Because the Regent suddenly went limp, only one of the two crossbow bolts ended up piercing his shoulder. Gan Qiongying was pulled out of the carriage by Yingyi and quickly landed next to the Princess's carriage in the distance.

At the same time, not far away, in front of the Regent's Palace, a carriage with the exact same specifications and decorations as the Regent's Palace stopped.

The gatekeeper came out to greet him. "Regent Sima Rui" reeked of alcohol and staggered down from the carriage. He refused all the maids' help, but because his legs were weak, he lost his footing and "bumped" his head on the carriage shaft, and "fell unconscious".

The regent's attendants and servants who came out of the regent's palace all carried the person inside in a panic—

At that very moment, the overwhelming and surprise attack resulted in the capture of all the regent's attendants.

Gan Qiongying stood at a distance, tilting her head and pressing it against her cloak. The sandalwood incense filled her nostrils, dispelling the lingering stench of blood and dust in the air.

The confrontation was silent and swift, catching the opponent off guard. In less than fifteen minutes, the battlefield had been cleared up.

The seventeen shadow guards, except for Shadow Eight who had been sent to Qinzhou by the Grand Princess of Huian, all knelt before Gan Qiongying, their sword tips still dripping with blood, bowing and awaiting orders.

"Clean up the scene and take everyone back to the princess's residence."

Gan Qiongying stuffed her nose with the collar of her cloak, waves of nausea rising in her heart. She dared not look at the corpse on the ground not far away. For the first time in her life, she had intentionally hurt someone, and her hands, feet, and soul were all trembling.

She didn't want to kill them, but if they made a sound, all her efforts tonight would be in vain.

Her suffering was too much; these people were aiding and abetting the Regent, so Gan Qiongying had no choice but to kill them.

She closed her eyes, her pale face appearing gloomy and indifferent under the moonlight.

"Get the Regent into my car."

After Gan Qiongying finished speaking, she boarded the carriage with Manyue's help. Then, the shadow guards, as light as swallows, led the regent's attendants, some dead and some unconscious, towards the princess's residence.

The bloodstains on the ground were quickly covered by the loose soil stirred up by the broom made of tree branches. Gan Qiongying sat in the carriage for a moment, and then the Regent was tied up tightly, gagged, and sent to her carriage.

While he was still conscious, Gan Qiongying glanced at the arrow that had struck his shoulder, pondered for a moment, and then actually smiled.

The arrowheads she coated were laced with a drug that rendered the person defenseless or even unconscious, not lethal. She wouldn't let the Regent die too easily, before he tasted the bitter fruit of his own actions.

The effects of this drug vary from person to person. Some people who are skilled in martial arts or even resistant to the drug may only be able to inhibit some behaviors. Therefore, Gan Qiongying fired two shots in a row just to be on the safe side.

The fact that the regent remained conscious despite being given an injection suggests that he did have a resistance to the drug, preventing him from completely losing his immunity.

While he was in the carriage, he clearly fell down before Gan Qiongying even fired the arrow, which caused the crossbow bolt to miss its aim. Gan Qiongying clearly saw that when he fell down, his eyes were filled with astonishment.

Gan Qiongying quickly figured everything out. Under the Regent's angry glare, she smiled and then tears streamed down her face.

It was an indescribable feeling of warmth and tenderness. She understood why Li Hua had given her ginseng soup when she left the mansion, and why he insisted that she wear a cloak when she met the Regent.

The scent on this cloak is strange.

He respected her wishes and did not interfere with her choices, but he also helped her in his own way.

Even if she fails, the Regent will surely be captured tonight.

Li Hua's gentleness and reliability broke Gan Qiongying's heart.

Gan Qiongying was crying and laughing at the same time, looking like she had gone mad. Between her beautiful eyebrows and eyes, there was a poignant and longing that made people's hearts tremble. She turned her head and kissed the cloak on her shoulder.

Clutching her cloak, she buried her head in it and sobbed uncontrollably on the swaying carriage for a while before finally calming herself down.

The Regent stared intently at Gan Qiongying with his venomous eyes. Even though he could only lean against the carriage wall like a boneless creature, swaying with the carriage, he still refused to admit and couldn't believe that he had fallen into someone else's hands so easily!

After venting her emotions, Gan Qiongying sat up straight and looked at the Regent. Her tears were still flowing, but she revealed a smile that was both dazzling and deeply ironic.

"Surprised? You actually ended up in my hands?"

"Your eyes seem to want to tear me to pieces. You must be thinking that once you're saved, you'll immediately cut me into a thousand pieces, right?"

"Hahaha... Don't be delusional." Gan Qiongying moved closer to the Regent, admiring his stubbornness and ruthlessness with great interest.

It's like watching a ferocious beast cornered on the edge of a cliff, baring its teeth in a final, menacing display.

“The Regent Sima Rui has already returned to his residence,” Gan Qiongying said. “You should know that there are many talented people in this world. Some people can change a person’s appearance, and some people can imitate everything about a person based on their voice and behavior.”

Something flashed quickly in the Regent's eyes, a fleeting look of panic, but Gan Qiongying caught it just as quickly.

Are you scared?

"No, no, no..." Gan Qiongying said, "Don't be afraid, this is just the beginning."

"You forced Gan Lin to confront what he feared most... You tormented him for so long, let me think about what you fear most?"

"What you fear is losing power, status, and identity; you fear no longer being able to be high above and control life and death, right?"

Gan Qiongying leaned against the carriage, speaking softly, yet every word was like a knife.

“How about I proclaim your identity? And then get ‘myself’ to acknowledge it?” she imagined excitedly, her eyes shining.

The regent finally couldn't help but let out a sneer.

Even now, he remained utterly disdainful, refusing to believe a single word of Gan Qiongying's words, and even less believing that Gan Qiongying would actually dare to do anything to him.

As the regent, he was the pillar of stability in the court. If anything happened to him, the entire court, Yindu, and Nanzhao would be in turmoil.

To put it bluntly, a regent standing at the pinnacle of power may not be scary, but what is scary is the power behind him, the clan behind him; he is like the queen bee of power.

If anything happens to him, all the drones in the hive will swarm out and tear anyone who dares to touch the queen to pieces.

Gan Qiongying understood this principle as well: power struggles and clan alliances were never things that could be resolved simply by killing the leaders.