A thunderclap from a clear sky exploded in everyone's minds.
Qin Zhaoqiong's eyes were sharp as knives, piercing towards the old man kneeling on her right.
It's been so many years, so many years since I've heard such outrageous words.
When her mother ascended the throne, she was already old enough to understand things. At first, the impeachments from the court officials and the slanderous rumors circulating in the capital almost overwhelmed her.
In my memory, that autumn in Fengjing was bloody, with court officials being killed one after another.
Otherwise, how did Pei Xuanyun attain the status of a super-rank prime minister?
Besides his firm adherence to the late emperor's will, almost all the high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks in the court had died at that time, and the empress's position was only secured by stepping on mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
It was also under the threat of the time that the imperial examinations for women were opened, women were appointed to official positions, the position of national teacher was abolished, and wild sacrifices and rituals were banned.
If I remember correctly, the sacrifices to the River God often used young boys and girls.
Unexpectedly, after fourteen years, I heard such outrageous remarks about the Empress Dowager on the banks of a river in a remote county town.
"Bring the person over here!"
The voice was chillingly cold, and the Imperial Guards immediately dispatched two men to the right.
Magistrate Lu's eyes widened in horror, and he trembled violently, "How could this be... how could this be..."
He kept muttering to himself, then his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, "It's over, it's over..."
These rumors have spread throughout his jurisdiction, and as the county magistrate, he is undoubtedly responsible for them.
Leaving aside his official position, he might not even be able to save his life. In a moment of grief, he felt as if his heart had died.
Two guards, their faces contorted with anger, rushed to Hu Bo's side and lifted him up from either side.
Because he was resentful, his actions were often rough, but he realized something was wrong as soon as he started.
The old man was lifted up as if he had no bones, his head and arms dangling, and he had no strength at all.
Their hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly checked each other's breathing. Oh no...
They quickly returned, carrying the man, and reported, "Your Highness, the old man is dead."
Qin Zhaoqiong clenched her fists tightly, her lips pressed into a thin line.
This old man deserves to be torn to pieces; his death is no loss. But not now!
If it is understandable that he is old, superstitious, and ignorant of the River God, but it is definitely not something a mere laborer would dare to utter, such as his accusations against Yin and Yang or even his criticism of the Empress.
Besides, with the imperial envoy right here, isn't she afraid of bringing disaster upon her family and fellow villagers?
Now that he's dead, who can't see that someone is behind this?
"Guards, keep an eye on everyone, and don't let a single one escape."
"yes!"
Qin Zhaoqiong was already enraged and was willing to kill everyone on the riverbank.
"What are you doing? What do you want to do?"
The river workers were already stunned by what Uncle Hu had said, and now, seeing the soldiers rushing towards them with their swords drawn, they were filled with unbearable terror.
Accompanied by intense emotional fluctuations, extreme fear transformed into rage, and the bloodshot in his eyes rapidly spread, covering his pupils, making him look like a bloodthirsty beast.
When the Imperial Guards were still seven or eight steps away, the laborers took the initiative to rush forward.
"Using bran and chaff for disaster relief is treating us like livestock..."
"You've angered the River God and caused the deaths of so many people, and now you're not even sparing us!"
"They're going to kill us to silence us! They're going to kill us to cover it up!"
"The Empress is incompetent and tyrannical, kill her!"
...
The fact that they dared to charge at the Imperial Guards was tantamount to treason. Even the Imperial Guards were momentarily stunned and slowed their pace.
Just then, a resounding order came from behind: "Take them all down, and kill anyone who resists."
"yes!"
The Imperial Guards charged forward, cutting down the unarmed river workers as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.
The river workers who rushed forward the fastest all fell down, each one a fatal blow, leaving no room for retreat.
After a flurry of hacking and slashing, the corpses at their feet had piled up.
In such a situation, not to mention river engineering, even military units would be wary of confrontation.
But the river workers showed no sign of backing down and charged forward fearlessly.
"Meng Jian, leave two tongues."
"yes!"
These people were clearly acting strangely. Meng Jian shouldn't have left the princess's side, but he gritted his teeth, agreed, and strode away.
Just then, a barely perceptible glint of cold light appeared out of nowhere behind Qin Zhaoqiong, aiming straight for her side of the neck.
When the distance was three inches from her skin, Qin Zhaoqiong became alert, feeling a stinging pain as if pricked by needles.
It's too late to take any action once the thought has even formed.
But it didn't pierce the skin; the cold light stopped just three inches away, unable to go any further.
A piercing metallic scraping sound rang in their ears, and the threads seemed to appear out of thin air and pierce into nothingness, yet everyone clearly heard the sound of the wind rushing backward.
"Protect His Highness!"
Meng Jian had only pretended to leave the battle and hadn't gone at full speed. Seeing the princess being assassinated, he rushed back like lightning.
The reason they dared to expose such a big flaw was because there was a hidden lurking nearby, and unexpectedly, they actually managed to lure someone out.
With a flick of his wrist, Yin Zhe moved as if threading a needle, but he used deadly golden threads, forcing the assassin to flee in a frenzy.
He looked disheveled, but in reality, the gold thread didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
In a few breaths, they forced it out of the area covered by the "momentum," and laid out a dense net in the air before stopping.
Yin Zhe steadily treads the void, gazing at the white figure in the distance, and narrows his eyes.
"You've been deceiving people and concealing the truth. I should have known long ago that it was you cowards hiding your true nature."
Even if a third-rank martial artist were lurking nearby, Yin Zhe wouldn't be able to detect their location until the very last moment.
Only sorcerers possess the ability to quietly approach to such an extent within the range of her "power".
The black turtle hitting the embankment, the outrageous remarks, the river workers' riot... everything makes sense now; sorcerers have always been adept at bewitching people.
Everything in the universe, including royalty, the state, and the conflicts of the world, can be included in this game.
Otherwise, why would His Majesty have stripped the Imperial Preceptor of his title and executed a number of sorcerers who spread false rumors at the beginning of his reign?
He then appointed Chu Xinglan, the holder of the Human Plate, as the Ziwei Terrace Commander, thus dividing the Tianyan Sect.
Without the protection of the imperial court and amidst internal turmoil, the Tianyan Sect was eventually dethroned and forced to retreat to a remote corner of the country.
After fourteen years of peace, they now dare to assassinate the crown prince!
"Xuanji Guards, impressive skills," Yan Wujiu said calmly despite the failed assassination attempt. "Let's see if you can protect them today!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he moved like a ghost and forcefully entered the golden net laid by Yin Zhe.
The seemingly sharp gold threads all went limp and collapsed before they even touched his body.
Hidden in the veil, his face was tense; the warlock's methods were still as disgusting as ever.
He lifted the golden thread again and leaped forward to press ahead.
Just then, Magistrate Lu, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly stood up.
He had somehow managed to grip a dagger in his hand and, with lightning speed, plunged it into the princess's abdomen.
Meng Jian, who was already close at hand, had eyes that were about to burst with rage. He swung his long sword rapidly, and his true energy extended from the blade by half a foot, pointing directly at the magistrate's neck.
"How dare you!"
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