"Sorry, Your Highness, but I have other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave." Qin Yuan cupped his hands in farewell and left.
"Take care, sir." Xue Xing saw him off with a smile.
As he watched Qin Yuan leave, a complicated expression crossed Xue Xing's face.
He had failed to achieve his intended goal in this conversation, but he had gained something unexpected.
Previously, he had always worried that Dugu Bo and the others would abandon him if upheaval struck the Heaven Dou court.
After all, outsiders knew nothing of the debt of gratitude, and once he died, that debt would naturally vanish.
Besides, a debt of gratitude depended entirely on the "debtor's" mood. If Dugu Bo had not been someone who saw things through to the end, anyone else could have tossed him some compensation afterward and considered the debt settled.
Over the years, Xue Xing had avoided "bothering" Dugu Bo precisely because he did not want to provoke resentment.
Now that Qin Yuan had personally given his word, no matter how the situation in the Heaven Dou court developed, at least the uncle and nephew had a chance of landing safely.
Although he had failed to secure any opportunities for Xue Beng, obtaining a promise of protection seemed to have more than fulfilled the purpose of this visit.
Still, Xue Xing could not quite let go of his dissatisfaction.
Qin Yuan's stance was clear: he would not meddle in the affairs of the Heaven Dou court. That meant the uncle and nephew had no powerful outside support, and their chances of inheriting the throne remained slim.
For those obsessed with the throne, becoming emperor-even for a single day-would leave them perfectly content.
Xue Xing and his nephew were exactly that sort of people. Deep down, they