"Did Shangguan Qian bring it back?"
"He was brought back. I sent someone to interrogate him. He said that Zhuang Yanxu was killed by someone sent by the Chu court. He was instructed by a man named Li Xin to kill Bai Xian in order to replace the Minister of Rites with his own people."
"First, send someone to capture Chu Ting and put him in the dungeon. All members of the Chu Mansion are confined to the house and soldiers are stationed to guard it. No one is allowed to enter or leave!"
"If anyone disobeys, they will be killed without mercy."
"Yes." Hua Qiufeng took the order and left.
Chen Qing looked at the gloomy sky. The wind suddenly picked up, as if a storm was coming. She rubbed her aching temples and walked towards the palace.
Golden Palace.
All the officials lowered their heads in fear and knelt in the hall, not daring to breathe. Their eyes were fixed on the ground, not daring to look up at the high dragon throne, on which sat Shen Qing, whose face was full of gloom.
Qiu Feng had interrogated Chu Ting overnight. He confessed to killing Zhuang Yanxu and only asked not to implicate his family.
"Last night, Dali Temple Minister Jiang Zhuo was ambushed on his way back to the capital. He was severely injured and remains in a coma." Shen Qing's voice was cold and deep, as if it came from the abyss of the underworld, sending chills down the spines of everyone present. "He brought back Shangguan Qian. Shangguan Qian accused Minister of Justice Chu Ting of murdering former Minister of Rites Zhuang Yanxu and mentioned a new person, Li Xin."
"Li Xin?" As soon as these two words came out, the hall was instantly filled with whispers.
"Who is Li Xin?"
"I don't know?"
…
Questions and speculations arose one after another in the hall.
"May I ask, Your Majesty, who is Li Xin?" Finally, an official mustered up the courage to ask.
Shen Qing's eyes were like torches as he coldly watched the reactions of the crowd below, and he memorized those officials with strange expressions and evasive glances one by one.
"I am also looking for this Li Xin." Shen Qing's voice was still without a trace of warmth, as if it had condensed the air in the hall.
"I repeat, anyone who dares to assist others and disrupt the court ceremony under any pretext will be executed along with their entire family."
"I hereby decree that the Chu court murdered Zhuang Yanxu and attempted to disrupt the imperial ceremony. The evidence is irrefutable. Order his immediate beheading and his body to be displayed for three days as a warning to others. All members of the Chu Palace will be reduced to slavery, and their families will be barred from taking the imperial examinations for generations."
"But does anyone else have any objections?"
None of the officials below dared to say anything.
"Withdraw from the court."
Chen Qing rubbed his brows with a headache, and when he left the palace, he ran into Jiang Ling who was about to return home.
"His Majesty."
"No need to be so polite." Chen Qing raised his hand and gave Jiang Ling a light support.
"Your Majesty did not sleep last night. Why don't you go and have a rest? I will stay with Jiang Zhuo." Jiang Ling looked at the dark circles under Shen Qing's eyes.
She is still a child too.
"I'm fine." Shen Qing shook his head. "Have you heard of this Li Xin? Shangguan Qian said he is Murong Sheng's younger brother."
Jiang Ling sighed imperceptibly, "Murong Sheng does have such a younger brother, but he was abandoned in the Northland by Murong Sheng a long time ago. For many years, he was ignored and left to fend for himself."
Shen Qing's heart sank. There really was such a person.
"Do many people know of his existence?"
"Not many. Everyone thought Murong Sheng had already killed all his brothers and sisters."
Shen Qing nodded. This Li Xin had to be eliminated.
As the two were chatting, the carriage turned into a small alley and stopped.
"Why did it stop?" Jiang Ling asked the driver, but no one spoke.
Jiang Ling was about to open the car curtain, but was stopped by Shen Qing.
She lifted the curtain slightly and looked out. A group of men in black, swords in hand, surrounded their carriage.
"Autumn wind."
Shen Qing shouted, and Qiu Feng retreated to her carriage with a sword in hand. "Master, judging by the clothes and weaponry, they are in the same group as the ones who ambushed Lord Jiang."
"How arrogant!" Chen Qing sneered and lowered the curtain. "Just kill them all."
There was the sound of swords clashing outside, while Shen Qing was sitting in the carriage, drinking tea calmly.
"This killer is coming for me." Jiang Ling wiped the sweat from his forehead.
After all, no one knew that Shen Qing had returned to the mansion with him. Jiang Zhuo successfully brought Shangguan Qian back and identified Chu Ting. As soon as the decree was issued, he was targeted.
"Ah, will the Prime Minister's Mansion be in danger?" Jiang Ling suddenly looked at Chen Qing worriedly, and the latter shook his head.
"I already sent people to guard the Prime Minister's Mansion yesterday."
After a while, the sound of swords and knives outside stopped, and Shen Qing lifted the car curtain and took a look.
"Master, everything is resolved."
"Well, dispose of the body properly and don't scare the people."
…
It has been three days since Jiang Zhuo fell into a coma, but he is still sleeping and shows no signs of waking up.
Shen Qing sat at the table with a gloomy face, tapping his hands unconsciously on the table. A circle of imperial doctors were kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Lord Jiang's pulse seems to have stabilized and he should wake up soon." The imperial physician knelt on the ground in fear and trepidation, not daring to raise his head.
"Should? You said the same thing yesterday!" Shen Qing's face was cold, and his angry eyes seemed to be able to pierce through the imperial physician kneeling on the ground. "A bunch of trash, what use do I have to you?"
"We are incompetent." The doctors' voices trembled and they bowed lower to the ground.
At this moment, Jiang Zhuo on the bed fluttered his eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes. In a daze, he heard Shen Qing's angry cursing voice.
"Qingqing..." Jiang Zhuo called out weakly. Although his voice was soft, it was clearly heard by Shen Qing.
Shen Qing turned around abruptly and walked quickly to the bedside. Seeing Jiang Zhuo smiling weakly at her, her heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally relaxed a little.
"Come over here and take a look!" Shen Qing shouted angrily at the imperial physician kneeling on the ground.
The imperial physician quickly crawled to his feet and walked tremblingly to the bedside to check Jiang Zhuo's pulse.
After a moment, the imperial physician said with a look of relief, "Your Majesty, Lord Jiang is no longer in danger."
"Back off." Shen Qing waved his hand impatiently.
The imperial doctors retreated in a flurry as if they had been granted amnesty. Shen Qing picked up the medicine bowl beside him, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it gently, and then carefully fed it to Jiang Zhuo bit by bit.
"I thought you would never wake up in bed for the rest of your life." Shen Qing said with a chuckle.
"Will Qingqing be sad?" Jiang Zhuo asked with a pale face and a weak voice.
"I'm just worried. If you don't wake up, I'll have to take care of you for the rest of my life. Oh, it makes me tired just thinking about it." Shen Qing sighed and smiled.
"When you were unconscious, Chu Ting confessed everything. I have already ordered him to be beheaded. But this Li Xin is indeed rampant."
In three days, he sent countless people to assassinate him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
