Chapter 57 The Empress Dowager Interferes Abruptly
Chang’an came to Yue Guanyi’s side, not noticing anything unusual between the two, with his attention fully focused on the corpse not far away: “What’s this?”
“An assassin. He ambushed us here and was stabbed to death by Lord Qiu.” Yue Guanyi’s voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion, looking at Chang’an as if he were an unwelcome guest.
Chang’an thought Yue Guanyi was unhappy because of the assassin’s death, after all, with the assassin dead, they couldn’t find any clues: “Since the assassin has already been brought to justice, this humble official will now send someone to report to Your Majesty.”
Yue Guanyi’s horse had already been killed by the assassin’s hidden weapon. Chang’an led the horse and knelt before Yue Guanyi, presenting the reins with both hands: “Your Highness, please mount.”
Yue Guanyi instinctively looked towards Qiu Shuzhi, his voice trembling and soft: “My Lord……”
Chang’an heard this and felt a tingle at the base of his ears, his hands almost unable to hold steady.
Qiu Shuzhi just smiled faintly, her eyes clear, white, and gentle: “Your Highness, please.”
With her permission, Yue Guanyi finally mounted the horse, his phoenix eyes lowered, hiding indescribable emotions.
The group returned to the hunting grounds with the assassin’s corpse to report their mission.
This night was destined to be quite tumultuous.
The young Emperor, the Empress, the Noble Consort, and even the bedridden Empress Dowager, struggling to support her frail body, all gathered together, with the corpse brazenly placed in the center.
“Is this the assassin? Have you found out who it is?” Qin Qing supported his weary body, asking in a lazy voice.
“In response to the Empress Dowager, this humble official has already sent people to investigate,” Qiu Shuzhi said, kneeling on one knee.
Qin Qing’s body was weak and powerless, his palm playing with a few pieces of candy, his loose long hair like wind and mist as he leaned obliquely against the chair back: “Rise. Lord Qiu has rendered meritorious service in killing the assassin. This palace will remember it.”
Soon after, the person Qiu Shuzhi had sent to investigate the assassin’s identity returned. It was a sweeper from Jing Guiren’s palace.
When Jing Guiren was dragged in by Chang’an, his face was ashen. Upon learning that an assassin had come from his palace, Jing Guiren fainted on the spot. He was later awakened by Chang’an with a basin of cold water in front of everyone. Jing Guiren was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale, and he kowtowed and cried out hoarsely: “Your Majesty, this servant is wronged. How could this servant do such a treasonous thing?”
Instructing a servant to assassinate the emperor was a crime punishable by execution of the entire clan, implicating nine generations of relatives. Jing Guiren came from a humble background and was selected to enter the palace due to his beauty. He had just enjoyed a few days of glory, only to encounter this catastrophe.
He cried and crawled to the young Emperor’s feet, pulling at her clothes: “Your Majesty, please believe this servant. This servant would never do anything to betray you. This servant doesn’t even know this person. Someone must be framing this servant. This servant is wronged! Wronged!”
Jing Guiren’s desperate cries did not elicit any sympathy from the young Emperor. Her expression showed not the slightest sign of being moved.
The Noble Consort’s charming face rested on Yue Shen’s shoulder, her red lips parting slightly, her coquettish and soft words wrapped in a chilling coldness: “Jing Guiren certainly knows how to cry. Anyone can pretend to be innocent, but the assassin was found in your palace. If it wasn’t you, who else could have given the orders?”
Jing Guiren suddenly raised his head, his vicious gaze piercing through his tear-filled eyes as he glared at him venomously: “It was you! It must have been you!”
Jing Guiren shouted: “You vixen, you must have framed me!”
Lan Xuezhao contemptuously curled his lips: “Frame you? You really think highly of yourself.”
“It was you, you framed me.” Jing Guiren had clearly gone mad, this was a crime that would lead to the execution of his entire clan. His family members and siblings would all be implicated because of this. He was both frightened and enraged, his eyes as red as if filled with blood.
Lan Xuezhao’s eyes were contemptuous as he curled up in Yue Shen’s arms like a boneless creature: “Your Majesty, look at Jing Guiren’s state now. He clearly had ill intentions, yet he dares to slander others. This servant is so scared!”
Qin Qing peeled a piece of candy and put it in his mouth, quietly watching the show. As the sweet taste spread in his mouth, he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. Hmm, almond flavor.
“Vixen! Slut!” Jing Guiren lunged forward recklessly, his ten fingers turning into evil ghostly claws as he tightly gripped his neck, shouting in a frenzied state: “You poisonous man, you want to kill me, kill my family, I won’t let you go even as a ghost!”
Lan Xuezhao was choked to the point where he couldn’t breathe, his face turning deathly pale from lack of blood.
Qiu Shuzhi quickly stepped forward to forcibly pull Jing Guiren away, but he had already gone mad, his strength was extremely great. His nails left several deep scratches on Lan Xuezhao’s neck and he refused to let go, even scratching a mark on Qiu Shuzhi’s face. The meticulously trimmed nails dyed with cinnabar were forcibly broken, leaving bloody flesh exposed.
Qin Qing’s palm tightened, just about to shout.
In a flash, a dazzling sword light flashed, blood splattered three feet high, and the hand that had scratched Qiu Shuzhi was chopped into two halves.
“Ah—” Jing Guiren looked at everything before him in disbelief, falling to the ground in pain, his face covered in blood and mud, letting out heart-wrenching wails.
Yue Guanyi put away his sword expressionlessly, his cold eyes dark and flashing with piercing coldness. Anyone who hurts Qiu Niang deserves death!
“Insolent!” Yue Shen, who had been silent all along, suddenly slammed the table, her somewhat immature voice not diminishing her authority in the slightest: “Jing Guiren has committed the crime of lèse-majesté, attempting to assassinate the emperor, an unforgivable offense. Take him away for slow slicing, and implicate his parents and clan!”
“No—” Jing Guiren cried out in despair, his bare half arm pitifully begging: “I am wronged, my parents are innocent.”
Jing Guiren’s hot blood splattered on his face, leaving Lan Xuezhao stunned in place.
Yue Shen kicked away the pleading Jing Guiren, her eyes as cold as an unsheathed sword: “Why haven’t you taken him away yet!”
“Vixen! Vixen! I won’t let you go even as a ghost!” Jing Guiren’s eyes were bulging, and Chang’an, leading the Imperial Guards, forcibly took him away despite his cries.
The desperate cries gradually faded away, leaving the room in silence.
Lan Xuezhao covered his neck, lowering his head, the silver ornaments in his hair making empty tinkling sounds, two clear tears falling silently.
Qin Zhengya witnessed all of this, his gaze complex and subtle.
Although he didn’t understand court politics, he knew that sentencing Jing Guiren to slow slicing based solely on the fact that the assassin came from his palace was too arbitrary. It seemed that no one present truly cared about who sent the assassin; they just wanted to find someone to take the blame and let the matter be settled.
And Jing Guiren was the best choice. He came from a commoner background, had no powerful backing, and if he died, he just died. His large family behind him would also easily be wiped out.
Qin Zhengya suddenly felt an uncontrollable unease and anxiety in his heart. For the first time, he felt how important power was. If he were to end up like Jing Guiren, how could he protect himself and those he loved?
The emperor’s cruel methods shocked him. She was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, and he didn’t know when this sword would fall on him.
He looked at the wound on Qiu Shuzhi’s face, which pierced his heart like a small, sharp thorn. The blood surged uncomfortably, almost boiling. He could endure the emperor’s violence, but Qiu Shuzhi couldn’t. She should be like the bright moon in the sky, unreachable, even the light she emitted should be cold and distant, not wasting away under the emperor’s hand.
Since the emperor could be so ruthless to her own bedmate, Qiu Shuzhi’s fate in the future would only be more miserable.
Even more cruel than slow slicing…
Qin Zhengya’s hand, tightly gripping his dress, trembled uncontrollably, his face as pale as paper. If she were to lay hands on Lord Qiu…
He dared not imagine the arrival of that day. His whole body’s blood seemed to ignite like boiling, burning away the brilliant, clear light in his fragile starry eyes that was untainted by the mundane world, leaving only reckless madness.
His trembling hand touched his flat abdomen. He must get pregnant quickly. Even if he couldn’t conceive, as long as one of the harem consorts bore a dragon seed, he could use the Qin family’s power to snatch it away and raise it under his own name.
He looked at Yue Shen beside him, the calmer his gaze, the more surging and unrestrained the killing intent in his heart.
As long as he had a child, he could assassinate the unwise ruler and establish a new emperor!
He could firmly grasp power in his own hands, becoming a second Qin Qing. By then, no one would be able to hurt her anymore.
“Since the assassin’s matter has been resolved, everyone may disperse,” Yue Shen said calmly.
“Wait,” Qin Qing spoke slowly.
Yue Shen’s figure paused slightly: “Does Father Empress have something else?”
Qin Qing gently rubbed his slightly aching temples: “Although the assassin’s matter has been resolved, this grieving one still feels uneasy in my heart. Why not have Lord Qiu’s Yulin Army transferred to patrol the inner enclosure, let her protect the safety of the royal family. After all, she discovered the assassin, and with her here, this grieving one can feel at ease.”
Yue Shen’s eyes cooled slightly: “Then let’s do as Father Empress suggests.”
“Alright, since everything has been clarified, this grieving one won’t disturb you and the Empress’s private life anymore.” Qin Qing covered his mouth with his sleeve, yawning tiredly: “Ya’er, serve the Emperor well.”
After experiencing this incident, the fear in Qin Zhengya’s eyes had long since disappeared. He calmly bowed: “Cousin, rest assured, this servant will certainly serve the Emperor well.”
Qin Qing nodded at him with rare satisfaction, and left supported by Yu Ye’s hand. As he passed by Qiu Shuzhi who was kneeling on the ground, Qin Qing paused his steps, smiling warmly: “Lord Qiu, won’t you see this grieving one off?”
Qiu Shuzhi raised her head slightly. In the flickering lamplight, the smile in Qin Qing’s eyes was weary and ambiguous.
She distractedly withdrew her gaze. She had just confessed to Yue Guanyi, hadn’t even had time to say a few words, and was waiting for this moment to say a few heartfelt soft words, who knew Qin Qing would intervene at this time.
She didn’t want Yue Guanyi to misunderstand, but she couldn’t say it outright. Qin Qing’s words and actions always left her at a loss. Perhaps he was so blatantly seeking her out because he had urgent matters.
“Father Empress, let your child escort you,” Yue Guanyi suddenly spoke up, resolving her dilemma, and also seeming to jealously forbid her from approaching the Empress Dowager.
Qin Qing’s face changed slightly, then he laughed, covering his nose with a fan: “Yi’er’s methods just now were quite cruel, the sword so fast, it chopped Jing Guiren’s hand into two pieces. That bloody sight even startled this Father Empress.”
The color drained from Yue Guanyi’s face instantly, his thin lips as if diseased.
He had only been concerned about Qiu Niang’s safety earlier, and had drawn his sword without thinking, forgetting how cruel such an action was. He was accustomed to such bloody scenes in the prison, skinning people alive and gouging out bones were all commonplace for him, but for any normal person, these were absolutely unacceptable.
What about Qiu Niang? How would she view him? Yue Guanyi regretted immensely. He had just gained a bit of Qiu Niang’s pity and love, and he had let himself go, forgetting how he usually concealed his gloomy and terrifying inner self to gain Qiu Niang’s favor.
“Slap—” Yue Guanyi harshly slapped himself in front of the two, the crisp sound of the slap shocking Yu Ye.
Had Yue Guanyi gone mad?
“This child was solely focused on the safety of Your Majesty and the Empress at that time, and was careless for a moment, offending Father Empress. Please forgive this child!” As soon as the words fell, Yue Guanyi slapped himself harshly again, instantly raising a large, shocking red patch on his pale and thin face.
Yu Ye’s eyes widened. Was this still that Crown Prince who could stand on equal footing with the Empress Dowager? When did he become so docile?
With Yue Guanyi’s abilities, he certainly didn’t need to bow and scrape before Qin Qing, nor did he need to pretend to be soft and obedient. All of this was done for Qiu Shuzhi to see.
Even though he knew such an explanation was weak and unconvincing, even if hope was faint, he still wanted to do everything to gain her pity, to extend that hard-earned affection for just a moment longer.
After a while, Qin Qing lightly pursed his lips, smiled faintly, his eyes as deep as a profound pool: “How could this grieving one blame Yi’er? It’s just that you, a man, have such a strong smell of blood that even this grieving one can smell it. What does Lord Qiu think?”
Yue Guanyi timidly lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Qiu Shuzhi. It was as if his body was truly covered in a disgusting, foul smell of blood, his inferiority complex deeply ingrained.
“This humble official is a woman, my behavior is coarse, and I didn’t smell any blood. Instead, Your Highness’s actions just now were swift and decisive, truly worthy of someone who can make the Imperial Guards submit,” Qiu Shuzhi said with a faint smile.
The slightly praising words instantly reignited Yue Guanyi’s eyes, which had been as dull as dust. His phoenix eyes became moist, faintly glistening with a watery, misty dampness. Even the beating of his heart became damp and soft, with a light touch it could ooze sweet water.
“Yi’er is covered in blood, and his body is also wet with water. He should go back and change clothes first,” Qin Qing said in a light tone, his expression unusually profound.
Yue Guanyi lowered his head, secretly glancing at Qiu Shuzhi. Seeing that her expression was still gentle without any displeasure or disgust, he finally felt at ease.
“Yes, then this child will take his leave first.”
He knew that the most important thing in pleasing a woman was to be obedient and docile. Since Qiu Niang didn’t intend to make their relationship public, he would never reveal it in front of others.
He would carefully protect the weak and fragile connection between them, not letting anyone know, even if this relationship could never see the light of day, even if Qiu Niang might abandon him at any time, even if he was now like Qiu Niang’s private male courtesan, coming when called and leaving when dismissed. He still felt this was the happiest moment in his life.
He slowly walked out of the tent, his fingertips gently caressing his thin lips that had been loved by Qiu Niang, remembering the extremely soft touch of that moment, like flower petals, like being in the clouds, so excited that even the tip of his heart was trembling.
