Chapter 173 Strange Things
At this time.
Ren Shun looked arrogant, and the way he looked at Qi Yuxuan was exactly the same as the way she had looked at him with disdain and contempt at Tianji Tower that day. He seemed to think that he could get back at her in kind.
Unfortunately, Qi Yuxuan remained indifferent, her gaze as calm as still water, as if she were looking at a lifeless vessel.
"Really? It doesn't need to be strong enough, just painful enough."
A cold glint flashed between Qi Yuxuan's fingers.
In an instant, Ren Shun clutched his head, writhing in pain so badly he could barely stand. His face contorted in agony, yet he stubbornly held on, refusing to fall to the ground in front of Qi Yuxuan.
For a long time afterward, the pain did not lessen at all; on the contrary, it intensified, causing Ren Shun's scalp to tingle and his breath to feel burning hot.
His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth were clenched, and he stared fiercely at Qi Yuxuan, like a vicious, wretched little beast.
"How dare you! I'll kill you!"
Qi Yuxuan stopped what she was doing, nodded, and smiled:
"Fine, kill me, and you'll die instantly too. That way, you'll never know the truth about your mother's death! Let's see if you'll have the face to see your mother on the road to the underworld."
Her voice was so calm and composed that it made Ren Shun, who was excited, look like a monkey jumping around.
After hearing these words, Ren Shun remained silent for a long time.
The study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Qi Yuxuan wasn't in a hurry; she waited patiently for him to figure it out on his own.
After a long while, Ren Shun lowered his shoulders, stared at the tips of his shoes, and said in a low, slightly hoarse voice:
"Ren Ze... he actually told you something like this."
Qi Yuxuan: "So you've thought it through? Do you want to work for me and find out the cause of your mother's death, or do you want us to die together today? I'm giving you the choice."
"Are you so certain that I wouldn't rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life?"
Qi Yuxuan: "Three years. After three years, I will force out the mother Gu and set you free."
Ren Shun laughed: "Why should I believe you? Besides, aren't you afraid that once the three-year period is up, I'll kill you immediately?"
"If you still want to kill me three years from now, you'll have to see if you have the ability."
"Hmph, I'll think about it."
After Ren Shun finished speaking, he jumped out of the window the same way he came, without even glancing at Qi Yuxuan.
Bi Sui walked in with a worried look on her face. When she saw that the girl was still in the same posture and expression as before, without any injury, she finally felt relieved.
"Princess, that guard terrified me!"
"It's alright now, he won't go crazy again."
As soon as Qi Yuxuan finished speaking, a leaf flew into the room and landed directly on the inkstone on the long table, splashing ink everywhere.
She glanced to the side and saw the boy blushing with embarrassment and anger, mouthing, "Who's gone mad?!"
The child is still unruly.
She silently withdrew her gaze, then placed her finger on the ring, and Ren Shun's expression immediately changed.
He climbed down from the tree again, obediently came in, bowed respectfully, then silently cleaned up the inkstone, and left without saying a word after bowing respectfully once more.
Bi Sui raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Hey, you're really obedient."
evening.
Qi Yuxuan was having dinner with the eldest princess when she saw Bi Sui being hurriedly called out, and then returning with a look of surprise and uncertainty.
"What happened?"
Qi Yuxuan remained silent, but the eldest princess, with her keen eyes, immediately noticed that something was wrong with Bi Sui.
This maid was brought by Yu Xuan from the Xiao residence, so she must be a capable person under Yu Xuan's command. Her panicked state suggests that something serious has happened.
The eldest princess looked concerned, but Bi Sui was so frightened that she immediately knelt down.
"This servant has been impolite, please forgive me, Princess and the County Princess!"
Qi Yuxuan's heart skipped a beat, and she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Your mother is just concerned about you, so please feel free to speak."
Bi Sui glanced at Qi Yuxuan, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"Yes... Princess, the person you asked me to find today is gone."
"Yu Xuan, who are you looking for?"
The eldest princess was unaware of what had happened. Upon hearing this, she put down her chopsticks and turned to ask the little girl beside her, whose brows were furrowed.
"Mother, do you remember the day we first met? Was it because a pickpocket stole my purse?"
When Qi Yuxuan brought this up, the eldest princess immediately nodded:
"Of course I remember. I even praised your exquisite embroidery on your purse and traded it for the purse with the Crown Prince's useless jade pendant."
The purpose of the jade pendant was later inquired of the eldest princess by Qi Yuxuan.
It turns out that those were gifts that Tianji Tower gave to the royal family and powerful nobles who surrendered in order to gain a foothold in the State of Qi.
However, the royal family already had its own henchmen and didn't care about the jade pendant at all. In the end, it only became an ornament for the crown prince.
It was by chance that the eunuch who was helping the crown prince dress saw that the jade pendant had good luster and put it on.
“Yesterday I went out and when I came back I ran into that pickpocket again, and she stole my purse again.”
"So I thought, it's better to do it once than twice. If she was deliberately approaching me under someone's instructions, I should take precautions and be careful."
"I didn't expect this..."
Qi Yuxuan pursed her lips in deep thought, her two delicate eyebrows furrowed into a tight knot.
"It can't be such a coincidence, once or twice in a row, and she just died today when you were looking for her?"
The eldest princess also found it strange.
How did she die?
Bi Sui glanced at her two mistresses, who were still eating, and hesitated for a moment.
"It's alright, Yu Xuan and I don't care about these formalities, just speak frankly."
"Yes... Chen Liao from the gatehouse reported that she had her face peeled off, her hands and feet cut off, and she was thrown into a well. When she was found, her blood was still warm..."
"What?!"
The princess struggled to support herself on the table, not because she was disgusted by what she heard, but because there was so much to say about this way of dying.
If the face is exposed, does that mean the deceased must never be able to reveal their true appearance?
Does having her hands and feet cut off mean that she has some kind of mark on her body that she doesn't want anyone to find?
There was still warm blood... Yu Xuan only sent someone to look for it today, and it died immediately. Did someone beat her to it, or was this all a setup to confuse the public?
Qi Yuxuan's breathing tightened, and the knuckles of her fingers, gripping her sleeve, gradually turned white.
“Mother, there must be something wrong with her.”
Seeing that Bi Sui was not in a good state, the eldest princess immediately waved her hand to let Bi Sui go down first.
She raised her hand and gently stroked Qi Yuxuan's back, smoothing it lightly and tenderly.
"Don't be afraid. With your mother here, no demons or monsters can harm you in the slightest! Tomorrow I will go to Jun'er and arrange a team of Qilin Guards to protect you."
"No, Mother, only by being the bait myself can I lure the snake out of its hole. I already acquired a guard yesterday, enough to protect me..."
She had also heard about the Crown Prince being impeached for taking command of the Qilin Guard.
Although the matter was eventually dropped and handled leniently, the emperor's mind is unpredictable, and she did not want the crown prince to take any risks.
She can handle her own affairs.
However, when she thought about this, she suddenly remembered something that happened in her past life.
"Mother, let's not talk about this. How is the progress of Prime Minister Zheng's work on revising the laws and regulations going?"
"You never cared about these things before, why are you asking about this today?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com