Hu Xiaotian asked a question whose answer he already knew. "If this assassin really belonged to the Heavenly Secrets Bureau, why would they do this? I'm here as Great Kang's envoy!"
"Do you really think you're someone important?" Xi Yan said. "Imperial Son-in-Law, that muddleheaded emperor only made you his son-in-law to give you a title. If an imperial son-in-law died in Western Sichuan, the repercussions would be much greater."
Hu Xiaotian nodded as though he finally understood. "So you've joined forces with the Heavenly Secrets Bureau against me! Since when were the Five Immortals Cult and the Heavenly Secrets Bureau allies?"
Xi Yan sighed. "Are you a pig?"
Hu Xiaotian was certainly no pig. Faced with a woman as clever as Xi Yan, how could he get her to reveal more unless he lowered his apparent intelligence? There was one thing he could be certain of: Xi Yan was protecting the interests of the Western Sichuan Li Clan. That had been proven time and again. Although he could not deny that his feelings for her were complicated, they stood on different sides, and naturally approached matters from different positions. If he allowed his feelings to cloud his judgment, he would be the one to suffer.
"I still don't understand," Hu Xiaotian said. "What do they gain by killing me?"
"If the Imperial Envoy and Great Kang's Imperial Son-in-Law died in Western Prefecture," Xi Yan said, "who would be held accountable?"
"Li Tianheng, of course," Hu Xiaotian replied.
"Everyone knows the predicament Great Kang is in," Xi Yan said. "That muddleheaded emperor is desperate to escape it, and his only hope is to reclaim Western Sichuan. Everyone already knows why he sent you here."
"Western Sichuan was part of Great Kang to begin with, and Li Tianheng himself is a