A woman made a king? Hu Xiaotian found it utterly inconceivable. Then a flash of inspiration struck him. Wasn't Qiqi Princess Yongyang before? Could that little girl have transformed herself into King Yongyang while I was away from Great Kang? Damn, with her cunning and methods, it wasn't impossible. But wasn't she Long Yelin's daughter? The old emperor had hunted her down back then, forcing her to flee in panic under Quan Dean's protection. If they hadn't met me, they probably would have died on Penyin Mountain. Why would the old emperor suddenly place such trust in her?
Hu Xiaotian was rather confused. Why had the old emperor made Qiqi a king and entrusted her with such great responsibilities? Still, whatever had happened, her appointment as King Yongyang ought to be good news for him. After all, he had saved her life. Yet young as Qiqi was, she was ruthless at heart, with a fickle temperament and unpredictable moods. She had treated him tolerably well in the past, but that was when he had been useful to her. Now that she had transformed herself into King Yongyang, he wondered whether her attitude toward him would change.
Xiao Tianmu asked, "What are your plans, Third Brother?"
Hu Xiaotian replied, "I don't have any for now. I'll find out what's going on before deciding about returning to the palace to report."
Xiao Tianmu nodded. "That sounds good."
Hu Xiaotian asked, "Any news of Feiyan?"
Xiao Tianmu said, "She hasn't shown herself at all. It's really strange."
Worry stirred in Hu Xiaotian's heart. He said quietly, "Sorry for the trouble, Second Brother, but please send more people out to look for her."
Xiao Tianmu said, "Don't worry. The moment I hear anything about her, I'll let you know."
Though storms of change had