The young eunuch bowed, "Your Majesty, Xiao Dezi does not know. Please instruct me."
"You've been by my side for ten years, haven't you!" Xiao An suddenly spoke slowly.
"Replying to Your Majesty, ever since you saved me during a hunt, I have been by your side. Counting, it has been eleven years."
Xiao An nodded with satisfaction. "Since you entered the palace after your castration, I have never assigned you any tasks. But today, I hope you can help me resolve this matter that has been weighing on my mind."
Xiao Dezi bowed, "Your Majesty, you mean Chen Xiaobei's two wives?"
Xiao An nodded, a look of approval on his face. "Yes, I intend to bestow Liu Rumei in marriage, but Chen Xiaobei is already married. This might cause discontent."
"I understand. I will go and prepare immediately."
Xiao An nodded. "Be quick about it. I wonder if your skills have deteriorated over these ten years!"
"Please do not worry, Your Majesty. If I fail to handle this matter, Xiao Dezi knows what to do!" Su Dan Novel Network
After the third watch, Wannian City fell silent. Apart from the occasional patrol, there were no pedestrians on the streets.
A dark figure appeared stealthily near the White Tiger Altar. Ten zhang away, he stopped, hiding in the darkness to observe carefully.
There was a brazier on the altar. Cui Hongyu and Huang Ying, huddled in a sheltered corner, were dozing beside it.
Fortunately, it was only early winter, and a brazier was enough.
The guards below the altar had already gathered in twos and threes by the walls.
Piles of bonfires also provided them with warmth.
After all, who would believe that someone would dare to sabotage the altar right at the city gate?
The altar had three levels. Huang Ying and Cui Hongyu guarded the third level, with three tigers beside them.
Xiao Dezi silently leaped to the second level. Although his movements were light, they were enough to startle the three half-asleep tigers, as their hearing was far more acute than humans.
The tigers stirred restlessly, their movements alerting Huang Ying.
Huang Ying's eyes opened slightly. Suddenly, she had a sense of unease, a premonition of danger.
Before she could fully comprehend, a wisp of white smoke drifted towards them.
Damn.
A few thoughts flashed through Huang Ying's mind. She rolled violently in front of Cui Hongyu, picked her up, and quietly retreated more than half a zhang. At that moment, the sound of blades slicing through the air reached her ears.
Two flying daggers shot towards them, about to pierce Cui Hongyu's body.
Huang Ying gritted her teeth and suddenly pushed Cui Hongyu to the side.
Cui Hongyu was pushed away, but Huang Ying couldn't dodge in time. With two muffled thuds, the two flying daggers embedded themselves in her chest.
Huang Ying flicked her wrist, and several glints of cold light shot out towards Xiao Dezi.
Xiao Dezi clearly hadn't expected Huang Ying to react so quickly. He had originally thought the two flying daggers would kill them both, but he hadn't expected Huang Ying to be so selfless and push Cui Hongyu away.
In this moment of stunned hesitation, Huang Ying's needles were upon him. Xiao Dezi couldn't dodge and cried out as one needle struck his eye, causing him to crouch down in pain, clutching his eye.
At this moment, the three fierce tigers charged almost simultaneously, opening their bloody maws to bite at Xiao Dezi.
The unfortunate Xiao Dezi, before he could regain his senses, had his neck snapped by the tigers with a crunch.
The smell of blood further ignited the tigers' ferocity. They swarmed around Xiao Dezi, tearing into him, quickly reducing him to an unrecognizable state.
At this point, Cui Hongyu had also recovered.