Chapter 10: The thieves went east!

At this moment, the Imperial Guards had just finished searching the Warlord’s Estate, with all the doors to the rooms wide open. Everyone was left in shock at the scenes inside, nearly forgetting to breathe.

They had just been awakened from their rooms, and how could everything vanish in less than a tea-break?!

Even more bizarrely, not only were the valuable furnishings in the rooms missing, but even the gilded ridge beasts on the eaves, the brass rings on the doors, and the decorations on the beams…

Everything was just gone!!!

Even after seeing the entire council hall being emptied before, witnessing the entire Warlord’s Estate being cleared in less than half a minute still left Xiao Huaishuo completely stunned.

He turned to Su Qingning, who had a relaxed expression, and asked in a voice only the two could hear:

“Did you do this?”

“Yes, I emptied your house. Do you have a problem with that?”

Su Qingning appeared nonchalant on the surface, but inside she felt a bit anxious as she awaited Xiao Huaishuo’s reaction.

A handsome man is what I desire, but a handsome man who doesn’t obey could flee at any moment!

Anyway, she now had power at her fingertips, so she had no worries. Staying behind was just because she felt comfortable around this family.

If Xiao Huaishuo couldn’t tolerate her special abilities or harbored any inappropriate thoughts, she could leave at any time!

Yet, Xiao Huaishuo showed little expression and casually asked:

“Was it you who robbed the palace as well?”

Su Qingning couldn’t help but admire her handsome husband’s mental fortitude. After all, her skills were too extraordinary for this time and space; any normal person would surely be stunned.

However, Xiao Huaishuo maintained his composure.

Feeling playful, Su Qingning smiled and said:

“Yep, not only did I empty the palace, but I also cleared out the Eastern Palace, the Prime Minister’s residence, and many corrupt officials’ mansions. Want to report me now~?”

The way she acted as if she weren’t afraid of boiling water surprisingly struck Xiao Huaishuo as somewhat charming. The corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve upwards as he said lightly:

“Well done!”

Su Qingning couldn’t help but smile back.

She hadn’t made the wrong choice; this husband was bearable!

Meanwhile, the crown prince couldn’t believe this absurdity. He personally led a team of guards to search every corner of the Warlord’s Estate, but couldn’t find a single needle.

His whole body trembled with rage, glaring at Xiao Huaishuo with a fierce look in his eyes.

“Good! Xiao Huaishuo, you have some nerve! How dare you empty the Warlord’s Estate before the court came to confiscate it! Speak! Where did you put everything? If you confess, I might spare your life!”

Xiao Huaishuo still maintained a calm demeanor, as if he were the judge and the crown prince was the criminal driven to desperation.

“What are you saying, Your Highness? I only learned tonight that the Warlord’s Estate was guilty of a crime and subject to confiscation. After the imperial decree was issued, I was escorted back to the Warlord’s Estate by the Imperial Guards. How could I possibly empty it under everyone’s noses?!”

“Your Highness oversees the Military Bureau and has full control over the capital’s security. How could anyone empty the Warlord’s Estate under your watch? In my opinion, it seems like some people are trying to embezzle the vast wealth of my Warlord’s Estate while playing the trick of guarding the henhouse only to steal the eggs themselves!”

Standing next to him, Su Qingning adopted a look of feigned distress, appearing frightfully upset.

“Oh my! My eighteen-carriage dowry! Just like that, in the blink of an eye, it’s gone! Woo woo woo… I don’t even know where such thieves with such incredible skills came from!”

Inside, she couldn’t help but give Xiao Huaishuo a thumbs-up, secretly admiring his quick wit.

Earlier, he had used a single line to drive a wedge between ruler and subject, and now, he had turned the tables on the crown prince, suggesting that the prince was attempting to embezzle the Warlord’s Estate’s wealth. The tightness of his logic made it hard to argue against.

The Xiao family members were also bewildered, not knowing what had happened. At this moment, they all began to speak up for the two.

Grandmother Liu Qing heavily struck her cane, her eyes shining with intensity.

“Your Highness, punishing someone must be reasonable. With the entire city under martial law, how could my grandson possibly empty the Warlord’s Estate in just a few hours? If this gets out, the whole world will laugh until their teeth fall out!”

The crown prince instinctively felt that the people from the Warlord’s Estate were up to something, but he couldn’t find any evidence. It felt like he had kicked a steel plate, and he was so angry he nearly ground his teeth.

He had come here today thinking about the vast wealth of the Warlord’s Estate, which was no less than the Eastern Palace’s treasury. He intended to take whatever he confiscated to present to the emperor, to avoid being asked for money since the old man was running low.

Now, things had turned out poorly; he hadn’t managed to confiscate anything, and was instead left speechless by Xiao Huaishuo, losing a considerable amount of face.

The crown prince glared fiercely at everyone from the Warlord’s Estate, determined to regain his dignity.

His gaze landed on Su Qingning, who was completely absorbed in her performance, and his eyes lit up.

This girl was quite beautiful! If he couldn’t deal with Xiao Huaishuo, could he not handle a weak woman?!

“It must be Xiao Huaishuo’s doing! Someone! Strip Su Qingning of her clothes! The evidence must be on her!!”

Xiao Huaishuo’s eyes instantly flashed with killing intent as he moved his wheelchair to block Su Qingning.

Grandmother Liu Qing and Mother Zhang Qinxue, along with several members of the Xiao family, also stood in front of her.

“A gentleman can be killed but cannot be humiliated! Although the emperor has demoted my Xiao family to commoners, he did not say that we could be bullied at will. If Your Highness doubts the dignity of my Xiao family’s women, you can only step over my dead body!”

Eldest sister-in-law Li Xuanyi was also furious, standing in front of Su Qingning and shouting angrily.

“Your Highness! Accusations must be backed by evidence! Bullying a mere woman in public, are you not afraid of being laughed at by the world?!”

The crown prince wore a smug expression on his bloated face. Seeing the Xiao family members panicking, his previous frustration dissipated considerably.

“Drag these troublesome people away! They’re protecting that woman so much; she must be hiding some shameful secret! Bring her to me and strip her clean in front of everyone!”

Several Imperial Guards stepped forward at his command. A flicker of resolve flashed in Xiao Huaishuo’s eyes as he prepared to summon the remaining forces hidden outside to confront this dog of a prince.

But suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from outside. A door panel weighing over a hundred pounds flew in, directly smashing the crown prince to the ground.

“Bang—”

“Ah—”

The sound of the heavy door hitting the ground was deafening, sending dust flying everywhere.

The crown prince lay on the ground like a flattened pufferfish, his eyes rolled back as he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

“Imperial Guards! Go catch the assassin!”

“First, lift His Highness out! Call for the imperial physician! Hurry, call for the physician! Your Highness, wake up!”

The front hall instantly descended into chaos, with three soldiers straining to lift the door panel off and pull the crown prince out. For a moment, no one paid attention to stripping Su Qingning’s clothes.

The Xiao family members watched the bizarre scene unfold before them, their hearts filled with shock. They all solemnly shielded their relatives behind them.

Su Qingning also imitated the surrounding maidservants, appearing frightened.

“Wuwuwu… it’s really so scary! Wuwuwu… oh no! I saw a shadow heading east! Guards, hurry and chase after it! We must not let these thieves, who intend to harm the heir, escape!!”