Chapter 272 I Won't Let Things Get This Far From Here

The situation at Longwu Gate has improved somewhat.

Just now, Zheng Wenkai threatened Li Yuanzhao's life, which temporarily suppressed the restless imperial guards, making them hesitant to act rashly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liang Cheng stepped forward and loudly explained to the indignant crowd that the blood test for kinship was unreliable.

No matter how eloquent he was, no one believed that the pale-faced Chen Yanqing beside him was a "real prince".

After all, if blood tests are useless, how can he verify that this person is the real prince?

appearance?

Sorry, it's too ugly, you can't tell!

But Li Yuanzhao had Shen Guojiu vouching for her with his life!

As for the accusations that Li Yuanzhao murdered Liu Jinzhang, Lu Yuandao, Pei Guyan, and Cui Jiulang, they were all disproven when Liu Jinzhang appeared alive before everyone.

So much so that when they later claimed to have "poisoned the retired emperor," no one believed them anymore.

Such is the nature of human nature: once a lie is exposed, every word spoken by the liar becomes suspicious.

Zheng Wenkai felt deeply wronged.

What he said was clearly the truth, so why did no one believe him?

He stared intently at Liu Jinzhang and the woman beside him who kept shouting at him. Seeing the crowd of onlookers becoming increasingly agitated under her incitement, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Now, he can only place all his hopes on Li Yuanzhao.

He even secretly rejoiced that he had spared Li Yuanzhao's life, leaving him with a way out.

As long as this woman is still in his hands, he can use her to restrain Shen Churong, and he will still have hope of turning the tables.

But to everyone's surprise, the soldiers who were escorting Li Yuanzhao scrambled up the city wall, their faces filled with panic: "Prime Minister Zheng, something terrible has happened!"

Zheng Wenkai's heart sank, and he grabbed the soldier by the collar: "What happened?!"

Could it be that Li Yuanzhao has escaped?!

The soldier gasped, "Xihe Palace... is on fire! Li Yuanzhao, she..."

Zheng Wenkai was extremely anxious. "What happened to Li Yuanzhao? Tell me!"

Even Chen Yanqing, who had been silent all along, held his breath, waiting for him to continue.

The soldier, struggling to breathe, shouted with all his might, "She was burned to death in the fire!"

"How is this possible? How is this possible!" Zheng Wenkai was struck dumb and abruptly let go of his hand.

The soldier staggered back two steps before regaining his balance.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanqing seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he suddenly clutched his chest and coughed violently.

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "Impossible... how could she be dead..."

"Prime Minister Zheng, it's absolutely true!" The soldier knelt at Zheng Wenkai's feet. "You ordered the Xihe Palace to be sealed tightly with iron bolts. I don't know how it suddenly caught fire today. It took the brothers a lot of effort to put out the fire. When we rushed in, we found... Li Yuanzhao had been burned to a crisp!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanqing trembled violently and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"You're talking nonsense!"

The soldier replied tremblingly, "Your Highness, the charred corpse's shape is exactly the same as Li Yuanzhao's; there's no mistake..."

"You're lying! I'm going to kill you—!"

Chen Yanqing suddenly erupted, lunging at the soldier like a madman, gripping his neck tightly with both hands, his eyes filled with madness.

How could Li Yuanzhao possibly be dead?

Li Yuanzhao could never die!

How could that woman, who was so shrewd and always in control, die so easily?

No one in this world knows her methods better than him!

She must have faked her death to escape!

It was Li Yuanzhao who ruined everything for him, causing him to fall to this state, neither human nor ghost! Neither male nor female!

How could he accept that she was "dead" like that?

He hated her! He vowed to repay her a hundredfold for the pain she had inflicted upon him, to break her pride with his own hands, and to watch her kneel and beg for mercy!

But if she really died...

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I felt a tearing pain in my chest.

No, he absolutely will not allow it!

She can only belong to him, how can she die?

"How could she die... How dare she die!"

He roared, his grip tightening so hard it nearly crushed the soldier's throat.

Zheng Wenkai was already annoyed by the situation, and now, looking at Chen Yanqing who seemed to have gone mad, he shouted sharply, "Enough!"

"Enough?" Chen Yanqing turned her head sharply, her bloodshot eyes fixed on him. "It's all your fault! You killed her!"

"You caused all of this. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this with her!"

He lunged at Zheng Wenkai like a madman, yelling, "I'm going to kill you! To avenge her!"

Zheng Wenkai was startled by his sudden outburst and took a half step back, both shocked and furious: "Are you crazy?"

However, Chen Yanqing was still seriously injured and, even with his boundless hatred, how could his broken body possibly defeat Zheng Wenkai?

"Guards!" Zheng Wenkai ordered coldly, "Take him away!"

Chen Yanqing struggled and roared, "Who dares?! I am the rightful prince of the Great Qi! I am the future emperor! Kill this traitor! Whoever kills Zheng Wenkai, I will make him a marquis and grant him a high rank and title!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Wenkai scoffed, "You really think you're something special? You're asking for trouble!"

She's just a pawn he pushed up, yet she dares to disobey him?

Two soldiers walked forward expressionlessly and took Chen Yanqing's arms, one on each side.

Chen Yanqing shouted in a disheveled manner.

"Rebellion! You've all rebelled! Who is the eldest prince? Who is the future emperor? Whom do you obey?! When I ascend the throne, I will execute all of you traitors!"

But his threats were like stones sinking into the sea; the soldiers ignored him and dragged him away quickly.

Only Liang Cheng stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Zheng Wenkai, what are you doing? He is a prince!"

Zheng Wenkai's patience had run out. He coldly swept his gaze over Liang Cheng: "Can't you see? He's gone mad. How can these people below believe that a madman who loses his composure in public and behaves inappropriately is the real prince?"

Liang Cheng opened his mouth, but had no words to reply.

It wasn't until he was roughly dragged off the city wall that Chen Yanqing finally understood that the so-called "prince" and "emperor" were nothing but a self-deceiving joke.

What power? He was nothing more than a puppet controlled by Zheng Wenkai.