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The spacious first-floor hall was as quiet as deathly stillness, with the madam and numerous girls in the brothel kneeling in fear inside the railing, not daring to breathe.
Both inside and outside the building, the guards dressed in black robes stood imposingly, swords at their waists, standing straight and intimidating, evoking awe.
After a bout of hysterical shouting from Xiao Jinghan, he was awkwardly escorted down from the second floor by the Qilin Guards, his face dark with resentment.
No one spoke.
It wasn’t until Yan Qing emerged from the hall and took all the Qilin Guards belonging to her residence away, and the sound of a maid calling for the carriage to return to the mansion outside, that the madam remained kneeling on the ground, drenched in cold sweat.
Princess Chang was the Lone Star of Calamity, feared by all in the dynasty.
Even if the Emperor disliked her and the court officials kept their distance, Princess Chang’s power was formidable enough to prevent anyone from underestimating her.
How could a mere brothel madam dare to offend the formidable Princess Chang?
…
The Lone Star of Calamity?
Yan Qing sat in the luxurious sedan chair carried by eight bearers, tilting her head slightly, her beautiful eyes half-closed, a faintly disdainful curve touching her lips.
She once wanted to be a good person.
However, from the day she was born, the four words “Lone Star of Calamity” surrounded her like maggots on a bone, making it impossible for her to escape the curse of those four words.
Everyone avoided her like a snake or scorpion.
Even her father, the Emperor, and her mother, the Empress, avoided her, going so far as to exile her to the city of Zhuque six thousand miles away.
She had tried hard to break the curse of being the Lone Star of Calamity. She wanted to tell her closest people that she was not a malevolent deity, not a demon, and that all those prophecies were baseless rumors.
She did good deeds, accumulated virtue, wished to benefit the world with her own efforts, opened clinics, established private schools, helped the impoverished, assisted critically ill widows, and financially supported children from humble backgrounds…
Yet, no matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain.
By the age of eighteen, her father had seen her only a few times, and each time, he couldn’t hide the murderous intent in his eyes— a father so fearful of his own daughter that he wanted to eliminate her, all because of a prophecy…
Ah, all because of a prophecy.
And those children from humble backgrounds she supported, once they achieved success, also labeled her as the Lone Star of Calamity, intolerable in society.
Yan Qing quietly recalled the scenes of her past life.
Clearly, she had done nothing wrong, yet she became the hated villain of everyone.
Looking back now, it all seemed pitiful.
In her past life, she had no emotional connection with Xiao Jinghan. Their marriage was ordered by the Emperor, and even poisoning her in secret through her food was at the Emperor’s command. After seven years of marriage, they lived separately, pretending to be a couple for seven years, yet Xiao Jinghan never hesitated to push her towards death step by step.
For her, Xiao Jinghan was just an enemy, nothing more.
At the age of twenty-five, she left this world without even a grand funeral, much like a concubine who fell out of favor and was banished to a cold palace, wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into the wilderness.
The reason she was allowed to live until twenty-five was that the deceased Emperor wanted to use her to control the Prince Regent.
Yan Qing gently closed her eyes, a cold and mocking curve forming at the corner of her lips.
Then there was that refined and wealthy gentleman she had invested all her efforts in, who climbed the ranks smoothly, becoming a prominent official, only to turn against his ruler in the end, dealing her a fatal blow.
Yan Qing sarcastically smirked.
As the Lone Star of Calamity, she naturally had to do what the Lone Star of Calamity should do, otherwise, it would be a waste of the chance given to her by fate to have a second chance at life.
“Your Highness.” The leader of the Qilin Guards, Shen Mo, respectfully spoke, “We have arrived.”
The luxurious sedan chair gently touched the ground, bringing Yan Qing back from her distant thoughts. She rose from the chair without a word, her slender and upright figure accentuated by the long dress, exuding an air of elegance and aloofness around her eyes and brows.
She walked towards the gate of the Princess’s residence, her voice indifferent, “Take Xiao Jinghan to where he belongs, give him a light punishment of eighty lashes to teach him a lesson.”
“Yes.” Shen Mo responded without hesitation, showing no concern about the heir of a first-rank Grand General being taken to the dungeon for a beating, as he didn’t see it as a serious matter.
However, just because he didn’t see it as serious didn’t mean it wasn’t serious at all.
The incident of Xiao Jinghan being caught in an adulterous situation by Princess Chang in the brothel quickly spread within the Imperial City, causing a stir.
Princess Chang ordered the killing of Qiao Yue, publicly escorted Xiao Jinghan back to the Princess’s residence, attracting countless onlookers along the way.
Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Xiao Jinghan felt almost unbearable, his once honorable reputation ruined in an instant. He wished he could find a hole to hide in, feeling a strong sense of hatred towards Yan Qing growing in his heart.
The shame of today was all thanks to Yan Qing!
He would make her regret it, absolutely make her regret it.