Chapter 148 Signs of a Short Life
Qin Jinzhi sat in the sedan chair with her legs crossed, eating an orange as she said, "The one who wanted to kill me was Xiao Che. He Qi was probably acting on his orders. Judging from He Lianghan's appearance, he doesn't seem to have any connection with the Fifteenth Prince."
Grandpa Hong coughed violently!
"Oh, my little princess, we're on the street, shouldn't we refrain from discussing the prince?"
Qin Jinzhi said lazily, "What? He wants to kill me, and I can't even say anything? Is there no justice in this world?"
With a mournful face, Eunuch Hong asked, "Princess, is what you're saying appropriate?"
He Qi was there for her from the start. Despite the huge commotion in Hechun Terrace, Xiao Che didn't come in. He just happened to arrive at the last moment before He Qi was about to be killed.
Who would believe that these two didn't have premeditated this?
There are many people in the capital who have a grudge against her, but there are very few who openly want her dead.
However, there was one person who had to leave the capital.
Qin Jinzhi said to Yun Que, "Go and investigate the relationship between Xiao Che and Xiao Yin."
Xiao Che's mother was only a concubine and not favored, so it was understandable that he wanted to take sides.
Otherwise, when one of their brothers takes that position, none of them will have a good ending.
Grandpa Hong coughed violently!
"Princess!"
Discussing princes forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices in the streets is a capital offense!
Qin Jinzhi closed her eyes. "What's there to be afraid of? This prince has already started trying to kill me. Maybe one day I'll be lying dead in the street."
Eunuch Hong dared not speak again.
Qin Jinzhi went straight to the Empress's bedroom after entering the palace.
Upon entering, she saw the emperor sitting on a soft couch, waiting for her.
Qin Jinzhi turned and left, returning to her bedroom and slamming the door shut.
"You unfilial son! Look at him! Look at him! His temper has gotten so bad now, he won't even call people anymore."
The Empress snorted coldly, "Serves you right."
Enraged, the emperor stormed straight to Qin Jinzhi's bedroom.
"I've already ordered him to leave the capital, are you determined to take his life?"
Xiao Yin has truly kept his father, the emperor, in the dark all these years.
Their behind-the-scenes actions are alarming.
The Zheng family cannot be allowed to remain, but Xiao Yin is, after all, his son.
He bestowed the title of king upon Xiao Yin and sent him to his fiefdom, which meant that Xiao Yin would never have the chance to ascend to that position again.
Qin Jinzhi opened the door. "So you've finally remembered your bloodline. Fine, then I won't have to wait three years to die. If the Ming King still wants to kill me, I'll wash my neck clean and wait for him!"
The emperor was furious upon hearing this, "What nonsense are you spouting! What do you mean by death?!"
The matter of Qin Jinzhi's poisoning is top secret.
She couldn't bear to tell the Empress, but the Emperor knew the truth.
For so many years, the emperor had been secretly searching for the orchid.
This matter has always been a knot in his heart.
Moreover, a high-ranking monk from Xiangguo Temple predicted that Qin Jinzhi would die young.
He won't live past twenty-one.
However, the high monk also provided a solution.
The longevity lock, forged from the aura of an emperor, can suppress the fate of those destined for a short life.
If Qin Jinzhi can live past twenty-one, she can be reborn.
Therefore, these gold necklaces were all made by Qin Ye himself every year, but the longevity locks were cast by the emperor himself every year.
This is why Qin Jinzhi, even at eighteen, still wore the auspicious and longevity lock that only children wear.
Just a few days ago, Qin Jinzhi suffered a premature onset of poisoning and took Qulangdan.
If the orchid grass cannot be found, there are only three years left to live.
Everything was exactly as the eminent monk from Xiangguo Temple had said.
The Empress was unaware that Qin Jinzhi had been poisoned, but she cried countless times upon hearing what the high monk said.
This is why the emperor and empress loved her so much.
If what the high monk said is true, Qin Jinzhi will die at the age of twenty-one!
She looked coldly at the emperor and reached out to tear off the longevity lock around her neck.
"As you wish."
Qin Jinzhi threw the longevity lock on the ground and left without looking back.
The emperor's eyes reddened, and he even seemed unsteady on his feet.
Qin Jinzhi's life was a gift from the gods and Buddhas.
Such a small child, suffering so much when the poison took effect, always hid in advance so as not to be discovered by the Empress.
Because that's how their Yao'er died.
Now Qin Jinzhi has lost her longevity lock.
The emperor picked up the broken longevity lock and turned his back.
"That brat, I don't know where she got her temper from. I'm going to beat her to death tomorrow."
The palace servants dared not step forward.
And I could not hear the old man's voice, which was choked with emotion.
The emperor took the broken longevity lock back to his bedchamber, then took out a bunch of tools and began to repair it, hammering and banging away.
Listen to Hong Dequan recount Qin Jinzhi's experiences before entering the palace.
Then he sighed, "Fine, let's see who has the best skills."
The emperor picked up the longevity lock and looked it over. "This brat is quite strong."
After that day, rumors spread throughout the capital that Princess Jinzhi was even more outrageous than before.
Qin Jinzhi really couldn't understand these people's minds.
Absurd is the definition they imposed on her.
They couldn't accept it if she did something outrageous.
For three consecutive days, Qin Jinzhi did not attend court.
Every day, he would take Yun Que and a few others out to eat, drink, and have fun, spending lavishly.
The Court of State Ceremonial was in complete chaos for the past three days.
Wei Lin handed the severed finger to the Chu delegation.
The two sides almost came to blows.
Lou Zhao and the others looked at Wei Lin with increasingly sharp eyes.
He was indeed Wei Cha's son.
That's really daring!
Wei Lin calmly said to Qi Tianxing, "Lord Qi, since that's the case, let's each take a step back. My Jin Kingdom only wants Fenglao Pass plus three million taels of silver."
Qi Tianxing immediately shouted, "Absolutely impossible!"
If it were one of those fifteen cities, it would be fine.
Kefenglao Pass is a strategically important military location.
Once the Fenglao Pass is no longer there to block the enemy, the State of Chu will be at a disadvantage.
Wei Lin simply looked at him indifferently, "To be honest, your ninth prince of Chu is in the hands of a nobleman in our Jin Kingdom. As you can see, this nobleman has a bad temper. If you still cannot meet our Jin Kingdom's demands by tomorrow, the negotiations will end here."
Lou Zhao followed Wei Lin's gaze, and as soon as he finished speaking, the group immediately stood up and followed Wei Lin away.
Awesome!
The entire Chu delegation was shrouded in gloom.
"What should we do? If we give up Fenglao Pass, and if the State of Jin raises an army, our State of Chu will surely suffer repeated defeats."
"But we disagree. The Jin Kingdom said they will stop negotiations tomorrow, and His Majesty said they will spare no effort to bring back the Ninth Prince!"
"The State of Jin is truly going too far!"
Qi Tianxing's face was gloomy; he hadn't expected the Jin Kingdom to be so powerful.
The Ninth Prince can no longer remain in the hands of the Jin people.
"In that case, exchanging for the Ninth Prince is of utmost importance. We will avenge this humiliation one day!"
The emperor remained furious even after hearing the good news from the Court of State Ceremonies.
"Hong Dequan, take a squad of Imperial Guards to the Prince of Zhenbei's residence and tie that brat up and bring her to the palace. She's gone too far!"
Grandpa Hong has been turning into a crybaby these days.
He dares not, Your Majesty!
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