The fact that he made such a big fuss actually shows that he wants to live.
He feigned guilt and self-blame to gain sympathy from others, making Xiao Yan hesitate to kill him out of consideration for his reputation.
Otherwise, if he truly felt apologetic, the person who rushed into Guangrentang and carried her there in such a hurry should not have been Xiong Lu, but him.
Xiao Yan stood under the corridor, tall and elegant.
The mask gleamed coldly in the sunlight, sending chills down one's spine.
He opened his lips, his voice icy: "Do you want to die?"
"...It is this humble servant who has implicated the Deputy Envoy. I can only atone with my death."
"Then I'll grant your wish."
The man suddenly looked up, his expression one of surprise, as if he had never expected Xiao Yan to be so "easy to talk to".
Shen Xiyin couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, the other Thousand Eagle Guards who had been saved by Qianxing, whether out of a sense of shared fate or genuine affection for him, boldly pleaded for him, saying, "Please, sir, have mercy!"
"It would be better to let him redeem himself through meritorious service, which would also serve as a warning to others."
"Please, Your Excellency, have mercy."
After saying that, he kowtowed several times on the ground.
Xiao Yan stood with his back to Shen Qiyin, so she couldn't see the expression on his face. She only heard him say, "Since the brothers are so close, and the road to the Yellow Springs is long, will you accompany him?"
Upon hearing this, the group began kowtowing again, but this time their voices were noticeably louder than before.
They even changed their tune from what they had just said and only begged for mercy.
Xiao Yan ignored them and went down the steps to stand in front of Zhao Jiu.
"M-My lord..." Zhao Jiu looked up at him, his eyes filled with absolute fear of death, rather than the unbearable pain of almost killing his brother.
"The Eagle Pavilion never keeps useless people!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he delivered a fatal blow to the throat.
Zhao Jiu stared wide-eyed, kneeling stiffly on the ground. In the blink of an eye, a pool of blood formed beneath him, and the blood meandered down the gray brick seams to Xiao Yan's feet.
Just as Shen Qiyin was losing interest and thought the play was about to end, she saw Xiao Yan turn around and strike with his sword again.
"Idiots too."
They even killed the three people who had pleaded for mercy earlier!
The speed and ruthlessness of their actions were astonishing.
The Frost-Holding Sword in his hand reflected the afterglow of the setting sun, like a trace of autumn water, cold and austere.
Everyone inside the Eagle Pavilion lowered their heads and dared not speak.
Only Shen Qiyin stared at him intently, her eyes shining with an alarming intensity.
That's insane!
She likes...
When we returned to Guangrentang, it was already dusk.
Honeysuckle was indeed getting impatient, and kept pacing around in the same spot.
Upon finally seeing Shen Qiyin return safely, she was first overjoyed, then pouted and was about to cry: "Miss, boohoo..."
Shen Qiyin quickly comforted her.
After she repeatedly assured that it would never happen again, Ren Dong's emotions gradually calmed down.
It was getting late, and she and Rendong should return to the manor.
When she left Guangrentang, Shen Qiyin took out half of the medical fee that Xiao Yan had given her and gave it to Dazhuang, and deposited the rest into a money exchange.
She didn't even waste the brocade box that held the silver; she took it to a pawnshop and pawned it for a few more taels of silver.
It was already dusk when they returned to the Shen family home.
The setting sun, like blood, cast long shadows of her and Honeysuckle. As the sun set and the moon rose, darkness descended, and the shadows grew fainter and fainter.
The servants said that Old Madam Shen had been waiting for her for a long time and told her to come back and go directly to Zhuijin Hall.
Shen Xiyin had anticipated this turn of events.
The news that she went to the Feng family to annul the engagement this morning must have already reached the manor.
The old lady will definitely come to demand an explanation.
Fearing that Ren Dong would go hungry, Shen Qiyin found an excuse to send her back to Haitang Courtyard first, and then went to see Old Madam Shen alone.
Inside the Zhuijin Hall, however, there was an unexpected person present.
Shen Guangzong, the eldest son of the Shen family, is her brother.
Although they were siblings, he was far less handsome than Shen Xiyin, barely qualifying as having a decent appearance.
Now that he is twenty years old, he failed the provincial examination three years ago and is now preparing for the autumn examination, awaiting the results.
When Shen Qiyin entered, she overheard the grandfather and grandson having wild dreams, imagining that Shen Guangzong would win the imperial examination and bring glory to the Shen family.
Upon seeing her arrive, the smiles on both of their faces froze.
Madam Shen's anger flared up instantly: "You still know how to come back? Kneel down before me!"
Shen Qiyin smiled, but her eyes were icy cold.
She was never one to boast of being tough, and besides, who hasn't knelt when visiting graves? This old lady was going to die sooner or later, so it wouldn't hurt for her to pay her respects in advance. However, her legs were really sore today, so she wasn't in the mood to play along with her pretentious act.
She walked straight to the seat opposite Shen Guangzong and sat down, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Grandmother has been very angry lately. I wonder what it's about today?"
Before Madam Shen could react, Shen Guangzong, standing to the side, adopted the air of a superior and looked at her with disapproval in his eyes.
Shen Qiyin glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away.
He died along with Shen Cang.
That's disgusting.
"Qiyin, your grandmother tells you to kneel down."
“I heard you.” She wasn’t deaf.
"Then why aren't you kneeling?"
"Why didn't you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar three years ago, brother? Was it because you didn't like it?"
"Or... is it because your status as an illegitimate child affected your performance, brother?" Shen Qiyin said casually, "I guess it's because you couldn't do it."
"What a coincidence, me too." She blinked at him, looking innocent. "My legs hurt, I can't kneel down even a little bit."
"You!" Shen Guangzong broke down instantly.
He hated people talking about two things more than anything in his life:
One reason was his status as an illegitimate son, and the other was that he failed the provincial examination three years ago.
Shen Qiyin seized on two of her pulse points, aiming to pierce his lungs; how could he not be furious?
Old Madam Shen always cherished her eldest grandson as the apple of her eye, so how could she allow Shen Qiyin to ride roughshod over him? In addition, Shen Qiyin disobeyed her and refused to kneel down, and broke off the engagement without her permission... All of this made her so angry that she felt like her head was about to burst into flames.
"What kind of madness have you gone mad at?!" Yesterday you were so easy to handle, but today you're acting like a completely different person: "If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is."
"Guards! Give her a good beating!"
Madam Shen's face was contorted with rage, a stark contrast to the kind and gentle demeanor she displayed when facing Shen Guangzong.
As soon as she finished speaking, a maidservant brought over a tray covered with a black cloth, so it was impossible to tell what was underneath.
Shen Xiyin knew everything perfectly well.
It's a needle.
She couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
This old lady was probably a beggar-ticks in her past life; she was utterly useless except for pricking people.
The burly old woman, having received her orders, took the needle and walked towards Shen Qiyin, roughly grabbing her arm and about to stab her.
But something fell off her and landed heavily at her feet with a thud.
Old Madam Shen and Shen Guangzong both looked at her and asked, "What is that?"
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