Chapter 182: Assassination
"Well, young lady, you should think it over some more." The butler was displeased by the rebuke, but he still maintained a smile on his face: "After all, if you marry into the General's Mansion, your whole family will be able to enjoy wealth and luxury in the future."
Miao Qi was even more displeased upon hearing this. If they hadn't interfered, why would Qi Mo have run away?
She sat down in the chair, her face stubborn, refusing to nod no matter what.
The housekeeper had no choice but to make some harsh remarks before leaving.
"The general has been ordered to guard Xiangyun Town. In Xiangyun Town, the general is the supreme ruler. Young lady, don't be ungrateful, lest you implicate your whole family."
After saying that, don't turn around and go back to report.
Miao Qi wasn't listening at all; her mind was a complete mess, and she was limp, leaning back in her chair.
The general had never encountered such a woman before and found it quite novel. For several days in a row, he sent people to the Miao family to deliver gifts.
Miao Qi has been living in a daze these past few days, sometimes blaming herself for her poor judgment of people, and sometimes blaming herself for not putting a love potion on Qi Mo.
In short, she hasn't been doing well these past few days.
After being in a daze for more than half a month, she lost a lot of weight. Finally, her Miao mother couldn't bear to see her like that anymore and forcibly dragged her outside to change her mood.
Miao Qi followed behind her mother, walking aimlessly, when suddenly a horse charged towards her.
She was somewhat taken aback, standing there blankly as the horse drew closer, her ears filled with the screams of her mother and passersby.
The next second, she was pulled into a man's arms and dragged aside.
Immediately, she saw the man's face clearly, and her expression froze for a moment.
Miao Qi quickly realized what was happening, broke free from his embrace, straightened her clothes, and bowed her head to thank him.
"Thank you, General, for saving my life."
The man who saved him was a general. He was dressed in civilian clothes, had a rugged face, and a slight smile on his lips.
"Since you are grateful, then repay me with your body."
Miao Qi was stunned when she heard this, and looked up at the person in front of her for a long time.
She vaguely saw a hint of crimson in the eyes of the person in front of her, and her vision began to blur.
Immediately, as if possessed, he agreed.
By the time she realized what was happening, she was already home, and the betrothal gifts from the General's Mansion had already been brought to her house.
Father and Mother were discussing an auspicious day with the steward of the General's Mansion.
She didn't know why she had agreed, and now, sitting in the chair and thinking about it, she felt strange.
But... after all, it was her who promised.
How could she possibly agree?
If we back out now, the general might take his anger out on our family.
Miao Qi looked at the lively scene outside, tugged at the corners of her mouth, and gave a wry smile.
Well, since Qi Mo has run away, it doesn't matter who he marries.
Miao Qi rubbed her forehead and gave a wry smile.
A few days later, an auspicious day arrived, and it was on this auspicious day that Miao Qi entered the General's Mansion.
She was carried in a red sedan chair through a side gate into the backyard of the general's mansion.
There were no ceremonies or banquets; it was just that simple and quiet.
Miao Qi didn't care at all. She sat in the room decorated with red silk, her mind filled with Qi Mo's face.
Around midnight, a servant came to report.
"Auntie, the General has been invited away by Third Auntie tonight. You should get some rest."
As soon as he finished speaking, the servant hurriedly withdrew.
Anyone with eyes could see that this was the Third Aunt deliberately trying to intimidate this other concubine. If they didn't leave quickly, what if this concubine got angry and took it out on them?
Upon hearing this voice, Miao Qi ripped off her red veil. She didn't care whether the general came or not; she hoped he would never come.
She sat down in the chair, eating pastries to fill her already hungry stomach while drinking tea.
After eating and drinking my fill, I washed up and went to sleep.
The general's wife was in poor health and gave orders that no one should disturb her, so there was no longer the customary morning and evening greetings.
Miao Qi then stayed indoors every day, neither going out nor causing any trouble.
Whether it was the other concubines working together to intimidate her or not, in the half month since she entered the mansion, the general had been visiting different concubines' rooms but hadn't come to hers.
Miao Qile lives a carefree life, spending her days drinking tea, reading books, and never leaving her house.
The general may have forgotten about her, because less than two months later, he married his nineteenth concubine.
When Miao Qi heard the news, she felt inexplicably relieved.
Taking advantage of the wedding celebration at the mansion, she took her personal maid and decided to go for a walk in the countryside.
As soon as I reached the gatehouse, I saw a servant carrying a familiar purse.
Miao Qi frowned, staring at the purse, and asked in a low voice, "Where did this purse come from?"
The servant was startled and immediately replied, "I found it in the suburbs a few days ago."
"The outskirts? Where in the outskirts?"
"Under the tree by the lotus pond in the suburbs."
The servant looked at the man and said tremblingly.
Miao Qi's face turned cold. She snatched the purse back and quickly left the mansion to search for a lotus pond in the suburbs.
This purse was made by her for Qi Mo. The stitches were crooked and it was so ugly that she recognized it at a glance.
But Qi Mo has already gone to the capital to take the imperial examination, so why is the purse still in the suburbs?
Miao Qi didn't have time to think too much and quickly headed towards the outskirts of the city.
She quickly found the lotus pond.
Beside the lotus pond, there is only one willow tree.
But beside the willow tree, there was a dense pile of corpses.
"Auntie, this is a mass grave! How could you come here? Let's go back right away."
The maid beside her clung tightly to her sleeve, speaking with a look of fear on her face.
Miao Qi's expression turned cold as she looked at the pile of corpses, her gaze suddenly locking onto a piece of blue cloth.
She instinctively walked over, looked at the rotting corpse that was now just bones, and squatted down.
Immediately, a crystal-clear jade pendant came into her view.
Miao Qi looked at the familiar jade pendant and picked it up with trembling hands.
She searched carefully for those two words, but when she finally found them, she collapsed onto the corpse, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
This jade pendant was Qi Mo's personal possession. He said that it was a gift from his mother, and his name was engraved on it. He had worn it since birth and had never taken it off.
With trembling hands, Miao Qi moved the corpses that were pressing down on him, pulled him out from under them, and carried him to an open space.
She suppressed her grief, looked at the corpse, and tears streamed down her face.
Suddenly, Miao Qi's gaze fell on his chest.
An arrow was stuck in the blue clothes; when the clothes were pulled back, the arrowhead was found embedded in the sternum.
Seeing this scene, what else could Miao Qi not understand?
He was assassinated!
Miao Qi pulled out the arrow and examined it carefully. Then, she saw the markings on the arrowhead.
A tiger's head!
This is the symbol of the General's Mansion!
Miao Qi had seen this symbol before in the general's mansion, and had also seen the general use this kind of arrow!
She was startled, and all the details she had overlooked came to mind.
Miao Qi felt colder and colder as she thought about it, and her whole body was trembling. Her hands were shaking as she tried to carry the skeleton away, but she couldn't muster any strength.
She turned to look at the maid, only to see that she was trembling with fear and dared not approach.
Seeing that she couldn't rely on him, Miao Qi moved the skeleton aside and placed it carefully.
Then, he quickly went to the Qi family.
She pushed open the wooden door and walked into the long-abandoned courtyard.
This is her first time here since the engagement was finalized.
Miao Qi walked into Qi Mo's study with ease. As soon as she opened the door, a scent of books wafted out, and books were neatly arranged on the wooden shelves.
How could someone going to the capital for the imperial examinations not bring books with them?
She should have realized something was wrong sooner, and she should have come here to check sooner.
Miao Qi was devastated. For some reason, a crazy thought flashed through her mind, and she started thinking about it uncontrollably.
When she came to her senses, she was already standing in front of the general, questioning him about whether he had killed Qi Mo.
The general looked disdainful, still holding his newly arrived concubine in his arms. He showed no fear in the face of the questioning from those in front of him.
“I killed him. If I hadn’t killed him, how would you have entered the manor?”
Upon hearing this, Miao Qi felt a surge of anger rising within her. She clenched her fists tightly and glared at the person in front of her.
"Why are you insisting on bringing me into your household? You already have so many women in your home!"
The general chuckled and pinched the woman's face in his arms: "Who told you to reject me in the first place? What I like most is to soften a stubborn bone like you little by little."
Miao Qi's eyes were filled with rage as she glared fiercely at the person in front of her, the Gu worm in her palm already poised to strike.
"Oh, by the way. I advise you not to act rashly, otherwise..."
The general waved his hand, and the guards standing to the side immediately grabbed three people and threw them violently to the ground.
Miao Qi watched as her father, mother, and brother fell to the ground in front of her, their hands and feet bound, their tongues cut out, and they were babbling incoherently.
"Father, Mother, Brother!"
Miao Qi suddenly rushed to the three of them, her trembling hands touching their faces: "How could this be? How could this be..."
"Who told you to disobey me and run off to the mass grave to find that kid? If you had behaved, why would I have resorted to such methods?"
The general walked up to her and forcefully pinched her face: "I don't like disobedient women. If there's a next time, there will be three cold corpses lying in front of you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he put his arm around the woman in his arms and strode away.
Miao Qi's hatred intensified, and she trembled with anger, but she still stubbornly endured it.
The most urgent task is to call a doctor to save my father, mother, and brother.
Thinking this, Miao Qi quickly untied their hands and feet and helped them back to her room.
She called a doctor to treat her. After bandaging the wound, the doctor left some medicine and then left.
Miao Qi sat in the chair, looking at her injured parents, her heart filled with hatred!
She would never let Jiang Jun go; even if she died, she would drag him down to hell with her!
Miao Qi's head was throbbing more and more, and her expression gradually turned crazed.
She walked uncontrollably outside into the new concubine's courtyard.
Hearing the laughter and banter of the men and women inside, she ignored the servants' attempts to stop her and forcefully barged in.
She kicked the door open, and the two people playing on the soft couch inside looked over instantly. Upon seeing her, they were both somewhat displeased.
"What are you doing here?" The general pulled a thin blanket from the side and covered the woman beside him.
“That’s right, sister. If you want the general to come to your courtyard, you can just send a servant to inform him. You can’t just barge in like this.” The nineteenth concubine wrapped herself in a blanket, her face still flushed, and said coquettishly.
Miao Qi remained calm, her gaze fixed on the man. Without uttering a word, she walked towards him.
Seeing the man's puzzled expression, it suddenly released a snake, which flew towards his neck and bit down on it.
The general was stunned, disbelief flashing in his eyes. He quickly tried to grab the snake, but it was very slippery and disappeared in no time.
He strode up to the girl, pinched her cheek, and said viciously.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy? Do you really not care about your parents' lives?"
Miao Qi revealed a crazed smile: "I want you dead!"
She quickly formed hand seals, urging countless snakes to pounce on him.
The general was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of so many snakes in the room. He was bitten on the left and then on the right.
He was furious and looked at the guards catching snakes beside him.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up..."
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died.
"Ahhhhh!" The nineteenth concubine, watching this scene from the soft couch, immediately cried out in alarm, "Murder! Murder!"
Seeing that he had stopped breathing, Miao Qi retrieved all the snakes and turned to leave.
She wanted to take her parents away from here and return to the Miao Kingdom.
The next second, the guards surrounded her, preventing her from leaving.
"Eighteenth concubine, you killed the general!"
"Get out of the way!" A hint of impatience flashed in Miao Qi's eyes as she coldly stared at the person in front of her. Her head began to throb again, and her hands gradually became uncontrollable. "Get out of the way!"
The guards still wouldn't let her go, and the woman behind them shouted, "We can't let her leave! She killed the general! We must arrest her and hand her over to the madam!"
Miao Qi turned around impatiently and flung out several snakes.
The next second, the nineteenth concubine was bitten several times by a snake and died on the soft couch, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Miao Qi's hands trembled, and her head throbbed with pain. Not wanting to hurt the guards in front of her any further, she said coldly, "Get out of the way!"
The guards hesitated for a moment, then the captain of the guards came running over after hearing the news. Seeing the scene, he ordered his men to seize the person in front of them.
Miao Qi watched as the guards approached her with knives raised, and her hands involuntarily formed hand seals, controlling the snake to move towards the person in front of her.
Countless snakes crawled out from different corners and lunged at the guards.
They raised their knives and cut the snake in half, but many people were still bitten.
The bitten guards quickly collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices. The remaining guards were terrified, but dared not disobey their captain's orders.
Miao Qi's head throbbed with pain. She was out of control, manipulating the snake to indiscriminately harm everyone in the mansion!
As night fell, everyone in the general's mansion, regardless of age or gender, was bitten by snakes and collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Miao Qi collapsed to the ground, gradually regaining consciousness.
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