Hit the vital point
Qi Shang said in a deep voice, "In that situation, what could we, two mere sorcerers, do? Our words implied that regardless of whether she was the heir to the throne, we had already done our best to leave the child with a chance of survival. As for the final decision, that power ultimately rests with His Majesty, not with us. Even so, my sister has felt guilty about that child for many years; it has become a deep-seated worry for her. I told her that even if we had divined that the child was indeed the heir to the throne, even if we had spoken out for justice, it wouldn't have had as much effect as these words."
Shangguan Yuqi, who had been silent, spoke up at this moment: "A sincere heart is the path to enlightenment. Great Wizard Qi Shang, your achievements in Taoist magic must not be as great as your sister's, right?"
Qi Shang smiled wryly and said, "This young lady is very perceptive; it is indeed so. My supernatural powers and magic are no match for my sister's."
Zhao Lingying, not waiting for him to interrupt or distract him, immediately asked, "And then? After you finished telling the last emperor this, was he satisfied? And how did he deal with the child?"
Qi Shang remained stunned for a long while, then smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that Zhaorong has forgotten what kind of person His Majesty is. After asking me his question, he seemed to have no displeasure and left. But why would His Majesty explain what he wants to do to a country bumpkin like me? Later, Lord Zhang, who brought us into the palace, saw us off again, only instructing us that all matters in the palace must be kept secret and must not be leaked. We then returned to Wu, and dared not reveal a single word to the outside world."
He looked at Zhao Lingying and said, "Whether you believe it or not, this is the first time in over twenty years that we have mentioned this matter to outsiders."
Zhao Lingying remained silent for a long time before saying, "Since you were invited by Zhang Guangyan, he must have known what would happen later, but he died in the Hengzhou rebellion long ago."
Qi Shang sat on the ground, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "This is all we know. We hope Your Highness will be lenient and let us return home."
Zhao Lingying did not answer, but instead sneered at Shangguan Yuqi: "Now you know why your Uncle Xie, the Emperor, is unwilling to investigate your aunt's affairs. If he were to uncover matters concerning previous generations and imperial heirs, his throne would be in jeopardy."
Sitting on the ground, Qi Shang closed his eyes and covered his ears, looking as if he couldn't bear to listen. — This was another topic that outsiders couldn't hear or talk about. In the first half of their lives, they had been forced to hide and live in anonymity for many years simply because they had entered the court of the previous dynasty. They never wanted to repeat the same mistake.
Shangguan Yuqi murmured, "I only found out today that my aunt actually had a child."
Without a word, Zhao Lingying kicked Qi Shang again, knocking him down once more. Her face was as cold as water as she said, "Your aunt and I were once close friends. When your aunt was giving birth, she was in excruciating pain and almost died. At that time, I was the only one by her side. She held my hand and repeatedly told me to take care of the child no matter what. I knew that my status was lowly at the time and I had no power or ability to do so. I even thought that if Sister Shangguan really couldn't make it back then, I would try to enter the last emperor's palace as a concubine so that I could also take care of the child."
Her voice gradually lowered and weakened, becoming somber: "Fortunately, my sister pulled through back then, but that child... even with her status as empress, she couldn't keep her by her side."
Shangguan Yuqi also thought of the same problem as Aqiu and immediately said, "But, our Shangguan family has never known that our aunt is pregnant!"
Zhao Lingying said weakly, "At that time, your Shangguan family only had one Grand Secretary, Shangguan Jin, who could hold the fort. He was a man, and when he took office, the situation was already precarious. I remember that year was the year of the battle to repel the Northern Qiang's southward crossing of the river. He himself was overwhelmed with worries and was constantly traveling between the military camp and various places. My sister was practically imprisoned in the palace during those years and rarely showed her face. Even if she occasionally saw Grand Secretary Shangguan through the curtain, she probably wouldn't want to distract him or cause him unnecessary worry."
Shangguan Yuqi's expression changed as she said, "But that is, after all, a royal heir. Even if my aunt doesn't say anything, how can the emperor pretend that this matter never happened!"
Zhao Lingying sighed, "At that time, my sister was already under house arrest and being punished. With Consort Zhang and others instigating her, she initially said that the pregnancy was not stable in the third month and there was no need to make a big fuss. Later, many people deliberately distracted the last emperor, making him unable to attend to this matter. In fact, there were many concubines and beauties in the palace at that time. Every few days, someone would get pregnant and someone would miscarry. The last emperor really couldn't attend to them at all. Perhaps he was thinking that it wouldn't be too late to bestow titles after the child was officially born. But later... something else happened, and the last emperor couldn't be sure if the child was his, so naturally he couldn't announce it to the world."
Shangguan Yuqi's face turned pale, she bit her lip, and couldn't utter another word.
After a moment, her eyes regained their clarity, and she said resolutely, "My aunt could never have done such a thing. The Shangguan family has no daughter so blinded by love. What happened later was a frame-up, and His Majesty simply refused to believe her at the time!"
Looking at Shangguan Yuqi's elegant and serene face, Zhao Lingying smiled bitterly and said, "I don't care whose child it is. I just need to find that child. That's what I promised my sister. That child is the only bloodline my sister left in this world. As her best friend, I will never allow the orphan of my deceased friend to be left to wander outside in unknown circumstances. Now that I hold great power, I will definitely see the person alive or dead regarding this matter from back then."
She reached out again, lifted the two people on the ground, and said, "You both know not to reveal what happened tonight."
He then warned A Qiu, "Since the Crown Prince is determined to protect you, you should all stay in the Eastern Palace and not cause any more trouble. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to lock you up as well."
She said with a half-smile, "The inner palace has already been burned down. If we keep you locked up, we can only send you to the Imperial Prison of the Court of Justice. That's Hua Ying's territory. You can decide for yourself."
A-Qiu couldn't help but gasp.
Zhao Lingying's warning hit the nail on the head. A Qiu had witnessed Mu Huaying's ruthlessness firsthand; she had nearly died at Mu Huaying's hands in the imperial prison, only saved by Gu Yi's timely arrival. Had she fallen into Mu Huaying's hands again, she wouldn't have been so lucky.
This also shows that Zhao Ling showed her mercy. Otherwise, if it had been Mu Huaying instead of Sikong Zhao who was sent to intercept her at the city gate early in the morning, she might not have been able to return to the palace so smoothly.
Zhao Lingying then said to Shangguan Yuqi, "You're the same. Just go back to the East Palace and be your Flying Phoenix Guard. You don't need to go on any city patrols or palace defenses recently. Do you understand?"
This is tantamount to a disguised form of house arrest.
Shangguan Yuqi raised an eyebrow, about to resist, when Zhao Lingying coldly said, "If you do not comply with me, I will immediately issue an imperial decree ordering your uncle, the Right Chancellor, to take you back and marry you."
Both A-Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi changed color; the former was surprised, while the latter was genuinely angry.
The most noble lady of the Southern Dynasty, a sword immortal from a top-tier family with a century-long history, a noblewoman whom even the current crown prince cannot marry, how could she, Zhao Lingying, just marry her off as she pleases?
Zhao Lingying looked at the two young girls, suppressed a laugh, and said coldly, "Of course I know that neither you nor your uncle will listen to me, and your family will definitely resist. However, after all this trouble, your family will have wasted a lot of effort, and you will be in trouble yourself, so you won't have time to cause me any more trouble at this critical juncture."
Shangguan Yuqi's previously calm and composed face was now contorted with rage. After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Aunt Ling, you have some tricks up your sleeve."
Ah Qiu thought to herself, "Emperor Xie Lang was so angered by Shangguan Yuqi that he suffered a headache, which also led to Consort Chen, Li Lanxiu, being confined to her quarters. Yet Zhao Lingying was able to subdue this sword immortal who was indifferent to worldly affairs and focused solely on seeking the Dao. This title of Aunt Lingying is indeed well-deserved."
Zhao Lingying coldly said, "I have been planning for this moment for over twenty years, and of course I will not allow you two girls to cause trouble." Her gaze turned towards the direction of Yunlong Palace, and she muttered to herself, "I can't find any clues about this matter from the Great Shaman, so I can only rely on His Majesty."
Ah Qiu overheard this and, unable to contain her curiosity, interjected, "Why His Majesty?"
Zhao Lingying actually answered her question, saying, "His Majesty was the last emperor's most favored imperial guard, always by his side. If the last emperor wanted to do something or deal with someone, he would usually not hide it from him, because he needed him to carry it out." She said with a deep look in her eyes, "I never thought that His Majesty and I would finally come to this."
Zhao Lingying stopped wasting words with A Qiu and, carrying the two great shamans, headed straight for the abandoned palace.
A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi were left standing there, staring blankly at each other. Shangguan Yuqi had managed to stand up, using the Ice Bamboo Sword for support, her face alternating between pale and flushed, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Ah Qiu thought that no matter what, he should first cure Shangguan Yuqi of the bewitching poison and restore her ability to move.
He then said, "Miss, please sit down first, and let me expel the poison from you."
Shangguan Yuqi, who had been in a daze, was reminded by her and came back to her senses. She sat down as instructed and said with a bitter smile, "No one could have imagined that I, Shangguan Yuqi, would end up like this, at the mercy of others."
He added, "It's good that you're here."
A Qiu had already sat down behind her, placing his palm on her back and breathing on her as he said, "There's no need to be polite. Have you forgotten that night outside the West Market when I was surrounded and attacked, you saved me too."
Shangguan Yuqi said, "Your skill seemed very unstable back then, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Oh, but now there is no such hidden danger, and your true energy is very strong and pure." This conclusion was naturally drawn by her after receiving the true energy that A Qiu had encouraged to enter her body.
However, when A Qiu urged his true energy to circulate through Shangguan Yuqi's meridians, he felt something strange. Shangguan Yuqi cultivated the way of the sword, and her internal energy cultivation was also the path of innate alchemy. However, it seemed that there were two different types of internal energy circulating in her body. One was yin and pure, and the other was yang and fierce. Her situation was somewhat similar to that of her and Gu Yi, but Shangguan Yuqi was simply a person who possessed two different types of internal energy.
Given Shangguan Yuqi's cultivation level, only a close confidant who would share life and death with her would have the opportunity to probe and discover such secrets about her martial arts.
In fact, the poison, the Bewitching Powder, would dissipate on its own after a few hours, even if left untreated. However, Shangguan Yuqi did not refuse A Qiu's offer to remove the poison from her, nor did she care that this would reveal the secrets of her cultivation technique to A Qiu. This demonstrated her profound trust in him.
Shangguan Yuqi also sensed that A Qiu was hesitant and asked, "Are you wondering about the origins of my martial arts?"
A Qiu replied, "The young lady's martial arts are naturally from the Shangguan family. I just don't know why the young lady can possess the strengths of two kinds of internal energy. Based on this alone, the young lady's cultivation is unparalleled throughout history."
Of course, in terms of profound skill, Shangguan Yuqi is naturally inferior to Gu Yi in the past, and cannot compare to predecessors like the Four Constellations of Heaven. However, she possesses the power of both Yin and Yang, which are of different natures, and her future development is limitless, because at least A Qiu has never heard of anyone reaching such a level.
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