Liquidation of crimes
When Chen Ying discovered that the Tufan merchant who came to the workshop to cause trouble presented a false official contract, Chen Ying immediately thought that it was the enemy's means of monopolizing metal raw materials. In order to stop these people from monopolizing metals, Chen Ying took the initiative to propose a meeting with the leader of the caravan.
"Take me to your caravan." Chen Yun's voice was low and firm. She held the merchant's collar tightly, her eyes revealing unquestionable determination.
The merchant took Chen Yin to the location of their caravan.
Chen Yun followed the merchant through the bustling streets to a secluded courtyard. The gate was closed and all around was quiet, with only the occasional barking of a dog breaking the tranquility.
The merchant knocked gently on the door, and soon it slowly opened, revealing a narrow passage. Chen Yun followed closely behind him and entered this mysterious caravan station.
However, as soon as she entered the room, Chen Yan felt an ominous premonition looming in her heart. She looked around and saw a group of people dressed in Tufan costumes staring at her with a fierce look. And in this group of people, a familiar face came into view - Gao Mier, the princess of Tufan and one of the masterminds behind this conspiracy. She turned around and smiled, her mouth full of swords.
"Long time no see, Princess."
Chen Yun was startled and clenched her fists. But she didn't panic at all. She looked around and calmly observed the situation.
Gao Mier had obviously made all the preparations. At her command, several Tufan soldiers came forward and surrounded Chen Yan.
"Hmm...Princess, it's been a long time since we last met. I wonder what permit you used to conduct business in Qiankun Country today? Please allow me to take a look."
"Crown Princess, a discerning person doesn't lie. You've probably come here prepared... Capture her!"
A group of people immediately captured Chen Yin.
However, Chen Ying responded calmly: "Can the policy on metal resources be relaxed? Doing so will only worsen relations between the two countries."
Hearing Chen Yun's words, Gao Mier burst into laughter and asked, "Chen Yun, you are too naive. Who do you think you are? Can you stop our Tufan Kingdom's plan? Today, I will teach you that you can never return."
At this time, Yi'er from the Seven Stars Group took out a knife from the top of the wall. Chen Yun noticed her and shook his head. Then Chen Yun said, "You can't kill me. You can earn more profits from the palace. It's better for you to work, right?"
Gao Mier thought it made sense, and since she had no intention of killing the Crown Princess, she ordered, "Come! Move immediately!"
At the same time, Yi'er, one of the seven members of the Seven Stars Group, a secret service of the imperial court that is proficient in martial arts and intelligence, rushed to Chen's residence and informed him that Chen Yun had just been captured by Mi'er, but she had prevented the secret service from rescuing him.
Chen Feng clenched his fists: "If it weren't for me, Xiao Ying wouldn't have been caught."
Li Lin clenched his fists, his eyes revealing anxiety and anger. He knew Chen Yan's bravery and wisdom, but he couldn't ignore his safety.
Li Lin said, "Brother, I need your cooperation. Contact Gao Mi'er and tell her that you miss her and want to meet for dinner."
Chen Feng thought about what Yi'er had just said, and wondered, "Why? The Crown Princess won't let us save her!"
"She has plans, but I'm her husband. I can't ignore her."
Inside the wooden house on the other side, Gao Mier received a letter from a servant, "Princess Guo, there's a letter from Chen Feng. He said he missed you very much and wanted to have a drink with you."
Gao Mier threw the paper away, then snorted arrogantly and said, "Even when cooking, you have to stir-fry it from time to time. Let's meet for the time being!"
Then Gao Mier came to the lake as agreed, and Chen Feng was fishing by the lake.
Gao Mier asked pretentiously, "Brother Feng, why are you so interested in fishing today?"
Chen Feng took a deep breath and said, "Today, I'm here to catch this big fish, you."
The next moment, a group of people holding bows and arrows pointed in this direction. Li Lin stepped forward and said, "Tell Mi'er, where is my Crown Princess? Tell me and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, expect to be tortured!"
"Bah! Chen Feng, you actually colluded with the soldiers. Aren't you afraid that we will send troops to attack your Qiankun Kingdom?"
Chen Feng threw the fishing rod to the ground, turned around and said, "The Crown Princess is my second sister. Do you think I have any reason to let you go?"
Gao Mier realized she had hit a wall, but refused to answer. "Don't even think about it. I'm telling you, without me, the Eastern nations... will invade the eastern part of Qiankun Nation."
"Come! Bring Tufan's concubine Gao Mi'er back to the capital and hang her outside the city gates. Withhold food and water! Also, issue a public notice! Tufan's princess Gao Mi'er deceived men in her country to commit treason, entered our territory without a permit, and wantonly exploited our resources. Hang her for several days! The fight continues until she dies!"
"Li Lin! Let me go! I didn't mistreat your concubine, yet you treat me like this? You will die a miserable death! I will kill you!"
Gao Mier was dragged away, still spewing words of dissatisfaction from her mouth.
Just one sentence from Crown Prince Li Lin had Gao Mi'er hang outside the city for two days and two nights. Her disheveled hair, chapped lips, lifeless eyes, and exhausted expression made her look like a princess of a great country unrecognizable. Passersby went from watching and pointing at her at first to now being afraid to say anything.
Afaner, who was stationed outside the capital, learned about this and summoned soldiers lurking in various places to the gates of the capital.
Upon learning of this, Li Lie'ao was worried in his study. Li Lin then offered to lead the troops to meet them: "Father, I am willing to follow your orders!"
"Alright! Send General Niu Zhao and General Bai Shuzi and their families out of the city to meet the enemy!"
Outside the city gate, soldiers on the top of the gate were ready with bows and arrows at any time, and the iron cavalry and shield soldiers under the gate walked out one after another under the leadership of Li Lin.
What they faced was a group of civilians, armed and waiting for them. Afan, the leader, shouted, "Li Lin! You have no reason to abuse the princess of our country! Release her! Otherwise, I will kill you!"
“Don’t be rude!”
At this moment, three people emerged from the crowd. They were Xiao Hong, Emperor of Louhuang, Xuanyuan Wudi, Emperor of Yanyou, and Xixi Gadula, Lord of Tufan. Following Chen Yun's suggestion, they invited the three emperors to the palace.
Xiao Hong said, "I'm here today because of my son Xiao Qi, the Tufan invasion, and the Dongyang incident. All three of us have letters. But I haven't heard that the Tufan prince was invited."
Xixi said helplessly: "Bring the Crown Princess up here!"
Afaner waved his hand, Chen Yin was brought up, and then his blindfold was removed.
Afaner shouted and threatened, "If you don't let go of my Imperial Concubine today, your Crown Princess will also die here today! This is the reason! Secondly, please provide evidence that the Imperial Concubine deliberately violated the laws of Qiankun Kingdom!"
Li Lin said, "Bring up the guard who had a scandal with the Ninth Princess a few months ago!" Li Lin asked the people around him to bring him up.
Chen Yun said, "Evidence, right? Then I'll explain what happened. First, the Prince and Princess entered several countries and left spies inside the palaces of different countries. Their goal was to spread rumors and cause rebellion within the royal families of the three countries. This would allow them to take advantage of the situation."
"You're just exaggerating! You're hurting people with your words! How can anyone believe what you just said?"
While Afan was arguing, the guard was brought in blindfolded.
Chen Yun asked loudly, "Guard, I know you are from Tufan Country. If you don't want to die, explain the whole story clearly."
The guard immediately knelt down and shouted, "Unjust! I was ordered by the Tufan State Prince to come here to spread rumors in the palace and create chaos..."
Before he could finish his words, the guard was shot in the head by an arrow.
The moment the arrow pierced her head, Chen Yun's pupils shrank. She accurately caught the cold light of the crossbow trigger coming from the coalition forces behind her, and saw Yin the Hunter retract his cloak.
Then Li Yuanfeng emerged from the army. He held up a military map and declared, "This is a replica of the Qiankun Kingdom's military map! Li Lin, you no longer have bargaining chips. King of Tufan, don't talk to them! We'll just rebel!"
But Xixi hesitated, waved his hands as if about to speak, and then fell silent again. Everyone looked at him for a long time without saying anything, and finally he uttered a sentence: "But we are a friendly country. You, Qiankun Country, are not happy with you for harming our people without any evidence."
This act of silencing only confirmed her theory. Chen Yan slammed into the escort behind him and screamed towards the city wall: "If he was truly wronged, why would he hide weapons and kill people to silence them? Send the letter out through the city gate!"
Li Lin immediately waved his command flag. A catapult rolled over, and the contents on it were hurled down, scattering piles of letters.
Chen Yun sneered, then shouted, "Look at these letters! They are copies of secret letters between Xuanyuan Haonan, the Crown Prince of Yanyou, and the eleventh prince of Louhuang. These three countries share a common characteristic: first, they are close to Qiankun. Second, a large number of royal family members have recently rebelled and collaborated with the Dongyang Yuezuo people. Third, a large amount of metal, food, and forest resources have been lost. Their goal is to weaken the Dongyang countries through a war of attrition, then use them to weaken their national strength, and finally conquer them one by one. All clues point to Tufan!"
Xixi was shocked and hesitated: "I didn't expect them to investigate so thoroughly. They are indeed disciples of Yuan Tian Sect. No, I have to find a way to escape."
Chen Yun continued, "Give half of the stolen metal to Japanese mercenaries, and use it to exchange for unequal food and labor treaties, thereby occupying the land and becoming king. Ultimately, the country will lack metal for weapons and face invasion, thus achieving victory without a fight. This is your goal!"
"You are slandering me!"
"I have already issued an order to dismiss the servants from various Eastern countries. Why were these servants still allowed in? With a little investigation, the finger of blame will be pointed at Afaner or Gao Mier. Slander? Humph!"
Hearing Chen Yin's logical rebuttal again, Afaner knew that it was difficult to suppress the issue anymore.
"Release the Princess for me! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Seeing Afan holding a knife to Chen Yun's neck, everyone was extremely nervous.
Xixi hurried forward to stop him, but was kicked away by Afaner. Xixi said, "Guozi! You absolutely cannot do that!"
"Father, I have nowhere else to turn. I must bring the princess back today! We will apologize to you later for the rest."
Chen Yan could feel the cold gleam of the dagger at her neck, slicing through her skin. Afan'er's grip gripped her shoulder like an iron clamp, and the stench of blood and sweat washed over her. On the city wall, the seven women of the Seven Stars Group, their backs to the soldiers, gazed at the battlefield, ready to strike at any moment.
Li Yuanfeng came over and said, "Sister-in-law, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. Wouldn't it be better to join me in seeking refuge in another country and enjoy a great deal of wealth?"
"Of course. But I have a family, and my home is not in a foreign country. I can't leave. The same goes for you, your home is here too. If you leave, you will miss the love of our father."
Li Lie'ao said, "Yuan Feng! You are still my good son! Don't do anything that will make your loved ones sad and your enemies happy! Come back, you will not be punished and you will still be my good son!"
Seeing Li Yuanfeng hesitate, Yin Shoushi wanted to go up and snatch the military defense map, but Li Yuanfeng retreated and dodged.
Seeing this, Master Yin shouted, "Lord! Order an attack on Qiankun Kingdom!"
Xi Xi thought to himself: "Don't trick me! We can only fight secretly. Especially in front of someone else's imperial city."
Chen Yun calmed down and then tried to persuade them earnestly, "Our goal isn't to kill people. We hope that Tufan will relax its restrictions on the purchase and price of metal raw materials. Everything will be carried out according to the law. It's not that we can't release you, but we hope that you can withdraw your people, cancel your cooperation with the Japanese countries, return the resources mined in our country, and resume normal trade in metal raw materials."
Afaner said, "You are from Yuan Tian's faction. Who would trust Cunning Fox's Pity?"
"Are you unwilling to give in even a little, Kunihito?"
Afan responded coldly: "You are not qualified."
Master Yin said, "Prince! Since the ruler is unwilling to start a war, should we still fight?"
"The Tufan Kingdom will never be enslaved! We will never be bullied!"
Li Lie'ao said, "Think carefully! Starting a war will only cause suffering to the people of both countries. And you may not be able to escape unscathed."
"It seems the other party is not willing to give in at all. Then I can't be passive any longer." Thinking of this, Chen Yun suddenly raised his voice, "Prince! Do you still remember the archery you taught me?"
"Bow and arrow!" Li Lin took the bow and arrow, pointed it at Chen Yun. Chen Yun raised his eyebrows, stared, and nodded.
Li Lin shot an arrow into the sky. Afaner and the others looked up and saw the Seven Star Secret Guards leaping from the city wall. In mid-air, the seven men spread their arms, their wings spread out behind them like airplane wings, and glided down.
When everyone's attention was attracted by the man in the sky, Li Lin immediately pulled out the second bow and arrow from behind him and aimed it at Afaner.
At this time, a soldier shouted: "Prince! Be careful of the prince's bow and arrow!"
"It's too late!" It was indeed too late. Li Lin loosened his hand, and the arrow was on the string. He loosened his hand and shot it, and the next second it pierced Afaner's arm.
Chen Yan immediately squatted down, picked up a handful of sand from the ground and threw it at Afaner, then ran away.
Yin Shoushi swung his spear over from the side and killed Li Yuanfeng directly, then shouted: "Lord! You have no way out! Raise your army!"
Li Lie'ao cried out in pain, "Yuan Feng!"
After the Seven Stars landed, the seven people used their bodies to block the enemy, ensuring that Chen Yun escaped.
Li Lin shouted, "Protect the Crown Princess!"
A burly bearded general and another thin, fair-skinned general ran up, but Chen Ying stopped halfway.
"Afaner! Release Gao Mier now. Can you calm down a little?"
However, before Afaner could answer, Xixi came over with a knife and cut Afaner's neck with one stroke.
The man's eyes turned red as he watched his son being killed at his feet. He was thinking in his heart: "The matter has been exposed. I can only find a scapegoat. But it must not be me."
Gao Mier stumbled out from behind: "Afaner!"
She hugged Afaner, and Afaner also held Gaomier's hand, smiled and closed her eyes.
At the scene, only her crying was left.
However, the next moment, Xixi stabbed his daughter-in-law in the back and said, "We have never given any such orders to these two people. What they did has nothing to do with me!"
Chen Yun stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe that a father could be so heartless. Perhaps, this was the rumored ruthlessness of the emperor!
Master Yin was also stunned and knelt down.
Li Lin hugged Chen Yan from behind. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Does it hurt?" He subconsciously wiped the blood with his thumb, but the moment it touched her skin, he pulled his hand back as if he had received an electric shock. Chen Yun was about to speak when she suddenly felt the world turn upside down—Li Lin actually lifted her up horizontally in front of the three soldiers.
"What are you doing! How can a prince..." She grabbed the blood-soaked collar of his shirt.
"I would rather be ridiculed by the world for being henpecked than see you risk your life again. This time, I will personally bring you back to the palace."
Li Lin carried Chen Yun back to the city, shouting, "Your Majesties, please take off your armor and enter the palace!"
Chen Yun finally mustered up the courage to speak, but then lowered his head and hugged Li Lin. Everything was said without words.
Afterwards, Li Yuanfeng's mother, Shu Jieyu, was demoted to a commoner and forbidden to return to Beijing for life. She was then released from prison. The first thing she did after her release was to mourn alone in front of Li Yuanfeng's tomb, where he was buried with great ceremony.
As for Master Yin Shou, he was regarded as the murderer of the prince, and his entire family was imprisoned in the palace of Qiankun State.
After the incident, Li Lin and Chen Ying jointly submitted a memorial to the emperor, calling for the "rectification of the customs and the establishment of a trade bureau." This proposal was included in the "Laws of the Qiankun Kingdom for Trade." Civil and military officials also knelt and apologized to Li Lin and Chen Ying.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
