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“If you want to accuse someone, there’s always a way! Yan Qing, if you don’t want to marry me, why harm me like this?”
Xiao Jinghan was forcibly held down on the stool, the pain behind him feeling like hot oil splattered on his back, the heavy solid wooden stick hitting him, causing his skin to split open after a few strikes.
He gritted his teeth, turning his head to look at Yan Qing, “You are so maliciously framing me, my father will not let you off! The Emperor will not spare you either!”
The more he shouted, the heavier the blows from the Qilin Guards became, leaving his face pale and drenched in cold sweat after just a few strikes.
Xiao Jinghan harbored deep hatred towards Yan Qing.
Seven years?
No, he couldn’t bear it for another day, wishing to kill this jinx immediately, sending her to the depths of hell to be arrogant!
“Framing me?” Yan Qing sighed, her voice becoming more lazy, “I went to the Red Swallow Pavilion to catch you in the act, saw you rendezvous with the lady, and more than one person witnessed what you did. Does Xiao Jinghan dare say this is a setup?”
After being struck more than ten times, Xiao Jinghan’s face contorted in pain, “Stop pretending to be ignorant!”
What he said had nothing to do with visiting the brothel.
Seeing him in such pain, Madam Xiao couldn’t control her outburst, “Princess Chang is going too far! Even if he was at fault first, this fault should not be magnified like this. Do all men who visit brothels deserve such severe punishment?”
“Visiting a brothel is indeed not a big deal, but harboring intentions to harm me and marrying me is unforgivable. It deserves to be executed by dismemberment!” Yan Qing finished speaking, turned to leave, “I have other matters to attend to, no time to listen to Mrs. Xiao defend her son here.”
Old Lady Chen urgently said, “Princess Chang, please wait!”
“After the twenty lashes, throw Xiao Jinghan back into the dungeon.” Yan Qing slightly turned her head to instruct, then looked at the two maids, “Since you were sent by the Empress Dowager, you should first teach Mrs. Xiao about the respect between ruler and subject before seeking an audience with me.”
With that, she left without looking back. Old Lady Chen urgently spoke up, “Princess Chang, the Empress Dowager has decreed, ordering you to release Master Xiao immediately!”
“The Empress Dowager’s decree has no effect on me.” Yan Qing didn’t even look back, her voice cold and ruthless, “If you have time, Mrs. Xiao, go and worship the various gods.”
Empress Dowager?
Banished from the palace and ignored since childhood, every encounter with her was met with cold indifference. Despite being her biological daughter, it felt like she was treated as an enemy from a past life.
What right did she have to command her now?
Yan Qing had done many good deeds before, trying to change her mother’s attitude towards her, but after experiencing death once, she felt that familial affection was no longer relevant to her.
Alienation from both friends and family?
Throughout history, those in power always ended up isolated and alone. Shedding emotional ties was the only way to become invincible.
Having experienced various emotions in her past life—family love, romantic love, friendship—all those feelings were now insignificant to her. What she desired was the ultimate power.
Yan Qing headed to the study.
Whenever she felt upset, she would spend an hour practicing calligraphy in the study to calm herself quickly. However, today seemed destined to be different.
“Your Highness!” a Qilin Guard hurriedly approached, “The Chief Commander of the Imperial Guards, Lu Guozhong, has been killed. The Emperor has ordered the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to investigate together. Two officials and their attendants have arrived at the Princess’s residence, seeking an audience with Princess Chang.”
Yan Qing raised her gaze, “Do they suspect me of being the culprit?”
“Yes.”
“Then go out and tell them, a eunuch who dares to offend me, I can kill him without hesitation. What can they do to me?”
The Qilin Guard hesitated slightly, “Yes.”
Yan Qing wrote with her pen, her mind inexplicably filled with the elegant and gentle face of Wen Jin, along with the fleeting sense of melancholy and loss that always lingered in his eyes.
Yan Qing fell into a brief silence.
She truly couldn’t bring herself to be ruthless towards the young man she had raised with her own hands. After all, even if you raise a dog, after so many years, it’s impossible to have no feelings at all.
However, a dog that bites its owner still needs some discipline.
…
Lu Guozhong’s death was a significant blow to the Emperor and a blatant challenge to this new ruler.
Sitting in the imperial study, Yan Chen looked at the mountain of memorials, his expression filled with shock and anger at the current chaotic situation.
“A dignified Commander of the Imperial Guards, to be killed just like that. The lives of all the civil and military officials, including mine, are at the mercy of an assassin’s whim, aren’t they?” The imperial desk was slammed loudly, shattering all of Yan Chen’s composure, “What are the Imperial Guards doing? What is the Imperial Guard doing? Useless! A bunch of useless people!”
Wei Changhai stood nervously by the side, serving tea and silently retreating after.
The Minister of Justice knelt on the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, truly afraid that the Emperor would call the entire Ministry of Justice worthless.
Yan Chen coldly looked at them, “Where is Yan Qing?”
“Yes.” The Minister of Justice and the Grand Justice of the Dali Temple were among the two who had been repeatedly ignored within three days. They now knelt on the ground, pleading for forgiveness, “We are incompetent.”
Yan Chen coldly stared at the memorials on the desk, “Lu Guozhong was a skilled eighth-ranked warrior. There are very few in the Imperial City who could decapitate him.”
“Yes.” The Grand Justice continued to nod, “I have investigated. There are no signs of struggle at Commander Lu’s residence, and he had no other injuries on his body. Therefore, the person who killed him must have extremely advanced martial skills, a master among masters. Commander Lu was no match for them.”
Yan Chen’s gaze narrowed, “Could it be the Qilin Guards?”
“It doesn’t seem likely.” The Grand Justice replied respectfully, “The Qilin Guards are soldiers, well-trained and with great combat strength, but their martial paths are different from those of killers. The Qilin Guards are mostly trained comprehensively, skilled in using blades, swords, bows, and arrows, adept in military tactics and formations, with robust endurance. However, in single combat, few would be a match for Commander Lu.”
Yan Chen’s expression darkened, remaining silent.
The day before, Lu Guozhong went to Princess Chang’s residence to deliver an edict, and the next day, he was decapitated. If this incident is unrelated to Yan Qing, who would believe it?
“Commander Lu was injured in a confrontation with the Chief of the Princess’s residence the day before.” Wei Changhai reminded from the side, “So if someone went to assassinate him, Commander Lu’s reaction might not have been as swift as usual.”
Injured individuals tend to have slower reactions and their agility may be affected.
Yan Chen’s gaze was cold and inscrutable, “Did Madam Xiao and the two maids sent by the Empress Dowager enter Princess Chang’s residence?”
Wei Changhai lowered his head and replied, “I heard they did.”
“Send someone to keep watch. Ask about the situation once they come out.”
“As you command.”
“The Ministry of Justice must continue the investigation until every detail is revealed.” Yan Chen’s tone was filled with sudden anger, “Once we find the culprit, I will have them torn limb from limb!”
The ruler of a nation had been facing repeated setbacks recently, and his anger had reached its peak.
He had thought Yan Qing would be easy to deal with, but she turned out to be so difficult, unyielding, refusing even the slightest superficial efforts.
Relying on the reputation of being a lone star of calamity, did she truly want to make enemies with everyone?