After the wrong flirtation, I became the villain's favorite

This was the scene Song Nihuan saw when she rushed to Yuji Palace.

The sickly young man was covered in blood, kneeling at the entrance of the temple, with several steel knives pointed at him.

"Don't kill him!" she blurted out without thinking, picked up her skirt and ran up the stairs quickly.

"Madam! Wait a minute!" The eunuch chased after her and said in a low voice, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs!"

The emperor's personal guards didn't know whether they should stop the attack or not.

The emperor said in a deep voice: "Don't stop her."

Looking at the woman running towards him from the lingering morning mist, Xie Yunji closed his sore eyes and put his heart back into his stomach.

She was fine, not poisoned, and not injured.

"What are you doing?" she asked loudly in astonishment.

Only when I got closer could I see Xie Yunji's appearance clearly.

His clothes were soaked with blood, his black hair was disheveled, and he looked haggard. He knelt in the hall, looking at her with gentle and harmless eyes, and the corners of his lips were raised in what seemed to be a bitter smile.

She suddenly felt irritated and couldn't breathe.

What's wrong with him looking like this? Compared to what he did to her, it's nothing.

But her heart felt inexplicably ached, and she couldn't explain why, as if a huge stone had fallen on her.

When Xie Tan saw her coming, his expression became unpredictable, and he said coldly: "Master Xie broke into the palace at night, there is something important."

Before he finished speaking, Xie Yunji began to cough suppressedly.

She looked at him and saw with her own eyes that blood was oozing out from between his fingers.

Xie Yunji raised his eyes to look at the person who was staring at him blankly. She was still as pretty as ever, but seemed to be thinner, with a pointed chin. She looked at him with fear and confusion, and he suddenly understood a little...

Is she feeling sorry for him?

The young man's face turned pale and he continued to cough, but he couldn't suppress the cough at the corners of his lips.

Song Nihuan knew that breaking into the palace at night was a capital crime, so she frowned and looked at him and said, "Thank you, sir... why did you break into the palace at night?"

"I know I was wrong." Xie Yunji turned his eyes away from her face, leaned down, bowed his head and said to the emperor, "I am willing to accept the punishment."

There was silence in the hall.

Song Nihuan's gaze fell on Xie Yunji, who was kneeling there. It was not like he had kneeled to Xie Tan before, but now for some reason, there were some subtle changes.

What is it.

Xie Yunji has always acted with moderation and would never do something as impulsive as he did tonight.

The word "impulsive" has nothing to do with people like him.

Why is it?

Xie Tan frowned, walked over, put his cloak on Song Nihuan, and said gently: "You go back first."

Song Nihuan nodded and explained: "I just woke up and saw that you were not here, so I..."

He shook her hand, "I know."

Xie Yunji looked at them, with suppressed pain in his eyes, his fingers clenched in his sleeves until they turned white, and then his gaze fell calmly on the ground.

On the other side, Song Nihuan seemed to be hesitant to speak. When she walked out of the palace, she held Xie Tan's hand and looked at him without saying a word.

He stared into her eyes, and his throat felt like something was blocking it, churning and aching.

He still didn't want to make Song Nihuan unhappy, so he paused, lowered his head, and said in a lukewarm voice: "Don't worry, I'll keep him alive."

Song Nihuan is gone.

Xie Tan returned to the hall and quietly looked at Xie Yunji who was kneeling in front of him.

It took him only a few breaths to figure out that Xie Yunji must have his own difficulties.

But is this hardship worth giving up the opportunity to kill him?

The majesty of the imperial power cannot be violated by anyone.

How good would it be to break into the palace at night and then be able to execute him openly?

What if he had promised Song Nihuan not to kill him? He was sentenced to exile. The journey was long, and many of them died on the way due to acclimatization, fatigue, and excessive worry.

"Mr. Xie, do you know that breaking into the palace is a capital crime?" Xie Tan said indifferently.

Xie Yunji was still kneeling on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground without looking up, "I know my crime."

He knew that Xie Tan was giving him a chance to explain himself.

But what should he say?

Tell him everything his father did?

As a son, he couldn't do it.

He didn't know how much weight his father held in Xie Tan's heart. Was it mostly hatred, or was there some residual affection?

Since childhood, his father has been indifferent to him, not to mention Xie Tan.

Otherwise, Xie Tan would not have severed ties with the Xie family after returning.

"I know I was wrong, and I have no excuse." The young man said slowly, closing his eyes, "Your Majesty, please remember that the Xie family once gave you protection, and don't vent your anger on the Xie family."

It is true that he would give up some things for some necessary goals, but he could not push his father ahead of himself in times of crisis.

Parents use filial piety to coerce their children, and the strong oppress the weak. This is the rule of the world, and he cannot escape it and can only abide by it.

Besides, what he recognized in this world besides her was also the morality and principles of being a son.

Xie Tan looked outside the palace. The copper-gold light had illuminated the jade steps. He turned around suddenly and said, "You cannot die under my order."

If you die under the imperial decree, you will remain in her heart forever and become a barrier between her and me.

Then he walked to the table and flipped through it, and asked the eunuch to take out a thick stack of memorials and place them in front of Xie Yunji.

"I have read your article 'Strategies for Controlling the Army'. Yunjing is under the emperor's feet, and the nobles and generals are relatively honest. The locals, especially those on the border, will inevitably act arrogantly because of their military achievements and status, and it is only a matter of time before they will cause public resentment." Xie Tan frowned, "Your ideas are good, but your plan for the rectification of the border troops is still a little out of touch with reality."

"The generals cannot stand the scrutiny. The court's support is not enough, and they all complain to me. But if I detain and liquidate them, who will guard the border for me and who will resist the foreign enemies?"

"Look at these." Xie Tan threw a pile of memorials in front of Xie Yunji. "These are all border defense wars. The prosperity of Yunjing is all due to the border troops. Weighing two benefits, choose the greater one; weighing two evils, choose the lesser one. Xie Qing, what you wrote is the right way, but it cannot be realized at present."

"I am willing to share your majesty's worries. The local and border troops have expanded rapidly in the past two years. With so many people, they will inevitably become too big to manage. I am willing to help your majesty prune away the dead branches and rotten leaves." Xie Yunji said readily.

"Life is tough at the border. I'm afraid once Xie Qing goes there..." said the emperor.

Xie Yunji said, "I will not return until I am established."

The emperor was silent for a moment, staring at him carefully, "I will ask you again. When you came into the palace, you asked Madam Mingde, but who wanted to harm her?"

"Even if you don't tell me, I will find out everything and will never let anyone threaten her safety."

"My father, Xie Zhihuan, has reached the age of enjoying his old age." Xie Yunji took two deep breaths, "He drank too much last night and got a stroke. Now he can't get out of bed. I will take him with me so that I can take care of him."

At this point, even without being pointed out, Xie Tan already understood.

The commotion tonight was all because of Xie Zhihuan. It was Xie Zhihuan who wanted to harm his Huan'er!