Chapter 9 Eye Gouging
The man moved swiftly, stretching out his hand and stabbing it into Li Xianyou's eye socket. Li Xianyou staggered back, "No, don't..."
With a slight "hiss" sound, the two eyeballs were dug out.
Li Xianyou reached out to touch his eyes, only to feel boiling hot blood. He screamed miserably, "My eyes, ahhhhhhhhhhh——"
The officials were terrified by the bloody scene, their lips trembling and unable to utter a word.
There was deathly silence all around.
Chi Li smiled and looked at the maid in green. "Well done. What's your name?"
"My lord, here is your maid's portrait." The maiden in green knelt on one knee, raised her blood-stained hands above her head, and presented them to Chi Qi.
Chi Qi stared at the pair of round white eyes, her eyes flashing with obsession, "So beautiful..." Hearing her own murmur, she suddenly came back to her senses and shifted her gaze to Yuzhao.
This person was from her palace, but this was the first time Chi Lan looked at her face carefully. It was a long, slightly narrow face with heroic eyebrows and eyes, and a calm and composed expression.
Chi Li was a little surprised, "Aren't you afraid?"
Yuzhao said indifferently, "My Lord, my family is a butcher. I used to do this job before entering the palace. There is actually no difference between killing people and butchering pigs."
Chi Yan was amused by her. "There's a big difference between humans and pigs. Humans will hate you, but pigs won't. You blinded Li Xianyou today, and many people will hate you. Prime Minister Li, the crown prince, and these officials will all hate you. Aren't you afraid of that?"
"I'm afraid, but I know one thing: you should do the work of the family you feed. I'm the master's servant, so I should obey the master's orders. Since the guards are timid and dare not take action, and I am braver than them, then I should teach those who offended the master a lesson on their behalf."
Yuzhao spoke frankly, her eyes surprisingly calm.
After hearing her words, Chi Yu laughed out loud, "Yuzhao, you are too modest. Those guards are as cowardly as mice. How can they compare to you?"
These words were simply a slap in the face of the Golden Crow Guards. Zhu Chengqin's face turned ashen and he tightly gripped the hilt of his sword. The other guards all looked indignant.
Chi Li didn't even look at him, but looked at Yuzhao with a joyful gaze. "You are so loyal, it's really a waste of your talent to be just a maid in my palace. I will grant you the title of first-class guard and let you stay by my side to protect my safety."
Yuzhao stood there in a daze, with some confusion in her eyes.
Zhu Chengqin strode forward, knelt on one knee with a knife in hand, and said sternly, "Your Highness, since the founding of the country by Emperor Taizu, those who have been able to hold the position of First-Class Guards have all been meritorious officials. Letting a palace maid who can only butcher pigs take on the position would only make her a laughing stock!"
Chi Li's eyes turned cold, "She doesn't deserve it, so do you?"
Zhu Chengqin gritted his teeth and said loudly, "I dare not say that I am qualified for the position of a first-class guard, but I do have some martial arts skills. Unless this palace maid can defeat me, I will submit to her!"
He turned to look at Yuzhao, "Do you dare to compete with me?"
Yuzhao quickly glanced at Zhu Chengqin's arms and thighs. His clothes were bulging and his muscles were obviously very developed. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
Although she had some strength, she had not systematically studied martial arts. She could deal with a weak scholar like Li Xianyou, but she was not good enough to deal with the burly Zhu Chengqin.
Should I refuse directly? But if I do that, wouldn't that be admitting that I can't beat him?
Zhu Chengqin was clearly challenging her master's authority. Even if she didn't want to be a first-class guard, she had to fight for the sake of her master's face.
But what if you lose?
"Why, you don't dare?" Zhu Chengqin sneered, his eyes disdainful. "Don't worry, you're a woman, I won't be cruel."
Yuzhao clenched his fists suddenly, and looked at Zhu Chengqin with eyes full of anger. His lips moved, and he was about to respond when he heard a clear voice behind him:
"Captain Zhu, you are not qualified to compete with her."
She turned around and saw Wu Wenxiu walking towards her quickly, with a cold face, sharp eyes and a stern look.
Zhu Chengqin looked impatient, "Who are you, and what do you mean?"
Wu Wenxiu looked at him and said, "You are disobeying orders and disobeying orders. Captain Zhu, do you still remember your responsibilities?"
Zhu Chengqin shouted, "Of course it's to protect the Holy—" Thinking that the Holy Emperor had passed away, he immediately changed his words, "Of course it's to protect the safety of the royal family!"
"Very good!" Wu Wenxiu's eyes were sharp. "Loyalty to the emperor is a principle that even Sister Yuzhao knows. But Captain Zhu, you receive a salary from the court, yet you neglect your duties. You watched the empress being offended by a minister and stood by and did nothing. May I ask what the punishment for the captain of the guards is?"
Zhu Chengqin was furious and said angrily: "You -! Where did this ignorant woman come from? You are talking nonsense!" He suddenly drew out his long knife and chopped towards Wu Wenxiu's neck.
Yuzhao was startled, "Second sister!"
Wu Wenxiu was also startled. He felt the wind whistling in his face. Before he could move, he heard two loud bangs. Zhu Chengqin screamed and fell to the ground, and the long sword in his hand clanged to the ground.
Wu Wenxiu's heart was still pounding. When he turned around, Chi Qie had just lowered her hands, and a spot of bright red blood could be seen between her slender fingers.
She immediately understood, lowered her head and searched on the ground for a while, and sure enough, she saw two round eyeballs.
His eyes widened in surprise. The hidden weapon that knocked the long knife out of Zhu Chengqin's hand was these two eyeballs?
Everyone looked at Zhu Chengqin rolling on the ground and wailing, his face turning even paler with fear.
Just now they were cursing Queen Chi for her cruelty and viciousness in their hearts, but now they didn't even dare to curse. They all lowered their heads and even breathed softly.
Chi Qi pinched the blood on her fingertips and felt it was a bit sticky. It seemed that using eyeballs as hidden weapons was not a good idea.
Fortunately, she was able to control her strength well, and only broke one of Zhu Chengqin's hands, but did not take his life.
She raised her head and glanced coldly at everyone present. "Now, who else objects?"
The aristocratic group who had stood up to stop her just now lowered their heads even more, bent their waists and quietly retreated backwards.
In contrast, officials from humble backgrounds stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Li Xianyou committed treason and deserved death. Zhu Chengqin was even more rebellious and disrespectful, breaking the law with force. I request that his captain's position be abolished and his status as a commoner be reduced to that of a commoner!"
The others followed suit, "I second the motion."
Chi Li looked at these opportunists with a playful smile on her face. "Very good, I'll do as you say. Also, the Golden Crow Guard cannot be without a leader. Yuzhao is loyal to me, so let her take over the captaincy temporarily on the way back to the capital."
Everyone was surprised. Although they all felt that it was inappropriate, they wisely remained silent because of Zhu Chengqin's counterexample.
Yuzhao looked conflicted and hesitated for a long time before kneeling down to express her gratitude.
At this point, the matter has come to an end. Li Xianyou's fearless and outspoken performance ended with the loss of a pair of eyes.
The officials took their leave and returned to their carriages.
As soon as the curtain was lowered, officials from Li Xiang's faction began to curse in low voices: "Li Xianyou is a fool who can't see the situation clearly. He didn't even inherit an ounce of Li Xiang's ability. The emperor just died, why is he provoking Queen Chi now!"
A fellow passenger whispered, "The scary thing is Queen Chi. Doesn't she know that punishing Li Xianyou will offend Prime Minister Li? What is she relying on?"
The two looked at each other and understood instantly, "Empress Dowager."
At the same time, the poor people were also discussing in low voices.
"Do we really want to support Queen Chi? Prime Minister Li will not let us go."
"Humph! If we don't support Queen Chi, will the Li family give us a way out? Don't forget, the emperor is dead. When Crown Prince Zhao Chun ascends the throne, Queen Chi will be able to firmly grasp the power of the new emperor."
"That's right. Zhao Chun is not capable of great use, and Queen Chi is a smart man and a smart woman who desires power. If she wants to take power, she must have her own people in the court. Apart from us, she has no other choice."
"Wealth and honor are sought through risk. Although relying on women is not glorious, in the officialdom, as long as it can help one climb the ladder, many people will do anything to get ahead!"
On the other side, Li Xianyou and Zhu Chengqin were carried away and were receiving treatment.
The two of them didn't know that they had been completely abandoned.
Even if they healed their injuries, it would be useless. One was blind and the other was disabled. They were not even qualified to enter the officialdom, let alone make a comeback.
As for Chi Li, she was looking at the people who stayed there and did not leave.
Her eyes swept over Yuzhao and Wu Wenxiu. These two people each had their own strengths and were very loyal to her, so they could be used for the time being.
Next was Zhao Mingyue. She watched everything but never said a word. What was she thinking under that frightened face?
Finally, there was the Jinwu Guard. Their captain had been crippled by her, but they still had to stay to protect her safety.
Chi Yu first looked at Yu Zhao, "You don't seem to want to be the captain of the guards. Why?"
Yuzhao said frankly, "My lord, the Golden Crow Guards are all men. They won't obey the orders of a palace maid like me. Besides, I'm not qualified for this position."
Chi Li raised her eyebrows slightly. "I don't think this is a problem. You are the first-class royal guard appointed by me personally. If anyone dares to disobey your orders, I will kick him out and replace him with someone more obedient. I value loyalty more than ability."
The guards on the side understood that this was a warning to them. The expressions on their faces changed several times, and finally they lowered their heads as if accepting their fate.
Yuzhao responded respectfully: "Yes, maid Ming--"
Chi Li's face immediately turned cold, "Wrong."
Yuzhao was stunned for a moment, then changed his words, "Yes, I understand."
"I need a personal guard that is absolutely loyal to me, and your mission is to help me find and train suitable candidates. Can you do that?"
"...I obey your command."
Chi Yu then looked at Wu Wenxiu and was about to speak when Zhao Mingyue came over, looking timid. "Mother, I have something to tell you."
She thought about it, and since she had nothing important to tell Wu Wenxiu, she waved her hand and said, "Wenxiu, you can leave too. You don't need to follow me anymore."
Wu Wenxiu and Yuzhao took their leave together.
Chi Li looked at Zhao Mingyue, "What do you want to tell me?"
Zhao Mingyue looked very uneasy, carefully avoiding her gaze, with fear hidden in her eyes, which made Chi Lan stunned for a moment.
Then he thought that Zhao Mingyue was essentially a kind person, and it would be impossible for him to accept that she treated Li Xianyou so cruelly.
If she and Zhao Chun had a conflict, Zhao Mingyue would definitely stand on Zhao Chun's side, right? After all, they were blood relatives.
Chi Li lowered her eyes, and a strange light flashed in her eyes.
It doesn’t matter, even if Zhao Mingyue hates her, it doesn’t matter, anyway, she will not give Zhao Mingyue the chance to betray her.
Zhao Mingyue hesitated and said, "Mother, I didn't hide what my brother said from you on purpose. I was just afraid that you would hate me if you knew."
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