Chapter 248 Accidents Happen One After Another
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Prince Qin's Mansion
A beautiful woman was reclining on the chaise longue, twisting a flower branch with her fingertips and brushing it against her nose. "Are you done?"
"To answer your princess, everything is cleared." The masked man stood aside, took out a stack of banknotes, and placed them on the small table beside her. He said in a cold voice, "There are three people in Liu Shoucheng's family, and not one is left alive."
Sheng Qiulan glanced at the banknotes that were not stained with a single drop of blood, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and he waved his hand and said, "Well done, you can go down first, there will be a reward later."
"Thank you, Princess." The man didn't dare to stay any longer and turned to leave.
But when he reached the door, a thick rope suddenly came around from behind and tightly strangled his neck.
"Huh—" The man's eyes suddenly widened and he turned around with difficulty, only to see the princess lying lazily, sipping tea leisurely as if nothing had happened.
The man struggled desperately, his fingertips digging into the crack of the wooden door, but it was of no avail and he couldn't shake the attacker at all.
"Sheng...Qiulan...you will die a horrible death!"
The hemp rope around his neck was tightened, and he gradually lost strength and fell limply to the ground.
The person behind him squatted down, put his hand to the tip of his nose, and whispered, "Princess, he is dead."
Sheng Qiulan was exceptionally calm, as if she was used to this kind of scene. "Why don't you drag him away quickly?"
"yes."
"Oh no! Princess, something happened!"
Without waiting for the bodies in the room to be dealt with, the maid rushed in and knelt at her feet.
Sheng Qiulan frowned, cursed inwardly, and asked softly, "You've been with me for so many years, how come you don't know the rules?"
The maid's face turned pale, as if she had encountered something extremely terrifying. "Princess, please forgive me. I was so anxious that I lost my temper..."
Sheng Qiulan glanced at her with a calm expression, "What happened to make you so panicked?"
"The Zhao family's military token that Second Young Master has in his hands is fake. It's a forgery deliberately made by Zhao Hu. We've fallen into a trap!"
"What!" Sheng Qiulan stood up suddenly, and the flower branch she had just broken fell to the ground. Her heart sank to the bottom of the valley in an instant, "How could this happen..."
The maidservant was sweating profusely as she hurriedly explained, "An hour ago, the daughter of the Zhao family went to the Court of Remonstration alone and beat the drum to protest her grievances. Grand Secretary Qi wanted to execute her according to the law, but was stopped. Her fiancé then took out the Zhao household's military token in public and cleared the Zhao family's name. This was a trap set by the Zhao family from the beginning!"
"Bitch!" Sheng Qiulan was so angry that she threw the teacup in anger. "Su Cheng, that bitch, got away with it again!"
The maidservant trembled non-stop, "Princess, what should we do now?"
"Tell Xiaoyi to stop and leave the Zhao family as soon as possible." Sheng Qiulan's face was gloomy. He caught a glimpse of the banknotes on the small table and became even more furious. "This time, that bitch Su Cheng took advantage of us. Next time, it won't be so easy."
"Princess!" The servant rushed in, tumbling and crawling, without a trace of etiquette. "Princess, something terrible has happened!"
Sheng Qiulan felt even more uneasy and raised her hand to support her forehead, "What's the matter?"
The servant was shaking like a sieve, beads of sweat dripping from the ends of his hair. "The Lin family sentenced to exile handed over many letters, full of evidence of the prince's treason and collusion with the noble families!"
Sheng Qiulan was stunned, her mind went blank, "How... How is it possible... How dare Lin Rusheng!"
"The Lin family wants to avoid implicating Concubine Zhe and the Third Prince, hoping to redeem themselves for meritorious service. Once the letter is delivered, their exile won't be to the borderlands." The servant lowered his head, barely daring to breathe. "General Huanan has led his troops towards the palace, and the Empress Dowager has risked sending someone out of the palace to deliver a message, Princess, retreat immediately!"
Sheng Qiulan's vision went dark, and she dug her fingertips into her palms, "I can't leave... If I leave, what will happen to the Sheng family?"
"Princess, as long as you are alive, there is no need to worry about firewood. As long as you can be saved, the Sheng family will have the Queen Mother to protect you." The maidservant was extremely anxious and tried to persuade her earnestly, "You and the prince are husband and wife. The prince is now missing. If you are caught, they will not let you go easily!"
Sheng Qiulan felt a little relieved, tears welling up in her eyes. "Prepare the car and leave the city from the south immediately."
"yes!"
After a while, the servant came to call her. Sheng Qiulan covered her face with a veil and hurried to the corner gate under the cover of night.
Two little maids followed behind him, each holding a square box in her arms, and the bells in the boxes jingled as she ran.
But as soon as the master and servants stepped out of the corner gate, they ran into the imperial soldiers who had been waiting there.
"Princess Qin, I've been waiting for you for a long time." General Hua Nan stared at her with great interest, his horse aloft and many soldiers flanking him. The Qin Palace was surrounded by three layers of soldiers. "As long as you tell me the truth about Huo Beiting's whereabouts, I can show some mercy for the Queen Mother's sake."
Sheng Qiulan backed away until her back hit the door frame, only then did she realize she had nowhere to retreat. "I don't know where the prince is now. You've got the wrong guy."
"Princess, don't be stubborn." General Huanan tightened the reins, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze suddenly became sharp. "If you continue to push your luck, even the Queen Mother can't protect you."
"Every word I said is true!" Sheng Qiulan raised his chin, his eyes full of disdain. "If you don't believe me, why bother asking more questions?"
Seeing her arrogant attitude, as if she was certain he couldn't do anything to her, General Huanan couldn't help but sneer. "Since the princess is unwilling to cooperate, don't blame me for being rude. Come on, take everyone away, seal off this Qinwang Mansion, and dig three feet deep to find Huo Beiting's whereabouts!"
"How dare you!" Sheng Qiulan was held by the arms by two imperial guards and dragged to the main street. She continued to yell, "Sun Hejing, how dare you! I am the daughter of the Sheng family and the niece of the Empress Dowager!"
"Bold?" Sun Hejing sneered, his eyes fixed on the plaque at the gate of the Qinwang Mansion. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, and he muttered to himself, "When the young prince comes back to take charge of the situation, I won't even take the Empress Dowager seriously, let alone the Sheng family."
Today, Daqi is in chaos, and various forces want to get a piece of the pie. Only he is unwaveringly a member of the Ruyang King's party.
Even though his master is far away in Dingbei, he will do his best to protect the capital for his master.
No one except the young prince can covet that position.
"Sun Hejing, how dare you!" Sheng Qiulan was still struggling in vain, yelling at the top of her lungs, unable to maintain her ladylike demeanor any longer. "Don't give me a chance, or I'll punish you severely, Sun—"
Before she could finish her words, she saw the man standing not far away.
The man's skin was whiter than snow, his complexion was smooth, and his lips were red without any makeup, but he didn't look like a man with a feminine appearance. He had all the necessary edges and corners. He was tall and slender, holding a lamp in one hand. He just looked at her from afar, smiling at her current miserable appearance.
That face, that face that looked 80% like the emperor, Sheng Qiulan was too familiar with it.
Sheng Qiulan's legs suddenly went weak, "Yan...Yan Ci..."
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