Chapter 87 God Does Not Save People
Xiaoyuzi entered the room with several strings of candied hawthorns in his hand, but he looked somewhat flustered.
"What's wrong?" Chu Jiu asked.
Xiao Yu swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, just now when I was watching the procession of the officials downstairs, I encountered a mysterious young lady who was dressed like a man."
"Afterwards, the crowd went into the West Market neighborhood. I didn't follow. Instead, I went to buy candied hawthorns a little outside the main street. The girl didn't follow either. Instead, she went towards the East Market."
"As a result, when I returned from buying candied hawthorns, I passed by a carriage. The curtain of the carriage was lifted for a moment, and I happened to see the girl inside."
“This servant saw that the girl was unconscious, and her straw hat had fallen off, so I couldn’t see her face clearly, but—” Xiaoyuzi’s face turned even paler as she looked at Chu Jiu and said, “But that girl had a head of white hair.”
Chu Jiubian narrowed his eyes.
Qin Xiao gently rubbed the thumb ring on his thumb with his fingertips, his expression revealing nothing.
Baili Hong frowned, unsure of what was going on, but he could tell that his uncle and teacher both looked unwell.
Qin Chuan, who hadn't reacted much at first, turned his head slightly to look at Xiao Yuzi upon hearing this.
"Which way did the car go?" Chu Jiubian asked calmly.
"They went out onto the street. The driver looked like a secret guard. I didn't dare follow, so I told the nearest Imperial Guards. They must have gone with us."
Just as Xiaoyuzi finished speaking, there was another knock on the door.
"Go in," Chu Jiubian replied.
When the door opened, a man who was unremarkable in appearance entered; one could easily forget what he looked like after just one glance.
They are bodyguards, but not the kind that hide in the shadows without ever showing their faces. Instead, they are disguised bodyguards who are infiltrated by ordinary people in the streets.
He happened to be the "vendor" who sold candied hawthorns on the street at that time.
The door closed behind him, and he immediately bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, sir, I have already sent someone to follow that carriage; I did not send the Imperial Guards."
The Imperial Guards are too obvious a target; if we follow them, they certainly won't go to their intended destination.
So when the guard saw Xiaoyuzi leave after talking with the Imperial Guards, he stopped the two Imperial Guards and ordered his men to follow them.
"You left a mark, didn't you?" Qin Xiao asked.
It should be the bodyguard.
Qin Chuan glanced at Qin Xiao, then stood up and said, "I'll go with him."
Qin Xiao nodded, then said to Xiao Yuzi, "Go prepare the carriage. We'll head back to the palace later."
"Yes," Xiaoyuzi replied.
In the blink of an eye, half of the people in the room had left, leaving only Chu Jiubian, Qin Xiao, and Baili Hong.
Baili Hong looked obediently at the people on his left and right sides without saying a word.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao also remained silent for a while.
“It’s the Prince of Jiannan again,” Chu Jiubian said first.
Qin Xiao's gaze slowly swept over Chu Jiubian's loose silver hair.
"You're getting bolder and bolder," he said calmly.
Chu Jiubian also lowered his eyes to look at his long hair, picked up a strand with his fingertips, and seemed to be deep in thought.
The Prince of Jiannan has always been very bold, and the dirty deeds in his mansion are countless.
However, the other party was very methodical and cautious in their actions, and never left any evidence against them.
Just like the child named Xiaotian who was taken away before, Qin Xiao had someone investigate and found that the other party had not left any trace. Moreover, if he was not mistaken, the King of Jiannan must still have that child's contract.
In this day and age, servants who have signed a death contract are the property of their masters, and their life or death is entirely at the master's discretion.
However, in retrospect, the King of Jiannan was actually quite cautious, avoiding giving anyone any leverage against him.
But what happened today has absolutely nothing to do with the word "caution".
The area was teeming with powerful and influential people. Among the surrounding vendors and pedestrians, it was impossible to tell how many were ordinary citizens and how many were secret guards and servants of various families. Moreover, the Imperial Guards were present, maintaining strict vigilance at every turn.
So, is the King of Jiannan really not afraid of being discovered, or is he afraid that others won't find out, by having people cause trouble and kidnap people so openly and brazenly?
and......
Chu Jiubian looked towards the doorway.
How did Xiaoyuzi and the guard who sold candied hawthorns happen to see that scene in the car?
Calling it a coincidence is too funny; it's more like someone deliberately let them see it.
Chu Jiubian looked up at Qin Xiao and said, "Someone is causing trouble again. If I'm not mistaken, that girl should be the daughter of the wealthy merchant who sought help from the Drunken Liang King."
Qin Xiao's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes cold and deep; "The knife has already been handed over, so just take it."
Regardless of who wants to use them and the Drunken King Liang against the King of Jiannan, the opportunity is right in front of us, so why not take it?
"Let's return to the palace," Chu Jiubian said, rising to his feet. "The Drunken King of Liang should also be seeking an audience with the emperor."
Qin Xiao then got up and picked up Baili Hong from the chair next to him.
Baili Hong finally had a chance to speak, looking up at the two adults and saying, "Uncle, Master, what am I going to do next?"
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao exchanged a glance.
How far they can go depends on how much compelling "evidence" the person behind them can provide.
Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour after returning to the palace, Prince Baili Yan of Zui Liang entered the palace to request an audience.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the three received the other party.
Upon entering, Baili Yan bowed deeply. After receiving Baili Hong's instruction to "dress without ceremony," he didn't even have time to greet Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao before saying directly, "Your Majesty, please do me the right thing!"
"Uncle, don't be hasty," Baili Hong said gently. "Sit down and have some water first."
Baili Yan sat to Chu Jiubian's left, quickly took a sip of water, and then said, "Your Majesty, some wealthy merchants and scions of noble families from my fiefdom also came to join in the fun when I came to the capital this time."
"Just now, a wealthy merchant discovered that his daughter had gone missing. He had people search for a long time but they couldn't find her, so he came to me for help."
Baili Yan's anxious expression was genuine: "I wonder if Your Majesty could send the Imperial Guards and the city defense troops to help search? The missing child is only thirteen or fourteen years old, and a girl at that, this..."
"So that's what it was about," Baili Hong said. "Did the missing girl have white hair?"
Baili Yan glanced at Chu Jiubian subconsciously, only to meet his indifferent gaze.
He was taken aback, then quickly looked away and said, "Yes, that's right."
Earlier at the restaurant, the wealthy businessman surnamed Zhou came up to them, crying as soon as he saw them, saying that his daughter had gone missing.
Baili Yan wanted to say that perhaps they were separated by the crowd and would definitely come back later, but the wealthy merchant Zhou kept begging him to go and look for them, and even asked him to find the Imperial Guards.
This week, the wealthy merchant had been making many offerings to him in his fiefdom, so now that the man had encountered such a troublesome situation, Baili Yan naturally wanted to help him as much as he could.
So he ordered his men to find someone while he rushed to the palace.
As for how he knew that Chu Jiubian and the others had returned to the palace, it was naturally because he had seen their carriages and horses.
“That’s quite a coincidence,” Baili Hong said. “My men happened to run into the car that abducted the girl and have already given chase. I expect they will be able to bring her back soon.”
Baili Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest and said, "That's wonderful, now I can give an account to the people in my fiefdom."
“The Drunken King Liang truly cares about the people.” Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at him.
Baili Yan hurriedly replied, "I dare not accept such praise. It is only my duty to manage this land on behalf of His Majesty."
Chu Jiubian smiled and said, "I just heard Your Highness mention that wealthy merchant. He is a local from Fujian and Zhejiang."
“Of course,” Baili Yan said. “However, I have only become acquainted with this wealthy merchant Zhou in the last two years. This is the first time he has asked me for help. I had never heard of him having such a daughter before.”
He has a full head of white hair at such a young age, I don't know why.
"I see." Chu Jiubian took a leisurely sip of tea before continuing, "I just received news that Miss Zhou was kidnapped, but I don't know who did it. Does Prince Zui Liang have any leads?"
Baili Yan chuckled dryly, "Well, even I'm confused. Perhaps some wicked person has taken a fancy to that child's appearance."
"That's possible, after all, the powerful and wealthy in the capital have always been fond of beautiful women," Qin Xiao said sarcastically.
Baili Yan lowered her eyes and didn't reply, continuing to laugh dryly.
Qin Xiao chuckled, staring at him lazily as he asked, "If the people who kidnapped Miss Zhou are from some powerful family in the capital, or perhaps..."
Baili Yan slowly raised her eyes to look at him, and heard him continue, "Or perhaps it was done by some prince. What should the Drunken Prince Liang do?"
Their eyes met, and the room fell silent for a moment.
Intelligent people communicate without explicitly stating everything; they can understand each other's unspoken thoughts.
Baili Yan straightened his expression and said, "Naturally, it will be handled according to the law. What the students who took the palace examination today all know, I naturally also know."
He was referring to Gu Fang, a student majoring in criminal justice, whose strict attitude was now proving useful.
"Regardless of whether they are powerful officials or princes," Baili Yan said solemnly, "to dare to forcibly abduct a woman in broad daylight is truly audacious and must not be let off lightly. Moreover, since they have harmed people on my fiefdom, I will naturally not compromise or give in."
This means that no matter who the culprit is later, he will become the "knife" aimed at the culprit.
Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian wanted the "culprit" to be punished according to the law, so Baili Yan charged ahead for them to achieve their goal.
This was his way of showing loyalty to the court and the emperor's faction.
Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and gently touched the teacup in his hand. The scalding hot cup made his fingertips slightly numb, but the corners of his lips slightly turned up.
How could someone who survived the struggle for succession and even became a prince with a fiefdom in the wealthy regions of Min and Zhe be a fool who only wanted to enjoy life?
The Drunken King Liang knew all along that this was a trap, a trap that would use him and the emperor's faction to deal with someone.
But for him, wasn't this also an opportunity to befriend the royal family?
King Zui Liang had no ambition, and he didn't care about his descendants. He just wanted to continue living a carefree life on his fiefdom while he was still alive.
Therefore, he didn't want to be one of those who challenged authority.
Of course, he was also almost the most intelligent of all the feudal lords.
Therefore, he saw through the situation early on, knowing that the imperial power was now strong, and that with Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao around, Baili Hong's throne would be secure for life.
Moreover, his fiefdom was located near Southern Zhili, which was far from the Central Plains, so even if other vassal kings launched rebellions, they would not affect him.
Therefore, he now wants to show his loyalty to Chu Jiubian and the others in exchange for a peaceful life for the rest of his days.
Qin Xiao's smile deepened, and he said meaningfully, "Grand Tutor is right, Prince Zui Liang is indeed a good prince who loves his people like his own children."
Baili Yan chuckled twice, neither replying nor refuting.
Everything is understood without words.
Time passed slowly, and Baili Hong quietly reviewed the memorials.
Now he can handle many memorials independently, and this scene has stirred up a mix of emotions in Baili Yan's heart.
Such a small child, who in his household would need to be chased and fed to eat, was already sitting steadily like an adult, earnestly reviewing those memorials.
He suddenly thought that with such an emperor, even if Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao stopped interfering in affairs, the emperor could still stabilize the court and the world.
The burden on her shoulders seemed lighter, and Baili Yan felt more and more that her decision was right.
This emperor's faction, from top to bottom, from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian to An Wuji and Hong Fu, and then to the students of the Imperial Academy, is truly full of talented people.
Finally, a sound came from outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Qin Chaoyang came in person, accompanied by a girl following closely behind him, and Jiannan King Baili Hai, who looked even weaker than the girl.
Behind them were two Imperial Guards, with a man bound hand and foot between them; he was the secret guard who drove the carriage.
The moment the girl entered the hall, everyone's eyes turned to her.
With almond-shaped eyes and red lips, she is indeed very beautiful, but what is most eye-catching is her head of white hair.
It's white hair, the kind that grows naturally in humans.
It wasn't noticeable when viewed alone, but when they appeared together, it was easy to see that the white hair was very different from the silver-white hair dyed by Chu Jiubian.
Chu Jiubian's hair had a glossy sheen and was slightly gray, while Zhou's white hair resembled the pure white that only elderly people have.
Qin Xiao glanced at him indifferently before looking at Baili Hai, whose face was pale.
Chu Jiubian stared intently at the girl. The girl seemed to sense something, glanced at him, wavered slightly, and then quickly lowered her eyes, shrinking back as if somewhat frightened.
Chu Jiubian curled her lips.
The system in his mind was flashing red lights frantically: [Warning! Warning! Poisonous Gu detected in the host's location! Highly poisonous! Please be careful! Please be careful!]
"Mark it," Chu Jiubian thought to himself.
The system demanded an exorbitant amount: [Ten points.]
“Five points,” Chu Jiu argued.
The system message reads: [Eight faith points have been deducted from the host's account.]
A bright white light flashed in Chu Jiubian's pupils, and when he looked again, he saw five or six flashing green lights on the girl's abdomen.
The green lights stayed obediently on her body and didn't move around.
Qin Chaoyang had already reported what had just happened. It turned out that after Qin Chuan left the restaurant, he followed the carriage that had kidnapped Miss Zhou.
After the carriages circled the streets, they arrived at the rear side gate of the Jiannan Prince's Mansion.
A servant opened the gate, and the guards driving the carriage carried Miss Zhou into the mansion.
Such things happened almost every day, so none of the guards or servants in the mansion thought anything was wrong. They simply let the person in and had the driver carry Miss Zhou all the way to Bailihai's courtyard.
The driver then handed Miss Zhou over to the guards in the courtyard and left the mansion.
Qin Chuan arrested the guard who was driving the carriage, dislocated his jaw to prevent him from committing suicide, and then handed him over to Qin Chaoyang, who arrived later.
"It was you!" Baili Yan immediately stood up, pointing at Baili Hai angrily, "King Jiannan is truly audacious! How dare you forcibly abduct a woman in broad daylight?! Do you completely disregard the laws of the court?!"
Baili Hai trembled, as if he had been frightened.
His legs buckled and he knelt down, kowtowing towards the young emperor, saying, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
"I really don't know what happened. Someone must have framed me."
Baili Hai looked at Miss Zhou, who had remained silent, and said, "Miss, please explain this to me. I really don't know what's going on. After seeing you, I was about to send you out of the manor immediately. I didn't even touch a single hair on your head!"
Earlier, Baili Hai had also gone to join in the excitement of the official's celebration, but after watching it, he returned to his residence. Only after entering his own courtyard did he discover that there was an extra woman there.
He asked the servant and learned that someone had delivered it while he was away.
But this kind of thing had happened too many times before. At the time, Baili Hai was not in the manor, so the servants in the manor assumed that he had taken a fancy to this Miss Zhou outside the palace and specially sent her back to the manor first.
Seeing that Baili Hai was completely unaware of the situation, the servants immediately realized that something was wrong.
Baili Hai realized that he might have been tricked, so he quickly apologized to the girl in a polite tone and prepared to quietly send her away.
Unexpectedly, just as they stepped out of the mansion, Qin Chaoyang stopped them and took them both into the palace.
He looked at Miss Zhou eagerly.
But Miss Zhou seemed frightened by him, and choked out, "This humble woman...this humble woman doesn't know..."
As she spoke, she knelt down on the ground, crying continuously, but unable to utter a single word.
Baili Hai's eyes darkened slightly.
The girl was part of the plan this week, so naturally she wouldn't speak up for him, and he hadn't held out much hope anyway.
However, Baili Hai understood perfectly what those questions in the criminal examination this morning were aimed at, without anyone else needing to explain.
If he is proven guilty of forcibly taking a woman in public, not only will his reputation be ruined, but he may also lose his current title. He might end up as an ordinary prince without any title or fiefdom, and his status would be inferior to that of his two useless brothers in the palace.
He couldn't let himself end up like that.
So his current procrastination is because he's waiting for the person who can truly save him.
He was waiting for the high-ranking officials of the Xiao family, as well as the Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan.
Chu Jiubian and the others knew what he was thinking, but they weren't in a hurry.
No matter who comes today, the Prince of Jiannan's position is in jeopardy; they will no longer fight for his right to the throne.
"Child, don't be afraid." Baili Yan went over and helped the young lady Zhou up, pulling her behind him. Pointing at Baili Hai, she said, "You, Prince Jiannan, what is there to say now? Your behavior has disgraced our royal family! How can you be worthy of the title of prince!"
Baili Yan seemed genuinely furious. He turned and bowed deeply to Baili Hong, saying, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jiannan has committed such a grave error that it will severely damage the prestige of our royal family. I beg Your Majesty to strip the Prince of Jiannan of his title and remove him from the imperial genealogy!"
Baili Hai suddenly looked up at him, and the gentleness on his face twisted for a moment.
Not only did they strip him of his title, but they also wanted to remove him from the official register? This Drunken King Liang is really playing a clever game!
Could today's events be a trap set by this person?
"Who wants to remove the King of Jiannan from the list?" A majestic female voice rang out from outside the hall.
Ignoring the palace servants' attempts to stop her, Xiao Ruohan forced her way in.
As soon as she entered, even Baili Hong had to stand up to show his filial piety, and everyone in the room bowed to her. Qin Xiao also nodded slightly.
Chu Jiubian, however, didn't even get up from his chair, remaining calmly seated and drinking tea.
He could bow to Baili Hong if he wanted to, but he wouldn't do so to the Empress Dowager.
But no one said anything to him; everyone was used to it.
Xiao Ruohan first helped Baili Hai up, patting his hand reassuringly. Then she walked to Qin Xiao, who moved aside, giving him the first seat next to the emperor.
Xiao Ruohan sat down, facing Chu Jiubian, her expression haughty.
Baili Hong sat down, and the others took their seats one by one.
"I just heard something about the Imperial Genealogy." Xiao Ruohan's icy gaze fell on the Drunken Prince Liang, sharp as a knife. "Whom does the Drunken Prince Liang intend to remove from the list?"
Baili Yan seemed oblivious to the threat in her eyes, and frowned, saying, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but..."
He recounted what had just happened in detail.
Baili Hai hurriedly retorted, "Grandmother, I didn't!"
The word "Grandmother" made Xiao Ruohan's heart ache even more, and her gaze towards the Drunken Prince Liang became even more sinister: "This whole thing is so intricately linked, it seems to me that there are hidden secrets everywhere. Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes. The Drunken Prince Liang is so eager to convict the Prince of Jiannan, could it be that you orchestrated this whole thing?"
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is joking." Baili Yan seemed anxious. "The evidence is conclusive. Outsiders may not know about Prince Jiannan's hobbies, but who among us doesn't? So many children have been harmed by him; corpses are being secretly carried out of Prince Jiannan's residence almost every day—"
"Enough!" Xiao Ruohan shouted angrily, "It's just a few servants dying. In the capital, how often do ten or eight people not die? Why can't people die in the Jiannan Prince's Mansion?"
Before Baili Yan could say anything more, Xiao Ruohan looked at Baili Hong and said, "Your Majesty, there must be something more to this matter. I think we should investigate it thoroughly and find out who is behind it."
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the one who benefits is the one hidden behind the scenes. Let's not let ourselves become knives in someone else's hands."
Baili Hong frowned, unsure of what to do, and looked at Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.
Neither of them spoke, but instead turned their gaze to Miss Zhou, who was being shielded behind the Drunken King Liang.
Since the person behind this wants to get rid of the King of Jiannan, they certainly won't give up halfway.
Sure enough, the next moment, Miss Zhou, who had been crying all along, suddenly stepped out from behind King Zui Liang, knelt down on the ground with a thud, and looked at Baili Hong with tears streaming down her face, saying, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do justice for me!"
Outside the palace.
In the main courtyard of the Xiao family.
The patriarch, Xiao Yao, sat in the main seat in the hall. His teacup shattered with a crash, and the porcelain shards cut his palm, but he seemed oblivious, simply taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood.
The strategist sat to his left, frowning as he looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
“Fool,” Xiao Yao said calmly. “I told him to be more careful every time, but he wouldn’t listen.”
The strategist then spoke up, "Should we still protect him?"
The fact that he asked this question shows that he didn't want the Xiao family to pay any more price for the Prince of Jiannan.
Previously, because of this fool, they had already lost Xiao Wendao's position as Vice Minister, causing the Xiao family to suddenly fall into a disadvantageous position.
If we were to protect him now, we wouldn't know what we would lose.
Xiao Yao threw away the tissue in his hand and looked coldly outside: "My Xiao family has never relied on the crown prince to establish itself."
They were too ambitious before, wanting to climb to that position.
It seems now that the ancestral teachings cannot be disobeyed; the Xiao family should rely on the women in the family to solidify their marriage alliances and thus establish a stable existence.
In any case, the Empress Dowager is still in the palace, so the Xiao family's glory is still intact for now. However, they should start grooming the next empress and the next emperor.
Naturally, this emperor could not be Baili Hong.
The strategist felt relieved.
Everyone has the desire to climb higher, but not everyone has the ability.
Their Xiao family wasn't cut out for it, so giving up early was a good thing.
"But the matter of the Prince of Jiannan, I wonder if it will implicate us," the strategist said, frowning. "Moreover, we are currently weak; if the Emperor's faction were to attack us..."
He carefully observed Xiao Yao's expression, and his voice gradually faded.
Xiao Yao looked him up and down, then suddenly smiled and asked, "What do you think the Xiao family should do from now on, sir?"
The strategist's face turned pale, and he knelt down with a thud, saying, "It was I who overstepped my bounds."
Xiao Yao stared at him indifferently for a long while before saying, "Alright, go prepare the brush and ink."
"Yes," the strategist replied in a trembling voice, carefully retreating. He returned shortly afterward with paper and pen.
Xiao Yao picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote two letters, which he then sent to the King of Huguang and the King of Dongjiang respectively.
These two princes are powerful and ambitious, and both have daughters from the Xiao family in their harems, making them the most suitable investors.
Wait until everyone has left.
Xiao Yao closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
The Xiao family can only grow stronger under his leadership; it must never decline.
Inside the palace, Xiao Ruohan waited and waited, but the Minister of Personnel, Xiao Huaiguan, never entered the palace, nor did she receive any other news about the Xiao family. Her expression gradually turned grim.
She had thought that with her holding out for time, the Xiao family would find out that the Prince of Jiannan had been wronged.
But to my surprise, more than half an hour has passed and there is still no news.
A chill ran through her; she had finally guessed the patriarch's choice.
They're planning to give up on Bailihai.
In other words, they also intend to abandon her as the Empress Dowager and instead cultivate the next daughter of the Xiao family.
The former empress, who once held the Xiao family and the royal family in the palm of her hand, now felt isolated and helpless once again. However, she no longer had the ability to turn the tide, and her well-maintained face instantly showed signs of fatigue.
She was waiting for news from the Xiao family, and Chu Jiubian and the others were waiting too.
Now that everyone has realized the Xiao family's choice, there is no need to discuss how to deal with Baili Hai.
Qin Xiao looked at Qin Chaoyang and said, "Show the evidence to the Empress Dowager."
From the moment Qin Feng and Xiao Ruohan began their power struggle in the palace, Qin Xiao had been collecting evidence of the crimes committed by the Xiao family and the Prince of Jiannan. Now that the time was right, all of this evidence could be put to use.
Qin Chaoyang took out a thin stack of papers from his sleeve and handed them to Xiao Ruohan.
Xiao Ruohan looked at each of the photos one by one, her expression growing increasingly grim. By the last one, she even lost her composure and stared intently at Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao smiled at her and said, "Your Majesty is merciful. Considering that the Empress Dowager is your grandmother, he will give you a final moment of dignity."
Xiao Ruohan's face turned extremely ugly.
These papers did not record any evidence of Jiannan King's crimes. The other party was indeed quite cautious in his actions and did not allow anyone to find any incriminating evidence against him.
However, what is recorded here is all evidence of Xiao Ruohan's crimes against the imperial heirs and concubines during the reigns of Emperor Chengzong and Emperor Yingzong.
Even more terrifying is that Qin Xiao also blamed the deaths of Emperor Yingzong and Qin Feng on her.
By adding this illusion to a collection of facts, everyone could be made to believe that she was the one who did it, that she had no blood relation to Emperor Yingzong, and that she wanted to put her grandson Baili Hai, who was related to her by blood, on the throne, which is why she killed Emperor Yingzong and Qin Feng.
This is obviously false; Emperor Yingzong was clearly killed by Qin Feng.
But she couldn't prove her innocence!
Qin Xiao was threatening her. If she continued to protect Baili Hai, these pieces of evidence and rumors would reach the ears of the world, and she would be finished as the Empress Dowager.
Qin Xiao is still willing to give her some dignity, but since Baili Hai is no longer safe, she herself certainly cannot continue to stay in the palace.
But as long as her reputation remains, the reputation of the Xiao family's daughter will remain.
If, in the future, the Xiao family helps someone seize the throne, then the daughter of the Xiao family will still have the opportunity to become empress and the head of the harem.
Xiao Ruohan closed her eyes.
She crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball.
Baili Hai looked up, his expression changing slightly upon seeing her like this, and said, "Grandmother—"
Xiao Ruohan suddenly stood up, her face cold and resolute as she looked at Baili Hong, and said, "Your Majesty has grown up, and I, as your grandmother, have nothing more to say, so I will take my leave now."
After saying that, she turned and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Baili Hai finally panicked and hurriedly reached out to grab her hem: "Grandmother! Grandmother, where are you going? You can't abandon me!"
Xiao Ruohan's eyes stung, and tears welled up in them, but she still forcefully pulled her hand away and left without looking back.
Baili Hai was born into a noble family; his father was a prince and his mother was a woman from the Xiao family.
Later, his father became the emperor, his mother became the head of the four imperial concubines, and he became the most favored prince in the palace, the most likely to become the next emperor.
He took advantage of his status and position to do many absurd things.
Because he knew someone would cover for him.
More importantly, he knew that he was the Xiao family's only support.
But he was also afraid, because only he knew that he was different from normal men. He couldn't have the happiness that ordinary people had, let alone have children.
How can a prince who cannot have children become emperor?
So he pretended to be sick to make himself look weak, which would cover up his shortcomings. He would also find many men and women to abuse him, making him seem like a normal man.
But he was afraid these people would reveal his secrets, so in the end he left none alive.
He always acted obedient and sensible in front of his elders, but only he knew how twisted and dark his heart was.
He dreamed of becoming emperor one day, yet also felt he would eventually be discovered; he both strived for it and gave up on himself.
Finally, his father died, his mother died, and the throne that should have belonged to him fell into Baili Hong's hands.
He seemed relieved, but his anger only grew stronger. With nowhere to vent his frustration, he took it out on the innocent men and women.
Watching those people cry, beg, and struggle, he felt incredibly satisfied, but he never imagined that he would be brought down by this.
It might even have been a setup by someone else.
He did such things so many times, tortured and killed so many people, yet he received his retribution at the most "innocent" time.
How ridiculous!
Baili Hai laughed, his laughter arrogant and morbid, completely devoid of his usual gentle and hypocritical demeanor.
He knew that once he stepped out of the palace gates today, he would no longer be the high and mighty Prince Jiannan; he would be worse than the most ordinary commoner, and he would be ridiculed by everyone.
Rather than that, he might as well die with glory forever.
He stood up, looked at the people in the hall, and began to hurl insults and vent his anger wildly, appearing almost insane, but they all watched him calmly.
Even Baili Hong, who sat on the throne, had a detached look in his eyes, just like Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.
He looked at the "deity" who remained seated high above, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, just like the countless statues in the temple, cold and aloof.
"God!" he laughed until tears streamed down his face, "God doesn't save people, he doesn't save me, what kind of god is he!"
More foul language was about to pour out, but Qin Xiao raised his hand, and those words were cut off in the other party's throat, replaced by a deep wound on his throat.
Chu Jiubian stared silently into his unseeing, lifeless eyes.
He didn't know what kind of upbringing Bailihai had, what unspeakable secrets he had, or how much joy and sorrow he had experienced.
All he knew was that God saves people, not evil spirits.
[The first day of the third month of the second year of Jingrui.]
Jiannan King Baili Hai committed dozens of crimes of robbery, murder, and plunder of the people. He was stripped of his title, removed from the imperial genealogy, and demoted to a commoner.
The Prince of Jiannan committed suicide to atone for his sins.
Overwhelmed with grief, Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan moved to a royal villa to recuperate and never returned to the capital.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com