Chapter 61 The Evil Cat Princess Who Bewitched the Kingdom 22
How are you?
Xie Rong pushed Gu Qiansi away, casually wiped the blood from his lips, raised his hand to grasp the long sword hanging at his waist, and drew the sword from its sheath.
"What are you standing there for? Hold him down!" he said coldly.
Gu Qiansi followed his gaze and saw that the butcher, for some unknown reason, had broken free of his chains with his bare hands.
No matter what kind of demons or monsters they are, after spending these years under the emperor's nose and in the most malevolent prison of the Ministry of Justice, they have already suffered great damage.
Gu Qiansi took a new chain from the jailer, kicked the butcher to the ground, and bulged the muscles in her arm holding the chain, binding the butcher tightly.
He turned his head, "Thanks—"
Xie Rong lowered his brows, his eyes turned cold, and a murderous aura emanated from the corners of his eyes. He walked straight up to the butcher and stabbed the butcher through the heart with his sword.
Then he pulled out the sword, then stabbed it in again, pulled out the sword, then stabbed it in again.
Blood splattered on his beautiful eyebrows and then flowed down his pale, thin chin.
Everyone inside and outside the cell was completely silent.
They didn't even have time to think about how the cat that had just gone in had turned into the enigmatic Empress Dowager.
This excessively young empress dowager possessed a ferocious and ruthless aura in her eyes that was in no way inferior to that of the late emperor, leaving everyone stunned and frozen in place.
After a cup of tea, the butcher's heart had been shattered beyond recognition by the sword.
Xie Rong felt a sense of relief after losing his sword.
What just happened?
Everyone was even more astonished. The regent, who had always despised the empress, actually took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off her face.
Xie Rong lifted his sleeve, revealing a deep, bloody bite mark on his snow-white arm.
If you dare to make him unhappy, don't blame him for retaliating a hundredfold or a thousandfold.
"Chop his body into pieces and throw it into a mass grave to feed the dogs." Xie Rong said, then turned around, and the people in the prison all lowered their heads and made way.
Gu Qiansi strode after him and grabbed his wrist.
"Your wound—"
Xie Rong slapped him across the face.
Caught off guard, Gu Qiansi's head was knocked to the side. She covered her face and stared blankly at him.
"Is today's incident something you deliberately did to retaliate against me?" Xie Rong narrowed his eyes. "What, is my position as Empress Dowager an eyesore to you?"
Gu Qiansi laughed in exasperation, "Your Majesty, these past few days, I've served you every day, and this is how you think of me?"
Xie Rong's eyes were slightly sarcastic as he sized him up. "If you were really something good, you wouldn't have accepted the tiger tally I gave you in the first place. What are you pretending to be now?"
There's nothing good in this capital city.
Lu Wenjing is, Jiang Yebai is, and Gu Qiansi is of course too.
They're all hypocrites who want to have their cake and eat it too.
He did something wrong and is afraid of being slandered? Talking to him about trust is ridiculous.
Xie Rong glanced at the golden python pattern unique to the Regent on Gu Qiansi's chest, then slowly wiped his hands clean on it.
"I also want to remind the Regent that next time you see me, remember your place, or it won't be as simple as a slap."
Xie Rong patted Gu Qiansi's face, then turned and left.
...
Xie Rong initially didn't take the wound seriously.
He returned to the palace, and Eunuch Liu hurriedly came to greet him, wiping away tears as he said, "Empress Dowager, where have you been? This servant has been searching for you for several days!"
Xie Rong kicked off his shoes and socks, leaned back on the chaise lounge, and said, "Send someone to the General's Mansion to bring back my orange trees."
He didn't say which tree was his, but when Eunuch Liu led his men into the Gu residence in a menacing manner, he immediately spotted the claw marks on the orange tree in front of the courtyard.
Such claw marks are unique to the Empress Dowager; no one else has them.
"Move away!" Eunuch Liu was even more arrogant than when he served the late emperor.
The orange tree was planted in front of Qifeng Terrace. Xie Rong watered it every day, and it grew a full tree of green leaves as soon as spring arrived.
The orange tree was full of leaves, but the wound on his arm had not yet healed.
Every time Eunuch Liu looked at it, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken. "This servant will go and fetch the imperial physician."
"What good are those useless people from the Imperial Medical Academy who come here every day?" Xie Rong kicked away the basin of water beside him in frustration.
"If even the Imperial Hospital is useless, the Empress Dowager's injury is probably serious. Why don't we let the Imperial Preceptor take a look?" Eunuch Liu tentatively suggested. "I heard that when Emperor Wen was still alive, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was haunted once, and it was the Imperial Preceptor who cured it."
This was the second time Xie Rong had heard the words "Imperial Preceptor".
Xie Rong rested his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, and said, "Let him come."
Just as Eunuch Liu was about to get up, Xie Rong called him back.
"Wait, I'll go myself."
He wanted to see just how capable this imperial advisor really was.
One hour later.
Xie Rong stopped in front of Xuanqing Palace.
Strangely, the oppressive power that had been pressing down on his demonic body a few years ago was gone.
He kicked open the door of Xuanqing Palace and stepped straight in.
Compared to Qifengtai, the legendary and mysterious Xuanqing Palace can only be described as shabby.
Outside, the grass and trees are sprouting, spring is in full bloom, and all things are reviving. But inside Xuanqing Palace, withered leaves are falling. A fallen leaf is blown by the wind and gently brushes against the hem of Xie Rong's clothes.
Xie Rong crunched the fallen leaves on the ground, crossed the courtyard, and pushed open the innermost room.
A musty, damp smell hit him, and he kicked the door hard.
"What kind of place is this! If you keep playing tricks, I'll tear this Xuanqing Palace down!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a tall figure emerged from the main hall.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
His deep, husky voice seemed to blend into the decaying palace.
Clearly on the verge of death, yet still clinging to life until now.
Xie Rong looked up.
The man was dressed in a black robe and wore a black tung mask. He had a thin jaw and pale lips. When he came out, his tall figure cast a heavy shadow on Xie Rong.
Xie Rong withdrew his gaze, walked past the man into the main hall, glanced around, and sat down on a low couch.
He rested his chin on his hand, reached up and rolled up his sleeve, "I'll give you a stick of incense to heal my wounds."
The Imperial Advisor followed him in, squatted down beside him, and when his gaze fell on the wound on his arm, his brows suddenly furrowed. "Who did this?"
"That's the prisoner you sent to the Ministry of Justice five years ago," Xie Rong chuckled, "but now he's just a pile of mangled flesh in a mass grave. What, isn't the Imperial Advisor skilled in divination? You still need to ask me?"
Before the man could speak, he leaned closer to his face, staring intently into the eyes behind the Grand Preceptor's mask. "You're not faking it, are you?"
The Imperial Advisor did not answer him, but got up and went to the inner hall. A moment later, he came out with a cup of wine. "Drink this, and you will be fine."
Xie Rong was initially wary, but the sweet aroma from the glass tempted him to stick out his tongue and lick the wine from the man's hand, his eyes narrowing with pleasure.
"This is my heart's blood."
“Yes,” the Imperial Advisor looked at him, “Cat demons can heal themselves with their demonic power. You have just been spoiled by people and have been starving for too long, which is why you are like this.”
"Whose heart's blood is this?" Xie Rong licked the last drop of wine from his cup.
"This is the late emperor's heart's blood."
Xie Rong paused, staring at him with a strange expression.
The Imperial Advisor said in a calm tone: "Without him, you don't seem to be quite satisfied with the blood of Jiang Yebai and Gu Qiansi."
"Have you ever regretted letting him die?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
