Chapter 121 Amidst the rising steam, Mu Hanshi could be seen...
*
The air reeked of blood, which was unpleasant.
Mu Wei walked towards Qin's mother's body, squatted down to check her pulse, and then announced, "She's dead."
Guan Hu hadn't sheathed his sword yet, and blood was still dripping from its tip. Upon hearing this, he threw down his sword and rushed over, repeatedly checking to make sure the person was truly dead.
The person was truly dead, but he refused to believe it, thinking it was another trick by someone else. "Muwei, tell me, isn't this another one of your schemes?"
Mu Wei remained the same easygoing man, showing no anger whatsoever in the face of his furious questioning. "It was you, Lord Guan, who killed him. What does it have to do with us?"
"I didn't kill her!" Guan Hu's eyes widened, his expression quite frightening.
"Lord Guan, so many people are watching. The person did indeed die by the sword. Even if it was an accidental killing, it is still killing. You can't lie through your teeth. The Prince is still here. If you don't admit it, that's deceiving the Emperor."
Guan Hu's imposing manner softened, "Your Highness..."
Mu Hanshi released Shen Qinglu's hand and glanced at him. "The people from the Ministry of Justice are also here. Since it's a murder case, they should handle it."
This sounds like a gesture of goodwill, but if you think about it more deeply, isn't it just throwing a hot potato at someone, one that they have no choice but to accept?
But handing this matter over to the Ministry of Justice undoubtedly proves one thing: the person is indeed dead.
He and Guan Bao exchanged a glance, neither daring to object nor able to object.
Mu Hanshi turned to him and said, "The witness's testimony concerns a matter of great importance, concerning the innocence of the entire Su family. I will now go to the palace to see His Majesty. You and General Mu will accompany me."
If they meet the emperor together, there will be an opportunity to debate and explain.
He thanked her and agreed, but then turned and glared fiercely at Mu Wei.
Mu Wei not only wasn't annoyed, but even smiled at him, which made him so angry that he was fuming and grinding his teeth.
Their expressions were clearly at odds, but the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.
At this moment, a Heavenly Guard rushed over in a panic. He said something to him, but his face changed drastically in an instant, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"What...what did you say?"
That day, Wu Weiben had been running so fast that his legs were weak, and he was so frightened by that glare that he knelt on the ground. "...What I said is absolutely true. The Marquis of Anyuan's residence and the Earl of Xingyi's residence have been surrounded by General Shen and his men!"
Guan Hu's expression changed several times, and he subconsciously looked at Mu Hanshi.
In the firelight, the man in white, as pure as snow, seemed completely detached from the hustle and bustle of the world. His aloof and detached demeanor suggested that he stood apart from the bloodshed and chaos of the world.
However, all of this is an illusion!
He finally realized that today's events were not only a trap, but also a feint to lure the enemy away from their base. No wonder Shen Kunyao didn't show up; it was Mu Wei who appeared, and there weren't many Divine Martial Guards present.
"Your Highness, what exactly is going on?"
The incident happened too suddenly, without any prior warning. He knew that it might not only be a surprise to him, but also to his master.
Mu Hanshi remained calm, his expression serene and his brows lowered like a divine prince. “Recently, a harmful substance called ‘Joyful Ointment’ has been secretly circulating in the capital. Prince Xin is currently in seclusion reflecting on his mistakes, so he entrusted this matter to me, asking me to investigate it secretly. After investigating, I discovered that this harmful substance is inextricably linked to Marquis Anyuan and Earl Xingyi.”
Everyone in the capital knew that Marquis Anyuan and Earl Xingyi were both men of Prince Xin, and trusted confidants at that. The fact that they were investigated together, especially during the time when Prince Xin was confined to his residence, made it clear, even to those unaware of the inside story, that the investigation was aimed at Prince Xin.
Everyone present knew the truth, but no one dared to point it out.
Guan Hu was annoyed that he had fallen into a trap and couldn't get there in time to help. He could only give his trusted confidants a meaningful look before preparing to follow Mu Hanshi into the palace.
Mu Hanshi whispered to Shen Qinglu, "I'll have someone take you home. Get some sleep and don't wait for me."
The gentleness of his tone gave Shen Qinglu a familiar feeling.
She tried her best to clear her mind of all distractions, nodded slightly, and looked obedient and well-behaved.
They clearly didn't want to attract attention, but their status, appearance, and demeanor made everyone turn their heads.
Yu Liuzhu stared intently at them, her eyes shifting between emotions: jealousy, resentment, anger, and hatred, making her tremble with rage.
She struggled desperately, crying out, "Your Highness, Your Highness, you can't abandon me! That servant was lying! Please, do justice for me!"
Mu Lin frowned. "Stop shouting! Whether it's fake or not is not up to you to decide."
The impatience in his words hurt her even more than the cold words he had spoken in her previous life.
Her mind was instantly filled with memories of her past life, from the sweetness of newlywed life to the later estrangement between husband and wife; only she knew the bitterness and sweetness of it all.
She resented it, she hated it!
Overwhelmed by intense resentment, she lost her temper. Pointing at Mu Lin, she cursed, "You still broke your promise! You said I was your destined wife, you said you would treat me well, but what happened in the end? You still didn't want me, you still abandoned me!"
Mu Lin was stunned by her scolding and didn't understand why. "When did I say such a thing?"
No one noticed anything unusual, because they had previously discussed marriage.
Shen Qinglu knew that she had confused her past life with this one.
Are people who have lived two lives easily unable to distinguish between their past and present lives?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Shen Qinglu involuntarily looked at the people around her. She asked herself if her wild thoughts were also due to confused thinking.
"You don't even remember what you said yourself, which shows how heartless and ungrateful you are!" Yu Liuzhu had already come to her senses, but still threw out this sentence.
She did it on purpose!
Anyway, things have come to this point, so she has nothing to hold back anymore. Since others are unkind, they can't blame her for being ruthless in return. She wants to see where the Yongyi Marquis's mansion will stand if the world knows that Mu Lin was once entangled with her and made such a vow, leaving behind a reputation for being heartless and ungrateful.
The thought of being able to retaliate against those who had wronged her in her past life filled her with a sense of satisfaction.
But right now, what's more important is that she has to fight for herself.
“Your Highness, I am unaware of the other matters that servant mentioned, but I know that her claim about my origins is unreliable. My birth mother was formally married into the Su family. If she claims that I am the daughter of the Demon King, is there any evidence to support this claim? If there is no evidence, shouldn't I be given justice?”
There is no concrete evidence to prove that you are the daughter of the Demon King.
Upon hearing Mu Hanshi's words, she was overjoyed, "Your Highness..."
"But this concerns the Demon King, and we cannot afford to fail. Until your identity is verified, you will remain in the Divine Martial Camp for the time being."
"Your Highness, you can't do this to me, I..." Her tone changed, becoming mournful, "I believe in Your Highness, Your Highness will definitely give me justice."
Her pitiful and sorrowful appearance suggested that there was some unspeakable relationship between Mu Hanshi and her.
Shen Qinglu's face was as cold as frost, and her eyes were full of mockery.
That's enough.
At this point, there's no need for further verbal sparring.
*
The night is long and the weather is ever-changing.
The faint star in the sky seemed to have brightened a bit.
The weather is warm, but there is still a slight chill in the air at night.
Xia Chan brought out a cloak, unfolded it, and draped it over her mistress. She gently tied the cloak and whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, the night dew is about to rise."
Shen Qinglu hummed in agreement, still looking up at the sky.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through this sky, flying towards another realm—the place where she had truly lived for over twenty years, where her family resided.
"Xia Chan, if you find your sister has changed completely, becoming a stranger, like a completely different person, what would you do?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Chan was overjoyed. "If she has changed, then it must be good. I'm so happy!"
Shen Qinglu sighed inwardly. The circumstances were different; even if the questions were the same, the results were completely different.
Could it be that she's overthinking because she misses her family too much? Her brother is definitely still alive and well, yet she's imagining a completely different person as her brother; that's really wrong of her.
That must be it!
After taking a few deep breaths of the cool night air, she smiled and said to Xia Chan, "Let's go to sleep."
She thought she would be able to fall asleep quickly after figuring things out, but when she lay in bed and smelled the scent of another person between the pillow and the blankets, a terrible question suddenly popped into her mind: Why would she mistake her husband for her brother?
Could it be that she harbors some unspeakable thoughts about her brother subconsciously?
How is that possible?
In both her lives, wasn't her only wish to live? She devoted all her energy to surviving, so she had no time to think about anything else, let alone romantic love between men and women.
The more she thought about it, the more her inner fire burned, making her body hot and her mouth dry. She tossed and turned in and out of her body like a stranded fish, unsure whether she wanted to return to the water or become someone else's meal.
After a night of tossing and turning, I finally drifted off to sleep, but my dreams were chaotic. Even when the sun was high in the sky, I was still yawning constantly and looked utterly listless.
When Xia Chan saw this, she assumed that she hadn't slept well last night and must be worried about Mu Hanshi and the things happening outside, so she quickly told her the news that had come out this morning.
"The Divine Martial Guards outside the gates of the Marquis of Anyuan's residence and the Earl of Xingyi's residence have not yet been withdrawn. I heard that it's not just about the 'pleasure ointment,' but also seems to involve the raising of private soldiers."
The rumors are spreading throughout the capital that the Earl of Xingyi has been amassing wealth over the years, accepting any money that comes his way. While he ostensibly gambles it away, the owners of those gambling dens are actually the Marquis of Anyuan, and all that money has gone into his private treasury. He's using it to stockpile troops and provisions, suggesting he harbors rebellious intentions.
As Xia Chan spoke, her hands never stopped moving. She took out two hairpins and asked her which one she wanted to wear today.
She half-opened her eyelids, looked at the listless beauty in the mirror, and casually pointed to a cigarette. "If someone really intends to rebel, there will probably be changes in the capital. Aren't you afraid at all?"
“Those people’s plot has failed and their scheme has been exposed. What do I have to fear? I think that with Your Highness here, those people will surely not succeed.”
"You actually believe him."
"Doesn't the Princess also trust the Prince a lot?"
The beautiful woman in the mirror paused, startled. "How did you come to the conclusion that I trust him so much?"
“In the past, the prince would often come to see you in the middle of the night. Not only were you not afraid, but you also wouldn’t let me follow you. This clearly shows that you believed he had no ill intentions towards you and would not harm you.”
Xia Chan's words stunned Shen Qinglu once again, causing her to frown slightly.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the person entering out of the corner of her eye and murmured, "You're back."
Mu Hanshi must have been awake the whole time; there was a hint of weariness on his usually cold face. It was unclear where he had been before, as there were traces of blood on the hem of his clothes.
Shen Qinglu was startled, "You're injured?"
"It's not my blood."
"That's good."
Shen Qinglu stood up and ordered the servants to fetch water so that he could bathe and change his clothes.
The heat quickly spread, and the two people talked and answered questions through the bamboo-embroidered screens on all four sides.
"You must have been secretly planning this for a long time, right?"
“Yes, it has been a few years. Feng Zhen is the fourth among us brothers. According to the order of seniority, the throne should have been his. But my father bypassed him and passed the throne to my sixth brother. He was naturally unwilling to accept it.”
Fengzhen is the name of Prince Xin.
"His Majesty has no children, only the princess. Could it be that he was behind that as well?"
"No, that's not it."
Why is that?
Shen Qinglu was a little puzzled. Feng Chengying was a few months older than her, and his birth mother should have been pregnant before the Emperor Feng ascended the throne. After the Emperor Feng ascended the throne, no more princes or noblemen were born in the harem. Wasn't someone interfering?
For a long time, she didn't hear Mu Hanshi's reply. It seemed like there was suddenly no movement from the other side of the screen, not even the sound of water.
"No restrictions?"
No one answered her. Her heart skipped a beat, and without much hesitation, she went straight behind the screen.
In the rising steam, Mu Hanshi was completely submerged in the water, his eyes closed as if he were dead.
When she suddenly saw this scene, she was shocked and felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Did she look like this after she drowned in her past life?
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