"Madam..." Mu Xue had never seen such a scene before. All she could see were blood-stained blades and lifeless corpses. She clung to Lin Qingwan, stiff and trembling.
Lin Qingwan was also afraid.
Of all the ways she had imagined dying, none had been as gruesome as being hacked to death and having her head severed from her body.
Tang Shilang's men swarmed in, and even the skilled warriors Jingwei couldn't withstand the wear and tear of this relentless attack. They had been cornered for quite some time.
With fewer and fewer guards in front of her, Vice Minister Tang's sinister gaze locked onto Lin Qingwan from afar.
Lin Qingwan's heart was pounding, but she managed to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.
Tang Shilang walked over through the blood-soaked ground. If looks could kill, she would probably have been torn to pieces long ago.
When Shen Xu broke free from the entanglement and returned to Lin Qingwan's side, the strong, pungent smell of blood made her eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
"The wound on Guard Shen's back..." Mu Xue looked at the gushing blood from the wound, her teeth chattering, and dared not continue.
Qiu Hong's palms were covered in cold sweat. "We must protect Madam."
Mu Xue gritted her teeth, "I know. If you want to touch Madam, you'll have to step over my dead body first."
Lin Qingwan was not loved from a young age. Her adoptive mother only gave her endless self-blame and guilt. As a child, she often felt that she should not be alive. Consequently, no matter what happened, she felt that she did not deserve protection.
Death was actually the only thing that made her feel safe.
Later, when she returned to the Prime Minister's residence to acknowledge her relatives, although she was stubborn and tried to protect herself, she knew in her heart that she was still being disliked. This dislike was even more painful than the torment her adoptive mother had inflicted on her.
That's why she trusted Prince Jing so easily, but after the flower garden incident, what deepened in her heart was still her longing for death.
If it weren't for the Crown Prince and the young prince, she would have definitely found a quiet place to die after the Prime Minister's residence fell into ruin.
That was her true home.
But now, the presence of Mu Xue, Qiu Hong, and the wounded Shen Xu in front of her is like a shovel digging into the deepest feelings of unworthiness in her heart.
Some people are willing to die for her, and many others bleed to protect her.
Feng'er said she would rather die with her than live alone.
What merit or ability does she possess?
In a short moment, the deep-seated tumor in Lin Qingwan's heart was dug up, cut open, bled, and then healed.
"Minister Tang, this is the Eastern Palace." Shen Xu held his sword horizontally in front of him, his cold eyes fixed on Minister Tang as he approached. "The crime of treason carries the punishment of nine generations of one's family. Minister Tang, have you truly thought this through?"
Tang Shilang chuckled evilly, "Nonsense! I was ordered by His Majesty to rid the Crown Prince of this vixen, how could I be accused of treason?"
Shen Xu: "Madam did not poison the cat. It was Cui'er, the maidservant of Consort Su, who killed it. The matter has been investigated and clarified!"
Vice Minister Tang sneered, "Let me make this clear to you: there is only one truth, and it is that Lady Wan has not only failed to harm my daughter, but has also caused chaos in the Eastern Palace!"
"Dare Imperial Guard Shen disobey the imperial decree?"
Vice Minister Tang held up the bright yellow imperial edict, saying, "Now lay down your weapons and hand over the people, and I will not hold this against you."
The atmosphere was extremely tense, but not a single guard lowered his weapon.
"Mother, let me out!"
Tang Yun was held tightly by her mother and couldn't break free. Hearing her father's words outside, she broke out in a cold sweat.
"It's no use you going out," Madam Tang said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you don't get rid of Madam Wan, you'll only suffer endless grievances while serving the Crown Prince!"
Tang Yun sighed helplessly, "Even without her, the Crown Prince wouldn't like me!"
"He doesn't like you, but he likes the military power your father holds. For that reason, he will treat you well."
Tang Yun felt utterly powerless; the only thing this incident made her see clearly was her parents' so-called love.
"The Crown Prince will become Emperor in the future. Lady Wan will not be the only one favored. There will be a second and a third. Can you kill them all?"
Madam Tang paused for a moment, then said, "We'll talk about the future later. Now, be good and don't cause trouble for your father."
"We finally have a legitimate reason to fight this battle. If we kill that vixen, even if the Crown Prince comes back, he can't do anything to us!"
Tang Yun shivered and suddenly stopped struggling.
Madam Tang breathed a sigh of relief, "Yun'er, be good, your father and I won't harm you..."
Before she could even utter the word "you," Tang Yun knocked her unconscious.
Tang Yun gently placed her mother on the couch, sniffed, and instructed the stunned nanny and maid, "Take good care of Mother."
She picked up her sword, kicked the door open, and went out.
Shen Xu was entangled by Tang Shilang's men. He was outnumbered and Qiu Hong and Mu Xue were also injured. Tang Shilang locked onto Lin Qingwan's slender back and drew his bow.
"The Crown Prince's cold treatment of Yun'er has caused the Tang family to lose all face."
"If the Tang family were to become the leading family in the future, what happened on the day of Yun'er's wedding would be a stain on the Tang family for life. Only by killing you can I quell the hatred in my heart."
Lin Qingwan could even detect the slightest vibration produced when the bowstring was pulled to its limit.
Her breath caught in her throat, and her legs instinctively started to run forward.
Tang, the Vice Minister, began to loosen his grip. "The Crown Prince's darling? Heh, I'd like to see if he'd give up the empire for you!"
The arrow was released from the bow.
Lin Qingwan felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were enveloped in an invisible net, the aura of death enveloping her.
Do we really have to die like this?
Feng'er will be sad...
And His Highness the Crown Prince—she hadn't even had a chance to congratulate him on his victory.
She promised to take good care of the Crown Prince's child, but now she's broken her promise. What can she do?
She promised to help the Crown Prince control the Crown Princess and the Tang family, but she didn't do it well. Will the Crown Prince be threatened by the Tang family in the future?
When Lin Qingwan was on the verge of death, her thoughts were mostly on Zhao Cong.
It's a pity we didn't get to drink the nuptial wine on our wedding night. And who knows if she'll be able to take his surname after she dies? If not, she'll be a lonely, wandering ghost...
There was a dead end ahead, and she couldn't run any further.
Lin Qingwan stopped, panting heavily, her eyelashes wet and trembling, unwilling to close her eyes like that.
"lady!"
"lady!"
Several heart-wrenching screams reached her ears, and Lin Qingwan knew that she couldn't escape this time; she was really going to die.
Strangely, I feel calmer than ever before.
The next second, it felt as if a sharp arrow had touched her hair... She tried to close her eyes.
"Smack!"
The arrow was cut off, and Tang Yun held the arrowhead firmly in his palm, the tip already embedded in Lin Qingwan's hair.
It was so close.
Tang Yun's pupils contracted, and he immediately stood in front of Lin Qingwan, staring at his father with a cold expression.
Tang Shilang never expected that his perfect situation would be ruined by his own daughter.
"Yun'er! What are you doing!"
Tang Yun gasped, "I should be asking Father what he really wants to do!"
"They went on a killing spree in the Eastern Palace, even shooting arrows at the Crown Prince's women. Don't they care about the heads of hundreds of members of the Tang family?!"
Minister Tang frowned. "Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way!"
He nocked another arrow, but his mood was completely different from before. "Get out of the way!"
Tang Yun stood ramrod straight. "Father, you might as well kill me too. It's better to die like that than to be slowly sliced to death."
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