Chapter 29
A night breeze blew by, and the palace lanterns outside Zhaoyang Palace glowed faintly. Palace maids in silk robes and green gauze stood with their heads bowed, none daring to look at the Prince of Jin kneeling outside the palace. The tragic fate of the palace maid who had her tongue pulled out that afternoon was still fresh in their minds.
Inside the hall, Yuan Qiong sat upright in front of the mirror, toying with a small green stone in her hand, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips, it was unclear whether she was laughing at others or at herself.
"Your Majesty, would you like to wash up and rest?"
"No rush, wait a little longer."
Since she woke up from her coma, Yuwen Jing has only entered Zhaoyang Palace once, and that time he pressed her to tell him if she had been having an affair with someone else, never mentioning her injuries at all.
They grew up together, so Yuanqiong naturally understood his character. He trusted his grandfather, and whatever his grandfather did, he thought it was right.
Even if her grandfather hit her, Yuwen Jing felt that he must have been right.
So he would feel sorry for him, but he wouldn't think of doing anything about it, nor would he dare to do anything about it. This is also why Yuan Qiong hasn't been able to like him over the past ten years.
Xiao Jin knew her mistress best, but not wanting her mistress to become estranged from His Majesty, she thought for a moment and then advised, "Your Majesty, please rest. His Majesty might not come today."
She didn't want to hear those words anymore. Half a month had almost worn away the last vestiges of her affection for Yuwen Jing.
If he doesn't come, Yuan Qiong is willing to give him another chance. If he does come, then there's nothing more to say...
At four-quarters past dusk, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out outside the palace gates: "His Majesty has arrived—"
Sure enough, he came.
Inside the brightly lit hall, Yuan Qiong rose gracefully, her ethereal face still cool and aloof, and gave a perfect bow: "Your Majesty, I greet you."
"Get up quickly."
Yuwen Jing didn't dare to help her up, appearing slightly awkward. For the past two weeks, he had wanted to come to Zhaoyang Palace, but he was too proud to do so and wanted to tease her. Only now, seeing her again, did he realize how much he had missed her.
He sat down nervously to one side and asked awkwardly, "Sister Qiong, haven't you rested yet?"
"I've been reading late." Yuan Qiong stood up. "I wonder what brings Your Majesty to Zhaoyang Palace so late?"
"I...I..." After thinking for a long time, he finally remembered the purpose of his trip: "I heard that the Empress punished Prince Jin today?"
"Yes." Yuan Qiong did not deny it, her gaze fixed on him: "He instigated the palace maids to slander me. Your Majesty, tell me, should he be punished?"
"The Prince of Jin has not entered the inner palace these past few days, so how could he instigate the palace maids?"
"I don't know about that."
“Prince Jin is always honest and kind; he would never instigate a palace maid.” Yuwen Jing stood up from his chair, feeling that Yuan Qiong was reporting on Yuwen Jing’s betrayal, and his expression turned unpleasant. “Empress, please don’t deliberately frame him.”
"Deliberately framing someone?" Yuan Qiong beckoned to Xiao Jin: "Bring the witness over for His Majesty to see."
"promise."
A short while later, several palace maids covered in blood were dragged up and lay half-dead on the ground.
Yuan Qiong sat down in the chair opposite them, looking at them casually: "Tell His Majesty, did Prince Jin instigate you to slander me and ruin my reputation?"
"Aaaaaah! Waaaaah! Aaaaaahhhhh!"
The palace servants on the ground, looking utterly disheveled, nodded frantically, their mouths gaping open, blood and flesh a mangled mess, their tongues gone.
Yuwen Jing clutched his chest, feeling extremely uncomfortable: "Since they've lost their tongues, naturally whatever the Empress says goes!"
"Does Your Majesty mean that I am lying and deliberately framing Prince Jin?" Yuan Qiong stared at the man, at the man who kept saying he loved her, and stated calmly, "You don't believe me."
“…” Yuwen Jing didn’t know how to answer.
"Sister Qiong..."
"The Prince of Jin has been kneeling since this afternoon. Aren't you angry yet? Why don't you let him go?"
"Let him go?"
Yuan Qiong found this statement utterly ridiculous.
She knelt for three and a half hours, while Yuwen Jing hadn't even knelt for three hours! Release him? Are you kidding me!
"What if I don't let him go?" This was the first time Yuan Qiong had spoken to Yuwen Jing in this tone since their wedding, showing no mercy whatsoever: "Today, I will make Yuwen Ting kneel for seven hours."
What you owe her, you'll pay her back double!
In the past, she had been too presumptuous. From now on, she would hold power firmly in her own hands. No one, not even Yuwen Zhe, Yuwen Ting, the current emperor Yuwen Jing, or the entire court, including her grandfather, could stand in her way.
She will never be soft-hearted again. Today is just the beginning!
At this point, Yuan Qiong is the cold-blooded, ruthless, and ambitious villain described in the book.
Since she has lost her freedom, her emotions, and her choices, she is willing to give up everything for power.
"Your Majesty, I will not only punish Yuwen Ting by making him kneel until dawn, but after dawn, I will also have his attendants who entered the palace with him executed by slow slicing. I will let all the officials know what the consequences are for offending me."
The cold light that flashed in the fox's eyes sent chills down Yuwen Jing's spine.
**
The next day, news of the Empress's ruthless actions spread, causing an uproar among the court officials.
During the morning court session, an official immediately wanted to impeach the Empress, but upon seeing the Prime Minister in front of him, he silently stood back.
Sometimes, the black and white, right and wrong of a matter largely depend on the power of the parties involved. In this case, regardless of the truth, whether the Empress deliberately framed Prince Jin, she has sufficient evidence. Even if she were to impeach him, she wouldn't have a solid basis for her accusations, so it's better to remain silent.
When the court session ended, Yuan Su returned to his composed demeanor, revealing neither his true feelings nor his anger. In truth, he couldn't understand why his granddaughter had suddenly acted so cruelly. Hadn't she just gone to see Yuwen Ting? Why the sudden change of heart?
On the way back to the mansion, just as he was pondering the reason, a mad horse suddenly appeared out of nowhere and charged straight at the Yuan family's sedan chair.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way now!"
"Stop that horse immediately!!! This is the Prime Minister's sedan chair!!!"
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
As soon as Yuan Su Hui lifted the sedan curtain, a mad horse pounced on him. Before he could react, with a loud "bang!", the entire sedan chair was thrown out of the car. The assassins protecting him were a step too late, and Yuan Su Hui was immediately knocked unconscious.
"Prime Minister!!!"
"Are you alright, Your Excellency?!"
The servants scrambled over, their faces filled with extreme fear.
If anything were to happen to the prime minister, they would all be finished!
In a restaurant not far away, Lin Qiang leaned against the window, a smile in his eyes, a blade of grass that he had come from somewhere dangling from his mouth, chewing on it idly.
His influence in the capital was still in its early stages, so the news came a little late. He had guessed that Yuan Yatou might suffer some injustice because of this, but he didn't expect that old man Yuan Su would actually take action!
Although this old man only loves power and uses Yuan Qiong as a pawn, he is still that girl's grandfather. He can't do anything to him, but he can still stand up for the girl.
As for Yuwenting... Lin Qiang had already cut off cooperation with him a while ago, and a few days ago, he sent a few troublemakers to Yuwenting's staff group, hoping he would like them.
"Boss, what are you looking at?" Yuan Liu Niang peeked out from behind, blinked her peach blossom eyes, and suddenly burst into laughter: "Oh my, the Prime Minister has actually fainted! How hilarious! Hahahaha!!"
The fourth brother stepped forward and covered her mouth: "What are you laughing at! If someone hears this, do you want to die?"
Yuan Liu Niang opened her mouth and bit his hand with a "woof!" sound. The fourth brother cried out in pain and ran to the side.
She glanced at him and said, "Mind your own business!"
"You're like a dog biting Lü Dongbin—you don't appreciate a kind heart!"
"Pah! You damn tiger, who are you calling a dog?! Try saying it again?!" Yuan Liu Niang stepped forward, ready to roll up her sleeves and beat someone up, while Feng Zhi couldn't help but chuckle.
Suddenly, when he looked down, he saw a handsome man in a wheelchair coming this way.
Feng said, "Sixth Sister, Prince Cheng has come to see you again."
Lin Qiang frowned, his head throbbing with pain as he thought about the ill-fated relationship between Prince Cheng and Yuan Liu Niang. He shouldn't have been so soft-hearted and let her come to the capital!
"Sixth Sister, leave all the affairs in the capital to Fourth Brother. Go to Jiangnan and help Sixth Brother stabilize things there."
"Oh..." Yuan Liu Niang stopped her playful fight with Lao Si and asked him, "Then, are you going to Jiangnan, Boss?"
"I have some matters to attend to and will need to stay in the capital for a while longer." After thinking for a moment, he said, "You should set off tomorrow. Have a few members of the Wind Sect escort you."
The fourth brother chuckled, exuding a roguish air: "Jiangnan is great! Sixth Sister, remember to earn more money, and we'll have a competition at the end of the year."
Yuan Liuniang rolled her eyes at him and ignored him, then turned to Lin Qiang and pleaded hesitantly, "If you're not going, Boss, I don't want to go either. I'll stay here with you, and I promise I won't cause any trouble, okay...?"
"Besides, our restaurant hasn't even opened yet. If I leave, Fourth Brother won't be able to handle it!"
"Hey? How can you talk like that? Who are you calling inappropriate? A man can't say no, you know?!" The fourth brother glared at her.
"You don't need to worry about the restaurant. Leave tomorrow morning." Once Lin Qiang made a decision, he wouldn't easily change it. Yuan Liu Niang knew his personality, so no matter how unwilling she was, she reluctantly agreed, "Alright... then I'm leaving..."
That evening, Lin Qiang, with his superb lightness skills, easily bypassed the guards and arrived at Zhaoyang Palace.
In fact, he had come every day for the past few days, and each time he would linger for a while on the sycamore tree outside the hall to see what she was doing, whether she was happy, and whether her injuries had improved.
His mood would instantly brighten whenever he saw her.
Knowing she loved sweets and had a habit of snacking at night, Lin Qiang took three specially made colored candies from his pocket while she was taking a shower. Without attracting anyone's attention, he softly whistled a tune that sounded like a bird's song.
Before long, a yellow bird appeared on the tree.
"Chirp~" It turned its head and looked at him with its round little eyes.
Lin Qiang put the candy in a small mesh bag, hung it on the bird's claw, stroked the feathers on its back, and then released it.
As if understanding human nature, the little bird flew across the windowsill and landed on the small table where the snacks were placed inside. With a gentle lift of its tiny claw, the candy silently rolled into the snack plate.
It chirped again and flew away with a "flutter" before the palace servants could see it.
After Yuan Qiong finished bathing, she returned to the palace and had the palace maids dry her hair before dismissing them.
Dinner in the palace was served early, and she usually slept late. After bathing, washing up, and getting ready, she would typically read for a long time before going to sleep.
Today, as usual, she picked up the book and leaned against the couch to begin reading. Her delicate features were like a painting under the lamplight.
She was a little hungry, and as she reached for a snack, she suddenly pinched a round object.
"What's this?"
She sat up and saw three brightly colored candies on the dessert plate.
Are these new desserts from the Imperial Kitchen?
She took one out, put it in her mouth, and her eyes lit up instantly. It was slightly sweet but not cloying, and tasted great. She couldn't resist eating another one right after finishing the first, and in no time, all three were gone.
She reluctantly put down the plate and picked up a pastry. However, after eating the candy, the pastries tasted bland and unappetizing.
"I need to tell Xiao Jin tomorrow to ask them to prepare more."
Author's Note: Yuan Qiong: I've turned evil. I'm ruthless and heartless. I don't even care about my own family.
Lin Qiang: Be good, have some candy.
Yuan Qiong: I want to kill Yuwen Zhe and Yuwen Ting, and seize immense power.
Lin Qiang: Be good, have some candy.
Yuan Qiong: I want to give birth to a prince, rule from behind the curtain, become the Empress Dowager, and reach the pinnacle of my life.
Lin Qiang: What did you say?
Yuan Qiong: I want to eat candy.
Lin Qiang: Good boy.
Thank you to all the lovely angels who voted for me or watered my plants!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
Kaka 11 bottles; Shu Xiaoniu E 2 bottles; The top bunkmate who's terrible at naming also has 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com