Chapter 50 Chapter 50 That sight seemed to devour her

He Anting hated being threatened the most, especially when someone threatened him using his weaknesses. Jinyao was his treasure, the one he cherished the most and he hated being coveted and touched by others.

Killing intent flashed across his eyes in an instant.

Princess Yin looked at him and her legs went weak for a moment. He Anting had been immersed in the court for a long time and had even been on the battlefield where people were killed without blinking an eye.

But she still held on: "You are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust."

After a while, He Anting laughed and said, "Princess, you're joking. If His Highness hadn't done these things, the Dali Temple would have cleared his name."

Princess Yin raised her chin, forcing herself to hold onto her pride and saying, "That's best."

The moment He Anting turned around and left, his smile disappeared and a gloom filled his eyes.

As he left the mansion, Qing Wu approached him and said, "We've already searched. That old woman Qian is hiding in Prince Yin's mansion. I've already had someone secretly abduct her."

The gold and silver under the tree were carried out in boxes. One of the boxes was carried to He Anting by the soldiers and opened.

Inside was Qian's mother, with her hands and feet tied and her mouth gagged, looking terrified.

"Take him away." He Anting said coldly.

The Yin Palace was thoroughly investigated and sealed, but many old officials in the court still pleaded for him, and some even brought up the late emperor.

The implicit meaning of their words was that the government wanted to kill all of them, which made the government so angry that it punished a large number of people with sticks.

"Lan Jun, these old ministers just think that my virtue is not worthy of the position, and I am still not as good as King Yin." The young emperor leaned on the dragon throne, his brows gloomy and full of coldness.

He Anting picked up the memorial that had been thrown on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, why bother with it? If you were distracted, you would have fallen into their trap."

"You will assist the Dali Temple in investigating the case of King Yin. I am not the kind of brother who would kill him without mercy. I will just send him back to the foreign land."

He Anting remained silent. He said that the emperor was sometimes too indecisive and valued friendship, so King Yin should not live.

"yes."

…

With a splash, Mother Qian was awakened by a basin of cold water. The biting cold made her shiver uncontrollably, and she began to cry out.

Qing Wu kicked him and said, "Shut up."

Mother Qian's mouth was stuffed and she looked at him in horror.

The surroundings were dark, and the dim candlelight and the cold moonlight intertwined, making the room seem particularly eerie and dark.

He Anting sat leisurely on the armchair: "Mother Qian, it's not easy for me to find you."

At the beginning, Mother Qian was arranged by Xue Ningzhen to enter the Bo Mansion and was poisoned, and she escaped and never appeared again. He Anting searched for her for a long time but couldn't find her, so he guessed that she was hidden by Xue Ningzhen in the Yin Palace.

Qing Wu removed the black cloth from Qian Mama's mouth, and Qian Mama took the initiative and said, "How dare you! I, I am a good slave of Prince Yin's Mansion. If you kidnap me, the Princess will not let you go."

In today's world, even slaves cannot be beaten or killed at will, otherwise people will criticize them.

Qing Wu raised his hand with a cold face and slapped her.

He was a martial artist and his strength was very strong. Mother Qian's face suddenly swelled up and the severe pain made her completely speechless.

"Even the King of Yin can't save himself, how can he care for you? No one here will hear your cries for help. I will peel off your skin, pull out your bones, chop your flesh into pieces and feed it to the dogs. Before that, there are other punishments waiting for you, such as flogging, bone crushing, and burning sticks."

He Anting's tone became even more eerie in this environment.

Mother Qian seemed to smell blood in a trance and was scared to death.

"Daughter Xue instigated you to drug me in the palace, then forced a palace maid to take the blame. Later, she asked you to sneak into the Bo residence and drug Jin Yao. But you drugged the wrong person, me. Is that true?"

Mother Qian trembled, not daring to show off anymore: "It's none of my business. It was the girl who asked me to do it."

He Anting nodded calmly: "Just admit it, Qingwu."

Qing Wu pulled out a piece of rice paper covered with evidence of his crime: "Sign it."

Mother Qian hesitated and shrank back, and He Anting said calmly, "I'll save your life by signing this. I mean what I say."

Upon hearing this, Mother Qian reached out and pressed her fingerprint.

"There is one more thing. If I tell you the truth, can you let me go?" Mother Qian said, kneeling on the ground.

He Anting looked down at him and said, "Speak."

"The young lady still has a life on her hands. The maid is called Bi Tao. She said that my aunt... Madam was secretly locked up in a room in the palace by Madam He Shao's order. If she is locked up for one night, she will miss the opportunity to apologize to you the next day. You will be angry and may even punish Madam."

She was probably very frightened, and her words were a little unclear. He Anting thought for a long time before he understood what she meant.

Is there something about his sister in this? He Anting pressed his brows in annoyance.

"Later, when the young lady went to the Earl's mansion, she recognized this girl and used an excuse to ask for her. In reality, not long after arriving at the mansion, Bi Tao was thrown into a well and died. She was hastily wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave."

Qing Wu was shocked when he heard this. This Miss Xue was really cruel and merciless and took human life without mercy.

He Anting's expression was unclear, and he gestured to Qingwu to continue writing.

"Also, your aunt Cui came to the He Mansion earlier and asked your wife to help her brother. Your wife refused. After Cui left, she was stopped by the young lady and instigated to go to the Princess Consort to spread rumors and cause trouble."

It's sad that the Princess of the County would know about this. No wonder she covered it up and didn't say anything.

Mother Qian said cautiously, "I have confessed everything I need to say. Please spare my life, sir."

Qingwu wrote down the charges and asked her to sign them and submit them to He Anting.

The moonlight was clear. He Anting looked up, closed his eyes, and after a while went to Guanlan Courtyard.

Jin Yao was holding the tiger-head hat and shoes given to her by He Shi and couldn't let go of them. The door opened and He Anting walked in with a normal expression. She smiled and got out of bed barefoot: "Husband, look."

Although the weather was not very cold yet, He Anting had already asked someone to lay carpets in the house early. When she stepped off the bed, her cold and delicate feet sank deeply into the fur.

He Anting frowned and said, "How many times have I told you not to get out of bed barefoot?"

Jinyao's sharing was interrupted, and she pouted: "You are so fierce."

"I'm doing this for your own good." He Anting picked him up horizontally, and Jin Yao hung the tiger-head hat on his headband. "You come back later and later, and you're so fierce when you come back."

"I've been busy these past two days." He said briefly.

"Then what?" Jin Yao continued to ask.

"What then?" He Anting was confused.

"What are you busy about, husband? Come and talk to me." Jin Yao looked at him expectantly. Her eyes were round and her curled eyelashes trembled slightly. He Anting couldn't stand her looking at him like that.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

He Anting came up with a plan: "Today, we dealt with a prisoner. We whipped him, crushed his bones, and used a fire stick. We whipped him forty times, and blood and flesh flew everywhere..."

He spoke terrible words word by word, his modest smile froze, and his expression changed slightly.

She had already imagined this scene in her mind, and she couldn't help feeling nauseous and retching.

He Anting was startled: "No more, no more."

"You..." Jin Yao was speechless.

He Anting frowned and turned the tables, "Will you ask me again in the future?"

Blaming herself, Jinyao's face fell: "Okay, I won't ask anymore. I won't ask anything in the future. Are you satisfied?"

She has a bad temper and is always moody, and her delicate appearance makes her look even more majestic.

He Anting was not good at arguing with women, but he could get it back from other sources.

When Jin Yao saw him slowly pull out the bell from under the pillow, her heart suddenly felt weak.

He has recently added another strange habit to his collection.

He likes to tie bells on his ankles and let them ring for a long time. He says it sounds nice this way.

Jinyao quickly retracted her feet and pretended to yawn: "Oh, I'm sleepy, husband, let's go to bed."

The red string of the bell was hooked between He Anting's slender and bony fingers, which looked quite beautiful. Jin Yao couldn't help but glance over.

Of all her body, she liked He Anting's hands the most. They were as white as jade and extremely beautiful. His palms were broad and his finger bones were slender, like the sections of jade bamboo. They were clear and delicate. The veins on the back of his hands were distinct and the blue veins were prominent.

This hand looks good holding a book, and it looks good holding a pen, but the most common thing is holding her face, pinching her waist, and squeezing her ankles...

Jinyao blushed for no reason and looked away.

While she was not paying attention and was in a daze, He Anting touched her ankle.

Jin Yao came back to her senses: "No, can you please consider him?" She pointed to her belly.

"He hasn't been born yet, so there's no need to worry about him." Of course, even if he is born, there's no need to worry about him. He Anting said as if it was a matter of course.

Jin Yao found him incredibly stubborn. No wonder the county lady didn't want to talk to him. She said seriously, "A child's upbringing should start from a young age. Why don't you read him the Thousand Character Classic, or write a poem or verse."

He Anting sneered: "He wasn't born to take the imperial examination, why are you in such a hurry?"

Jin Yao was so angry at his words that she looked at him with a cold face.

He Anting was afraid that she would get angry and do something bad, so he had to accept his fate: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

"Cui'e lazily puts on her make-up, her delicate skin softened by the aroma of wine. Her powdered sweat wets Wuling, her jade hairpin taps the pillow, her hair is slick with silk, her silk belt still tied tightly, she smiles as she leaves the room, her face flushed with shame."

He Anting's slow voice was low and hoarse, and its meaning was unclear.

Jinyao had her eyes closed until she heard something about fragrant skin and pink sweat, and she felt something was wrong.

Then she said in a big embarrassment: "Shut up, shut up."

He, he actually recited obscene words.

"Don't you want to hear me recite a poem? This is an obscene poem." He still looked extremely serious.

Jin Yao was annoyed: "You...are you ashamed to say obscene words?"

"Why should I be ashamed? I've seen you in this state, and you won't let me read?"

"You are so shameless." Jin Yao was completely helpless with him and poked his strong and thin chest.

"You are too thin-skinned. You have to get used to it. You are pregnant now. I can't do anything to you. Just wait until you give birth to the baby." He stared at her as if he wanted to swallow her into his stomach.

Jin Yao shuddered suddenly, and she thought of his earth-shaking work, like the beating of a gong.

Fortunately, there are still four months left.

He Anting kissed her brow and said, "Go to sleep. If you can't sleep, I can recite another poem for you."

Jinyao buried her head in the pillow: "I'm so sleepy."

He Anting raised the corners of his lips and skillfully took her into his arms.

The next morning, before daybreak, there was a knock on the door of Xue's residence. The doorman looked impatient and asked, "Who is it?"

There was no response from the other side of the door, just constant knocking.

The gatehouse opened a crack, and the leading officer slapped the arrest warrant in his face: "Kaifeng Prefecture, you have been ordered to arrest the second daughter of the Xue family."

The doorman was so scared that he crawled to report.

Minister Xue was still asleep and couldn't believe the news when he heard it. The arrest warrant was indeed stamped with a red seal, and the charges were clearly written in black and white.

"Is there some misunderstanding? How could my daughter do such a thing?"

The yamen runner said sternly, "If you have anything to say, please go to the yamen and tell her. Miss Xue is a girl, so please ask the Minister to tell her to get ready and leave with us. At least leave her with some dignity."

Minister Xue's face looked very bad, and his wife was shocked and angry.

Xue Ningzhen was devastated when she heard the tragic news. She refused to cooperate: "Impossible! Why are you arresting me?"

She cried and made a fuss at home, grabbing onto Minister Xue's clothes and refusing to let go. Finally, the yamen runners forcibly took her away from the house and locked her up in the west prison of the yamen.

Minister Xue was dissatisfied and reported directly to the emperor during the morning court session, hoping that the emperor would clear his daughter's name.

Duke Heng snorted and laughed: "Minister Xue, are you questioning my impartiality?"

Minister Xue: "My Lord, I never said that. I'm just confused. Yesterday, something happened in Prince Yin's Mansion, and today, something like this happened in my Xue Mansion. This is too much of a coincidence."

"What a coincidence! Minister Xue has always been closely connected with Prince Yin's Palace." Duke Heng retorted sarcastically.

Emperor Qingyun coughed lightly: "That's enough."

"Mr. Xue, Duke Heng has always been impartial in enforcing the law. If you are dissatisfied, you can go to the government office and confront him. Your daughter's matter is trivial and there is no need to bring it to court."

Minister Xue choked. What he meant was that someone must have taken this opportunity to frame him and was making a big deal out of a small matter.

But seeing the impatient look on the Shangguan family's face, Minister Xue shut up in frustration.

Princess Yin was imprisoned in the palace. The Shangshu's wife told her about this through the crack in the door. Princess Yin was shocked and asked, "How could this be?"

The Shangshu's wife burst into tears and asked, "What on earth did you do with Zhen'er?"

Princess Yin turned around and asked the nanny beside her, "Where's Madam Qian?"

Mammy pondered, "I haven't seen you in the past two days."

"Go find it quickly."

The nanny quickly ordered people to search everywhere in the mansion. A quarter of an hour later, the nanny came back and said, "Princess, she's missing."

Princess Yin thought of the stolen goods that were carried out box by box that day and fell to the ground. She was warning herself that her sister was now at the mercy of others. If she dared to harm his wife, Xue Ningzhen's crime would be implicated in the Xue family and even herself.

She is the King of Yin and has the responsibility as his wife, but if she takes an extreme approach, it will directly lead to the destruction of her mother's family.

Without her mother's family, she had nothing.

The Shangshu's wife was still wailing, and Princess Yin held her hand: "Mother, it was Zhen'er who did the wrong thing. She was bewitched."

The Shangshu's wife looked at her blankly.

…

In order to be busy with the case of King Yin, He Anting stayed in the Dali Temple for three consecutive days and did not return home.

Jinyao felt happy on the first day, thinking that she finally didn't have to be bothered. But on the second day, she felt a little uncomfortable. No one was playing with her and she was extremely bored. On the third day, she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Qingwu, are these account books of yours heavy?"

Qingwu was carrying a stack of account books and preparing to go to the Dali Temple. He Anting was busy as a top but did not forget to look after the household accounts.

He was in charge of both the inner and outer courts, and this action shocked all the subordinates in the Dali Temple.

Lord He said without even looking up: "My wife is soft-tempered and can't control those unruly servants, so I came here for her."

His feat quickly spread throughout the court and the country, and became a hot topic of conversation for many nobles and wealthy families.

"It's not serious, thank you for your concern, ma'am."

Jin Yao rolled her eyes and curled her lips: "It looks quite heavy to me, why don't I go with you."

Qing Wu exclaimed, "The master is not in Wenyuan Pavilion recently. He is in the Dali Temple. There are many serious criminals there, and there are swords and blood. Madam, be careful not to get bumped into. It's better not to go."

"Then when will your master be back?"

Qing Wu was embarrassed: "I can't say for sure."

"It doesn't matter. The prisoners are all locked up. What's there to be afraid of? I'm not going to their office. I'll go to the side room and wait. Otherwise, what if he has another woman behind my back?"

Qing Wu was shocked: "Absolutely impossible, the master would never do such a thing."

"Let's go."

Jinyao put on her cloak, wrapped herself up like a snowball, and went out with Yunqiao's help.

The carriage was heading to the Dali Temple. With Qingwu by their side, the journey was smooth. Qingwu was also very cautious and took her directly to where He Anting was resting. "This place is very secluded, far away from the court. Madam, please rest."

"Then don't tell him. I want to give him a surprise."

Qingwu promised not to say anything nonsense and then left. Jinyao was left alone in the ear room. She looked around and found it cold and hard here. If she had known earlier, she would have prepared some food.

She sat on the bed and touched the quilt, which was very thin, so she picked it up and smelled it.

A familiar cold fragrance came over her, a scent that made her feel safe.

Jin Yao kicked off her shoes and socks, got on the bed, wrapped herself in the quilt, and waited quietly for the night to come. She couldn't wait to see He Anting's surprised look.