Chapter 44 They've all been killed
Li Yuanzhao's gaze lingered on Lin Xuean, watching the scene with great interest.
Chen Yanqing keenly sensed that Li Yuanzhao seemed to be very interested in this man who looked like a woman.
For some reason, he felt a subtle sense of crisis.
Lin Xuean rolled on the ground once before barely managing to regain her balance.
His once snow-white outer robe was now covered in mud and withered leaves, and the hem was torn by a tree branch.
She looked like a fallen beauty waiting to be rescued, which evoked pity in people.
"Run! Why have you stopped running?"
Cui Jiulang spurred his horse up to him and looked down at him.
The young men around them also gathered around.
"You tell me..." Young Master Jia teased, "has this delicate-skinned fellow ever been with a woman?"
Prince Xu scoffed, "Women? They're probably just being played by men."
Then came a burst of laughter.
Lin Xuean felt humiliated, but was powerless to resist.
Su Qingci was furious and couldn't help but look at Li Yuanzhao.
Just then, Li Yuanzhao seemed to have finally had enough of this farce and suddenly spoke, calling out only, "Cui Jiulang."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of the group of people precisely.
Cui Jiulang's frivolous smile froze instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.
He turned his head sharply and his face turned pale when he saw the Akhal-Teke horse and the red riding clothes not far away.
What a coincidence that we had to run into this menacing figure here?
Li Yuanzhao slowly reined in his horse and approached. The crunching sound of the horse's hooves crushing the fallen leaves was exceptionally clear in the silent forest, each step seeming to pound on everyone's hearts.
These young noblemen dared not be presumptuous any longer. They hurriedly dismounted, knelt down, and repeatedly said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Princess!"
Li Yuanzhao reined in his horse, not even glancing at the people kneeling on the ground, his gaze fixed solely on Cui Jiulang.
Those eyes held no emotion, yet they sent chills down Cui Jiulang's spine.
He stole a glance at Su Qingci, thinking to himself that this woman had found a backer so quickly. He quickly forced a smile and explained, "Your Highness, we were just joking with Miss Su. She may have misunderstood. We had no intention of belittling officials of the court."
Li Yuanzhao replied, "Is that so?"
Her gaze shifted to Lin Xue'an, who had fallen to the ground, and she asked in a flat tone, "And what about this?"
When Lin Xuean met her gaze, her eyes instantly reddened, and she was almost overflowing with grievance.
“This…” Cui Jiulang’s eyes flickered, and he hurriedly added, “Young Master Lin accidentally fell off his horse, and we were just about to help him up.”
Li Yuanzhao nodded slightly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It seems... you really are a philanthropist."
Cui Jiulang felt uneasy at her attitude and couldn't figure out what she was thinking, so he could only give an awkward laugh and say, "No, no, this is what I should do."
Seeing that he was about to get away with it again, Lin Xue'an suddenly grabbed a lifeline, jumped up from the ground, staggered a few steps and rushed over, tightly hugging Li Yuanzhao's horse leg, trembling and crying out, "Your Highness, save me."
When he looked up, tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall.
Those clear eyes were like two pools of autumn water, full of innocent naivety and purity, capable of arousing the most primal protective instincts, while also subtly evoking a hint of sadistic desire.
Everyone present was stunned. No one expected that this usually timid young master Lin would dare to stop the princess's mount in public.
Li Yuanzhao looked down at him, then suddenly became interested. "Who are you?"
Lin Xuean was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
The Lin family was, after all, a prominent family in the capital, and he had been moving around in elite circles since childhood.
Moreover, his face was already quite striking, and he thought he might catch the eye of the princess, but he never expected that the princess would not recognize him.
Seeing this, Su Qingci answered for him, "Your Highness, this is Lin Xue'an, the young master of Minister Lin's family."
"Ah..." Li Yuanzhao used his riding whip to lift his chin, his gaze sweeping over his face for a moment, from his trembling eyelashes to his pale lips.
"So it was you. You are indeed quite good-looking."
It seems that what my father said was true; he truly deserves the title of the most handsome man in the capital.
Chen Yanqing, who was listening from the side, felt a tightness in his heart and a strange sense of irritation welled up inside him.
These words were exactly the same as what Li Yuanzhao had said when they first met.
Is she... interested in this guy again?
How superficial!
Cui Jiulang watched this scene with a sense of unease. Although Li Yuanzhao was smiling, he inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.
Li Yuanzhao's voice softened, as if he truly intended to uphold justice for him.
"How do you want me to save you?"
Lin Xuean composed herself before mustering her courage to say, "I... I just want them to stay away from me and stop bullying me in the future."
Li Yuanzhao smiled slightly, "Alright, I agree."
As soon as she finished speaking, her tone suddenly changed, "Ru Mo."
Ru Mo had already spurred his horse closer and immediately replied, "Your subordinate is here."
Li Yuanzhao slowly spoke, "Kill them all."
These three words, though seemingly light and airy, exploded like a thunderclap in the forest.
Everyone present was stunned.
Chen Yanqing looked at Li Yuanzhao in disbelief.
It was just a few words of bullying, yet he had the thought of killing her?
Su Qingci's heart tightened. These people were all sons of high-ranking officials in the court. If they died in the hunting grounds today, it would surely cause a huge uproar.
Even though Your Highness is a princess, you will inevitably be impeached by censors and attacked by court officials, and it may even shake the Emperor's heart.
Why is Your Highness acting so impulsively?
Lin Xuean was even more stunned. He only wanted them to stop bullying him and never intended to take their lives.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "That's not what I meant," but was frozen in place by Li Yuanzhao's gaze.
There was no trace of a smile left in those eyes, only cold indifference.
Cui Jiulang's legs went weak, and he knelt down. "Your...Your Highness! We know we were wrong! We beg Your Highness to spare our lives!"
The others also seemed to wake up from their daze and knelt down one after another, begging for mercy.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ru Mo drew his sword from his waist, walked expressionlessly behind Cui Jiulang, and grabbed him by the neck.
The force was so great that Cui Jiulang couldn't breathe for a moment.
Cui Jiulang did not dodge; he was still begging for mercy.
He seemed to think that the princess was just trying to scare him.
He is the son of Prime Minister Cui and the nephew of the Imperial Concubine. Who would dare to kill him so easily?
Even if she is the eldest princess, she should consider the consequences; the Emperor will not let her off the hook.
But he was wrong.
Ru Mo's longsword was so fast that it left only a blur, and it directly sealed his throat.
His eyes widened, and blood flowed from his throat, making gurgling sounds.
Cui Jiulang struggled a few times before collapsing to the ground in agony, his eyes unable to close until his death.
He probably couldn't believe it even before he died that the princess actually dared to kill him.
The others were so frightened that they forgot to cry out and scattered in all directions, but they could not escape Ru Mo's knife.
Her figure moved swiftly through the woods, and with each flash of the blade, the screams abruptly ceased.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight corpses appeared in the forest, each one with a fatal stab wound to the throat, their eyes wide open in death.
After the final thud as the body fell to the ground, the forest fell completely silent, with only the rustling of the wind through the leaves remaining.
The wind swept through the woods, carrying a heavy, pungent smell of blood that made one's nostrils ache.
A few leaves swirled and fell into the pool of blood, instantly turning it crimson.
Ru Mo sheathed his sword and returned to Li Yuanzhao's side.
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