"I lost to you"
The yamen runners standing in front of them all opened their eyes wide in shock. Although they did not put away their swords immediately, the hands holding the swords froze in place.
Zhong Yujing and Sun Zili were not surprised and looked at each other.
According to what Zhong Yujing had seen and heard in the bookstore before, and what Sun Zili said, it was not unexpected that Shen Qingci could kidnap the virtuous king this time. However, how could she, a girl from a boudoir and a lady from a noble family, be so bold and presumptuous, with such a careful plan, possessing drugs in her hands, and having a permanent residence in such a soul-stirring place like Yinfenglin? It was really unbelievable and shocking.
"Shen Qingci, you have kidnapped the prince. Do you know what crime you have committed?" Shangguan Yichen frowned coldly at Shen Qingci and scolded him angrily.
"What crime have I committed?" Shen Qingci raised an eyebrow, and the corner of her mouth also raised an eyebrow. "I am not talented and do not understand the law. May I ask your Majesty, I just want to see the person I love, bring him here, and stay with me forever. What crime have I committed?" Her face suddenly changed, and she suddenly said sternly: "Which law in Daqi can punish me?!"
Shangguan Yifei's brows furrowed suddenly. "You first shot an arrow to injure me, then used a note to lure me to this Yinfeng Forest to meet you. Then you poisoned me and brought me here where no one can find me. If it weren't for the quick thinking of Prime Minister Jing and Sun Shaoqing, I don't know what kind of situation you would have put me in now. And you still refuse to plead guilty!"
Shen Qingci suddenly laughed contemptuously, and then said viciously: "If the prince hadn't rejected me again and again, how could I have resorted to such a desperate measure!"
"Shen Qingci! You finally revealed your true colors!" Shangguan Yichen walked up to her and stared at her sternly.
Shen Qingci's eyes were filled with emotion, and she became sad. "A few years ago, I met the prince once. Does the prince still remember?"
"I have never met you before, you are talking nonsense!" Shangguan Yichen turned his back coldly, unwilling to look at her again.
Shen Qingci continued her mournful recollection, "That day, I was walking with my mother on the streets of Nanshi when a horse got startled and galloped towards us. I had no time to dodge, but the prince happened to pass by and saved me from the horse. From that day on, I have had only one wish, which is to marry the prince..." She spoke tearfully, and I felt even more pity for her. "Has the prince forgotten everything?"
Shangguan Yichen snorted coldly, "I have saved countless people in my life, not just you. If it was other elderly, weak, women, or children who were frightened on horseback that day, I would have saved them too."
"But the only person I want to marry in this life is Your Highness!" Shen Qingci suddenly became ferocious, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Shangguan Yichen. "I am the granddaughter of the former Prime Minister, Shen Zhixing. No one can match my talent, learning, character, and appearance. As long as I want something, I can get it! Many men have come to me to marry me, but I have never given them a second thought! Only you... The man I marry must be more than ten thousand people, but you have ignored me..."
Shen Qingci suddenly rushed to Shangguan Yichen, grabbed his clothes, stared into his eyes, and shouted frantically: "Why on earth do you never look at me straight in the eye? You won't even see me! Why? Is it because there is someone else in your heart? Who is that person! Who is it! How am I inferior to her?" She tore and entangled Shangguan Yichen like crazy out of control, but was finally pushed away by Shangguan Yichen, "How dare you!"
Shen Qingci used too much force and stumbled into the bedpost after being pushed. She slid down the bedpost and was stunned for a moment. She raised her eyes again and stared at Shangguan Yichen fiercely, saying slowly, "Does the prince really not want me?"
Shangguan Yichen looked at her with hatred, turned around angrily, and never looked at her again.
Suddenly, before anyone could predict, Shen Qingci pulled out an embroidered bag from her sleeve, pointed the opening at Shangguan Yichen, and instantly several silver needles flew towards Shangguan Yichen like silver arrows...
Zhong Yujing and Sun Zili's expressions changed drastically, and they said almost at the same time: "Be careful of hidden weapons!"
At the critical moment, a yamen runner rushed forward and stood in front of Shangguan Yichen. All the silver needles pierced into the yamen runner's chest. Under the gaze of everyone, the yamen runner's lips immediately turned black, and he fell to the ground on the spot, without a breath.
Shangguan Yichen was shocked, and Sun Zili supported the fallen yamen runner. Seeing this, the other yamen runners immediately stepped forward to subdue Shen Qingci and tied her up.
Shangguan Yichen shouted angrily, "Shen Qingci, you kidnapped the prince, attempted to murder him, and assassinated a Dali Temple official. You're guilty of numerous crimes! Do you admit it or not?" He then ordered several other yamen runners, "Send this crazy woman to the Dali Temple prison for a thorough interrogation. Deprive her of food and water. According to the laws of this dynasty, convict her of every crime and sentence her severely. No leniency!"
Shen Qingci didn't seem to be afraid at all, instead she sneered. Her smile was so strange that even the expression on her face became distorted.
Suddenly, Zhong Yujing saw her teeth clenched, and she felt something was wrong. She quickly stepped forward, pinched Shen Qingci's jaw, and said to her, "Spit it out!"
Shen Qingci moved too quickly, and the poison had already been swallowed by her. Bright red blood flowed from the corner of her cold mouth. Her sinister laughter echoed throughout the room, making people shudder. She murmured, "I am the granddaughter of Prime Minister Shen. No one can judge me..." She looked at Zhong Yujing with pride, but suddenly her eyes blazed and stopped at the white handkerchief that Zhong Yujing had dropped on the ground. There was a clear small word next to the exquisite embroidery, "Jing"...
Shen Qingci suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhong Yujing who was standing so close to her. As if she had suddenly realized something, she said, "It's you!" She gritted her teeth and said, "I actually lost to you..."
The last mouthful of black poisonous blood gushed out of her mouth. Her head tilted and she stopped breathing. Only her eyes were still fixed on Zhong Yujing.
Zhong Yujing sighed silently, picked up the fallen handkerchief and jade pendant, turned around and walked to Shangguan Yichen, saying, "I accidentally dropped this handkerchief a few days ago and didn't know where I lost it. I thought it was a small item and didn't pay much attention to it. I didn't expect that Your Highness would pick it up..." She returned the jade pendant that Shangguan Yichen carried with him, "Thankfully, Benlei was able to bring it here to help us find Your Highness."
Shangguan Yichen's eyes flickered, and he said, "The Japanese king picked it up and wanted to return it to Prime Minister Jing, but the opportunity never came. I didn't expect it to save my life today. Now that I see it again, I remember the friendship between Prime Minister Jing and Sun Shaoqing who saved me. So, I will give this handkerchief to me as a souvenir."
Zhong Yujing refused without any reason and handed the handkerchief to Shangguan Yichen. She saw him fold it carefully and tuck it into his lapel.
It turned out that when Shangguan Yichen and Shen Qingci were confronting each other last night, Shen Qingci took the opportunity to sprinkle the poison powder on his sleeve on Shangguan Yichen's face. The poison was colorless and odorless and difficult to detect.
When Shangguan Yichen fell to the ground, Ben Lei realized something was wrong. In a hurry, he tore off Shangguan Yichen's clothes and pulled out the handkerchief and jade pendant. Shen Qingci thought that they were Shangguan Yichen's personal belongings, so she picked them up to check. Only then did she see the flowers and words on the handkerchief, and Ben Lei snatched it away with his mouth and ran away.
Shen Qingci had not expected that a horse would cause such a big wave. Perhaps when she saw Zhong Yujing's scarf, she realized that it was Zhong Yujing who took it and Benlei to find Shen Qingci's hidden residence, so she said such words to her before she died. Zhong Yujing thought so.
Shangguan Yichen suddenly remembered something and started searching the house. Sun Zili asked, "What are you looking for, Your Highness?"
Shangguan Yichen shook his head and didn't answer. He just kept searching, finally finding a pile of letters in the closet. He dumped them out on the table and opened them one by one. They were all letters of illicit communication between Shen Qingci and a man. The words in them were naked and exposed, completely different from Shen Qingci's usual image. Shen Qingci signed her name as "Qingci" and addressed the other party as "Ren Lang", while the other party signed his name with a single character "Zhong".
Shangguan Yichen pondered, "Ren Zhong, Ren Zhong...Wenren Rang, what is the connection between them?" he whispered.
Zhong Yujing and Sun Zili were both shocked when they heard Wenren Rang's name.
Shangguan Yichen said, "The name signed on the note Feijian gave me that day was Wenren Rang."
Zhong Yujing and Sun Zili's expressions changed drastically. Sun Zili asked, "Could it be that Shen Qingci is Wenren Ran?"
Shangguan Yichen shook his head. "No, it's not. Last night, when I rushed to Yinfeng Forest to confront her, I discovered that she didn't even know the name Wenren Rang. So, I suspect she only knew Wenren Rang, but was unaware of his connection to King Yao's murder. He's exploiting her jealousy to murder me." He pointed to the scattered letters on the table. "The man she mentioned in the letter as having an affair with is Wenren Rang."
Zhong Yujing recalled what she had seen that day at the bookstore. "A few days ago, I went to the bookstore to buy something for my uncle and saw Shen Qingci and a man of Jianghu descent together, looking very intimate. The man had once provoked Shen Qingci by saying that she was affectionate like flowing water but heartless like falling flowers. Shen Qingci was so embarrassed that she became angry and the two of them parted on bad terms. That man must be Wenren Rang!"
Shangguan Yichen pressed on, "Have you ever seen his appearance?"
Zhong Yujing said regretfully, "No, he was wrapped tightly and had his back to me when he spoke, so I couldn't see his face clearly."
Shangguan Yichen was very determined, "It doesn't matter. One day, I will catch him with my own hands and give this thief who secretly disrupted the situation a good fight."
Sun Zili looked back at Shen Qingci, who lay dead on the ground with his eyes wide open. "Minister Shen, who always had a noble character, actually had a granddaughter like this. It's truly a misfortune for the family. The peerless talent who was famous in Lin County for her talent and beauty turned out to be a vicious woman with a beastly heart. If this gets out, won't she be scorned and ridiculed by everyone?"
Shangguan Yichen, Zhong Yujing, Sun Zili and the yamen runners carried the bodies of the yamen runners who died in the line of duty and the body of the criminal Shen Qingci, and under the guidance of Ben Lei, they left Yinfenglin and returned to the Dali Temple.
Kidnapping and assassinating a prince was a capital crime, so the Dali Temple Minister reported the case to the court, who ordered him to personally supervise the trial of the case. The yamen runner who died in the line of duty had made meritorious contributions in protecting the emperor, and according to the law, he should have been rewarded handsomely, but he had passed away, so the reward was replaced with a silver note for consolation, and several acres of land and houses were given to his family, so that his elderly family members could enjoy their old age in peace, and his widow and orphans could live out their lives in wealth.
As for the criminal Shen Qingci, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. The Dali Temple ordered that his body be dumped in a mass grave and not be buried. Originally, the Shen family should have been implicated by Shen Qingci and punished severely. However, considering that Prime Minister Shen had served as an official for many years and was honest and upright and loyal to the country, only the nine members of the Shen family were demoted to commoners.
Shen Shoufu, an octogenarian, knelt on the ground when he received the decree, weeping bitterly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me! It was because I didn't discipline her strictly and didn't teach her Qingci well that she committed such a serious crime. I'm sorry to Your Majesty, I'm sorry to the prince... I'm guilty!"
The news also reached the harem. After hearing it, the Queen Mother angrily scolded Shen Ruyi for his poor parenting skills, and beat her chest, regretting her momentary confusion for letting a wolf into the house and almost marrying such a vicious woman to her nephew. She couldn't help but think of the death of King Yao, leaving behind only her nephew's child, and she felt heartbroken again.
The last time the talented woman Shen Qing's poems caused a sensation in Linjun City, everyone in the streets and alleys knew about them. Her reputation as a talented woman was undeserved. In fact, she was vicious at heart and dissolute in appearance. For a time, people were terrified when the word "talented woman" was mentioned, which was quite ironic.
Another hero who was rewarded for his outstanding contributions in this case was Ben Lei. The emperor bestowed upon him a golden battle robe, a royal stable, several tons of fodder, and bestowed upon him the title of "Divine Horse." Ben Lei became the first horse to be fed the imperial rations and enjoy the status of a duke.
Ben Lei knew everything. Ever since the imperial edict came down, he had put on a golden battle robe, lived in a new stable, and eaten the imperially bestowed food and grass. Every day he was full of energy and looked majestic, ready to show his skills again at any time.
Ben Lei was worthy of being called a divine horse, and what he wished for was soon realized. Civil unrest broke out in Nansai, and war broke out. The emperor wanted to send General Shang Gong with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to quell the civil unrest. As Shangguan Yichen's war horse, Ben Lei naturally had no choice but to follow his master into battle.
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