Why Was He Allowed to Live?

Unexpectedly,

Xue Ye showed no great reaction upon hearing this.

Not only did he not keel over from rage, his expression was exceptionally calm.

It was as though he had heard some insignificant little matter.

"A Fu, help me back to rest. I must be tired enough to be hallucinating..." Xue Ye called to the old eunuch beside him.

He had already begun deceiving himself!

"Y-Your Majesty, this is not an illusion. It is the truth." Xue Xing forced himself to remind him, his mung bean eyes nervously fixed on Xue Ye's reaction.

Though he was a prince and theoretically had no reason to fear for his life,

based on what he knew of this imperial brother of his, the words calm and collected had basically never had anything to do with Xue Ye.

Xue Ye was like this, Xue Xing was like this, and Xue Beng was even more so.

Sure enough.

A sickly flush immediately rose to Xue Ye's face. A mouthful of blood surged up into his chest, yet he could neither spit it out nor swallow it down.

"G-Guards! Drag that bastard Xue Xing away and subject him to the harshest punishment!"

The ministers erupted in an uproar.

Yet not a single one dared to speak up and offer counsel.

First, because this matter had truly gone beyond the limits of what they could handle.

Second, because Xue Xing was Xue Ye's full-blooded younger brother.

Advise an elder brother to kill his own younger brother?

No matter what the elder brother chose, they would end up covered in filth.

But the Palace Guards had no such complicated thoughts.

They only knew that whatever Xue Ye said, they would do.

Several of them immediately rushed in and seized Xue Xing, preparing to drag him away.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I cannot die! If I die, the relationship between the Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will never be repaired!" Xue Xing broke free of the guards and scrambled forward, clinging to Xue Ye's leg.

As though doing so could give him some sense of security.

Xue Ye's fury had not yet subsided, but his expression had eased somewhat.

It had to be said that Xue Xing's words did make sense.

If he died, there would forever be a barrier between the Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The Heaven Dou Empire urgently needed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It urgently needed a Titled Douluo.

But he truly could not bear to part with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

Just as he was about to say something,

Xue Qinghe, who had been observing from the rear, suddenly spoke.

"Father Emperor, Your Son has something she does not understand."

"Oh? What is it?" Xue Ye slightly raised his eyelids and asked weakly.

Xue Qinghe paid him no heed, instead shifting her gaze to Xue Xing. "What Your Son does not understand is this: how did Imperial Uncle manage to survive?"

Because of Chen Xin, she did not know the details of what had happened more than half a year ago.

But she did not doubt the truth of Xue Xing's words.

After all, no matter how foolish Xue Xing was, he would not joke about something like this.

But if what Xue Xing said was true, the situation would escalate once again.

It had already risen from an intangible matter of pride to a declaration of war involving life and death.

Life and death.

Whether it was Tang Xuan and Chen Xin, or Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong, there was no reason for any of them to spare Xue Xing.

What was more, Ning Fengzhi had visited the palace many times over the past half year.

Yet he had never once brought up this matter?

That was highly abnormal.

In a daze,

Xue Qinghe felt as if mist filled her vision.

And beneath that mist, an invisible pair of great hands was manipulating everything.

"That's right. How did you survive? Did you perhaps pull back from the brink and come to your senses in time?" A trace of hope suddenly rose in Xue Ye's heart.

If the truth was truly as he imagined,

then not only would he not need to worry about his relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect falling apart,

he might not even need to hand over the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

"N-No, I did not. The reason I survived was because... because..." As Xue Xing spoke, his gaze began to wander uncontrollably.

It was not because he had some unspeakable secret.

He simply did not have a good excuse.

Tang Xuan had never explained this matter to him either...

"Because of what?" The sight of him like this made Xue Ye furious. He slammed his palm hard against the table before him. "Speak!!"

Xue Xing jolted in fright. His brain was practically smoking from how fast it spun, yet he still could not think of a good reason.

But suddenly,

when his gaze passed over Xue Qinghe, he had an idea in his desperation.

"Because Tang Xuan considered his relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince. He feared that killing me would put His Highness the Crown Prince in a difficult position, so... so he spared me..."

The moment those words fell,

Xue Qinghe froze.

First, because she believed him.

Otherwise, there truly was no way to explain how Xue Xing had survived.

And it matched the information Tang Xuan had told her before.

Second, because she was moved? Or ashamed?

From beginning to end, all she had thought about was how to use Tang Xuan.

Even if she drew him to her side, it would only be to use Tang Xuan to crush the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

She had even considered killing Tang Xuan and taking his spirit bone just moments ago.

Yet Tang Xuan had devoted himself wholeheartedly to her.

Merely because he feared putting her in a difficult position, he had disregarded his own safety and dignity to spare Xue Xing.

He had not even mentioned the matter to her.

Presumably, he had still been afraid of putting her in a difficult position.

From childhood until now,

no one had ever treated her with such sincerity.

Not even Grandpa had ever done so...

"Sigh, Qinghe, go to the imperial treasury and bring the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud..." Xue Ye's already aged face seemed to have aged several years more.

It seemed that with the connection between Tang Xuan and Xue Qinghe,

this matter was not yet quite so serious.

But precisely because of that, Xue Ye had to pay a heavy price in compensation.

Tang Xuan had spared Xue Xing out of consideration for Xue Qinghe.

But if the Royal Family did not return that favor through Xue Qinghe,

then the last remaining affection between the Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would likely gradually fade away.

Xue Qinghe naturally understood this reasoning and said nothing more.

She accepted Xue Ye's written order from the old eunuch.

Then, with a heart full of complicated emotions, she left.

And with Xue Qinghe's departure,

the Court Hall fell deathly silent.

The only sounds left were Xue Ye's heavy breathing and the grinding of his teeth.

"Xue Xing, tell me yourself. You caused me to lose the National Treasure. What crime do you deserve?" Xue Ye looked at Xue Xing as though he wanted to devour him alive.

If he could, he truly wanted to hack Xue Xing into pieces a hundred times over.

Xue Xing gave a bitter smile, his eyes holding thirty percent sincerity, forty percent remorse, and thirty percent worry. "Your Majesty, whatever punishment you give this Imperial Brother would be deserved. But this Imperial Brother boldly asks Your Majesty for a chance to make amends through merit, so that I may repair Tang Xuan's ill will toward the Royal Family."

"If this Imperial Brother fails, beat me, scold me, punish me however you wish. This Imperial Brother will submit to Your Majesty's disposal. I only ask that Your Majesty not damage your health with anger."

Though Xue Xing was a prince, he had been able to remain in the Capital City while holding great authority.

Aside from his exceptional abilities,

the only other possibility was that Xue Ye cherished their blood ties.

And advancing by retreating

was an excellent method for stirring another's sympathy.

Sure enough,

Xue Ye's expression eased considerably. "Hmph. Since this was an unintentional mistake, I will give you this chance! But if there is a next time, then I think it will be time for you, as a prince, to enjoy some leisure."

Xue Xing was first stunned, then overwhelmed with joy.

To the Royal Family,

enjoying leisure meant having nothing to do, and meant possessing not even the slightest bit of power.

And since Xue Ye had said he would only enjoy leisure if there was a next time,

did that not mean that aside from receiving a scolding this time, he had received no punishment at all?

As for next time? How could there be a next time?

Today's entire performance had been arranged by his Master, Tang Xuan...