Chapter 388 Some died, some survived!

After a major battle, most of the Nanshan Villa was destroyed.

And then a heavy rain fell.

Therefore, the ground was full of blood-red sewage in the potholes.

The corpses were piled high and stacked on the open ground outside the villa.

Apart from a few masters who were taken away by their own family, the rest could no longer distinguish friend from foe, let alone men, women, old and young.

The entire Zhong family was apprehended on the spot.

The followers of the Lotus Sect were all executed on the spot.

Although Emperor Yan was not injured, he had just recovered from a serious illness and this ordeal had left him completely weak, so he could only give orders while lying down.

"The Zhong family...everyone..."

"Regardless of master or servant, man or woman, young or old, throw them all into the Heavenly Prison!"

"The Zhong family's plot to rebel is an indisputable fact."

"Father—they themselves plotted rebellion and tried to kill their son and mother—"

"Now, isn't it time for our son to kill them?"

Emperor Yan seemed to be going mad, his eyes bloodshot as he roared at the top of the tent.

There was a deathly silence all around.

The crown prince kept his head down and clenched his fists tightly.

When Emperor Yan called out "Crown Prince" again, he raised his head in fear and hurriedly knelt down beside the imperial bed.

"Father, I am here!"

Emperor Yan stared at the Crown Prince with a cold and ruthless gaze: "Listen, Yin'er."

"Some things can be used to their fullest potential, as long as they can help you secure, grasp, and obtain what you want."

"Just make sure it doesn't turn around and bite you again."

There are too many people with ulterior motives in this world.

"Don't be misled by things that deviate from your original intentions, and you won't easily lose your way."

"Yin'er... The empire your father has laid out for you is meant for you to protect, not for you to hand over to someone else!"

"You must understand your father's good intentions!!"

"Yin'er, did you understand what your father said?"

"Those who play the game, don't let yourself become someone else's pawn!!!"

When Emperor Yan got to the point of speaking, he half-stood up, grabbed Duan Rongyin's collar, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Duan Rongyin stared at Emperor Yan in shock.

Does Father Emperor know something?

Emperor Keyan did not berate him harshly.

He was so exhausted that he lay down again.

He let out a long sigh.

"Yin'er, my empire will only follow the legitimate path."

"I hope you can understand your father's good intentions."

The prince crashed heavily to the ground with a thud.

"Father... Your son... Your son is guilty!"

He began to sob softly, a mix of emotions welling up inside him—excitement, guilt, shame, and gratitude—all swirling within him at once.

Emperor Yan lowered his hand and touched his head.

"You are my crown prince. No matter what mistakes you make, I will forgive you."

"Right now, you must take charge of this state affair on behalf of your father. The Zhong family is plotting a rebellion, and I demand that you investigate this thoroughly!"

"Can you handle this?"

The prince raised his hand and wiped away all the tears on his face with his arm.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, your son will do his utmost to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

Emperor Yan's eyes widened, and he said with extreme hatred, "Don't disappoint me."

"Return to court!"

The scene of filial piety and tender love between father and son moved the Empress and the others to tears.

Even the Fourth Prince, Duan Rongxuan, kept raising his arm to wipe his eyes.

But every time he covered his face with his arm, a look of extreme resentment and malice appeared on his face.

Only he himself knew how much hatred he felt at that moment.

Make the most of everything!

piece!

Father, Mother, am I also a pawn in your hands?

It's all just a pawn to make your most beloved eldest son a legitimate heir, to give him a place, and to let him perform the merit of saving the emperor!

Duan Rongxuan was filled with hatred, but no one knew it.

Only Duan Rongshi, who was also a son of Emperor Yan, knelt quietly in a corner, watching them without saying a word.

His indifferent observation made it seem as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

Immediately, Emperor Yan issued a decree that all court officials in the entire Nanshan Villa should return to the capital with the imperial family.

Of all the prominent families that came to Xia Miao this time, apart from the Xiuli General's Mansion which had a strong ability to save itself, all the other families suffered extremely heavy losses.

In some households, more than a dozen servants died.

Some masters died several times.

Some people felt grief and hatred, while others were numb and indifferent.

"This place is filthy! Quick, get out of here!"

"Don't go through the main gate, I heard they're digging up and filling in corpses over there."

"Buried right at the main gate? What about the Nangong Villa then?"

"Who knows? That's not something we need to worry about..."

"Damn the Zhong family, it's all their fault!"

"Just wait, the Zhong family will be exterminated along with their entire clan!"

However, many people in the crowd fell into a deathly silence.

Because the Zhong family has many in-law connections.

In the imperial city, when it comes to the Nine Clans, there are no fewer than twenty powerful families that would be implicated!

For example, right now in this Nanshan villa, there are several in-laws of the Zhong family...

Their faces were ashen, like walking corpses, revealing expressions of despair.

Li Qingluo helped Old Madam Pei walk slowly towards the back door in an orderly fashion.

She looked up anxiously, but couldn't see Pan Li or Princess Nanping.

Fortunately, she saw Cui Jiuniang.

Cui Jiuniang's eyes were red and swollen, and her arm was bandaged, clearly indicating that she had been injured.

She followed the Cui family at a considerable distance behind with a blank expression, it seemed that something must have happened to the Cui family as well.

Li Qingluo didn't want to leave the group rashly, so she whispered a few words to Que'er.

When Que'er returned, her expression was filled with sorrow: "Miss, the eleventh young lady of the Cui family has unfortunately... passed away."

Although Li Qingluo had already guessed why she hadn't seen Shiyi Niang at the Cui family's house, her heart still sank heavily upon hearing the truth.

Even Madam Pei sighed, "What a pity..."

Cui Shiyi Niang is the second daughter of the eldest son of the Cui family. She is straightforward, innocent and adorable.

At such a young age, she was tragically cut short in this turmoil.

Granny Zheng: "The Lotus Sect and the Zhong family are truly hateful! They deserve to die!"

Sparrow: "Miss, I just passed by and overheard them saying that the nobleman from the Pei family has also passed away..."

Que'er was referring to Pei Zixuan.

She was taken from the hunting grounds by the Crown Prince and handed over to the Empress, probably not originally intended to be allowed to live.

The empress need not lift a finger.

If you abandon them in the event of an accident, you are extremely likely to lose your life.

Li Qingluo felt nothing. Since Pei Zixuan had already become her enemy, her death was no big deal.

However, Grandmother still didn't look too well.

They are all members of the Pei family, connected by blood, and not strangers who can be easily overlooked.

Li Qinglu then asked Que'er to inquire about the rest of the Pei family.

Que'er returned and said that apart from Duke Pei and his wife being slightly injured, everyone else was fine.

Moreover, Prince Pei even stepped in to save the Cui family.

Pei Jingzhe displayed his prowess this time, not only for the Cui family, but also for saving the Emperor.

The Pei family is indeed fortunate to have produced such a legitimate eldest son.

Unfortunately, all the men in the Pei family were poisoned by Zuliya's Gu poison. It is unknown whether Pei Jingzhe also developed symptoms after returning to Jinling.

Finally, it was Li Qingluo and the others' turn to walk to the side door. Just as they were about to leave, they heard shouts and curses coming from next to a well.

"You shameless bitch, hiding here!"

"What a worthless life! How can you still be alive!"

"come out!"

"If you don't hurry up and leave, I'll chop you up!"

Li Qingluo looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Qingzhu covered in blood and gore.

I don't know how she escaped this calamity.

Judging from the looks of it, it probably crawled through a pile of dead bodies.

"Spare me, spare me! Please, just pretend I'm dead—"

Perhaps it was because she saw this place, with her old friends and Li Qingluo whom she hated so much.

A conflicted and ferocious expression flashed across Liu Qingzhu's face.

Ultimately, the will to survive overcame her pride, and she threw herself on the ground, kowtowing to the crowd: "Save me—"

“Su Qi—”

"Huang Si—"

"Save me, please save me—"

"I don't want to go back to the Fourth Prince's residence, boohoo—"

"I'm living a life worse than death, truly worse than death! Please, for the sake of our past friendship, save me—"

Madam Pei shook her head and sighed, "What a sin, what retribution."

However, the two girls who sought Liu Qingzhu's help felt extremely unlucky.

"Go, teach her a lesson, so she'll never dare to call our girl by her given name again."

"What kind of lowly thing dares to mention the past?"

"That's absolutely disgusting."

The servants of the Su and Huang families rushed over and started punching and kicking Liu Qingzhu.

The people from the Fourth Prince's residence stood aside, watching the spectacle unfold.

Liu Qingzhu's screams echoed through the air. Her eyes occasionally glanced at Li Qingluo, but she quickly looked away.

She knew that the person who hated her the most in the world was Li Qingluo.

Therefore, even though she bit her tongue until it bled, she did not humiliate herself by bowing down to her.

Li Qingluo looked at Granny Zheng and whispered a few words.

Granny Zheng nodded immediately and quickly walked over.

Granny Zheng quickly separated everyone.

She merely smiled at the unfriendly gazes of the Su and Huang families, saying, "With so many people watching, do you really think you're so powerful to bully a down-on-her-luck woman like this?"

"It's getting dark. I advise you all to hurry up and leave with your master!"

After scaring everyone away, Granny Zheng then slipped half a tael of silver to the maid who had come to arrest Liu Qingzhu.

"Granny, why don't we just pretend she's dead?"

"You know, our girl has a grudge against her. Give us a chance to torment her again."

The old woman was somewhat embarrassed: "But... so many people saw it, I don't know how to explain it to my master."

Granny Zheng: "Then just say that her injuries were too severe on the way you took her back..."

As she spoke, Granny Zheng slipped another half a coin into her hand.

It adds up to about seven or eight ounces.

Only then did a smile appear on the old woman's face.

"She's just a jinx. Bringing her back would only annoy our Empress."

"I think her injuries are too severe; she's no use for me!"

The old woman kicked Liu Qingzhu twice more before leaving.