Ning Chen looked at the new emperor and shook his head. "Your Majesty has met Xie Siyu at my residence.

Lin Ying is Chen Chong's wife. Your Majesty has met her at my residence too."

The new emperor slowly turned the jade thumb ring on his hand. "So," he asked in a low voice, "you really did send them to assassinate this emperor?"

Ning Chen shook his head. "No. They only wanted to stand up for me."

"Stand up for you?"

Ning Chen said coolly, "I was stripped of my command. They think Your Majesty tore down the bridge once you were across, so they wanted to come to the palace and demand an answer on my behalf."

The new emperor frowned. "They're your people. Don't they know that breaking into the palace at night is a crime punishable to the ninth degree of kin?"

"They don't care! They're people of the jianghu. They pay back a kindness or a grudge on the spot. I was wronged, and they only wanted to protect me... the same way I once protected the Emperor Emeritus, and protected Your Majesty. It was about loyalty to friends, never about right and wrong!"

The new emperor looked a little moved.

But his face soon darkened again, and he demanded, "Weren't they afraid of dragging you into it?"

Ning Chen gave a soft laugh. "They'd never been inside the palace. They had no idea how well it's guarded, and it never occurred to them they might get caught."

The new emperor snapped, "Brainless hotheads."

But Ning Chen laughed. "They do act without much thought, but they're loyal to their friends to the bone. Isn't that kind of adorable?"

The new emperor was quiet for a moment. "It really is. I envy you, having friends who are true to you heart and soul."

"Your Majesty had them once too. You gave them up yourself!"

The new emperor's face stiffened, and for a long time he said nothing.

Ning Chen fixed his eyes on him and asked, one word at a time, "Will Your Majesty spare their lives?"