Chapter 81: Disable His Legs

Ling Fengyang clenched his teeth and endured for a long time before he could open his mouth with a hiss: “Loyal and Brave Marquis… I have an ordinary relationship with him, but I’ve heard many things about him over the past three years.”

Ji Yucang’s voice was indifferent: “Nan Dynasty once had a War God Princess, I heard she was once the wife of the Loyal and Brave Marquis. Is this Princess still leading troops?”

“No, she is no longer in this world…” Ling Fengyang shook his head with difficulty, and suddenly his expression stiffened. He couldn’t help but think of Princess Pingyao, and a look of pain appeared in his eyes. “I was the fiancé of Princess Pingyao. She couldn’t marry anyone else. I need to see her, I need to see her…”

“The Nan Dynasty Princess is no longer in this world?”

“…Yes.” Ling Fengyang’s voice sounded as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth, each word revealing extreme pain. “I need to see Princess Pingyao…”

Ji Yucang asked: “What was the cause of her death?”

“To the outside… it was announced as a natural death.” Ling Fengyang took a deep breath, trembling as he wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead. “But… but those in the know say that the Princess drank poisoned wedding wine on her wedding night, and since that night, Nan Dynasty… Nan Dynasty has lost its War God Princess.”

“Is that so?” Ji Yucang’s voice was icy. “If we calculate the timing, it was after you went to Nan Dynasty that the War God Princess married the Loyal and Brave Marquis, and since then, there has been no news of her. The next time we heard news, it was of her death… Ling Fengyang, dare you say you knew nothing about this?”

Ling Fengyang was shocked, not understanding how Ji Yucang’s information could be so well-informed, nor why he would ask him about it when he already knew the War God Princess was dead.

At this moment, Ling Fengyang was so tormented by the pain that his mind was in a daze. Otherwise, with his usual sharpness, he would have certainly detected some unusual information from Ji Yucang’s extraordinary words.

But now, his mind, clouded by pain, could only allow him to think of some superficial doubts—how did Ji Yucang’s information become so detailed that he knew about the Princesses of other countries?

Ling Fengyang was eager to see the Emperor.

All matters must be revealed after seeing the Emperor, so he couldn’t die, nor could he allow himself to become disabled.

He could only cooperate as much as possible, answering Ji Yucang’s questions with a trembling voice: “The death of the Nan Dynasty Princess is a good thing for Yong Kingdom…”

Ji Yucang’s eyes were cold: “Is that so?”

Ling Fengyang did not notice the change in his expression. Clenching his teeth and gasping for air, he nodded stiffly: “The Princess had many elite soldiers and capable generals under her command. They… they were strong in combat. With the Princess’s death, they were leaderless… Those elites were divided and killed by the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s schemes…”

“Ling Fengyang, that’s not what I want to hear.” Ji Yucang narrowed his eyes, concealing the bloodthirsty glint in them. “Did you have a hand in the Princess’s death?”

Ling Fengyang instinctively wanted to nod, but his belatedly awakened senses finally kicked in. He stiffly raised his head, looking at Ji Yucang with eyes clouded by cold sweat, his pupils contracting: “Regent… what do you mean by this?”

“You entered Nan Dynasty as a military general. The Princess married and then died an unnatural death.” Ji Yucang’s voice was indifferent. “This should not be a coincidence.”

Ling Fengyang bit his lip, and a terrifying thought finally surfaced in his mind: “You… do you know that Princess?”

Ji Yucang did not answer the question, only staring at him unblinkingly, his gaze sinister and deadly: “Ling Fengyang, what kind of agreement did you sign with the Nan Dynasty’s Emperor? You helped him get rid of the Princess, and he protected you in Nan Dynasty?”

Fear grew in Ling Fengyang’s heart: “Regent… who exactly are you? How do you know that Princess?”

“Or perhaps, the Nan Dynasty’s Emperor wanted to get rid of the Princess but was worried about the stability of the border, so he had you lead his troops into battle?” Ji Yucang’s voice grew colder, as if dipped in an icy pond. “Without reason, why would the Nan Dynasty’s Emperor trust you so? Just because of the late Emperor’s decree?”

Ling Fengyang lost control and roared: “Who are you? What is your connection to Nan Dynasty? How does the Regent of Yong Kingdom know so much about Nan Dynasty’s affairs? You’re not the real Regent of Yong Kingdom, you’re an impostor, aren’t you? You’re a spy from Nan Dynasty infiltrating Yong Kingdom, aren’t you? Ji Yucang, you… you have no right to interrogate me. I want to see the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor!”

Ji Yucang rose to his feet, looking at him with an indifferent gaze, as if he were looking at an ant. After a moment, he turned and left, leaving behind a cold and merciless command: “Break his legs.”

As soon as the words fell, the jailer lifted a club and smashed it into his legs.

“Ah!” A shrill scream echoed through the prison, sending chills down one’s spine.

Ji Yucang walked out of the cell with his hands behind his back, his figure tall and his steps steady.

Even in a dirty and filthy place, he exuded an air of noble and outstanding demeanor, making it impossible to associate him with the cold nature of someone who could disable a person’s legs with a single sentence.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Ji Yucang ordered Ling Feng to inform Princess Pingyao: “Tell Princess Pingyao that I have just interrogated Ling Fengyang. If she is concerned about what Ling Fengyang said, there is no harm in telling her the truth.”

“Yes, I will go at once.”

Ji Yucang entered the Chonghua Palace as if it were uninhabited and stepped into the imperial bedchamber.

Ji Jin was still sitting at the edge of the bed reading, as usual. Despite being imprisoned for only two days, he appeared calm, without much despair or self-abandonment.

However, Ji Yucang’s arrival was clearly unexpected.

The fingers of Ji Jin, holding the book, tightened imperceptibly, and his gaze lifted slightly, his dark eyes fixed on Ji Yucang’s noble features. His first words were: “Has Uncle taken the antidote?”

Ji Yucang sat down next to him: “The Emperor is so concerned about the antidote, is there something wrong with it?”

Ji Jin’s expression was calm: “Whether there is a problem or not, Uncle should be clear in his heart.”

Ji Yucang said indifferently: “Today is Pingyao’s wedding day, and an uninvited guest arrived at the Princess’s residence.”

An uninvited guest?

Ji Jin’s pupils narrowed slightly: “Who is Uncle referring to?”

“The Emperor can guess for himself.”

Ji Jin furrowed his brows, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat, instantly realizing who the person Ji Yucang was talking about was.

“Where is he?”

“In the Ministry of Justice’s prison.” Ji Yucang did not hide it. “I just ordered his legs to be broken.”

Ji Jin’s expression turned cold, and he stood up abruptly: “Uncle!”